SA YORNIS FUSCUS. 181 



SAYORNIS FUSCUS. 

 Phoebe. Bridge Peweo. 

 Sayonisfusrus HAIKU, Birds N. A.; 1858, 184. 



DESCRI1TION. 



SP. Cii. Ftom, rather robnst. Size, medium. Sternum, as given above. Tongue, thin nnd horny, bifid, but without 

 t':e terminal cilia. Stomach, rather muscular. 



Count. Aitull. Alxive, including upper tail coverts, sooty-brown, darkest on the head, with a tinge of olivaceous on 

 nil jmpiiinis excepting tup of head. Wings and tail, dark-brown with the outer edges of all the feathers, yellowish-white. 

 Both rowstif wing coverts, narrowly tipped with white, firming indistinct bars. Beneath, including under wing and tail 

 <-o\erts, pale yellowish-white, with the sides, flanks, and an indistinct band across breast, sooty-brown. Bill and feet, 

 black. 



Adult in autumn. Darker above than in summer, the wing tors are clearer, the under portions are of a decided sul- 

 phury yellow, and the dark markings arc not as extended. 



Youny nfthr yrar. More olivueei >us above than in the adult stage. The whitish wing bars are replaced by yellowish 

 rufous, there is a deeper shade of yellow below, nnd the M>ty-hrown markings are olivaceous. 



Nnsllinyt. Much browner above than the young, being overwashed with yellowish-rufous, but the top of the head is 

 darker. The wing bars are yellowish-rufous. Beneath, pale yellowish-white with faint indications of brownish on the 

 sides. 1'pper mandible, black, under, brown. Sexes, similar in all stages. 



OBSERVATIONS. 



There is little or no difference in plumage, in specimens of the same age and season but there is a slight variation in 

 form of the bill as usual in this group. Known from the. Wood Pewee by the larger size, black bill which is longer even 

 in nestlings, and general browner ( .,!,. rs above in all stages, and from other Flycatchers by the characters as given. Dis- 

 tributed in summer throughout Eastern North America, from Canada at least as far south as South Carolina. Winters in 

 the southern section from the Carolina*, to Florida and on the Keys. 



DIMENSIONS. 



A \t-r.ige measurements of twenty-five specimens from New England and Florida. Length, 7'00; stretch, 1T41; wing, 

 2.60; tail, 2-07; bill, -55; tarsus, -70. Longest specimen, 7'50; greatest extent of wing, 12-60; longest wing, 3'82; tail, 3'75; 

 bill, -60; tarsus, -75. Shortest specimen, 6'50; smallest extent of wing, 10-32; shortest wing 2'40; tail, 2-50; bill, '50; tarsus, 

 65. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



Nests, placed under bridges, buildings, in the shelter of ledges of rocks, upturned trees, or banks of earth. Composed 

 of moss jind roots lined with tina grass, rootlets, and hair. Dimensions, external diameter, 4'50, internal, 2'50. External 

 depth, 2-50, internal, 1-23. 



Eyys. four to six in number, oval in form, creamy-white in color, occasionally dotted with reddish-brown. Dimensions 

 from -75 x -50 to -80s '60. 



IIAIilTS. 



On the thirty-first of December, 18C8, 1 found myself for the first time, gun in hand, 

 in the piny woods of Florida. As this was then, comparatively speaking, an unknown 

 section to ornithologists, I was naturally anxious to find what birds occurred there. I had 

 not gone far when I saw a Flycatcher perched on the lower branch of a pine, but some 

 distance above my head; this I instantly shot, and, upon picking it up, was a little disap- 

 pointed at finding that it was a Phoebe, for after traveling so far I expected to find some- 

 thing with which I WAS not quite so familiar, but later in the day I secured several fine 

 birds that I had never seen living before and as I always consider it necessary to actually 

 shoot every species, in order to be absolutely sure of their identification, I was conten- 

 ted for I had proved beyond a doubt that this Flycatcher wintered in Florida. I did not 



