94 LIST OF BIRDS IN MANIPUR, 



In Manipur, though the bird was not uncommon either in the 

 Western or Eastern hills, I unfortunately only preserved three. 

 The first, a male from the Eerung valley in the Western hills, 

 is typical picatvs. Of the other two, a pair shot together at 

 Aimole, the female is identical with Travancore, Ceylon and 

 Nilgiri birds, but the male is typical capitalis. 



I have this species, with one exception, all the males brown, 

 or brown and black-backed, from Shillong and the Khasi hills, 

 Sadiya and Tippook in the Dibrugarh district, but have no 

 other record of its occurrence in Assam, Cachar or Sylhet, In 

 Arakan, Pegu and Tenasserim this species with the black back 

 is widely distributed, and occurs, though everywhere I think 

 rather sparingly, in most suitable localities. 



269.— Volvocivora lugubris, Sund. (= V. melaschista, 

 Hodgs.) 



This species was not met with (though I dare say it occurs 

 there) in the Western hills. I saw it at the capital and in many 

 places in the basin, and in the Eastern hills it was rather common. 



The Manipur birds run rather smaller than Himalayan ones. 

 The following are the dimensions of the wings of the few I 

 preserved, taking old and young as they come : — 



Males.— 4!-6, 47, 4-6. 4-6, 465, 4-3. 



Females.— 4!- 5, 4-5, 4-3, 48, 4-33. 



Most of the birds are adults, and for these the dimensions are 

 small, but the adults are the true dark iron grey of this species 

 and not the paler intermedia. I have this from N.-E. Cachar, 

 Shillong and several localities in the Dibrugarh district, and 

 Godwin- Austen appears to have got it in the Naga hills (5th 

 list) and includes it in his Dafla hill list. 



As yet I can name no other localities for it in Assam, Cachar 

 or Sylhet, but I believe it to be generally distributed. It does 

 not extend to B. Burmah, where it is replaced by avensis, inter- 

 media and neglecta. 



[Affects well-wooded country like the Nepal Wood Shrike, 

 and occasionally seen in the more open parts, being common in 

 the Dibrugarh district. The wing measurements of the birds 

 I shot agree with those of Mr. Hume's Manipur specimens. I 

 have never heard this bird's note. — J. R. C] 



270.— Graucalus macii, Less. 



Though by no means numerically abundant, I met with this 

 species everywhere in Manipur, alike in the basin and in both 

 Eastern and Western hills. 



