250 il/r. ViGORs's and Dr. Hors field's Description of the 



darts upon its prey. It is, however, sufficiently distinguished from 

 llhipidura by the tail being even, not rounded, at the end. The 

 bill also is much more lengthened, more depressed, and stronger ; 

 and it is deficient in those elongated bristles which protect the 

 rictus of the preceding birds. The formation of the wing also 

 of both these genera will be observed, from the characters given 

 of each, to be materially different : and the marked scutellation 

 of the tarsi separates the present group from the preceding, and 

 indeed from most of the Muscicapidce that we have as yet had an 

 opportunity of examining. 



1. VoLiTANS. Seis. supra nigra, subius alba; capite metallicè 



atro, remigibus fuscis. 

 Turdus volitans. Lath. Jnd. Orn. Supp. p. xli. no. 10. 

 Volatile Thrush. Id. Gen. Hist. v. p. V22. no. 151. 



We find the following observations on this species in Mr. Ca- 

 ley's MSS. " This bird is called by the colonists Dishwasher. 

 It is very curious in its actions. In alighting on a stump of a 

 tree it makes several semicircular motions, spreading out its tail 

 at the time, and making a loud noise, somewhat like that caused 

 by a rasor-grinder when at work. I have seen it frequently 

 alight on the ridge of my house, and perform the same evolu- 

 tions. I have often considered it, when I witnessed these man- 

 ners, to be the IVagtail of the colony. — The stumps of trees on 

 which it alights are those which have been left standing, where 

 the ground has been cleared ; the trees themselves having been 

 cut down about a yard from the ground." 



G enus . INI y i a g r a * . 



Rostrum rectiun, subbreve, depressum, basi latum, multo latiu^ 

 quam altum ; mandibula superiore emarginatâ ; naribus ba- 



* Mvict musca, and aygevw vciior. 



salibus, 



