﻿Genera 
  of 
  Oriental 
  Barbets. 
  237 
  

  

  A 
  most 
  important 
  character 
  in 
  these 
  birds, 
  and 
  one 
  which 
  I 
  

   am 
  disposed 
  to 
  regard 
  as 
  of 
  generic 
  importance, 
  is 
  the 
  pos- 
  

   session 
  of 
  bright 
  red 
  lower 
  tail-coverts. 
  The 
  bill, 
  too, 
  is 
  

   pale 
  in 
  colour 
  and 
  peculiarly 
  shaped, 
  high 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  with 
  

   the 
  culmen 
  slightly 
  curved, 
  whilst 
  the 
  nostrils 
  are 
  concealed 
  

   by 
  dense 
  plumes. 
  Xow 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  little-known 
  species 
  of 
  

   Barbet, 
  M. 
  lagrandieri, 
  found 
  in 
  Cochin-China, 
  but 
  unfor- 
  

   tunately 
  not 
  represented, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  I 
  know, 
  in 
  any 
  English 
  

   collection, 
  that 
  agrees 
  with 
  typical 
  Megaldsma 
  in 
  these 
  cha- 
  

   racters, 
  and 
  should, 
  I 
  think, 
  be 
  referred 
  to 
  it. 
  This 
  species 
  

   has 
  been 
  described 
  and 
  figured 
  by 
  Jules 
  Yerreaux, 
  and 
  the 
  

   figure 
  is 
  copied 
  and 
  the 
  description 
  translated 
  in 
  Messrs. 
  

   MarshalFs 
  Olouograph 
  of 
  the 
  Capitonidse.' 
  

  

  ]S 
  early 
  allied 
  to 
  Meyal<B 
  na, 
  but 
  distinguished 
  by 
  the 
  want 
  

   of 
  the 
  bright 
  red 
  under 
  tail-coverts, 
  by 
  the 
  whole 
  head, 
  neck, 
  

   and 
  breast 
  being 
  brown 
  with 
  paler 
  stria, 
  by 
  having 
  a 
  some- 
  

   what 
  difi'erently 
  shaped 
  bill, 
  lower 
  at 
  the 
  base, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  

   nostrils 
  being 
  free 
  from 
  plumes, 
  is 
  the 
  group 
  so 
  often 
  men- 
  

   tioned 
  as 
  section 
  c 
  of 
  the 
  Monograph. 
  For 
  this 
  I 
  propose 
  

   the 
  name 
  Thereiceryx*, 
  the 
  type 
  being 
  Bucco 
  zeylonicus, 
  

   Gmel. 
  The 
  bill 
  is 
  reddish, 
  brownish, 
  or 
  yellow, 
  not 
  black, 
  

   and 
  is 
  intermediate 
  in 
  shape 
  between 
  that 
  of 
  Megalcema 
  and 
  

   that 
  of 
  Cyanops. 
  With 
  the 
  typical 
  species, 
  T. 
  zeylunicus, 
  I 
  

   unite 
  Bucco 
  caniceps, 
  Franklin, 
  and 
  Megalama 
  inornata, 
  

   Walden, 
  the 
  Ceylon 
  and 
  South- 
  Indian 
  form 
  zeylonicus 
  being 
  

   simply 
  a 
  smaller 
  and 
  darker 
  and 
  more 
  richly 
  coloured 
  variety 
  

   of 
  the 
  North- 
  Indian 
  caniceps. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  rule, 
  not 
  con- 
  

   fined 
  to 
  birds, 
  that 
  animals 
  from 
  Ceylon 
  and 
  the 
  southern 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  Indian 
  Peninsula 
  are 
  smaller 
  and 
  more 
  deeply 
  

   coloured 
  than 
  those 
  from 
  Xorthern 
  India. 
  A 
  good 
  example 
  

   is 
  afforded 
  by 
  Eurystomus 
  latior 
  (Sharpe, 
  P. 
  Z. 
  S. 
  1890, 
  

   p. 
  551). 
  The 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  Thereiceryx 
  besides 
  T. 
  zey- 
  

   lonicus 
  are 
  Capito 
  lineatus, 
  Vieill. 
  (I 
  agree 
  with 
  Captain 
  

   Shelley 
  in 
  regarding 
  Megalcenia 
  hodgsoni, 
  Bp., 
  as 
  identical), 
  

   Bucco 
  viridis, 
  Bodd., 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  from 
  Cochin-China 
  to 
  

  

  • 
  " 
  Herald 
  of 
  the 
  hot 
  season 
  " 
  : 
  Bipos, 
  summer, 
  the 
  hot 
  season 
  ; 
  and 
  

   KTjpv^, 
  a 
  herald. 
  The 
  loud 
  notes 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  ai'e 
  constantly 
  uttered 
  just 
  

   before 
  and 
  duimg- 
  the 
  hut 
  season. 
  

  

  