620 



S YS TEMA TIC S YNOPSTS. — PA S SERES — CLA MA TORES. 



irritabilis Vieill. ; M. crinitus var. cooperi Bd. Brew, and Kidgw. Hist. N. A. B. ii, 1874, 

 p. 331, in part; 31. mexicmms var. cooperi Kidgw. Pr. Nat. Mus. i, p. 138, in part, nee 31. 

 cooperi Bd. ; 31. erijthrocercus Brew. Ibis, 1878, p. 205 (Texas); 31. crinitus erythrocercus 

 CouES, Bull. U. S. Geol. Surv. iv, 1878, p. 32; v, 1879, p. 402; Key, 2d-4th eds. 1884-95, 

 p. 435 (Te.xas). 



M. m. magis'ter. (Lat. magister, a master, magistrate.) Large-billed Crested Fly- 

 catcher. Arizona Crested Flycatcher. Like the last; differing in greater size, espe- 

 cially of the bill, which runs from 0.80 to 1.10 in length of culmen, equalling or even exceeding 

 the tarsus, which is itself 1.00, and thus fully 0.10 longer than in mexicanus proper ; wing over 

 4.00 ; tail the same ; total length 9.00 or more. The coloration of the tail-feathers is as in 

 the stock-species, not as in crinitus, of which I formerly regarded both magister and mexicanus 

 as subspecies. Southern Arizona, S. through western Mexico to Tehuantepec. In our country 

 the bird is characteristic oi the region of the giant cactus, in holes in which, made by the Gila 

 and other Woodpeckers, the nest is placed as a rule. Eggs 3-5, 1 .00 X 0.70, like those of 

 mexicanus in coloration, laid in May and June. ( ? Tyrannula cooperi Kaup, P. Z. S. 1851, 

 p. 51. 3Iyiarchus cooperi Baird, B. N. A. 1858, p. 180, and of most authors, wholly or in 

 part. 31. crinitus var. cooperi Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1872, p. Q7 ; Key 2d-4th eds. 1884- 

 90, p. 435 (Arizona) ; Bd. Brew, and Ridgw. Hist. N. A. B. ii, 1874, p. 33J , in part (includes 

 mexicanus proper). 31. mexicanus magister Ridgw. Pr. Biol. Soc. Wash, ii, 1884, p. 90; Man. 

 1887, p. 333; A. 0. U. Lists, 1886-95, No. 453 «. The name cooperi proves to be unavail- 

 able for this bird.) 



M. cineras'cens. (Lat. cinerascens, ashy. Fig. 349.) Ash-throated Crested Fly- 

 catcher. Adult ,^9: Rather olivaceous-brown above, quite brown on head; throat very 



pale ash, sometimes almost whitish, changing gradually 

 to very pale yellow or yellowish-white on rest of under 

 parts. Primaries edged as in crinitus, but secondaries 

 and coverts edged with grayish-white. Tail-feathers 

 as in crinitus, but rufous of inner webs hardly or not 

 reaching their ends, being cut off from the tip by widen- 

 ing of the fuscous stripe (in young bii'ds, in which the 

 quills and tail-feathers are more extensively rufous- 

 edged, the last distinction does not hold) ; outer web 

 of outer tail-feather whitish. Size of crinitus, or rather 

 less, 8.00-8.50; wing and tail about 4.00; but tarsi 

 longer and bill slenderer; tarsus 0.80-0.90 ; bill 0.75- 

 0.85, but only 0.27-0.33 broad at base, where only about 

 as wide as higli, and obviously narrower than in aini- 

 tus : though in Cape St. Lucas specimens (3L pertinax 

 Bd. Pr. Phila. Acad. 1859, p. 303) shaped quite as in 

 crinitus, but smaller. Western U. S. ; N. to Oregon, 

 Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada; S. through Mexico to Guatemala; W. from west- 

 ern Texas through New Mexico, Arizona, Southern and Lower California to the Pacific; 

 said to winter in the Lower Colorado valley, IT. S., but ordinarily comes over our border early 

 in March, passes on in that month and April, and lays in May and June; nesting like others 

 of the genus, and eggs indistinguishable, though averaging paler, with finer markings than 

 those of crinitus ; they number 3-6, usually 4, and measure on an average 0.87 X 0.65. 

 Though so similar to the foregoing, it is a different bird from any of them. (31. mexicanus 

 Bd. B. N. a. 1858, p. 179, nee Kaup, 1851. Tyrannula cinerascens Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. 

 1851, p. 121. 31. cinerascens ScL. and Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121 ; Coues, Pr. Phila. Acad. 

 1872, p. 69; Key, orig. ed. 1872, p. 171. 31. cinerescens Coues, Key, 2d-4th eds. 1884-90, 



Fig. 349. — Ash-throated Flycatcher 

 dueed. (Sheppard del. Nichols sc.) 



