124 
WHITE-SHAFTED FANTAIL. 
Rhipidura jlabellifera, Hons. & Vigors. 
PLATE X. 
Above, sooty brown, beneath fulvous ; chin, eye-stripe, and 
tips of the wing-covers, whitish ; tail black, the lateral 
feathers with the shafts white. 
Rhipidura flabellifera, Horsfield 4' Vigors. Linn. Tr. xv. 
p. 247. 
This is the best known, and seems to be the most 
common species of Fantail hitherto received from 
Australia ; for there can be no doubt that several 
others are included by Dr. Latham under the gene- 
ral name of Fantailed Flycatcher. According to Mr. 
Caley, a naturalist long resident in New South 
"Wales, its manners are very peculiar. “ It fre- 
quents small trees and bushes, from whence it sud- 
denly darts on its prey, spreading out its tail like a 
fan, and to appearance turning over like a tumbler 
pigeon ; it then immediately returns to the same 
twig or bough from whence it sprang. These ac- 
tions it continues constantly to repeat. The skin 
is so very tender, that it is difficult, after having 
taken it off the body, to restore it again to its pro- 
per shape. The species is very common about Pa- 
ramatta, and I do not recollect having missed it at 
