CONTOPUS EICHARDSONII, WESTEKN WOOD PEWEE. 247 



material, economy doubtless being practised at the expense of the com- 

 fort of the young. The bottom of the nest is so slight, that upon being 

 detached from the branch it presents a sieve like appearance. In those 

 that have been placed in the angle constituted by two uniting twigs, 

 there has always been au abundance of material, thus making a- soft 

 and comfortable nest for the tender brood. 



"The habit of constructing the nest upon the superior face of a branch 

 was doubtless acquired in order to secure protection, the nest in this po- 

 sition presenting to an enemy at a distance the semblance of an anoma- 

 lous growth, overgrown with moss, such as are sometimes found upon 

 the diseased branches of the oak. 



" I have taken the nests of this species during the latter part of July 

 and the early part of August, with eggs, but whether a second laying 

 or not I am not prepared to say ; possibly the work of birds that had 

 been debarred the essential duties of incubation earlier in the season, 

 since this desire is so innate as to be foregone with difticulty." 



CONTOPUS (VIRENS var?) EICHAEDSOIsriI, (Sw.) Bd. 

 Western Wood Pewee. 



Tyranntila ricliardsonii, Sw., F. B. A. ii, 1831, 146, pi. 46, lower fig. ( very wrongly colored). 



Museicapa ricliardsonii, AUD., Orn. Biog. v, 1839, 299, pi. 434. 



Contopns richardmnii, Bf., B. N. A. 1858, 189.— ScL., Cat. 18lr2, 231 (Vera Paz).— Hayd., 



Rep. 1802, 158.— DiiESS., Ibis, 1865, 474 (Matamoras, breeding).— Cohes, Pr. 



Pbila. Acad. 1868, 61 (Arizona).— Lawr., Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix, 1868, 115 (Costa 



Rica).— Coop., Am. Nat. iii, 1869, 3] (Montana).— Coop., B. Cal.. i, 1870, :,i:,. 



Aiken, Pr. Bost. Soc. 1872, 206 (Colorado).— Stbv., IT. S. Geol. Surv. Ter. 1870, 



463.— Merk., ibid. 1872, 691. 

 Pyrocephalus {Contnjms) rioliardsonii, Grav, Hand-list, 1869, 362, No. 5510. 

 Ti/rannula pluebe, Bp., Conip. List, 1838, 24 (not ilu^eiccqm pliwhe, Lath.). 

 Museicapa plimhe, AuD., Syn. 1839, 42 ; B. Am. i, 1840, 219, pi. 61 (Labrador quotation 



probably erroneous). 

 Tyrannus pluehe, Nott., Man. i, 1840, 319. 

 Tyrannus atriceps, D'OuBiG., (fide Gray). 

 Contopus bogotensis, ScL., P. Z. S. 1858, 459. 

 Tyraiiuiilu bogotensl", Bp., Comptes Rend. 



Contopus plebeitis, Cais., Mus. Hein. ii, 1859, 71 (Mexico) ; .T. f. 0. ix, 1861, 248 (Costa Rica). 

 Contopus .lordidiihis, ScL., P. Z. S. 1859, 43 ; Ibis, 1859, 491 (Orizaba).— ScL. & Salv., 



Ibis, 18,59,. 122 (Guatemala). — Sumioh., Mem. Bost. Soc. i, 1869, 557 (alpine 



region of Vera Cruz). 

 Contopus veliei, Baird & CouES ; CouES, Pr. Phila. Acad. 1866, 61 (in text ; seasonal 



state of plumage). 

 Contopus virens var. richardsonii, AlXEN, Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, 179 (Colorado and 



Utab).— CoOES, Key, 1872, 174.— B. B. & R., N. A. B. ii, 1874, 360, pi. 44, f. 4. 



Hab. — Western Nortb America, from higb central plains to the Pacifio. North to the 

 Saskatchewan. South through Mexico and Central America to New Granada. (?) " Lab- 

 rador" {Audubon). Breeds in suitable places throughout its range. Migrates entirely 

 beyond the United States in the fall. 



lAeutenaut Tfairen's Expedition. — 8892, Loup Fork of Platte River. 



Later Expeditions.— 59854, Berthoud's Pass; 60441, 60449, Bitter Cottonwood, Wyom- 

 ing ; 61740, Utah ; 62291, Idaho. 



As already observed by Professor Braird, there are material discrepancies between 

 Swainson's account of Tyrannula richardsonii and the subject of the present article ; but 

 the most striking of these, the different wing formula, may be reconciled upon the 

 supposition that the type of Swainson's species was a young bird. This seems the 

 more reasonable, because of the coloration of the plate — certainly wrong for an adult, 

 yet after all not so far out of the way for the very young bird, which is rusty-tinged, 

 as in allied species. Upon the whole, in view of the facts that Swainson's bird was 

 a Contopus, and that the present is the only one ever known to inhabit the ascribed 

 locality, the identification may be safely made. 



I should not be surprised if, after all, it proved that Mr. Allen and others were 

 hasty in reducing this bird to a variety of C. virens. It is true, indeed, as stated in 

 the " Key," that I failed to appreciate any perfectly constant differences, or, in fact. 



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