( 243 ) 



Chinese, some as bright 5'ellow as any Hainan examples ; and also the bills are 

 sometimes smaller, sometimes larger. Moreover, we have a skin collected by 

 Swinhoe, according to the label, at Amoy in 1S61, which has the bill as large 

 and the throat as bright yellow as Hainan birds. Unless there is an error abont 

 the label, this is of importance. Last, but not least, onr series from China is 

 rather poor in freshly-moulted adult birds. 



I can, therefore, not venture to separate the Hainan birds from the South 

 Chinese simple^', though they may, perhaps, be separateil later on. 



Six clutches of eggs were found by the end of May 19U~;. The nests were 

 standing 8 to 12 ft. high above the ground, and contained from three to five eggs. 

 The eggs — like other eggs of Zosterops — are of a very pale greenish blue, without 

 markings. They measure from 14-5 x 11-5, ]4'9 x 11-7, 1.") x 11-G and 13-7 x 117 

 to 16-2 x 11-5, lG-7 X 11-9, IG x 110 and 15-5 x 12-6 mm. 



240. Dicaeum minuUum minuUum Swinh. 



Dicaeum iitiituUum Swinhoe, Ibis vi. p. 240, 1870 (Yu-lin-kan, S. Hainan). 



3 <?(?, 2 ? ? Lei Muimon, January 1903 (No. 85). 



4 ? ? Mt. Wuchi, March, April 1903 (No. 85). 



1 without exact locality. 



This form is very closely allied to DicaPAim minuUum olinaceum ; but it is 

 of a brighter olive on the upperside, especially the head. The flanks are apparently 

 more yellowisii olive. The bill is decidedly larger. The buff loral spot is more 

 conspicuous, as in D. minuUum soUicitans from Java. The ear-coverta are also 

 tinged with buff. D. minuUum minuUum, oUvaceum, and soUicitans are evidently 

 closely allied subspecies, while concolor and erijtiirorhijnchum form larger and 

 somewhat different species. 



It may be repeated that the bird called D. inornatum in the Cat. B. x. p. 45 

 must be called D. minuUum oUvaceum, as " Mi/zant/ie inoi-nata" is a nomen 

 nudum. 



241. Dicaeum cruentata coccinea (Scop.). 



Dicaeum rruenhitiiiii Grant, P.Z.S. 1900. p. 4G8. 



? Kinngchau, February 1902 (No. 31). 



2 (J(J, 1 ? Sccha, May 1902 (No. 31). 



8 (J<J, 3 ? ?, 1 ? jnv. No-Tai, August, September 1902 (No. 31). 



The various geograiihical forms of Dicaeum cruentaUun iiave hitherto not 

 been considered, though at least three forms can be distinguished without great 

 difficulty. 



1. Dicaeum cruentata cruentata (L.) from India. 



Linnaeus' name is based on Edwards' " Little Black, White and Red Indian 

 Creeper," which came from "Bengal." I tind that in all tiie Indian birds the 

 upper wing-coverts are "glossy steel-blue," as Sharpe said, and not in the least 

 purplish. The bill is line and slender. 



2. Dicaeum cruentata iynita (Begbie). 

 Nectai-iiilii ifimtci Begbie, itatatjan Peninsula, p. !J18 (1834— Malay Peninsula). 



All specimens from the Malay Peninsula have the upper wing-coverts distinctly 

 purplish blue. This is even expressed in the original description : " lesser wing- 



