324 BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 



carefully comparing these I certainly agree with Lord Tweed- 

 dale that this species is a good one. I don't think so much of the 

 difference in the size of bill, though no doubt that of icterocephalus 

 is usually considerably smaller, but a large series shows that this 

 character is not quite constant, and that some Straits specimens 

 with large bills are not distinguishable so far as the bills go from 

 Tenasserim specimens with small bills ; but in chlorocephalus the 

 upper plumage is invariably of a lighter and brighter green ; the 

 most perfect adults have always more or less of the crown green, 

 and they have the golden tinge of the nape very much feebler, 

 and the yellow frontal band a somewhat paler and less pure 

 green, and again they have the blue moustachial streak paler and 

 brighter colored. I am talking here of adult males ; the females 

 are many of them only to be separated by the darker hue of the 

 upper surface of icterocephalus, and the larger bill of chlorocepha- 

 lus, which latter character, as already mentioned, is not always 

 sufficient. 



463 ter.— Phyllornis javensis, Horsf. (15). 



Thoungya Sakan ; Thoungsheyen Sakan ; Yea ; Mergui ; Bankasoon. 

 Sparingly distributed throughout the central and southern 

 portions of the province. 



[The habits and voice of this species are the same as those of 

 the preceding, but perhaps they are more of a forest bird, and 

 are only found in gardens where these are well wooded. To the 

 north of Mergui the species is rare, only occasionally being met 

 with, but to the south it is much more common. — W. D.] 



Connt Salvadori doubts whether Horsfield's name should be 

 applied, as he gives no description, and quotes cochinchinensis, 

 Gm., and malabaricus, Gm., as synonymous species which are of 

 a somewhat different type of coloration : there is, however, no 

 doubt what Horsfield's javensis really was, the type having been 

 compared. 



Salvadori adopts for this species the name sonneratii, of Jard. 

 and Selby, rejecting the Turdus viridis of Horsfield, which is the 

 young female of this species, apparently because this is not the 

 Turdus viridis of Gm. The Marquis of Tweeddale rightly, 

 according to the British Code, declines to reject, and adopts Hors- 

 field's name of viridis for this species. Looking to the facts that 

 both names were given by the same author, that the existence of 

 the type removes all possibility of doubt as to the species intend- 

 ed, and that the name of javensis is generally known and well 

 established, I see no necessity for superseding it by the name of 

 viridis. 



The following are dimensions, &c, recorded in the flesh : — 



Males. — Length, 8'12 to 875 ; expanse, 12*0 to 13 ; tail from 

 vent, 2-82 to 3*25; wing, 375 to 4-15 ; tarsus, 07 to 0'8 ; bill 

 from gape, 105 to 1*12 ; weight, 1*5 to 20 oz. 



