tig. 2.
Coloration. Forehead, crown, and nape greyish brown; back,
rump, scapulars, and the margins of the quills olive-brown ; upper
tail-coverts and tail ferruginous ; lores and a ring round the eye
light grey ; sides of the head brownish grey ; chin and throat pale
buff ; breast and sides of the body orange-buff ; middle of the
abdomen whitish ; under tail-coverts pale buff or buffy white.
VOL. II. D
34 MUSCICAPID^E.
Iris brown; bill black; edges of the eyelids yellowish ; legs pale
greyish pink, pale silvery fleshy, pale silvery purplish (Hume).
Length about 6 ; tail 2'4 ; wing 2-8 ; tarsus '75 ; bill from
gape '8.
This bird resembles the female of Cyornis rubeculoides, but may
be recognized at a glance by the size of its first primary, which is
equal to half the length of the second, whereas in G. rubeculoides
the first primary is much less than half the second.
Distribution. The Bhutan Doars ; Dibrugarh in Assam ; Shil-
long ; Cachar ; Tipperah ; Manipur. Hume records this species
from the Sikhim Terai.
587. Anthipes olivaceus. Hume's Flycatcher.
Cyornis olivacea, Hume, S. F. v, p. 338 (1877) ; Hume $ Dav. S. F.
vi, p. 229 ; Hume, Cat. no. 307 ter.
Siphia olivacea (Hume), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 457 ; Oates, B. B.
i, p. 292.
Coloration. Upper plumage greyish brown, tinged with fulvous
on the back and rump ; lores and the sides of the head ashy, the
shafts of the ear-coverts whitish ; lower plumage whitish, the breast
and the sides of the body suffused with ochraceous ; tail reddish
brown edged with ferruginous ; wing-coverts and quills brown
edged with rufous-brown.
Bill black in the male, brown in the female ; iris brown ; legs,
feet, and claws pinkish white (Hume <Sf Davison).
Length 5-8 ; tail 2-5 ; wing 3; tarsus '75; bill from gape '8.
The young bird, which Hume identified with some doubt with
Hemichelidonferruyinea (S. F. vi, p. 227), is in my opinion the young
of the present species. It resembles very closely the young of
Cyornis rubeculoides at the same age.
Distribution. The extreme southern part of Tenasserim at Ban-
kasun and Malawun. This species also occurs in Java and Borneo.
It appears to be a resident in Tenasserim, Hume's specimens having
been obtained in March, June, and December.
Genus ALSEONAX, Cabanis, 1850.
The genus Alseonaw contains three Indian Flycatchers which are
allied to Cyornis. In Alseonax, however, the sexes are alike and
the plumage is brown or rufous as in Anthipes. The first primary
is very small and all the three species are wide migrants.
Key to the Species.
a. Upper plumage and tail ashy brown with no
tinge of rufous A. latirostris, p. 35.
b. Upper plumage olive-brown ; upper tail-
coverts and the whole tail chestnut A. ruficaudus, p. 36.
c. Upper plumage ruddy brown; upper tail-
coverts ferruginous; tail brown, suffused with
rufous on the puter webs of the feathers only. A. muttui, p. 36,
AI..Ni:n\AX. 35
588. Alseonax latirostris. The Brown Fly catcher.
Muscicapa latirostris, llaffl. 7V. Linn. Nn<: \\\\, p. 312 (1821).
Butalis terricolor, Hotly*., Blylh, J. A. 8. B. xvi, p. 120 (1847) ; id.
Cat. p. 175.
Hemichelidon latirostris (Katfl.), Blyth, Cat. p. 175; Horsf.fyM.
Cat. \, ]. 137.
Muscicapa rimreo-alba, Temm. fy Schleo. Faun. Jap., Avcs, p. 42,
pi. 15 (1850).
Alseonax latirostris (Raffl.}, Jerd. B. I. i, p. 459 ; Hume fy Henders.
