508 PASSERIFORMES CHAP. 
other species the males are said to be maroon, cinnamon, chestnut, 
blue-grey, or glossy-black above. 7. mutata of Madagascar may 
be dimorphic. Nuchal collars, elongated silky flank-feathers, and 
spots or stripes below, are not infrequent in the Family. 
Flycatchers are common in the Ethiopian, Indian, and Aus- 
tralian Regions; and several species are Palaearctic, four or five 
reaching Europe. Most of them are migratory, the Spotted Fly- 
catcher nesting north- 
wards to Tromso and 
Archangel, the Pied Fly- 
catcher nearly as far. 
They love wooded dis- 
tricts, and Gerygone even 
gloomy forests; while they 
are usually silent and soli- 
tary, feeding on little but 
insects, which are 
habitually caught 
o 
Frc. 110.—Paradise Flycatcher. Terpsiphone 
paradist. «4k. 
upon the wing with an audible snap of the 
bill, though also procured upon the boughs 
or by darting to the ground. The graceful, OS 
undulating, or zigzag flight, and the sudden YA 
dash into the air, followed by a quick NEN 
return to the perch, are especially charac- Yo \ 
teristic, as is a frequent quivering of the . we 
wings and tail; Ahipidura motacilloides \ 
is Wagtail-lke in habits; while Stswra 
inquieta, the “ Grinder” of Australia, runs along the river-sides, 
or hovers like a Kestrel, making a grinding sound in the air, 
whence it descends vertically to secure its prey. Other species of 
Rhipidura pick flies off cattle, and rise and fall perpendicularly 
in the air, opening the fan-shaped tail or tumbling completely over. 
Malurus runs quickly, or bounds along with rapid hops. Most 
Flyeatchers are tame, but several are pugnacious; Lanioturdus 
is stated to be gregarious; Parisoma creeps about thick bushes ; 
_ 
