small and very depressed bill which, when viewed from above,
forms an equilateral triangle.
Two members of the genus are sedentary and confined to small areas. The third is spread over the Empire and is migratory to a greater or less extent. They are typical Flycatchers in habits.
Key to the Species.
a. No white on tail.
a'. First primary much shorter than half second ; tail blue or green S. melanops, p. 28.
b'. First primary quite half the length of second ; tail dark brown S. sordida, p. 29. b. Base of tail white S. albicaudata, p. 30. 579. Stoparola melanops. The Verditer
Flycatcher.
Muscicapa melanops, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1831, p. 171 ; Gould, Cent. pi. 6. Stoparola melanops (Vig.), Blyth, Cat. p. 174; Hume, N. fy E. p. 208; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv, p. 438; Hume, Cat. no. 301; Gates, B. B. i, p. 285 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 164 ; Gates in Hume's N. fy E. 2nd ed. ii, p. 9. Hypothymis melanops (Vig.), Horsf. # M. Cat. i, p. 292. Eumyias melanops (Vig.), Jerd. B. I. i, p. 463; Hume fy Henders. Lah. to Yark. p. 186 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped., Aves, p. 622.
Nil kat-katia, Beng. ; Sibyell-pho, Lepch.
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Fig. 10. Bill of 8. melanops.
Coloration. Male. Lores, feathers in front of the eye and the feathers at the base of the upper mandible black ; the whole plum- age verditer-blue, brightest on the forehead, chin, throat, breast, and upper tail-coverts ; under tail-coverts broadly fringed with white ; tail blue, the shafts black and the inner webs edged with brown; primaries and secondaries blue on the outer and black on the inner webs ; tertiaries wholly blue ; upper wing-coverts blue.
Female. The general colour is much duller, but otherwise resembles the male; the chin and throat are mottled with white, the lores are brown, and the under tail-coverts are more broadly fringed with white.
The young are greenish grey, the sides of the head and the whole lower plumage being spotted with fulvous. Occasionally white spots are present on the head and back, and one adult has a white nape-patch.
The Stoparola spilonota of Gray (Hand-list, no. 4898), the type of which is still in the British Museum, resembles the present
