STOPAROLA. 29 



species, but each feather of the ruinp, upper tail-coverts, and 

 abdomen has a triangular streak of brown. No other specimen 

 ivxiMubling it has yet been found, and it is probably an accidental 

 variety. It came from Nepal. 



Bill and legs black ; iris brown ; mouth flesh-colour ; claws 

 black. 



Length about 6 ; tail 2*8 ; wing 3*2 ; tarsus *65 ; bill from 

 gape -7. 



Distribution. The whole Empire with the exception of Sind, 

 Ceylon, the Andamans and Nicobars, and that portion of the 

 peninsula of India south of the Nilgiris. This species breeds 

 throughout the Himalayas up to about 9000 feet, and visits the 

 plains during the winter. It probably breeds in some portions of 

 the plains, and in some of the hill-ranges of the peninsula and 

 Burma, for I have examined specimens killed at Ahmednagar in 

 July, Shillong in the same mouth, and Momein, to the east of 

 Bhamo, in June. Hume found it breeding in Manipur, and 

 Godwin-Austen on the Khasi hills. This Flycatcher extends into 

 China, Cochin China, and the Malay peninsula. 



Habits, <$fc. Breeds from April to July, constructing a nest of 

 moss inside a hole in a tree, wall, or bank, and laying four eggs 

 which are pinky white, sometimes unmarked, at others speckled with 

 reddish. The eggs measure about '78 by '57. 



580. Stoparola sordida. The Dusky-blue Flycatcher. 



Glaucomyias sordida, Wald. A. M. N. H. (4) v, p. 218 (1870) ; 



Hume, S. F. iii, p. 401. 

 Stoparola sordida (Wald.}, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 440; Hume, 



Cat. no. 302 bis ; Lef/</e, Birds Ceyl. p. 419, pi. xviii ; Oates in 



Hume's N. 8f E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 11. 



Coloration. Male. Forehead and a short eyebrow bright cobalt- 

 blue ; lores and region of the nostrils black ; the whole body- 

 plumage ashy grey tinged with blue, brightest on the crown ; 

 abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts albescent ; wing-coverts, 

 wings, and tail dark brown, very narrowly margined with ashy 

 blue. 



The young are dark brown above, each feather with a streak or 

 oval drop of fulvous in the centre ; lower plumage fulvous white, 

 each feather margined with blackish ; abdomen albescent. 



Iris reddish brown to brown ; bill black ; legs and feet dark 

 plumbeous, the feet sometimes blackish, much darker than tarsus ; 

 claws black (Legcje). 



Length about 6 ; tail 2-5 ; wing 3 ; tarsus '75 ; bill from 

 gape -7. 



It is very probable that the female of this species will be found 

 to be slightly duller in colour than th<> male, but I have seen no 

 sexed female. All the birds in the small series of this species in 

 the British iMuseum appear to be males, but only one is so sexed. 



Dittributmn. A resident in Ceylon up to 2000 feet. 



