448 NOVELTIES. 



differences in the plumage of the sexes. Again both Mr. Man- 

 delli and Mr. Brooks placed rufogularis as a Minla (I have 

 not myself seen a specimen) ; whereas this present bird is a 

 typical Proparus with a still stronger and more Parian bill than 

 vinipectus. 



On the whole I have no doubt that it is distinct. Our bird 

 I may note is from the outskirts of the Pine forests above the 

 Salween, Mandelli's was from Sikhim. 



The dimensions of the present species, as recorded in the 

 flesh, were : — 



Length, 5'5 ; tail, from vent, 2*35 ; wing, 2-05 ; tarsus, 

 0*9 ; bill, from gape, 0*6 ; bill, at front, - 4 ; weight, 0*5 oz. 



Legs, feet, and claws fleshy pink ; bill black, tip albescent 

 horny ; irides pale yellowish red. 



The forehead is a clear pale rufous ; the crown, occiput, and 

 nape a rich rufous olive brown, each feather narrowly, so 

 narrowly as to be barely perceptible, fringed with dark brown 

 so as to impart a slightly scaly appearance ; anterior portion 

 of lores pale rufescent, paler and duller than the forehead ; 

 posterior portion of lores, ear-coverts, and an- indistinct ring 

 round the eye brown ; eyelid feathers white. Over the eye, 

 beginning half way between the anterior angle and the upper 

 margin a pure white streak runs backwards over the eye-coverts 

 and a little further back. Above this, but only commencing 

 opposite the posterior angle of the eye, a velvet black stripe runs 

 backwards right to the base of the nape, where, although 

 a little broken, it meets the corresponding stripe from the 

 other side. The entire mantle, tertiaries, coverts and outer 

 webs of secondaries and primaries, (the inner webs are dark 

 hair brown,) and tail, a rich rufescent olive brown, most rufes- 

 cent on the wings and tail; the chin, throat, sides of neck 

 behind ear-coverts, breast, middle of abdomen, and wing lining 

 uniform pale rufescent ; tibial plumes darker ; sides, flanks and 

 lower tail-coverts somewhat rufescent olive brown. 



I am much puzzled about the location of this species. The 

 wings are short and bowed, the fifth quill is the longest, the sixth 

 subequal, the bill is essentially Parian, but rather too much com- 

 pressed and raised on the culmen. The tail is long and narrow 

 and much rounded, perhaps cuneate is the proper term. The 

 tarsus very stout, the feet moderate, the hind toe and claw 

 long. It is structurally very similar to vinipectus, but alike in 

 bill, tarsus and feet is more robust. 



The two clearly go together, but they are not in my opinion 

 congeneric Avith chrysolis (vel chrysalis), Hodgson, and they 



