BIRDS — TYRANNINAE — EMPIDONAX MINIMUS. 
195 
towards the rump, but this and the upper tail coverts and, indeed, the upper parts generally, 
are of a soiled brownish tinge, taking considerably from the purity of the olive. The under 
wing coverts have also a decided shade of brownish ochraceous in the yellow. There is much 
less white in the wing. The tail feathers are narrow and rounded as in minimus. The quills 
are broad and rounded; the second, third, and fourth about equal ; the fifth nearly intermediate 
between the fourth and sixth; the first shorter than the sixth; the primaries are about .05 
longer than the first secondary. The legs are of about the same length as in minimus. The 
bill is much larger than in minimus, the ridge of the lower mandible measuring .35 of an inch 
instead of .30 ; the color yellow instead of brownish. 
From traillii it differs in the brownish tinge of the under wing coverts, the browner upper 
parts, and the less amount of white on the wings ; the first primary shorter than the sixth 
instead of the fifth. The tarsi are longer ; the bill appears rather longer. 
This species appears to agree rather better than any before me with the Tyrannula pusilla of 
Swainson, in F. Bor. Am., and I have accordingly adopted the name. His figure differs 
materially from the description, and is certainly improperly colored, as is also that of 
richardsonii of the same plate. In some respects E. minimus, Baird, agrees with T. pusilla of 
Swainson, but a female of the species I here describe would answer quite as well in general, and 
if, in the present monograph, I have succeeded in fixing the species of small Tyrannulas with 
any degree of precision, it may be best to assign the synonymy as I have done. It is not likely 
that the E. pusilla of Cabanis belongs here. 
Young birds have a good deal of reddish brown on the rump and upper tail coverts, and two 
bands of the same across the wings. The inner wing coverts are as in the adult. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex and 
a^e. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Original 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Extent. 
Wing. 
7253 
7254 
7242 
10076 
10077 
7244 
7252 
405 
August 1, 1856 
510 
505 
105 
277 
623 
74 
240 
1 
do 
s 
O 
June — , 1855 
June — , 1853 
May — , 1855 
3 
5.50 
7.25 ? 
3.00' 
EMPIDONAX MINIMUS, Baird. 
Least Flycatcher. 
Tyrannula minima, Wn. M. and S. F. Baird, Pr. A. N. Sc. I, July 1843, 234.— Ib. Sillim. Am. Jour. Sc. July, 1844.— 
Audubon, Birds Amer. VII, 1844, 343 ; pi. 491. 
Sp. Cii. — Second quill longest ; third and fourth but little shorter ; fifth a little less ; first intermediate between fifth and sixth. 
Tail even. Above olive brown, darker on the head, becoming paler on the rump and upper tail coverts. The middle of the 
back most strongly olivaceous. The nape (in some individuals) and sides of the head tinged with ash. A ring round the eye 
and some of the loral feathers white ; the chin and throat white. The sides of the throat and across the breast dull ash, the 
color on the latter sometimes nearly obsolete ; sides of the breast similar to the back, but of a lighter tint ; middle of the belly 
very pale yellowish white, turning to pale sulphur yellow on the sides of the belly, abdomen, and lower tail coverts. Wings 
brown ; two narrow white binds on wing formed by the tips of the first and second coverts, succeeded by one of brown. The 
edge of the first primary, and of the secondaries and tertials, white. Tail rather lighter brown, edged externally like the back. 
Feathers narrow, not acuminate, with the ends rather blunt. In autumn the white parts are strongly tinged with yellow. 
Length, about 5 inches ; wing, 2.65 ; tail, 2.50. 
Hub. — Eastern United States to Missouri plains. 
