CONTOPUS RICHARDSONII, WESTERN WOOD PEWEE. 247 



material, economy doubtleavS being practised at the expense of the com- 

 fort of the young. The bottom of the nest is so slight, that upon being 

 detached from the branch it presents a sieve like appearance. In those 

 that have been placed in the angle constituted by two uniting twigs, 

 theie has always been an abundance of material, thus making a soft 

 and comfortable nest for the tender brood. 



"The habit of coustru<:ting the nest upon the superior face of a branch 

 was doubtless acquired in order to secure protection, the nest in this ])o- 

 sition presenting to an enemy at a distance the semblance of an anoma- 

 lous growth, overgrown with moss, such as are sometimes found upon 

 the diseased branches of the oak. 



"I have taken the nests of this species during the latter part of July 

 and the early part of August, with eggs, but whether a second laying 

 or not I am not prepared to say ; possibly the work of birds that had 

 been debarred the essential duties of incubation earlier in the season, 

 since this desire is so innate as to be foregone with difdculty." 



CONTOPUS (VIRBNS var ! ) EICHAKDSOXII, (Sw.) Bd. 



Western AVood Pewee. 



Tyrannula ricliardsonii, Sw., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 146, pi. 46, lower tig. (very wrongly colored). 



Miiscicapa rkhardsoiiii, AuD., Oru. Biog. v, 1839, 299, pi. 434. 



Contojms richardsonii, Bi'., B. N. A. 1858, 189.— ScL., Cat. 18r)-2, 231 (Vera Paz).— Hayd., 



Rep. 1862, 1.58. — Dkes.s., Ibis, 1865, 474 (Matamoras, breeding).— Coues, Pr. 



Pliila. Acad. 1836, 61 (Arizoua). — Lawr., Anu. Lye. N. Y. ix, 1868, 115 (Costa 



Rica). — Coop., Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 31 (Montana)!!— Coop., B. Cal. i, 1870, .>.2."). 



AiKEX, Pr. Bost. Soc. 1872, 206 (Colorado).— Stev., U. S. Geol. Surv. Tor. 1870, 



463.— Meku., ibid. 1872, 691. 

 Pyrocephalnii (Coiilopiis) richardaonii, Gray, Hand-list, 1869, 362, No. 5510. 

 Tyrannula ijhabe, Bp., Comp. List, 1838, 24 (not Muscicapa pkoobe, Latu.). 

 Muscicapa phabe, Auc, Syn. 1839, 42 ; B. Am. 1, 1840, 219, pi. 61 (Labrador quotation 



probably erroneous). 

 Tyrannm j>/(«'Z;e,'NcTT., Man. i, 1840, 319. 

 Tyrannus atriceps, D'Oituio., {Jide Gray). 

 ContopHH bof/otensis, Scr.., P. Z. S. 1858, 459. 

 Tyrannula boffolensix, Bp., Couiptes Kend. 



Contopm plcbtinn, Cah., Mus. llein. ii, 1859, 71 (Mexico) ; .1. f. O. ix, 1861, 248 (Costa Rica). 

 Coritopns.noydidnhts, 8CL., P. Z. S. 1859, 43; Ibis, 1859, 491 (Orizaba).— SCL. & .Salv., 



Ibis, 1859, 122 (Guatemala). — Sumich., Mem. Bost. Soc. i, 1869, 557 (alpine 



regiou of Vera Cruz). 

 Contopus vcliei, Baihh & COUES ; CouES, Pr. Pbila. Acad. 1866, 61 (in text; seasonal 



state of i)luuiage). 

 Contopus virens var. rivhard^onii, Aixen, Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 179 (Colorado and 



Utab).— C<)r;Ks, Key, 1872, 174.— B. B. & R., N. A. B. ii, 1874, 360, pi. 44, f. 4. 



Hab. — Western North America, from high central plains to the Pacific. North to the 

 Sa.skatch(;wau. Soutii through Mexico and Central America to New Granada. {".) "'Lab- 

 rador" (Audubon). Breeds in suitable i)]ace8 tbronghout its range. Migrates entirely 

 beyond the United States in tlie lail. 



Lieutenant IVarrcn'H Expedition. — 8892, Loup Fork of Phitte River. 



Later Expvditionn. — 59854, Berthoud's Pass; 60441, 60449, Bitter Cottonwood, Wyom- 

 ing; 61740, Utah; 62291, Idaho. 



As already observed by Professor Baird, there are material discrei)aneies between 

 Swainson's account of Tyrannula richardmnii and the subject of the present article ; but 

 the most striking of these, tlu^ different wing formula, may be reconciled upon the 

 supposition tliat the type of Swainson's species was a young l)ir(l. This seems the 

 more reasonal)li-, becau.so of tli(! coloration of the plati — certainly wrong for an adult, 

 yet after all not so far out of the way for the very young bird, wliieli is rusty-tinged, 

 as in allieil species. Upon the whole, in view of the facts that .Swainson's bird was 

 a Contopus, and that the present is the only one ever known to inhabit the ascribetl 

 locality, tlu^ ideutilicatiou may be safely uuide. 



I should not be surprised if, after all, it proved that Mr. Allen and others were 

 hasty in reducing this bird to a variety- of t. ri>TH«. It is true, indeed, as stated iu. 

 the " Key,'' that I failed to appreciate any perfectly constant differences, or, iu fact. 



