Widmann — A Preliminary Catalog of the Birds of Missouri. 135 



not become common before the 5th, females not before the 12th 

 of May, when mating begins at once and the peculiar pendulum 

 movement of the courting male may be observed. Transient 

 visitants are sometimes found in small flocks, less often in spring 

 than in autumn, when a dozen or more are seen scattered over a 

 garden where flowers abound. In such places they are conspic- 

 uous frequenters from August to early October or until frost kills 

 their favorite Scarlet Sage, often in the second week of the month, 

 but loiterers have been reported much later, as October 20, 

 St. Louis; October 23, 1903, Keokuk; October 18, 1903 and 

 November 2, 1902, New Haven (Dr. Eimbeck). 



Order PASSERES. Perching Birds. 



Suborder Clama tores. Songless Perching Birds. 



Family Tyrannidae. Tyrant Flycatchers. 



[443. Muscivora forficata (Gmel.). Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.] 

 Musekapa forficata. Tyrannus forficatus. MUvulus forficatus. Swallow- 

 tailed Flycatcher. Bird of Paradise (Texas). 



Geog. Dist. — Breeds in southern Kansas, Indian Territory, 

 Oklahoma and Texas. Migrates through eastern Mexico to 

 Costa Rica. Accidental in southern Florida, Louisiana, New 

 Jersey, New England, Nebraska, Manitoba and Hudson Bay 

 region. 



Books mention southwest Missouri among the breeding 

 localities of this species, but there seems to be no authentic 

 record of its occurrence in the state, though it is very probable 

 that the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was once a rare breeder in 

 Missouri. There is a record of its breeding within 60 miles of 

 the western state line, May 13, 1875, at Neodesha, Kan. 



*444. Tyrannus tyrannus (Linn.). Kingbird. 



Lanius tyrannus. Muscicapa tyrannies. Tyrannus carolinensis. Bee 

 Martin. 



Geog. Dist. — Breeds throughout the Eastern United States 

 to the foothills of Colorado; west through Utah, Wyoming and 

 Montana to Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington. In 

 British America from Newfoundland to British Columbia, 

 north through the southern provinces to lat. 57° in Athabasca 



