20. MALACIAS. 403 



20. MALACIAS. 



Type. 

 Malaciaa, Cah. Mus. Heia. Th. ii. p. 113 (1850) M. capistratus. 



Range. Himalayas and the hills of Assam, Burmah, and Tenas- 

 serim ; Southern China and Formosa. 



Key to the S2:>ecies. 



a. Kuiup and upper tail-coverts orange-rufous. 



a'. No white tuft above the ear-coverts; centre 

 tail-feathers orange-rufous, paler than rump ; 

 throat orange-rufous hke rest of under sur- 

 face ; inner secondaries orange-rufous with 

 grey edges ; a white bar across the wing- 

 coverts capistrata, p. 40.'i 



b' . A large white tuft of feathers on the ear- 

 coverts ; lores white ; centre tail-feathers black 

 with grey tips ; throat and fore neck dark ashy- 

 grey, contrasting with orange-rufi ais abdo- 

 men ; inner secondaries black ; no white bar 

 on the wing-coverts, which are black auricularts, p. 405. 



b. Rump and upper tail-coverts grey or brown. 



c'. Centraltail-feathersuniform,without any black ■ 

 subterniinal band ; remainder of tail-feathers 

 tipped -nith white ; entire under surface pure 

 white ; back chocolate-brown, contrasting 



with the black cap meUinnleuca, p. 405. 



d'. Central tail-feathers with no subterminal black 

 band, the feathers simply tipped with grey ; 



inner secondaries entirely black dcsgodinsi, p. 406. 



e'. Central tail-feathers grey, with a grey tip, be- 

 fore which is a broad black band ; inner secon- 

 daries edged with black. 

 a". Cap black, becoming less defined on the nape gracilis, p. 40(5. 

 b" . Above ashy grey, bluer on the head ; a 



narrow frontal band and lores black pulchella, p. 407. 



1 . Malacias capistrata. 



Cinclosoma capistratum, T'/c/. P. Z. 8. 18-'31, p. 56. 



Sibia nigriceps, IIod(/s. Icon. ined. in Brit. Mus., Passeres, pis. 197, 

 198 (no. 258) ; id. J. A. S. Beng. viii. p. 38 (1839) ; Blyth, op. cit. 

 xiv. p. GOO (1845). 



Cinclosuma melanocephalnra, Rogle, 111. Bot. Himal. p. Ixxv (1839). 



Alcopus nigriceps, Bhjth, J. A. S. Beng. xi. p. 182 (1842). 



Actinodura nigriceps, Bh/th, J. A. S. Beng. xii. p. 958 (1843). 



Garrulax capistratus, Bli/t/i, t. c. p. 951 (1843). 



Sibia capi.sirata, Gray, Cat. Ma mm. etc. Nepal pres. Hodgs. p. 88 

 (1846) ; id. Gen. B. i. p. 2:1S (1847) ; Bh/th, Cat. B. Mus. As. Sac. 

 p. 9.^ (1849); Ilursf. ^- .Ifoore. Cat. B. E.I. Co. Mus. i. p. 217 

 (1854) ; Jerd. B. Ltd. ii. p. 55 (1863) ; Gray, Iland-l. B. i. p. 273, 

 no. .3<.)99 (1869) ; Ilume, Nests Sf Eggs LuL B. p. 267 (1873). 



Alcopus capistratus, Bp. Consp. i. p. 260 (1850). 



Malacias capistratus, Ilume, Sfr. F. 1879, p. 97. 



Adult. Head much crested, black, overhanging the nape : hind 

 neck and sides of neck rufous ; middle of the back and scapulars 



2d2 



