BIRDS — LANIIDAE — VIEEO ATEICAPILLUS. 



337 



VIREO BELLI, Aud. 



Bell's Vireo. 



Vireo belli, AnD. Birds Amer. (8vo.) VII, 1844, 333 ; pi. 485, (Missouri.)— CissiN, Pr. A. N. Sc. V, Feb. 1851, 150. 



Sp. Ch.— Similar to V, gilvus, but smaller. Olive green above, tinged with ashy on the top and sides of head. A short line 

 from the bill over the eye, and region around lower eyelid white ; loresdusky. Beneath yellowish white ; on the sides of body and 

 posteriorly, sulphur yellow. Two faint bars of whitish across the wing coverts ; inner tertiaries edged broadly with whitish. 

 Third quill longest ; the rest successively shorter, except the second, which is a little shorter than the seventh. Spurious 

 primary about two-fifths the second, and more than one-third of the third. Length about 4.25 inches; wing, 2.25. 



Hob. — Missouri river and eastern Texas. 



In this diminutive species the bill is shaped much as in V. gilvus. The spurious primary is 

 large, its exposed portion about two-fifths that of the second primary. The third primary is 

 longest ; then the fourth, fifth, and sixth ; the second is a little longer than the seventh, and 

 about .24 of an inch shorter than the third. The tail is slightly emarginate and rounded ; the 

 feathers are quite narrow. 



The sulphur yellow is strongest about the tibia and on the under tail coverts. The whitish 

 bands are along the edges of the greater and middle coverts. The outer web of the first tail 

 feather is, however, not lighter than the rest. 



Specimens vary somewhat, the more southern ones being rather smaller. Sometimes there is 

 a faint tinge of brown on the breast, and of lilac in the white of the belly. There is a tinge 

 of yellow on almost all the under parts. The third quill is sometimes a little shorter than the 

 fourth. This species is a miniature of V. gilvus, but may be readily distinguished by its smaller 

 size, by the much larger spurious primary, the exposed portion of which is two- fifths of that of 

 the second quill, instead of one-fourth. The sides of the belly and under tail coverts are 

 bright, though pale, sulphur yellow, instead of faint sulphury white. The white bands on the 

 wing and that on the tertiaries are absolutely wanting in V. gilvus. The external edging to the 

 quills and tail feathers is of a brighter olive green. 



List of specimens. 



VIREO ATRICAPILLUS, Woodh. 



Black-headed Flycatcher. 



Vireo atricapillus, Woodhocse, Pr. A. N. Sc. VI, Ap. 1852, 60, San Pedro, Tex. — Ib. Sitgreave's Report on Zufii, 

 1853, 75 ; pi. i, Birds.— Cassin, 111. I, No. fi, 1854, 153 ; pi. xxiv. 



Sp. Ch. — Fourth and fifth quills longest ; second little longer than secondaries. Head and neck above and on the sides black. 

 Back olive green, lighter towards the tail. Beneath while, the sides of body greenish yellow. A white ring round the eye 

 interrupted by the black of the head above, and extending in a broad lino to the base of the upper mandible. Two bands of 

 greenish white across the wing coverts. Bill black. Length, 4.75 ; wing, 2.12. 



Hab. — Devil's river, Texas. 



43 b 



