TYRAXNID^ — THE FLYCATCHERS. 369 



Empidonax pusiUus, var. trailli, Baird. 



TRAILL'S FLTCATCHEB. 



Muscmipa trailli. Aid. Orn. Biog. I, 1832, 236; V, 1839, 426, pi. xlv. — Ib. Syu. 1839, 

 43. — Ib. Birds Am. I, 1840, 234, pi. Lxv. Tijrannula trailli. Rich. List, 1837.— 

 BoXAP. List, 1838. Tffrannus trailli, Nuttall, Man. I, (2(1 cd.,) 1840, 323. Empi- 

 donax trailli, Baird, Birds N. Am. 1858, 193. — Sclateu, fatal. 1862, 231. — 

 Samuels, 140. 



Sp. Char. Third quill longest ; second scarcely shorter than fourth ; first shorter than 

 fifth, Jibout .35 shorter than the longest. Primaries about .75 of an inch longer than 

 seconclaries. Tail even. LTpper parts dark olive-green ; lighter under the wings, and 

 duller and more tinged with ash on nape and sides of the neck. Centre of the crown- 

 feathers brown. A pale yellowish-white ring (in some specimens altogether white) round 

 the eye. Loral feathers mixed with white. Chin and throat white ; the breast and ♦•s 

 of throat light ash tinged with olive, its intensity varying in individuals, the foi.aer 

 sometimes ftiintly tinged with olive. Sides of the breast much like the back. Middle of 

 the belly nearly white ; sides of the belly, abdomen, and the lower tail-coverts, sulphur- 

 yellow. The quills and tail-feathers dark brown, .is dark (if not more so) as these parts 

 in C. virens. Two olivaceous yellow-white bands on the wing, formed by the tips of the 

 first and second coverts, succeeded by a brown one ; the edge of the first primary and of 

 secondaries and tertials a little lighter shade of the same. The outer edge of the tail- 

 feathers like the back ; that of the lateral one rather lighter. Bill above dark brown ; 

 dull brownish beneath. Length, nearly 6.00 ; wing, 2.90 ; tail, 2.60. Young with the 

 winjj-bands ochraceous instead of j?ravish-olive. 



Hab. Eastern United States and south to Mexico. Localities : ? Isthmus of Panama 

 (Lawr. YIII, 63) ; ? San Antonio, Texas (Dresskr, Ibis, 1865, 474, breeds) ; ? Costa 

 Rica (Lawr. IX, 114) ; Yucatan (Lawr. IX, 201). All these localities, except perhaps 

 the last, are to be questioned, as being more properly in the habitat of var. pusiUus. 



This species is most closely related to B. miniraus, but differs in larger 

 size and the proportions of quills. The middle of the back is the same 

 color in both, but instead of becoming lighter and tinged with ash on the 

 rump and upper tail-coverts, these parts very rarely ditfer in color from the 

 back. The markings on the wings, instead of being dirty white, are 

 decidedly olivaceous-grayish. The yellow of the lower parts is deeper. 

 The tail-feathers are rather broad, acuminate, and pointed ; in minimus they 

 are narrow and more rounded, while the tail itself is emarginated, instead 

 of square, as in the present bird. The bill is larger and fuller. The legs are 

 decidedly shorter in proportion. 



Habits. Traill's Flycatcher was first described by Mr. Audubon as a west- 

 ern bird, procured from Arkansas. In his subsequent reference to this species 

 he also speaks of it as identical with several birds obtained by Townsend near 

 the Columbia Kiver, but which our present knowledge as to the distribution 

 of this species compels us to presume to have been specimens of the Empi- 

 doh jx pusilli's, a closely allied species or race. That Traill's Flycatcher does 

 occur in Arkansas, on the other hand, is rendered probable by its abundance 

 in other parts of the country, making this region directly within its range of 



VOL. II. 4J 



