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162 FORK- TAILED FLYCATCHER. 
I cannot agree with those who say that the female is distin- 
guished from the other sex by wanting the orange spot on 
the head, as I think we may safely conclude, from analogy, 
that there is hardly any difference between the sexes. The 
young birds are readily recognised by being destitute of that 
spot, as well as by having the head cinereous instead of black ; 
the colour of the whole upper part of the body is also darker, 
the tail considerably shorter, and the exterior feathers not so 
much elongated as those of the adult. It is proper to remark, 
that the elongated tail-feathers of the full-grown bird are some- 
times very much worn, in consequence of the rapidity with 
which it passes through the bushes. 
Two coloured figures have been given of the fork-tailed 
flycatcher—the one by Buffon, which is extremely bad, al- 
though the rectilinear form of the tail is correctly represented ; 
the other by Vieillot, which has the exterior tail-feathers 
unnaturally curved, and notwithstanding it is preferable to 
Buffon’s figure, yet it is far from being accurate. This author 
having been unable to procure a North American specimen, 
chose nevertheless to introduce the species in his ‘‘ Natural 
History of North American Birds,” on the authority of former 
authors, giving a figure from a South American specimen. 
The error in representing the exterior tail-feathers curved 
doubtless arose from the manner in which the dried skin was 
packed for transportation. ‘That our drawing of this graceful 
bird is far superior to those above mentioned will at once be 
evident on comparison ; this superiority is owing to the cir- 
cumstance of this drawing, like all the others given in the 
present work, being made from the recent specimen. Buffon’s 
plain figure is a more faithful poe than that given 
in his Eslemed engravings. 
From the very great rarity of the fork-tailed flycatcher in 
this region, and the advanced season in which this individual 
was killed, it is evident that it must have strayed from its 
native country under the influence of extraordinary circum- 
stances; and we are unable to believe that its wanderings 
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