182 
PLATYSTERA (.Jard. & Selb.), 
composed alone of the African todies. Perfect as is 
the union of the two last divisions, that between 
Lepturus and the one we have now come to, if possi- 
ble, is still more so. The first species of Platystera , 
in short, which meets us in our progress, has such 
a close resemblance to Lepturus, that had we not 
ascertained it to be an aberrant example, we should, 
without hesitation, have placed them together as 
species only. To the bird in question, we venture 
to impose the name of Platystera longipes, and it 
has been described and figured by Le Yaillant under 
the name of Le Mignard*. He specially remarks, 
that this is the smallest flycatching bird that has 
been discovered in Africa, — and the very same may 
be said of the Lepturus ruficeps, with regard to 
those of America ; both, in fact, have short feeble 
wings, small triangular bills, and long slender tails 
and feet. How then, it may be asked, can they be 
generically separated ? The answer is not diflicult. 
In the first place, the bill of the Platystera longipes 
* Ois. d'Afrique, iv. pi. 154. Tile colouring of these figures, 
no less than that of many others in this otherwise valuable 
work, is very unnatural. Instead of the ground colour being 
light blue, it is of the darkest gTcy above, and cinereous be- 
neath, the chin and middle of the breast being tinged with 
rose colour, as seen in our figure. 
