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.