302 TIMELIID^, 



sqxamafa and founds the genus Microura, which, however, was 

 preoccupied hy Ehrenberg, and therefore falls to the ground. No 

 date is given to this work ; hut we know that it was pubhshed 

 between 1837 and 1841, as Hodgson in the latter year speaks of 

 Microura of Gould as haraig been published " since" 1837. 



In 1841 Hodgson having been warned that some of his names, 

 taken from the xsepalese vernacular, were likely to be rejected for 

 names more classically compounded, proposed that of Anura for 

 Tesia, and pronounced it identical with Microura of Gould. Anura 

 cannot be employed, as it is preoccupied by Dr. Gray for a genus 

 of Bats and also for a genus of Ophluridce (1840). 



In his Catalogue of Xepalcse birds (Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 82), 

 Hodgson further clears up his meaning by mentioning a new genus 

 Pnoepi/r/a with four species, P. concohr, P. pusiUa, P. rujlventer, 

 and P. ulhiventer; and he places in another genus, Olic/ura, the two 

 other birds previoush' placed with Tesia. In the ' Proceedings ' 

 for 1845, p. 24, he fully describes Pnoe^yi/r/a and Oligura, and 

 explains that he had previously confounded the species. Oligura, 

 therefore, is the proper name for 0. castaneocoronata and 0. cyani- 

 venfer, and not Tesia, which is expressly stated by Hodgson to be a 

 synonym of Pnoepyga. The late Mr. G. E. Gray was on that accoimt 

 quite wrong when in the ' Hand-list ' (i. p. 18S) he once more united 

 all the Nepalese species under Tesia, and retained Tesia for the 

 section containing 0. castaneocoronata and 0. cyaniventer. 



Key to the Species. 



a. Wing-coverts spotted at the tip with fulvous ; tail 

 scarcely visible. 

 a'. Larger : legs stouter; tarsus 0'85 inch albiventris, p. .302. 



v. Smaller : leffs more slender ; tarsus 0-65-0-8 inch <^_^ J om ' 

 o. JN o spots on wmg-coverts ; tail apparent and ex- .' ' ^ 



tending beyond tips of wings caudata, p. 305. 



1. Pnoepyga albiventris. 



Tesia albiventer, Hodys. J. A. S. Bvny. vi. p. 102 ; Gray, Cat. Mamm. 



^•c. Nepal pres. Ifodys. p. 62. 

 Tesia rufiventer, ILidys. J. A. S. Beny. vi. p. 102 ; Gray, Cat. Mamm. 



^■c. Nepal pres. Ilodys. p. 62. 

 Microura squamata, Gould, Icones Avium, pi. v. 

 Tesia squamata, Bh/th, J. A. S. Beny. xiv. p. 586; Gray, Hand-l. B. 



i. p. 188, no. 2558. 

 Pnoepvga albiventer, Ilodys. Icon. ined. in Mus. Brit., Pass. pis. xlvii. 



(401) and xlviii. fig. 3; id. P.Z.S. 1845, p. 25; Bp. Comp.'x. 



p. 258. 

 Pnoepyga flaviventer, Ilodys. Icon. ined. pi. xlvii. fig. 1 (457). 

 Pnoepyga rufiventer, Ilodys. P. Z. S. 1845, p. 25. 

 Pnoepyga concolor, Ilodys. Icon. ined. pi. xlvii. tig. 2 (847). 

 Pnoepyga unicolor, Ilodys. t. c. p. 25. 

 Tesia albiventris, Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 156, 



