160 Zoological Society : — 



Descriptions of Sixteen New Species of Birds from 

 THE Island of Formosa, collected by Robert Swinhoe, 

 Esq., Her Majesty's Vice- Consul at Formosa. By John 

 Gould, Esq., F.R.S., etc. 



Parus castaneoventris, Gould. 



A bar across the forehead and cheeks white ; crown of the head, 

 back of the neck, throat, and chest jet-black ; on the nape a spot of 

 pure white, bounded below by a slight mark of chestnut ; mantle, 

 back, shoulders, upper surface, wings, and thighs very deep blue- 

 grey ; abdomen and under tail-coverts rich chestnut ; bill bluish 

 black. 



Total length, 4 inches ; bill, | ; wing, 2| ; tail. If ; tarsi, f . 



Remai'k. — This species is very similar in colour to the Parus va- 

 rius of Japan ; but differs in having a much smaller amount of 

 chestnut on the back, and in its smaller size. 



Alcippe brunnea, Gould. 



Feathers of the crown and upper surface deep reddish brown, 

 those of the crown slightly fringed with a darker tint, giving that 

 part a scaled appearance; a longitudinal black stripe commences 

 above the eye and passes down towards the nape, separating the 

 brown colouring of the crown from the grey of the sides of the face 

 and ear-coverts ; throat and under surface brownish grey ; flanks 

 wood-brown ; primaries and tail-feathers uniform chestnut-brown ; 

 thighs reddish brown ; bill horn-colour ; legs and toes flesh-white. 



Total length, 4| inches ; bill, -^-^ ; wing, 2^ ; tail, 2 ; tarsi, |. 



Remark. — A small brown bird, rather less in size than Accentor 

 modularis. 



Myiophoneus insxjlaris, Gould. 



Lores jet black ; forehead crossed by a narrow band of shining 

 deep blue ; crown of the head, throat, back of the neck, all the 

 upper surface and the tail obscure blackish blue ; shoulders very 

 bright metallic blue ; primaries and greater wing-coverts margined 

 externally with bright blue ; feathers of the chest and upper part of 

 the abdomen black, with shining blue tips ; lower part of the abdo- 

 men, thighs, under tail-coverts, and the under side of the tail-feathers 

 dull black ; bill and legs black. 



Total length, 11 finches; bill. If; wing, 6|^ ; tail, 5^; tarsi, 2-i-. 



Remark. — This is a much larger bird than the Myiophoneus cceru- ' 

 leus of China ; it also differs in the finer blue of the breast, and in the 

 total absence of the spangled spots of shining blue which occur on 

 the back of that species. 



Garrulax ruficeps, Gould. 



Lores and chin black ; forehead and crown, down to the nape, light 

 orange-red ; ear-coverts orange-brown ; mantle, back, rump, sides of 

 the chest, flanks, thighs, and two middle tail-feathers light brown ; 

 primaries blackish brown, margined externally with light olive-brown ; 



