( 235 ) 



Malaccan, and Snmatran specimens; others ao;ain are intermediate. The under 

 wing-coverts and axillaries (of the males) are blacker ; they are black with white 

 borders, not white with black centres, as in Sumatra and Malacca. This difficulty 

 is easily met by calling the lilack-bcllied specimens C. amof.nus, and denouncing 

 the intermediate examples as hybrids between C. amoenus and C. saularis 

 musicus. I do not think, however, that this solution is a scientific one, unless we 

 have proofs that the supposed hybrids are the result of interbreeding, and that 

 C. saularis musicus and C. amoenus are otherwise entirely different species. 1 

 consider that in Java one race lives, in which the abdomen varies from black to 

 white, and this race must be calli'd (imnenus. If this view is not taken, a new 

 name must be invented for the males with white abdomen, as their under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries are much more black than in Snmatran musicus. From 

 Bali I know hitherto oidy the typical amoenus with black abdomen, but only a 

 few specimens from that island have reached Europe so far. Here is an interesting 

 field for collecting by residents in Java. Another question is, if the form with 

 white abdomen and the one with black underside inhabit different parts of Java, 

 but I don't think this will be found to bo the case, as in Borneo they appear to 

 occur together. 



The Chinese birds, and those from Hainan, have white under wing-coverts 

 and axillaries, and appear to be inseparable from the true saularis from India. 

 It is true that the bills of our Hainan specimens are sometimes very large — in fact 

 many are inclined to be larger ; but similarly large bills occur in India, and some 

 Hainan specimens have quite small beaks. I cannot, therefore, attempt to separate 

 the Hainan form, although some of the specimens have rather larger bills. 



I can thus admit at present : 



1. Copsychus saularis saularis (L.)— India to China and Hainan. 



2. C. saularis ceylonensis Scl. — Ceylon, and, apparently, S. India. 



3. C. saularis andamanensis Hume. — Andamans. 



4. ('. saularis musicus Raffl. — Sumatra and Malay Peninsula. 



5. C. saularis amoenus Horsf. — Java, Borneo, Bali. 



Besides these a form with black outer rectrices has been described from 

 Borneo. I am inclined to think it may be only an abberration of C. s. amoenus. 

 Between C. saularis saularis and C. s. musicus intermediates are found in 

 Tenasserira and the Malay Peninsula; between C. saularis saularis and C. s. cey- 

 lonensis intermediates are said to occur in South India. About G. s. amoenus 

 see above. C. saularis mindanensis from the Philippine Islands is always sharply 

 separated by its entirely black tail, and C. seijchellarum is a perfectly distinct 

 species, and so are " Germisia " alhospecularis and pica from Madagascar, though 

 I do not see why they should be placed into a separate genus. In fact Copsychus 

 seychellarum might just as well be separated generically. I am not acquainted 

 with (\ inexpectatus Richmond from Madagascar, which is of course a " Germisia." 



204. Pratincola torquata stejnegeri Parrot. 



Prntimnia mnum (non Pallas !) Grant, /'. Z. .S. I'JUU. p. 474. 



Praliiirola lorqimUi stejnegeri Parrot, Verb. Orii. Ges. Baijcni vii. p. 124 (1908— North Japau) ; 

 Hartert, Vog. Pal. Fauna i. p. 708. 



A large series of males and females from Kiungchau (February and March 

 1902), Hoihow and Lei Muimon (January l'J03), and Utoshi (March 1903) 

 (No. 11). 



