ARKAXSAW FLYCATCHER.
M U SC IC J1P J1 P E P T IC J 1 L I& '
Plate? H. Fig.
Tyrannm v c r p . a d y i ^ E x p e d i t i o n , to the Rocky Mountains, U.
Philadelphia Museum, No. 6624.
. This bird*jforjpight from the Rocky Mountains by Major Long’s
exploring party, i^o^lpstely allied to main - inip^rity.t'li^dLswilieU
specjgsjof the extensive genus, to .which it belongs, that^iMtholtfgists,
at first silfil, may very^r^bspnably douBfcits prefehsiphsAto ra n k lifa
ney^j^geie^ But, notwithstandingiany doubt I hat m;i\ -be.-.p^p'dircfed
bygts' similarity to ^ h ^ s ^ ^ t is kce^ajaafy,, an additioriT to the already
numerous catalogue of ,F]ypat©hprs^.<_j
The -Ujfejjl, length of the -Arkansaw Fh catcher tohchesfr
The Ml-is similar Ao that of the ^rested FlydaU berijtB.u^sfinib'fe
rounded aboye?; and more abruptly inflected at-tip, being 'dfj^ila'ek-
ish:colpu^fjas well as ithft feet.- The head above,- and^Tfucha>.are
pyre pale plumbeous; the crown has a restricted bright orangcjlfpol
in jjXip middle, inyLsible when the feathers are at rest; there- is a
dusky spot betweenthe bill and eyes; ■ The cervix and back are pale
plumbeous, tinged with olivaceous, and deepening on the rump almost
to blackish, which is'%&^Qur.of' the superior tail coVferts. The chin
is whitish; fhe,-throat and upper-part W- 'the breast are of the same
colour as the head, but paler; the remaining under surface, including
the inferior wing and tail coverts, is yello^f^’ The wings are brown,
the secondaries Being margined exteriorly with whitish; the inner webs
of the primaries,J|re whitish towards the base, and near the tips they
are narrowed; the first is remarkably so, being almost falciform.
The tail AS' ® a deep brown-black nolour. and very slightly emargi-
nated; the e i w i l p p l™ white onf tl^cnltfer' web, the shaft being
Rliite on the exterior half, and. f)Vo,un on thefibf&^pr., "
named tOaaf bird in the 'second volume of
the woi k ,il)o\ remarks that if is allied to the
\hjii and Tyrannu^^mplinmai^ "of’ \ icillot. There are
mail} si)?.!1left for \vli icirl tlVa^roilansitn FhsJ;a^eli(‘i»lftjjght more rea-
n im le . mistaken; op'these, we ma^ mention the Cresfiedi Flycatcher
(Ilh/sf k apu»( and?tii»ui cd by Wtfgon in his
sec'opd'-v'olume; and particulkrlyAhe MMcieapa-. ferox* of Gmelin, a
'fPS?'1'1 '(>aiT bird, the des< lupliopSwC which H l | ! well with
M^speciusfcwe areMiwmomnderihg, that it might be eqiM K applied
^-p*eillicFn Our birdadiflerskg ^ ilfie two S ^ ^ p jth a t striking cha-
racter, the white exterior' w elMpljpl^uter tail feather. From till
ennita- ’it ^Sy||mo]®ls'ppGially, thfetknowm by (the, spot on Pie crown,
w]iiiidi>(i()lwv[u|l4^isl.'ii).>that *spef!ieS; by nmlhaving the tail and'vting
feathenS;?T*nfoiil in any p&t; and by havi iigiTun-j triii/arieis narrowed
at tip,'whileftlie crinita has them dwfe;-larg%,s %&e, and rounded.
On a particular comparison w itlW lh ^ ^ '^ > we shall.perceive that
%be bill of that^{biffids flattened, broad, and carinate, wliilst in thh
vertiealis i&lis almogtirounded above. cuFnnloimr of the latter
is, besides, much paler,, and the tail is less deeply emarginatedip-
„.*-4® he ArkansawdFlyc^fedhei?'appears to' inhabit all the region extending
west of ,fhe I Missouri river. The specimen we have been
describing .is a. male, killed in the beginning- of -«Jjtil'y, oh the river
Platte, a few:jdaySrmarch from the mbuntains.
* This bird higpleendncorrectly considered by Vieillot, in Jib Natural History of North
American Birds, as identical with the Mmdcapa crinita; but, afterwards perceiving it
to he'a (fishnet ^le'cie.s-she named it Tyrannm ferox. A specimen is in the Philadelphia
Museum, designated by (lit fanhiuirnamo ilf Ruby-crowned Flycatcher, M i this Say
compared his Tyrannus verticalis, before he stated it to he' new,) and, m the New-York
Museum, three specimens are exhibited, with the erroneous title of Whiskered Flycatcher
(Mmdcapa barbata), ' 1