72 MANUAL 



American fauna ; but the probability of its having been an es- 

 caped specimen, or brought over to this country in some ship,. 

 or otherwise " straggled " from its own peculiar habitat, liter- 

 ally, is at once suggested. It is not strictly then an American 

 bird, and should not yet be recorded as such. 



FAMILY XIX TYRANNIDAE THE FLY- 

 CATCHERS 



Latin tyrannus, a despot, a tyrant. 



The Flycatchers form what is known as the group of SONG— 

 less, in distinction from the singing, Passerine Birds. Set 

 off from the great mass of Singing Birds, in a group by 

 themselves, one would naturally expect that the distinguish- 

 ing characteristics of this single family would be so marked as 

 to be instantly recognized. Here again we are brought face 

 to face with the incompleteness and inconsistencies of our 

 present classification. The fact that any specimen we may 

 have before us is a " true flycatcher " alone settles our point 

 indisputably. 



Among the essential qualifications for being a member of 

 the Clamatores, as given by most of our writers at pres- 

 ent, is the number and state of development of the singing or 

 laryngeal muscles. It has been told us that the Oscines have 

 four or Jive pair of distinct laryngeal muscles ; and that the 

 Clamatores are known by having less than four pair of la- 

 ryngeal muscles : Yet no less an authority than Audubon tells 

 us distinctly that the Nuthatches have " a single pair of large 

 inferior laryngeal muscles," and includes his Ptilogonys (our 

 Myiadestes) and his Culicivora (our PolioptUa) in his group of 

 Flycatchers under the distinct understanding of having no in- 

 trinsic muscles to speak of. We give these examples of " dif- 

 ferences of opinion " to excite further investigation into our 

 complex groups — not to perplex the student — and to show a. 

 few of the apparent inconsistencies with which even our pres- 

 ent classification seems burdened. 



The general appearance as well as the general habits of a 



