“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.
- 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.
- c1. Under parts largely orange-buff.
- b2. Above gray, washed with olive-brown; rump and tail washed with reddish brown (females).
- b1. Above smoky slate-gray (males).
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).