NO. 1803. HYP0THYMI8 AND CYANONYMPHA—OBERHOLSER. 593 



HYPOTHYMIS AZUREA AZUREA (Boddaert). 



Muscicapa azurea Boddaert, Tabl. Planch. Enlum., 1783, p. 41 (based on the 



" Gobe-mouche blendes Philippines" of Daubenton, Planch. Enlum., 666 



fig. 1). 

 Muscicajpa caerulea Gmelin, Syst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1788, p. 943 (Philippine 



Islands). 

 Muscicapa occipitalis Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1831, p. 97 (Manila, Luzon, 



Philippine Islands). * 



Chars, suhsp. — Upper parts, throat, and breast of male hyacinth 

 blue, the pileiim lighter; a narrow line across forehead, a small chin 

 spot, a somewhat crescentic bar across juguliim, and a crescentic 

 patch on occiput black; abdomen, sides, flanks, and crissum white, 

 the first two sometimes washed anteriorly with blue; axillars white, 

 Httle, if at all, tinged with blue. 



Female with head, throat, and breast dull cyanine blue, paler on 

 the last; posterior lower parts white, washed with grayish laterally; 

 rest of upper surface rufescent bister brown; wings and tail clove 

 brown, margined with the warmer brown of back, and with little or 

 no tinge of blue; a narrow black line on extreme forehead, but no 

 black on occiput or jugulum. 



Measurements. — Twenty-five males : Wing, 65-72.5 (average, 67.6); 

 tail, 64.5-73.5 (average, 67.9); exposed culmen, 10-12 (average, 11); 

 tarsus, 14-17 (average, 15.7) mm. Twenty-two females: Wing, 63- 

 69.5 (average, 66.2) ; tail, 62-72.5 (average, 67.9) ; exposed culmen, 

 10-12 (average, 11); tarsus, 14.5-17 (average, 15.8) mm. 



Type-locality. — Pliilippine Islands. 



Geographical distribution. — Philippine Islands, including the Pala- 

 wan group ; and Formosa. 



A good series from the Philippine Islands shows that this race is 

 almost as white below as Hypothynds azurea coeruleocephala from 

 India; the lower tail-coverts, flanks, and lower abdomen are white, 

 but the blue of the breast extends somewhat farther back than in the 

 Indian form. Daubenton's plate,'* on which Muscicapa azurea Bod- 

 daert'' was based, is thus not so inaccurate as has been supposed, 

 and there now seems to be no satisfactory reason for not applying 

 the name azurea to the Philippine bird, to which it exclusively refers. 

 The Muscicapa caerulea of Gmelin,'' founded upon the "Petit azur" 

 of BufTon,'^ the "Gobe-mouche bleu des Philippines" of Daubenton,^ 

 and the "Azure flycatcher" of Latham,-'' is of course synonymous; and 

 the same is to be said of Muscicapa occipitalis Vigors,^ from Manila. 



a Planch. Enlum, 666, fig. 1. 

 6 Tabl. Planch. Enlum., 1783, p. 41. 

 cSyst. Nat., vol. 1, pt. 2, 1788, p. 943. 

 <J!Hist. Nat. Ois., vol. 4, 1778, p. 534. 

 « Planch. Enlum., 666, fig. 1. 

 /Gen. Syn. Birds, vol. 2, pt. 1, 1783, p. 339. 

 g Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1831, p. 97. 

 Proc.N.M.vol.39— 10 40 



