Part 172

The female of this species has been variously identified as Cyornis banyumas, Siphia elegans, and Cyornis herioti. Everett was the first ornithologist to describe it under the name Siphia lemprieri and his description is here quoted.

402. CYORNIS PLATENÆ (Blasius).

PLATEN'S CYORNIS.

Siphia platenæ Blasius, Ornis (1888), 308. Siphia erithacus (not of Blyth), Sharpe, Ibis (1888), 199, pl. 4, fig. 2. Cyornis erithaca Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 217; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 72. Cyornis paraguæ McGregor, Condor (1906), 8, 29. Cyornis platenæ McGregor, Condor (1907), 9, 162.

Palawan (Lempriere, Whitehead, Platen, Bourns & Worcester).

"Adult male.--General color above rufous-brown, with a slight olivaceous tinge; lesser wing-coverts like the back; median coverts, greater coverts, alula, primary-coverts, and quills blackish brown, more or less broadly edged with the same color as the back, a little more rufous on the latter; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers bright chestnut; crown of head like the back slightly washed with olive; lores ashy gray; feathers round the eye dusky; ear-coverts olive-brown, washed with tawny; cheeks, throat, and chest orange-rufous; breast and abdomen pure white, as well as the sides of body and flanks; thighs dusky brown; under tail-coverts pale tawny-rufous; under wing-coverts and axillars white; quills below dusky, whitish along their inner edge. Length, 107; culmen, 14; wing, 57; tail, 38; tarsus, 18.

"Adult female.--Similar to the male, but with the lores more tawny. Length, 107; culmen, 13; wing, 57; tail, 38; tarsus, 7." (Sharpe.)

"Quite rare in the ground collected in by us. Found in thickets in the jungle or forest, and always near the ground. A male measures: Length, 117; wing, 60; tail, 40; culmen, 14; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 19. Two females, length, 111; wing, 57; tail, 39; culmen, 14; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 17. Iris nearly black; legs, feet, and nails light slate-color; bill black." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus MUSCICAPULA Blyth, 1843.

Bill somewhat flattened basally and compressed near the tip; culmen with a decided ridge; rictal bristles moderately developed; wing rather long; first primary equal to about one-half of second; tarsus slender and equal to twice the bill from nostril; length of bird from 100 to 125 mm. This genus is a large group of small flycatchers, the members of which present three distinct types of coloration.

Species.

a1. A conspicuous white patch on wing; upper parts black; lower parts white (male) ... westermanni (p. 442) a2. No white wing-patch.

b1. Above smoky slate-gray (males).

c1. Under parts largely orange-buff.

d1. Chin, throat, and breast orange-buff; abdomen white.

e1. White eye-brow stripe about 10 mm. in length ... luzoniensis (p. 443) e2. White eye-brow stripe reduced to a small patch ... montigena (p. 444)

d2. Chin pure white; throat and breast rich orange-buff ... nigrorum (p. 443)

c2. Under parts mostly white; breast and flanks washed with slate-gray.

d1. Head lighter; tail darker; superciliary stripe smaller. ... basilanica (p. 444) d2. Head darker; tail lighter; superciliary stripe larger. ... samarensis (p. 445)

b2. Above gray, washed with olive-brown; rump and tail washed with reddish brown (females).

403. MUSCICAPULA WESTERMANNI Sharpe.

WESTERMANN'S FLYCATCHER.

Muscicapula westermanni Sharpe, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1888), 270; Hand-List (1901), 3, 224; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 264, pl. 7, fig. 20; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 72. Muscicapula maculata Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 104 (habits, song).

Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Mearns, Goodfellow); Negros (Whitehead). Mountains of Celebes, of northwestern Borneo, and of the Malay Peninsula.

Adult male.--Above, including sides of head and neck, deep black; a wide white band over eye, extending from above lores to nape; lower parts white; wing blackish brown; greater coverts and edges of inner secondaries white, forming a conspicuous patch; tail black, all the rectrices, except the middle pair, with their basal halves white. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and nails black. Length, about 115; wing, 59; tail, 43; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 16.

Adult female.--Above ashy, washed with olive-brown, the latter color strongest on the rump; tail-coverts and edges of rectrices rusty brown; below white; breast, sides, and flanks washed with ashy brown; wings and tail blackish brown. Wing, 56; tail, 40; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 161.

Young.--Above slate-gray, heavily washed with olive-brown, the feathers with median spots of ochraceous; below white, the feathers fringed with blackish brown; wing-coverts and secondaries edged with light ochraceous; tips of the greater coverts forming a light bar.

Westermann's flycatcher is very common in Benguet Province, Luzon, where it breeds.