56 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



STUDIES OF THE TYRANNIDJE. PART I. REVISION OF THE SPECIES 



OF MYIARCHUS. 



BY ELLIOTT COUES. 



A complete and perfectly satisfactory account of this family 

 can only be rendered by some one who has access to the principal 

 European collections as well as those of this country. But if the 

 large amount of United States material is thoroughly worked up, 

 it may become an important contribution to the urgently needed 

 monograph of the future. The present is the first one of a series 

 of papers in which more or fewer of the genera of Tyrannidee 

 will be considered as time and circumstances may allow. The 

 basis of these "studies" should be explicitly stated. The investiga- 

 tion is grounded, first, upon the entire Smithsonian series, which, 

 in the liberal policy pursued by the authorities of that institution, 

 is placed in my hands; and probably, in the end, the specimens 

 will be made up in sets, labelled in accordance with my views, and 

 distributed to home and foreign societies. Through the friendly 

 offices of Mr. J. A. Allen, the whole collection of the museum 

 of Comparative Zoology has been sent to me. The large suite 

 of the Philadelphia Academy is examined, as well as the Lafres- 

 naye types and other specimens in the Boston Society's Museum; 

 while I have received, through the courtesy of Dr. Brewer and 

 Prof. Hyatt, such specimens as the rules of the society permit to 

 leave the building. Mr. Lawrence generously places the fly- 

 catchers of his private cabinet at my service ; they represent all 

 his types and many other indispensable examples. Prof. Orton 

 has promptly signified his willingness to transmit, from the ex- 

 tensive collection of Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, such speci- 

 mens as I may desire to inspect. Others are derived from my 

 own cabinet and miscellaneous sources. Since it does not appear 

 that there is any important material in southern or western cities, 

 what is just recounted virtually represents the gross amount 

 available in the country; and what this is may be inferred by the 

 fact, that the specimens of Myiarchus alone are over two hundred 

 in number. 



[June 25, 



