( 423 ) 



GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER. 



MUSCICAPA CRINITA, LiNN. 

 PLATE CXXIX. Vol. II. p. 176. 



This species is found on the Upper Missouri during summer. A 

 good number remain through the winter in the warmer portions of the 

 Floridas. I found them very abundant on the Texas, where they also 

 breed. On the 14th of May 1837, we saw a flock of about twenty, 

 composed of the yoxmg fully fledged and their parents. The eggs 

 measure seven and a half twelfths in length, and six twelfths in breadth 

 at the bulge, from which they run rather abruptly towards the smaller 

 end. 



In a specimen preserved in spirits the roof of the mouth is flat, with 

 the membrane transparent ; the palate is papillate, with two longitu- 

 dinal ridges ; the upper mandible but slightly concave, with a median 

 ridge and two slight lateral prominent lines ; the lower mandible also 

 shallow, with three faint ridges. The tongue is rather short, triangu- 

 lar, flattened, extremely thin, sagittate and papillate at the base, horny 

 toward the end, with the point slit and lacerated ; its length 6^ twelfths. 

 The mouth is wide, and there are five strong bristles on each side of 

 the base of the upper mandible, with an equal number of smaller 

 bristles behind the nostril. The oesophagus is three inches long, fun- 

 nel-shaped at the top, being at first | inch in width, but soon diminish- 

 ing to 3 twelfths, and so continuing. The lobes of the liver are very 

 imequal, the right being much larger. The stomach is broadly ellip- 

 tical, 94 twelfths long, 8 twelfths in breadth ; its lateral muscles strong, 

 its tendons large, being 3 twelfths in diameter ; its epithelium dense, 

 longitudinally rugous, reddish-brovm. The contents are insects. The 

 proventricular glands are rather large, forming a belt 4 twelfths in 

 breadth. The intestine is short, and of moderate width, its length be- 

 ing only ej inches, its breadth from 3 twelfths to 1^ twelfth. The 

 coeca are very small, forming two knobs about 1 twelfth in length, and 

 1 inch distant from the extremity. 



The trachea is 2 inches 1 twelfth long, little flattened, from 2 

 twelfths to 1 twelfth in breadth ; its rings 60, with 2 dimidiate rings. 



