PASSERES — MUSCICAPIDjE — MUSCICAPA. 113 



THE YELLOW-BELLIED FLYCATCHER, 



MUSCICAPA FLAVIVENTRIS. 



Muscieapnflavivmtris. Baird, Proceedings Ac. Nat. Sc. Vol. 1, p. 283. 

 M. id. Audobon, B. of A. Vol. 7, p. 341, pi. 490 (male). 



Characteristics. Olive green : sulphur-yellow beneath. Front dark olive. Orbits yellow. 

 Tail emarginate. Length, 5*1. 



Description. Bill broad and robust, tapering rapidly to the point ; ridge on the upper 

 mandible obvious : bristles on the front and sides of the base of the bill. Wings 2' 5. Third 

 and fourth quills subequal, or the fourth slightly longest ; first and sixth subequal. Feathers 

 of the head somewhat elongated, but scarcely forming a definite crest. Tail 1 ■ 9, emarginate. 



Color. Bill blackish brown above ; flesh-colored beneath. Head and body above dark 

 glossy olive green ; the head, in certain lights, exhibiting obsolete darker spots. Circle round 

 the eyes, and an obsolete streak towards the bill, light yellowish. Abdomen, under tail- 

 coverts and axillaries light sulphur-yellow. Neck and breast light yellow olive. Ridge of 

 the wings bright yellow. Quills and tail light hair-brown. Lower row of lesser wing-coverts 

 and secondary coverts tipped with yellowish white, forming two bands across the wings. 

 Wing-coverts and secondaries brownish black. Secondaries edged anteriorly with yellowish 

 white. Female, smaller. 



Length, 5*1 -5' 2. 



This beautiful little species was first discovered by Mr. S. F. Baird, at Carlisle, Pennsyl- 

 vania, and described in the work cited above. In a general system it must follow M. acadica, 

 with which it is closely allied. Its distinctive characters appear to consist mainly in the deep 

 yellow color of its abdomen, and its emarginate tail. The specimen above described was 

 kindly communicated by Mr. Giraud, from the cabinet of G. W. Lawrence, who procured it 

 from Long island, where it is doubtless not uncommon, although it had been previously con- 

 founded by Mr. Audubon and other ornithologists with the M. acadica. 



[Fauna — Part 2.] 15 