Lah. to Yark. p. 185, pi. v ; Hume, 8. F. ii, p. 210 ; Sharpe, Cat.
II. M. iv, p. 127; Leff(/e, Birds Cei/l, p. 415; Hume, Cat. no. 25)7;
Brooks, S. F. ix, p. 225 ; Oates, 'B. B. i, p. 277 ; Barney Birds
Bom. p. 163.
Alseonax terricolor (Hodys.}, Jerd. B. I. i p. 4GO ; Hume, Cat.
no. 2!K
The Southern Brown Flycatcher, The Rufescent-brown Flycatcher, Jerd. ;
Zakki, Hind.
Fig. 14. Bill of A. latirostris.
Coloration. Upper plumage ashy brown, the feathers of the crown
with darker centres ; tail dark brown, the outer feathers very
narrowly tipped with whitish ; wings and coverts dark brown, all
but the primaries broadly edged with ashy white ; lores and a ring
of feathers round the eye white ; sides of the head brown ; lower
plumage white, tinged w it h ashy on the breast and sides of the body.
The young have the crown blackish streaked with fulvous ; the
upper plumage and wings with large terminal fulvous spots ; the
lower plumage like that of the adult but mottled with brown.
After the autumn moult and till the following spring the young
are very rufous.
Bill black, the base of the lower mandible yellow ; mouth orange ;
iris brown ; legs and claws black. The young bird has the whole
bill yellow except the tip, \vhich is dusky.
Length rather more than 5 ; tail 2; wing 2-8; tarsus -5; bill
from gape *7.
Distribution. The whole Empire except the north-west portion.
1 have seen no example of this species from Sind, the Punjab.
Eajputana, or Guzerat. It occurs in Ceylon and the Andamans.
On the Himalayas it is a summer visitor as far west as Chamba.
and it is found in the other portions of the Empire chiefly in winter,
but some birds appear to be resident in certain parts all the \var
round, for I have seen a specimen obtained in Ceylon in June.
'I his Flycatch<T lias a wide range, being found from Japan and
Eastern Siberia to the Philippines and Java. Specimens killed in
the Malay peninsula in July and August are contained in the British
Museum Collection.
D2
36 MUSCIOA.P1D.E.
589. Alseonax ruficaudus. Tne Rufous-tailed Flycatcher.
Muscicapa ruficauda, Swains. Nat. Lib. x, Flycatchers, p. 251 (1838).
Cyornis ruficauda (Swains.), Jerd. B. I. i, p. 4(38 ; Stoliczka, J. A. 8. B.
xxx vii, pt. ii, p. 30 ; Hume, S. F. iv, p. 396 ; id. Cat. no. 307 ;
Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 165.
Siphia ruficauda (Swains.}, Sharps, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 457.
Coloration. Upper plumage and sides of the neck dull olive-brown ;
upper tail-coverts and tail chestnut ; coverts and quills of wing
brown edged with olive-brown ; lores and round the eye greyish
white ; ear-coverts fulvous-brown with pale shafts ; the whole lower
plumage pale earthy brown.
The young are of the usual spotted character, but the upper tail-
coverts and tail are chestnut from the first.
Iris dark brown ; upper mandible pale brown, lower fleshy ;
legs, feet, and claws purplish brown (Duvison).
Length 5'5 to 6 ; tail 2-3 ; wing 3'3 ; tarsus '6 ; bill from gape '7.
Distribution. Found in summer in Kashmir, Grilgit, and the
Himalayas from Murree to the valley of the Bhagirati river up to
altitudes of 10,000 feet. This species extends in summer to
Afghanistan, where Wardlaw Ramsay observed it breeding but
failed to find its nest. In the winter months it has been recorded
from Ahmednagar and Mount Abu, and from numerous other
localities in the west of India down to Travancore, extending on
the east as far as Raipur in the Central Provinces.
Godwin- Austen records this species from Cachar, but probably
by an oversight.
