Part 23

The collector’s notes relating to the habits of this Flycatcher are disappointingly brief. It frequented low mesquites and was tame and rather noisy, having a variety of loud calls, some of which resembled those of _M. cinerescens_, while others were “almost Thrasher-like.” Its food seemed to consist largely of beetles. On June 27 a nest was found at Camp Lowell. “Both parents were distinctly seen and positively identified. The nest was in an old Woodpecker’s hole in a giant cactus about eighteen feet from the ground. It was lined with soft, downy weed-seeds, and contained two young just hatched and an addled egg.” The egg, unfortunately, is so badly broken that accurate measurements are impossible, but an approximation would be 1.04 × .74. In ground-color and markings it closely resembles eggs of _M. crinitus_, the shell being a dull clayey-buff over which are numerous longitudinal lines and dashes of purplish-brown or lavender. These markings are pretty evenly distributed, but are coarsest at the larger end of the egg.

462, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, May 31. Length, 9.90; extent, 14.10; wing, 4.40; tail, 4.40; culmen, 1.15. “Iris brown; bill and legs black.”

468, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, June 1. Length, 10; extent, 14.30; wing, 4.35; tail, 4.44; culmen, 1.10.

472, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, June 2. Length, 9.90; extent, 14.10; wing, 4.40; tail, 4.37; culmen, 1.27.

473, ♂ ad., same locality and date. Length, 10; extent, 14.20; wing, 4.40; tail 4.60; culmen, 1.25.

491, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, June 4. Length, 9.60; extent, 14.20; wing, 4.40; tail, 4.40; culmen, 1.13.

492, ♂ ad., same locality and date. Length, 9.80; extent, 14.30; wing, 4.38; tail, 4.49; culmen, 1.15.

558, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, June 21. Length, 9.80; extent, 14.30; wing, 4.37; tail, 4.47; culmen, 1.16.

592, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, June 25. Length, 9.80; extent, 13.80; wing, 4.23; tail, 4.35; culmen, 1.16.

463, ♀ ad., Camp Lowell, May 31. Length, 9.60; extent, 13.70; wing, 4.12; tail, 4.34; culmen, 1.10.

464, ♀ ad., same locality and date. Length, 9.50; extent, 13.60; wing, 4.16; tail, 4.32; culmen, 1.11.

493, ♀ ad., Camp Lowell, June 4. Length, 9.60; extent, 13.70; wing, 4.16; tail, 4.16; culmen, 1.10.

559, ♀ ad., Camp Lowell, June 21. Length, 9.40; extent, 13.40; wing, 4.04; tail, 4.10; culmen, 1.10.

591, ♀ ad., Camp Lowell, June 25. Length, 9.40; extent, 13.60; wing, 4.15; tail, 4.10; culmen, 1.12.

102. =Myiarchus cinerescens= _Lawr._ ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER.—Specimens were obtained at Tombstone, Tucson, and Camp Lowell. In the latter locality the bird was common through June and was presumably breeding, although no nests were actually found. At all the points in Arizona where they were observed these Flycatchers frequented the timber in valleys and along streams, none being seen among the denser forests of the mountains.

103. =Myiarchus lawrencii= (_Giraud_) _Baird_. LAWRENCE’S FLYCATCHER.—This pretty Myiarchus, scarcely larger than our common Phoebe, was met with only among the Santa Rita Mountains, where it was apparently not uncommon, although its distribution seemed to be very local, most of Mr. Stephens’ specimens being taken in a single cañon. They haunted the banks of streams, perching on dead limbs and taking frequent flights after insects. The only note heard was a short, mournful “_peeúr_.” No nests were found, but a female shot May 17 was laying.

In my preliminary announcement[96] of the occurrence of this species in Arizona I inadvertently gave the number of specimens as eight, whereas nine were really obtained. These show little variation in color or markings, but the females are slightly smaller than the males. The characters which separate _M. lawrencii_ from its respective allies, _M. tristis_ of Jamaica and _M. nigricapillus_ of Central America, are well maintained in this series.

360, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 12. Length, 7.20; extent, 10.50; wing, 3.25; culmen, .76; tail, 3.38. “Iris dark brown; bill and legs black.”

361, ♂ ad., same locality and date. Length, 7.20; extent, 10.30; wing, 3.25; culmen, .80; tail, 3.43.

364, ♂ ad., same locality and date. Length, 7.30; extent, 10.30; wing, 3.20; culmen, .80; tail, 3.35.

400, ♂ ad., same locality, May 17. Length, 7.10; extent, 10.20; wing, 3.20; culmen, .77; tail, 3.36.

412, ♂ ad., same locality, May 19. Length, 7.30; extent, 10.50; wing, 3.26; culmen, .82; tail, 3.32.

388, ♀ ad., same locality, May 16. Length, 7.10; extent, 10; wing, 3.20; culmen, .81; tail, 3.20.

401, ♀ ad., same locality, May 17. Length, 7; extent, 10; wing, 3.05; culmen, .74; tail, 3.05.

402, ♀ ad., same locality and date. Length, 7.10; extent, 10.

403, ♀ ad., same locality and date. Length, 7; extent, 9.80; wing, 3.10; culmen, .85; tail, 3.16. “Laying.”

104. =Sayiornis sayi= (_Bonap._) _Baird_. SAY’S PEWEE.—“Common on prairies; usually found singly, perching on weed-stalks. They do not frequent timber. Iris dark brown; bill and legs black.” Several specimens collected.

105. =Sayiornis nigricans= (_Swains._) _Bonap._ BLACK PEWEE.—Found more or less abundantly along streams, but rarely at a great elevation in the mountains. “The nest is similar to that of _S. fusca_, and is built under bridges or sometimes in deserted dwellings. Iris dark brown; bill and legs black.” Several specimens taken.

106. =Contopus borealis= (_Swains._) _Baird_. OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.—Two specimens were obtained in May in the Santa Rita Mountains, where it was “not very common.”

107. =Contopus pertinax= _Caban._ COUES’S FLYCATCHER.

392, ♀ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 16. Length, 7.70; extent, 12.50; wing, 4.12; tail, 3.30; culmen, .78. “Iris dark brown; bill black above, yellow below with dusky tip; legs black.”

108. =Contopus virens richardsoni= (_Swains._) _Coues_. WESTERN WOOD PEWEE.

371, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 13. Length, 6.40; extent, 10.70. “Iris dark brown; bill black above, dusky below.”

109. =Empidonax flaviventris difficilis= _Baird_. WESTERN YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER.

Both of the following specimens are more decidedly ochraceous than are my California examples, the latter, like many Pacific Coast birds, showing a closer approach to the eastern form. _Difficilis_, however, seems to be a pretty strongly characterized race, if not, as Mr. Ridgway has lately ranked it, a distinct species.

484, ♂ ad., Camp Lowell, June 3. Length, 5.50; extent, 8.10; wing, 2.60; tail, 2.46.

517, ♀ ad., Tucson, June 10. Length, 5.50; extent, 8.10; wing, 2.46; tail, 2.52.

110. =Empidonax pusillus= (_Swains._) _Baird_. LITTLE FLYCATCHER.—A common bird about Tucson, where it inhabited willow thickets near water. Numerous nests were taken: the one sent me is a loosely woven structure composed chiefly of dry grasses, with a neat lining of horse-hair. It agrees closely with northern New England nests of _E. trailli_, and like them differs widely from the compact, Yellow-Warbler-like nests which _trailli_ builds in the region about Columbus, Ohio, and at St. Louis, Missouri.[97]

The series of skins is a full one, and the specimens uniformly sustain the characters ascribed to _pusillus_, a race which seems to me quite as constant as many which have been regarded with less suspicion and disfavor.

111. =Empidonax hammondi= (_Xantus_) _Baird_. HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHER.

172, ♀ ad., near Tombstone, April 12. Length, 5.40; extent, 8.90.

