﻿324 DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW BIRDS OF WESTERN AFRICA. 



P. B. Du Chaillu, who obtained them on the Camma River, in Equatorial Western 

 Africa. 



4. Muscipeta speciosa, Cassin. 



Muscipeta speciosa, Cassin, Proc. Acad. Philada., 1859, p. 48. 



PLATE L. Fig. 3. Male. 



Resembling Muscipeta melampyra, but is smaller with the tail long and having a 

 white longitudinal stripe on the wing like M. melanogastra and M. rufiventris. Two 

 middle feathers of the tail much the longest, others graduated, wing moderate, fifth 

 quill longest, bill stout, rather wide and thick, but not so long as usual in this genus, 

 bristles at base of both mandibles conspicuous. Upper tail coverts in adult, glossy 

 black. Head, neck and breast glossy black with a green lustre, abdomen and under 

 tail coverts dark bluish ashy or nearly black, wing coverts and quills black, greater 

 wing coverts widely edged with white, secondary quills widely edged externally with 

 white, (forming a conspicuous white spot on the wing coverts, continued in a longitu- 

 dinal stripe on the quills). Under wing coverts dark ashy, nearly black, same as 

 the under parts of the body. 



Upper parts of body fine rufous chestnut, shorter quills edged with the same. Tail 

 rufous, rather lighter than the back, all the feathers edged towards the end with 

 brownish black and the middle feathers brownish black along their shafts and tipped 

 with the same. Bill and feet black. 



Total length about 9 inches, wing 31, tail 6, middle feathers of the tail exceed the 

 next pair about 2| inches, bill from gape I inch. 



Hah. — Camma River, Western Africa. Spec, in Mus. Acad., Philadelphia. 

 This is a species of the same general appearance as M. melanogastra, rufiventris 

 and others, and resembling in colors, especially of the under parts of the body, M. 

 milampyra as stated above. In that species (M. melampyra^, the under tail coverts 

 are bright rufous, and it has no white stripe on the wing. In the bird now described 

 the under tail coverts are dark ashy, exactly the same as the abdomen and the white 

 spot and stripe on the wing are very conspicuous. The upper tail coverts, especially 

 the longest of them next to the tail, are lustrous greenish black in the present bird, 

 which character distinguishes it from all other species with which I am acquainted. 

 The only other African Muscipeta which has the under tail coverts dark cinereous, 

 appears to be M. senegalensis } Lesson, a species that I do not know, but it is not, ac- 

 cording to the description, much like the present bird. 



A single specimen only, which is in adult plumage, is in the Museum of the Acade- 

 my. It was purchased from Mr. P. B. Du Chaillu, who obtained it on the Camma 

 River, Western Africa. 



