166 MUSCICAPIN^E. 



THE WHITE-BELLIED BLUE FLY-CATCHER. 



Length, 6'5 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2'5 ; bill at front, 

 from edge of feathers, 0'5 ; tarsus, 073. 



Bill black ; irides brown ; feet and claws vary from pale whity- 

 brown to pale leaden-grey. 



Entirely of a deep indigo-blue, except on the belly and under 

 tail-coverts which are white ; wings and tail dusky on their inner 

 webs. 



The above is Dr. Jerdon's description which is very brief and 

 not altogether satisfactory. I therefore subjoin Mr. Hume's 

 description : 



The lores and an excessively narrow line across the forehead at 

 the base of the bill black ; above this the forehead and two long 

 superciliary stripes are of a perceptibly paler and brighter blue 

 than the rest of the plumage ; the belly, abdomen, vent, and 

 lower tail-coverts, and greater portion of wing-lining, pure white ; 

 sides and flanks greyish ; chin blackish ; inner webs of the quills, 

 greater-coverts, and tail-feathers, hair-brown ; the rest of the 

 plumage dull blue, indigo in some specimens. 



The White-bellied Blue Fly-catcher is probably a rare cold 

 weather visitant to the Ghat range only. It has been obtained 

 on the Goa frontier and on the Ghats west of Belgaum. 



GENUS, Muscicapulse, Blyih. 



Bill feeble, depressed, moderately wide at the base, gradually 

 narrowing and triangular, very slightly hooked and notched at the 

 tip ; nareal and rictal bristles rather short ; wing moderate ; 

 third and fourth quills sub-equal, fifth very little shorter ; tail 

 moderate ; tarsus slender, slightly lengthened ; toes unequal, middle- 

 toe somewhat lengthened. 



Muscicapula superciliaris, Jerd. 



310. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 470 ; Butler, Deccan ; 

 Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 397. 



THE WHITE-BROWED BLUE FLY-CATCHER. 



Length, 4 '2 5 ; wing, 2 ; tail, 1/8 ; tarsus, 0'5. 



Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs brown. 



Above, and the sides of the head, full prussian blue, some of 

 the feathers of the rump with the shaft, and a bar in the middle 

 of the feather, white ; wing and tail black, edged with blue ; 

 the base of the tail-feathers except the centrals, white ; a broad 

 superciliary stripe extending to some distance behind the eyes, 

 and the plumage beneath snowy-white ; a band of blue extend- 

 ing from the sides of the neck more or less across the sides of the 

 breast. 



The White-browed Blue Fly-catcher is an extremely rare cold 

 weather visitant to the Deccan, it having been obtained at 

 Nagar by Mr. Fairbank, but this is the only record of its occur- 

 rence within our limits. 



