BIIIDS OF KANSAS. 355 



and southwestern Missouri; accidental at Key West, Florida, at 

 IS^orfolk, Virginia, New Jersey, New England, Manitoba, and 

 even at York Factory, Hudson's Bay Territory; south to Costa 

 Rica. {Ridgway. ) 



Sp. Chak. "Wiug with the outer primary only abruptly attenuated and 

 narrowly linear (for about .85 of an inch); the second but slightly emarginate: 

 second quill longest; first and third equal. Tail very deeply forked, the lateral 

 feathers twice as long as the body, all narrow and linear or subspatulate. Top 

 and sides of head very pale ash; the back a little darker and faintly tinged with 

 light brick red; under parts nearly pure white, tinged toward the tail with light 

 vermilion, rather more rose on the under wing coverts; a patch on the side of 

 the breast and along the forearm dark vermilion red. Tail feathers rosy white, 

 tipped at the end for two or three inches with black. Rump dark brown, turn- 

 ing to black on the coverts. Wings very dark brown; the coverts and quills, 

 excepting the primaries (and including the outer of these), edged with whitish. 

 Crown with a concealed patch of white, having some orange red in the center." 



stretch of 

 Length. wing. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill. 



Male 14.25 15.50 5.00 9.25 .70 .70 



Female... 11.50 14.20 4.35 6.50 .68 .68 



Iris, legs and feet dark brown; bill and claws black. 



This very singular and beautiful species prefers for its home 

 prairie lands that are dotted with scattering or lone, shrubby 

 trees. They are quite common from latitude 38° southward 

 through the Indian Territory, Texas and eastern Mexico, and I 

 found them wintering in large numbers in the vicinity of Gran- 

 ada, Nicaragua, and along the west side of the lake south into 

 Costa Eica; and March 2d, 1885, I shot a straggling male at 

 Cape Sable, Florida. It is one of our most graceful and at- 

 tractive birds of the air, skimming over the prairies with inimi- 

 table grace, closing and expanding its long, forked tail, and 

 showing off in the changing lights to the best advantage its 

 vermilion markings in contrast with its ashy hue, perching often 

 in its course upon a bush or tall weed, and at times rising from 

 the same to quite a height, and then suddenly dropping in an 

 almost perpendicular manner. A courageous and rather quar- 

 relsome bird, that not only attacks the birds of prey but drives 

 all others away from its selected home, uttering in its chase a 

 sharp, harsh, scolding, "Tish, tish, tish" note. It is an expert 

 fly catcher, and feeds chiefly upon the various kinds of winged 

 insects. 



