IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 375 



greyish ; iris reddish brown." {Legge, M. S.). Total length, 9 

 inches; culmen, 0*95 ; wing, 4'6 ; tail, 3 - 7 ; to tip of outer 

 feather, 4*5; tarsus 0"75. 



B. leucopygialis. 



Very similar to B. insularis, if indeed, really separable, the 

 only differences being that the entire abdomen is brownish, 

 only slightly mixed with white, the under tail-coverts being 

 white ; this gives a darker appearance to the bird underneath. 

 "Bill and feet black; iris brown/'— (Legge, 31. S.). Total 

 length, 9 inches; culmen, 0'85 ; wing, 4 # 7 ; tail, 35; to tip of 

 outer feather, 4"5; tarsus, 1"7. — Sharpe's Catalogue. 



293 qaat.— Dissemuroides lophorinus, Vieill. 



This well marked species would seem to be a common bird 

 in Ceylon. It much resembles the ordinary sub-crested Dis- 

 semurus of the Malayan Peninsula, except that its tail is formed 

 as in D, macrocercus, the caudal feathers being, however, some- 

 what broader. Three specimens are quite similar. Length of 

 wing, 5*37 inches; of middle tail-feathers, 5 inches; the outer- 

 most, 1*5 to 1/75 inch more; bill to gape, 1*75 ; and tarsi 1 inch. 

 The form of bill and plumage is as in D. malabaricus, the frontal 

 crest being rather more developed than in the next species. 



This is in fact a Dissemurus, with the outermost tail-feathers 

 not prolonged as in that series of birds. — Blyth. 



Adult Female. — General colour above black, with a metallic 

 green shade, rather more purplish on the head and on the neck- 

 hackles ; wings metallic steel green, the inner secondaries also ; 

 the rest of the quills black, glossed externally with steel green, 

 the primaries only at the base ; tail feather black, glossed with 

 steel green on the outer webs ; forehead crested ; the plumes 

 deep black, as also those of the lores and sides of the face ; 

 under surface of body black, glossed with steel green, uniformly 

 distributed on the abdomen, but rather more metallic on the 

 breast, where it is chiefly confined to the tips of the breast 

 feathers, producing a slightly spangled appearance ; under wing- 

 coverts black, glossed with metallic green, like the breast ; 

 " bill and legs black ; iris dull brownish red. " — (Legge.} 

 Total length, 12*3 ; culmen, 1*25 ; wing, 56 ; tail, 5*2 ; to tip of 

 outer feather, 7 "2 ; tarsus, 0'95. 



Adult Male. — Similar to the female, but a little larger. Cap- 

 tain Legge says that the wing of a male bird, shot with the 

 female above described, measured 6 inches in length. 



Hab*— Ceylon. — Sharpe's Catalogue. 



