TUKDIN/E. 61 



25. XANTHOPYGIA NARCISSINA. 

 (NARCISSUS FLYCATCHER.) 



Mtiscicapa narcissina, Temminck, Planches Coloviees, no. 577, fig. 1 (183o). 



The male Narcissus Flycatcher is orange on the rump and throat, 

 shading into yellow on the centre of the breast^ yellow on the super- 

 cilium, white on the greater wing-coverts and under tail-coverts, 

 and nearly black on the rest of the plumage. The female is olive 

 above, shading into russet on the upper tail-coverts and tail, and 

 greyish white below, suffused with yellow and brown in immature 

 examples. 



Figures : Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves, pi. 17 c 

 (male), pi. 17 (female under the name of Mtiscicapa hylocharis). 



The Narcissus Flycatcher is a common summer visitor to Yezzo, 

 but in the more southerly Japanese islands it breeds on the moun- 

 tains and has been known to winter in the plains (Blakiston and 

 Pryer, Ibis, 1878, p. 234). In the Pryer collection are sixteen 

 examples from Fuji-yama and Yokohama; in the Swinhoe collection 

 is an example from Hakodadi obtained by Captain Blakiston ; and I 

 have an example from Nagasaki, for which I am indebted to the 

 kindness of Mr. Ringer. 



It is abundant on Fuji-yama in June and July, but is very shy in 

 its habits, frequenting the deep woods (Jouy, Proc. United States 

 Nat. Mus. 1883, p. 306). Its song is described as very sweet. 



The Narcissus Flycatcher breeds in South China as well as in Japan, 

 and has occurred in the Philippine Islands in winter. 



The Narcissus and the Tricoloured Flycatchers appear to have no 

 relations. The genus Xanthopygia was established for their recep- 

 tion in 1847 (Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, xvi. p. 123), to which 

 some other species have been referred on what appear to be insuffi- 

 cient grounds. 



Xanthopygia tricolor has no claim to be regarded as a Japanese 

 bird. It is not included in the ' Fauna Japonica,' a fact which con- 

 demns the stuffed specimen (a male) in the British Museum, which 

 is labelled " Japan, Leyden Museum ; " and there can be no doubt 

 that the female figured in the ' Fauna Japonica ' as Muscicapa hylo- 

 charis is an immature female of the Narcissus Flycatcher, and not, as 

 has been suggested (Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. iv. p. 250), of the 

 Tricoloured Flycatcher. 



