Report of a Mission to (iitaiii. 49 



int;- tor breakfast. However, I saw him catch a few inse(5ls 011 the 

 wiiii;-, his wide curious looking bill closing with a loud snap. 

 I'rauiir caught most of his breakfast on the wing, darting about 

 the ])u.shes in a way that made me suspect he was showing off, and 

 putting the more clumsv Freycincti in as bad a light as possible. 

 I was not fooled, however, for with such a fine rudder as his tail 

 makes it is but natural that he should be able to change his course 

 rapidly. Sometimes he .seemed to whirl about merely for the fun 

 of whirling." 



Three adult males, three adult females, a young bird about 

 readv to flv, and a nest were taken. The adults mea.sured as follows: 



The spread of the wings is about 7.75, the depth of the bill at 

 no.strils is about .12. The adult birds on the upper surface are an 

 ochraceous brown, becoming a bright rufous on the rump ; upper 

 tail coverts and bases of redlrices are a bright rufous ; the tail 

 feathers, which are exceptional!}' wide and long for such a small 

 bird, are a shining du.sky brown, almost black ; primaries and 

 secondaries are a soft brown, slightly darker than the mantle — the 

 outer webs are slightly fringed with red ; under surface of wing a 

 lighter brown. No. 9472 has the greater and middle wing coverts 

 tipped with rufous, thus forming two rufous bands on the wings ; 

 but in the other specimens these bands are very indistinct, or en- 

 tirely worn off ; forehead a bright rufous, slightly dusky around 

 base of upper mandible ; the bright rufous of the forehead merging 

 into the ochraceous brown on the crown ; the feathers of the crown 

 with dusky centres. In my series the females do not .show the 

 dusky centres to these crown feathers, although the bases of the 

 feathers are dusk}- as in the male. I doubt, however, if this differ- 

 ence would hold good in a large series, and apart from this slight 

 point I find the sexes identical. Throat and under neck black, the 

 feathers assuming white tips on the breast ; hind brea,st and belly 

 white, with rufous tint ; sides, flanks, thighs and under tail coverts 

 rufous ; chin grayish white, with a whitish irregular line extend- 

 ing from the base of the gonys down the sides of the throat ; other- 

 wise, cheeks, lores and ear coverts dusky ; eye dark hazel ; feet 

 dark brown ; bill dusky, except on the gonys, which are grayish. 

 The nestliTig secured has the upper surface thickly covered with 

 filmy feathers of a soft rufous brown ; under parts grayish with 

 rufous tint. Hab. Island of Guam. 



The ne.st is very interesting, neatly and very compactly woven 

 in and out with fine vegetable fibre ; the outside is covered with 



O. p. B. p. B. M.— Vol. I., No. ?,. 



