Australian Birds in the Collection of the Linnean Society. 243 



Society's collection accord very closely with the general charac- 

 ters of that type. The construction of the bill is nearly the 

 same ; in our birds that member being only in a slight degree 

 longer and more gracile. The wing has the same formation ; 

 the first quill-feadier being short, and the second and third 

 gradually exceeding it ; the only diti'erence discernible in this 

 member is, that in the European bird the fourth feather is the 

 longest, while in ours the fifth rather exceeds the fourth. The 

 legs and feet afford no mark of distinction ; unless, perhaps, Ave 

 should say that in our birds the tarsi are somewhat longer. 

 These slight differences do not exhibit sufHcient ground for 

 separation between the birds of these distant countries ; par- 

 ticularly as there is a striking resemblance in the disposition of 

 their colours. AVe may, for instance, trace the white front, 

 and the white markings on the wings and tail of M. atricapilla 

 in the Australian species. There are several species described 

 by authors as belonging to New Holland, the description of 

 whose colours approaches very nearly to that of the birds before 

 us. We have not seen these birds, but consider it probable that 

 they belong to the same group. 



1. Multicolor. Muse, nigra ; fronte, macula tectricum, fascia 

 reinigum, rectricum lateralium st)'igâ, crissoque albis; pectore 

 abdominegue coccineis. 



Muscicapa multicolor. Gtnel. i. p. 9^4. no. 74. 



Muscicapa erythrogastra. Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 479- no. 50. 



Red-bellied Flycatcher. Id. Gen. Hist. vi. j;. 209. no. 88. pi. 100. 



We have referred this bird to the red-bellied Flycatcher of 

 Dr. Latham, although that species does not possess the white 

 markings on the wing-coverts or the tail which are seen in our 

 bird, as far at least as we can judge both from the figure and de- 

 scription given by that gentleman. Such differences in the white 



2 I 2 markings, 



