IN LIBERIA. 85 



Considering the geographical range of the West African 

 Muscicapidae , it is peculiar that the Liberian specimens 

 belong to a species hitherto only known as far north as 

 the Cameroon , and not to Mr. Sharpe's subspecies cine- 

 rascens from the much nearer Gold Coast. This fact how- 

 ever is far from standing alone , as the same thing is the 

 case with many other species found in Liberia. 



This species is , as already stated by Dr. Reichenow (1. c), 

 a resjular inhabitant of the river banks and will never be 

 found anywhere else. It is not shy at all and sits on dead 

 limbs and sticks close to the surface of the water. 



69. Smithornis rtifilateralis. 



Smithornis rufilateralis , Gray, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 143, pi. 16; — 

 Sharpo, Cat. Birds Br. Mus. IV. p. 389 (1879). 



Two adult males, shot in high forest near Hill Town 

 and near Weflah. 



These small birds call the attention of the huntsman 

 by an extremely loud noise, sounding like Kerr, Kerr, and 

 remembring exactly the call of Dendrohyrax dorsalis. They 

 sit, while calling, always in the dense undergrowth of 

 high forest and use to fly up and immediately come back 

 to the same twig again. 



Iris dark brown , upper mandible black , lower whitish , 

 feet green. 



b' 



70. Diaphorophyia castanea. 



Platistira castanea, Fraser, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 141; id. Zool. Typ. 



pi. 34, fig. 2. 

 Platystira leucopygialis , Fraser, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 142; — Hartl. 



Orn. W. Afr. p. 95. 

 Diaphorophyia castanea, Sharpe, Ibis 1873, p. 172; id. Cat. Birds 



Br. Mus. IV, p. 140 (1879). 



Adult male and female , shot in brushwood near Hill 

 Town , another male at Schiefifelinsville. 



Notes from the Leyden IVCuseum , Vol. X. 