237, ♂ ad., Tucson, April 19. Length, 5.40; extent, 8.70.

363, ♀ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 12. Length. 5.30; extent, 8.30.

No. 237 has the outer web of the external rectrices as white as in average specimens of _E. obscurus_. I have Colorado examples also which cannot be separated from _obscurus_ by this character alone.

112. =Empidonax obscurus= (_Swains._) _Baird_. WRIGHT’S FLYCATCHER.—This species was noted only in the vicinity of Tombstone, where a few were found early in April among scattered clumps of trees.

The four specimens collected have the lower mandible pale orange. passing into dusky at the tip, and in this respect differ from some more northern ones in which the part is flesh-color.

113. =Empidonax fulvifrons pallescens= _Coues_. BUFF-BREASTED FLYCATCHER.—A single specimen from the Santa Rita Mountains is accompanied by the following remarks: “Rare here; more numerous in the Chiricahua Mountains last season [1880]; and rather common near Fort Bayard, New Mexico, in 1876. One of its notes is a chirp similar to a Warbler’s.”

395, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 17. Length, 5.10; extent, 7.90. “Iris dark brown; bill black, yellow below; legs black.”

114. =Pyrocephalus rubineus mexicanus= (_Scl._) _Coues_. VERMILION FLYCATCHER.—This beautiful species was found at Cienega Station in April; near Tucson and among the Santa Rita Mountains during May; and about Camp Lowell in early June. In all these localities it was abundant among undergrowth, usually near water. “Their motions resemble those of other Flycatchers, excepting that they have a habit of poising over one spot for several seconds at a time, maintaining their position by a rapid fluttering of the wings very nearly in the manner of a Sparrow Hawk.”

A nest taken April 25, at Tucson, was placed in the horizontal fork of a stout mesquite branch to which it was attached in such a manner that its upper surface was flush with that of the embracing supports. This nest is composed outwardly of small twigs, and is lined with horse and cow hair and a few feathers. It entirely lacks the exterior coating of lichens spoken of by Dr. Merrill,[98] but in other respects it agrees well with his description of the Fort Brown (Texas) specimen. The three eggs which it contained are creamy white with rounded blotches of brown and pale lilac wreathed about their larger ends. They measure respectively .72 × .53, .71 × .53, .70 × .52. Mr. Stephens found other nests similar in construction and position to the present one. He considers three eggs the full complement.

_Juv., first plumage_, ♂ (No. 6153 (Coll.’s No. 466) Camp Lowell, June 1). Above similar to the adult female, but with the rump golden brown; the wing-coverts and outer webs of the secondaries, brownish-fulvous; and the feathers of the occiput, nape and interscapular region tipped with brownish-white; beneath white with a tinge of lemon-yellow on the sides and crissum; the breast and sides of the abdomen thickly marked with rounded spots of clear brown.

The series of adults is a very full one and includes several interesting styles of plumage. Some of the males have the brown of the back mixed with ashy, which has a tendency to form a collar on the nape, and gives the interscapular region a patched appearance. In others the red of the under parts as well as that of the crown is replaced by orange; while one specimen has a large patch of lemon-yellow on the right side of the breast, which shows in striking contrast with the otherwise clear carmine of the lower surface. These variations present a curious analogy to certain similar ones which occur in the Scarlet Tanager and Summer Redbird.

115. =Ornithium imberbe ridgwayi=, _var. nov._ RIDGWAY’S BEARDLESS FLYCATCHER.

Ch. Sp. ♂ Similis _O. imberbi_, sed rostro robustiore; colore obscuriore ac magis cinerario.

