228 BULLETIN 17 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



River, Pahang, June 2-11, 1902; one male and one female, Tenasserim 

 (Tanjong Badak, January 7, 1900; Telok Besar, March 18, 1904). 

 He gives the soft parts as: Iris dark red or dark brown; bill black; feet 

 dirty greenish, leaden, greenish leaden, pale greenish, or dull olive, 

 claws black. 



A male (no. 308090) collected by Dr. Smith at Bangnara, Patani, 

 July 15, has the throat barium yellow unbarred; the lores, a ring 

 around the eyes, and a spot on each side of the nape are barium yellow; 

 the barring on the jugulum is narrowly black on a white ground; the 

 chest has a band of olive lake across it; the barring on the crown 

 somewhat squamate; center of the breast mouse gray; the red malar 

 stripe fully developed; otherwise, similar above to the adult, but 

 the light markings lighter (very pale yellow) rather than buffy. I 

 have seen no description of this plumage, but I think it must be an 

 immature just acquiring the adult plumage. The bill is shorter than 

 in the average adult. 



In some adults, of either sex, the cheeks and chin become apricot 

 yellow with narrow dusky barring; the center of the breast is strongly 

 washed with kaiser brown; this plumage is uncommon and in the 

 extensive series listed above of grammithorax there are only a pair. 

 It probably occurs only in the old birds. 



Specimens from the islands of Borneo and Sumatra average smaller 

 than mainland birds and those from the island of Nias seem to agree 

 with them. This form has been named Meiglyptes tristis micropterus 

 Hesse, of which the range then would be: Borneo, Natuna Islands, 

 Sumatra, and Nias. M. grammithorax microterus Oberholser is a 

 synonym. M. tristis tristis (Horsfield) is confined to Java. 



Ten males from the Malay Peninsula measure: Wing, 96-103 (98); 

 tail, 43-48 (44.6) ; culmen, 17-20 (18.4) mm. Two males from Borneo 

 and two from Sumatra: Wing, 84-97 (91.2); tail, 41-45 (43.2); cul- 

 men, 16-18 (17) mm. Six males from Nias: Wing, 89-94 (91.6); 

 tail, 41.5-44 (42.8); culmen, 10-17.5 (16.9). One male from Tenas- 

 serim: Wing, 100; tail, 45; culmen, 19 mm. The females are only 

 slightly smaller than the males and confirm the above, and so are not 

 given. 



M. t. grammithorax ranges from the Malay States north through 

 Peninsular Siam to southern Tenasserim and southwestern Siam. 

 It seems to be a common bird throughout the Peninsula. 



MEIGLYPTES TUKKI BRUNNEUS (Eyton) 



Hemicircus brunneus Eyton, Proc. Zool, Soc. London, 1839, p. 106 (Malaya; 

 Malacca). 



Two females, Bangnara, Patani, May 27, 1924, July 6, 1926; two 

 females, Tha Lo, Bandon, September 20, 1931. 



