414 BULLETIN 186, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Larvivora cyanea, Gyldenstolpe, Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1916, p. 49 

 (Khun Tan). — de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1929, p. 541 

 (Doi Suthep, Chiang Saen). 



Larvivora eyane, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, p. 141 (Doi 

 Suthep).— de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1934, p. 208 

 (Doi Suthep, Foot of Doi Chiang Dao).— Riley, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 

 1938, p. 399 (Mae Khan). 



Larvivora cyane cyane, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1936, p. Ill 

 (Doi Suthep). 



This chat is an apparently rare winter visitor, at least to the 

 provinces of Chiang Mai and Chiang Eai, between September 22 

 (1914) and May 6 (1914), ranging from the level of the plains to 

 2,800 feet. Specimens taken on the extreme dates at Khun Tan by Gyl- 

 denstolpe led him to believe that the species is resident in our area 

 but it seems rather to be one of a small number of Siberian forms 

 which arrive early in autumn and depart late in spring. It has been 

 recorded by other observers only in January and February. 



It is a silent and retiring bird, found by Gyldenstolpe in the un- 

 dergrowth of dense forest and by de Schauensee and myself in ex- 

 tensive brakes of bamboo; the only one collected by me was dis- 

 covered walking about, with occasional jerks of the tail, in the deep 

 shade of overarching bamboos near the ruins of Wat Umong, at the 

 base of Doi Suthep. 



Dried museum skins indicate that there is seasonal change in the 

 colors of the soft parts of this species, which may account for dis- 

 crepancies in published descriptions. My example, an old male (Feb- 

 ruary 9), had the irides dark brown; the maxilla blackish brown, 

 horny brown toward the tip ; the mandible with the apical half pale 

 fleshy, the basal half white; the feet, toes, and claws pale fleshy. 

 One of Gyldenstolpe's specimens (taken in May?) had the irides 

 brown ; the bill horny black ; the feet and toes pale brown. 



The adult male has the entire upperparts and the sides of the head, 

 neck, and breast dark slaty blue; the remiges and rectrices blackish, 

 suffused with slaty blue; the lores and a narrow line edging the 

 ear coverts and the blue of neck and sides of breast black ; the sides 

 of the body bluish slate ; the remaining underparts pure white. The 

 adult female has the upperparts olivaceous-brown, suffused with 

 rufous on the upper tail coverts ; the wing feathers olivaceous-brown, 

 narrowly edged with rufous; the underparts white, the feathers of 

 the throat, breast, and sides of the body more or less strongly suf- 

 fused with buff, those of the breast with narrow, faintly darker edges 

 to give a squamated appearance. The first-winter male resembles 

 the adult female but often has the upper tail coverts and rectrices suf- 

 fused with slaty blue. 



