THE BLACK-NAPED BLUE FLYCATCHER. 265 
Genus HYPOTHYMIS, Boie. 
250. HYPOTHYMIS AZUREA. 
THE BLACK-NAPED BLUE ELYCATCHEB. 
Muscicapa azurea, Bodd. Tahl. PL Enl. p. 41. Myiagra azurea, Jerd. B. Ind. 
i. p. 450; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 198; Htmie, S. F. ii. p. 217, iii. p. 103; 
David et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 114. Hypothymis azurea, Bl. B. Burm. p. 131 ; 
Oates, S. F. v. p. 149 ; Anders. Ytmnan Exped. p. 655 ; Hume, 8. F. viii. p. 92 ; 
Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. Mus. iv. p. 274. 
Description. — Male. A patch on the nape, the forehead immediately near 
the upper mandible, the angle of the chin and a crescentic band across the 
fore neck black ; belly^ vent and under tail-coverts white washed with 
bluish J the whole remaining plumage with the lesser wing-coverts azure- 
blue ; greater wing-coverts black, broadly margined with blue; wings 
brown narrowly edged with blue ; tail brown_, suffused with blue on the 
central pair of feathers and the outer webs of the others ; under wing- 
coverts and axillaries white. 
Female. Head above azure-blue ; sides of the head, chin and throat 
duller blue^ the ear-coverts almost brown ; breast greyish brown ; abdomen, 
flanks and under tail-coverts white tinged with grey ; wings, back, rump 
and upper tail-coverts brown ; tail darker brown, the outer edges washed 
with blue_, and all but the central feathers tipped with white. 
The young are very similar to the female. 
Iris dark brown ; eyelids plumbeous, the edges blue ; bill dark blue^ the 
edges and tip black ; mouth yellow ; legs plumbeous ; claws horn-colour. 
Length 6*4 inches_, tail 3_, wing 2*8, tarsus '7 , bill from gape "75. The 
female is of about the same size. 
H, occipitalis, an allied species^ which occurs in the Andamans and in 
the Malay peninsula^ may probably be found in Tenasserim. It has those 
parts greyish purple which are white in H. azurea. 
The Black-naped Blue Elycatcher is found abundantly over every por- 
tion of British Burmah, and is a constant resident. 
It extends down the Malay peninsula,, and occurs in Cochin China. It 
ranges into China^ the Indo-Burmese countries, and is spread over the 
whole peninsula of India. ^ , 
This Elycatcher is found in every description of jungle, in gardens^ 
compounds and roadsides^ and it is especially partial to bamboo-groves. 
It is an active bird^ ever on the move^ darting after insects. I have fre- 
quently found its nest in May. The structure is a delicate cup made of 
grass and coated with cobwebs^ and it is generally placed in a fork of a 
tree or a bamboo not far from the ground. The eggs^ three in number^ 
are white marked with pale red and purple. 
