320 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



parison with some of the genera of Flycatchers. The wings 

 are long, but fall considerably short of the length of the tail ; 

 the second primary exceeds the length of the secondaries and 

 almost equals the third in length, being about equal to the 

 fifth ; the bill is somewhat long, the culminal ridge being more 

 than twice the length of the bill at the gape. 



The stronghold of the genus Musticapa appears to be the 

 continent of Africa, where no less than six or seven species are 

 resident. Africa is also the winter home of our own migratory 

 M. grisola, which is represented in the East by an allied species, 

 M. griseisticta, which inhabits China in summer and winters in 

 the Philippine Islands and the Moluccas. 



THE COMMON FLYCATCHER. MUSCICAPA GRISOLA. 



Muscicapa grisola, Linn., Syst. Nat, i., p. 328 (1766); Macg., 

 Br. B., iii., p.^iS (1840); Newt. ed. Yarr., i., p. 220 

 (1872); Dresser, B. Eur. iii., p. 447, pi. 156 (1875); Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. Brit. Mus., iv., p. 151 (1879); B. O. U. List Br. 

 B., p. 40 (1883) ; Seeb., Br. B, i., p. 323 (1883) ; Saunders, 

 Man., p. 149 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Br. B., pt xxvi. 

 (1893). 



Adult Male. General colour above uniform ashy-brown, 

 streaked with darker brown on the head, and slightly paler on 

 the rump and upper tail-coverts, the latter having obsolete pale 

 margins ; lesser wing-coverts like the back ; median and greater 

 coverts dark brown, externally ashy-brown, inclining to whitish 

 at the ends ; primary-coverts and quills dark brown, externally 

 edged with reddish-brown, the inner secondaries paler at the 

 ends ; lores, sides of face, and ear-coverts uniform dark brown ; 

 cheeks and under surface of body dull white, the breast and 

 sides of the body pale isabelline brown, faintly washed with 

 brown streaks on the flanks, and more distinctly on the lower 

 throat and fore-neck ; thighs brown ; under tail-coverts white ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries sandy-isabelline ; quills dusky 

 below, ashy along the inner webs ; bill brown, paler at base of 

 lower mandible ; feet black ; iris dusky brown. Total length, 

 5-8 inches; oilmen, o'6 ; wing, 3-4; tail, 2-35 ; tarsus, 0-55. 



Range in Great Brita'n. Nests almost universally throughout 



