THE GRAY KINGBIED. 243 



of the wings, as if hurled into the air and endeavoring to recover itself. * * * 

 This Flycatcher is also charged by Mr. Hill with seizing upon the Humming- 

 birds as they hover over the blossoms in the gai-dens, killing its prey by repeated 

 blows struck on the branch and then devouring them."^ 



In Florida nidification rarely commences before the third week in May, 

 and sometimes not before June. The nests are most frequently found in man- 

 grove bushes, in different species of palms, and less often in live oaks; they 

 are usually placed on horizontal limbs overhanging the water, and at no great 

 distance above it. A nest now before me, taken by Lieut. Wirt Robinson, at 

 Matanzas Inlet, on May 18, 1894, measures 6 inches in outer diameter by 2J 

 inches in depth; its inner diameter is 4 inches by I5 in depth. , It is externally 

 composed of small twigs and rootlets, and lined with finer material of the same 

 kind. It is a very loosely and carelessly built structure, resembling a Momii- 

 ing Dove's nest more than anything else; it contained four fresh eggs when 

 found. The number of eggs to a set varies from three to four, although it is 

 said that occasionally as many as five are found. These are among the hand- 

 somest of our Flycatchers ; their ground color varies from a creamy to a pinkish 

 or flesh-colored tint, and they are profusely spotted and blotched with different 

 shades of chocolate, burnt umber, claret brown, mixed with lighter shades of lav- 

 ender and heliotrope purple , the markings are usually heaviest about the larger 

 end of the egg, and often form an irregular wreath. The shell is close grained 

 and rather firm; the shape is usually elliptical ovate, less often elongate ovate. 



The average measurement of a series of forty eggs in the United States 

 National Museum collection is 25.91 by 18.50 millimetres, or about 1.02 by 

 0.73 inches The largest egg of the series measures 27.68 by 19.30 millimetres, 

 or 1.09 by 0.76 inches; the smallest, 22.61 by 17.53 millimeti'es, or 0.89 by 

 0.69 inch. 



The type specimen. No. 16844 (PL 2, Fig. 3), was taken by Mr. N. B. 

 Moore, near Manatee, Florida, in June, 1873, and represents a well-marked 

 specimen, while No. 20405 (PI. 2, Fig. 4), Bendire collection, taken by Mr. 

 C. H. Nauman, in May, 1875, in southern Florida, represents an average-marked 

 egg of this species. 



8g. Tyrannus melancholicus ouchii (Baird) 



COUCH'S KINGBIRD. 



Tyrannus couchii Baird, Birds of ISTortli America, 1858, 175. 

 Tyrannus melancholicus var. couchii CouBS, Check List, ed. I, Dec, 1873, 51. 

 (B 128, 129, C 246, E 305, C 372, U 446.) 



Geographical range: From Guatemala north through Mexico, to the lower Rio 

 Grande Valley, in southern Texas. 



Couch's Kingbird is a common summer resident throughout a considerable 

 portion of Mexico, but within our borders it appears to be rather rare, and has 

 so far only been observed in the lower Rio Grande Valley, where it breeds spar- 



1 History of North American Birds, 1874, Vol. II, pp. 321, 322. 



