PTEKUTHIUS. 331 



pliagklce but, tliough tliey may in some respects approach this 

 family, they seem to me to be nearer the Timaliidce, in which 

 I retain them. 



The bill is about one-half the length of the head, strongly hooked 

 at the tip and with the margins sinuate ; the rictal bristles are 

 weak. The nostrils are the same as in Liothriv hitea as are also 

 the wing and tail but the upper tail-coverts only reach to the 

 middle of the tail. The feathers of the crown are ample but do 

 not form a crest, the tarsus is strong and quite Timaliine. 



Key to Sitecies and Subspecies. 



A. Inner secondaries chestnut. 



a. Crown black P. crijthruptcrits, S ■, P- ^-'^l- 



h. Crown bluish irrev P. erythrontcnis, 9 , p. 832. 



[p. 333, 



B. Inner secondaries golden jellosv 1\ ceralatus (eralatiis, S , 



C. Inner secondaries tipped with chestnut P. ce. cBralatus, $ , p. 333. 



D. Inner secondaries bluish grey or green . 



c. Crown greenish yellow. 



a'. Nape bhiish-ashy. [p. 333. 



a" . Tips of wing-coverts white .... P. melanotis melanotis^ J , 



6". Tips of wing-coveits salmon-pink P. m. melanotis, ^, p. 334. 

 V . Nape greenish yellow. 



c". Tips of wing-coverts white .... P. m. intermedins,!^, p. 335. 



d". Tips of wing-coverts salmon-pink P. m. intermedins, 5 , p- 335. 



d. Crown Ijlackish. [c/iloris, (S , p. 335. 

 c'. No wdiite ring round eye P. dunthochloris xantJio- 



d'. A white ring round eye P. x. pallida, (^ . 



e. Crown dark grey. 



e' . No white ring round eye P. -v. xanthuchloris, 5 , p. 336. 



/'. A white ring round eye P.x. pallida, 5 . 



f. Crown pale ash-grej' P. x. occidentalis, S , p. 336. 



//. Crown pale greenish grey P.x. occident<ilis,2 , ^-SSii. 



P. .r. pallida (David, Yunnan) is very likely to be found in 

 the N. Shan States, so is included in the key. 



(354) Pteruthius erythropterus. 



The Eeo-winged Sheike-Babblee. 



Lanius erythroptenis Vigors, P. Z. S., p. 22 (1831) (Himalaya Mt.) 



(Murree, Punjab). 

 Pteruthius erythropterus. Blanf. & Gates, i, p. 224. 



Vernacular names. Dan-hranji (Cachari). 



Description. — Adult male. Forehead to nape, lores, under the ej'e 

 and ear-coverts black ; a broad white supercilium ; upper plunuige 

 bluish grey, some of the upper tail-coverts tipped with black ; tail 

 and wing-coverts black; primaries and outer secondaries darkbrown, 

 edged with glossy black and tipped with ^hite ; inner secondaries 

 chestnut, lower plumage very pale greyish white, the sides of the 

 throat, centre of the abdomen, vent and under wing- and tail- 

 coverts pure white ; lower parts of the flanks pale rusty. 



