Mr. K. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Hainan. 353 



and was assured that they were indigenous to the island, but I 

 searched in vain for the bird in its wild state. I took a caged 

 specimen to Hongkong and compared it with the species sold in 

 the shops there, which, as the Chinese report, comes from South- 

 western China (Western Kwangtung, Kwangse, and so forth). 

 The Chinese race has never been described, and we may for con- 

 venience' sake designate it 



EULABES SINENSIS. 



It is smaller than E. intermedins (A. Hay) of Tennasserim, 

 has a smaller bill, and very narrow nuchal flesh-lappets. The 

 naked skin below the eye is about '7 in. broad, and in shape nearly 

 square. Its colours seemed to agree with those of the Tenas- 

 serim bird. The Hainan bird I placed alongside a Chinese spe- 

 cimen. They were both alive and I could not note their pro- 

 portions ; but they resembled one another greatly, and the only 

 character I could fix for their discrimination was the subocular 

 fleshy skin. The Hainan bird had it narrow, "25 in. ; and the 

 skin was lengthened downwards, and not square. I examined 

 several of the Chinese form, and they all agreed in having it 

 square-shaped. On this peculiarity I venture to separate the 

 Hainan race ; for my single specimen was left in charge of a 

 friend, in whose hands it died, and, notwithstanding all my care- 

 ful instructions, it was thrown away. 



In the Chinese work on the Kiungshan District of Hainan 

 the following occurs : " ^ Tsin-ke-leao ' [Eulabes, sp.]. South 

 of the Meiling [mountains north-west of Canton city] there 

 is a bird in appearance like the 'Keu-kuh' \_Acridotheres], 

 but larger and violet-black. The sides of its head have yellow 

 flesh. It has a crimson bill and yellow feet, man's tongue, 

 and man's eye ; below the eye connecting with the neck is a 

 deep-yellow patch. White examples also occur. Its eye is 

 of three kinds. The yellow-eyed is the ' Golden Crackle,' 

 and is the best. The white-eyed is the ' Silver Crackle,' and 

 stands next. The black-eyed is the ' Iron Crackle,' and is 

 the most inferior. Kept long it can learn man's words. It is 



vulgarly called ' Leao-ko.' It bears also the name ' Han-kin ' 



[Bird of Han] ". 



Du Halde [op. cit.) mentions this bird as follows : " Merles 



2 c 2 



