BIRDS OF TENASSERIM. 389 



I have never seen a specimen of this species. Mr. Swinhoe 

 thus indicated it, (it never appears to have been properly des- 

 cribed), P. Z. S., 1863, 303. 



" There is quite a peculiar species in Siam, which I have re- 

 ceived from Sir Robert Schomburgk, H. M's. Consul at Bang- 

 kok. This in coloration is a good deal similar to the Chinese 

 bird, but has the bill a bright yellow instead of light lemon 

 colour ; its vent is pure white, instead of black, tipped with 

 white ; its nasal crest is much smaller, and the pointed feathers 

 on its crown much longer than in ours ; its rectrices are, more- 

 over, much more largely tipped with white. In size and other 

 respects the two nearly agree. For this I would now propose 

 the name A. siamensis. 1 " 



The Chinese bird here referred to is Acridotheres cristatellus , 

 Lin., which was thus described by Blyth, J.A..S.B., XV., 33, 

 1846. 



" Acridotheres cristatellus, (Lin.) figured by Edwards, pi. XIX ; 

 Acridotheres fuliginosus, nobis (the young.) Length about 

 eleven inches, of wing five inches and a half, and tail three 

 and three-eighths, bill to gape an inch and three-eighths, and 

 tarsi an inch and a half. Colour throughout greyish-black, 

 with a bronzed gloss on the upper parts ; tail feathers, except the 

 middle pair, and the lower tail-coverts, tipped with white ; base 

 of the primaries and greater portion of their coverts also white, 

 forming a broad band on the under surface of the wing ; erect 

 frontal feathers above three-quarters of an inch high. In the 

 specimen under examination the bill appears to have been yel- 

 low, with the base of the lower mandible carrot-red ; and the 

 legs are also yellow. The young is browner, with the white 

 patch at the base of the primaries much more developed ; but 

 there is no white at the tip of the tail or of its under-coverts, 

 and the frontal crest is barely indicated." 



To judge from Swinhoe's description siamensis must be close 

 to fiiscus, and not having seen a specimen, I am unable to 

 indicate their exact points of difference. All our specimens 

 from Tenasserim are true fuscus, utterly inseparable from Nor- 

 thern Indian specimens. There are a number of nearly-allied 

 species or sub-species, which not having specimens to compare, 

 such as cinereus, Miiller, of Celebes, javanicus, Cabanis (griseus, 

 Horsf.) from Java, grandis, Moore, of Sumatra, &c. I cannot 

 clearly discriminate, but I entertain no doubt that every one 

 of our series from Tenasserim are true fuscus. 



688.— Sturnia malabarica, Gm. (2). 



Only observed as a straggler in the southernmost district of 

 the province. 



