MUSCICAPIN^. 461 



quills and tail-feathers internally dusky-blackish, the former more 

 or less so apertly beneath ; the throat and fore-neck white ; sides 

 of the throat brown ; the rest of the lower parts yellowish-brown, 

 somewhat albescent on the middle of the belly ; the flanks, vent, 

 and under tail-coverts beinof ferrue-inous. 



Bill dusky, fleshy -yellow at the base beneath ; legs pale whitish- 

 fleshy ; irides dark brown. 



Length about 5 inches ; wing 2f ; tail 2 ; bill at front 9 mill. ; 

 tarsus ^. 



This Flycatcher has been found in Nepal and Sikhim ; occa- 

 sionally straggling to the plains in the cold weather. It has, how- 

 ever, been also found in Ceylon, and extends to China, I obtained 

 one specimen at Nellore in the Carnatic in March. It must be a 

 very rare visitant to the plains, for I have not heard of any others 

 being procured away from the Himalayas. It is very common in 

 the neighbourhood of Darjeeling, at an elevation from 4,000 feet 

 upwards to 8,000 feet ; it frequents dark open forests without 

 underwood, and pursues insects from a low branch, or the fallen 

 stump of a tree. Hodgson says that it has a better and more 

 continuous flight than Flycatchers in general. I certainly did 

 not observe this. 



Of Flycatchers allied to Hemichelidon and Aheonax, there is Bata- 

 lis, containing the European Grey or Spotted Flycatcher, B. grisoluy 

 L., with several African species ; also, in addition to those named 

 from India, B. cinereo-alha* T. and Schl., from Japan ; B. 

 gularis, T. and S., also of Japan, of which Bonaparte remarks that 

 it is scarcely of this genus ; and Hemichelidon rujilata, Swinhoe, 

 from China. This approximates Aheonax ferruginea, and, I may 

 remark, shows a tendency in its coloration to Ochromela. 



The next bird I shall place in the list is a somewhat anomalous 

 form of Flycatcher, in which the ferruginous color of the last bird 

 is repeated with increased intensity ; and it is moreover remarkable 

 as being the only generic form peculiar to Southern India (with 

 Ceylon). 



* Swinhoe cuusidtTs tiiis the siime us lalirusiris of Haftk-s. 