590. Alseonax muttui. Layard's Flycatcher.
Butalis muttui, Layard, A.M. N. H. (2) xiii, p. 127 (1854) ; Legge,
Ibis, 1878, p. 203 ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 513 ; id. Cat. no. 299 ter.
Cyornis mandellii, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 510 (1874), iv, p. 396, vii, p. 456 ;
id. Cat. no. 307 bis.
Alseonax flavipes, Legge, S. F. iii, p. 367 (1875).
Alseonax muttui (Layard), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 132 ; Leyye,
Birds Ceyl. p. 417, pi. xviii.
Siphia mandellii (Hume}, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 453, footnote.
Alseonax mandellii (Hume), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, App. p. 472 ;
Hume, S. F. xi, p. 109.
Coloration. Forehead, crown, and nape olive-brown, with indistinct
brown shaft-streaks ; remainder of the upper plumage ruddy brown,
changing to bright ferruginous on the upper tail-coverts ; wings
brown, the outer webs of the coverts and quills broadly edged with
ferruginous ; tail brown, suffused with ferruginous on the outer
webs ; lores and a conspicuous ring round the eyes white ; chin
and throat white ; ear-coverts olive-brown ; cheeks, sides of the
neck, the whole breast, and the sides of the body yellowish brown ;
middle of the abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts pale yellowish
white.
<>< HK'MMKLA. 37
Legs and feet pale Wax-yellow ; claws brown ; upper mandible
blackish brown, yellowish at tip ; lower mandible dull horny-yellow ;
iris brown (Hume).
Length about 5'5; tail 2-1; wing 2*8; tarsus '55; bill from
gape '65.
I have not been able to examine a young bird.
Distribution. Summers in Sikhim and probably in other parts of
the Himalayas and winters in Travancore and Ceylon. This species
occurs at Shillong on the Khasi hills, where it has been obtained in
August, September, and October, and in Manipur, where Hume
observed it in April. It may probably be a permanent resident,
therefore, in Shillong and in Manipur. Brooks observed it at
Mudhupur on the E. I. Kailway on passage. Legge notes it from
Ceylon in January and June. Altogether our knowledge of the
movements of this Flycatcher is very imperfect.
Genus OCHROMELA, Blyth, 1847.
The genus Ocliromela was instituted by Blyth for the reception
of a Flycatcher which is remarkable alike for its coloration and its
habits.
In Ocliromela the sexes are slightly dissimilar, but both preserve
the characteristic black and orange plumage. The bill is blunt
and thick, and the rictal bristles are not only very numerous but
very long. The wing is blunt, with the first primary longer than
half the length of the second, and the tail is considerably rounded.
In habits this species approaches Pratincola, descending to the
ground for an instant to capture its prey, and it differs from all
other Flycatchers in constructing a large globular nest. It is
described by Jerdon as frequenting dense woods.
591. Ocliromela nigrirufa. The Black-and-Orange Flycatcher.
Saxicola nigrorufa, Jerd. Madr. Journ. L. S. x, p. 200 (1839).
Ochromela nigrorufa (Jerd.\ Blyth, Cat. p. 173 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat. i,
p. 289 ; Jerd. B. L i, p. 402 ; Hume, N. $ E. p. 207 ; id. Cat.
no. 300 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 309 ; Gate* in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd
ed. ii, p. 14.
Siphia nigrorufa (Jerd.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 455; Legye, Binh
Ceyl. p. 425.
Fig. 15. Bill of 0. nigrirufa.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, nape, hind neck, lores, sides
38 MTJSCICAPID^E.
of the head, and the whole wing black, some of the coverts and
inner quills very narrowly tipped with orange ; remainder of the
plumage rich orange, somewhat paler on the abdomen.
Female. Resembles the male, but the black is replaced by
greenish brown, and the orange-coloured parts of the plumage are
paler ; the lores and a large space round the eye are rufous
speckled with dusky, and the wings are dark brown.
I have not been able to examine a young bird of this species.
