1918.] to Messrs. Robinson and Kloss. 597 



Museum named intermedia by Hume, some of which have 

 pure white under tail-coverts, whilst some have them white 

 with greyish bases. 



-T Volvocivora polioptera. 



Kloss, Ibis, 1918, p. 194. 

 Kloss has revived the name polioptera Sharpe, on the 

 grounds that three birds obtained by him at Koh Lak 

 show that Sharpens original diagnosis was correct and that 

 polioptera is a diflFerent bird to typical neglecta. Sharpe 

 himself, however, later on agreed with Gates that the two 

 supposed species are one and the same and impossible to 

 divide, and there is no doubt that the three actual speci- 

 mens named polioptera by Ogilvie-Grant are nothing but 

 young neglecta. This is confirmed by the specimens ob- 

 tained by Herbert at Tung Song and Klong Wanghip, 

 which are all, without doubt, referable to the latter species! 



-rOtocompsa flaviventris minor. 

 Kloss, Ibis, 1918, p. 200. 



Mr. Kloss names this subspecies on a single small female 

 from south-west Siam, rightly pointing out its small size 

 compared with typical O. /. flaviventris from Bengal. 



Gyldenstolpe's Bulbul, 0. /. johnsoni, is, however, common 

 in south-west Siam, as is shown by the splendid series ob- 

 tained by Mr, Herbert and now in the British Museum, 

 and Kloss's minor is probably nothing but a young bird 

 of this subspecies, an opinion in which 1 have no doubt 

 Mr. Kloss would have concurred had he had Mr. Herbert's 

 birds before him for examination. 



I propose to comment later on on some of Mr. Kloss^s 

 new subspecies of Woodpecker which do not appear to stand 

 the test of an examination of material probably much in 

 excess of that at the command of Mr. Kloss. It is to be 

 regretted, perhaps, that with birds so very variable indi- 

 vidually Mr. Kloss has attempted to found subspecies on 

 single specimens, a practice wliich he and Mr. Robinson 

 so wisely hold in abhorrence as a general rule. 



