324 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Tyranims verticalis, Say. 



ARKANSAS FLYCATCHER. 



Tyrannus verticalis, Say, Long's Exped. II, 1823, 60. — Nuttall, Man. II, (2d ed.,) 1840, 

 306. — Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 173. — ScL. Catal. 1862, 235. — Lord, Pr. R. A. 

 Inst. IV, 113 (Br. Col.). — Cooper & Suckley, 168. — Cooper, Orn. Cal. I, 1870, 

 312. MuscicajM verticalis, Bonap. Am. Orn. I, 1825, 18, pi. xi. — AuD. Orn. Biog- 

 IV, 1838, 422, pi. ccclix. — Ib. Birds Am. I, 1840, 199, pi. liv. Lai^hyctes verticalis, 

 Caban. Mus. Heiu. II, 1859, 77. — Heerm. X. -S", 37. 



Sp. Char. The four exterior quills attenuated very gently at the end, the first most 

 so ; third and fourth quills longest, second and fifth successively a little shorter. Tail 

 slightly forked ; bill shorter than the head. Crown, sides of head above the eyes, nape, 

 and sides of neck pale lead-color, or ash-gray ; a concealed crest on the crown, vermilion 

 in the centre, and yellowish before and behind. Hind neck and back ash-gray, strongly 

 tinged with light olivaceous-green, the gray turning to brown on the rump ; upper tail- 

 coverts nearly black, lower dusky ; chin and part of ear-coverts dull white ; throat and 

 upper part of breast similar to the head, but lighter, and but slightly contrasted with the 

 chin ; rest of lower parts, with the under wing-coverts and axillars, yellow, deepening to 

 gamboge on the belly, tinged with olivaceous on the breast. Wing brown, the coverts 

 with indistinct ashy margins ; secondaries and tertials edged with whitish ; inner webs of 

 primaries whitish towards the base. Tail nearty black above and glossy, duller brownish 

 beneath ; without olivaceous edgings. Exterior feather, with the outer web and the 

 shaft, yellowish-white ; inner edge of latter brown. Tips of remaining feathers paler. 

 Bill and feet dark brown. Female rather smaller and colors less bright. Length of male, 

 8.25 ; wing about 4.50. 



Hab. Western North America, from the high Central Plains to the Pacific; Colima, 

 Mexico. Accidental in Eastern States (New Jersey, Turnbull; Plymton, Maine, Oct. 

 1865, Bryant, Pr. Bost. Soc, X, 1865, 96). 



The young bird is, in general, quite similar, with the exception of the 

 usual appearance of immaturity, the colored patch on the crown wanting. 

 In one specimen the first primary only is attenuated, in others none ex- 

 hibit this character. 



A specimen of this bird, shot at Moorestown, N. J., is in the museum 

 of the Philadelphia Academy, but this locality can only be considered as 

 very exceptional. 



Habits. The Arkansas Flycatcher was first discovered by the party in 

 Long's Expedition in 1823, and described by Mr. Say. It is a bird of western 

 North America, found from the great plains to the Pacific, and only acci- 

 dentally occurring east. A single specimen is said to have been shot in 

 Moorestown, N. J., near Philadelphia. It has been met with in Texas as far 

 east as the river Mimbres, and in Nebraska nearly to the Missouri Eiver. 

 The specimen from which the first description was made was obtained in the 

 beginning of July, near the Platte Eiver. 



Mr. Nuttall, in his Western tour, first met with this species early in July, 

 among the scanty wood on the banks of the northwest branch of the Platte 

 Eiver. He characterizes it as a bold and querulous bird. He found it 



