478 FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON REGULOIDES SUPERCILIOSUS, &0. 



of bad species puts me in mind that Calliope yeatmani must be 

 suppressed.* I have an accurate drawing of the type, and I shot 

 near Calcutta a young bird most perfectly according-,, especially 

 in proportion of wing primaries, with the type in Canon Tris- 

 tram 's Museum. It has one red feather coming on the throat. 



To return to the subject — Observation of the birds in life is a 

 great assistance, and home observers, with only dry skins 

 before them, must not make too sure when their conclusions 

 are at variance with the observations of the men who know the 

 birds and hear them as well as see them. The colour of the soft 

 parts in Reguloides is of great use, especially late in the season, 

 when they are much faded in plumage. In describing 

 Reguloides subviridis, I laid great stress upon its peculiar note, 

 and its very clear coronal streak. The coronal streak of 

 R. humii is often invisible, 



Since the foregoing observations were written, I have had the 

 pleasure, thanks to the Editor's kindness, of examining a col- 

 lection of Phylloscopi and Reguloides made at Moulmein in 

 British Burmah. There were 40 Reguloides of this type, and 

 every one of them was super ciliosus, so it must be a rather 

 abundant bird there in the cold season. The whole 40 were so 

 thoroughly characteristic that not a single one could possibly be 

 mistaken for any other species. To the points of specific differ- 

 ence from Reguloides humii that I have formerly pointed out, 

 must be added the bright sulphur yellow axillaries of superciliosus. 



To recapitulate : The bright green upper surface, the silky 

 white lower surface (as in P. sibilatrix), the blacker wings 

 and tail, causing the light edgings of tertials and wing bars 

 to contrast very strongly, and the distinct double wing bar 

 against the single one, as a rule, of R. humii mark Reguloides 

 superciliosus. When newly killed, we have the additional 

 strong points of the yellow lower mandible of the bill, and 

 the pale legs and feet. These latter characteristics can be seen 

 frequently even in the dry skin. In very old skins dark legs 

 and feet often become quite pale, and I have known pale legs 

 and feet sometimes dry, very dark ; indeed legs and feet of 

 precisely the same colour when fresh, are at times of very 

 different tints when dry. This should be borne in mind by those 

 who find now and then dark legs and feet where they should be 

 pale. Strong as all the characteristic points regarding colour 

 are in Reg. superciliosus, all idea of identity vanishes when 

 once its very distinct note is heard. I could now procure this 

 species by its note as certainly as I could find any of our 

 most familiar favourites. 



* As I told you when Dr. Tristram described it. — Ed. 



