TUKDIN^. 59 



seen on some of the higher passes. It is very familiar in its ways 

 and easily approached. Seated on a low branch of a tree or shrub, 

 with its head on one side, it utters a low guttural chuckling note 

 (Jouy, Proc. United States Nat. Mas. 1883, p. 281). Mr. Jouy 

 procured examples of this species on Fuji-yama in June and on 

 Tate-yama in December. 



-4 



23. NILTAVA CYANOMEL-ffiNA. 



(JAPANESE BLUE FLYCATCHER.) 



Muadcapa cyanomelana, Temminck, Planches Colorizes, no. 470 (1829). 



The male Japanese Blue Flycatcher is blue on all the upper 

 parts, black on the throat and breast, white on the rest of the under- 

 parts and at the base of the tail. The female is a brown bird, with 

 white belly and under tail-coverts, and a large pale patch on the 

 throat. 



Figures : Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves, pi. 17 d 

 (male), pi. 16 (female) ; David and Oustalet, Ois. Chine, pi. 81. 



The Japanese Blue Flycatcher is a summer visitor to all the Japa- 

 nese islands. I have ten examples collected by Mr. Henson at Hako- 

 dadi in May, and three collected by Mr. Hey wood Jones on Fuji-yama 

 in summer (Seebohm, Ibis, 1884, p. 180). There are eight examples 

 in tbe Fryer collection from the latter locality, including a young 

 male in first plumage collected by Mr. Jouy in July. In the British 

 Museum there is a male collected by Mr. Whitely at Nagasaki, whence 

 the examples figured in the ' Fauna Japonica,' the male as Muscicapa 

 melanoleuca and the female as M. gularis, were probably also pro- 

 cured. 



This handsome bird also breeds in Manchuria near the mouth of 

 the Ussuri (Taczanowski, Journ. Orn. 1875, p. 251), It passes 

 along the coast of China on migration to winter in Borneo. 



The Japanese Blue Flycatcher appears to be nearly allied to 

 Niltava vivida from Formosa, which may be regarded as an island 

 form of Niltava sundara. Neither of these species has any white 

 on the tail, but both have the curious pale patch on the throat. 



It is common in the deep woods on Fuji-yama, breeding early in 

 June, and being easily attracted by imitating its mellow whistling 

 note (Jouy, Proc. United States Nat. Mus. 1883, p. 306). 



The female may always be distinguished from the other Japanese 



