MONARCHA KORDENSIS, Meyer. 
Mysore Yellow Flycatcher. 
Monarcha kordensis, Meyer, Sitzungsberichte der k. Akad. Wissensch. Wien, Band lxix. p. 202 (1874). 
In introducing this fine new bird to my readers, I cannot do better than quote Dr. Meyer’s own words 
on the subject, as the differences between this bird and M. melanonota are very clearly expressed by him. 
In the above-mentioned paper, published in the * Proceedings ’ of the Vienna Academy, he writes as 
follows : — “ I procured near the village of Kordo on the island of Mysore, in the north of G eel vink’s Bay, 
eight specimens of a Monarcha which is closely related to M. chrysomela (i. e. M. melanonota, Scl.) of New 
Guinea, a species of which I also got nine specimens from different localities (Nappau, Passim, Andai, and 
Puta on the Arfak Mountains) ; but nevertheless the Kordo specimen is easily to be distinguished. 
“A/, kordensis is not yellow as is M. chrysomela auct., but is orange-coloured ; and the head, which in M. 
chrysomela has an orange hue only, has a very distinct fiery tinge in the species from the neighbouring island. 
Further, only the upper back is black, and not the whole back, as in M. chrysomela ; so that it might be 
described as follows — ‘ upper parts orange, with a black patch on the uppper mantle.’ Otherwise the 
colours are distributed as in M. chrysomela. 
“The female of M. kordensis differs in a similar conspicuous way from the female of M. chrysomela, the 
underparts being orange, nearly as bright as in the male, and not brownish yellow as in M. chrysomela. 
“The throat is whitish, the region of the throat deep orange ; the head is darker orange, with a brownish 
hue, not olive-coloured as in M. chrysomela ; upper parts olive-coloured with an orange gloss ; wing-coverts 
with broad yellow tips. Total length 6*4 inches ; culmen 0*5, wing 3 3, tail 2*75. A young male differs 
from the female only in having some feathers of the throat deep black.” 
But if M. kordensis differs from M. melanonota, as I freely confess it does, it is so closely allied to the true 
M. chrysomela from New Ireland that Dr. Cabanis and Reichenow considered the two species to be identi- 
cal {cf. J. f. O. 1876, p. 320). Dr. Sclater, however, informs me that a comparison of the birds from these 
two localities induces him to consider them distinct, as M. kordensis has the black colour more circumscribed 
on the back and extending further down the throat ; the black colour also narrowly surrounds the eye, which 
is not the case in M. chrysomela. 
I an indebted to the kindness of my friend Dr. Meyer for the loan of one of the typical specimens of his 
M. kordensis, of which the following is a description : — • 
Adult male. Similar to M. melanonota, but distinguished at a glance by its more yellowback, the scapulars 
being yellow like the wing-coverts ; the black patch in the middle of the back is confined to the mantle ; 
the secondaries are much more broadly bordered with yellow, the latter colour being much richer and in- 
clining to fiery orange on the head and neck ; the white spot below the front of the eye very small. 
Total length 5*9 inches ; culmen 0*6, wing 2*9, tail 2*5, tarsus 0*75. 
The figures in the Plate represent a pair of this species of the natural size. 
