THE BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHER 107 



Culicivora mexicana, CMS, 111. i. 1854, 164, pi. 27 (not of Bp.). 

 Black-headed Gnatcatchcr, Coues, l. c. 

 Black-capped Gnatcatcher, /;. />'. 4 R. 1. c. 



HAB. Texas to Southern and Lower California. 



CH. SP. Similis P. ccerulece; sed vertice 

 nigro, pogonio externo rectricis exterioris albo- 

 limbato, apice albo. 



$ : Like P. ccerulex, but the whole top of the head 

 black. White of tail reduced to a minimum ; the 

 outer web of the outer feather being usually edged 

 with white, instead of wholly white, and the tip of 

 the inner web, with the tip of the next feather, white FIG. 18. c, tail of Black- 

 for a very slight space; no white observed on the capped Gnatcatcher; d, of 

 third feather. Size of the foregoing; tarsi rather ^*' U Gnatcatcher : 

 longer about 0.70. 9 : No black on the head. 



The male of this species is immediately distinguished from that of either 

 of the two foregoing by having the whole top of the head black. The 

 female, however, presents some difficulty, being mainly distinguishable by the 

 minimum amount of white on the tail, as above described, and the rather 

 longer tarsi, which are f of an inch instead of about f . 



THE Black capped Guatcatcher, first described by Mr, G. IS". 

 Lawrence in 1851, was discovered at Biuggold Barracks, 

 Texas, by Capt. J. P. McCown, then of the United States Army, 

 who subsequently changed his allegiance to a temporary con- 

 federation which was declared in 1861. Various observers 

 have since met with the bird in different portions of the South- 

 west, till its range has been ascertained to extend from Texas 

 to California, at the latitude of San Diego, and down the pen- 

 insula to Cape Saint Lucas, including a portion of Mexico. I 

 never saw it at Fort Whipple, nor does Mr. Henshaw appear to 

 have met with it in his various tours in the Southwest. Lieu- 

 tenant Bendire found it resident about Tucson, and Dr. Cooper 

 states that it remains during the winter at Fort Mojave and 

 San Diego. The published records of its habits, excluding 

 some statements that do not seem very well considered, indi- 

 cate nothing peculiar in comparison with those of P. ccerulea; 

 while the nest and eggs, as described by Dr. Brewer, are sub- 

 stantially the same, though some " black" markings of the lat- 

 ter are mentioned. This may be a remarkable circumstance, 

 for, according to the same author (N. Am. (X)l. p. 7) " markings 

 of a jet-black color, even to the extent of blotches, spots, or 

 lines, are of very rare occurrence, if not positively unknown". 



