178 Mr. H. Seebohm on the 



bird, I am now, thanks to Mr. Fryer's kindness^ confirmed 

 in this opinion by the sight of the opposite extreme of the 

 climatic races of this species. An example from Nalia, one of 

 the Loo-choo Islands, is smaller and darker than any which I 

 have seen from Japan ; the head is nearly black, and there 

 are only four very small white spots on the outer webs of 

 each of the three longest primaries. I propose to call it 

 /. nigrescens, or, if its full title be given, I. kizuki nigrescens. 

 There can be little doubt that in a large series from both 

 localities some examples would be absolutely indistinguishable. 

 In a series of sixteen examples in Mr. Hargitt's collection 

 and my own, those from the North Island of Japan arc indis- 

 tinsuishable from those from the Middle Island, whilst those 

 from the Southern Island are conspicuously darker. On the 

 other hand. Dr. Stejneger (Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1886, p. 121) 

 regards a series, apparently of nine skins, from the Middle 

 and Southern Islands as practically the same, while those 

 from the North Island are treated as specifically distinct. 

 It is, of course, possible that Dr. Stejneger is right, and 

 that all our skins from the Middle Island are those of winter 

 migrants from Yesso. 



26. Pious noguchii, sp. n. (Plate VII.) 



This entirely new species, which I have named according 

 to Mr. Pryer's instructions, is unquestionably the most inter- 

 esting bird in the collection. It is a young bird which has 

 partly completed its moult into the plumage of the adult. 



The general colour of the upper parts is black, each fea- 

 ther on the forehead, crown, and nape tipped with crimson. 

 All the small feathers of the upper parts, except the wing- 

 coverts, are obscurely tipped with dull crimson. There is a 

 white spot on each web of all the quills at the base, and^ in 

 addition, a white spot on the outer web of the third to the 

 sixth primaries, and two white spots on the inner webs of the 

 third to the eighth primaries. The tail is uniform black. 

 The sides of the head, the chin, and the throat are brown, 

 shading into nearly black on the breast and the rest of the 

 underparts. The old feathers on the underparts below the 

 throat are tipped with orange-crimson^ but the new feathers 



