310 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



brown ; beneath yellow on anterior half as in adult, but yellow less pure ; rest of under 

 parts (except abdomen) ochraceous ; markings on head obsolete, the eyelids only being 

 distinctly white. 



Hab. Western and Middle Provinces of United States, east to Missouri River and 

 Texas; Cape St. Lucas and Western Mexico. 



The most tangible diflereiice between this bird and typical vircns con- 

 sists in the longer tail. In addition, the up|ier plumage is grayi.sh, with 

 hardlj' any olive tinge, and the white maxillary stripe extend.s i'artlier liack ; 

 the bill is not so deep as that of the Eastern bird. xVll these differences, 

 however, are in strict accordance with various laws ; the more grayish cast 

 of plumage is \\-hat we should exj)ect in birds from the Middle Province, 

 while the restriction of the yellow from the maxillas we see also in Western 

 specimens of Hclminthophaga ruficapilla ; the longer tail, also, is a well- 

 known characteristic of Western birds, as distinguished from Eastern of the 

 same species. 



Upon the whole, therefore, taking into consideration the absolute iden- 

 tity of their habits and notes, we can only consider the /. longicauda and 

 /. vircns as restricted, as being merely geograjihical races of one species. 



This variety, as well as the Eastern, has in autumn and winter a slightly 

 different plumage. A pair (53,348 J , and 5:!,:'>47 9 , Wist Humboldt Moun- 

 tains, Nevada) obtained September 4 diifer in the following respects from 

 spring adults : the u])i)er plumage is decidedly lirown, witli even a ru.sset 

 tinge, — not gray, with a greenish wash ; the lores are less purely black, and 

 the sides and crissum are deep cream-color, instead of pure white ; the female 

 has a shade of olive across tlie jugulum ; both male and female have the 

 lower mandible almost wliolly white, and the commissure broadly edged with 

 the same. 



No. 38,402 (J, Laramie Peak, -June, lias the tliroat and jugulum strongly 

 stained with deep cadmium-orange. 



Habits. The Western or Long-tailed Chat has an exclusively Western dis- 

 tribution, and has been found from Mexico and Cape St. Lucas to Oregon, on 

 the Pacific coast, and as far to the east as the Upper Missouri. 



According to Dr. Cooper, tliese birds appear in San Diego and at Fort 

 Mojave in the latter pai't of April. They are said to inhabit chiefly the 

 warmer valleys near streams and marshes, rarely on the coast. At Fort j\Io- 

 jave. Dr. Cooper found a nest of tliis bird May 19, built in a dense thicket of 

 algarnbia. It contained three eggs, and one of the Mnlotlirus. The nest was 

 buUt of .slender green twigs and lea\-es, lined witli grass and hair. The eggs 

 were white, sprinkled with cinnamon, somewhat in the form of a ring near 

 the larger end, and measured .75 by .64 of an inch. 



These nests were usually very closely concealed, but one tliat he found at 

 Santa Cruz, near the coast, was in a very open situation, only t^\■o feet above 

 the ground. ^Vllen the nest is approached, tlie old birds are very bold, keep- 

 ing up a constant scolding, and almost flying in the face of an intruder. At 



