198 BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 



She is above a rather pure dark green, tinged yellower on the 

 rump and upper tail-coverts, and on the margins of the se- 

 condary greater coverts. In the middle of the crown there 

 is a pretty large patch, exhibiting a faint reddish tinge ; she has 

 a pale grey moustachial streak shorter than in the male ; the 

 chin and throat are grey, pencilled with pale yellow and dull 

 olive green ; the breast and sides of the abdomen are a greyish 

 greenish yellow ; in the middle of the breast is a tolerably bright 

 yellow patch, and the middle of the upper . abdomen is pale 

 yellow ; the middle of the lower abdomen, vent, and lower tail- 

 coverts, yellowish white. 



I may mention that we only pi'ocured a single specimen, an 

 adult male, in Tenasserim. The above description and measure- 

 ments are taken from a large series of this species, collected, 

 sexed, and measured in the flesh by Davison and his staff in 

 different parts of the Malay Peninsula. 



I think it very probable that the nearly allied tlioracicus, 

 Tern., may also occur in Tenasserim, though we have never as 

 yet obtained specimens there ; and I therefore take this oppor- 

 tunity of adding dimensions and a brief description of this species 

 also. Unfortunately but few of our specimens were measured in 

 the flesh. 



Prionochilus tlioracicus, Tern. Male. — Length, 4 ; expanse, 7 - 5 ; 

 tail from vent, 1*2 ; wing, 2"4 ; tarsus 0*6 ; bill from gape, 0*5. 



Female. — Length, 4*0 ; expanse, 7*12 ; tail from vent, 1*0; 

 wing, 2*2 ; tarsus, 0*6; bill from gape, 0'5. 



The adult male has the bill black ; a younger male has the 

 lower mandible, (except the tip and gape,) and basal part of upper 

 mandible, orange yellow ; rest of upper mandible dusky. An 

 adult female has the upper mandible dull black ; the lower 

 mandible blackish plumbeous. Both sexes at all ages appear 

 to have the legs, feet, and claws very dark plumbeous, and the 

 irides deep brown. 



The adult male has a small patch on the crown, and a huge 

 oval patch at the base of the throat and on the breast, brilliant 

 crimson ; the whole of the rest of the head and neck all round, 

 uppermost part of the back and the breast, velvet black. 



The back and scapulars rather dull, perhaps slightly olivaceous 

 yellow ; lesser wing-coverts, rump and upper tail-coverts intensely 

 bright yellow ; rest of coverts and tertiaries and tail black or 

 blackish ; primaries and secondaries hair brown, more or less, 

 but always very narrowly, margined on the outer webs with 

 pale yellow ; middle of abdomen and lower tail-coverts clear 

 yellow, paler and not near so intense as the rump and upper 

 tail-coverts; rest of abdomen and flanks greenish olive, mingled 

 with grey ; wing-lining and large axillary tufts, satin white. 



