184 



U. S. p. E. E. EXP. AND SDRVEYS — ZOOLOGY — GENEEAIi REPORT. 



SAYORNIS FUSCUS, Baird. 



Fewee; Phoebe Bird. 



Muscicapa fasca, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 931 — Latham, Index Orn. II, 1790, 483— Vieillot, Oia. Am. 

 Sept. I, 1807, 68; pi. 40— Bokap. Obs. Wilson, 1825, no. 115.— Ib. Synopsis, 68.— Adddbon, 

 Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 122: V, 1839, 424; pi. 120.— Ib. Synopsis, 1839, 43.— Ib. Birds Amer. I, 

 1840, 223 ; pi. 63.— Giradd, Birds L. Island, 1844, 42. 



Tyrannulafusca, Rich. List, 1837. — Bonap. List, 1838. 



Tyrannusfuscus, Nuttall, Man. I, 2d ed. 1840, 312. 



? Aulanax fuscus, Cabanis, Cab. Joum. IV, 1856, 1. 



JUtiscicapa alra, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 946.— Nottall, Man. I, 1832, 278. 



JHuscicapa phoebe, Latham, Index Orn. II, 1790, 489. 



Muscicapa nunciola, Wilson, Am. Orn. II, 1810, 78 ; pi. xiii. 



Jdyiobius nunciola, Gray, Genera, I, 248. 



Muscicapa carolinensis fusca, Brisson, Orn. II, 1760, 367. 



Black-headed flycatcher. Pennant, Arc. Zool. II, 389, 269. 



Black-cap flycatcher, Latham, Synopsis, I, 353. 



Sp. Oh. — Sides of breast and upper parts dull olive brown, fading slightly toward the tail. Top and sides of head dark brown. 

 A few dull white feathers on the eyelids. Lower parts dull yellowish white, mixed with brown on the chin, and in some 

 individuals across the breast. Quills brown, the outer primary, secondaries, and tertials edged with dull white. In some 

 individuals the greater coverts faintly edged with dull white. Tail brown ; outer edge of lateral feather dull white ; outer 

 edgesof the rest like the back. Tibiae brown. Bill and feet black. Bill slender, edges nearly straight. Tail rather broad and 

 slightly forked. Third quill longest ; second and fourth nearly equal ; the first shorter than sixth. Length, 7 inches ; wingi 

 3.42; tail, 3.30. 



Hab — Eastern North America. 



In autumn and occasionally in early spring the colors are mucli clearer and brighter. Whole 

 lower parts sometimes bright sulphur yellow ; above greenish olive ; top and sides of the head 

 tinged with sooty. In the young of the year the colors are much duller ; all the wing coverts 

 broadly tipped with light ferruginous, as also the extreme ends of the wings and tail feathers. 

 The brown is prevalent on the whole throat and breast; the hind part of the back, rump, and 

 tail strongly ferruginous. 



The tail of this species is quite deeply forked, the external feather being from .35 to .40 of an 

 inch longer than the middle one. 



The general appearance of this species resembles that of the small olive flycatchers, but I do 

 not observe any generic character in which it differs from nigricans. 



List of specimens. 



