MYIAGRA CERVINICAUD A, Tristr.

Fawn-tailed Flycatcher.

Mytagra cervinicauda, Tristram, Ibis, 1879, p. 439.—Salvad. Ibis, 1880, p- 130.—Tristr. tom. cit. p. 246.—Salvad
Orn. Papuasia, etc. il. p. 79 (1881).—Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. W. vi. p. 726 (1881) ee
1882, pp. 137, 142.—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov. xviii, p. 423 (1882).—Id. Orn. P a
p- 533 (1882).—Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. W. vii. p. 24 (1882).

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Many of the Myiagre, or Broad-billed Flycatchers, seem to be more easily recognized by the females than by
the male birds. Such is certainly the case with the present species ; for the male is scarcely to be distin-
guished from the same sex of JZ. melanura of the New Hebrides, whereas the hens of the two species are
easily separable, the clear grey head and ear-coverts, the fawn-coloured abdomen and under tail-coverts, as
well as the fawn-coloured tail-feathers, at once distinguishing MZ. cervinicauda. As might be expected,
M. ferrocyanea is also very like the present species ; but the male is distinguished by its purplish upper
surface, and the female by the white underparts.

The present species is doubtless peculiar to the Solomon group of islands, having been met with in Rendova
by Capt. Richards and by Mr. Morton in Ugi.

The following is a description of a pair of birds lent to us by Mr. Ramsay :—

Adult male. General colour above dull bottle-green, becoming greyer on the lower back and rump; upper
tail-coverts like the back; wing-coverts like the back ; bastard wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish,
externally edged with the same colour as the back, rather greyer on the secondaries ; tail-feathers greenish
black, with a greyish shade on the edges; lores and feathers below the eye velvety black ; sides of face,
ear-coverts, cheeks, throat, and chest greenish black; breast and remainder of under surface, including the
thighs and under tail-coverts, white ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white, the edge of the wing mottled
with greenish black ; quills blackish below, white along the edge of the inner web. Total length 5:7 inches,
culmen 0°55, wing 2°65, tail 2°3, tarsus 0°6.

Adult female. General colour above rufous-brown, the upper tail-coverts fawn-coloured and contrasting with
the back; wing-coverts blackish, edged with rufous-brown like the back ; bastard wing, primary-coverts, and
quills blackish, with scarcely any rufous margin, except on the secondaries ; two centre tail-feathers entirely
brown ; the next two brown, with a small fawn-coloured tip ; the next brown along the inner web, fawn-coloured
outer web, the two outermost entirely pale fawn-colour ; head and nape French grey,
contrasting with the back ; a line across the base of the forehead, lores, aud eyelid pale tawny butt; ear-coverts
French grey like the crown; cheeks, throat, and breast deeper tawny, the abdomen ee thighs lighter and more
: axillaries and under wing-coverts

at the tip and along the

tawny brown, deeper again on the sides of the body and the under tail-coverts;

like the breast. Total length 5-2 inches, culmen 0:65, wing 2°45, tail 2:3, tarsus 0°65.
n : : eee irds abov ‘ibed, and represent an adult male
The figures in the Plate are drawn from the pair of birds above described, < i an é ‘

and female of the natural size.
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