Specimens examined.—Total number, 33 (17 males, 15 females, 1 unsexed), as follows: Palau Islands, USNM—Babelthuap, 1 (Nov. 27)—Koror, 4 (Nov. 6, 19, 26)—Garakayo, 1 (Sept. 18)—Peleliu, 2 (Aug. 30)—Ngabad, 2 (Sept. 11); AMNH—exact locality not given, 23 (Oct., Nov., Dec.).

Molt.—Molt apparently takes place in fall and early winter. Of the specimens examined, there is little evidence of molt in those obtained in August and September while there is considerably more evidence of molt in those taken in November and December.

Food habits.—A bird taken by the writer on September 17, 1945, at Garakayo had approximately one-half cc. of insect parts in its stomach.

Remarks.—The Micronesian Broadbill at Palau is a friendly little bird and easily called-up to within a few yards of a person by imitating its note. It was seen by the NAMRU2 party in 1945 as singles and in pairs in the dense underbrush of the undisturbed forested areas. The bird was seen at only one woodland area at Peleliu (Southeastern Peninsula), but it was observed more frequently on the smaller islands of Ngabad and Garakayo. Coultas (field notes) also notes that in 1931 this bird was found more frequently on the smaller islands. Myiagra was found to be much less conspicuous at Palau than Rhipidura lepida. Myiagra appears to be less active, more solitary in its habits, and possibly more restricted in the territory that it covers in feeding than Rhipidura.

Myiagra oceanica freycineti   Oustalet

Micronesian Broadbill

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Mariana Islands—Guam.

Characters.—Adult male: A small flycatcher with head and neck near "dark delft blue" with a metallic luster; lores and anterior forehead ashy-gray, more bluish and darker on auriculars and sides of neck than on lores; back and upper wing-coverts near "green-blue slate" but darker and with metallic luster less apparent than on head; rump grayer than back; chin and throat white; breast light "cinnamon," fading to pale buff and white on abdomen, sides, and under tail-coverts; tibia smoky-gray, tips of feathers paler; wings dark brown edged with light bluish-gray; tail bluish-slate, especially middle rectrices, tips of tail feathers edged with white; bill and feet black; iris dark brown.

Adult female: Resembles adult female of M. o. erythrops, but crown and neck near "deep Payne's gray," auriculars grayer than neck; anterior forehead and lores buffy and tinged with cinnamon; back browner than lores with upper wing-coverts and scapulars edged with slightly lighter brown; rump resembles crown but grayer; underparts paler than those of M. o. erythrops, especially chin and throat; tibia more brownish.

Immature male: Resembles adult male, but back more brown and less blue-green, lacking luster; anterior forehead more rufous; scapulars, upper wingcoverts, and wings edged with light brown; underparts variable but generally more buffy than those of adult.

Immature female: Resembles adult female, but more brown and less blue on head and back; underparts more buffy; base of bill paler.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed in table 42.

Weights.—The author (1948:68) records the weights of five adult males as 10.5-12.5 (11.9), and those of two adult females as 11.4 and 12.0 grams.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 64 (33 males, 22 females, 9 unsexed), as follows: Mariana Islands, USNM—Guam, 26 (Jan. 21, March 16, May 21, 29, 30, June 1, 3, 14, 24, 26, July 10, 12, 13, 20, 23, Aug. 30); AMNH—Guam, 38 (Jan., Feb., March, July, Aug.).

Nesting.—The writer (1948:68) records a nest containing one egg found by Muennink at Guam near Mt. Santa Rosa on May 7, 1945. The nest was in a bamboo stump approximately six feet from the ground. The egg hatched on about May 21. Seale (1901:50) reports on a nest and egg taken in the period from May to July. The NAMRU2 party obtained a female on March 15 with an enlarged gonad. Strophlet (1946:539) observed a pair of broadbills building a nest on September 20, 1945; it was completed on October 4 and was approximately seven feet above the ground. Hartert (1898:33) reports on a nest taken at Guam on February 14, 1895.

Molt.—As shown by the specimens examined, molt begins in June or July.

Food habits.—The stomach of a bird obtained on January 21, 1945, contained one unidentified bug (Hemiptera) and several parts of other insects.

