NITIDTJr.A. STOPARQLA. 27 



Genus NITIDULA, Jerdon & Blyth, 1861. 



The single species of this genus differs from the members of 

 Cyornis in having a very narrow slender bill. It has been observed 

 very little, and I cannot find a single note about its habits. In 

 structure this bird is a true Flycatcher, having well-developed hairs 

 over the nostrils. 



578. Nitidula hodgsoni. The Pigmy Blue Fit/catcher. 



Neraura hodjrsoni, Moore, P. Z. S. 1854, p. 70, pi. 62 : Horsf. 8f M. 



Cat.i t p. 300. 



Nitidula campbelli, Jerdon $ Bhftli, P. Z. S. 1861, 201. 

 Xitidula hodgsoni (Moore), Jerd. B. I. \, p. 472 ; Blanf. J. A. S. B. 



xli, pt. ii, p. 159 ; Gmlw.-Aust. J. A. S. B. xlvii, pt. ii, p. 15; 



Hume, Cat. no. 313 ; id. S. F. xi, p. lli>. 

 Tarsiger hodgaoui (Moore), Sharps, ('<i/. Ii. M. iv, p. 258. 



Coloration. Male. Lores and a frontal band black ; sides of the 

 head black, with a bluish tinge ; the whole upper plumage bright 



Fig. 9. Bill of N. hodgsoni. 



blue, the anterior half of the crown ultramarine ; wings and tail 

 black, the outer webs edged with blue ; the whole lower plumage 

 pale orange-yellow ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white. 



Female. The whole upper plumage, the exterior margins of the 

 wing- and tail-feathers, and the ear-coverts olive-brown, slightly 

 rufescent on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; lores and cheeks 

 fulvous yellow, slightly mottled with brown; the whole lower 

 plumage saffron-yellow, paling on the abdomen and under tail- 

 covorts. 



I have not been able to examine a nestling bird ; but after the 

 autumn moult the young of both sexes resemble the adult female, 

 and the male begins to assume the adult plumage about March. 



Bill black ; legs pale reddish ; iris dark brown (Jerdon). 



Length nearly 4; tail 1*4; wing 1*9; tarsus *6 ; bill from 

 gape *5. 



Distrilmtion. A resident species in Sikhim up to 7000 feet or 

 higher ; Sadiya and Dibrugarh in Assam ; the Naga hills. 



Genus STOPAROLA, Blyth, 1847. 



The genus Stoparola is hardly worthy of separation from 

 . All the members of the g< MI us, however, are green' or 

 blue throughout in both scxrs, ami the tvpe of the genus has a 



