2 84 SO LIT A R Y FLYCA TCHER. 



lesser wing-coverts, black, also broadly tipt with blue, so as to 

 appear nearly wholly of that tint ; sides of the breast, spotted 

 or streaked with blue ; belly, chin, and throat, pure white ; 

 the tail is forked, the five lateral feathers on each side with 

 each a spot of white, the two middle more slightly marked 

 with the same ; from the eye backwards extends a line of 

 dusky blue ; before and behind the eye, a line of white ; bill 

 dusky above, light blue below ; legs and feet, light blue. 



SOLITARY FLYCATCHER. {Muscicapa solitaria.) 



PLATE XVII.— Fig. 6. 



VIREO SOLrTJJtlUS.-YiEiLhOT. 

 Vireo solitarius, Bonap. Synop. p. 70. 



This rare species I can find nowhere described. I have 

 myself never seen more than three of them, all of whom 

 corresponded in their markings, and, on dissection, were 

 found to be males. It is a silent, solitary bird. It is also 

 occasionally found in the State of Georgia, where I saw a 

 drawing of it in the possession of Mr Abbot, who considered 

 it a very scarce species. He could give me no information of 

 the female. The one from which the figure in the plate was 

 taken was shot in Mr Bartram's woods, near Philadelphia, 

 among the branches of dogwood, in the month of October. 

 It appears to belong to a particular family or subdivision of 

 the Muscicapa genus, among which are the white-eyed, the 

 yellow-throated, and several others already described in the 

 present work. Why one species should be so rare, while 

 another, much resembling it, is so numerous, at least a thou- 

 sand for one, is a question I am unable to answer, unless by 

 supposing the few we meet with here to be accidental strag- 

 glers from the great body, which may have their residence in 

 some other parts of our extensive continent. 



