44 On Birds from South-eastern China. 



feather. Wing 2 inches, other measurements as in the 

 male. 



I have named this bird after Mr. de La Touche, to whose 

 gun we already owe, and to whose pen we shall before long 

 owe, much information as to the distribution of birds in the 

 Chinese Empire. 



6. HiRUNDO NIPALENSIS. 



The oriental red-inimped Swallows are confessedly a very 

 puzzling group, and even Mr. Sharpe expresses his views in 

 the B. M. Cat., vol. x., with some hesitation. Mr. de La 

 Touche has sent me fifteen specimens, which could^ perhaps, 

 be separated into two quasi-species, but which appear only 

 to differ from one another as H. rustica differs in its spring 

 and autumn dress, a view confirmed by the dates on the 

 labels. Mr. Seebohm's latest utterances in the ' Birds of the 

 Japanese Empire ' certainly simplify matters by restricting 

 the number of uncertain species, but the distinctions even 

 there seem so artificial (the wing-measurements and the more 

 or less coarse striations of the underparts) that it appears 

 impossible but that they should be still further restricted 

 ultimately. However, Mr. de La Touche's specimens may be 

 set down as H. nipalensis, the smaller of the two races with 

 coarsely striated underparts. Not one is long enough in the 

 wing to be called H. striolatus, of which Mr. Seebohm puts 

 the minimum wing-measurement at 4*9 inches. Still, all 

 the younger examples of even H. striolatus will be below 

 that. 



4 7. Gallinula (Amaurornis) coccineipes, sp. n. 



Much resembling our Waterhen (G. chloropus) in winter 

 dress at first glance. But it is a smaller bird — has no trace 

 whatever of a bare frontal plaque — no whitish under tail- 

 coverts — none of the characteristic white flank-blotches of 

 G. chloropus. 



It may be succinctly described : — Crown, back of neck, 

 back, wings (above and below), tail, flanks, and under tail- 

 coverts bistre-brown (in winter, more olive in summer) ; 

 rectrices and remiges a little darker; throat, lores^ cheeks. 



