176 



U. S. p. E. K. EXP. AND SUEVETS ^ZOOLOGY — GENERAL EEPOET. 



This species, though otherwise similar, is readily distinguished from T. verUceMs and vodferama 

 by the absence of the very dark brown, almost black, of the tail and its upper coverts, as well 

 as by the pale external edges to all the tail feathers. The yellow is much brighter ; the chin 

 and throat with more white, and the ashy tinge on the breast is much lighter than even in T. 

 verticalis, and does not extend so far down. The inner surface of the wing is very pure yellow. 

 The red in the crown has more of an orange shade. The bill is much larger and the tail much 

 more deeply forked than in either of the species mentioned. The shafts of the tail feathers are 

 white beneath, not brown. The differences from T. mdancholicus will be found detailed under 

 that species. 



A Tyrannus svlphuraceus from Cuba and Hayti is indicated in Naumannia by Hartlaub, from 

 the MSS. of Prince Paul, of Wiirtemberg, and subsequently referred to by Cabanis, in Journal 

 fiir Ornith. 1855, 4V9. The T. couchii, however, has no white stripe under the eye ; the crest 

 is not golden yellow ; the tail feathers not pale yellowish beneath, &c. 



* List of specimens. 



TYEANNUS MELATJCHOLICUS, V i e i 1 1 o t . 



Tyrannus mtl&ncholicus, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. N. H. XXXV, 1819, 84. — Tschdbi, Fauna Per. 1844- '46, 151. — 



BoRM. Th. Bras. Vogel, 1856, 464. 

 Mnscieapa despotes. Light. Verz, Doubl. 1823, No. 567, a. 

 Musdcapafarcata, Sfix, Av. Bras. 11 tab. zix. 

 Tyrawnus crudelis, SwAmsON, Men. Tyrant Shrikes Quart. Jour. XX, Jan. 1836, 275, (Brazil.) 



Sp. Ch. — Bill very large. Quills moderately but abruptly emarginate and attenuated at the end ; the third and fourth longest ; 

 the first rather shorter than the sixth. Tail quite deeply forked, (depth of fork half an inch.) Top and sides of the head and 

 neck light bluish ash ; rest of upper parts bright olive ; browner on the upper tail coverts. Chin whitish, passing gradually into 

 pale ash (considerably lighter than above) on the throat, and on the fore part of breast tinged with olive green ; rest of 

 lower parts bright gamboge yellow. Wing and tail feathers dark brown ; the tips of the primaries and tail almost black -, all, 

 except the primaries, edged with olivaceous gray, which in the secondaries and tertials has a strong tinge of sulphur yellow ; 

 edge of outer tail feathers pale brown, and narrow tips of all brownish white. Crown with a vermilion patch encircled by 

 yellow. 



Length, 9.00 ; wing, 4.50 ; tail, 4.20, 



Hab — Southern Mexico, Central and South America. 



I have described this species, although as yet not found near our territory, for the purpose of 

 aiding in the determination of the species of this most difficult group, by showing the peculiar 

 characteristics of some closely allied species. It has the general appearance of the three species 

 just described, but the tail is much more deeply forked than in either verticalis or voci/erans, 

 although it is almost as black. It differs from both in the laxly fibred olivaceous outer edges 

 to the tail feathers, instead of a compact uniform brownish black, without any colored margin. 

 The ash color does not extend so far on the breast, which is more tinged with olive ; the yellow 

 is more intense ; the light edgings of the wings are olivaceous, instead of grayish white. The 

 bill is much larger ; the attenuation of the primaries less. In reality, however, nothing more 



