224 ON A NEW SPECIES OF TRIBURA (DUMETICOLA.) 



The Editor considers it ad visible, for the reasons stated, S. F., 

 VII., 37, to drop the name Bumeticola altogether, and is 

 further disposed, agreeing with me, to restrict the name 

 Schcenicola to platyura, and to use the name Tribura for all the 

 birds hitherto classed by me as Dumeticola and by him as 

 Schcenicola as well as for luteoventris. As these birds are all 

 really congeneric, I am inclined to agree, and the new bird 

 should therefore stand as Tribura intermedia, Oates. 



Note by the Editor. 



I am disposed to agree with Mr. Brooks. I have only seen 

 three specimens of T. intermedia, but these though structurally 

 very close to T. luteoventris, appear to differ from this 

 latter so persistently in colour, and I think, sex for sex, in 

 length of bill as to be specifically separable. 



We all know how birds of this class fade between the 

 autumnal moult and the end of the breeding season ; and it 

 might occur to some that intermedia was only the pale, non- 

 rufous summer plumage of luteoventris. There is not much 

 more difference between them than there is between the sum- 

 mer or terricolor, and winter or longicaudata, plumages of 

 Drymaeca inornata. But then we have a good series of T. 

 luteoventris, including a female shot in May off her eggs, and 

 this summer plumage, though far less rich and deep than that 

 of the end of October, is still altogether more rufous in tone than 

 that of intermedia killed in January. So different, that con- 

 sidering the seasons at which the specimens were collected, 

 it is impossible at present not to consider the two distinct, 

 though very closely allied and representative species. 



Another point of considerable importance is that in one or 

 two of the brightest colored intermedia, the lower surfaces were 

 yellow, but this yellow, Mr. Brooks tells me, (I have not myself 

 seen these specimens) was the clear buffy yellow of spring 

 Locusiella hcndersoni and lanceolata, and not at all the rufous 

 or ferruginous yellow of luteoventris. 



On the whole luteoventris is a bird so comparatively well 

 known to me, and of which we have such a sufficient series, 

 that we can say pretty certainly within what limits it normally 

 varies ; and although one can never speak certainly as to the 

 tone of plumage which a single sickly bird may assume — and I 

 therefore hesitated to accept intermedia on the faith of a single 

 specimen, having now seen three all alike and having obtained 

 a positive assurance that all ten specimens were alike as 

 regards general tone — I am quite prepared to admit Tribura 

 inte^Ma as prim a facie a good species. 



