Mr, R. Swinhoe on Chinese Ornithology. 269 



its iris to be always black. This convinced me that the Can- 

 ton bird with the yellow iris must be distinct. It had passed 

 into the Norwich Museum ; but I had with me a rufescent 

 bird of the same race from South Fokien. Mr. J. H. Gurney 

 lent me the Norwich specimen ; and after careful comparison 

 with my series of its Chinese ally^ I beg to offer the following 

 distinctive characters under a name taken from its chestnut- 

 coloured knee {Kafiirr) =flexus) : — 



Lempijius erythrocampe. 



This is a smaller bird than typical L. glabripes, mihi. It 

 is to be distinguished by the patch of brown round the eye 

 continuing backwards to the ear-tuft. Its collar is not con- 

 tinued across the breast. The reddish bands across the wing- 

 quills are broader, and there is a distinct patch of cinnamon 

 on its knee-joints (whence its name). I transcribe from the 

 paper above referred to my notes on the fresh Canton bird. 



Length 8*5 inches, wing 7, tail 3'6. Bill pale flesh-grey, mth 

 a pale yellowish rim to the mandibles. Eyes very large, about 

 •8 inch in diameter; iris golden burnt-sienna, but so narrow, 

 that this colour is seldom visible, the immense pupil filling 

 nearly all the space between the lids. Skin round the eye 

 madder-brown. Ear-coverts very large and oval, nearly f inch 

 in length by about -f in width, the lunar-shaped orifice oc- 

 cupying about one third of the oval on the part distant from 

 the eye ; colour of the conch-rim yellowish, inside light blue- 

 grey. Legs feathered to the end of tarsus ; toes naked, light 

 brownish flesh-colour ; claws light brownish grey, with black- 

 ish tips. There were numerous eggs in the ovary. 



A female L. glabripes was brought to mc up country at 

 Ningpo on the 28th May, together with its five young. In 

 the old bird the iris was black; in the young birds deep blue. 

 About this date, at the same place, the report of a gun fired 

 at some Crows startled a female of this species from a hollow 

 in the side of a large tree, which was partly filled up with 

 debris and rubbish. The bird was shot, and a day or two 

 after I sent a man to examine the hollow. After much search 

 he came upon three round white eggs ; their contents all gone, 



SER. III. VOL. IV. u 



