BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 261 



the dry deciduous forests. In habits, voice, &c., it exactly re- 

 sembles the preceding species. — W. D.] 



Blyth's original description of this species has been already 

 given, S. F., III., 16. As was pointed out, S. F., V., 60, Lord 

 Walden re-described this species under the name of magnirostris, 

 and his description will be found vol. ni, p. 56. 



I am much inclined to suspect that Major Godwin-Austen's 

 Alcippe fusca, of which a description will be found, S. F., V., 54, 

 is also the same species. The very meagre description agrees 

 well with our bird, and so do the dimensions, except the bill at 

 front, which he gives at 0*47 ; but M. Oustalet says that the 

 culmen is 13 milims., and in some specimens of phayrei the 

 bill is not longer than this, though in some it runs up to 16*5 

 milims. However, without comparison of specimens, or with- 

 out a fuller description, it is impossible to say what Alcippe fusca 

 may be. 



Phayrei may be distinguished at once from nipalensis by its 

 larger size, much larger bill, browner ear-coverts, and by the 

 almost entire want in most specimens, and the comparatively 

 feeble trace in the rest, of the very conspicuous black sincipital 

 stripes which characterize nipalensis. We preserved about 30 

 specimens of phayrei from all parts of Tenasserim from north 

 to south, from low or comparatively low country. Of nipalensis 

 we only procured a third of this number of specimens, and these 

 only on the high pine forests of the Salween, elevation about 

 6,000 feet, and on Mooleyit at about the same elevation. 



Of the present species the following is the resume' of a very 

 large series of measurements in the flesh : — 



Length, 6 to 6*5 ; expanse, 8'5 to 9; tail from vent, 2*6 to 

 2*96 ; wing, 275 to 2 -85 ; tarsus, 0-8 to 0*85 ; bill from gape, 

 0-7 to 0-75 ; weight, 0-6 to 0'75 oz. 



The colors of the soft parts vary a good deal. 



The legs, feet, and claws are always fleshy, sometimes dark 

 fleshy, sometimes fleshy white, sometimes very pink. 



The irides vary from slaty grey to slaty yellow ; the eyelids 

 greenish yellow ; the gape yellow, or yellowish or fleshy white ; 

 the upper mandible is dark horny brown, its edges and the 

 lower mandible pinkish white, sometimes tinged browner. 



I should note that all the above measurements are measure- 

 ments of males. By some curious coincidence not a sino-le female 

 was measured in the flesh, but the females do not seem to be 

 very much smaller. The following are the dimensions of wino-s 

 of females :--2-83 ; 278; 2*8; 2-6; 2"82 ; 274 ; &c, but as 

 regards the bills, I think perhaps those of the females run a 

 trifle smaller, though not to an extent that it is possible to show 

 by any measurements that we can give. 



In Aleippe nipalensis the wing runs from 2-3 to rarely 2*5. 



