the Habits o/Micropus melanoleucus. 157 



in its position as it is generally described to be. When at 

 rest it naturally assumes the more normal posterior position, 

 but is easily moved to a lateral one, fioiu wliich it springs 

 back to the rear of the metatarsus when loosed. 



In other particulars the descriptions of Heermann and 

 Coues answer very well ; and the principal errors I find to 

 correct are : — (1) the length ; (2) the general coloration, espe- 

 cially of the tail; (3) feathers on the eyelids, not '' naked '^ 

 (as stated by Coues) ; and (J?) the characters of the feet. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. Robert Ridgway I have 

 received from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution 

 the following well-selected specimens for comparison with my 

 series : — 

 One... 



After a careful examination of these four skins I fail to 

 find any essential differences from those collected by me 

 here at Fort Wingate, N. Mexico. They all possess the 

 characters set forth in this paper, including the white 

 markings on the inner vanes of their tail-feathers, near the 

 bases. 



All of my birds were covered with a rather large species of 

 louse; but two of them had each on their bodies a pair of 

 extraordinary and very large ticks, the names of which I am 

 at present unable to give. One pair of these parasites I sent 

 to my friend Lieut. Thomas L. Casey, of the U.S. Engineer 

 Corps, a well-known entomologist, while the remaining pair 

 I send herewith*. 



* [The parasites forwarded by Dr. Sliufeldt have been examined by 

 Mr. Charles 0. Waterhouse, of the British Museum. Mr. Waterhouse 

 informs us that they consist of specimens of a bird-louse (Anopleura) not 

 easily determinable, and of two examples, apparently females, of a singular 

 new parasitic dipteron, of the family Hippoboscidse, closely allied to 

 Anapera pallida, which is found on Cypselus apus, but much larger, and 

 distinguished by the almost total absence of wings. Mr. Waterhouse has 

 described this insect under the name oi Anapera Jinibriata m the Proc, 

 Zool, Soc. Lond. for the present year. — Edd.] 