Adult ♂ (No. 6000, author’s collection—collector’s No. 313. Tucson, May 1, 1881. F. Stephens). Above ashy brown; crown nearly pure brown in decided contrast with the back; rump pale brown with a faint olive tinge; wings and tail brown, edged with ashy-white; greater and middle wing-coverts tipped with fulvous, forming two wing-bars; edge of wing and under wing-coverts pale lemon-yellow; lores and sides of head posteriorly, ashy; a narrow frontal line continued backward above and nearly around the eye, ashy-white; under parts ash, shading posteriorly to ashy-white on the belly, and with the faintest possible lemon tinge on the jugulum and crissum; bill stout; upper mandible much curved, brown; under mandible slightly curved, brown at tip, brownish-orange at base; commissure reddish-orange.

_Dimensions._ Length, 4.60; extent, 7.20; wing, 2.23; tail, 1.96; culmen, .42; tarsus, .56; depth of bill at nostrils, .15.

Adult ♀ (No. 6133, author’s collection—collector’s No. 446. Tucson, May 28, 1881. F. Stephens). Smaller than the male, slightly more yellowish below and with a faint tinge of olive on the back.

_Dimensions._ Length, 4.50; extent, 6.70; wing, 2.04; tail, 1.78; culmen, .40; tarsus, .52; depth of bill at nostrils, .14.

_Juv., first plumage_, ♂ (No. 6138, author’s collection—collector’s No. 451. Tucson, May 29, 1881. F. Stephens). Crown plumbeous; back olive-brown; wing and tail-coverts, outer edges of secondaries, and a broad tipping on all the rectrices, dull brownish-chestnut; beneath delicate ashy-buff, shading to yellowish-white on the belly and crissum; bill orange, dusky at tip of upper mandible.

_Habitat_, Arizona.

The chief points of difference between the above race and _imberbe_ proper may be briefly expressed as follows:

_O. imberbe._—Depth of bill at nostrils, .11 to .13. Above olivaceous-ash; entire under parts strongly tinged with lemon-yellow.

_O. imberbe ridgwayi._—Depth of bill at nostrils, .14 to .15. Above ashy brown; beneath ash or ashy-white with scarcely any yellowish.

In the present connection I have examined seven specimens of _O. imberbe_. Five of these, from the collection of the National Museum, represent the following localities: Texas (Rio Grande Valley), Mexico (Mazatlan and Tehuantepec) and Yucatan (Merida). The remaining two, in my own cabinet, were taken at Lomita Ranch, Texas, in March, 1880. The result of a careful comparison of this material is that the Texas examples prove to be identical with those from Mexico and Central America, while the Arizona birds differ very constantly from all the others in respect to the points mentioned above. The entire series is, of course, a small one, but its evidence seems sufficient to warrant the varietal separation of the Arizona form.

The detection of this Flycatcher in Arizona is perhaps the most interesting discovery resulting from Mr. Stephens’ late trip. _O. imberbe_ has only recently been added to our fauna by Mr. Sennett, and the locality of his single specimen—Lomita, Texas—was so far beyond the previously known range of the species that its occurrence seemed hardly likely to prove more than a mere accident. In 1880, however, Mr. M. A. Frazar secured additional specimens at Lomita, and now an allied, but apparently distinct race, turns up in Arizona.

Mr. Stephens found the curious little bird only at Tucson, where his first specimen was taken April 28. Afterwards others were shot in the same locality, but they were by no means common. The males had a habit of perching on the tops of the tallest trees in the vicinity of their haunts, and at sunrise occasionally uttered a singular song which Mr. Stephens transcribes as “_yoop-yoop-yoopeédeedledeè_, the first half given very deliberately, the remainder rapidly.” A commoner cry, used by both sexes in calling to one another, was a shrill “_piér pièr pièr pièr_, beginning in a high key and falling a note each time.” They were very shy, and specimens were obtained only at the expense of much trouble and perseverance. Their loud calls were frequently heard, but when the spot was approached the bird either relapsed into silence or took a long flight to resume its calling in another direction. In their motions they resembled other small Flycatchers, but their tail was less frequently jerked.

