ts 
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aS 
26. 
SOFT-TAILED 
FL. 
DescripTION. 
PLACE. 
Puy wee A eae Rs 
Soft-tailed Flycatcher, Linx. Tranfiv. p. 240. pl. 2. 
ie ENGTH from bill to rump three inches: bill brownifh black s 
bafe furnifhed with ftrong briftles; noftrils low down on the bill: 
the general colour of the plumage ferruginous, but the feathers of the 
upper parts of the body and wing are ftreaked down their middle with 
brownifh black ; the middle of the belly nearly white: over the eye, 
arifing at the bafe of the bill, is a pale blue ftreak: throat and fore 
part of the neck of the fame blue colour: the feathers of the rump 
are foft, long, and filky: wings ihort, fcarcely reaching to the bafe of 
the tail: the quills are dufky, edged with ferruginous: the tail is 
four inches or more in length; the fhafts very lender and black, the 
webs on each fide confifting of minute flender hairy black filaments, 
placed at diftances, and diftiné&t from each other, as in the feathers of 
the Caffowary: legs pale brown. ; 
The female is like the male in colour, but wants both the blue ftreak 
over the eye, and the chin and throat are-of the fame colour as the 
reft of the under parts. 
Inhabits New Holland; being found about Sidney and Botany Bay, 
in marfhy places, abounding with long grafs and rufhes, which afford 
it an hiding place, and where, like the Bearded Titmou/e, it is fuppofed 
to make the neft; when difturbed, its flight is very fhort, and is 
found to run on the ground with great {wiftnefs ; feeds on {mall flies 
and other infects. The name it is known by in the country is Merion 
Binnion, or Caffowary Bird; we are indebted to General Davies for 
the above notices concerning this fingular bird, which is well repre- 
fented in the Linnean ¥ ~2nfaétions. er 
