LARKS 265 



he could hover, then with a tine ecstasy come floating back to tlie 

 held like a ball of down. 



His usual twitter was like that of the wood pewee, a conversa- 

 tional aside. His call-notes were persistent and quite loud. For so 

 snijdl a flycatcher he took a surprisingly distinct part in the noisy 

 jackdaw and scissor-tail chorus. 



GENUS ORNITHION. 



General Characters. — Bill curved, compressed, almost without bristles ; 

 tarsus long-er tliau middle toe and claw. 



KEY TO SPECIES. 



1, Smaller and browner imberbe, n. 265. 



1. Larger and grayer ridgwayi. p. 265. 



472. Ornithion imberbe (ScL). Beardless Flycatcher. 



Adults. — Upper parts plain brownish gray; wings with light edgings; 

 under parts gravish white, tinged with yellow. Young : under parts buffv. 

 Length : 4.50, wing- 2.10-2. b'), tail L70-1.U5. bill .;J0-.40. 



Distribution. — From lower Rio Grande Valley in Texas to Central 

 America. 



472a. O. i. ridgwayi Brewst. Kidgway Flycatcher. 



Like imberbe, but larger, grayer, and with imder parts almost or wholly 

 without yellow. Length: 4.;}0-4.S0. wing- 2.04-2.28, tail 1.78-2.02, bill 

 .40-.42./ 



Distribution. — From southern Arizona south throug'h western Mexico to 

 Mazatlan. 



"Mr. Stephens found the curious little bird at Tucson. . . . The 

 mules had a liabit of perching on the tops of the tallest trees in the 

 vicinity of their haunts, and at sunrise occasionally uttered a singu- 

 lar song which Mr. Stephens transcril)es as ' yoop-yoop-yoop cedeedledee,' 

 the first half given very deliberately, the remainder rapidly." (Ben- 

 dire.) 



FAMILY ALAUDID^: LARKS 



KEY TO CENERA. 



1. Crown with blunt erectile cre.st Alauda. p. 205. 



1. Crown with horndike tufts of black feathers . . Otocoris. p. 2(i(». 



GENUS ALAUDA. 



[473] Alauda arvensis />/»//. Skylark. 



Wing- with spurions piiniary ; tail deeply eniarginate ; tarsus ecpial to 

 middle tot; and daw. Adults: Fpper ])arts liglit hrownisli, streaked with 

 l)lack ; wings <bisky, featliers bonb'red with brown; tail with outer feath- 

 ers white, dnsky along- edge of inner web ; under jKirts and superciliary 

 whitislj; chest ])ale tawny, streaked; ear coverts browni.sh. sometimes 

 lilaekisli along- upper margin. Adults in winter: ]>luniag-e more tawny 

 and feathers of erown and hack with more or h'ss whitish margins. Yniing : 

 tawny, with wliite margins to fe.ithers of upper jtails eoiispieuoiis. marked 

 with .1 suhttrmin.'il spot of hrown : ttitials widelv bordered with buffy. 



