288 NOTES. 



' cinereocapilla wanting the grey on the back. None of these 

 Prinias migrate across the Himalayas, and if cinereocapilla 

 were a bond fide resident species, it seems incredible that 

 amongst the tens of thousands of specimens that have passed 

 through the hands of, or been examined by, Mandelli, Brooks 

 and myself, we should only have come across four specimens, 

 including the single specimen procured by Anderson. Of course, 

 it may be a good species, but at present the probabilities are 

 against this, and I think we may certainly conclude that, 

 whatever conclusion may ultimately be arrived at in regard 

 to cinereocapilla, poliocephala at any rate is not a good species. 



Amongst Mr. Mandelli's specimens, I find numerous 

 examples of Gracupica. nigricollis, Payk, some of which 

 are said to have been collected on the Tenasserim River, close 

 to the Siamese Frontier. The locality whence these specimens 

 are said to have come was never. reached by Davison or any 

 of my parties, and it may be that this bird really does occur 

 there. It is very common just across the frontier in Siam, and 

 may, as stated, occur just inside our boundai'y near the low 

 pass or gap in the main range, through which the road from 

 Tavoy vid Mitamyo runs to Bankok. 



It seems desirable, therefore, to give a description of the 

 species. 



This bird (which will stand as, ? 683 ter, in our list) is very 

 much of the Sturnopastor type, but is considerably larger. The 

 following are measurements taken from skius, one from Amoy, 

 three from Bankok, and four from the Tenasserim frontier. 

 The females are rather smaller than the males. 



Length, 10*5 to 11*5 ; wing. 59 to 6 '4 ; * tail from insertion 

 of feathers, 35 to 4*0 ; tarsus, 1*3 to 1*6 ; bill from frontal 

 bone, straight to point, 1*25 to 1*4. 



The bill appears to have been horny blackish brown, with, 

 perhaps, a slight reddish tinge ; the extreme tips yellowish 

 horny ; the legs and feet are said to be greyish yellow, and 

 the large bare space under and behind the eye bright yellow, (?) 

 becoming orange posteriorly. 



The entire head above and below (except the bare facial 

 space) pure white, more or less sullied in many specimens. 

 The feathers of the crown and occiput somewhat elongated, so 

 as to form a short full crest. The neck all round, and the ex- 

 treme upper portion of the breast, a more or less dull black. 

 Below this, the breast, abdomen, vent, lower tail-coverts, sides 

 and flanks white, the flanks with a few brown feathers inter- 

 mingled. 



* Pe"re David gives the wing at 6'8, but in none of our specimens does it exceed 

 638. 



