NOVELTIES. 325 



gokltics. 



Micronisus poliopsis, Sp. Nov.? 



Very close to M. badius, GmeL, but larger, the adult males a paler 

 and purer grey, wanting the nuchal rufescent collar and the central 

 throat stripe and with cheeks and ear-coverts unicolorous with the 

 crown. 



It appears to me impossible to avoid separating the Northern 

 Pegu Shikras under a distinct name. Whether they should 

 rank as a distinct species, or only as a marked sub-species 

 or permanent race, is a different question, and one in regard 

 to which opinions will necessarily greatly differ. 



I have only been able to examine six adults and three youno- 

 birds, but both young and old differ in certain points from 

 every specimen of the enormous series of ladius which our 

 museum contains from all parts of India. 



In the first place, sex for sex, the Pegu birds are decidedly 

 larger; in five males, four adults and one young, the wino-s 

 vary from 7*3 to 7-9 ; in four females, two adults and two 

 young, the wings vary from 8 '3 to 9'1. These dimensions 

 considerably exceed those of true badius, which may be taken 

 at — females 7*8 to 8*6, and male 6*8 to 7 - 5 — the great majority 

 falling greatly within the maxima given. 



In the next place, none of the young birds have more than 

 four bands upon the central tail feathers ; whereas every 

 young banded-tailed badius that I possess has five or six bars 

 on the central tail feathers ; again the bars in the Pegu birds are 

 much broader. In the adults the males are a paler and purer 

 blue grey than in badius; they entirely want the nuchal 

 rufescent collar; they have no central throat stripe, not even 

 a trace of one in any one of the four ; and the cheeks and 

 ear-coverts, which in badius are always more or less brown, 

 are in this race unicolorous with the crown. The adult females 

 are greyer and paler than those of badius, and in them too 

 the ear-coverts are concolorous with the crown; but one of 

 them, which is, however, perhaps not fully adult, shows traces 

 of a central throat stripe. 



In both sexes the barring of the lower surfaces seems on 

 the whole broader and more strongly marked than in any 

 specimens of true badius. 



o 1 



