M U T T U I 
24. 
alseonax. 
(THE RUSTY FLYCATCHER) 
ADULT MALE AND FEMALE 
Length 5.3 to 5.5 inches; wing 2.7 to 2.9; tail 2.1 to 2.2; tarsus .65; mid¬ 
dle toe and claw .57; bill to gape .7,to .76; the legs and feet are exceed¬ 
ingly delicate in this species. 
DISTRIBUTION 
This rare flycatcher was discovered by Layard at Point Pedro, the extreme 
North of the island; he writes thus of it after describing the specimen bro¬ 
ught to himf *1 named this new species after my old and attached servant 
Muttu, to whose patient perseverance and hunting skill I owe so many of my m 
best birds. This one he brought to me one morning at Point Pedro during 
the month of June*. 
I am not aware that it was again met with until re-discovered by myself i 
in January 1875, when I obtained one of two specimens seen in a forest a 
few miles from Trineomalie. After that date I did not notice it until Feb¬ 
ruary 18?7, when I met with several individuals in the forest af Ikkade - 
Barrawe, in the Hewagam Korale, and procured three or four of them. It is 
not improbable that it may inhabit other forests in the South and East of. 
the island. Layard procured his specimen in June, which goes far to prove 
that the species ie resident in, and peculiar to, Ceylon. 
HABITS 
This little bird frequents the lateral and rather low out spreading bran¬ 
ches of forest trees by the side of tracks, paths, or open glades. It 
leads a sedentary life, sitting upright And motionless, now and then waking 
into action by darting out on some passing fly. In the stomach of one ex¬ 
ample I found much larger insects (moderately sized Coleoptera) than I expec¬ 
ted to find captured by so small a bird. 
It is the reverse of shy, not objecting to close scrutiny, under which I 
found it would sit motionless until roused into flight by the sight of its 
prey, which, to it, was evidently much more worthy of attention than myself 
and the fatal weapon which was destined to put an end to its quiet existence 
The upper figure in- the drawing represents a male of this species shot in 
the Ikkade - Barawe forebt hear Hanwella. 
