the common name, they are apt to be mistaken- fon htach other; and,
when both are immature,^someyaution is required to avoid referring
them to the same species. Notwithstanding this similarity, some
authors hav6' S|placed the Fork-tailed Flycatcher in' tlYcipigeml^
Tyrannies^ and' the present bird m : Muscicapa/ whereas, from an
inspection of the bills, il will at once be seen, that Ihe'lablifcr would
be still more properly plaeed in their genus Tyrannies, as the form of
its bill is'exactly®Lpisame with that of the Kingbird, the t\]»o-oMfflei
sub-genusy ./
The Swallow-tailed Flycatcher, when in full plumage, is'elbven
inches' long. 'Tfefbill andjfeet are blackish; the irides arebrowo frul
accorthn^ fo authors)'. The upper part of thOlmnd and neck isjj|||a
light gray; the back and^fscaffialars are darkgl* mged with
reddish-brown; ,tne rump is of tbs® same colour, but stroiiglw-fmgCTl'
with black, and thc'Superior tail coverts. are deep black; the under
part of the hodyHl milk-white, the flanks being«tihgedjwith red; the
inferior tail coverts are pale rosaceous; the wings are brownish-black;
the upper coverts and secondaries being margined externallyj and at
tip, with dull whitish ;lspe Under wingr coverts are whitish-rosaceous ;
the axillary feathers, above and beneath, are of a vivid Scarlet colour.
The tail is greatly elongated"and-ekeessively forked; it'iSJof a deep
velvet-black colour, each feather having the terminal margin of atjflu'fl
whitish tint, and the shafts white at their bases. The three'exterior
feathers on each side, are of a delicate pale rosaceous colour, on a
considerable part of their length from the base. The external one is
five inches and a half long; the second and third gradually decrease
in length, but the fourth is disproportionately shorter, and from this
feather there is again a gradual decrease to the sixth, which is little
more than two inches long.
The female of the Swallow-tailed Flycatcher is probably very
similar to the male; but the colours of the young bird are much
less vivid, and the exterior tail feathers are much shorter than those
of the adult.
The,® wallow-tailed Fly catcher is as audacious as the Kingbird,
f la c k in g wi,th unhesitating intrepilKc, and turning the flight of the
mqst •,f^werftd;> of the flllMled tr ib® Its. note consists of a chirping,
sounding like j tschf-i fs f 'tv si m I »ling th aw ^ the Prairie Dog
toniys (ffldf; b v w fii< lu it deceived the members of
Long*s party into ^fidLief' that they .Were approaching one of the
villages ofMhiffiim mal A -
“ AsfiMfmike thaftqj^fhe Prairie- Dog, :kuq^esH|ay,) for a moment
induced'||g > belief that d ^ BaffOwf the Iflalihot was nearf'fi^t we
were soon^undeG^iy4d.^by the appearaa^&eiof the, beautiful Tyrannies
yoKfioatus, in full pinsuit||fjj a C row .^ ^M at first view recognizing
the bird,j}fhfe'i. fine*j6lQiagatedf taiibflumes, .©^cdasionally diverging in a
i^^eate.jnaxmer, and aggaaro closing to givetdfirection to the
ae5iW‘;e^l||t?iqn4|pf the bird^®^^B,'like extraneous - processes of
dined grass, oS l a irSiof a tree, a^e^tltiouslyiattached to the tail, and
influencedby currentsfq&wind. The. feathered warrior flew; forward
to a^ree^nWig&l^t our^toorneam approach,, he descended to- the earth,
at a little-distance, continuing ati intervals his carping note. This
bird seems to be; rather rare in this region; and,ta^the>fVery powder
.l^j^onthe barrels of purigdh^wasswet, we Were‘«obliged. to content
ourselves with only a distan^^iew^bfif it.”
•• The range of.the.Swallow-tailed Flycatcher-appears-to be limited
to. the, trans-Mississippianjterritories, lpng<on the south-westem frontier,
of t^q^United States,- more., especially ^frequenting the scanty
forestSj „which, with many partial, and often total interruptions,
extend along the Arkansaw, Canadian,, and Platte-; rivers, where, in
some.-districts,, they do-not seem? to be very uncommon.
B i m B H