234 TYKANNID^. 



71. CONTOPUS*. w 



Type. 



Contopus, Cab. J.f. 0. 1855, p. 479 . C. virens. 



Syrichta, Bp. Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 4, Zool. i. p. 133 



(1854) C. ardesiacusf. 



Nuttallornis, Ridyio. Man. N. A. B. p. 337 (1887) C. borealis. 



" Tarsus very short, but stout, less than the middle toe and 

 scarcely longer than the hinder toe, considerably less than the 

 culmen. Bill quite broad at the base, wider tban half the culmen. 

 Tail moderately forked. Wings very long and much pointed, 

 reaching beyond the middle of the tail ; the first primary about 

 equal the fourth." {Ridgway, N. A. B.'\\. p. 350.) 



Contopus is distributed all over North and South America down 

 to the Argentine Republic, but is not found in Cbili or Patagonia. 



Key to the Species. 



A. Larger-sized series ; wing 3"5 or more. 



a. Middle line of abdomen white 1. borealis, p. 234. 



b. Middle line of abdomen not white. 

 a'. Under surface grey. 



a". Wing longer, more than 3 - 5. 

 a'". Bill longer. 



Larger ; head lighter .... 2. pertinax, p. 235. 

 Smaller ; head darker .... 3. lugubris, p. 236. 



b'". Bill shorter 4. brachyrhynchus, p. 236. 



b". Wing shorter, not more than 35 . . 5. ardesiacus, p. 237. 

 b'. Under surface ochraceous 6. ochraceus, p. 237. 



B. Smaller-sized series ; wing less than 3 - 5. 



c. Wing longer; first primary exceeding 



fifth: 



i breast lighter 7. virens, p. 238. 



| breast darker 8. richardsoni, p. 239. 



d. Wing shorter ; first primary shorter than 



fifth 9. brachytarsus, p. 240. 



1. Contopus borealis. 



Tyrannus borealis, Sw. Faun. Bor.-Am. ii. p. 141, pi. 35 (1831). 



Muscicapa cooperi, Nutt. Man. i. p. 282 (1832). 



Contopus cooperi, Cab. Journ.f. Om. 1855, p. 479, et 1861, p. 248; 



Cab. et Hein. Mus. Hein. ii. p. 72. 

 Muscicapa inornata, Nutt. MS. (cf. Man. i. p. 282). 

 Contopus borealis, Baird, B. N. Am. p. 188 ; Sol. Cat. A. B. p. 230 ; 



Later. Ann. Lye. N. Y. viii. p. 290, ix. p. 115 ; Ridgw. Ann. L. N. Y. 



x. p. 376 (Illinois) ; Dresser, Ibis, 1865, p. 474 (Texas) ; Frantz. 



J.f 0. 1869, p. 308 (Costa Rica); Salv. P. Z. 8. 1870, p. 199 (Ve- 



* Species not yet known to me are: — 



(1) Contopus plebeius, Cab. Mus. Hein. ii. p. 71 ; id. J. f. O. 1861, p. 248 ; 

 Tacz. P. Z. S. 1874, p. 539 ; id. Orn. Per. ii. p. 319 (Peru). 



(2) Contopus pUeatus, Ridgw. P. U.S. N. M. viii. p. 21 (loc. ign.). 



(3) Contopus depressirostris, Eidgw. P. U.S. N. M. vi. p. 403 (Nicaragua), 

 t Cf. Gray, Hand-1. i. p. 362. 



