BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 175 



It does not occur, so far as I yet know, in the dry portion of 

 Upper Pegu, but throughout the whole Tenasserim provinces, 

 from Tonghoo to quite the Pakchan, I have seen specimens from 

 almost every locality. 



Davison always found it in Tenasserim as elsewhere most 

 numerous in plantain gardens, where it may be seen generally up- 

 side down clinging to the purple bract leaves of the young plan- 

 tain bunches, its head turned up inside the bract, and thus hidden 

 from sight, busily sucking the nectar from the inflorescence con- 

 cealed beneath the purple sheath. 



Southwards in the Malay Peninsula, Davison obtained it at 

 Singapore and at Nealys, 30 miles north-east cf Malacca, and 

 saw it at Johore and other places, but it is not nearly so abund- 

 ant in the Peninsula as in Tenasserim, and is to a great extent 

 replaced in the former by modesta and flavigaster. 



In the southern portion of the Indian Peninsula again we 

 have it from Kotagherry and other localities on the Nil- 

 gherris, the Wynaad, the Malabar Coast, and the Hills of S. 

 Travancore, and though not so abundant as in Tenasserim, it is 

 not really rare ; four or five may be seen in a morning about the 

 euphorbia hedges of the Coonoor Ghat. 



Specimens from all these localities are identical. 



In this, as in all the other species of Arachnothera with which I 

 am acquainted, the male is the largest. The following are measure- 

 ments taken in the flesh of a very considerable number : — 



Male.— Length, 6'12 to 6*5 ; expanse, 7*8 to 8*62 ; tail from 

 vent, 1-62 to 1*9 ; wing, 25 to 2*7 ; tarsus, 062 to 7 ; bill from 

 gape, 1-38 to T62 ; weight, 045 to 0*55 oz. 



Female. — Length, 5-62 to 5'75 ; expanse, 7'5 to 7*75 ; tail from 

 vent, 1-62 to 1-75 ; wing, 2*2 to 2*5; tarsus, 0-55 to 0*6.; bill 

 from gape, 1*2 to 1*46 ; weight, 04 to 05 oz. 



The irides are always deep brown, but there is a great vari- 

 ation in the color of the soft parts, certainly not dependent on 

 age, as we have obtained both old and young birds exhibiting 

 both types of coloration ; probably it is seasonal, as birds killed 

 in December and January exhibit both types; those killed in 

 June, August, and September exhibit only the first type, but 

 then we have only three birds killed in June, and one in August, 

 and one in September. 



First Type. — Legs and feet dark plumbeous blue ; upper man- 

 dible black ; lower mandible pale plumbeous blue. 



Second Type. — Legs, feet and claws, pale yellowish fleshy ; 

 upper mandible horny brown ; lower mandible, except towards 

 the tip and gape, yellowish fleshy. 



Specimens exhibiting intermediate coloring are often procured. 

 A biro 1 killed on the 17th of December had the legs and feet 

 pale plumbeous, mottled with dull yellow; another killed two 



