212 Philippine Journal of Science 191 9 



The type species of the genus as described by Spinola was 

 Siva strigicollis, now supposed to be widely distributed through 

 the Orient. In 1891 Kirby 3 described striata from Ceylon, 

 though neither Kirby nor other authors have given diagnostic 

 characters to distinguish it clearly from strigicollis. In 1908 

 Distant 4 described Krisna sherwilli from Sylhet, actually sep- 

 arating it on color characters only, which are extremely un- 

 stable in this genus, the structural characters mentioned being 

 entirely generic in value or without diagnostic significance. In 

 1910 Bierman ' described a Siva rosea from Java. Here again 

 most of the structural characters mentioned are only generic in 

 value. Long ago, Walker indicated three species now recognized 

 as pertaining to Krisna; namely, Acocephalus stramineus* By- 

 thoscopus indicates,' and Bythoscopus testaceus. s Distant refers 

 all of these to Krisna strigicollis, but since no author has pre- 

 viously described the diagnostic structural characters of strigi- 

 collis, and since it is entirely probable that under insufficient 

 description several distinct things have been referred to strigi- 

 collis, all of this synonymy will have to be reexamined. In 1901 

 Breddin 9 attempted to define a Krisna straminea Wlk. var. in- 

 dicata Wlk., from Celebes, thereby adding to the usual Walker- 

 ian uncertainty, since practically his entire description is com- 

 posed of generic characters. Several species of the genus have 

 also been described from Africa. 



This genus includes a very homogeneous group of species, the 

 form and markings of all being very similar. The vividly vi- 

 rescent species commonly fade to stramineous in dried specimens, 

 and carmine markings usually entirely disappear. When deep 

 olive green or some shade of rufous the color may not change in 

 drying, though in life there is wide variation in the shade of 

 rufous. The black dot at the apex of the clavus is quite constant 

 in most of the species, but the black markings on the vertex are 

 very inconstant, sometimes varying in the same species from a 

 narrow continuous black stripe near the fore margin to separated 

 spots at the middle and sides, and even these may be absent. 

 Specimens of green species may occur with a strong pinkish or 

 reddish tinting. 



'Journ. Linn. Soc. Zool. 24 (1891) 171. 

 4 Fauna Brit. India, Rhynch. 4 (1908) 299. 

 'Notes Leyden Mus. 33 (1910) 61. 

 'List. Horn. 3 (1851) 847. 

 'List. Horn. Suppl. (1858) 266. 

 'Journ. Linn. Soc. Zool. I (1857) 173. 

 'Abh. Naturf. Ges. Halle 24 (1901) 130. 



