1866.] VISCOUNT WALDEN ON BIRDS FROM TENASSERIM. 555 



4. PaljEornis nicobaricus, Gould, Birds of Asia. 



Palceornis erythrogenis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1846, p. 23, nee Fraser, 

 P. Z. S. 1850, p. 245. 



Nos. 4, 5, 6. Andamans. 



These three specimens appear to belong to this species. The type 

 came from the Nicobars, to which islands, according to Mr. Blyth, 

 in 1846 it was supposed to he restricted. Not having been able to 

 compare Captain Beavan's specimens with Nicobar individuals, I am 

 unable to assert their identity positively. 



5. Artamus leucopygialis, Gould?, P. Z. S. 1842, p. 17- 



Nos. 7,6 , 10, $ . Andamans. 



The male specimen is that of a mature bird. The one marked a 

 female is in the usual dingy brownish speckled plumage of adoles- 

 cence ; it may, however, be a young female. At least four species 

 of Swallow Shrikes, with white rumps and under surface, have up to 

 now been regarded as distinct: — 1st, Lanius leucorhynchus, Gm., 

 from the Philippines ; 2nd, Lanius leucogaster, Valenc, ex Manilla 

 and Timor ; 3rd, Ocypterus pajmensis, Temm., ex New Guinea and 

 Timor (apud Bp.) ; 4th, Artamus leucopygialis, Gould, ex Australia. 

 Prince Bonaparte has distinguished the three first from each other 

 solely by their comparative dimensions. 



Lanius leucorhynchus, Gm., was founded on Lanius manillensis, 

 Briss. (Orn. ii. p. 130), and is equal to Lanius dominicanus, Gm., 

 founded on Sonnerat's Pie-griesche Dominiquaine ales Philippines 

 (Voy. Nouv. Guin. p. 55, pi. 25, and also figured by Buffon, PI. 

 Enl. pi. 9. f. 1). This species Valenciennes (Me'm. du Mus. 1820, 

 vi. p. 27) partly includes under his Ocypterus leucogaster, the cha- 

 racters of which he appears to have drawn, not from Manilla, but 

 from Timor specimens at the time preserved in the Paris Museum. 

 He tells us that, as all the species of the genus have the bill blue, 

 and not white, he preferred altering Gmelin's designation to that of 

 leucogaster. I have failed in seeing a Manilla specimen ; but Bris- 

 son gives the colour of the bill as gris-blanc, and Sonnerat states it 

 to be grisdtre. Both these authors described the darker portions of 

 the plumage as very dark ; the first uses the expression noirdtre, 

 while Sonnerat says that they are black ; and they are represented 

 as black in both BufFon's and Sonnerat's plates. Valenciennes de- 

 scribed his specimens as having the head, throat, wings, and the 

 tail above ardoisees. He adds that there is no more reason for 

 adopting the title of leucorhynchus than there is for adopting that of 

 dominicanus. Thus it would appear that the Manilla species is 

 altogether a darker bird than that of Timor, and that Valenciennes 

 had not seen it. 



Specimens obtained by Mr. Wallace, one in Mysol and the other 

 in Lombok, agree in every respect with the description of A. papu- 

 ensis, Temm. (Consp. G. Av. i. p. 342), and the habitat of which is 

 there given as Timor and New Guinea. But may not these really 

 represent the true leucogaster, Val. ? 



