

CYANOMYIAS. 455 



Genus CYANOMYIAS Sharpe, 1879. 



Bill slightly compressed near tip, depth at nostril two-thirds of width, 

 outline sightly concave toward the tip; rictal bristles conspicuous, the 

 longest more than bill from nostril; wing and tail about equal, wing 

 formula as in Hypothymis; tarsus one and one-half times the bill from 

 nostril; feathers of head stiffish, decomposed basally and conspicuously 

 antrorse on lores; feathers of occipital crest long and narrow. 



415. CYANOMYIAS CCELESTIS (Tweeddale). 

 CELESTIAL BLUE FLYCATCHER. 



Hypothymis ccelestis TWEEDDALE, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1877), IV, 20, 

 536; Proc. Zool. Soc. (1878), 109, pi. 7, fig. 1 ( 9 ). 



Cyanomyias coelestis SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1879), 4, 278; Hand- 

 List (1901), 3, 249; MCGREGOR and WORCESTER, Hand-List (1906), 73. 



Basilan (Steere Exp., McGregor); Dinagat (Everett); Luzon (McGregor); 

 Mindanao (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino) ; Sibuyan (Bourns &* Worcester) . 



Male. General color blue; forehead, lores, and entire head and face 

 clear cerulean blue contrasting strongly with the light cobalt-blue of 

 back, wings, and tail; chin, throat, and fore breast deep azure-blue, 

 becoming gradually fainter and more greenish on lower breast ; abdomen, 

 flanks, and under tail-coverts white, washed more or less with turquoise- 

 blue; thighs blue; rectrices black below and their inner webs black above; 

 primaries and secondaries black, edged with blue. Iris white; eyelids 

 light greenish yellow; bill dark blue like throat with black tip and 

 edges ; legs very dark blue ; nails black. Length of a male from Basilan, 

 165; wing, 75; tail, 76; culmeii from base, 14; bill from nostril, 9; 

 tarsus, 16; crest, 36. 



Female. Differs from the male in having a much shorter crest and 

 less intense colors; top of head darker, of nearly the same shade as 

 back and wings; throat and breast cobalt instead of azure. Wing, 73; 

 tail, 70; bill from nostril, 15; tarsus, 16; crest, 17. 



This magnificent flycatcher is very rare ; it is found in small numbers, 

 feeding and moving about in the tops of forest trees, associated with 

 species of such genera as Hypothymis, Rhipidura, and Pardaliparus. 



"A very rare bird. Found only by accident, and always with other 

 flycatchers. Four males average: Length, 159; wing, 72; tail, 74; 

 culmen, 16 ; tarsus, 16 ; middle toe with claw, 15. Two females, length, 

 154; wing, 73 ; tail, 74; culmen, 16 ; tarsus, 17 ; middle toe with claw, 16. 

 Iris dark brown; legs and feet slaty blue, nails black; bill black at tip 

 and along gape, elsewhere blue; eye-wattles greenish yellow." (Bourns 

 and Worcester MS.) 



