38 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 80 



(Muli, 10,500 feet, December; back of Mount Mitzuga, 12,000 feet, 

 Muli, June; Mount Gibboh, 13,000 feet, Muli, August; Baucle Moun- 

 tains, 10,000 feet, northeast of Muli, July; Tyon-kong, Watogomba. 

 Yalung watershed 12,000 feet, July ; Djago, 10,400-12,000 feet, be- 

 tween Muli and Kulu, December and April; Vudju, 10,000 feet, south 

 of Mount Gibboh, April ; Dsliizhi, 13,500 feet, April ; Yanwekong, 

 10,000-12,000 feet. May; Yulonghsi, 13,000-16,000 feet. May; Mudju, 

 11,000 feet, June; YuHnggong, 11,000 feet. May; Tatsienlu, 9,500- 

 10,000 feet May). 



This species is much subject to fading. Specimens taken in the 

 winter are much darker even than birds collected in early spring. 

 The winter taken birds in the above series are dark like winter taken 

 specimens from Szechwan. It will be noted that the series I formerly 

 determined to be Trochaloptevon eUiofl i/unnanense *^ are spring or 

 summer taken birds with the exception of several immatures. When 

 breeding birds from Szechwan are compared with these spring taken. 

 the lighter color of the supposed Yunnan race largely disappears. 

 The gray or yellow middle tail feathers are also due to fading to 

 some extent. All the specimens with gray middle tail feathers are 

 in faded or worn plumage, but not all specimens in worn plumage 

 have gray middle tail feathers. This is natural; it is well known 

 some individuals of a species wear or fade quicker than others. There 

 are a number of specimens in worn plumage in the United States 

 National Museum from Szechwan with gray middle tail feathers. 

 Taking all the above into consideration, I do not now believe that 

 TTochalopteron elliotii yuniianense can be maintained as a valid race. 

 Therefore Gan'ulax elliotii exyunnanensis Meinertzhagen ''^ proposed 

 to supi^lant Rippon's name is unnecessary. 



115. TROCHALOPTERON AFFINIS OUSTALETI (Hartert) 



lanthocincla afflnis oustaleti Hartkbt, Die Vtigel der p;iliiai'ktisclien Fauna, vol. 

 1, Heft 5, p. 633, 1909 (Tsekou, Yunnan). 



One male, southwest Szechwan (Litang River Valley, 9,900 feet, 

 Muli, April) ; four males and four females, northwest Yunnan (Liki- 

 ang Mountains, 10,000 feet, January-February; mountains of Yung- 

 ning, 12,000-13,000 feet, November-December; Ndamucho, 14,000 

 feet, October). 



With a larger series of T. a. hlythi before me than I formerly had 

 available,*'^ the only constant difference between it and T. a. oustaleti 

 seems to be the absence of the gray patch on the sides of the neck of 

 the former. Just where the two forms meet, I do not know, but it 

 must be somewhere in the mountains of western Szechwan. 



" ITof. U. S. Nat. Mils., vol. 70, art. 5, p. 24, 1926. 



■" Ibis, 1928, p. 510. 



*5 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. 70, art. 5, p. 24. 1926. 