On May 28 Mr. Stephens met with a young bird which had but just left the nest. It was accompanied by the female parent, who showed much solicitude and frequently uttered her shrill cries, to which the offspring responded in nearly similar tones. Both individuals were secured, but neither the nest nor the remainder of the brood—if indeed there were any more—could be found. On the following day this episode was repeated, a second female being found in attendance on another young bird of nearly the same age as that obtained on the previous occasion.

308, ♂ ad., Tucson, April 29. Length, 4.80; extent, 7.20; wing, 2.28; tail, 2.04; culmen, .40; tarsus, .55. “Iris dark brown; bill black, basal half of lower mandible reddish-brown; legs black. Contents of stomach worms and insects.”

313, ♂ ad., Tucson, May 1. Length, 4.60; extent, 7.20; wing, 2.23; tail, 1.96; culmen, .42; tarsus, .56.

446, ♀ ad., Tucson, May 28. Length, 4.50; extent, 6.70; wing, 2.04; tail, 1.78; culmen, .40; tarsus, .52. Parent of the next.

447, ♂ juv., first plumage, same locality and date.

450, ♀ ad., Tucson, May 29. Length, 4.30; extent, 6.80. Parent of the following.

451, ♂ juv., first plumage, same locality and date.

116. =Trochilus alexandri= _Bourc. & Muls._ BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD.—The first specimen met with was a female which, with a nest and two eggs, was taken at Tucson on April 23. The species was also found breeding among the Santa Rita Mountains, as well as near Camp Lowell. At all these points it was decidedly the most abundant of the Hummingbirds.

Six of the seven examples collected are females, and Mr. Stephens remarks on the apparent absence of the males during the breeding season.

The nest just mentioned, and another obtained April 28 in the same locality, are now in my possession. Both were built in willows, one being saddled on a small branch, while the other rested lightly in the fork of a slender twig. Their construction is homogeneous, the only material used being a creamy-white down, probably from willow catkins. One nest, however, has a few delicate, faded leaves attached to its exterior. The eggs are indistinguishable from those of _T. colubris_. The first set was fresh, the second slightly incubated.

117. =Calypte costæ= (_Bourc._) _Gould_. COSTA’S HUMMINGBIRD.

289, ♀ ad., Tucson, April 26. Length, 3.70; extent, 4.60. “Iris dark brown; bill and legs black.”

294, ♂ im., Tucson, April 27. Length, 3.55; extent, 4.52. This specimen lacks the ruffs of the adult male, but has a patch of violet feathers on the centre of the throat.

118. =Selasphorus platycercus= (_Swains._) _Bonap._ BROAD-TAILED HUMMINGBIRD.

366, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 13. Length, 4; extent, 5.50. “Iris dark brown; bill black; feet black, their soles lighter.”

385, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 15. Length, 4.70; extent, 5.90.

119. =Iache latirostris= (_Swains._) _Elliot_. BROAD-BILLED HUMMINGBIRD.—From the known fact of its occurrence among the Chiricahua Mountains, as ascertained by Mr. Henshaw in 1874, it was of course to be expected that this Hummer would eventually be found, under similar conditions, in other parts of Arizona, a probability which Mr. Stephens has confirmed by the capture of five specimens in the Santa Rita Mountains. In addition to these, several others were seen at various times during his short stay in that range, and I infer from his notes that the birds were not uncommon there. They were always found near water, and usually along the streams which flowed through cañons, high among the mountains. They seemed to prefer sycamores to other trees, and invariably perched on dead twigs where they could command an open view. “Their notes were flat and differed from those of other Hummers.”

356, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 12. Length, 4.10; extent, 5.05; wing, 2.11; bill, .91. “Iris dark brown; point of bill below, with terminal third above, black; rest of upper mandible reddish-brown; of lower, purplish-red; feet black.”

365, ♀ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 13. Length, 3.95; extent, 5.05; wing, 1.98; bill, .92. “Bill above, and its tip below, black; remainder of lower mandible reddish. Not near laying.”

382, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 14. Length, 4; extent, 5.02.

405, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 18. Length, 3.88; extent, 4.98; wing, 1.99; bill, .88.

