TYRANNID^ — THE FLYCATCHERS. 3^5 



T. carol inensis, wliere the culmen is but little more than half tlie liead, to 

 that of T. dvminicensis (genus Mdittarclms of Cabauis), where it is decidedly 

 longer than the head, and almost as stout as tliat of Saurophagus. 



Tlie North American species of Tyrannus (with their nearest Mexican 

 allies) may be arranged by colors, accordingly as tliey are wliitc beneath or 

 yellow, in the following manner : — 



A. Under parts vvhitisli, without any shade of yellow. A fiiiiit grayiah- 

 plumbeous peetoral band. 



1. T. carolineusis. Tail slightly rounded. Bill much shorter than the 

 head. Above lilaek, shading into dark plumbeou.s on the back. Tail 

 abruptly and broadly margined and tipped with pure white. {Tyrannus.) 

 Hab. Whole of North America, north to the British Provinces, and 

 south to Panama. Rare in the Western Province of North America. 



2. T. dominicensis. Tail moderately forked. Bill longer than the 

 head. Above gray; the tail and wings brownish. The edges and tips 

 of the tail narrowly margined with soiled white. {MelUtarchus.) Hab. 

 West Indies, New Granada, Panama, Florida, Georgia, and South 

 Carolina. 



B. Above ashy-olive, becoming purer ash on the head. Tail brown or black. 

 Beneath yellow ; the chin paler ; the breast strongly shaded with olivaceous or 

 ashy. (Laph i/ctes.) 



a. Tail nearly black ; the outer edges of the outer webs of the feathers with 

 the fibres united closely throughout, and colored similarly to the rest of the 

 feathers; beneath sulphur-yellow. 



3. T. verticalis. Tail slightly forked ; external featlier with the entire 

 outer web and the outer half of the shaft abruptly yellowish-white. 

 Pectoral band pale ashy, lighter than the back. Hab. Western Prov- 

 ince of United States. 



4. T. vociferans. Tail nearly even or slightly rounded ; external 

 feather with the shaft brown ; the outer edge only of the outer web 

 obscurely yellowish-white, and all the feathers fading into paler at the 

 tip. Throat and breast broadly tinged with dark ashy-olivo like the 

 back. Habi Plams and southern IVIiddle Province of United States, 

 south into Middle America. 



b. Tail brown, scarcely darker than the wings; outer edges of the outer 

 webs of the tail-feathers olivaceous like the back, in contrast with the 

 brown ; the fibres loosened externally ; shafts of tail-feathers white beneath. 

 Beneath bright ganiboge-3-cllow. 



5. T. melancholicus.' Tail quite deeply forked (.70 of an inch), 

 brownish-black, the lighter edgings obsolete, and those on wings in- 

 distinct. Throat ashy. Hab. South America . . var. melancliolicrts. 

 Tail moderately forked (.30 of an inch), grayish-brown, the light edges 

 conspicuou.s, as are also those of the wings. Throat white. Hub. Middle 

 America, north to southern boundary of United States . . \ar. couch i. 



In the Birds of North America a supposed new species, T. conrhi, was 

 mentioned as coming so close to tlie Iwundary line of the United States in 



1 Tyrannus melancliolicus, YiEiLLOT, Nouv. Diet, xxxv, 1819,84. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 

 1858, 176. — ScLATER, Catal. Am. Birds, 18fi'2, 235. Hnb. South America. .\ more northern 

 race scarcely distinguishable (Panama, Costa Rica, etc.), separated as T. satrajja, Licht. 



