

MUSCICAPIN.E. 



basal, lateral, rounded, and exposed. Wings moderate, with the third quill nearly as long as the fourth 

 and fifth, which are nearly equal, and longest. Tail more or less long, and rounded on the sides. Tarsi 

 slender, rather short, longer than the middle toe, and covered in front with scales that are slightly 

 divided. Toes rather short, with the outer toe longer than the inner ; the hind toe rather long, and armed 

 with a long and slightly curved claw. 



The species are confined to the tropical parts of America. They mostly frequent the brushwood which grows among 

 the large trees, though occasionally they are observed on the trees themselves, incessantly moving from branch to 

 branch in search of small insects, which constitute their principal food. 



1. V.rostmtus (Lath.) Desm. — Todus platyrhynchus Pall. 

 Spic. vi. t. 3. c. ; Platyrhynchus fuscus Vieill. Gal. des Ois. t. 126. 



2. P. cancromus Temm. PI. col. 21. f. 2., Swains. Nat. Lihr. 

 Flycx.pl. 17-, Swains. Zool. Ulustr. pi. 115. 



3. P. marginatus Licht. Cat. Dupl. Berl. Mus. p. 51. 



4. P. leucoryphus Pr. Max. Beitr. p. 974. 



5. P. prasinus (Sparrm.) Mus. Carls, t. 86, 87- 



6. P. striatus Less. Rev. Zool. 1839. p. 41. 



7. P. nuchalis Pr. Max. Beitr. p. 97- 



8. P. ferrugineus (Gmel.). 



9. P. fuscus (Gmel.) Penn. Gen. Birds, pi. 6. f. 2. 



10. P. gularis (Gmel.). 



11. P. obscurus (Gmel.). 



12. P. brachyurus (Gmel.) Vieill. 



13. P. capensis A. Smith, 111. Zool. of S. Afr. Birds, pi. 27. 



14. P. olivaceus Temm. PI. col. 21. f. 1. — Platyrhynchus sul- 

 furescens Spix, Av. Bras. t. 1 1. f. 1. ; Type of Cyclorhynchus Sundev. 

 (1835). 



15. P. flaviventris (Pr. Max.) Spix, Beitr. Nat. iii. 929., Spix, 

 Av. Bras. t. 15. f. 1. 



16. P. L'herminieri Less. Rev. Zool. 1839. p. 104. 



17. P. pusillus Swains. Phil. Mag. 1827. p. 366. 



Platysteira Jard. <§■ Selby.* 



Bill more or less long, broad at the base, and depressed, Avith the culmen straight at the base, and then 

 curved to the tip, which is emarginated and hooked ; the lateral margins straight, and the sides com- 

 pressed to the tip ; the gonys long and ascending ; the gape furnished with moderate bristles ; the 

 nostrils basal, lateral, covered by a membranous scale, partly by the frontal plumes and bristles. Wings 

 moderate, with the third quill nearly as long as the fourth to the sixth, which are equal and longest. 

 Tail more or less long, and rounded at the end. Tarsi longer than the middle toe, and covered in front 

 with broad scales. Toes moderate, with the outer toe longer than the inner one, and the hind toe long ; 

 the claws moderate, curved, and acute. 



The species of this genus are found scattered over the continent of Africa. They reside on the trees that border the 

 rivers, on the slender branches of which they search among the foliage for larvas and wingless insects. They occasion- 

 ally quietly seat themselves upon a slender twig and watch the approach of an insect, after which they dart, and having 

 captured it they return to the same twig. 



1. P. melanoptera (Gmel.) PI. enl. 567. f. 3. — Muscicapa collaris 

 Lath. ; Platysteira collaris et P. Desmarestii Jard. <$• Selby, 111. 

 Orn. pi. 9. ; P. lobata Swains. B. of W. Afr. ii. p. 49., Nat. Libr. x. 

 Flyc. pi. 22. 



2. P. pistrinasia (Vieill.) Le Vaffl. Ois. d'Afr. t. 160 Mus- 

 cicapa molitor Licht. ; Muscipeta pulsator Steph. 



3. P. scita (Vieill.) Le VailL Ois. d'Afr. t. 154. — Platysteira 

 longipes Swains. Nat. Libr. Flyc. x. pi. 21.; Muscicapa tenella 

 Licht. 



4. P. senegalensis (Linn.) PI. enl. 567. f. 1. & f. 2. — Platy- 

 rhynchus velatus Vieill. 



Established by Sir W. Jardine and Mr. Selby (Illustr. of Ornith. with pi. 9.). Batis of M. Boie is synonymous. 

 5 G 



