LITTLE MALAY CUCKOO-DOVE 249 
(2) green reflection on nape-feathers ; (3) white tipping on feathers of breast. 
All three of these characteristics are those of age alone, not of locality; and, 
age for age, I can see no difference in the races from any of the localities 
whence the bird is obtained, which would permit of their being separated 
into local subspecies. As I have already said, the series from Burma have a 
larger percentage of adult birds than the series from Malay, Borneo, Sumatra, 
and the other islands, and hence, as a series, show whiter throats (Streseman 
does not refer to this), breasts less marked with black and more with white, 
and comparatively a higher gloss on the nape, neck, and upper-back. 
It is, however, on the variation in size principally that Streseman relies 
as a reason for separating the four forms he recognizes. These are :— 
Macropygia ruficeps ruficeps from Java, Bali, and Lombok, with an 
average wing-measurement of 144.5 mm. and extremes of variation in eight 
birds between 140-150 mm. 
Macropygia ruficeps nana from Borneo, Sumatra, and Malacca, with an 
average wing-measurement of 137.7 mm. and extremes of 127 and 148 mm. 
Macropygia ruficeps orientalis from Pantar, Flores, and Sumbawa to 
Lombok, with a wing averaging 157.0 mm. and ranging between extremes of 
146 and 167 mm.; and finally— 
Macropygia ruficeps assimilis from Burma, with an average wing of 
146.6 mm. and extremes of 139 and 153 mm. 
To some extent these figures are borne out by measurements taken by 
myself, which read as follows :— 
Java average wing 142.7 mm. extremes 139.1 and 149.3 mm. 
Sumatra 3 » 140.4 mm. a 39:7 9, 140:95 mm: 
Borneo ap seo) mm: “5 I3i-8 5, 47.3 mm: 
Flores 5 » 154.9 mm. ee 146.0 ,, 160.0 mm. 
Malay > 136.6 mm. ni feo, sO! mm, 
Burma a a) 45:2) mm: os 140.9 ,, 150.3 mm. 
If we examine these figures carefully we find we have fairly well-defined 
groups—Java, Sumatra, etc., with a wing of about 140-142 mm., Borneo and 
Malay States with a wing of about 137 mm., and Burma with a wing of about 
145 mm. Outside these three groups we have Flores, with a very big bird 
having a wing of 155 mm. But unfortunately the series from Borneo, chiefly 
from Mount Dulit and Kina Dalu, consists almost entirely of young birds, 
the same with those from the Malay States, whereas the Burmese series 
contains a high percentage of adult birds, and those few I have been able to 
examine from Flores are all adults. Thus it is more than possible that, though 
individuals from all localities vary very greatly in size, if there were equal 
series of adult specimens from each locality the differences would disappear. 
The alleged differences in coloration, on the evidence obtainable, appear 
to be entirely due to age and sex, and in the absence of better proof of a definite 
difference in size, I must retain the Indian form under the original name of 
ruficeps; at the same time, it is more than probable that the bird from Pantar, 
Flores, and Sumbawa will turn out to be a good subspecies, greatly exceeding 
in size birds from other localities. Hartert (l.c.) separated the Sumbawa 
bird not only on account of its greater size, but by reason of its supposed 
darker, deeper rufous tail-coverts. The latter character, however, is only 
individual, and some birds from Borneo, and others again from Burma, 
are as dark as those from Sumbawa, and throughout its area of habitation 
it will be found that young birds are darker on this part of their plumage 
than are adults. 
