193 



MUSCICAPA 



is restricted, in this survey, to the genuine or typi- 

 cal flycatchers inhabiting the old world, and who 

 never pursue their prey. From this hahit we may 

 term them the sedentary flycatchers, in centra-dis- 

 tinction to the hunting and the cursorial races, re- 

 presented by the todies, the fantails, and the 

 \vater-chats. Their distinguishing characters have 

 already been intimated, but we shall now shortly 

 recapitulate them : they are so few and simple, that 

 if duly regarded, there will be no great danger of 

 this genus being made, as it now stands in systems, 

 a sort of general receptacle for all birds with flat 

 bills, whose affinities cannot at the moment be made 

 out. The sedentary flycatchers of the Old World are 

 to be known by the prominent and leading peculia- 

 rities derived from their wings, feet, and bill : and 

 although there are a few instances of other types 

 possessing one of these characters, and although one 

 out of the three may be wanting in the aberrant 

 divisions of this very group, yet the average of 

 variation does not extend further*. When, there- 



* Some species of Tyrannvla have the syndactyle feet of 

 Muscicapa, some the even tail, and others come very near rft 

 their wings, but nothing more. Ptiliogonys and the Culicivorj 

 Lave the graduated wings, but none of the other characters. 



