SOLITARY FLYCATCHER. 
75 
83 . VJREO SOLITAMUS, VIEILL. — MUSCICAPA SOLITARIA, WIL8. 
SOLITARY FLYCATCHER. 
WILSON, PLATE XVII. FIG. VI. 
This rare species I can find no where described. I 
have myself never seen more than three of them, all 
of whom corresponded in their markings ; and, on dissec- 
tion, were found to be males. It is a silent, solitary bird. 
It is also occasionally found in the State of Georgia, 
where I saw a drawing of it in the possession of Mr 
Abbot, who considered it a very scarce species. He 
could give me no information of the female. The 
present one was shot in Mr Bar tram’s woods, near 
Philadelphia, among the branches of dogwood, in the 
month of October. It appears to belong to a particular 
family, or subdivision of the muscicapa genus, among 
which are the white-eyed, the yellow-throated, and 
several others already described in the present work. 
Why one species should be so rare, while another, much 
resembling it, is so numerous, at least a thousand for 
one, is a question I am unable to answer, unless by 
supposing the few we meet with here to be accidental 
stragglers from the great body, which may have their 
residence in some other parts of our extensive con- 
tinent. 
The solitary flycatcher is five inches long, and eight 
inches in breadth ; cheeks, and upper part of the head 
and neck, a fine bluish gray ; hreast, pale cinereous ; 
flanks and sides of the breast, yellow ; whole back and 
tail-coverts, green olive ; wings, nearly black ; the first 
and second row of coverts, tipt with white ; the three 
secondaries next the body, edged with pale yellowish 
white ; the rest of the quills bordered with light green ; 
tail, slightly forked, of the same tint as the wings, and 
edged with light green ; from the nostrils a line of 
white proceeds to and encircles the eye ; lores, black ; 
belly and vent, white ; upper mandible, black ; lower, 
light blue ; legs and feet, light blue ; eyes, hazel. 