411, ♀ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 19. Wing, 2.03; bill, .90.

120. =Cypselus saxatilis= _Woodh._ WHITE-THROATED SWIFT.—In some notes made at Cave Creek, under date of March 4, Mr. Stephens incidentally refers to this Swift as follows: “We camped here last night chiefly for the purpose of investigating some caves said to contain large quantities of bird-droppings. I went to one of the largest of these to-day and found the floor covered with _tons_ of _bat_ droppings as well as a little from birds. There were also a few feathers (primaries and rectrices) of _Cypselus saxatilis_ and some of _Falco sparverius_.”

121. =Antrostomus vociferus arizonæ= _Brewster_. STEPHENS’ WHIP-POOR-WILL.—During 1881 this Whip-poor-will was again met with in Arizona among the Santa Rita Mountains, where, however, it was less numerous than it had been in the Chiricahua range in 1880. The only specimen obtained was an adult male which was shot, by moonlight, in oaks near a stream.

Through Mr. Stephens’ kindness I am now enabled to present descriptions of the female and egg alluded to in a letter quoted in connection with the original description[99] of the race.

Adult ♀ (6309, author’s collection, Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, July 4, 1880. F. Stephens). General coloring similar to that of the male, but lighter, the ground tints more ochraceous; the white of the tail replaced by reddish-fulvous which forms a narrow tipping on the outer three pairs of rectrices; the tawny gular crescent continued around the sides of the neck, the ends meeting behind and forming an uninterrupted collar.

_Dimensions._ Length, 9.60; extent, 18.80; wing, 6.27; tail, 5.03; culmen, .80; tarsus, .70; longest rictal bristle, 1.40.

This specimen differs even more widely from the female, than does my type from the male of _A. vociferus_. The ochraceous of the lores, superciliary-stripe, and neck-collar, spreads over the entire plumage both above and beneath, giving it a tawny tinge which overlies and obscures the usual dark markings. On the shoulders, breast, lores and throat this color deepens to a fine reddish-chestnut, and elsewhere it replaces the ashy, dirty white and other light tints of the eastern birds. In its general coloring the plumage strikingly resembles that of the brown phase of _Scops asio kennicotti_. The ochraceous neck-collar is also present in the male from the Santa Rita Mountains, but it is less distinctly defined, being somewhat obscured, especially on the nape, by dusky mottling. In all other respects this example agrees closely with my type.

The egg is white with a dull gloss. At first sight it appears to be immaculate, but a closer inspection reveals a few faint blotches of the palest possible purple, so faint indeed that they might pass for superficial stains were it not for the fact that they underlie the external polish. The absence of well-defined markings may probably be explained by the assumption that the bird had laid one or more clutches earlier in the season, thus exhausting her supply of coloring pigment. The specimen measures 1.17 × .87.

355, ♂ ad., Santa Rita Mountains, May 11. Length, 9.90; extent, 18.70; wing, 6.50; tail, 5.15; culmen, .76; tarsus, .70; longest rictal bristle, 1.73.

(_To be continued._)

NOTES UPON THE OSTEOLOGY OF _CINCLUS MEXICANUS_.

BY R. W. SHUFELDT.

It has never been my good fortune to enjoy the opportunity of studying the habits and manners of our American Dipper in its native haunts, but this seems to have been due more to my ill-luck, than to any neglect on my part to seize upon every chance to visit the localities where this bird, one that I have so often longed to see alive, certainly should have occurred; I refer to the rocky, mountain streams that course down the gorges of the Big Horn Mountains and the Laramie Hills. Many a time I have scrambled alone up through the rocky cañon that marked the bed of one of these noisy, bounding torrents with the vain hope of finding _Cinclus_, but, like many a naturalist before me, I was obliged to leave the country where these birds undoubtedly occur without ever having seen one of them. So that of my own personal experience I have nothing to add, so far as its life history is concerned, to the many beautiful descriptions of this bird given in our standard ornithologies, familiar to all lovers of the science, and to those read in its literature.