456 BULLETIN 17 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



NILTAVA GRANDIS NOBILIS Biley 



Niltava grandis nobilis Riley, Proc. Biol. Soc, Washington, vol. 42, p. 161, 1929 

 (Doi Angka, Siam), 



One male and one female, Doi Angka, 6,000 feet, December 4, 1928; 

 seven males and two females, Doi Nangka, November 9, 10, 1930, 

 April 23-27, 1931. 



De Schauensee " took it on Doi Siitep, 5,500 feet; Deignan ^* reports 

 it rather common on the same mountain between 4,600 feet and the 

 summit; Mr. Aagaard also took it upon the summit of Sutep, and 

 Chasen and Kloss ^^ in reporting upon his collection doubt the dis- 

 tinctness of nobilis, but with a larger series now available from Siam 

 the differences pointed out between grandis and nobilis still seem to 

 hold, though it must be admitted I have had only one male of the 

 former for comparison. I much doubt whether decipiens from 

 Sumatra and the Malay States belongs to the same form group as 

 grandis. The female of decipiens is much darker and has a differently 

 colored pileum. 



One of the males from Doi Nangka taken April 27 is somewhat 

 smaller than the others and is a young bird of the previous year, as 

 the flight feathers of the adult plumage have not yet been acquired, 

 though otherwise it is in adult plumage. 



The remaining seven males measure: Wing, 103-110 (106.5); tail, 

 91-97 (94); culmen, 13.5-15 (14.2) mm. The three females: Wing, 

 101-103.5 (102.5); tail, 86-88 (87.2); culmen, 14-15 (14.3) mm. 



De Schauensee,^° collected a series of this form from Doi Sutep, 

 and upon comparison with grandis from Darjeeling claims that 

 nobilis upon the strength of tliis material cannot be upheld. Strange 

 to say, none of the series before me of seven adult males of nobilis 

 approaches the single male of grandis examined. Even the immature 

 male mentioned, though somewhat duller than the adult, is still 

 brighter and a deeper blue than my specimen of grandis. 



The males of tliis form are somewhat lighter and more brilliantly 

 blue above than A^. grandis grandis, and the breast and belly have 

 more of a blue wash. 



So far as known at present, nobilis is confined to the high mountains 

 of northern Siam. 



NILTAVA VIVIDA OATESI Salvadori 



Niltava oatesi Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Storia Nat. Genova, ser. 2, vol. 5, 



pp. 514, 578, 1887 (Muleyit, northern Tenasserim) . 

 Niltava smithi Riley, Proc. isiol. Soc. Washington, vol. 42, p. 164, 1929 (Doi 



Sutep, Siam); vol. 46, p. 65, 1933. 



•• Proc. Acad. Nai. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 81, p. Mfi, 1930. 

 «' Journ. Siam Soc Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 8, p. H.-i, 1931. 

 M Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., vol. 8. p. 239, 1932. 

 '0 Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia, vol. 86, p. 217, 1934. 



