TYRANNID^ — THE FLYCATCHERS. 



341 



Sp. Char. Wings rounded; second, third, and fourth longest; first rather shorter 

 than sixth. Tarsi with a second row 

 of scales behind. The head and 

 neck all round, forepart and sides of 

 the breast, dark sooty-brown ; the 

 rest of the upper parts similar, but 

 lighter ; faintly tinged with lead-color 

 towards the tail. The middle of the 

 breast, " abdomen, and lower tail- 

 coverts white ; some of the latter, 

 with the shafts and the centre, brown. 

 The lower wing-coverts grayish- 

 brown, edged with white. Wings 

 dark brown ; the edges of secondary 

 coverts rather lighter; of primary 

 coverts dull white. Edge of the 

 exterior vane of the first primary and 

 of secondaries white. Tail dark 



Sayornis nigricans. 



brown, with the greater part of the outer vane of the exterior tail-feather white ; this 

 color narrowing from the base to the tip. Bill and feet black. The tail rounded, rather 

 emarginate ; feathers broad ; more obliquely truncate than in sayus. The bill s'lender ; 

 similar to that of S. fuscus. Length, nearly 7 inches ; wing, 3.60; tail, 3.45. 



Hab. California coast (Umpqua Valley, Oregon, Newberry), and across by valley of 

 Gila and Upper Rio Grande to New Leon, and south; Mazatlan. Oaxaca (Set 1859 

 383) ; Cordova (Scl. 1856, 296) ; Vera Cruz, temp, and alp. regions, breeding (Sum. M. b' 

 Soc. I, 557) ; W. Arizona (Coues, P. A. N. S., 1866, 60). 



The female appears to differ only in the smaller size. A young bird from 

 San Francisco has two bands of rusty on tlie wing ; the shotilders and 

 hinder part of the back tinged with the same. 



Habits. Within our limits the Black Flycatcher has a distribution very 

 nearly corresponding with tliat of Alyiarclms cinerascens. It is found from 

 Oregon and California on the Pacific coast, to the valley of the Eio Grande, 

 and thence south throughout Mexico. It also occurs as a resident in Guate- 

 mala. Specimens in the Smithsonian Museum are from various parts of 

 Mexico, from New Mexico, and California. 



During his explorations in Northern Mexico, Lieutenant Couch first met 

 with this species at Cadereita, Mexico, in April, occurring in abundance under 

 the high banks of the stream which supplies the town with water. Its habits 

 appeared to him to be much the same with those of the common PIirebe-Bird 

 {Sayornis fusms). Its nest was supposed to be in tlie bank. Dr. Kennerly, 

 who found it at Espia, Mexico, could not observe any difference in the habits 

 from those of the Pyrorxphalus ruUneus. They were both observed in the 

 same vicinity, feeding alike on insects and having the same movements. 



In the Department of Vera Cruz, Mr. Sumichrast says that this species is 

 known by the common name of Aguador. It is very common in botli the 

 temperate and the colder regions of that State. It nests within the dweU- 

 ing-houses in the city of Orizaba. 



