species of the Henits RlieiiKinlliup. IXW 



exhibited in tlic gallery of the I'aris Museum, is still care- 

 fully preserved. My material lor making this epmparison 

 was ample, for, in addition to two very fine mounted speci- 

 mens, there were a dozen or more loose feathers brought by 

 the collector. 



I was at once impressed by the difference between these 

 feathers, for while the long tail-feathers of the birds from 

 Aunam measure 5.1 inches in width, that of the R.'( octllulus 

 only measures 4, the length being about the same. The 

 latter feather docs not have the pale grey on both sides of 

 the shaft, so conspicuous on the feathers of the Annam 

 species, this |)art being nnu-h darker, more of a leaden hue, 

 while the snuiU spots are pale clay-colour, not white ; these 

 are correctly represented on the plate in the ^Monograph, 

 although in the description in the ' Annals ' they were 

 erroneously stated to be white, an error caused from writing 

 the description in London without having the feather before 

 me. On account of the feather being so much narrower, the 

 two rows of large dark red spots with black centres occupy 

 a much larger space ou the feather, nearly half of the 

 entire width of each web, and the red on the inner web 

 is often in irregular lines and blotches ; this is also very 

 correctly shown in ]\Ir. Wolf's drawing in the jMonograjjli. 

 In fact, this is in every way a very faithful representation 

 of the original, except in two particulars : the shaft is 

 too large, it being really about the size of those in the 

 feathers of the Annam birds, and also too red, at least 

 as it is now in the original, which is a pale red (it may 

 have faded), a very different colour indeed from the shaft of 

 the other species. The general appearance of the R. ? ocel- 

 latus feather is a kind of pah; greyish-brown, spotted ou both 

 webs with small paleclay-eolourcd dots, surrounded with black, 

 and with large red spots with black centres covering nearly 

 half the width of both webs from the shaft ; the rest of the 

 web to the margin is brownish-red, frequently displayed 

 in irregular lines and blotches. It will thus be seen that, 

 while in some respects there is a similarity in the markings 

 of these feathers when compared, yet in their general appear- 

 ance they are very different, and, in my opinion, rei)resent 

 two very distinct species. Of these one, from an unknown 

 locality, will remain, if it is correct to include it in the same 

 genus, as Rheinardlius oce/ialtis, while the other, from 

 Annam, mu>t be known by the unfortunate tautological 

 name of RItvinardlius rheinariUius. 



