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ON THE GENUS SCAEORHYNCSUS Gates. 



By ERNST HARTERT. 



MR. EUGENE W. GATES has in Vol. I. of the " Birds of India " most 

 rightly separated this genns from Paradoxornis and Suthora, into which two 

 genera the members of the new genns were formerly placed by the different authors, 

 while he most correctly united the so-called " Chleuasicus " with Suthora. Mr. 

 Gates' genus contained two species : S. ruficeps (Blyth) and S. gularis (Gray). 

 Both these species can be divided into several subspecies, so that the genns will 

 have to stand as follows : — 



la. Scaeorhynchus ruficeps ruficeps (Blyth). 



Bill smaller, wing a little shorter, nnder-surface white, tinged with brownish 

 bnff along the sides of the body. Bill whitish horny (Elwes). Bill from forehead 

 to tip in a straight line 14 mm., wing 84 — 86 mm. 



Sikkim and Buthan. 



1^. Scaeorhynchus ruficeps bakeri subsp. nov. 



Bill larger, wing a little longer, nnder-surface tinged with brownish bnff all 

 over. Maxilla of bill dark horn-brown (Baker). Bill from forehead to tip in a 

 straight line 16 mm., wing 90 — 9.5 mm. The bill is not only longer, bnt also 

 higher and much thicker. Its colour is darker in the skins, and the notes of the 

 collectors on our label agree with this. This new subspecies is named in honour of 

 my friend E. C. Stuart Baker, whom I met in Calcutta in 1888, and who has 

 since become an authority on Indian oology. 



Type of subspecies : c? Hnngrnm, North Clachar, 3. .5. 1895, E. C. S. Baker 

 coll. 



t'achar, Assam, to Karennee and Tenasserim. 



2a. Scaeorhynchus gularis gularis (Gray). 



Gf medium size, underside white, bill about 12 — 13 mm. (measured as before), 

 wing 91 — 93 mm. 



Sikkim and Buthan. 



2b, Scaeorhynchus gularis transfluvialis subsp. nov. 



Smaller, bill less powerful, underside mostly more suffused with fulvoQS buflF. 

 Bill of the same length as that of S. gularis gularis, but not so thick. Wing 

 86—89-5 mm. 



Cachar, Khasia Hills, and probably Karennee. 



Type : S Guilang, North Cachar, 21. 4. 1895, collected by E. C. Stuart Baker. 

 The name is chosen with regard to the home of this form south of the Brahmaputra 

 valley, which evidently separates many forms of the Assamese mountain-ranges from 

 those of the Himalayas. 



