MUSCICAPA SEMITORQUATA. 



(CAUCASIAN PIED FLYCATCHER.) 



1 Muscicapa albicollis (nee Temm.), Menetries, Cat. rais. p. 29 (1832). 



Muscicapa atricapilla (nee Linn.), Nordm. in Demid. Voy. Buss. Merid. iii. p. 198 (1842). 



Muscicapa atricapilla (nee Linn.), Blanf. E. Persia, ii. p. 143 (1876). 



Muscicapa atricapilla (partim), Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. iv. p. 157 (1879). 



Muscicapa atricapilla (nee Linn.), Badde, Orn. Caucasica, p. 287 (1884). 



Muscicapa semitorquata, E. F. von Homeyer, Zeitschr. gesammt. Orn. 1885, p. 185. 



Figura iinica. 

 Homeyer, ut supra, pi. x. 



d ad. M. atricapilla similis, sed vitta frontali majore : collo semitorquato, alis et cauda niagis albo notatis : 

 rectrice extima utrinque alba, in pogonio interno vei'sus apicem nigro notata, rectrice secunda alba in 

 pogonio interno et externo magis nigro notata, rectricibus reliquis nigris. 



$ ad. M. atricapillce similis, sed alis et cauda magis albo notatis. 



Adult Male (Ortakeuy, April 6th) . Resembles the very adult male of Muscicapa atricapilla, but the white 

 patch on the forehead is rather larger, there is a white semicollar passing halfway round the neck on 

 each side, and separated on the hind neck by a black patch about half an inch wide, which joins the 

 black on the head to that on the back ; wings as in M . collaris, with the white patch much larger than 

 in M. atricapilla ; outer tail-feather on each side white, with a terminal black patch on the inner web, 

 the next one white, with a larger black terminal patch covering both webs, rest of the tail black; the 

 black portion of the plumage of a clear deep black. Total length about 5 inches, culmen0'4, wing 3"2, 

 tail 2-0, tarsus 07. 



Adult Female. Resembles the female of M. atricapilla, but has, as a rule, more white on the tail and wings ; 

 but after a careful comparison of specimens I cannot find any constant character by which the females 

 of the two species can always be separated. 



Nestling (Transcaucasia, June 6th). Undistinguishable from the nestling of M. atricapilla. 



Obs. The amount of white on the tail in the male appears to vary somewhat according to the age of the 

 bird ; thus in the male from Lenkoran, which is evidently rather a younger bird than the other three 

 specimens I have before me, the white on the tail is scarcely more developed than in a very old 

 M. atricapilla. 



The following table will best describe the differences between the three species of Pied Flycatcher : — ■ 



