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MUSCIPETA INCEI, Gowa.

Ince’s Paradise Flycatcher.

Muscipeta Incet, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., 1852.

 

I wave received examples of this new species from two sources, a young bird from the collection of the
late Captain J. M. R. Ince, R.N., and a fine male from the collection of John Reeves, Esq. ; both these spe-
cimens had been procured in the neighbourhood of Shanghai in China. The officers of Her Majesty’s Ser-
vice have ever honourably distinguished themselves for their love of science, but to few has ornithology been
more largely indebted than to Captain Ince, who by his keen pursuit of this branch of study during the sur-
veying voyage of H.M.S. Fly, contributed so largely to our knowledge of the birds of North-eastern Australia,
and who was as actively prosecuting his researches on the coast of China when death prematurely closed his
useful career : in dedicating then this fine bird to his memory, I feel it will be admitted by all that I am only
paying a just tribute to one who was so ardently attached to perhaps the most pleasing branch of natural
history.

The M. Incez is a species intermediate in colour between the MZ. Paradisi of India and the AZ. principalis of
Japan ; it partakes of the characters of both, but is quite distinct from either: from the former it differs in
the broader, rounder and shorter plumes of the crest, and in the dark chestnut colouring of the upper sur-
face ; and from the Japanese bird in the dark colouring of the throat not extending on to the flanks, in the
upper surface not being of so rich a plum-colour, and in the tail being chestnut instead of black. I have
not seen a sufficient number of examples to determine whether the sexes differ, as in IZ. Paradisi: dark-
coloured birds only have as yet come under my notice; Mr. Reeves’s specimen has a label attached to it,
stating that it is a male, and that the carunculated skin round the eye is cobalt blue, the eye dark brown,
and that the crop was filled with insects.

Head, throat and crest very deep glossy steel-green; upper surface, wings and tail very deep chestnut ;
primaries and secondaries black, margined with deep chestnut on their outer webs ; chest dark grey; abdo-
men and under tail-coverts greyish white ; bill blue.

In the young bird the head and neck are dull black; back and wings deep chestnut; wings brownish
black, margined with pale chestnut; tail brown; breast and flanks sooty; middle of the abdomen and vent
dull white.

The Plate represents an adult male and a young bird of the natural size.