166 
U. S. P. R R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
Male. —“ Above ash ; the middle of the back black or mixed with black ; a grayish white collar on the nape. Crown lus¬ 
trous black, with a frontal whitish line. Scapulars white. Wings black, the coverts and secondaries bordered with white. 
Beneath white, tinged with ash. Tail black, the lateral feathers broadly tipped with white. Bill plumbeous black ; feet black. 
Length, 6,00 ; wing, 3.30 ; tail, 2.40.” 
The preceding description of the male is taken from Mr. Sclater’s article, as I have no speci¬ 
men of that sex before me. The single specimen collected by Lieutenant Couch, was supposed 
for a time to he the female of Pachyrhamphus aglaiae , even by Mr. Sclater, whose authority on 
these birds is so deservedly high. It is, however, generically distinct in many points of 
structure. 
The lustrous greenish black feathers of the top of the head are much edged with rufous, which 
predominates on the forehead. The neck above is much lighter than the back, rump, and tail, 
which are light rusty, or, perhaps, chestnut. In the unexpanded tail no black is visible from 
above, except a small dusky speck at the end of the middle feather. The black of the tail 
feathers fades in intensity anteriorly and passes into reddish; posteriorly, however, it is abruptly 
bordered by the yellowish rufous tips, (these on the outer feathers are .70 of an inch long.) The 
outer webs of all the feathers are rufous excepting on the third and fourth, where the black extends 
nearly across. The inner webs of all the feathers, except the innermost, show much black. 
There is a strong tinge of greenish yellow on the throat as well as the belly, but the breast 
appears to be of the same light rufous as the sides. 
This bird is readily distinguished from the female Pachyrhamphus aglaiae by the black on the 
graduated tail feathers. 
List of specimens. 
CD 
m 
Locality. 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. No. 
j Length. 
Stretch of 
wings. 
' SC 
i 
Tail. 
| Tarsus. 
Middle toe. 
Its claw 
alone. 
Bill above. 
Along gape. 
Specimen 
measured. 
Remarks. 
9 
Boquillo, N. Leon.. 
April —, 1853 
150 
6.25 
10.00 
3.25 
bluish lead color.. 
7.00 
3.30 
2.86 
0.82 
0.75 
0.22 
0.630.80 
Sub-Family TYRANNINx4E.—Tyrant Flycatchers. 
Bill broader than high at the base, much depressed, more or less triangular. Culmen nearly 
as long as the head, or shorter ; straight to near the tip, then suddenly bent down into a con- 
spicuous hook, with a notch behind it; tip of lower jaw also notched. Commissure straight to 
near the notch ; gonys slightly convex. Nostrils oval or rounded, in the anterior extremity of 
the nasal groove, and more or less concealed by long bristles which extend from the posterior 
angle of the jaws along the base of the bill, becoming smaller, but reaching nearly to the median 
line of the forehead. These bristles with lateral branches at the base. Similar bristles mixed 
in the loral feathers and margining the chin. Tarsi short, generally less than middle toe, com¬ 
pletely enveloped by a series of large scales which meet near the posterior edge of the inner side, 
and are separated either by naked skin or by a row of small scales. Sometimes a second series of 
rather large plates is seen on the posterior face of the tarsus, these, however, usually on the upper 
extremity only. Basal joint of middle toe united almost throughout, to that of the outer toe, 
but more than half free on the inner side ; outer lateral toe rather the longer. Wings and tail 
