BLACK-BELLIED FLYCATCHER. 59 



while the inner portions of all these white edged 

 feathers are black. The tail is long; each of the 

 lateral feathers being graduated, while the two 

 middle ones are from two inches and a half to six 

 inches longer than the others, according to their 

 growth ; for these beautiful ornaments are only pos- 

 sessed by the males during the season of courtship. 

 The bill and feet are black. 



It appears that the females of this genus are of 

 the same colour as the males, but without any ex- 

 cessive elongation of the two middle tail-feathers. 

 We suspect the singular white line along the middle 

 of the wing, possessed both by this and other species, 

 is only seen in the perfect maturity of the bird ; for 

 one of the specimens of M. rufiventer appeared to 

 have a faint indication of it, while the other had 

 none; it must not therefore be relied upon as a 

 specific distinction. 



It may be as well to notice, in this place, that the 

 Tckitrec of Le Vaillant (our M.perspicillata} differs 

 from this, in having a large thick naked membrane 

 round the eye, moveable, and of a rich blue colour ; 

 the under tail-covers are dusky white, and the whole 

 of the wings rufous, except the tips of the greater 

 quills. 



Total length, excluding the two middle tail-fea- 

 thers, which are always of variable lengths, 8 inches ; 

 bill, from the gape, ^ ; from the front, almost -f^ ; 

 wings, 3 T 3 5 ; tail beyond (the lateral feathers only), 

 2| ; ditto, from the base, 4; tarsus, J. 



