1. AMPELIB. 217 



3. Ampelis japonicus. 



Bombycivora japonica, Siebold, Hist. Nat. Jap. St. no. 2 (1824) ; id. 

 in leruss. Bull. 2nd sect. iv. p. 87 (1825)*. 



Bombj'cilla phcenicoptera, Tenim. PI. Col. ii. pi. 450 (1828) ; id. Sf 

 Schleg. Faun. Jap., Aves, pi. xliv. (1850) ; Schrenck, Bull. Acad. St. 

 Petersh. iv. p. 190 (1862) ; I)i/botvs7d, J. f. 0. 1875, p. 249 ; Taczan. 

 Bull. Soc. Zool. France, 1870, p. 164. 



Ampelis japonica, Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 278 (1846). 



Ampelis phcenicoptera, B}}. Consp. i. p. 336 (1850) ; Radde, Reis. 

 Sibir., Voq. p. 201, Taf. 6. fig. 1 (1863); Sivinhoe, Ibis, 1864, 

 p. 427 ; id. Ibis, 1866, p. 307 ; TJliitelt/, Ibis, 1867, p. 200 ; Grai/, 

 Hand-l. B. i. p. 365, no. 5567 (1869)'; David 8,- Oust. Ois. Chine, 

 p. 132 (1877) ; BlaJc. S,- Pryer, Ibis, 1878, p. 235; iid. B. Japan, 

 p. 149 (1882) ; Jouy, Proc. U.S. Nat. 3£us. vi. p. 291 (1883). 



Adult male. General colour above drab-brown, shading off into 

 dove-colour on the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts ; scapu- 

 lars and lesser and median wing-coverts like the back, the latter 

 with a sUght wash of crimson at the end ; greater coverts paler and 

 more ashy, washed on the outer web rather broadly with dull 

 crimson ; bastard-wing brown with a slight reddish shade ; primary- 

 coverts and quills blackish, externally edged with slaty grey, the 

 primaries with a Avhite edging near the tip, extending round the 

 latter, the first primary without any white mark near the end, this 

 being very small on the second and third quill also ; secondaries 

 ti2)ped with crimson, with a tiny white terminal spot and a distinct 

 subterminal shade of black ; innermost secondaries ashy drab ; tail- 

 feathers slaty grey, broadly tipped with crimson, before which is a 

 distinct subterminal bar of black ; head crested, coloured like the back, 

 the forehead and vertex more chestnut-rufous ; lores and feathers at 

 base of nostrils black, as weU as the feathers round the eye, this 

 black line joining on the nape the lower crest-feathers, which are 

 also black ; ear-coverts and sides of face rufescent drab, inclining to 

 chestnut-rufous on the sides of the crown, below the eye, aud along 

 the cheeks ; base of cheeks whitish ; throat deep black, becoming 

 narrower on the lower throat, where the feathers are tipped with 

 rufous ; sides of neck, fore neck, and chest, as well as the sides of 

 the body and flanks, light di'ab-brown ; centre of the breast and 

 abdomen pale sulphur-yellow ; thighs light ashy ; under tail-coverts 

 crimson, fawn-colour towards the base ; under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries light ashy, slightly washed with yellow, the greater series 

 whiter : quills dusky below, ashy along the inner web : " bill black ; 

 legs and claws black, flesh-coloured on their sides ; iris blood-red ; 

 inside of mouth flesh-coloured, slightly ochrcous " (SwinJioe). Total 

 length 7 inches, culmen 0-5, wing 4-25, tail 2, tarsus 0-75. 



Adult female. Similar to the male but smaller, and with much 



* Although I have not succeeded in seeing a copy of Siebold's first work, j-et 

 the complete description of the species in 1825 in F^russac's 'Bulletin ' is suiB- 

 cient to secure the priority of his name. 



