128 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1883. 



ON THE GENUS HYLIOTA. 

 BY GRACE ANN A LEWIS. 



By a letter of inquiry from Prof. G. Hartlanb, M.D., of Bremen, 

 German}', concerning some rare African birds of the genus Hyliota, 

 attention has been drawn to the specimens now in this Academy, 

 of which there are three, all of them being male birds. 



The question at issue is whether there are two distinct species 

 or only one ; and as distinguished authorities differ on this point, 

 it seems proper to offer to ornithologists the testimony which 

 these specimens afford. 



The genus was first characterized b}^ Swainson, who described 

 the species H. flavigastra. The bird was at first supposed to 

 belong to India, but was subsequently found to inhabit N. E. 

 Africa and Senegambia, and was for a long time the only known 

 species of the genus. Our specimen agrees moderately well with 

 Swainson's description, but is, no doubt, an immature male, the 

 wings are brownish and are not edged with glossy purple, but 

 instead with a dull grayish white. The two external pairs of tail 

 feathers are edged more or less with white, as in the female. The 

 band of white on the wing is formed largely by the middle and 

 greater coverts, and beginning nearly at the outer edge of the wing, 

 continues obliquely across the roots of the primaries, secondaries 

 and tertials, meeting on the back with the white of the rump so 

 as to form a deep curve over the folded wings and back. The 

 white on the wing is even more extensive than is apparent. On 

 lifting the overlying dark plumage this color is seen to involve 

 nearly all of the upper portion of the wing, the internal surface of 

 Which as well as the axillaries are white. The outer greater 

 coverts are white at the base but are black glossed with green on 

 their margins ; on the external feather, the black is so reduced 

 as to leave only a border on a white ground. The whole upper 

 plumage of the head and back as far as the rump is of deep blue- 

 black with glossy steel-blue reflections. 



In 1851, J. and E. Verreaux described in the Rev. et Mag. de 

 Zool., p. 308, a second species, Muscicapa (?) violacea. In the 

 same year, H. E. Strickland brought home from the River Gaboon 

 a specimen which he described in Jardine's Contributions to 

 Ornithology, 18.51, p. lo2, under the name of Hyliota violacea, 

 after having had the opportunity of consulting the manuscript of 

 Verreaux, to which he refers. He remarks as follows : " This 



