Genus EUMYIAS Cabanis, 1850.

Bill broad and depressed; width at nostril nearly twice the depth; rictal bristles moderate; the wing exceeds the tail by less than length of tarsus; first primary more than one-half of second and less than one-half of third; fourth and fifth nearly equal and longest; tarsus twice the bill from nostril. This genus is similar to Cyornis, but in Eumyias the sexes are alike in colors and nearly the entire plumage is verditer-blue.

Species.
  • a1. Forehead and chin verditer-blue to base of bill.
    • b1. Feathers of lores with black bases, the tips blue; wing longer. panayensis (p. 477)
    • b2. Feathers of lores entirely black; wing shorter nigriloris (p. 478)
  • a2. Forehead and chin black nigrimentalis (p. 478)
442. EUMYIAS PANAYENSIS Sharpe.
PANAY VERDITER FLYCATCHER.
  • Eumyias panayensis Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 326; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 76.
  • Stoparola panayensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1879), 4, 440; Hand-List (1901), 3, 286; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 110 (habits).

Negros (Steere Exp., Whitehead); Panay (Steere).

Adult (type of species).—General color above dull verditer-blue, rather brighter on the forehead and over the eye, forming an indistinct eyebrow; least wing-coverts resembling the back, the greater series and the quills blackish brown, externally edged with dull verditer-blue; tail feathers blackish, also edged with verditer on the outer web; sides of face dull verditer, as also the whole of the throat and breast, shading off into white on the abdomen and flanks, the latter washed with blue; fore part of cheeks and throat slightly varied with silvery tips to the feathers; thighs and under wing- and tail-coverts buffy white. Bill black; feet dark brown. Length, 152; culmen, 14; wing, 75; tail, 62; tarsus, 18.” (Sharpe.)

“The Panay verditer flycatcher seems to be a mountain form. A single specimen was collected by the Steere Expedition on an expedition into the mountains back of Sibulan, Negros.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

443. EUMYIAS NIGRIMENTALIS (Grant).
BLACK-MASKED VERDITER FLYCATCHER.
  • Stoparola nigrimentalis Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1894), 3, 50; Ibis (1894), 507, pl. 14, fig. 2; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 110; Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 286.
  • Eumyias nigrimentalis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 76.

Luzon (Whitehead, Worcester, McGregor); Mindoro (Whitehead).

Adult (sexes alike).—General color verditer-blue, darker above; silvery on forehead, over eyes, and on under parts; forehead, lores, jaw, chin, and line around eye black, forming a mask; abdomen and crissum white, the latter washed with pale ocherous; thighs black, the feathers tipped with white; wings and tail brownish black, the outer webs of the feathers verditer-blue. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and nails black. Length, 145 to 150. A male measures: Wing, 73; tail, 62; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 8.5; tarsus, 18. A female, wing, 71; tail, 60; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 8.

Nestling.—Above blackish, each feather tipped with rusty yellowish brown; below ocherous or dark buff, the feathers edged with black; middle of abdomen white; the slightly developed primaries, secondaries, and rectrices brownish black edged with blue, as in the adult; wing-coverts like the back.

444. EUMYIAS NIGRILORIS (Hartert).
MINDANAO VERDITER FLYCATCHER.
  • Stoparola panayensis nigriloris Hartert, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1904), 14, 80.
  • Eumyias nigriloris McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 76.

Mindanao (Goodfellow, Mearns).

“Similar to St. panayensis panayensis, but the wing is about 5 mm. shorter, the feathers on the lores black to the tips, not only at the bases; the feathers on the chin and upper throat less squamiform, the bases not so blackish; the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts creamy buff, not buffy white.” (Hartert.)

A male collected on Mount Apo by Mearns measures: Length, 168; wing, 79; tail, 66; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 8; tarsus, 15.