Genus OSMOTRERON. 
In the British Museum Catalogue of Birds, Vol. XXI, Count 
Salvadori recognizes seventeen species in this genus, but a great 
number of his accepted species only differ very slightly from one 
another according to their geographical range, and their differences 
are certainly not of more than subspecific value. 
In the same way Blanford, prior to an acceptance of subspecies 
and of the consequent trinomial system, admitted seven species 
of Osmotreron as inhabiting the area dealt with in this book. The 
acceptance, however, of subspecies reduces the number of species 
within the limits of India, Burma, and Ceylon to four—i.e. pompadora, 
fulvicollis, bisincta, and vernans, whilst the three species phayret, affinis, 
and chloroptera are reduced to the rank of subspecies of pompadora, 
and a new subspecies is created for the northern form of bisincta under 
the name of domwvillit. 
The difference between this genus and the last (Crocopus) is very 
slight, and consists mainly in the fact that the latter genus has the 
first three primaries acuminate whilst Osmotreron has them normally 
shaped. The birds of this genus are also somewhat smaller in size, 
and the sexes are dissimilar: the males in some cases having maroon 
on the backs, and in others having highly-coloured breasts, whilst 
the females have neither. 
Key to the Species. 
A. Middle tail-feathers green : 
a. Head and neck grey and green ... ee st O. pompadora ¢. 
6. Head and neck cinnamon-red __... sd wee O. fulvicollis 3. 
ce. Tibial plumes buff or dull yellowish __... de3 O. pompadora 9°. 
d. Tibial plumes bright yellow $23 ie oes O. fulvicollis 9. 
B. Middle tail-feathers slaty-grey : 
a. Outer tail-feathers with broad grey tips over .5in. deep O. bisincta. 
6. With grey tip less than .5 in. deep ae aoe ...  O. vernans. 
