Tyrant Shrikes of America. 269 



are few and imperfect, it must of necessity follow, that our de- 

 ductions will frequently be open to correction and amendment. 



My object in this paper is to arrange and describe all those 

 birds, more particularly related to the genus Tyrannus, which 

 have come under my immediate observation, distributing them 

 into minor groups, from characters which seem to indicate a dif- 

 ference in their respective economy. In addition to those species 

 which have been noticed by former writers, I have been enabled 

 to add many others, new to the ornithologists of this country, 

 and which are part of the fruits of Mr. William Bullock's zoolo- 

 gical researches in the little-known provinces of the table land of 

 Mexico. 



TYRANNUS. Brisson. Vieillot. 



Ordo. Insessores. Vigors. 

 Fam. Laiuada. Vigors. 



Section L 

 Rostrum magnum. 



Alae mediocres, remigum pogoniis internis immarginatis. 

 Cauda sequalis. 



Obs. The few birds which are placed in this section are prin- 

 cipally distinguished from those which follow, by the more power- 

 ful construction of the bill; in this character, and also in the 

 truncated form of the tail, they seem to make a near approach to 

 the genus Psaris of M. Cuvier. The inner webs of the primary 

 quill- feathers are entire ; and the wings comparatively shorter 

 than in the genuine Tyrants ; hence a weaker power of flight may 

 be inferred ; while the superior size of the bill seems to indicate 

 those carnivorous habits before alluded to. 



Sp. 1. Tyrannus sulphuratus. Vieillot. 



Benteve, or Brazilian Tyrant. 



T. rufo-fuscus, infra flavus; vertice nigro aurantiacoque varioj jugulo annu- 

 loque verticem cingente albis ; rostro elongato, compresso. 



Rufous brown, beneath yellow ; crown varied with black and golden yellow ; 

 throat and ring encircling the crown, white ; bill lengthened, compressed. 



Lanius sulphuratus. Lin. 1. p. 137. Ind. Orn. 1. 79. 



Lanius cayanensis luteus. Brisson Orn. 1. p. 176. PI. 16. f. 4. PI. Enl. 296. 



249. 

 Tyrannus sulphuratus. Vieil. Ois. de L'Am. 1. pi. 47. 



Inhabits Brazil, Mexico, and Cayenne. 



Total length 8§, bill from the rictus 1-&, wings 4^, tail 3, tarsi -ft. 



Vol. XX. U 