Remarks.—The Micronesia Broadbill at Guam is not a common bird, and like its relative Rhipidura rufifrons is an inhabitant of forested areas, especially those containing brushy undercover. It is an active bird, although less conspicuous than Rhipidura. The birds were found as singles or in pairs. The pair of birds which had a nest at the west base of Mount Santa Rosa in May, 1945, allowed the observers to approach closely to them. The birds are easily attracted by squeaking sounds. There is considerable variation in the amount of cinnamon coloring on the breasts of adult birds.

The Micronesian Broadbill at Guam was first discovered by Quoy and Gaimard, who called it "Moucherolle à gorge rouge." Kittlitz (1836:304) evidently records two species of flycatchers from Guam, which he calls Muscicapa. I judge these birds to be Myiagra and Rhipidura. It was not until 1881 that Oustalet recognized this bird to be new. The first large series of specimens was obtained by Marche for the Paris Museum and was reported on by Oustalet (1895:194). Marche collected 12 skins in August and September, 1887, and 4 additional skins in February, 1889.

Myiagra oceanica oceanica   Pucheran

Micronesian Broadbill

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Truk.

Characters.—Adult male: Resembles M. o. freycineti, but larger with crown and nape less green and with less metallic luster; lores and anterior forehead darker gray; chin, throat, and sides of neck more buffy-cinnamon; back, rump, upper wing-coverts, and scapulars less blue and more ashy gray; tibia, wings, and tail more brownish.

Adult female: Resembles adult male, but smaller with less blue and more gray on crown; lores and anterior forehead lighter.

Immature: Resembles adult, but crown and nape grayish, slate-blue; under-parts paler.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed in table 42.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 23 (12 males, 10 females, 1 unsexed), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Truk, 2 (Feb. 16); AMNH—Truk, 21 (Feb., June, Nov., Dec.).

Nesting.—Hartert (1900:5) reports the taking of several nests in the period from March to July by Owston's Japanese collectors. One nest contained two eggs, the other nests contained one.

Remarks.—The broadbill at Truk was first taken by Hombron and Jacquinot, who called it "Platyrhynque océanien." Later, Kubary obtained material which was studied by Finsch (1880e:575). In December, 1945, McElroy of the NAMRU2 party examined two adults with enlarged gonads. Specimens obtained by him at Truk were lost in shipment to the United States. In coloration this subspecies is closest to M. o. freycineti; in size it is closest to M. o. pluto.

Myiagra oceanica pluto   Finsch

Micronesian Broadbill

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Caroline Islands—Ponapé.

Characters.—Adult male: A dark, bluish-gray broadbill with head, ear-coverts, and nape dark, metallic, steel-blue; back and rump darker and more slate-blue than head; upper tail-coverts blackish; tail black edged with greenish gloss; wings dark brown, scapulars and secondaries with outer edges tinged with metallic bluish-gray; lores black; chin, throat, and upper breast dark with light metallic-blue wash; lower breast and abdomen slate-gray; under wing-coverts brownish-black; bill black; feet bluish-black; iris dark brown. Female resembles male, but slightly smaller and somewhat duller. Immature duller.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed in table 42.

Specimens examined.—Total number, 42 (23 males, 19 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, USNM—Ponapé, 3 (Feb. 11); AMNH—Ponapé, 39 (Nov., Dec.).

Nesting.—Yamashina (1932a:401) records nests and eggs of the Ponapé broadbill. The nests were at heights of between .9 and 2.2 meters above the ground. Nests, each containing a single egg, were obtained on July 21, 25, and August 6. The eggs measure 19.5 by 16, 20.5 by 15.7, 20.5 by 16, and 20.2 by 16. Coultas (field notes) describes the nest as a cup-shaped structure, made of fine grasses and ferns, and placed in small trees and bushes at low elevations. Of specimens taken by Coultas in November and December, 1931, approximately fifty percent of the males had enlarged gonads. According to his specimen labels, none of the females was in breeding condition.

Molt.—Of the large series of broadbills taken by Coultas, approximately twenty percent of those taken in November were in molt whereas only approximately ten percent of those taken in December were in molt. Specimens taken in February were not in molt. It is evident that molting takes place in the fall, possibly from August to December.

Remarks.—The coloration of the Micronesian Broadbill at Ponapé is in marked contrast to that of other representatives of Myiagra in Micronesia, being dark, bluish-gray in color. Probably the bird has taken on melanistic characters, which is not unusual in birds which have become isolated; examples of this condition may be observed in Rhipidura, Terpsiphone and other genera.

