184 
U. S. P. R. R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY-GENERAL REPORT. 
SAYORNIS FUSCUS, Baird. 
Pewee; Phoebe Bird. 
Muscicapa fusca, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 931— Latham, Index Orn. II, 1790, 483— Vieillot, Ois. Am. 
Sept. I, 1807, 68; pi. 40— Bonap. Obs. Wilson, 1825, no. 115.— Ib. Synopsis, 68.— Audubon, 
Orn. Biog. II, 1834, 122 : V, 1839, 424 ; pi. 120.— Ib. Synopsis, 1839, 43.— Ib. Birds Amer. I, 
1840, 223 ; pi. 63.— Giraud, Birds L. Island, 1844, 42. 
Tyrannula fusca, Rich. List, 1837.— Bonap. List, 1838. 
Tyrannus fuscus, Nuttall, Man. I, 2d ed. 1840, 312. 
? Aulanax fuscus, Cabanis, Cab. Journ. IV, 1856, 1. 
Muscicapa alra, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 946.— Nuttall, Man. I, 1832, 278. 
Muscicapa phoebe, Latham, Index Orn. II, 1790, 489. 
Muscicapa nunciola, Wilson, Am. Orn. II, 1810, 78 ; pi. xiii. 
Myiobius nunciola, Gray, Genera, I, 248. 
Muscicapa carolinensisfusca, Brisson, Orn. II, 1760, 367. 
Black-headed flycatcher, Pennant, Arc. Zool. II, 389, 269. 
Black-cap flycatcher, Latham, Synopsis, I, 353. 
Sp. Ch. —Sides of breast and upper parts dull olive brown, fading slightly toward the tail. Top and sides of head dark brown. 
A few dull white feathers on the eyelids. Lower parts dull yellowish white, mixed with brown on the chin, and in some 
individuals across the breast. Quills brown, the outer primary, secondaries, and tertials edged with dull white. In some 
individuals the greater coverts faintly edged with dull white. Tail brown ; outer edge of lateral feather dull white ; outer 
edges of the rest like the back. Tibiae brown. Bill and feet black. Bill slender, edges nearly straight. Tail rather broad and 
slightly forked. Third quill longest; second and fourth nearly equal; the first shorter than sixth. Length, 7 inches; wing, 
3.42 ; tail, 3.30. 
Hab —Eastern North America. 
In autumn and occasionally in early spring the colors are much clearer and brighter. Whole 
lower parts sometimes bright sulphur yellow; above greenish olive ; top and sides of the head 
tinged with sooty. In the young of the year the colors are much duller; all the wing coverts 
broadly tipped with light ferruginous, as also the extreme ends of the wings and tail feathers. 
The brown is prevalent on the whole throat and breast; the hind part of the back, rump, and 
tail strongly ferruginous. 
The tail of this species is quite deeply forked, the external feather being from .35 to .40 of an 
inch longer than the middle one. 
The general appearance of this species resembles that of the small olive flycatchers, but I do 
not observe any generic character in which it differs from nigricans. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When collected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig’l 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Extent. 
Wing. 
Remarks. 
2707 
2925 
957 
1939 
1074 
6602 
S. F. Baird. 
Carlisle, Pennsylvania.... 
May 9,1843 
April 5,1844 
June 19,1843 
March —, 1844 
May 7,1856 
7.00 
11.00 
3.41 
Q 
6.75 
10.83 
3.33 
6.00 
11.25 
3 50 
J 1 
A 
Opposite mouth of Ver¬ 
million. 
Dr. Hayden.... 
Dr. J. G. Cooper 
7.12 
11.00 
3.50 
7517 
7518 
4009 
4008 
9102 
Feb. —,1853 
Lieut. Couch. 
22 
6.12 
10.50 
3.25 
Eyes d’k red brown, 
bill and feet black. 
O 
92 
6.50 
10.00 
3.12 
29926 
