MILVULTJS. 105 



Tyrannus {Milvulus) monachus, Hartl. Rev. Zool. 184.4, p. 214 ''^ 



Milvulus monachus, Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 121 "; P. Z. S. 1859, p. 384.='; Taylor, Ibis, I860, 

 p. 114='; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 295 '\ 



Supra griseus ; uropygio nigricante ; capita nigerrimo, crista celata sulphurea omato ; alis fuscis, tectricibua 

 et secundariis sordide griseo limbatis; cauda Bigra, rectrice extima utrinque ip. pogouio externo pro 

 dimidio basali alba : subtus pure albus. Long, tota 14-5, alse 4-1, caudse rect. med. 2-5, rect. lat. 10*5, 

 tarsi 0'7, rostri a rictu 0'8. 



5 mari similis, sed cauda multo breviore. (Descr. maris et feminaa ex Poetum, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 



Hub. North America, accidental ^^. — Mexico, Playa Vicente [Boucard ^^j, Plains of 

 Vera Cruz {8alU ^, Sumichrast ^^) ; British Honduras, Old River and Pine-ridges 

 of Belize {Leyland s), Saddle Cay "^, Half-Moon Cay ^s [0. S.) ; Guatemala 21, Peten 

 {Leyland^), Pine-ridge of Poetum [0. S. & F. D. G-.), San Gerdnimo, Estansuelas ^^ 

 {0. S.); Honduras, Omoa and Comayagua (Leyland^), Lajigni and Agua Azul 

 (Taylor 24) ; Nicaragua, Chontales (Belt ^^), San Juan del Sur (Nutting ^^) ; Costa 

 RiCA^ (v. Frantzius^^), Orosi and San Jose^ (Carmiol), Irazu (Nutting'^'', Rogers), 

 Turrialba (Arcf) ; Panama, David (Bridges 2, Hicks ''), Castillo ^^^ Calovevora ^^^ 

 Calobre ^'^, Santiago de Veraguas ^^, Santa Fe ^^ (Arc6), Lion Hill (M'-Leannan ^ ^s). 

 — South America generally 4, from Colombia '^^ to the Argentine Republic 1^. 



The occurrence of this species in North America appears to be quite accidental, and 

 most of the records rest upon Audubon's observations ^^. In Mexico it is stated by 

 Sumichrast to be abundant in winter in the savannahs of the hot lands of Vera Cruz, 

 up to an elevation of about 2300 feet^^. We, however, know little of its occurrence 

 in Mexico, as none of our recent collections from that country contained specimens. 

 There is, however, one example from that country in the British Museum, obtained by 

 M. Boucard, but without precise locality. That traveller, however, is stated to have 

 found it at Playa Vicente ^^. Ip the pine-districts and more open country of British 

 Honduras and the adjoining parts of Guatemala in the district of Peten, Milvulus 

 tyrannus is tolerably common, and several specimens were obtained in the pine-ridge 

 of Poetum, where small flocks were observed frequenting the patches of trees and 

 flying about displaying conspicuously their long forked scissor-like tails. South- 

 wards of this district of Guatemala this species appears to occur in all suitable 

 localities to the State of Panama, and thence over the greater part of South 

 America to the Argentine Republic ^^. Mr. Hudson has given some interesting 

 notes on this bird as observed by him in the Argentine Republic, where he states 

 it is migratory. 



Salmon, who found it breeding in the Colombian State of Antioquia, describes its 

 nest as made of grass-stalks, roots, and fibres, intermixed with cotton, silk, and a variety 

 of other substances, the lining being composed of dry roots or grass. This structure 

 is placed on the spreading branch of a tree at no great height from the ground. 

 The eggs are creamy white, distinctly spotted with dark red, especially at the largei- 

 end 10. 



BIOL, cente.-ambr., Aves, Vol. II., December 1890. 14 



