524 



Setters to tjje §Mto.t\ 



Sir, — I wish to place on record the occurrence in India 

 Proper of the Malayan Tiger Bittern (Coisakius melano- 

 lophus). 



I subjoin a description of the specimen, though it is perhaps 

 hardly worth printing, as you yourself have minutely described 

 some of the species in Stray Feathers, Yol. II., p. 313. 



The specimen was a male, and the following are its dimen- 

 sions ''taken in the flesh) : — 



Length, 19'62; extent, 37; wing, 10*37 ; tail, 3*62; tarsus, 

 2*69 ; bill from gape, 2*37 ; bill at front, 1*81 ; middle toe with 

 claw, 2, without claw, 1*81 ; hind toe with claw, 1 25, with- 

 out claw, 1'06. 



The third primary was the longest ; the second and fourth 

 being sub-equal, and about 0'12 of an inch shorter, while the 

 first was 0'81 less than the third. 



Crown of head and nape black ; the feathers of the occiput 

 lengthened into a full crest, and each irregularly marked with a 

 white spot across its centre, and a smaller white tip ; the fea- 

 thers of the forehead and above the eyes black, with ocbreoua 

 instead of white spots, forming an obscure bar above the eye ; 

 cheeks and sides of throat pale ochreous, with narrow zig-zag 

 lines of black across the feathers ; the mantle chestnut, freckled 

 and irregularly barred with narrow zig-zag lines of black ; 

 upper tail-coverts dull black, with white dots. 



Tail, above, dark slaty or bluish black ; quills black, tipped 

 with white, the base of the white tinged with chestnut and 

 mottled with black ; greater coverts of first three primaries 

 black, broadly tipped white ; the base of the white on the outer 

 webs tinged with chestnut ; rest of the greater primary coverts 

 chestnut, with white tip, black midrib, and black freckles below 

 the white tip ; secondaries and tertiaries dull black, broadly 

 tipped with dull chestnut, which is closely freckled with black 

 blotches and spots, and replaced at the extreme tip by white 

 less densely freckled ; two or three small feathers at the angle 

 of the wing pure white. 



Under primary coverts pale ochreous, closely barred with 

 black, and the larger feathers broadly tipped white ; rest of 

 under wing-coverts barred black and white. 



Chin and throat white, faintly tinged with ochreous, and with 

 an obscure central streak of black dots ; throat rich chestnut, 

 minutely banded with black bars ; centre of breast like the 

 throat, with two lateral streaks of ochreous (one on either side) 

 formed by some of the feathers continuously being paler chest- 

 nut and free from all black but a few dots. 



