216 Mr. J. Wliiteliead on Birds 



102. Irena cyanogastra Vigors. (Grant, Ibis, 1896, 

 p. 116.) 



Tliis handsome Blue-bird was met with in the thick forests 

 of Cape Engano. The Philippine Irence are more difficult to 

 obtain than the species found in Borneo and Palawan, owing 

 to their habit of keeping so much in the topmost branches 

 of high forest-trees. The skin is also almost as tender as 

 that of a Trogon, and a fall from the top of a forest-tree often 

 entirely ruins the specimen. These birds are also easily 

 alarmed and quickly disappear ; so that, but for their peculiar 

 call-note, one might tramp the forest in vain. This species 

 was known to my hunter as the " Villiareyni.^' 



The Palawan Irena (/. tweeddalii) is closely allied to 

 /. criniger of Borneo, both in coloration and in having a 

 differently-coloured female ; but the upper and lower tail- 

 coverts are short, like those of the Philippine species, not 

 reaching to and often beyond the tail. The Irence are only 

 found in the western Philippines — Luzon, Samar, Leite, and 

 Mindanao. 



Iris scarlet-lake; bill and feet black. 



103. Irena ell^ Steere. (Grant, Ibis, 1897, p. 228.) 

 Met with rarely in Samar, but in the mountains of North 



Leite the species was fairly common, frequenting at times 

 even the lower growth ; but unfortunately during the time of 

 our visit all birds were in full moult and quite useless. 

 Iris lake-red ; bill and feet black. 



104<. Brachypteryx poltogyna Grant, Ibis, 1895, p. 446, 

 pi. xii. fig. 1. 



During our first expedition to Benguet we did not meet 

 with this species, owing to the want of suitable forest. In 

 Lepanto w^e obtained specimens at from 6000 to 8000 feet 

 in the oak-forests. In such forests the ground is fairly clear, 

 affording the bird suitable hunting-grounds, but in the 

 Benguet pine-foi'ests the ground is covered with grass. This 

 Brachijpteryx was fairly plentiful on the table-topped summit 

 of Monte Data, but it was difficult to obtain. It is partial 

 to the vicinity of small streams, and the male is a beautiful 



