(252) 



nnlncky iu its names ; the latter was first called Glaucopis temnitra by Temininck 

 (PL Col. 357), tlien Temnurus truncatiis by Lesson (7Va/V(? rf'0;-«. p. 341). The 

 Hainan race was (Inly described as Criijimrhina nigra by Styan {I.e.), Temnurus 

 temnura being nnknowu to him. In tlie Ibis for 1893, by an oversight, the 

 bird was called Ti'in/iiirus schmac/<rri instead of T. nigra ; and then Hartlanb, 

 althi>ny;h aware of the names Cri/psirliin't nigni and Temnurus .sc/imnc/.-cri, most 

 unnecessarily once more named the unfortunate bird Temnurus ouslalcti ! The 

 uniqne specimen now in the Bremen Museum is the ty|)e of Cr'/psir/iina nigra, 

 Temnurus schm'ic/ieri, and Temnurus oustnleti ' 



The late Professor Oustalet has compared the s])ecim('n nbtaiued by 

 Schmacker's collector Tetsu with the type and uuiijuo specimen i)i Tem/iurus 

 temnura (= (runcatus) in the Paris Museum, and says tiiat it is smaller, has 

 a less robust beak, and no metallic gloss on the head, tail, and wings. From 

 this we must conclude that T. temnura has a distinct metallic gloss on those 

 parts, which is very faint iu our Hainan birds, except just on the forehead. As 

 Dr. Hartlanb said, the tail is not iu the least "spatulate," as described by iStyan, uor 

 " cut square," but very deeply notched, the outer webs turned outwards and slightly 

 upwards, the end of the shaft protruding in a point. The under-surface and mantle 

 are dull slate-black or blackish slate-colour; the feathers of the forehead erect, 

 those at the base of the culmeu and above the nostrils pointed forward ; the 

 anterior part of the crown is slightly glossy. Tail and wings black, with a slight 

 metallic gloss. The bill, legs, and toes are black, iris claret-red. Wings 12.5 to 

 133 mm. (females mostly, but not all, smaller, with wings about l','.i to 128 mm.), 

 longest rectrices 17U to 200, shortest lateral ones 6U to 7U mm. 



It must be added that Oustalet doubts whether the type came from Cochin- 

 China, and I am, notwithstanding the slight differences noticed liy Oustalet, not 

 at all sure that the type of Temnurus temnura was not a specimen from Hainan, 

 and that only one form of Temnurus is known. 



Temnurus is no doubt a close ally of Crgpsir/tiua, and, like the latter, 

 belongs to the Corvidae, and not to the Sturnidae, among which it has been 

 placed — doubtless by an oversight and not intentionally — iu Mr. Grant's list. 



27.5. Dendrocitta sinensis insulae subspec. uov. 



Dendroritta sinensis Grant, P. Z. S. lOilO. p. 4153. 



13 <J? No-Tai, April, September, October 1002 (No. 84). 



Differs from specimens from Fokien in being more ashy on the underside, 

 especially on the breast, and in having a somewhat darker, more blackish throat, 

 and besides they have shorter wings. The wings of the Hainan series range from 

 128 to 13.5, and in one <J to 138, while in B. sinensis sinensis the wings measure 

 about 140 to 1.50 mm. The greater length of the wings in continental sinensis 

 has already been distinctly shown by Shar|)e, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. iii. p. 81, where he 

 measures the wings of Hainan skins as 48 to .5-1.5, those of Ningpo examples 5'4 

 and 5'.5.5 in. This is significant, though the wing-ranasureraents given by Sharpe 

 at that time were generally too short, as he did not stretch the wing, which 

 is necessary in order to obtain exact and unvarying measurements. Type : 

 <J, 3. X. 1002. 



The iris is claret-brown, bill black, legs and toes blackish slate, claws a 

 little lighter. 



