518 S YS TEMA TIC S YNOPSFS. — PA S SERES — CLA MA TOR ES. 



MYIAR'CHUS. (Gr. fxvla, muia, a fly; apxos, archos, a ruler. Fig. 344, o.) Crested 

 Flycatchers. Ash-throated Flycatchers. Rufous-tailed Flycatchers. No 

 colored patch on crown, but head slightly crested by lengthened erectile feathers. Primaries 

 emargiuate. Olivaceous; more or less yellow below, throat ash, primaries margined with 

 chestnut, tail-feathers the same or mostly chestnut — such coloration the best mark of the 

 genus. Tail nearly even, if anything rounded, about as long as wings, of broad flat feathers 

 with rounded ends. Wings rounded, tip formed by 2d-4th quills (usually), 5th shorter, 6th 

 and 1st much shorter. Tarsus about as long as middle toe and claw, — if any difi"ereut, longer. 

 Bill moderate, variable in shape and relative size. Next to the characteristic rufous on wings 

 and tail, size is a good clue to this genus among our olivaceous Flycatchers without colored 

 crest ; for the Myiarchi excepting M. laivrencei are much larger than any others excepting 

 Contopus borealis and C pertinax. Only one eastern species, but three others in the South- 

 west, and each of these with a subspecies, requiring nice discrimination. Peculiar, all of them, 

 in nesting in holes, and laying heavily-colored eggs, scratched and snarled, but chiefly scrawled 

 lengthwise, with dark brown, in close and intricate pattern. 



Analysis of Species and Subspecies. 



Lnrge : Length 8.00 or more. Inner webs of tail-feathers extensively rufous. Bill subcorneal. {Subgenus Wnonxx.) 

 Rufous occupying nearly or quite all of the inner webs of several lateral tail-feathers. Eastern N. Am. crinitus 

 Rufous occupying inner webs of several lateral tail-feathers to nearly equal extent with a fuscous stripe of equal 

 width throughout S. W. U. S. 



Length 9.00 or less ; wing and tail about 4.00 ; bill about 0.75. Texas mexicanus 



Length over 9.00 ; wing and tail over 4.00 ; bill nearly or quite 1.00. Arizona m. magister 



Rufous occupying inner webs of several lateral tail-feathers to greater extent than a fuscous stripe which widens 

 at end. 



Outer web of outer tail-feather whitish. Western U. S cinerascens 



Outer web of outer tail-feather not distinctly whitish. Arizona c. nuttingi 



Small : Length about 7.00 or rather less. Inner webs of taU-feathers with little or no rufous. S. W. U. S. Bill flat. 

 (Myiarchus proper.) 



Darker and smaller. Texas lawrencei 



Lighter and larger. Arizona I- olivascens 



*^* This genus is unfortunate in having the names of our southwestern species and subspecies much confused and 

 changed about by various writers : see synonjTny under head of each, beyoud. The several forms now given are the same 

 as those of the 2d-4th eds. of the Key, with different names for mexicanus and its subspecies rnagisler, and with an addi- 

 tional subspecies for cinerascens and lawrencei, respectively. My present nomenclature is strictly conformed to the 

 A. O. U. List, with some misgiving in one or two instances. 



M. criui'tus. (Lat. crinitus, haired, i. e. crested ; crinis, hair. Fig. 348.) Great 

 Crested Flycatcher. Adult ^ 9 '■ Decidedly olivaceous above, a little browner on head, 

 where the feathers have dark centres ; throat and fore breast pure dark ash ; rest of under 

 parts bright yellow, the two colors meeting abruptly ; primaries margined on both edges with 

 chestnut ; secondaries and coverts edged and tipped with yellowish-white ; tail with all the 

 feathers but the central pair chestnut on whole of inner web (excepting perhaps a very narrow 

 space next the shaft) ; outer web of outer feathers edged with yellowish ; middle feathers, 

 outer webs of the rest, and wings except as stated, dusky-brown. The foregoing phrases are 

 intended to be chiefly antithetical to those used in describing cinerascens, below. Other diag- 

 nostic points are : bill dark but not quite black, pale at base below, stout and comparatively 

 short, hardly or not as long as tarsus, the latter perhaps never 0.90 ; olive back, ash throat, 

 and yellow belly severally pure in color ; all tail-feathers but middle pair so extensively rufous 

 on inner webs that a mere line, if any, of fuscous persists next the shaft (compare mexicanus 

 and m. magister), and this fuscous line, if any, running of same narrowness to ends of the 

 feathers (compare cinerascens) ; never more than a trace of rufous on outer webs. Very young 

 birds have rufous skirting of many feathers, in addition to the chestnut above described, but 



