Species of Pliylloscopus. 265 



than that of tlie House-Sparrow. Yet this rapidly repeated 

 chirp is its song. Like P. viridanus it breeds in rocky 

 ravines overgrown with bushes, while my P. tytleri breeds in 

 the forests, and places its nest, like P. proregulus, high up 

 a fir-tree and most difficult of access. P. humii, on the 

 other hand, is truly Phylloscopine, and places its domed 

 nest on the ground. P. magnii'ostris affects mountain- 

 torrents, where its pretty, short, shrill but very sweet song 

 can be heard clear above the roar of the waters. In such 

 difficult places I was unable to find the nest. The male and 

 female of this species differ very much in size, and a careless 

 ornithologist would easily mistake the female of it for P. 

 viridanus. I speak incidentally of the voices, nest, and eggs, 

 to show that while there is considerable resemblance, there 

 are points where there is complete divergence ; these should 

 be carefully ascertained before the attempt is made to 

 suppress a species. 



Oi P. plumbeitarsus, Mr. Seebohm says: — "This species 

 differs from the preceding solely in having the median as 

 well as the greater wing-coverts with pale tips. It appears 

 to me to be a very doubtful species ; and if Severtzoff's 

 PhyUopnenste intermedia should really prove to be an inter- 

 mediate form between it and P. viridanus, Blyth, it will have 

 to be degraded to the rank of a subspecies.'^ (Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus. vol. V. p. 46.) 



Upon this I remark, the double wing-bar instead of a single 

 one is sufficient ; moreover, we do not know both the birds' 

 voices. Still further, P. viridanus abounds in India and is 

 not found in Burmah, while P. p)lumheitarsus is common in 

 Burmah and is not found in India. Once more, the bill or 

 P. plumheitarsus differs slightly both in form and colour 

 from that of P. viridanus. Then how about the comparative 

 colour of the tarsus and foot — of course, I mean, as seen in 

 the freshly killed bird ? In the B. M. Catalogue, '' the legs, 

 feet, and claws •" of P. viridanus are described as " bluish 

 brown," but it never struck me that they were of this colour. 



Of P. lugubris Mr. Seebohm says : — ^' This species is very 

 closely allied to the preceding, being absolutely identical in 



