MUSCICAPA. 219 



It is seldom we can establish the connexion of two 

 groups in so satisfactory a way : this sort of evi- 

 dence, indeed, is more entitled to confidence when 

 it can be drawn from the writings of those who 

 become in this way unbiassed, and therefore trust- 

 worthy witnesses, than when it merely rests upon 

 the inference of one who is advocating his own 

 theory. The intelligent ornithologists who described 

 this bird, seem to have had an idea of its being the 

 connecting link between Myiagra and Muscicapa, 

 although they have shown much judgment in dis- 

 criminating it so well, that without having seen the 

 bird, we feel fully persuaded it has been correctly 

 described. According to these views, My'iagra 

 macroptera, by its structure, comes in the circle of 

 Muscicapa ; and if any other proof w r as wanting, 

 it will be found in the inference to be deducted 

 from the following fact. Mr. Caley gives the fol- 

 lowing note upon the species : " This bird has all 

 the actions of the British robin red-breast, except 

 coming inside houses : when a piece of ground was 

 fresh dug it was always a constant attendant." We 

 repeat that we have had no opportunity of examin- 

 ing this bird; but were it not that our two best 

 ornithologists had referred it to Myiagra, we should, 

 upon this simple statement alone, have been im- 

 pressed with a conviction that it really was a robin, 

 because this assertion of Mr. Caley's would seem 

 to imply that it hopped like our red-breast upon the 

 ground, a habit which no fissirostral bird is known 

 to possess. But does this supposition militate against 



