G Mr. Blyth's Commentary 



435. Malacocercus somervillii. 



To this must be referred Mr. Swinhoe's M. griseus from 

 Bombay (Ibis, 1865, p. 416). I do not find that Dr. Jerdon 

 mentions that any of the true Malacocerci are " fair songsters," 

 but rather that he distinctly intimates the reverse. The true 

 Malacocerci are confined to India with Ceylon ; but the allied 

 genus Chatorhea extends to Northern Burma * and also to 

 North Africa; for I consider the Crateropus fulvus (Desf.) [Ma- 

 lurus numidicus, Lev. jun., Expl. Sc. de PAlgerie, Ois., pi. ix. 

 bis), noticed by Mr. Tristram (Ibis, 1859, p. 420), as also the 

 C. chalybius, Bonap. (Ibis, 1859, p. 30, 1865, p. 79), with C. 

 rubiginosvs, Riippell (Vogel Nord-Ost-Afrika^s, taf. 19), to be 

 three typical species of Chatorhea ; while the Maliirus squamiceps 

 and the M. acacia of Riippell seem referable to the peculiar type 

 exemplified by Malacocercus malcolmi of India. This type I 

 formerly denominated Malcolmia ; but the name is preoccupied 

 in botany. Dr. Riippell has referred the two species last named 

 to Sphenura (Vogel Nord-Ost-Afrika^s) ! 



438. Chatorhea caudata. 



The specimen described as C. huttoni (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 476), 

 from Kandahar, is larger than any that I have seen from India, 

 having the wing 3*5 inches long and the middle tail-feathers 

 exceeding 5 inches. According to Dr. Pucheran, the Bengal 

 bird is equally found in the Philippine Islands (Arch, du Mus. 

 vii. p. 342). 



439. Chatorhea earlii (Blyth); Malacocercus geochrous, 

 Hodgson. 



440. Megalurus palustris. 



Occurs in the Philippines. I observed both this species and 

 Pyctorhis sinensis to abound in bush-jungle near Akyab harbour. 

 Mr. Wallace has a very tine species, M. iimoriensis, from Western 

 Timor. 



442. Schcenicola platyura. 



I imposed this generic name in 1844 (J. A. S. B. xiii. p. 374) . 

 Prince Bonaparte afterwards (Consp. Av. 1850, p. 463) applied 

 it to that section of Buntings of which the British Emberiza 



* For remarks on the climate and productions of the Upper Irawadi, vide 

 J. A. S. B. 1862, xxxi. p. 193. 