Bill black ; iris dark brown ; legs and feet dark plumbeous fleshy
(Davison}.
Length about 5 ; tail 2 ; wing 2'5 ; tarsus *8 ; bill from gape '6.
Distribution. The Hill-ranges of Southern India from the
Wynaad to Cape Comorin at 2500 feet and upwards. This species
appears to be common on the Kilgiri, the Palni, and the Assambu
hills. Its occurrence in Ceylon is doubtful. Colonel McMaster is
of opinion that he observed this bird at Chikalda in Berar.
Habits, fyc. Breeds from April to June, constructing a large
globular nest of coarse grass and fern-leaves in a clump of reeds
or on the summit of a stump of a tree. The eggs, two or three in
number, are greyish white marked with brownish red, and measure
about -7 by -53.
Genus CULICICAPA, Swinhoe, 1871.
The genus Culicicapa contains one species of very wide distri-
bution over the Empire, migratory in the plains, but resident in
the Himalayas and many of the hill-ranges.
Fig. 16. Bill of C. ceylonensis.
In this genus the sexes are alike and the plumage is grey and
yellow. The bill is very much depressed, and viewed from above
forms an equilateral triangle; the rictals are extremely numerous
and long; the first primary is short and the tail is square.
592. Culicicapa ceylonensis. The Grey-headed Flycatcher.
Platyrhynchus ceylonensis, Sivains. Zool III ser. 1, i, pi. 13 (1820-21)
Cryptolopha cinereocapilla ( Vieill.\ Bhjth, Cat. p. 205 : Horsf. & M.
Cat. i, p. 147 j Jerd. B. 1. i, p. 455.
Myialestes cinereocapilla ( Vieill.), Hume, N. $ E. p. 205.
Culicicapa ceylonensis (Swains.}, Hume, Cat. no. 295 : Scully. 8 F.
vm p.275; Sharps, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 369 ; Legge, Birds On/I.-
p. 410 ; Oatcs, B. B. i, p. 274 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 162 ; Ocites
in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 16.
Zird phutki, Beug.
MI TATA. 39
Coloration. The whole head, neck, and breast ashy, darker on
the crown, the feathers of which are obsoletely centred with
brown ; lower plumage bright yellow ; under wing-coverts pale
yellow; lores and the edges of the eyelids whitish ; back, rump,
scapulars, and upper tail-coverts greenish yellow ; wings and coverts
dark brown, the outer webs of all the feathers edged with greenish
yellow; the lesser coverts edged on both webs; tail dark brown,
the outer webs of all the feathers except the median pair broadly
edged with greenish yellow.
Iris dark hazel; bill brown, paler at the base and gape; mouth
yellow ; legs yellowish brown ; claws horn-colour.
Length about 5 ; tail 2'2 ; wing 2-4 ; tarsus -55 ; bill from
gape *55.
Distribution. The whole Empire except Sind, the Punjab, and
Rajputana, from which provinces I have not seen any specimens.
This species is a permanent resident on the Himalayas up to
8000 feet, and on all the hill-ranges such as the Nilgiris, Khasi
hills, &c., but to many portions of the plains it is probably only a
winter visitor. The most westerly locality on the Himalayas from
which I have examined a specimen is Baramula on the Jhelum
river in Kashmir. It is found in Ceylon at about 1000 feet eleva-
tion, but it apparently does not extend to the Andamans nor to the
Nicobars. This Flycatcher ranges as far as Java and Borneo.
Habits, <$fc. Breeds from March to June, constructing a small
nest of moss against a rock or tree-trunk. The eggs, three or four
in number, are whitish marked with brown and grey, and measure
about -61 by -43.
Genus NILTAVA, Hodgs., 1837.
The genus Niltava contains three species of Flycatchers remark-
able for the brilliant plumage of the males. The sexes differ in
colour, but both may be recognized by the presence of a bright
spot or mark on the side of the neck. Cyornis oatcsi approaches
these birds in having some bright blue on the side of the neck, but
the patch is of a different character, being connected with the nape
and forming a band rather than a spot. This bright mark is more-
over absent in the female.
