130 BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 



Crown and upper part of occiput brownish ruddy buff ; each 

 feather narrowly tipped with dark brown ; crest feathers of the 

 same color, and similarly tipped, but the basal two-thirds crim- 

 son, except at the margins and on the shafts, which are concolo- 

 rous with the tip. 



One of our specimens, shot at Pulo Seban, 22 miles from 

 Malacca on the 12th of November, matches Mr. Gould's figure of 

 concretus from Javan specimens, as regards the crest, except that 

 the crimson portion of the posterior crest is not quite so bright 

 as exhibited by him. 



Having no adult male Javan specimens to compare, I cannot 

 offer any opinion as to the distinctness or otherwise of concretus, 

 but I feel quite convinced that no distinctive characters can be 

 based upon the color of the head and crest, and if the birds are 

 distinct, the distinction must be based upon other characters. 



To judge by Mr. Gould's figures, the Javan birds are of a 

 much darker color on cheeks and breast, and exhibit much more 

 isabelline on the occiput, back of the nape, and cheek stripe 

 than sordidus ever does, and have moreover a much more 

 marked squamification of the lower surface than is ever obser- 

 vable in sordidus ; but these characteristics are not traceable in 

 Malherbe's figures, nor in Temminck's, and cannot be relied on. 



The following is a description of a young male sordidus (assu- 

 ming that there are two distinct species) shot at Bankasoon on 

 the 10th June. This is obviously a bird just from the nest, and 

 is absolutely identical with a Javan specimen of the same 

 age :— 



The entire crown brownish ruddy buff ; each feather narrowly 

 tipped with dark brown ; crest similar and similarly tipped ; ba- 

 sal two- thirds of elongated crest feathers dull crimson ; the mar- 

 gins and shafts colored like the terminal portion. 



Back of neck and head, under crest, ruddy buff ; chin, throat 

 and sides of head olive brown ; centre of chin and throat with a 

 greyish tinge; a narrow ruddy buff streak from the gape under 

 the ear-coverts joining into the ruddy buff of the nape. 



Breast and abdomen olive brown ; each feather broadly fringed 

 at the tip with rufescent buff; under tail-coverts black, broadly tip- 

 ped with rufescent white ; primaries and their greater coverts, se- 

 condaries, and tail feathers black ; hinder secondaries margined 

 on the outer webs with isabelline. 



Entire mantle and tertiaries rufous isabelline, palest on the 

 tertiaries ; the feathers black centered, but the rufous margins so 

 broad as to leave comparatively little of the black centering 

 visible ; rump and upper tail-coverts, except the very longest, 

 rufous isabelline, excessively narrowly margined at the tips 

 with black ; longest lateral upper tail-coverts black, tipped with 

 rufous isabelline. 



