Page:The Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma (Birds Vol 2).djvu/44

30 581. Stoparola albicaudata. The Nilyhiri Blue Flycatcher.

Muscicapa albicaudata, Jerd. Madr. Journ. L. 8f S. xi, p. 16 (1840) ; id. III. 2nd. Orn. pi. xiv.

Stoparola albicaudata (Jerd.}, Blyth, Cat. p. 175 ; Hume, N. 8f E. p. 210 ; id. Cat. no. 302 ; Sharpe, Cat. JB. M. iv, p. 437 ; Davison, S. F. x, p. 370; Oat.es in Hume's N. $ E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 11.

Hypothymis albicaudata (Jerd.}, Horsf. fy M. Cat. i, p. 292.

Eumyias albicaudata (Jerd.}, Jerd. B. I. i, p. 464.

Coloration. Male. The whole plumage indigo-blue; the fore- head, a short and broad eyebrow, and the edge of the wing ultra- marine-blue ; the throat suffused with the same ; lores and the region of the nostrils black ; abdomen bluish brown mottled with white ; under tail-coverts bluish brown, broadly fringed with white ; wings and tail dark brown edged with blue, all the tail-feathers except the median pair white at the base. Female. The whole upper plumage dull greyish tinged with olivaceous ; upper tail-coverts dark bluish brown ; tail blackish, the bases of all the feathers except the median pair white; entire lower plumage dull greyish blue, tinged with olivaceous on the throat and fore neck ; coverts and quills dark brown edged with rufescent, the greater coverts tipped with fulvous.

The young have the upper plumage and wing-coverts brown, each feather margined with black and centred with fulvous ; wings and tail as in the adult ; lower plumage pale greyish brown, barred with black and fulvous. Bill, legs, and feet black ; iris dark brown (Davison}. Length about 6 ; tail 2-6 ; wing 3-2 ; tarsus '75 ; bill from gape -7.

Distribution. The Nilgiri and Palni hills up to 7000 feet.

Habits, <$fc. Breeds from February to May, constructing a nest of moss in a hole in a tree, wall, or bank, and laying three eggs, which are white or pale buff marked with reddish, and measure about -81 by '59.

Genus MUSCITREA, Blyth, 1847.

The genus Muscitrea contains one Indian species the position of which is somewhat doubtful. The British Museum does not contain a nestling bird of this species, but judging from the circum- stauce that a few birds have the wing-coverts margined with rufous, as is the case with so many young Thrushes and Flycatchers, I incline to the belief that the nestling will prove to be spotted. The presence of numerous long hairs over the nostrils further induces me to place this species in its present position.

In Muscitrea the sexes are alike ; the bill is strong, deep, and much compressed laterally ; the wing is rather long and straight, and the first primary ^ is large, being more than half the length of the second; the tail is square, and the plumage brown.

There is but little on record about the habits of this bird. The