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POMAREA CASTANEIVENTRIS

Chestnut-bellied Flycatcher.

Monarcha castaneiventris, Verr. Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1858, p. 304.—Gray, Birds Trop. Isl. of the Pacific Ocea
50 Bi : cae é an
-? (1859).—Id. Hand-list of Birds, i. p. 320, no. 4793 (1869).—Salvad. Orn. Papuasia, ete. iii —
p- 529 (1882). , te. ili, App.
Pomarea castaneiventris, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. iv. p. 435, pl. xi. fie. 2 (

' ) : 2 (1879).—Tristr. Ibis, 1879, p. 439.
Pomarea ? castaneiventris, Salvad. Orn. Papuasia, etc. 11. p. 11 (1881).

 

Tuoucu described by M. Verreaux in 1858, the real home of the present species has only recently been
ascertained for certain. For many years its habitat was recorded as “ Oceania ;” but so unlike was it to any
Oceanic species of Flycatcher, that, in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds,’ the latter locality was regarded as doubtful.
Since that book was written, however, the bird has been met with in the Solomon Islands, thus fixing its
habitat beyond a doubt. Capt. Richards procured it at Makira Harbour in San Cristoval, and Mr. Ramsay
has received it from his collectors in the Solomon Islands. The latter gentleman has also described a
nearly allied species as P. rufocastanea, which was considered by Count Salvadori to be identical with
P. castanewentris ; but after comparing the two species, we consider them to be separable, and our
readers will find the distinguishing characters noted under the heading of the former bird.

The following is a copy of the description of the adult male given in the ‘ Catalogue of Birds,’ and drawn
up from the type in the British Museum :—

“General colour above glossy black; wings black, the quills somewhat browner; tail black ; sides of
face, sides of neck, throat, aad fore neck glossy black like the upper surface; remainder of une
surface of body chestnut ; under wing-coverts and axillaries chestnut, those near the edge of the ee
black ; quills ashy black below, whitish along the edge of the inner web. Total length 7 inches, culmen 0:7,
wing 3°6, tail 3, tarsus 0 75.”

The female differs from the male in being iron-grey instead of purplish black ; the breast and abdomen
are dark chestnut as in the male, but the throat is iron-grey. ie

The figures in the Plate are drawn from a pair of birds lent to us by Mr. E. P. Ramsay ; they represen
a male and female of the natural size. (R. B. S.J K i

Sy