LEADEN FLYCATCHER. 
Mr. Frank Littler states : “ This migratory species is only seen in Tasmania 
during part of the year. Its distribution is by no means general throughout 
the island, nor is it a common obj ect even in the districts frequented by it. Food 
consists entirely of insects which are captured on the trees and in the air. While 
perching it moves its tail about in a restless fashion, as though it were quite 
impossible to keep it quiet. Its notes are low and sweet.” 
Of his Myiagra concinna Gould wrote : “ This species is a native of the 
north-western portion of Australia, where it inhabits the dense mangroves and 
thickets adjacent to swamps. It is very shy and retiring in its disposition, but 
may occasionally be seen on the topmost branches of the highest trees of the 
forest. Like the other Flycatchers, it has the habit of sitting for a long time 
on a branch, watching the various insects as they pass, now and then darting 
forth and capturing one on the wing, and then returning again to the branch 
from which it had flown. When among the low mangroves it utters a rather 
agreeable, twittering song ; but on high trees it emits a loud and shrill whistle, 
drawn out at times to a considerable length. The stomach is muscular, and 
the food consists of insects of various kinds and their larvse.” 
Macgillivray has written : “ Two specimens were secured on the Leichhardt 
River, where they were feeding about the tea-tree. They were not very plentiful. 
At Cape York this bird, which has been separated by Mr. Mathews as M. yorlci , 
is a common species all the year round, breeding in the open forest, mostly on 
the bloodwoods, and also in the mangroves, in the summer months. Flushed 
Dacelo leachi from hollow in a bloodwood. A Blue Flycatcher had its nest 
in the same tree ; it contained the usual clutch of three eggs. The bird sat on 
the nest till I touched her.” 
Later he added : “ The Blue Flycatcher was a very common bird, mostly 
found in open forest. They were nearly always feeding in the trees about our 
camp. They are on nearly all the islands off the coast. We noted them on 
Quoin Island, the Forbes Group, and the Sir Charles Hardy Islands. On our 
way out to the Raine Island opening in the Reef, and just before reaching the 
Ashmore Banks, one of these birds alighted on our boat for a few minutes, and 
then resumed its flight in the direction of the mainland ; it seemed to have come 
from the north-east. On Raine Island we also found one sheltering in the tower : 
on the morning of the 10th December a female, in the afternoon there were 
two females in the tower. On our return to camp on the Claudie these birds 
were seen to be very busy in the trees, especially after a fall of rain.” 
As already recorded this species was named by Latham, and Vigors and 
Horsfield gave two names to the typical form, but the chief interest is in the 
Gouldian name concinna. This form apparently was never diagnosed, as 
Gould simply repeated the description for plumb ea as for concinna , with tha 
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