BIEPS OF TENASSERIM. . 897 



other in a low hoarse croak. They never, I think, descend to the 

 ground. — W. D.] 



The Marquis of Tweeddale (Ibis, 1877, 319) says that speci- 

 mens of the hill Myna from south-east Sumatra are identical 

 with others from east Java. On the other hand, specimens from 

 the north-west of Sumatra are identical with others from Singa- 

 pore and Malacca. 



But I have reasons for suspecting that possibly a break in the 

 Fauna occurs across Sumatra just as it does across Tenasserim, 

 between Tavoy and Mergui ; and that, while many species remain 

 unchanged throughout the whole length of the Island, of others: 

 two distinct forms occur, the one to the west, the other to the 

 east, the westward one in such cases being identical with that of 

 the Malay Peninsula, and the eastern with those of Java and 

 Borneo. 



For the present, therefore, I am not in a position to assert that 

 the Malayan race is identical with the Javan ; still, I think, this 

 probable, and as, if two distinguishable races do exist in Sumatra, 

 it would be impossible to decide to which of these Lesson's name 

 sumatranus applies. I am obliged to adopt provisionally the name 

 javanensis for our Tenasserim birds. 



I have already discussed at some length the variation in the 

 Hill Mynas of India, Burma and the Malay Peninsula, S. F., II., 

 254, and having since then collected vigorously specimens of 

 this species from all localities, I see no reason to alter the con- 

 clusions at which I then arrived, viz:, that while birds from 

 Sumbulpoor to Sikim, and Sikim to Singapore and N. W. Suma- 

 tra, differ in no other respect, there is a gradual decrease in size 

 as you proceed northwards from the Straits to the Himalayas, 

 and again as you proceed southwards from the Himalayas to 

 the Tributary Mahals and Sumbulpore. 



In Tenasserim we preserved fifty-one specimens, from Kollidoo 

 at the extreme north to the Pakchan Estuary at the extreme 

 south, and while big and small birds occur everywhere, still in 

 this series the gradual increase in size towards the south is 

 apparent. 



As a body the birds are decidedly somewhat smaller and have 

 smaller bills than birds obtained in N. W. Sumatra, Singapore, 

 Johore, and various other places in the neighboarhood of 

 Malacca. But individual specimens occur in Tenasserim as also 

 in the Sikim Terai and Kumaon Bhabur, which are scarcely, 

 if at all, smaller than the largest Malaccan birds, while on the 

 other hand a good many of our Malayan specimens are not a bit 

 larger than several of our fine specimens from Tenasserim. Still 

 unquestionably taking the specimens as a whole the Tenasserim 

 birds run somewhat smaller than those from the Malayan 

 Peninsula, as will appear by a comparison of a summary of 



