NO. 3 AVIAN GENUS PRINIA — DEIGNAN II 



7. PRINIA POLYCHROA COOKI (Harington) 



Suya crinigera cooki Harington, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 31, p. 109, 1913 

 (Thayetmyo, Burma). 



Upper parts dark olivaceous brown, almost free of rufescent or 

 ochraceous wash, the feathers with faintly darker centers which 

 scarcely appear as broad streaks (summer) ; similar, but with a faint 

 rufescent wash and the obsolescent darker centers of the feathers a 

 little more distinct, although less so than in the corresponding dress 

 of parumstriata (winter). 



It is remarkable that this species is known from the Indo-Chinese 

 countries (exclusive of Burma) only in East Siam, Low Laos, 

 Cambodia, and South Annam. It is still more remarkable that the 

 isolated population inhabiting those districts should be identical with 

 that of Thayetmyo but I have been unable to examine topotypical 

 material of cooki and Dr. Delacour assures me that the two popula- 

 tions are indeed inseparable. 



8. PRINIA POLYCHROA POLYCHROA (Temminck) 



Mahirus polychrons Temminck, Nouv. Rec. PI. Col. Ois., vol. 3, [livr. 78], 

 pi. 466, fig. 3, 1828 (Java). 



Polychroa closely resembles cooki of Annam at any season but 

 differs in having the upper parts with an ashy, rather than a rufescent, 

 wash. Worn specimens of the two races tend to approximate each 

 other but the distinction "here given is readily seen in f resh-plumaged 

 examples. 



The relationship between Pririia polychroa and Pr. sylvatica of 

 India and Ceylon should be investigated by someone with better 

 material than is available to me. 



VI 



Chasen" has already, in my opinion correctly, made the Malaysian 

 races of "Sitya" siiperciliaris Anderson 1871 conspecific with "Suya" 

 atrogularis Moore 1854, with the result that atrogularis becomes the 

 proper name for the species. With the union of the genera Suya and 

 Prinia, however, the Chinese subspecies becomes Prinia atrogularis 

 supcrciliaris Anderson 1871 and the Bornean bird hitherto called 

 Prinia flavivenfris superciliaris Salvador! ' is left without a valid 

 name ; for it I propose 



^Handlist Malaysian Birds, p. 254, 1935. 



'Ann. Mus. Civ. St. Nat. [Genova], sen i, vol. 5, p. 249, 1874. 



