1SC6.] ON THE MFSCICAPA MELANICTEEA OP GMELIN. 33 



On the Muscicapa melanictera of Gmelin. By the Viscount Waldex, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c. Ibis, 1866, 



[From 'The Ibis,' 1866.] '^■''^^^■ 



Forming part of a large collection of birds recently made in the island of Ceylon by my 

 friend Mr. Spencer Chapman, are three skins of Le Vaillant's " Cap Negre" a species whose 

 correct systematic title has not hitherto been satisfactorily determined. In the hope of being 

 able to refer that species to its oldest specific designation, I trust that a few observations on the 

 subject will not be unacceptable to the readers of ' The Ibis.' Before, however, entering into the 

 history of this bird, I will give a short description, taken from the specimens I have just 

 received. 



The entire head, nape, and cheeks intense, yet unglossed, black ; remainder of the whole upper IWs, 1866, 

 surface of the body yellowish olive-green. Margins of the outer webs of all the wing-feathers P- "^^ ' • 

 more or less of the same colour, the outer edges of the primaries being somewhat yellower. Quills 

 and rectrices hair-brown; inner margins of all, except the first primary, edged with yellowish- 

 albescent, increasing in extent with every succeeding quill, commencing with the second. Upper 

 surface of the tail brown, as in the quills ; middle rectrices faintly edged with the olive-green 

 of the upper plumage, external pairs more decidedly so ; under surface of rectrices pale brown, 

 all with white or albescent terminal bands, the middle pair excepted. Entire under surface rich 

 saffron-yellow, purest on the chin, throat, abdomen, and under tail- and wing-coverts. Wing 

 3'75 inches; tail 3-25 inches. Iris brown in the female. BiU and feet black. The upper and 

 under tail-coverts are very much developed ; the first covering fuUy half the basal portion of the 

 tail, the last extending even further. 



Le Vaillant described his " Caj) Negre " from six individuals sent to him from Ceylon ; and 

 the specimens received by me from the same island agree entirely with his description. Although 

 the examples were sent to him in the flesh, Le Vaillant tells us that he was unable, on 

 moistening the bodies, to discriminate the sexes, in consequence of the decayed condition of the 

 organs. A seventh specimen in the same collection he regarded as the female, as it only 

 differed from the other six in the shade of its colouring, the head being brown instead of black, 

 the upper plumage isabelline-yellow rather than olive-yellow, the under surface ptile yellow ; and 

 also by being somewhat smaller in size. These two forms are represented in his plate 140, the 

 colouring of the figures having been either originally very dull or else having since become 

 faded; the distribution of colour is accurately enough given. Upon "ie Caj) Negre" Vieillot 

 founded his jEgifJdna atricapilla, he having instituted the genus JEgithina in the 'Analyse' 

 (1816) for the reception of his Sijlvia leucoptera*. In the 'Nouveau Dictionnaire' he 

 introduced Le Cap Negre as the first species of the genus, associating it with Le Quadricolor, Ibis, 1866, 

 Le Vaillant {MotacUla zeylonica, Gm., ^E. quadricolor, Vieill.). He apparently had no better i'" ''^^^' 

 or other reason for thus uniting under the same genus these two dissimilar forms, than the fact 

 that the plates representing the two birds succeeded one another in Le Vaillant's great work. 



* The genus ^gltJiina would take precedence of lora, Horsf., if it could be satisfactorily demonstrated that the 

 Faiwette leucoptere, ViciU. (Ois. de I'Ain. sept.), was based upon a specimen of 2Iotacilla tipJda, L. 



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