Mr. E,. Swinhoe on Formosan Ornithology. 285 



cadeuce. These have an indescribably hollow and unnatural 

 sound, and at first puzzle the listener to know whether they are 

 produced by beast^ bird, or insect. 



The nearest Indian ally of this species is the P. ruficollis, 

 Hodgs., from Nepal. This is, however, a much smaller species, 

 and more nearly affine to my P. stridulus of the Southern Chi- 

 nese hills. I give the measurements from three freshly-killed 

 individuals; the first a male, shot 8th August, 1861, at Taiwan- 

 foo, and the two following females, shot 10th February, 1862, at 

 Tamsuy : — 



6 . Length S^^in.; wing 3^ in.; tail S^^in.;^ 



$ • V 8-j% ; „ 3 ; „ 3| ; I tarse \-^q in. 



+ • i) "2 J )> "1*0 J )) ^2' J 



From these it will be seen that the size varies somewhat in 

 individuals ; but from my large series I do not learn that there 

 is any special sexual difi'erence of size, nor even of colour. 



Upper mandible brownish black ; under and apical edge of 

 half upper flesh-white, with wash of lemon. Inside of mouth 

 pale lemon flesh-colour. Tongue horny, except centre towards 

 base, which is fleshy, sagittate, bulging a little on the sides 

 about the middle, concave, following the curve of the bill ; top 

 cihated, with a round brush. Ear horizontally oval, aperture oc- 

 cupying lower two-thirds. Edge round iris black ; iris straw- 

 yellow. Legs dusky leaden grey, whitish on edges of scales; 

 claws and toes dingy ochreous grey. 



Throat and eyebrow white. A black line runs from the bill 

 past the eye, over the ear-coverts. Crown deep olive-grey, the 

 feathers being marked centrally with black, those on the fore- 

 head having white markings, and those over the eye-streak being 

 almost entirely black. A bright rufous band runs from one side 

 of the breast over the back to the other. Upper parts olive- 

 brown, tinged with rufous. The 5th quill longest in the wing, 

 the 6th slightly shorter; quills hair-brown, margined with light 

 olive, the tertiaries more margined and washed with the colour 

 of the upper parts. Tail graduated, the feathers rounded at the 

 tip, the lateral feather being ^q in. shorter than the central ; the 

 whole hair-brown, obscurely barred with a deeper shade, mar- 



