10 BULLETIN 17 9, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



or mottling of cinnamon and the throat averages less extensively pink. The 

 abbreviated ninth primary is acquired at this time. Of these second-year males 

 there are six specimens taken in January, February, May, and September, 

 besides two critical examples vphich show the transition from first-year 

 to second-year plumage. 



Our record specimen, taken June 20, 1888, in the Huachiica Moun- 

 tains, Ariz., by "W. W. Price, is a young male in second-year plum- 

 age ; it is largely in adult plumage, but the rose of the throat is more 

 restricted and paler, "light jasper red" instead of "rose red," and the 

 wings and tail are of the immature type, pale and worn. It is labeled 

 alhiventris but is apparently referable to richmondi. 



Both adults and immature birds evidently have the complete 

 annual molt in September and October. 



Food. — Mr. van Rossem (1938) records the stomach contents in 

 10 specimens of latii^ostris ; he found berry seeds and fruit pulp in 

 six stomachs; berry seeds, pulp, and insects in three; and insects 

 exclusively in only one stomach. Mr. Davis says (MS.) of the bird 

 he watched : "It ate only insects, as far as I could observe. On one 

 occasion, I watched it swallow a large insect that required consider- 

 able effort to get down. This appeared to be a dragonfly, and the 

 wings stuck out of the bird's mouth for some time, as the insect's body 

 was slowly choked down." 



Behavior. — By its general behavior Mr. Davis, at first, thought that 

 the strange bird might be an immature Derby flycatcher or a freak 

 crested flycatcher. He noted that the Derby flycatchers and green 

 jays showed considerable hostility toward it, but the becard made 

 very little attempt to defend its territory against them; it would 

 give its call repeatedly when approached by them, but would quickly 

 fly away if they became quarrelsome. "It tended to keep hidden in 

 the thick foliage of large trees and never perched out in the open, 

 as do the flycatchers." 



Voice. — Mr. Price (1888) says: "Their note reminds one of the song 

 of Stephens's Vireo {Vireo huttoni stephensi), but is not so long 

 continued, and is harsher." The bird observed by Dr. Beebe (1905) 

 uttered from time to time "a low, indefinable lisp." 



Mr. Davis writes to me as follows regarding his impressions of 

 the call of the becard: "It is quite a lot softer than the whistle of 

 the crested flycatcher and is of entirely different quality and is more 

 drawn out. While very soft, the call carries well and can be heard for 

 some distance. From what I have observed, it seems that the adults 

 almost always use some preliminary chattering notes, which are still 

 softer than the main call or seem to be so because they are of lower 

 pitch. Possibly the whole call could be stated as chu-chu-chu-chu, 

 tee-oooooo, or chatter, chatter, chee-oooooo. The preliminary notes 



