TYRANT FLYCATCHER. 13S 



called by the country people his crown ; when the feathers lie close 

 this is altogether concealed. The bill is very broad at the base, over- 

 hanging at the point, and notched, of a glossy black color, and furnished 

 with bristles at the base ; the legs and feet are black, seamed with 

 gray ; the eye hazel. The female differs in being more brownish on 

 the upper parts, has a smaller streak of paler orange on the crown ; and 

 a narrower border of duller white on the tail. The young birds do not 

 receive the orange on the head during their residence here the first 

 season. 



This bird is very generally known, from the lakes to Florida. Besides 

 insects, they feed, like every other species of their tribe with which I 

 am acquainted, on various sorts of berries, particularly blackberries, of 

 which they are extremely fond. Early in September they leave Penn- 

 sylvania on their way to the south. 



A few days ago, I shot one of these birds, the whole plumage of 

 which was nearly white, or a little inclining to a cream color ; it was a 

 bird of the present year, and could not be more than a month old. 

 This appeared also to have been its original color, as it issued from tlie 

 egg. The skin was yellowish white ; the eye much lighter than usual ; 

 the legs and bill blue. It was plump and seemingly in good order. I 

 presented it to Mr. Peale. Whatever may be the cause of this loss of 

 color, if I may so call it, in birds, it is by no means uncommon among 

 the various tribes that inhabit the United States. The Sparrow Hawk, 

 Sparrow, Robin, Red-winged Blackbird, and many others, are occasion- 

 ally found in white plumage ; and I believe that such birds do not 

 become so by climate, age or disease, but that they are universally 

 hatched so. The same phenomena are observable not only among 

 various sorts of animals, but even among the human race ; and a white 

 negro is no less common, in proportion to their numbers, than a white 

 Blackbird ; though the precise cause of this in either is but little 

 understood. 



