BIRD NOTES AFIELD 



73. Ash-throated Flycatcher; Myiarchus cinerascens (Lawr.). 



Rather similar in general appearance to the king-birds, but no crown- 

 patch, and tail and wings largely edged with rufous. Back olive- 

 brownish; throat pale ashy; the under parts pale yellow. A summer 

 resident over the greater part of the State. 



74. Say's Phoebe; Say's Pewee; Sa^ornis sa^a (Bonap.). 



A very plainly colored species; general color brownish gray, above 

 and below, lighter on breast; the belly cinnamon rufous and the wings 

 edged with gray. This species must not be confounded with the Cali- 

 fornia brown towhee, which resembles it in color. The towhee is an 

 inch longer, and has a very pale throat bordered with dusky streaks. 

 In habits the two birds are entirely different, although both are frequently 

 seen on or near the ground. Say's phoebe flirts its tail to emphasize its 

 call-note, after the maimer of other flycatchers. In all respects it is a 

 typical flycatcher, while the brown towhee is a sparrow. It is seldom 

 very abundant and generally found in California during the winter 

 months. 



75. Western Black Phoebe; Western Black Pewee; Black- 

 headed Flycatcher; Sa^ornis nigricans semiatra (Vigors). 



General color slaty black, darkest on head and breast. Under parts 

 white, separated by a sharp, V-shaped line of demarcation from the 

 breast. A fine edging of whitish on outer tail-feathers. This species is 

 strikingly like the Oregon junco in general coloration. In the latter 

 bird the white of the tail-feathers is much more conspicuous, the back 

 is browner, and the sides are pinkish in tone. Again, the habits are 

 wholly different, the one bird being a typical flycatcher, the other a 

 sparrow. The black phoebe is a familiar breeding bird over the greater 

 part of the State, nesting on ledges of outhouses, and it is always solitary 

 or in pairs. 



76. Olive-sided Flycatcher; Contopus horealis (Swains.). 



A plain olive-brownish bird, darker on the back, grayer below. It 

 is a difficult species to recognize from the wood-pewee, but the con- 

 cealed white flank tufts are an infallible mark of identification if they 

 can be seen. The white line down the center of the under parts is more 

 sharply defined in contrast to the brownish gray of the sides, and this 

 latter color is more streaked in appearance. It is a summer inhabitant 

 of the woodlands of California, solitary in habits and frequently uttering 

 its loud, pensive call, 



77. Western Wood-Pewee; Contopus richardsonii (Swains.). 

 Smaller than the preceding. Length about six and a half inches. 



Faint whitish wing bands. Coloration olive-brown, darker on head, 



[1781 



