408 



BIRDS OP THE LIU KIU ISLANDS. 



tinguisbed from its European ally by its greatly superior size. Mr. E. 

 B. Sharpe has already drawn attention to this (Cat. B. Brit. Mus., vii, 

 p. 202), but says that " too much stress cannot be laid on these difl'er- 

 ences, as all the Japanese specimens in the collection appear to be in 

 winter plumage." From the tables below it will be seen, however, that 

 the summer birds bear out the differences fully as well. Mr. Sharpe 

 having only winter specimens was, of course, un ible to point out the 

 great extent of the ochraceous buff color on the rectrices as a further 

 distinguishing mark of the Japanese birds. 



The birds from India and China seem to have the tails somewhat 

 similarly colored. I have only two specimens from Tenasserim and two 

 from China, but judging from these the ochraceous buff' space is much 

 more restricted. They differ furthermore by being smaller, even more 

 so than the European specimens, and their bills are particularly small. 

 These, I suppose, should be called G. cursitans ( Frankl.). 



The above differences are the most striking ones, but there seems to 

 be several others. Thus in the Japanese winter birds the outer edges 

 of the shoulder feathers are distinctly whitish, and the male summer 

 bird has the crown apparently more uniform, and the superciliary streak 

 better defined. 



Mr. J. Nishi collected a young bird in the first plumage on Yayeyama 

 Island. It is but slightly younger than a specimen, now before me (U. 

 S. Kat. Mus., No. 96245), which was collected by Mr. Ota, near Tokio. 

 The two birds are absolutely alike, except that the Yayeyama bird is 

 slightly paler. The ochraceous buff" space on the rectrices, of course, is 

 wanting in this specimen. 



Measui'cmcnts. 

 I. CISTICOLA BRUNNICEPS. 



IT. CISTICOLA CISTICOLA. 



U.S.Nat., 18970. 

 g. S.Nat., 56428. 



Dronet 



Sciiliiter, 401.. 



cf ad.. France 

 <S ad.. Italy... 



(Winter) 

 (Summer) 



10 

 10.5 



16 



IIL CISTICOLA CUKSITANS? 



IT. S.Nat., 96473.. 

 U.S. Nat., 96474.. 

 U.S. Nat., 95315.. 

 U.S. Nat., 95314.. 



Canton, China Oct. — , i 46 



....do Oct. — , 43 



Tenasserim. . . June 3. 1879 44 

 ....do ! Auir.17,1879 I 45 



101 

 101 

 107 

 118 



'Tailmoltins. 



