igiQ-l OrientallVoodpeckers ayid Barbels. 215 



+ 



THEREICERYX FAIOSTEICTA. 



There seems to be great confusion in respect to the 

 pioper name which this Barbet should bear. 



Temmiuck originally described it as Bucco faiostricta 

 (PL Col. iii. 1.S31, pi. 527) a\id gave its habitat as Cochin 

 China. In the B.M. Catalogue Temminck is misquoted as 

 Bucco flavostrictus (Cat. B.M. xix. 1891, p. 7&), and Gray 

 (Genera B. ii. 1846, p. 429j calls it Megalcema faiostrictus 

 but is again misquoted in the Catalogue as M.jiavostriata. 

 Then Neumann (Bull. B. O. C. xxiii. 1909, p. 31) mis- 

 quotes Shelley as Cyanops ph(BOstricta instead of Cyanops 

 ph(Eostriata, and here refei's to its having been found in 

 south China, and on the strength of this makes a bird 

 from Saigon, Cochin China, a new subspecies nnder the 

 name saigonensis, the grounds for its separation being its 

 small size, i. e. a wing of only 102 mm. as against his south 

 Chinese birds with wings from 112 to 118 mm. 



As Kloss correctly shows, however, the original type 

 came from Cochin China, so saigonensis is only a synonym 

 of faiostricta. Kloss then names the south Chinese birds 

 p7'atermissus, on account of their comparatively large size 

 rendeiing it necessary to divide them from the Cochin 

 China bird. This distinction does not, however, seem to 

 liold good, though Kloss's name must probably be retained 

 on other grounds. 



We have now a fair amount of material available for com- 

 parison. In the British Museum there are eight specimens 

 of this Barbet — 3 from Ok-Yam, Franco-Siamese boundary, 

 wings 108-112 mm.; 2 from Nhatraug, Annam, wdth wings 

 of 109 mm.; and one, Neumann^s type, from Saigon, with 

 a wing of 102 mm. In Mr. Herbert's collection are two from 

 Hoop Boon, Sriracha, with wings of 112 and 114 mm. 

 respectively. Count Gyldenstolpe has a fine series of 

 13 birds with wings varying between 110 and 115 mm. ; 

 and, finally, Kloss records one from Lat Bua Kao with 

 a wing of 108 mm. Kobinson's four birds from Ok-Yam 

 are said to have wings over 112 mm. 



SKH. XI. VOL. i. K 



