BIRDS — TYKANNINAE — ^MILVULUS FORFICATUS. 



169 



MILVULUS FORFICATUS, Sw. 



Scissor-tail ; Swallow-tailed Flycatcher. 



•Muscicapa fo ficala, Gmelin, Syst Nat. I, 1738, 931. — Vieillot, Ois. Am. Sept. I, 1807, 71.— Stephens, in Shaw', 

 Zool. X, II, 413; pi. iii. — Bonap. Am. Orn, I, 1825, 15; pi. ii, f. 1. — Audubon, Orn. Biog. IV 

 1838, 426 ; pi. 359, f. 3. 



Tyrannm forficaius, Sat, Long's E.xped. II, 1823, 224.— Nuttall's Manual, I, 2d ed. 1840, 309. 



Mihulusforficatus, " Swains." Rich. List, 1837.— Audubon, Synopsis, 1839, 38.— Ib. Birds Amer. 1, 1840, 197 ; pi. 53 



Ti/ianniis mexicanus, Stephens, Siiaw Gen. Zool. Birds XIII, ii, 1826, 135. 



Moucherolle a queue fourchue du Mexique, BurroN, PI. enl. 677. 



Bird of Paradise of the Te.'cans. 



Sp. Ch. — Wing with the outer primary only abruptly attenuated, and narrowly linear, (for about .85 of an inch) ; the second 

 but slightly emarginate ; second quill longest ; first and third equal. Tail very deeply forked, the lateral feathers twice as 

 long as the body, all narrow and linear or sub-spatulate. Top and sides of the head very pale ash ; the back a little darker, 

 and faintly tinged with light brick red ; under parts nearly pure white, tinged towards the tail with light vermilion, rather 

 more rose on the under wing coverts ; a patch on the side of the breast and along the fore arm dark vermilion red. Tail 

 feathers rosy white, tipped at the end for two or three inches with black. Rump dark brown, turning to black on the coverts. 

 Wings very dark brown ; the coverts and quills, e.xcepting the primaries, (and including the outer of these) edged with whitish. 

 Crown with a concealed patch of white, having some orange red in the centre. 



Length, 13 inches ; wing, 4.75 ; tail, 8.50 ; depth of fork, 5.80. 



Hoi. — Central Texan to Mexico. 



This exquisitely beautiful and graceful bird is quite abundant on the prairies of southern 

 Texas, and is everywhere conspicuous among its kindred species. It is usually known as the 

 scissor-tail from the habit of closing and opening the long feathers of the tail like the blades 

 of a pair of scissors. The adult female is very similar, though rather smaller. The young 

 is not conspicuously different, only lacking the concealed patch of the head. 



List of specimens. 



22 b 



