.THE MUSCICAPID.®. 
71 
Tills timely liint may save tlie student mucli trouble ; 
and when we come to treat of the family in question, 
the peculiarities which separate the Old from the 
New World flycatchers, will be fully explained. 
The geographic range of this family in their pre- 
eminent typical examples, is almost confined to inter- 
tropical regions ; to those countries, in fact, where 
insects which constitute their principal, if not their 
only food, are the most abundant. During the heat 
of summer, three, or perhaps four species migrate into 
northern and central Europe, build their nests and 
rear their young, but on the first approach of au- 
tumn they disappear and return to the more genial 
coasts of Asia Minor or Southern Africa. The aber- 
rant divisions, with the solitary exception of one 
genus, are all peculiar to South America. The great- 
billed Eurylaimi are exclusively Indian, while the 
true Muscicapidw, which comprise a greater number 
of species than are to be found in all the other di- 
visions collectively, are distributed in nearly equal 
proportions over the hot latitudes of Africa, India, 
and New Holland; some few of very particular forms 
are found in Brazil, and others equally remarkable 
are restricted to the Australian province, but none, 
as we have already intimated, occur in North 
America. 
From these preliminary remarks, the reader will 
be better prepared to understand the nature of the 
family which will now be investigated. As a whole, 
it is not what we should call a perfect group, be- 
cause several of the connecting types are wanting ; 
