SATIN FLYCATCHER. 
and capturing flies and other insects. Its notes are somewhat louder than 
those of the Leaden Flycatcher.” 
Mr. Tom Tregellas writes : “A peculiarity in regard to the habits of this 
bird is its preference for living at a great height, and nearly always in the very 
tallest white gums. Both at Olinda and Selby I have always seen them at a 
great height, rarely descending to the tops of saplings for food, and enjoy- 
ing the company of the Spotted Pardalotes and Mistletoe Birds. I can thus 
invariably find these birds in the same locality in the same trees. Why they 
frequent these trees is unknown to me, but it is probably a question of food 
supply, and as all their food is taken on the wing it may be that it is more 
abundant between the tree tops.” 
This bird was described by Gould and his name has been accepted until 
recently when I revived for it the name given by Vieillot twenty years before 
Gould named it. 
As regards the distribution of this species we find a peculiar complication. 
Most abundant in Victoria and Tasmania I separated the birds I received 
from Cooktown on account of their duller coloration. As long ago as 1898 
Hartert described from Sudest Island, Louisiade Archipelago, a new species 
as Myiagra nupta concluding : “ There is no very close ally.” 
In the Nov. Zool., XXV., p. 316, 1918, Rothschild and Hartert include 
Myiagra cyanoleuca Vieillot from the Louisiade Group, recording Myiagra 
nupta Hartert as an absolute synonym, and explaining : “ It is not often that 
we find the same forms of purely Australian small Passerine birds in Australia 
and the Louisiades, while they are absent from New Guinea. This, however, 
is one of those cases, though possibly M. cyanoleuca may yet be discovered in 
New Guinea, as it is also found on Woodlark Island and the D’Entrecasteaux 
Group (Fergusson Island). Specimens from Sudest Island are indistinguishable 
from Australian ones.” ' 
Under these circumstances it seems best to retain the two names given 
to Australian forms so that further research may be undertaken. If they 
were surpressed, the fact of this erratic distribution might be lost sight of, 
whereas it should be emphasised. Therefore I would record : 
M aster sornis cyanoleucus cyanoleucus (Vieillot). 
Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales. 
Mastersornis cyanoleucus robinsoni (Mathews). 
North Queensland. 
Mastersornis cyanoleucus nuptus (Hartert). 
Louisiade Group. 
Described as a distinct species, but now sunk by the author as an absolute 
synonym of typical race, though discontinuous distribution quite peculiar. 
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