South-eastern Subdivision of Southern Ceylon. 285 



42. Phcenicophaes pyrrhocephalus, Forster. 



I did not observe this species myself; but it was described 

 to me as having been seen and shot in the forest near Tissa- 

 Maha-Rama : as it was procured by me in the forests of the 

 northern province {vide 'Stray Feathers/ vol. i. p. 346), I 

 may safely say that it is distributed throughout most of the 

 low-country forests in the island. 



43. Taccocua leschenaultIj Lesson. 



The previous history of this species as a Ceylonese bird is 

 contained in Mr. Holdsworth's '' Catalogue" (P. Z. S. 1872, 

 p. 433) . Its first occurrence, on the evidence of an example 

 procured by a Mr. Laurie in the great upland valley of the 

 central province, which I had the pleasure of examining, is 

 there recorded. My discovery of it in this region shows it to 

 have rather a singular distribution in the island ; it appears 

 also to be resident in the flat jungle-clad plains of this part 

 of Ceylon. In March 1872 I observed it three or four times 

 in the Euphorbia scrubs between the salt-depot of Kirinde 

 and the Tissa-Maha-Rama temple ; but I failed to procure a 

 single specimen, as it was always in the long grass close to the 

 edge of the jungle, into which it darted with such speed that 

 I missed it. In July 1873, however, I was more fortunate, 

 procuring two fine specimens on and near the BaduUa road, 

 about twenty miles north of Hambantotta. After darting 

 into the edge of the jungle, it sometimes rests a moment in 

 the tree in which it alights, before threading its way through 

 the branches, like its kindred genera, and thus affords a chance 

 of a shot. In this way I got both my birds. Mr. Laurie's 

 specimen {loc. cit.) was a male ; both mine are females, differ- 

 ing somewhat in size and under-colouring, the under surface 

 of the largest example being more rufous than that of the 

 other. The following are the dimensions of these birds : — 



!($)• 2($). 3(c^). 



in. in. in. 



Length 16 uropygials 16 (from 



shot away. skin). 



Wing 61 5-9 6-1 



Tarsus 1-65 1-6 1-85 



