Birds observed in the Island of Negi'os. 99 



The rainy season commences on the western coasts of the 

 Philippines at the end of April^ and continues to September, the 

 eastern coasts being dry until October, when they, in their turn, 

 become subject to heavy rains, Mr. L. Layard thus alludes to 

 the ushering in of the May monsoon : — " The monsoon broke on 

 the 25th of April, and Snipe and Ducks are beginning to come 

 in with the rains; I have shot two Curlews also. Last week I 

 was riding I'ouud, and a pair of Ducks in a buffalo wallow let 

 me ride up to them within ten yards. I galloped home, loaded 

 the one barrel of L.'s rusty old gun, that had a nipple in, and re- 

 turned. They were still there, and I took one as they rose. 

 They are fine birds, as large as a 'Geelbec^ {Anas flavirostris), 

 pearly-grey bodies, reddish heads, and blue-striped wings — 

 first-rate eating ! There is also another Duck in the island, 

 smaller, and more red about it. They are called here ' Gatek.'' 

 I bagged five of them at Samag last week.^^ The small species 

 is probably Dendroctjgna vagans ; the larger we are unable, for 

 want of an example, to identify. The description given above 

 does not agree with any one of the only four species of Ducks 

 known to inhabit the Philippines. 



The following list contains the names of the species repre- 

 sented by examples sent to England. An account of the eggs 

 collected is added, 



Chrysocolaptes xanthocephalus, sp. nov. (Plate IV.) 



Entire head, including the normal generic crest, chin, cheeks, 

 and ear-coverts, and the whole under surface of body, except the 

 throat and breast, pure golden yellow, brightest on crest. A 

 very faint mesial chin-line, and two equally faint lines following 

 the rami of the mandible, brown. Throat and breast covered 

 with scale-like golden-fulvous feathers, each being broadly and 

 distinctly bordered with black. Back, uropygium, wing-coverts, 

 and secondary quills carmine. Upper tail-coverts and rec- 

 ti-ices deep brown. Primary and spurious quills dark brown, 

 the outer edges of the spurious quills, and the outer edges of 

 the basal half of the primaries being golden olive. 



First primary unspotted, but with white indicated at the 

 inner edge of web near the insertion. Two white spots on inner 



