434 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — PASSEBES— CLAMATOBES. 



tail-feather with white instead of the whole web being white is also a good character. 

 Changes of plumage the same as in verticalis; size the same ; bill rather stouter, about 0.85 ; 

 tarsns slightly longer, on an average. Southwestern U. S., and southward ; N. to Wyoming 

 and Idaho ; abundant in the Eocky Mt. region, there mostly replacing verticalis in the breeding 

 .season. Nesting and eggs the same. 

 373. T. melancholicus couch'i. (Grr. fifXayxdi^iKos, melagchoUkos, Lat. melancholicus, melan- 

 choly, i. e., atrabilious; /xeXaj, fitkavos, melas, melanos, black; p^oXos, eJiolos, gall, bile. To 

 Lt. D. N. Couch.) Couch's Flycatchbh. Very similar to the last ; primaries abruptly 

 emarginate for a short distance, as in T. voeifercms, and outer web of outer tail-feather not 

 white; but tail dark brown, like the wings, and obviously forked (about 0.50; in vodferans 

 the tail quite black, slightly emarginate or nearly even) ; all its feathers with slight pale 

 edges, and their shafts pale on the under surface. Yellow of under parts very bright, reaching 

 high up on the breast ; throat as well as chin extensively white. Size of the foregoing, and 

 changes of plumage coincident. A universally distributed South and Central Am. species, 

 of which a slight variety reaches over our Mexican border. 

 120. MYIAR'CHXJS. (Gr. /ivia, muia, a fly ; apxos, archos, a ruler. Fig. 280, a.) Crested 

 Flycatchers. Ash-throated Flycatchers. Eupous-tailed Flycatchers. No 

 colored patch on the crown, but head slightly crested by lengthened erectile feathers. Pri- 

 maries emarginate. Olivaceous ; more or less yellow below, the throat ash, the primaries 

 margined with chestnut, the tail-feathers the same or»mostly chestnut — such coloration the 

 best mark of the genus. Tail nearly even, if anything rounded, about as long as vrings, of 

 broad flat feathers with rounded ends. Wings rounded, the tip formed by 2d-4th quills 

 (usually), the 5th shorter, 6th and 1st much shorter. Tarsus about as long as middle toe and 

 claw, — if any different, longer. Bill moderate, variable in sha|pe and relative size. Next to 

 the characteristic rufous on wings and tail, size is a good clue to this genus among our oliva- 

 ceous flycatchers without colored crest; for the Myiarchi excepting M. laierendi are much 

 larger than any others excepting Contopus borealis and C. pertinax. Only one Eastern 

 species, but four others in the southwest, requiring nice discrimination. Peculiar, all of them, 

 in nesting in holes, and laying eggs scratched and snarled, but chiefly scrawled lengthwise, 

 with dark brown, in close and intricate pattern. 



AnaXysiB pf Species and Varieties. 



Large : length 8.00 or more. Inner webs of tall-feathers largely rufous. 



Rufous occupying nearly or quite aJl the inner -webs of several lateral tail-feathers .... crinitus 373 

 Rufous occupying inner webs of same feathers in nearly equal amount with a fuscous stripe of equal 



width throughout. Bill nearly or quite 1.00 cooperi 880 



Rufous occupying inner webs of same feathers in nearly equal amount with a fuscous stripe of 

 equal width throughout. Bill about 0.75 . . ... .... erythrocercus 374 



Rufous occupying inner webs of same feathers In greater amount than a fuscous stripe which widens 

 at end. Bill very narrow . . . ... .... . . . cinerescens 37.5 



Small : length 7.00 or less. Inner webs of tail-feathers scarcely or not rufous lawrencii 376 



^/13<. M. crlni'tus. (Lat. crvmtus, haired, i. e., crested ; crinis, hair. Fig. 284.) Great 

 Crested Flycatcher. $ ? , adult : Decidedly olivaceous above, a little browner on head, 

 where the feathers have dark centres ; throat and fore breast pure dark ash ; rest of under 

 parts bright yellow, the two colors meeting abruptly ; primaries margined on both edges with 

 chestnut ; secondaries and coverts edged and tipped with yellowish-white ; tail with all the 

 feathers but the central pair chestnut on the whole of the inner web (excepting perhaps a very 

 narrow space next the shaft) ; outer web of outer feathers edged with yellowish ; middle 

 feathers, outer webs of the rest, and wings except as stated, dusky-brown. The foregoing 

 phrases are intended to be chiefly antithetical to those used in describing einerescens, below, 

 No. 375. Other diagnostic points are : biH dark but not quite black, pale at base below ; 

 stout and eonaparativdy short, hardly or not as long as tarsus, the latter perhaps never 0.90 . 



