MUSCICAPA, 



127 



Family, MUSCICAPID^,— Fly-Oatchees. 



Form very varied; bill various, curved above and notched at the tip ; 

 sides compressed to tip ; tail long or moderate ; tarsi short ; rictal 

 bristles numerous. 



Sub-Family, MTIAGEIN^.— Bowap. 



Bill broad at base, hooked at tip ; wings rather long ; tail moderate, 

 in Tchitrea (Terpsiphone) long, with the central feathers elongated in 

 the male. 



Gen. Terpsiphone, Glogcr. in Froriep's Notiz. xvi. p. 278; {Sliarpc, 

 Gat. B. M. 345, Fasserif.) Muscivora, Guv. Tchitrea, -Less. 



Bill moderately hooked and notched, very large and broad, longer 

 than the tarsus ; tail with elongated centre tail feathers. 



Terpsiphone paradisi, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 324 ; Sharpe, Cat. 

 Fasserif. p. 347; Gat. Mus. Heine. Th. i, p. 58. Muscicapa paradisi, 

 Gnv. llegne. Anim. 1817, i. p. 344; Sylces, F. Z. S. 1832, p. 84; Jerd. 

 III. Lid. Orn. pi. 7. Tchitrea paradisi, Less. Traite, p. 386; Gray, 

 Gen. B. i. p. 259; Hume, Ibis. 1869, p. 9; Jerd. B. Lid. p. 444, 

 No. 288 ; Sir. P. 1873, pp. 403, 474 ; 1875, p. 102 ; Murray, Hdhk., 

 Ziiol., Sfc, p. 138. — The Paradise Flt-Catchee. 



Adult Male. — Head, with a long occipital crest, sides of face, neck, 

 and entire throat glossy steel green; above and below pure white, some 

 of the feathers more or less black shafted; quills black, externally 

 white, the edge of the innermost quills white, with a longitudinal dark 

 mark down the centre ; tail white, with black shafts and narrow blackish 

 edgings to the feathers; middle tail feathers elongated, 12-13 inches in 

 length. 



Adult Female. — Crown of head and crest glossy greenish black; 

 lores, sides of face, sides of neck, and throat greyish ; rest of under 

 surface of body white ; the flanks greyish, and tinged with rufous ; 

 back, wing-coverts and inner secondaries bay; tail light chestnut; bill 

 bluish ; legs and feet pale blue ; irides dark brown. 



Ljength of Male. — Including elongated tail feathers 17 inches, bill 

 0'85, wing 3"65, tail 5-5, middle-feathers 13. Female, length 7'5, wing 

 3-45, tail 4. 



Hab. — India and Ceylon to Nepaul and Cashmere. Abundant on the 

 Malabar Coast and in Southern India. Occurs in the Punjab, N. W. 

 Provinces, Oudh, Bengal, Rajputana, Central India, Kutch, Kattiawar, 

 Jodhpore and N. Guzerat. In Sind it is a winter visitant arriving in 

 September. 



Gen. Muscicapa, Linn. ; Butalis Boie. ; Brythrosterna, Bp. 



Wings pointed and long ; bill rather long, depressed, wide through- 

 out, except at tip ; second primary longer than the secondaries, and 

 nearly the length of the third ; nasal bristles scanty. 



Muscicapa grisola, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 328 ; Tern. Man. i. 

 p. 152; Naum. vogt. Deutch. ii. p. 216; MacGill. Br. B. iii. p. 

 518; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 262 ; Gould. B. Eur. ii. pi. 65; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 