The Niltavas frequent thick jungle and are less typical in their
habits than the species of Cyornis, and they are said to eat berries.
They appear to be resident on the Himalayas. Mr. Cripps, how-
ever, states that N. sundara and N. macyrirforice are seasonal visitors
to Dibrugarh in Assam, but he omits to state at what season they
visit that district.
In Niltava the bill is somewhat compressed laterally and narrow,
and the base is covered by a multitude of dense plumelets, which
conceal the nostrils; tin; rirtal bristles are moderate in number
and in length; the first primary is large, being quite hull' the
length of the second, and the tail is rounded.
40 IfUBCI' .M-JF..K
Key to the X
a. Winy 4 inches Of lony'T ................ A', yra-ndi*, p. 40.
/y. Wing not much exceediny .'{ jnch>
a 7 . Uridor winy-covert:-; ;ind ftlillfriei chost-
nut or buff ........................ A. wriilti.ru, ],. 41 .
5. Under win^-covcrte and axillarieH white
or ashy indtfl ...................... A', macgrifforue, p.
. Niltava grandis. The Largt NUtova*
Chaitaria grandis, /////<//, ./. /I. -V. //. xi, p. l^> (1842),
Niltava grandin r/;//////;, ////////, <"'//. p. 174; /A,y*/*. (^ ^/. Ca.
p. 288; ,7m/. //. '/. i, p. 470; ///////', A'. V /- p- ^l r >; //'*
Z>y. fi. F. vi, p. 2. ( }i;; Mr/,-/,". Cat, H. M. iv, p. 4<:i : //"//"-, r
no. .'{!; ? VA -V. /'. xi, p. I l-'J ; O/^, //. //. i, p. 207 : /'/. in Hume's
N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 1H.
, .J:rd.;
Fig. 17. "Bill of N. grandis.
Coloration. Male. Forehead, crown, rump, iipp<:r
lesser and median wing-coverts, and a large patch on osi'-li ~i<l<- ot
tlie neck brilliant cobalt-blue ; l^-i'-k arid scapulars purplish blue;
middle tail-feathers purplish blu<-, Hi" otliors brown on th< innf.r
web and blue on the outer; greater coverts and (juills black,
narrowly edged with blue; leathers at ba.s", of \\\)\t<:\- rnan'lihl'-,
lor<:H, sides of the h-ad, chin, throat, and upj>';r br'-ast black ;
lower breast dull blu-; abrlornen bluish ashy, the under taiU-overtH
fringed with wliitish.
Female, \ head, lorea, round the eye, ear-corerf, and rhe<-,kH
fulvous, with pale .shafts ; crown and nape ashy brown ; a pjitr-h on
each side of the wch bright blue; bfiek find rump fulvous-brown ;
tail and wings dark brown, with the outer web.s sufTus'-d \\ith d"-|>
rufous; the whole lower plumage rich olive-brown, tin- fi-ath-
the throat and breast with whitish shafts; the middle of the chin
and throat clear buff, and of the abdomen ashy ; under wing-coverls
and axillaries buff.
The young nestling is darl: bro-.vn, s ( r. -ak-d willi fulvous; wings
and tail as in th- fi-.male.
Iris d'-'.p browji ; in the male flu- bill is blax-k, the h-^ s ., M ,| \',.,. ]
bbu-k or very dark pliimbfous ; in the f-inale \\n- bill is brf*wnish
black, the J-gs, feel, nnd claw.s fleshy-pink (/fume <Sf Davison).
Ml/I \V \. 41
about. *" ; tail >>'<> ; \vin<; -I'J ; tarsus t( j ; Mil from
'/:.(,. "I.
,-il,nt'i,ni. The Himalaya^ from Nepal to tin- Daphla hills in
\ i from IOIID to 7""H'e-e| elevation; the Kha-i ami Na"ga
hills; Manipur; Mule\ -it mountain in Toiiass.-rim.
