266 Birds of Colorado 



Olivaceous Flycatcher. Myiarchus lawrencei olivascens. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 455a — Colorado Records — Thome 89, p. 276 ; 

 Cooke 97, p. 88. 



Description. — General colour above plain olive-brown ; tail and wings 

 without any distinct rusty-red edgings ; below pale primrose. 



Length about 6-5; wing 3-25; tail 30; tarsus '75; culmen -70. 

 The female is slightly smaller — wing 3-00. 



Distribution. — This species ranges from southern Arizona southward 

 through western and southern Mexico to Oaxaca. 



It was once taken in Colorado by Captain Thome at Fort Lyon in 

 Bent CO., on April 20th, 1874. It may be regarded as an accidental 

 visitor to the State. 



Genus SAYORNIS. 



Medium-sized Flycatchers with a wing measurement of 3 to 4-5 ; 

 bill somewhat narrow, a little less than half the length of the culmen 

 across the nostrils ; culmen shorter than both the tarsus and the 

 middle toe ; wings without attenuated tips to the primaries, long and 

 pointed, the seventh, eighth and ninth primaries the longest, the tenth 

 (outer) intermediate between the fourth and sixth ; tail plain-coloured 

 without rufous or rusty, even or slightly emarginate ; tarsus always 

 longer than the middle toe and claw. Only three species of this genus, 

 ranging from North America to Bolivia, are recognized. One of these 

 is commonly met with in Colorado. 



A. Larger; wing about 4-0 ; abdomen cinnamon -buff. S. saya, p. 267. 



B. Smaller ; wing about 3 -5 ; abdomen pale primrose-yellow. 



S. phoebe, p. 266, 



Phoebe. Sayornis phoebe. 



A.O.U. Checklist no 456— Colorado Record— Thome 89, p. 276. 



Description. — Crown and sides of the head dark sooty-brown, becoming 

 paler and olivaceous-brown on the back ; wings and tail dull brown, 

 the wings with paler greyish margins, most conspicuous on the secon- 

 daries and greater coverts ; the outer web of the outer tail-feather 

 distinctly edged with greyish-olive ; below pale yellowish, the throat 

 and chest washed over with dusky greyish and the sides of the breast 

 brownish-olive ; iris dark brown, bill and legs black. Length 6-5 ; 

 wing 3-50 ; tail 2-70 ; tarsus •! ; culmen -52. 



The adults are alike, except that the female is slightly smaller — wing 

 3-25 ; yoimg birds resemble the adults, but are rather browner above, 

 and the wing-coverts are broadly tipped with cinnamon-buff. 



Distribution. — Breeding throughout eastern North America from 

 Maine and Great Slave Lake southwards to western Texas and the high- 

 lands of South Carolina ; wintering in the states south of 37", Cuba, 

 eastern and central Mexico. 



