86



NOTES ON THE MALABAR AND GOLD-FRONTED

CHLOROPSIS.


By Frank Finn, B.A., F.Z.S.


Our Secretary has asked me to contribute an article on

these species, so I must perforce try to say something about

them, albeit the information I can give is but scanty. Indeed,

I cannot recall ever having seen the Malabar Chloropsis (Chlo)op-

sis malabarica) alive, and the Indian Museum contains but few

specimens of this bird.


The commonest species of this beautiful genus exported

from India is undoubtedly the Gold-fronted (C. aurifrons'), which

is well known as a cage-bird here under the name of Harewa

(pronounced Hurrywali). This name should, I think, be used

for the group, as they are certainly very distinct from all other

Babblers and Bulbuls, although claiming with justice a place in

one or other of these groups ; I think, myself, that they unite

the two. The Gold-fronted Harewa, then, is a bird whose general

hue is the brightest grass-green, relieved by a patch of shining

turquoise blue on the “shoulder” of each wing, displayed when

the bird is excited. The sides of the face and the throat and

fore-neck are black, and the centre of the throat, light up to the

beak , rich bj'ight blue. The forehead is fiery orange, and a yellow

zone borders the black throat below, extending more or less

faintly up the sides thereof. The hen is said to be less brilliant

in colour, but all the birds I have seen look much alike. Her

mouth is said to be brown, while that of the cock is bluish grey,

and this may afford a means of distinction. Young birds have

no black or gold on the head and only a moustache of blue.

Many are brought into Calcutta at this stage.


The Malabar Harewa resembles the Gold-fronted exactly

in size and general colour, but the black on the throat runs up

right to the base of the beak, leaving only two stripes of blue, one

on each side, like moustaches. There is no zone of yellow

bordering the black throat in those I have seen, though some are

said to show it. The hen is said hardly to differ from the cock,

and the young to be green all over.


It will be seen from this that there is about the same

difference between these two species as there is between a

“ Cheveril ” and an ordinary Goldfinch; and it is not to be

wondered at that they have got mixed up in the Zoological

Society’s list, which gives the Malabar Chloropsis as C. aurifrons.