/A/A/'/x, ifv. IJn-eds iVom April to .June, con>t met \i\tr a ne.st of
in a deft of a rock or of a t ivr-tnuik, and laying four -^s,
which arc pair bull' freckled with pinkish bnnvn, and IIHMMII"
about !> by -7.
r>0 I. Niltava sundara. 77<e Jtufous-lellied Niltava.
Mit;i\!i nadava. n<i;/*. 7//>/. ///-, . i, p. < : ntyth, Cat.
p. 171: H / Cat i. p. 388; Ml, //. /. i, p. 47:i ; //////.-,
A'. ^ A', p. L'i:J ; A'//////, ////v/^ A'///-,//, p. H)J; ////////-, <V//. DO, :il 1 ;
v//. /;. .17. iv, p. n;;; ; r >,///-.<, /;. /;. i, p. 295* /,/. ln 77-<///.-\-
jv.4- /;. 2nd ...i. ii, p. 20.
'/'// /,'///'///.-,-/y<V///,/ /'////// I Hue- Chut, J:rd.; \ilfau, Nep. ; Mf/ri/ni/ t
Lepcb.
Cutifi-iition. Male. l''on-licad, Ion - , -id-^ of the head, chin, and
tliroat dfcj) black; crown of tin- In-ad, najx-, rump, upper tail-
coverts, a spot on either sidj of tlie neck, and the leaser \\ iur-
covert> ^listeuiii^ blue; the remaining coverts and quills dark
brown, cd^cd with purplish blip-; bad, and scapulars purpli>h
black; tail Mark, tin; outer \\eb> e d^-d with bright blue; the
\vliole lower plumage and the under win^-coverN chestnut.
Female. Upp(;r ])lumago olivr-brou n, tinned witfi fulvous on the
rump; uppor tail-cos erts and tail client nut ; win^s lirowu,
with rufou- ; tide* of the bead Mid lore-, mixed fulvous and broun,
\\ith paler shafts; lower plumage rich olive-brown, tinned with
ochraceous ; tlie chin and thr> P rufous, the abdom-n
xvhiti-h ; a lar^'e oval patch of white on the fore neck, and a
patch of brilliant blue on ea - h >ide of it ; under t;iil-co\erl s pale
buff ; under \s in t^'-co \ert-. and axillarie-, buff.
n^' birds arc dark brown streake<l \\itfi fulvous both above
nnd below. In males some trace of blue, and in females an indi-
cation of the white neck-patch, make their appearance at an early
ge.
Bill black ; Iff^s brown ; iris dark brown (Jerdori).
about '-.">; tail U'7 ; \\in^ '.'>"2 ; tar.-us -S ; bill from
-7.
ribuium. r l'he Himalayas from Simla to Assam from
"'I 1',-,-t cle\ation ; tliel\h;i^i hill> ; Kan-une- 'fe,-t.
Jilyth records t hi- -m Arrakan and Tenass(;rim. I have
not been able to examine sperimen-, from fhe-i- localities. It
(.-.xtencU into Western China.
llnlxt.-;. t y<-. lin-eds in April and May, constructing a nest of
amon^ the i cre\ ice of a trunk of a t:
-ometime- a^ain~1 a rock. i pale bull' frerklird uith
pink, and meainm about -'.)'.', by -71.
42 MUSCICAPHLE.
595. Niltava macgrigoriae, The Small Niltava.
Phoenicura macgrigoriae, Burton, P. Z. S. 1835, p. 152.
Niltava macgrigoriaj (Burton), Blyth, Cat, p. 174 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat.
i, p. 288 ; Jerd. B. L i, p. 475 ; Hume, N. ty E. p. 214 ; Wald. in
Blyth, Bird* Burm. p. 102 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 231 ; SJiarpe,
Cat. B. M. iv, p. 465 ; Hume, Cat. no. 315 ; id. S. F. xi, p. 113 ;
Gates, B. B. i, p. 299 ; id. in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 21.
