1877.] THE MARdUIS OF TWEEDDALE ON BATRACHOSTOMUS. 433 



Batrachostomus javensis (Horsf.), Sclater, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 211, 

 " Banjarmassing, Borneo." 



Batrachostomus javanensis (Horsf.), Salvador!, Ucc. Borneo, 

 p. 112, ?, "Sarawak" (1874); Walden, J. A. S. B. 1875, pt. ii. 

 extra no. p. 84, "ex Sumatra." 



Hab, Sumatra, Borneo. 



Doria, according to Salvador!, /. c, notes the iris of the female, 

 ex Sarawak, as being light yellow (giallo chiaro). 



In the British Museum is preserved an example of B. cornutus, in 

 rufous plumage, from Banjarmassing, identical with an example 

 obtained by Mr. Buxton in South-east Sumatra. The national col- 

 lection also possesses examples from Sumatra, from Banjarmassing, 

 and from Labuan, in grey spotted and striated plumage, which vary 

 but slightly from one another. Podargus cornutus is the title sub- 

 stituted by Temminck for that of P. javensis, Horsf., in the belief 

 that the Javan and Sumatran species were identical, on account of 

 Horsfield's designation giving too restricted an idea of the geo- 

 graphical distribution of the species. 1'he bird figured and described 

 by Temminck (I. c), however, is not in the absolute grey or 

 mottled plumage of the male bird, but rather in the darker rufous- 

 brown phase of the female, when the upper plumage is marked with 

 fine narrow irregular transversal black markings. Dr. Jerdon (l. c.) 

 treated P. cornutus, as figured in Shaw's General Zoology (xiii. 

 pt. 2, p. 92, t. 41), as belonging to a species distinct from B. 

 javanensis, Horsf Shaw's engraving was copied from Temminck's 

 plate (l. c). 



No. 1, 2 (?) adult (?) ex Lampong district, S. E. Sumatra (mus. 

 nostr.). General colour pale clear rufous, somewhat paler than in B. 

 affinis $ adult, the description of which species will more or less apply 

 to this kind in almost every respect but size. But the wings and tail 

 are of a pale rufous-buff rather than rufous. The throat-feathers 

 are nearly all white, and are without any transverse brown lines. 

 Below they are bordered with a brown line, and then fringed with 

 rufous. Many more of the pectoral feathers have white centres ; and 

 these are all more elongated than round on the upper breast. Most 

 of the flank-feathers are largely centred with white, which does not 

 seem to be the case in B. affinis, ex Malacca. The white markings, 

 from being more numerous and larger, are much more conspicuous 

 on the under surface than in B. affinis ; and they reach to the vent. 

 The greater wing-coverts are also faintly tipped with pale albescent 

 dots. The elongated auricular plumes are rufous to the tips and 

 not brown. Wing SoO, tail 5-37, tarsus 0'68, middle toe 0'7.'), 

 bill from forehead 112, width of gape 1-38. A few feathers on the 

 anterior surface of tarsus. 



No. 2, $ (?) adult, ex Banjarmassing {Mus. Brit.) closely resembles 

 the Lampong female (?), but has the gular plumes differently marked. 

 They are white on both sides of the shaft ; an irregular transverse 

 brown line crosses the feathers when the down ceases, followed by a 

 white or fulvous white band, which is bordered below by a brown 

 transverse line, below which is a broad white band finally margined 



Proc. Zool. Soc— 1877, No. XXVIII. 28 



