RHIPIDURA HYPERYTHRA,

Rufous-breasted Fantail Flycatcher.

Gray.

EN sane ee p. 185 (1839-44).—Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 259 (1846),—
.—Sclater, n. Linn. Soe. ii. p- 162 (1858)

pp. 176, 192.—Id. Cat. Mamm. ete. New Guinea, pp. 28, 57 (1859).—Id. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1861

p. 434.—Rosenb. J. f. O. 1864, p. 119.—Finsch, Neu-Guinea, p. 169 (1865). | a
Rhipidura UAE Gray, Proc. foo Soc. 1858, pp. 176, 192.—Id. Cat. Mamm. ee New Guinea, pp. 28, 57

oe) |. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1861, p. 434.—Rosenb. J. f. O. 1864, p- 119.—Finsch, Neu-Guinea,
p. 169 (1865).—Gray, Hand-list Birds, i. p. 331, no. 4977 (1869).—Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873
p. 696.—Sharpe, Cat. Birds in Brit. Mus. iv. p. 338 (1879).—Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genoy. o
p. 499 (1879).—Sharpe, Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xvi. p. 431 (1882).—Salvad. Orn. Pa |
Molucche, ii. p. 65 (1881), iii. App. p. 532 (1882),

Rhipidura, sp., Gray, Hand-list Birds, i. p. 231, no. 4976 (1869).

.—Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858,

puasia e delle

Rhapidura muelleri, Meyer, Sitz. k. Akad. Wien, lxx. p. 502 (1874).—
(1877).

Rhipidura castaneothorax, Ramsay, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales, iii. p. 270 (1879), iv. p. 98 (1879)
1879, p. 323.

Salvad, Ann. Mus. Civic. Genoy. x. p. 135

.—Salvyad. Ibis,

 

Tuts is a very distinct species of Fantail Flycatcher, and is easily recognized by its style of colour on the
underparts, the chin and cheeks being white, the throat black, and the breast rufous.

It was first described by 8S. Muller from Lobo Bay, in New Guinea, but he gave it the name of Rhipidura
ruficentris, which already belonged to the species from Timor. Count Salvadori states that he could not find
the type of Muller’s species in the Leiden Museum, and it was apparently exchanged away to the late
Mr. Gould, as his collection contained a specimen of this bird marked as from Lobo Bay, which is now in
the British Museum, having been purchased with the rest of the Gould Collection.

Mr. Waliace subsequently discovered the species in the Aru Islands, and we cannot perceive any difference
between examples from the last-named locality and from New Guinea, It seems to inhabit the whole of the
latter island, as Dr. Meyer found it at Rubi, and Signor D’Albertis on the Arfak Mountains. It was
afterwards obtained by Mr. Broadbent on the Goldie River, about 40 miles inland from Port Moresby, and
was named by Mr. Ramsay &. castaneothorax. We have, however, examined specimens from this part of New
Guinea, and can affirm that they are the same as the Aru Island and Lobo birds. Mr. Goldie has forwarded
a specimen from the Morocco district in the Astrolabe Mountains, where he says it is called by the eetbes
“Urobiagga.” Mr. H. O. Forbes has likewise sent a pair from the Sogeri district in the same range of
mountains, where he obtained them at an altitude of 2000 feet.

The following is a description of the type specimen of R. hyperythra in the British Museum :—

General colour above slaty grey, a little darker on the crown and sides of the head; the lores and feathers
round the eye blackish; over the eye a distinct white streak, and a second narrow line of white aloore the
upper edge in the ear-coverts less distinctly indicated ; cheeks, cto, and moustache velit, ee of throat
black, widening out upon the lower throat; rest of under surface of body orange-rufous, agus be
towards the lower abdomen and vent; thighs slaty grey ; under wing-coverts pale orange-buff; quills ashy

oer . : _ ee »> hac a of op series ¢ eC aries
below, whitish along the inner webs ; wings above resembling the back, the greater series and seconda

brown, washed externally with grey ; the primaries entirely brown ; median and greater coverts tipped with
buff or whitish spots; tail slaty black, the three oute
band of dull brown: ‘bill black, the lower mandible yellow ;
6:4 inches, culmen 0°5, wing 2°8, tail 3-2, tarsus 0:65.

The male bird collected by Mr. Forbes has the head blacker

r feathers tipped with white, with an obscure subterminal
feet dusky olive” (/Vadlace). ‘Total length

- than in the female, but otherwise the sexes

are alike in colour. |
T = ?pee < ‘ ‘ IN 7 e
The figures in the Plate represent a male and femelle of th

obtained by Mr. Forbes in the Astrolabe Mountains.

natural size, drawn from the pair of specimens

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