THE BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER 107 



Culicivora niexicann, Caf^s, ill. i. 1854, 1C4, pi. 27 (not of Bp.). 

 Black-heiided Giiatcatrher, Oon.es, 1. c. 

 Black-capped Guatcalcher, B. B. (f R. 1. c. 



/ / 

 Hab.— Texas to Southern and Lower California. ff l 



Ch. sp. — Similin P. cwniJecc; sed vertice , / 



nigro, pogonio externa rectricis exterioris albo- 

 Umbato, apice albo. 



I 



^ : Like P. cceruJex, but the whole,, top of the head i 



black. White of tail reduced to a minimum; the ' 

 outer web of the outer feather being usually edged 

 with white, instead of wholly white, and the tip of 



the inner web, with the tip of the uext feather, white Fig. 18.— c tail of Black- 



for a very slight space; no white ob.served on the cnpped Gnatcatcher ; d, of 



ii • 1 r Ii c- ' c i\ 4^ ,:„ . . 4^ .„ ; „.+i^„v. Plumbe'ius Gnatcatcher; 



third feather. Size ot the toregoiug ; tarsi rather 



longer — about 0.70. 2 : No black on the head. 



The male of this species is immediately distinguished from that of either 



of the two foregoing by having the whole top of the head black. The 



female, however, presents somedifficulty, being mainly distinguishable by the 



minimum amount of white ou the tail, as above described, and the rather 



longer tarsi, which are | of an inch instead of about f . 



TELE Black capped Guatcatcber, first described by Mr. G. N. 

 Lawrence in 1851, was discovered at Ringgold Barracks, 

 Texas, by Capt. J. P. McCown, then of the United States Army, 

 who subsequently changed his allegiance to a temporary con- 

 federation which was declared in 18SL. Various observers 

 hav^e since met with the bird in difterent portions of the South- 

 west, till its range has been ascertained to extend from Texas 

 to California, at the latitude of San Diego, and down the pen- 

 insula to Cape Saint Lucas, including a portion of Mexico. I 

 never saw it at Fort Whipple, nor does Mr. Ilenshaw appear to 

 have met with it in his various tours in the Sauthwest. Lieu- 

 tenant Bendire found it resident about Tucson, and Dr. Cooper 

 states that it remains during the winter at Fort Mojave and 

 Sau Diego. The published records of its habits, excluding 

 some statements that do not seem very well consiilered, indi- 

 cate nothing peculiar in comparison with those of P. cxndea; 

 while the nest and agg'^^ as described hy Dr. B reaver, are sub- 

 stantially the same, tliougli some " black" m irkings of the lat- 

 ter are mentioned. This may be a remirkable circumstance, 

 for, according to the same author (N. Am. O ol. p. 1) " markings 

 of a jet-black color, even to the extent of blotches, spots, or 

 lines, are of very rare occurrence, if not positively unknown". 



