504 APPENDIX I. 



unbarred, a stage which I have as yet failed to meet with in 

 either maculatus, xanthorhynchus or malayanus. 



Horsfield, however, himself described a bird with a barred 

 under surface, and therefore this identification of his or Moore's 

 may be as erroneous as that already referred to. 



Cabanis and most authorities of later date unite malayanus 

 and basalis, despite their separation by Horsfield, but seeing 

 that the matter is still involved in much doubt, and that Raffles' 

 description certainly refers to our bird, while basalis may ap- 

 parently refer either to lucidus of Gmelin, or plagosus, Latham, 

 if this be distinct, or lastly to some other distinct species, I 

 think it best for the present to retain Raffles' name. 



Our specimens of malayanus, alike from Tenasserira, Johore, 

 and the Andamans (from which I find that I have one speci- 

 men mixed up with and misnamed xanthorhynchus) are all 

 more or less immature, and in this stage their identification is 

 not always easy. No doubt maculatus is considerably larger on 

 the average than either of the other two species, but the 

 dimensions are very variable, and there is no very apparent 

 difference between those of xanthorhynchus and malayanus. 



I find, however, that in the young of maculatus the head is 

 first dull red, more or less barred with white or dusky ; that 

 from this stage the head loses all barrings and becomes a pure 

 lio-htred (as correctly figured in the second figure of Mr. Gould's 

 B. of A., pt. XXX, pi. 3). In amongst this clear red the 

 emerald green feathers begin to appear ; there is no inter- 

 mediate stage. 



In xanthorhynchus, the head in the first stage appears to be 

 a darker and duller red, closely barred with, black. There 

 appears to be no unbarred red-headed stage in this species, as 

 the puce color appears direct amongst the barred feathers. 



In malayanus* there is a similar stage with the head dull 

 red, barred with black, and on this appears direct the bronze 

 brown feathers. 



The specimen which I originally identified as basalis has got 

 only three or four such feathers on the crown, but it has got 

 them, and nothing analogous ever appears at any stage of either 

 maculatus or xanthorhynchus so far as I can judge. 



The second Tenasserim specimen, the Johore and Andaman 

 specimens, all have the entire top and back of the head bronze 

 brown, identical with the heads of two adults sent to me as 

 lucidus from Australia. 



* I should not be at all surprised if the young bird described by me, S. F., Ill, 81, 

 and doubtfully identified with xanthorhynchus, really belonged to this species. Mr. 

 Oates, still I believe, has the specimen. 



