PICARI^, PICARIAN BIRDS. GEX. 111. 177 



111. Genus PYROCEPHALUS Gould. 



Vermilion Flycatcher. <J pure dark brown ; wings and tail l)lackLsli with 

 sliglit pale edgings ; the full globular crest, and all the 

 under parts, scarlet ; bill and feet black. $ dull brown, 

 including the little crested crown ; l)elow, white, tinged 

 with red or reddish in some places, the l)reast with 

 slight dusky streaks. Immature $ shows gradation 

 between the characters of both sexes ; the red is some- 

 times rather oransje. 5i— 6 : wino; SJ ; tail 2J-. Valleys 



° -' o-±' i/"i Fig. 114. Vennilion Fly- 



ot the Rio Grande and Colorado, and southward. Cass., catcher. 



111. 127, pi. 17; Bd., 201; Coop., 333. . . eubineus var. mexicanus. 



Order PICAEIll. Picarian Birds. 



This is a miscellaneous assortment (in scientific language, " a poljmiorpliic 

 group,") of birds of highly diversified forms, grouped together more because tliey 

 differ from other birds in one way or another, than on account of their resemblance 

 to each other. As commonly received, this order includes all the non-pas.serine 

 Iiisessores down to those with a cored bill (parrots and birds of prey). Excluding 

 the parrots, which constitute a strongly marked natural group, of equal value with 

 those called orders in this work, the Picarke correspond to the Strisores and 

 Scanso7-es of authors, including, however, some that are often referred to Claina- 

 tores. This " order" Scansores, or Zygodcwtyli, containing all the birds that have 

 the toes arranged in pairs, two in front and two behind (and some that have not), 

 is one of the most unmitigated inflictions that ornithology has suffered ; it is as 

 thoroughly unnatural as the divisions of my artificial key to our genera. 



As at present constituted, the Picarm are insusceptible of satisfactoiy definition ; 

 but we may indicate some leading features, mostly of a negative character, that 

 they possess in common. The sternum rarely if ever conforms to the particular 

 Passerine model, its posterior border usually being either entire or else doubly 

 notched. The vocal apparatus is not highljr developed, having not more than three 

 pairs of separate intrinsic muscles ; the birds, consequently, are never highly musical. 

 There are some modifications of the cranial bones not ol)served in Passeres. Ac- 

 cording to Sundevall, thej^ like lower birds, lack a certain specialization of the 

 flexor muscles of the toes seen in Passeres. Tlie feet are very variously modified ; 

 one or another of all the toes, except the middle one, is susceptible of being turned, 

 in this or that case, in an opposite from the customary direction ; the fourth one 

 being frequently capable of turning either way ; while in two genera the first, and 

 in two others the second, toe is deficient ; and, moreover, the tarsal envelope is 

 never entire behind as in the higher Passeres. Another curious peculiarity of the 

 feet is, that the claw of the hind toe is smaller, or at most not larger, than that 

 of the third toe. The wings, endlessly varied in shape, agree in possessing ten 

 developed primaries, of which the first is rarely spurious or very short. A notable 

 exception to this occurs in the Pici. A very general and useful wing-character is, 

 that the greater coverts are at least half as long as the secondaiy quills thej' cover, 

 and they sometimes reach nearly to the ends of these quills. This is the common 

 case among lower birds, but it distinguishes most of the Picarioi from Passeres; it 



KEY TO'n. a. birds. 23 



