THE BIRDS OF NORTHERN THAILAND 543 



The breeding season must begin very early in the year, for a male 

 from Ban Ton Phung, December 22, had the gonads already greatly 

 enlarged and an adult observed at Muang Phan, April 7, was accom- 

 panied by a well-grown juvenile. An example of June 4 is in 

 postnuptial molt. 



Adults have the irides dark brown ; the maxilla blackish slate ; the 

 mandible slaty, paling to plumbeous toward the base; the feet and 

 toes dark plumbeous ; the claws horny brown. The juvenile at Muang 

 Phan was not collected but seemed to have the bill fleshy pink. 



The adult of either sex has the upperparts olive-green, more grayish 

 on the crown (where the feathers have blackish centers) and strongly 

 suffused with golden on the mantle; the remiges blackish, outwardly 

 edged with golden olive-green ; the rectrices blackish, tipped beneath 

 with ashy white; the ear coverts and sides of the head ashy; the 

 lores ashy white, edged below by a narrow slaty streak from the 

 rictus ; the chin and throat ashy white, this color gradually changing 

 to bright yellow on the remaining underparts; the pectoral tufts 

 mixed bright yellow and golden-orange. 



ARACHNOTHERA MAGNA MAGNA (Hodgson) 



Himalayan Streaked Spider-hunter 



[Cinnyris] Magna Hodgson, India Rev., vol. 1, 1836, p. 272 (Nepal). 

 Arachnothera magna, Gyldenstolpe, Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 1913, p. 



44 (Ban Huai Horn) ; 1916, p. 34 (Chiang Rai). 

 Arachnothera magna aurata, Gyldenstolpe, Kungl. Svenska Vet.-Akad. Handl., 



1916, p. 34 (Khun Tan, Doi Pha Sakaeng) ; Ibis, 1920, p. 464 ("Northern 



Siain"). — Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, p. 155 (Doi 



Suthep) ; 1936, p. 125 (Doi Suthep). — de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 



Philadelphia, 1934, p. 242 (Doi Suthep, Doi Chiang Dao). 

 Arachnothera magna magna, Gyldenstolpe, Ibis, 1920 p. 464 (Chiang Rai). — 



Riley, U. S. Nat. Mus. Bull. 172, 1938, p. 507 (Khun Tan, Doi Langka, Doi 



Hua Mot). 

 Aracnothera magna, de Schauensee, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, 1929, 



p. 564 (Doi Suthep). 



This large spider-hunter is a very common or even abundant species 

 of the northern mountains (including Phu Kha), haunting the heavy 

 evergreen, at whatever elevation it be found, from the foothills to about 

 5,500 feet. It necessarily reaches its lower limit of range on Doi 

 Suthep at 3,300 feet and on Doi Ang Ka at 4,400 feet. 



The present form, like other sunbirds of the dense forest, is par- 

 ticularly fond of the wild banana but is by no means restricted to 

 its neighborhood. It is an unmistakable bird by its long, robust, 

 curved bill, its stout body, and its relatively short tail, whether seen 

 flying overhead with strong but undulating flight and a characteristic 

 trilling note or perched upon a bough craning its neck and twisting the 

 head from side to side. 



