96 ON XEW SPECIES OF BIRDS FEOM SOUTHEEN ASIA. [1870. 



Judging from the length of the wing in Mr. Hume's alleged B. cifreohis (Pall.), it must be 

 Ibis,^1870, distiuct from the Siberian bird, being less by fully -5 in. ; but, in truth, mere dimensions, except 

 where of fully adult individuals, are not trustworthy data on which to build sjiecies. 



Yours, &€., 



Walden. 

 Chislehurst, Feb. 17, IS 70. 



A. jr. X. H. Descriptions of some new Species of Birds from Southern Asia. By Arthur, Viscount Walden, 

 p. 416. P.Z.S. &c. [From the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural Historj,' ser. 4, vol. v., June 1870.] 



Geocichla l.\tardi, n. sp. 



The G^oc?V^/« of Ceylon is most nearly allied to G. citrina (Lath.), of Northern and Central 

 India, and not, as might have been expected, to G. cyanota (J. & S.) of Malabar. From Latham's 

 bird it is to be readily distinguished by the much deeper orange of the head and nape, these parts 

 being of the same dark shade of orange-brown characteristic of G. ruhecula, Gould, ex Java. On 

 the under surface the orange tints are brighter and richer than in citrina, yet not nearly so dark 

 as in G. ruhecula; the blue-grey portion of the plumage is likewise darker than in G. citrina, hnt 

 not so dark as in G. ruhecula. In the distribution of the white plumage the three species 

 resemble each other ; they appear, along with G. ruhir/inosa, Miiller, ex Timor, to form a small 

 natural section. Wing 4f inches, bill }. 



Described from a single Ceylon example, and which is marked by the collector as " rare." 



A. M. N. n. Irexa turcosa, n. sp. 



Ber. 4, vol. v. 



p. 417. Irena puella (Lath.), Horsf. Linn. Tr. xiii. p. 153. 



The species belonging to the genus Ircna may be divided into two sections: — the first con- 

 sisting of a single species, /. cyanocjnstra. Vigors, from the Philippines ; the second comprising, 

 at the least, three closely related species, of which I. puella (Latham) may be made the type. 

 I. puella appears to be restricted to the Western Ghauts of India and to Ceylon ; for, judging 

 only, it is true, from the examples of the female, the Burmese race belongs to that of Malacca ; 

 and individuals from Arracan and Assam Avill, in all probability, be found to agree with those 

 from Burma. The Malayan form, /. cynnca (Bogbic) (Malayan peninsula, 1834) = /. mataycnsis, 

 Moore, frequents both the peninsula of Malacca and the island of Sumatra ; for between examples 

 from these two localites I can detect no distinction. Java contains a third species, the /. puella 

 (Lath.), ap. Horsf. ; and it is for this species I propose the title given above. As in /. cyanea 

 (Begbie), the Javan Troia has the upper and under tail-coverts much more developed than in 

 /. puella from the Western Ghauts. In my Javan examples the tail-coverts surpass the rectrices 



