♦ZOSTEROPS. 613 



Male. — Differs from Rhabdornis mystacalis in having the back brown 

 (near prout's brown of Eidgway) instead of gi'ay, and in having the bill 

 decidedly shorter. Length, about 142. A male from Bohol measures: 

 Wing, 78; tail, 45; culmen from base, 19; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 

 19. 



Female. — Differs from the male in having general color of crown, ear- 

 coverts, and sides of neck brown instead of black. A female from 

 Basilan measures: Wing, 77; tail, 43; culmen from base, 18; bill from 

 nostril, 12; tarsus, 18. 



605. RHABDORNIS INORNATUS Grant. 



PLAIN CREEPER. 



Rhabdornis inornatus Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1896), 6, 18; Ibis 

 (1897), 235, pi. 6, fig. 2; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 227. 



Rhabdornis inomata Shakpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 356; McGkegob and 

 Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 95. 



Mindanao [Clemens); Samar (Whitehead). 



"Adult male. — Easily distinguished from E. mystacalis and R. minor 

 by having the bill altogether stouter and stronger, the top of the head 

 and nape uniform dull grayish brown; mantle brown with whitish 

 shafts only to the feathers; the lesser and median wing-coverts with 

 well-marked white shaft-stripes; chin, throat, and fore neck grayish white; 

 the margins of the sides and flank-feathers narrower and browner. 'Iris 

 dark brown; bill and feet black.' (Whiteliead.) Length, 157; culmen, 

 19; wing, 81; tail, 51; tarsus, 20." (Grant.) 



Female. — Similar to the male, but top of head browner. Wing, 89; 

 tail, 57; exposed culmen, 16 ; tarsus, 20 ; middle toe with claw, 23. 



Family ZOSTEROPID^. 



Bill curved and pointed, very similar to the bill of Dicceum, but with- 

 out serrations in the cutting edges; nostril opening beneath an opercle 

 or scale; rictal bristles inconspicuous; eye usually surrounded by a ring 

 of short white feathers of a silky texture ; wing with nine primaries ; tail 

 square, moderate in length and extending beyond the toes. 



Genera. 



o*. Upper parts nearly uniform olive-green or greenish yellow; length rarely more 



than 125 mm _ Zosterops (p. 613) 



a". Upper parts uniform cinnamon-rufous; length more than 150 mm. 



Hypocryptadius ( p. 621 ) 



Genus ZOSTEROPS Vigors and Horsfield, 182G. 



Culmen decidedly ridged ; eye, except in Z. goodfellowi, surrounded by 

 a ring of white feathers; general color yellow and yellowish green, the 

 abdomen in some species white, gray, or drab. 



