394 BIRDS OF THE LIU KIU ISLANDS. 



crown of head spotted black and white, the okl feathers being white 

 with darli centers, the new ones pure glossy black; occipnt with along- 

 pendent crest of very glossy black feathers ; first six primaries hoary 

 blackish slate, the interior web white for rather more than the outer 

 half, except the tip which is dusky, this color on the secoud and fol- 

 lowing primaries descending for a short distance along the edge ; the 

 remaining reraiges more grayish, becoming gradually white towards the 

 inner edge ; tail-feathers smoke-gray, gradually shading into white ba- 

 sally and internally, and darkening towards the tip of the inner web, 

 especially the outer pair, which has the tip slate-color ; shafts of remi- 

 ges and rectrices whitish. Bill (in dried specimen) dark olive becom- 

 ing pale yellowish towards the tip ; feet blackish. 



Dimensions. — Wing, o50'"'" ; tail-feathers, 104""" ; exposed culmen, 

 (50 ™™; tarsus, uO""" ; middle toe, with claw, 33""". 



In view of the complications in regard to the nomenclature of this 

 form, alluded to above, it is impossible for me at present to give a sat- 

 isfactory synonymy. I therefore only quote a few references, which 

 undoubtedly belong here. 



Sterna hcnjii Saunders, P. Z. S., 1876, p. G57 {pari). — Sterna cri>ttaia Swixuoe, Ibis, 

 1360, p. C>3.—Id., ibid., 1863, p. AW.—Thalasseus cristatits SwixnoE, P. Z. S., 1863, 

 p. '.i-29.— Sterna velox SwixnoE, Ibis, 1830, p. 4-^9. — Id., ibid., 1861, p. 345.— W., ift/V?., 

 1866, p. V34.—Thalasseus pelecanoides Savinuoe, P. Z. S., 1871, p. 4-22. 



Charadrius squatarola Lix. 



Mr. Pryer informs me that his collector has obtained this species in 

 Liu Kin during December and January. 



Charadrius dominicus fulvus (Gm.)- 



In the collection of Mr. Tasaki, from the " northern part of Liu Kiu," 

 there is a specimen marked $ , which has been presented to our museum 

 (Xo. 110977). 



^gialitis dubia ( Scop. ). 



'■'xEgiaJites curonicus" Pryeu (iu litt.). 



Phalaropus lobatns (Lix.). 



Mr. Nishi bruught home from Yayeyama Island a young c5 in transi- 

 tion plumage, very much like the bird figured by Mr. Dresser on pi. 

 539 (B. Eur., VI). Scapulars and tertiaries are black with buff edgings, 

 but a few new ones are gray with white borders. 



Porzana phaeopyga, sp. nov. 



Diagnosis. — Similar to Porzana erythrothorax (Temm. & SciiL.), but 

 darker thronghout, the lower back and rump being of an olivaceous 

 *' clove brown," and the abdomen, under wing-coverts, and tail-coverts 

 blackish, transversely barred with whitish ; outer web of first primary 

 with a number of whitish spots, and inner feather of alula similarly 

 marked. 



