PIEZORHYXCHUS AXILLARIS,
PIEZORHYNCHUS AXILLARIS.
White-tufted Flycatcher.
Monarchàaxillaris, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, vii. p. 291 (1 8 7 5 ), xiv. p. 495 (1 8 7 9 ). Id. Orn. Papuasia e
delle Molucche, ii. p. 30 (1881).
Piezorhynchus axillaris, Sharpe, Cat. Birds in Brit. Mus. iv..p. 426 (1 8 7 9 ).
T his plain -co lo u red b u t e le g a n t F ly c a tc h e r is easily d is tin g u ish ed from all th e members o f th e genus
Piezorhyj}chus by its p u re w h ite ax illarie s, which c o n tra s t stro n g ly with th e g e n e ra l black plumage, so th a t it
fo rms a d is tin c t sec tion o f th e g en u s to which it belongs.
It is apparently a very local species ; for, as far as is known a t present, it is an inhabitant only o f the Arfak
Mountains in North-western New Guinea, where Mr. Bruijn’s hunters procured an adult female in May and
a young female in June, while the type specimen was obtained by Dr. Beccari in July, a t Profi, in the Arfak
Mountains, at a height o f 3400 feet. No other travellers appear to have met with the species ; but
Mr. Bruijn sent a few specimens to the Leyden Museum, one o f which Professor Schlegel allowed us to have
for the British Museum.
The following descriptions are taken from the typical adult males and the young female specimen in the
Genoa Museum. They were examined by us during Count Salvadori’s visit to England, when he kindly
allowed us to take descriptions of them for the purposes of the British Museum ‘ Catalogue of B ird s’ :—
Adult male. General colour above and below glossy blue-black ; wing-coverts blackish, edged with glossy
blue-black, like the back ; tail black ; under wing-coverts and axillaries pure white, the latter forming a
conspicuous patch on each side o f the breast. Total length 5 7 inches, culmen 0 '5 , wing 3 -2, tail 2’95,
tarsus 07.5.
Female (not quite adult). Differs from the male in being dark slate-colour above and below, with
a slight bluish gloss, the breast brown (apparently remains o f young plumage) ; wing brownish black ; tail
black. Total length 6 inches, wing 3 -l , tail 2 ’9, tarsus 0 7 .
The figures in the Plate are o f the size o f life, and are drawn from the male specimen in the British Museum.
[R. B. S.]