FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER. 83 
Linne himself included them both in the same genus, 
he would doubtless have retained that specific name for 
the kingbird, which is unquestionably a Muscicapa 
and not a Lanius. As the kingbird is a very abundant 
species, known to every zoological reader by the name 
of Tyrannus , it is obvious that less inconvenience will 
be produced by changing the name of an almost unknown 
species, than would result from altering that of one 
with which we are so familiar. We have, therefore, 
adopted Viei Hot’s specific name of Savana , taken by 
that author from Montbeillard, who, in Buffon’s work, 
thereby endeavoured to commemorate this bird’s habit 
of frequenting inundated savannas. Naturalists who 
separate Tyrannus from Muscicapa generically, disagree 
with respect to the arrangement of this species. For 
ourselves, we consider the former as a subgenus of 
Muscicapa , including the larger species, among which 
our fork-tailed flycatcher must be placed. 
This species is fourteen inches long, its tail measuring 
nearly ten ; the extent from the tip of the one wing to 
that of the other is fourteen inches. The bill is some- 
what more slender and depressed at base than that of 
the kingbird, and, as well as the feet, is black. The 
irides are brown. The upper part of the head, including 
the cheeks and superior origin of the neck, is velvet 
black. The feathers of the crown are somewhat slender, 
elevated, and of a yellow orange colour at base, consti- 
tuting a fine spot, not visible when they are in a state 
of repose ; the remaining part of the neck above, and 
the back are grayish ash ; the rump is of a much darker 
grayish ash, and gradually passes into black, which is 
the colour of the superior tail-coverts ; the inferior 
surface of the body, from the base of the bill, as well 
as the under wing and under tail-coverts, is pure white. 
The wings are dusky, the coverts being somewhat 
lighter at tip and on the exterior side ; the first primary 
is edged with whitish on the exterior web, and is equal 
in length to the fourth ; the second primary is longest ; 
the three outer ones have a very extraordinary and 
profound sinus, or notch on their inner webs, near the 
