muscicapin^. 467 



Hoesfield's Blue Redbreast. 



Descr. — Above, rather dull dark blue ; forehead, and streak 

 over eye, pale briglat blue ; lores and ear-coverts black ; beneath, 

 the chin just at the base of the bill black ; the rest of the chin, 

 throat, and breast, yellow ferruginous, passing to white on the 

 middle of the abdomen, and the under tail-coverts pure white ; 

 flanks slightly fulvescent. 



The female probably differs in being olive-brown above. 



Bill black ; legs brownish ; irides deep brown. Length 5f to 6 

 inches ; extent 9 ; wing 2^-^ ; tail 2^^ ; bill at front 1 1 mill. ; 

 tarsus nearly -fj^. 



Horsfield's Blue Redbreast appears to be sparingly spread 

 through the plains of India, being most common towards the South, 

 where it appears to replace C. ruheculoides. I have procured it in 

 the Carnatic, on the Malabar coast, in the Deccan (where Sykes 

 also obtained it), and in Goomsoor ; and Mr. Blyth has recently got 

 one specimen from the neighbourhood of Calcutta: it also extends 

 to Java; but has not as yet been sent from the Himalayas, nor from 

 the Burmese provinces. It is one of the few birds of this family 

 that is found equally on the continent of India and Java; and were 

 it not that Horsfield had his own specimens to compare with Col. 

 Sykes's, I should have been inclined to doubt their being specifi- 

 cally the same. 



This Redbreast frequents alike open forest, and groves and gardens, 

 feeding from a fixed perch, and catching its prey usually on the 

 wing ; but I have seen it descend to the ground to pick up insects. 



At one time I was inclined to think that M. rubecula of the 

 Supplement to my Catalogue might have been the female of this ; 

 but am now led to believe it to be the same as C, rujicauda. 



306. Cyornis Tickelliae, Blyth. 



J. A. S., XII, 941— Blyth, Cat. 1019— Muse, hyacinthina, 

 Temm. apud TiCKELL. 



Tickell's Blue Redbreast. 



Descr. — Above dull greyish-blue, brighter on the forehead, shoul- 

 ders of the wings, and upper tail-coverts ; chin white, tinged with 



