CISTICOLA. 581 



in trees and singing. Four females from Mindanao measure: Length, 

 105; wing, 46; tail, 38; culmen, 12; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 

 17. Legs, feet, and nails pale reddish brown; upper mandible nearly 

 black, lower pale at tip, black at base." (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



565. CISTICOLA EXILIS (Vigors and Horsfield). 

 GOLDEN-HEADED CISTICOLA. 



Malurus exilis VIGORS and HORSFIELD, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1825), 15, 223. 



Cisticola exilis SHARPE, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 269; Hand-List 

 (1903), 4, 198; WHITEHEAD, Ibis (1899), 221 (habits); GATES and 

 REID, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 194; MCGREGOR and WORCESTER, 

 Hand-List (1906), 89. 



Pi-rot, Bohol, Siquijor; pi-pit co-gon, Manila. 



Bantayan (McGregor] ; Bohol (McGregor) Calamianes (Bourns & Worces- 

 ter) ; Caluya (Porter) ; Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor) ; Leyte (Bartsch) ; 

 Lubang (McGregor) ; Luzon (Steere Exp,, Whitehead, McGregor) ; Marinduque 

 (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns d Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Bourns d 

 Worcester) ; Mindoro (Bourns d Worcester, McGregor) ; Negros (Everett, Bourns 

 d Worcester) ; Panay (Bourns d Worcester) ; Romblon (Bourns d Worcester) ; 

 San.ar (Bourns d Worcester); Semirara (McGregor d Worcester); Sibay (Mc- 

 Gregor d Worcester) ; Sibuyan (Bourns d Worcester) ; Siquijor (Bourns d Wor- 

 cester, Celestino) ; Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns d Worcester); Tablas (Bourns d 

 Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor). Southern China, India 

 Peninsula, Burmese provinces, Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, Australia, 



Formosa. 



i 



Adult male (May to August). Top of head golden buff becoming 

 dusky on hind neck; back ashy gray heavily streaked with black; lower 

 back, rump, and tail-coverts dark tawny buff ; under parts heavily washed 

 with tawny buff, most heavily on sides and thighs ; middle of breast and 

 thighs lighter and nearly white; wing-feathers blackish brown, more or 

 less edged with ashy gray or rusty buff; tail blackish, tipped with dark 

 buff. A male from Bohol measures: Wing, 42; tail, 31; culmen from 

 base, 10 ; bill from nostril, 6 ; tarsus, 29. 



Female. Similar to the male, but top of head fulvous-brown, heavily 

 streaked with black. 



Male in non-breeding plumage resembles the female, having a streaked 

 crown and the under parts mostly white. 



Young, in first plumage, resemble the adult in non-breeding plumage, 

 but the under parts, especially the face, throat, and breast, are washed 

 with pale lemon-yellow. 



"Three males from Sulu measure: Length, 90; wing, 40.6; tail, 35.5; 

 culmen, 11.6 ; tarsus, 17 ; middle toe with claw, 14. Two females, length, 

 97; wing, 40; tail, 36.5; culmen, 12; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 

 15." (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