Coultas (field notes) writes that the bird is "Common everywhere on the island except in the grasslands. Two birds are working together usually, darting around in the low trees, among the branches or on the ground. The birds are playful, friendly and inquisitive. I should not call them noisy as one or more will sit for many minutes watching the intruder without making a peep. Their call, "Que Que," is a spasmodic outburst that might be repeated many times or just once. The male, presumably, erects the long crown feathers when calling. Perhaps both male and female do this, I can't say. The bird flutters on the wing and displays the feathers as does Rhipidura. When sitting, the bird often erects the crest and fluffs the tail and feathers."

Evolutionary History of Myiagra oceanica.—According to Mayr (1933d:1) Myiagra "is easily recognizable by its broad bill and the color pattern which is similar in all species." The range of the genus Myiagra extends from Australia and Tasmania westward to Timor, northward to the Moluccas, and Micronesia, and eastward to Polynesia. Myiagra oceanica is restricted to Micronesia and consists of four subspecies, which until recently have been considered as four separate species. Unlike many of the species of this genus, M. oceanica shows comparatively little sexual dimorphism. The male of M. oceanica has metallic coloring on the head and the upper back and often has rich, rufous coloring on the breast. The female is less brilliant in coloring, lacking the sheen. The four subspecies vary from each other in size, color and even, to some extent, in basal breadth of the bill. M. oceanica resembles several broadbills, including M. galeata of the Moluccas, M. rubecula of Australia, M. vanikorensis of Fiji, and M. ruficollis of Australia and the Lesser Sundas; however, in my opinion, it has probably been derived from M. galeata of the Moluccan area or from a closely related species. In Micronesia, M. o. oceanica and M. o. freycineti appear to resemble closely this parent stock, whereas M. o. erythrops and M. o. pluto are more differentiated but are considered to have been derived from this same colonization. M. o. pluto bears some resemblance to M. atra of the Papuan area, particularly in the dark coloring; this is probably only a parallel evolution, since they have little else in common. M. vanikorensis of the Fiji area is close to M. oceanica in color and structure; the two species, I suspect, have been derived from a common source rather than from each other. Study of the evolutionary history of the entire genus is necessary before we can understand fully the derivation of the Micronesian and Polynesian species. It seems safe to say that the center of dispersal has been in the Australian region; the lack of diversity of this genus within the Papuan area is at present unexplained.

Muscicapa narcissina narcissina   Temminck

Narcissus Flycatcher

Geographic range.—Breeds in eastern Asia and Japan. Winters south to Malaysia. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—exact locality unknown.

Remarks.—Mayr (1945a:302) records the Narcissus Flycatcher as a migrant visitor to the Palau Islands on the basis of two specimens in the Turloff collection, formerly in the Zoölogical Museum in Hamburg.

Muscicapa griseisticta   (Swinhoe)

Chinese Gray-spotted Flycatcher

Geographic range.—Breeds in northwestern Asia and Japan. Winters south to Malaysia. In Micronesia: Palau Islands—Koror.

Remarks.—The Chinese Gray-spotted Flycatcher is a casual winter visitor to the Palaus. Marshall (1949:221) took two specimens at Palau on November, 1945.

Colluricincla tenebrosa   (Hartlaub and Finsch)

Palau Morning Bird

Geographic range.—Micronesia: Palau Islands—Babelthuap, Koror, Garakayo, Peleliu, Ngabad.

Characters.—Adult: Upper parts between "snuff brown" and "bister," head blacker; chin, throat, and upper breast like upper parts but darker; lower breast and abdomen lighter and more buffy, sides darker; feathers of underparts with darker shafts producing a streaked appearance; underside of wing and under tail-coverts light-colored; bill dark brown; feet lighter brown; iris yellowish. Female smaller.

Immature: Resembles adult, but head and neck lighter; ear-coverts, sides of neck, throat, upper breast darker; lower breast and abdomen paler.

Measurements.—Measurements are listed in table 43.

Table 43. Measurements of Colluricincla tenebrosus

Number and Sex	Wing	Tail	Full Culmen	Tarsus
20 males	104	76	23.5	31
	(100-107)	(73-79)	(22.5-24.5)	(29-31)
9 females	97	73	23.0	30
	(94-101)	(71-76)	(22.0-24.0)	(30-31)