FLYCHASERS AND ALLIED GENERA. 515 



The genera of which it is composed are Muscicapa, Riphidura, 

 Myiagra, Myiothera, and several others. The last-mentioned 

 genus, peculiar to the warm regions of America, is that which 

 I consider as uniting the peculiar characters of the family in 

 the most obvious manner, and consequently that whose name 

 must be applied to it. 



When the Flycatchers or Muscicapae formed a single genus, 

 one of them bore the name of Muscicapa Tyrannus, partly on 

 account of its domineering temper, and partly because of the 

 bright spot on its head, which was fancifully compared to a 

 regal diadem. This species and many others having similar 

 characters have been formed into a genus, to which the name 

 Tyrannus (Tyrant or King) has been given. But to this mode 

 of naming birds I have already objected. The species of this 

 family are eminently Flychasers, Myiotheres, as Vieillot has 

 called them, and although Myiothera has been applied by 

 Illiger to a genus of the Antcatchers, I think Vieillot has 

 done well in altering it to Myrmothera. It thus remains free 

 to be applied to the genus Tyrannus of authors, which being 

 apparently the most typical or characteristic, gives its name to 

 the family. 



SYNOPSIS OF THE BRITISH GENERA AND SPECIES. 



GENUS I. MUSCICAPA. FLYCATCHER. 



Bill of moderate length, straight, broad at the base, gradu- 

 ally compressed toward the end : upper mandible with a very 

 small notch close to the small deflected tip ; head rather large, 

 ovate, depressed ; body rather slender, feet short ; tarsus very 

 short, slender, with six or seven very broad scutella ; toes 

 small ; claws rather long, very slender, acute, arched ; plum- 

 age blended ; wings long, the second and third quills longest ; 

 tail long or of moderate length, even or emarginate. 



1 . Muscicapa grisola. Grey Flycatcher. — Upper parts brown- 

 ish-grey, lower white, the head and breast spotted with brown. 



2. Muscicapa luctuosa. Pied Flycatcher. — Upper parts black, 

 the forehead, a patch on the wing, part of the tail, and all the 

 lower parts, whit-e. Female dusky brown above. 