The Small Fairy Blue-Chat, Jerd. ; Phatt-tagrak-pho, Lepch.
Coloration. Male. Upper plumage bright purplish blue ; fore-
head, supercilium, rump, upper tail-coverts, and a patch on each
side of the neck cobalt-blue ; lesser wing-coverts brown, tipped
with blue ; median coverts entirely blue ; greater coverts and quills
dark brown, edged with blue; median tail-feathers entirely blue,
the outer webs of the others blue, the inner dark brown ; lores,
feathers at base of the upper mandible and those in front of and
below the eye black ; cheeks, ear-coverts, chin, throat, and breast
purple ; the breast occasionally ashy like the abdomen ; remainder
of the lower plumage ashy, becoming albescent on the abdomen
and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts ashy white.
Female. Upper plumage olive-brown, tinged with rufous ; tail
rufous-brown ; wing-coverts and quills brown, edged with rufous-
brown ; forehead and sides of the head mixed brown and fulvous ;
a patch of brilliant blue on each side of the neck ; lower plumage
ochraceous buff, paling on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ;
under wing-coverts and axillaries pure white.
The young nestling is streaked with fulvous.
Bill black ; legs reddish black ; iris dark brown (Jerdon).
Length nearly 5; tail 2-1; wing 2-6; tarsus '7; bill from
gape -6.
Distribution. The Himalayas from Garhwal to Assam from about
3000 to 5000 feet elevation ; the Khasi hills ; North Cachar hills ;
Manipur; Karennee; Northern Tenasserim.
Habits, $c. Breeds from April to June, constructing a nest of
moss, sometimes, it is said, on the ground, at other times in the
hole of a trunk of a tree. The eggs are described as being white
or stone-coloured, freckled with brownish purple or brownish pink,
and measure about '76 by '53.
Genus PHILENTOMA, Eyton, 1845.
The two Flycatchers which constitute the genus Pliilentoma are
birds of peculiar coloration, maroon and chestnut entering into its
composition.
In this genus the sexes are dissimilar. The bill is very large
and coarse, and its base is covered by the frontal plumelets ; the
wing is rounded, and the first primary is much longer than half
the length of the second ; the tail is square. Both species are
resident, and they have all the habits of the typical Flycatchers,
catching insects on the wing.
miLENTOMA. 43
Key to the Species.
a. Wings and tail blue , P. velatum, p. 43.
b. Wings and tail chestnut P. pyrrhopterum, p. 43.
596. Philentoma velatum. The Maroon-breasted Flycatcher.
Drymophila velata, Temm. PI. Col. no. 334.
Philentoma velatum (Temm.), Blyth, Cat. p. 204 ; Horsf. $ M. Cat.
i, p. .392; JInme $ Dav. S. F. vi, pp. 224, 509; Hume, Cat.
no. 289 ter ; Sharps, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 365 ; Gates, B. B. i, p. 263.
Fig. 18. Bill of P. velatum.
Coloration. Male. General colour indigo-blue ; forehead, lores,
chin, cheeks, ear-coverts, and round the eye black ; throat and
breast rich maroon ; quills black, the outer webs broadly margined
with indigo-blue, and the tertiaries wholly of this colour, but with
the shafts black ; median tail-feathers indigo-blue ; the others
black on the inner web and blue on the outer.
Female. Wholly dull indigo-blue except the wings and tail,
which are coloured as in the male.
The nestling has the whole plumage chestnut except the wings
and tail, which are the same as in the adult, but all the median
and greater wing-coverts are broadly tipped with chestnut. Almost
before it is able to leave the nest blue feathers appear on all parts,
and probably before the first autumn the full adult plumage is
assumed ; but both sexes resemble the adult female at first, the
male donning the maroon breast later on.
Legs and feet bluish- or purplish-black ; bill black, iris lake to