312 NOliTII AMKUICAX BIRDS. 



HjH'cios. Tt is usually known us tlio Scissor-tail rrnm tlio habit of closinj^ 

 iind dpcnin^' tin: lon^ rciitliuis ol' tlio tail likt! tlio blades of a pair of scissors. 

 Tlio adult fonialu is very similar, tlioii},'li nitlior sniallur. Tlio youn<f is not 

 I'onspit uously din'rri'nt, (»nly lacking the concealed patch of the head. 



II Altns. 'I'lie Swallow-tailed Flycatcher appears to be a common species 

 iVoiii Ccntial Texas to the Itio (irande, and thence throughont jMexico to 

 Ci'iitnd America, as far south at least as Ouatemala. It is also found in 

 the Indian Territory, where it breeds, specimens of the nest and eggs having 

 been olitained at the Kioway Agency by Dr. K. Palmer. 



It was found very ])lentiful at Langui, in Honduras, by Mr. (i. V. Taylor, 

 and also in fewer numlters in other h)calities. In the evening, Ju,st before 

 roosting time, they were in the habit of assembling on the tops of certain 

 favorite trees, where they remained until nearly dark. They then all went 

 olf t(j the woods. He generally met with them on open grt)und, not much 

 encumbered by tn^es or brushw(jod. 



Mr. Dresser states that he found this very graceful bird quite abundant at 

 jMatamoras ami in Western Texas, where it is known by the name of 

 "Te.xan Uiril of I'aratlise." He found it as far east as the river (inadaloupe. 

 It arrives, he states, in the neighborhood of San Antonio, late in March, and 

 remains until the middle or latter end of October. It breeds abundantly 

 near San Antonio, building its nest in a mes(iuite or other tree, anil lays 

 from three to four eggs, whicli, as he states, are pure white, blotched with 

 large spots of a dark red color. 



He adds that these birds are of a quarrelsome and fearless disjiosition, 

 rarely brooking intruders near their homes. During the breeding-season 

 Mr. Dresser has often, when travelling, stopped to admire four or five of 

 them fighting on the wing. They show their long tail-feathers and the 

 rich scarlet color under their wings to the fullest advantage. After passing 

 (Juadaloupe IJiver, he saw none of these birds to the eastward, though he 

 wa.s told they have occasionally been seen on CJalveston Island. 



This Flycatcher was met with at Eagle Tass, in Lower Texas, and in 

 Tamaulipas by Mr. Clark and Lieutenant Couch, in the Mexican Uoundary 

 Survey. None were found occurring west of the valli^y of the liio Pecos. 

 Mr. Clark states that he always saw them either following one another 

 through the air, or perched upon some solitary twig. In their gyrations the 

 scissors were always more or less expanded, suggesting the idea of bal- 

 ancei"S. Their nests were built of sticks, lined on the inside, though not 

 very softly, with grass, and were placed almost invariably on dry limbs 

 of the mes(|uite. They contained from three to five eggs, and, what was 

 quite remarkable, more than one pair always seemed to have an interest in 

 the same nest, over which they were all very watchful, and gave proofs of 

 their courage by darting ^.t the intruders. He describes their notes as short 

 and sharp, without nnich variation, and they can be heard at quite a distance. 

 The Mexicans imagine that this Flycatcher lives on the brains of other birds. 



