498 On a new Muscicapine Bird from Madagascar. 



XXXIX. — On a new Muscicapine Bird from Madagascar. 

 By R. B. Sharpe, F.L.S., Libr. Zool. Soc, &c. 



(Plate XV.) 



A SMALL collection of birds recently brought from Madagascar 

 by Mr. A. Crossley contains a single specimen of what appears 

 to be the type of an entirely new genus, belonging to the family 

 Muscicapidce, which I propose to call 



PsEUDOBIAS. 



Gen. char. : — 



Rostrum dilatatum, apicem versus acuminatum, dertro recto 

 apicem versus paullo decurvato, gonyde vix ascendente, 

 setis rectis, elongatis, rostri longitudinem vix sequantibus, 

 naribus parvis oblongis. 



Alee longse, acuminatse, remige primo brevissimo, secundo 

 longiorCj tertio sextum sequante paullo longiore, quartum 

 vix sequante, quarto et quinto longissimis sequalibus. 



Cauda longa, quadrata, rectricibus duodecim, apicem versus 

 latis. 



Pedes graciles, tarso scutellato, digitis parvis, exterioribus sequi- 

 longis, halluce paullo robustiore digitum medium sub- 

 Eequante. 



PSEUDOBIAS WARDI, Sp. n. 



p. supra virescenti-ater; tectricibus alarum nigris, alba terminatis ; 

 remigibus secundariis late albo marginatis ; rectricibus basin 

 versus externa albis : infra albus, pectore nigra hypochon- 

 driisque grisescentibus exceptis ; rostro pedibusque nigris. 



General colour above glossy black, having a slight shade of 

 green in some lights : the outermost greater wing-coverts 

 spotted at the apex with white, the innermost entirely white, 

 and the secondaries broadly edged with white, forming a longi- 

 tudinal white alar bar ; tail square, black, white at the base of 

 the outer webs ; throat, sides of the neck, abdomen and under 

 wing- and tail-coverts silky-white; upper part of the breast 

 glossy black, verging into greyish-black on the flanks ; bill and 

 feet black. Total length 6 inches, bill "55, wing 2-5, tail 2*4, 

 tarsus '55. 



I name this species after Mr. C. Ward, of Halifax, under whose 

 auspices Mr. Crossley's investigations have been carried on. 



