881 



MUSCICAPID.E. 



MUSCICAPID.^E. 



98) 



Sub-Kencra of 

 Todui. 



lodut 



Genus Todui. 

 Analogies. 



Tribes of 

 Perchers. 



Orders of 

 Birds. 



( Bill lengthened, conic, slierhtly } . 

 \ notched . . . *j <*** I'uaaora. 



rurw j^, i ^!}*-*** ^'-- 



Oonopophaga 

 Platyttera 



Lfpturvf 



Feet syndactyle ; head large 

 Bill slender . . 



Fissh'ostrea. 2fatatorea. 



Temtirostres. Grallutores. 

 i 



Rasores. 



This illustration Mr. Swainaon considers to be perfect. (' Classifi- 

 cation of Birds,' part iii.) 



The genera and sub-genera of the Muscicapina: are, in the fourth 

 part of the work last quoted, placed in the following order: 



Rhipidura, Horsf. and Vig. ; Monadic,, Horaf. and Vig. ; Megalophw, 

 Sw. ; Todtu, Auct. (with the following sub-genera : Conopophaga, 

 VieilL ; Platyrhynchnu, Desm. ; Todus, Linn. ; Lepturus, Sw. ; Platy- 

 ttera, Jard. and Selby); Miucicapa, Linn, (with the following sub- 

 genera : Cryptolopha, Sw. ; Muscipeta, Cuv. ; Sfyiagra, Horsf. and 

 Vig. ; Muscicapa, Linn. ; and Hyliota, Sw.) 



Rtiipidura. Bill short, depressed, broad at the base, compressed at 

 the apex ; the culmen arched ; upper mandible notched at the apex ; 

 nostrils basal, oval, nearly covered with bristles and plumules ; rictus 

 furnished with close-set bristles, generally exceeding the mandibles in 

 length. Wings moderate, subacurninate ; the first quill shortest, the 

 second longer by twice, the third and fourth (which last is the longest) 

 gradually longer. Tail elongated, patulous, rounded at the tip. Feet 

 moderate, slender: the acrotarsia and paratarsia entire. (Vig. and 

 Horsf.) 



It. flabellifera is brown-black ; superciliary and postocular spot, 

 throat, points of the wing-coverts, and stems and tips of the tail- 

 feathers white ; abdomen inclining to ferruginous. (Vig. and Horaf.) 

 This is the Muscicapa. fldbeUifera of Omelin ; the Fan-Tailed Fly- 

 catcher of Latham. 



Fan-Tailed Flycatcher (Khipidura flaliettifera], 



Mr. Vigors and Dr. Horsfield remark that the figure of this species 

 given by Dr. Latham has much more white on the lateral tail-feathers 

 than the bird described by them ; but they add that Dr. Latham affirms 

 that the species is subject to much variation. 



Mr. Caley, speaking of this species under the name of Fan-Tail, 

 aays, "There is something singular in the habits of this bird. It 

 frequents the small trees and bushes, from whence it suddenly darts at 

 its prey, spreading out its tail like a fan, and, to appearance, turning 

 over like a Tumbler Pigeon, and then immediately returning to the 

 some twig or bough from whence it sprung. These actions it continues 

 constantly to repeat The skin is very tender ; and it is difficult, 

 after having taken it off the body, to restore it again to its proper 

 shape." 



They are found in Australia. Mr. Caley says that the species is very 

 common about Paramatta, and he does not recollect having misaed it 

 at any period of the year. Gmelin, quoting Forster, gives New 

 Zealand aa the habitat. 



Todiu. Bill lengthened, broad throughout, contracting suddenly at 

 the tip, very flat. Bristles short, weiik, or none. Tail abort, very 

 slender, rounded. Legs long, weak ; toes short, the outer more or 

 less united to the middle one. Tropical America only. (Sw.) 



T. viridis is bright-green above ; whitiah beneath ; throat scarlet ; 

 sides rosy; lower tail-coverts yellow. This species appears to be the 

 Rubecula viridis elegantissima, Green Sparrow, or Green Humming- 

 Bird of Sloane (' Jam.,' vol. ii. p. 306 ; Ray, 'Syn. Append.,' p. 187) ; 

 T. viridis, pectore rultro, rostra recto, of Brown (' Jam.,' p. 476) ; 

 Todier de St.-Domingue of Buffon; the Green Tody of English 

 authors. 



Sloane says of his specimen that the belly or stomach was pretty 

 thick, and very well filled with Cimices and small vermin of the like 

 kind. It loves, he adds, melancholy places, and scarce will stir from 

 any one till they take it. " It is," says Sloane in conclusion, " one of 

 the moat beautiful small birds I ever saw." Browne states that it is a 

 very familiar and beautiful bird, and will often let a man come within 

 i few feet, and look for minutes together at it, before it moves. " It 

 keeps," he adds, "much about houses in the country parts, flies very 

 slow, and probably may be eaaily tamed." 



Green Tody (Todui viridis). 



M. Lesson, who places the genus with doubt between Plalyrhynchus 

 and Myiayra, says that the birds composing the genus have the great- 

 est approximations to the Kingfishers, near which, and in the Syudac- 

 tylous tribe, Cuvier has arranged them. M. Lesson is of opinion that 

 they are united to the Kingfishers by his genus Todiramphus, though 

 he at the same time obaerves that M. Temminck admits only one 

 Tody, npmely, T. viridis, placing it near Plalyrhynchus and before the 

 Moucherolles, an opinion which appears to M. Lesson to be well 

 founded. The Todies, he adds, are very small birds of America, living 

 upon insects which they catch in the mud or in the water. " They 

 are," says he, "in truth, Water Moucherolles; their wide and flattened 

 bill, furnished with asperities, or teeth, permits them to sift the mud 

 and retain their prey. They also aeek for small insects under the moss 

 and on the banks of small atreama." 



The bird is placed by Mr. Vigors among the Fissirostrcs. 



This species ia a native of the Antilles. 



Muscicapa (Butalis, Boie). Bill moderate, triangular, and not much 

 dilated at the baae, which is furnished with long and etilf hairs. 

 Nostrila basal, lateral, ovoid, partially covered with hairs directed 

 forwards. Wings rather pointed ; first quill small and spurious, 

 second rather shorter than the third and fourth, which are the longeat. 

 Tail rather short or moderate, even or alightly forked. Feet rather 

 atrong ; tarsus and middle toe lengthened ; inner toe almost as long 

 as the outer toe. 



M. griiola. All the upper parts ash-brown ; forehead approaching 

 to wliitiah ; a longitudinal stripe of a deep brown on the head ; throat 

 and middlo of the belly white ; sides of the neck, breast, and sides, 

 sprinkled with longitudinal stains of ash-brown. 



This ia the Gobe-Mouche proprement dit of Buffon ; Gobe-Moucho 

 Gris of Temminck; Fliegenfiinger and Gefleckter Fliegenfiinger of 

 the Germans; Stoparola of Aldrovandus and Ray; y Gwybedog of 



