143 



SOLITARY FLYCATCHER. 



MUSCICAPA SOLITARIA. 



[Plate XVIL— Fig. 6.] 



THIS rare species I can find no where described. I have 

 myself never seen more than three of them; all of whom corres- 

 ponded 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 posses- 

 sion or 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 subdivi- 

 sion of the Muscicapa genus, among which are the White-eyed, the 

 Yellow-throated, and several others already described in the pre- 

 sent work. Why one species should be so rare, while another, 

 much resembling it, is so numerous, at least a thousand for one, 

 is a question I am unable to answer; unless by supposing the few 

 we meet with here to be accidental stragglers from the great body, 

 which may have their residence in some other parts of our exten- 

 sive continent. 



The Solitary Flycatcher is five inches long, and eight inches 

 in breadth ; cheeks, and upper part of the head and neck, a fine 

 bluish grey; breast pale cinereous ; flanks and sides of the breast 

 yellow; whole back and tail coverts green olive; wings nearly 

 black; the first and second row of coverts tipt with white; the 

 three secondaries next the body edged with pale yellowish white ; 

 the rest of the quills bordered with light green; tail slightly fork* 



