126 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on the Genus Ithagenes. 



I should, however, before finally leaving the question as 

 to the value of this subspecies, refer to Beebe's paragraph 

 (p. 192), in which he says : '' In regard to the females, 

 those from Nepal show on the whole much more crimson 

 than birds from Sikkim. Taking the character of a distinct 

 crimson band/^ etc. After a most careful examination of 

 all the females in the British Museum and elsewhere, and of 

 the few which have come into my hands direct, I can find no 

 trace of crimson anywhere. He also adds : " The crimson 

 colour on the margins of the rectrices, which I have neve i* 

 found absent from a Nepalese female " ; this crimson also 

 I have been unable to discover. 



A simple key to the five known species of Ithagenes is 

 the following : — 



Key to the Species of Ithagenes. 



Males. 



A. Throat and chin crimson. 



a. Forehead black /. cnientus. 



b. Forehead crimson. 



a}. Anterior ear-coverts and gorget black /. kuseri. 



b^. Anterior ear-coverts yellowish with black 



edges. No gorget /. tibetanus. 



B. Throat and chin not crimson. 



c. Inner secondaries and greater coverts of wing 



partly green I. geoffroyi. 



d. Inner secondaries and greater coverts of wing 



partly tan brown /. sinensis. 



Females. 



A. Feathers of face and sides of head bright ochre- 



brown, contrasting with grey crown. 



a. General plumage rufous brown /. cruentus. 



b. General plumage brown /. kuseri. 



B. Feathers of face and sides of head grading into 



and not contrasting with grey crown. 



c. General plumage grey brown 7. geofroiji. 



d. General plumage rufous brown I. sinensis. 



The female of /. tibetanus is as yet unknown. 

 The distribution of the five species has not yet been 



