AMERICAN ORNITHOLOaY. 



MUSCICAPA SAVANA. 



FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER. 



[Plate I. Fig. 1.] 



Muscicapa tyrannus, Linn. Syst. i., ji. .32.5, Sp. 4.— Gmel. Syst. i., p. 931, Sp. 4.— 

 Lath. Lid. p. 484, Sp. 69. — Tyranuiis saMiia, ViEin. Ois. de I'Am. Sept. i., p. 

 72, pi. 43 (a South American specimen). — Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxxv., 

 p. 87. — Muscicapa tyrannus caiida bifurca, Briss. Av. ii., p. 39.5, Sp. 20, pi. 39, 

 fig. 3. — Le MoucheroUe savana, Bcfp. iv., p. 557, pi. 26. — Le Tyran d queue fonr- 

 choue de Cayenne, Buff. PI. Enl. 571, fig. 2.— Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Penn. 

 Arct. Zool. Sp. 265.— Lath. Syn. ii., Part 1, p. 355, Sp. 59. 



Though Brisson, Linn^, and Pennant have stated the Fork-tailed 

 Flycatcher to inhabit this region, as far north as Canada, still the fact 

 seemed more than doubtful, since this bird escaped the researches of 

 Vieillot, and, what is more extraordinary, those of the indefatigable 

 Wilson. It is, therefore, a very gratifying circumstance, that -we arc 

 able to introduce this fine bird with certainty into the Ornithology of 

 the United States, and, by the individual represented in the annexed 

 plate, to remove all doubt on the subject. The specimen from which 

 our drawing was made is a beautiful male, in full plumage ; it was shot 

 near Bridgeton, New Jersey, at the extraordinary season of the first 

 week in December, and was presented by Mr. J. Woodcraft, of that 

 town, to Mr. Titian Peale, who favored" me with the opportunity of 

 examining it. 



Brisson published the first account of this bird. That we have 

 rejected the name given by Linn^ may appear contrary to our prin- 

 ciples ; but in this instance we certainly have no option, inasmuch as 

 the same name has been very properly retained by Wilson, agreeably to 

 Brisson, for the Lanius tyrannus of Linn^. Had Linn^ himself included 

 them both in the same genus, he would doubtless have retained that 

 .specific name for the King-bird, which is unquestionably a Muscicapa 

 and not a Lanius. As the King-bird is a very abundant species, known 

 to every zoological reader by the name of tyrannus, it is obvious that 



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