144 STURNIDJi. 



Adult male. General colour above glossy steel-green, a purple 

 shade being with difficulty distiuguished ; lesser and median coverts 

 like the back, the latter black, broadly edged with glossy green ; 

 greater coverts and bastard-wing black, washed externally with 

 glossy green ; primary-coverts, quills, and tail-feathers black, exter- 

 nally glossed with dull steel-green, slightly varied with purplish ; 

 crown of head glossy steel-green, the feathers of the occiput and 

 nape somewhat lanceolate ; lores velvety black, extending to the 

 base of the nostrils and below the eye ; feathers round eye, sides of 

 face, car-coverts, cheeks, and under surface of body glossy steel- 

 green like the upper surface, a trifle duller on the abdomen and under 

 tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts and axillaries black, edged with 

 steel-green or blui'^h green ; quills below black, a little browner 

 along the inner edge. Total length 7*5 inches, culmen O'S, wing 

 3-9, tail 2-5, tarsus 0-9. 



Adult female. Similar to the male. Total length 7 inches, cul- 

 men 0"75, wing 3-75, tail 2-45, tarsus 0-8. 



Young. Nearly uniform dark brown above, slightly mottled with 

 greenish-black spots at the end of some of the feathers ; wing- 

 coverts like the back ; the greater series, bastard-wing, primary- 

 coverts, and quills blackish, externally edged with pale brown ; 

 tail-feathers blackish, browner on the inner web ; head brown like 

 the back, as also the sides of the face, the cheeks streaked with 

 white ; under surface of body duU white, streaked with blackish 

 brown, more broadly on the flanks ; the throat more dingy brown, 

 streaked with black. 



The adult plumage is gained by a complete moult, but before this 

 commences there seems to be some accession of gloss on many of 

 the feathers, especially of the head. 



So complete is the transition between C. chalyhea and C. affinis 

 of Tippera, that I have been unable to separate them. Typical birds 

 from Java, Sumatra, or Malacca have very little of the bronzy purple 

 gloss on the underparts, which is always more or less distinct 

 in C. affinis ; but the Tenasserim specimens are thoroughly inter- 

 mediate, and it is impossible to find where the range of either form 

 ends in the Burmese provinces. 



The following is the length of wing in a series of birds from 

 different localities : — Tipperah (4-2), Dacca (4*3), Cachar (4"2o), 

 Tavoy (4-0-4-15), Tea (4-15), Pakchan (4-0), Malawoon (3-8-4-2), 

 Bankasoon (3-8.5-4-05), Tonka (3-85), Salang (3-85), Klang (3-8), 

 Singapore (3-8), Sumatra (3-75-3-9), Java(3-7-3'9), Sarawak (3-6), 

 Sibu (3-8-3-9). 



In fact all the subspecies included under C. clialyhea might well 

 be united, but to do so seemed to me to suppress some interesting 

 facts as regards geographical races, for the differences between them, 

 though very slight, are found along with a certain difference of 

 habitat. 



Hah. From Tipperah and Dacca to Cachar (C. affinis) ; Tenasserim 

 Provinces (here intennediate). Throughout the Malayan Penin- 

 sula to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. 



