sweetly and lark-like as it rises, as ever one would like to hear and 
see, but being a Flycatcher, it never disappears “far o’er the downy 
cloud,” nevertheless, it goes a good height for so small a bird. It is 
usually an insect, which -sends it soaring up, it returns to the same 
perch. It is pretty to watch in descending, with its light out- 
stretched wings, when nearing its perch it slowly and buoyantly 
dives down to the tip of the evergreen, it had sat on and trilled its 
song. This little “blue-bird,” as it is popularly called, and the Yel- 
low-bellied Fantail (294) display similar habits. They warble in 
those warm balmy spring days in May, a song clear and rich ; scarcely 
inferior to some of our well-known Warblers. 
GENUS MUSCICAPULA 
These birds grade into the Redbreasts and robins (other than 
the Saxicoline robins). They are birds with feebler bills, depressed 
and wide at the base, a sort of isosceles triangle, when viewing 
the bill from above, bill is not so well notched or hooked as the 
proceeding groups; tarsus slender ; toes slight, middle toe lengthened. 
(312) MuscicaPuLa SApPHIRA, Sapphire-headed Flycatcher, though 
a fairly uncommon bird, it is occasionally met with in forests and 
jungles. It lives a solitary life among thick bushes and undergrowth. 
It is 4} inches in length; bill black ; irides dark brown ; plumage of 
the male above is purplish tinged dark blue, darker about the upper 
tail-coverts ; crown of the head sapphirine blue; black about the 
sides of the head; purple, breast and front of the neck; a centre 
line down the breast ferruginous; quills and tail black with blue 
edgings to the feathers; under parts of the body white. The female 
displays more olive. 
GENUS NILTAVA 
Is a much more interesting group, from our point of view than 
Muscicapula, chiefly owing to-the tameness ot Sund/ara and the fre- 
queney with which one meets this species in Darjeeling. These are 
birds of rich and bright plumage; robin-like in the trust and con- 
fidence they repose on our good nature. Bill of Nélfava, is short, 
stout and less prominently depressed, compressed at the tip and 
strongly notched ; bill is not so wide as the foregoing birds; nareal 
and rictal bristles and plumes, short and weak; wings long and 
rounded 5th quill, longest; tarsus slender and short; middle toe 
lengthened ; plumage of the male is black, with rich blue markings ; 
female pale brown with a few lilac feathers on the neck. These 
birds are frequently observed on the land, differing fron’ True Fly- 
catchers; but are equally at home on branches of bushes.” 
