ASSAM, SYLHET AND CACHAR. 203 



a few miles north-east of Lakhipur, in Cachar. No one 

 hardly could pretend to be certain of birds of this group, 

 without comparison, but fortunately Mr. Swinhoe sent me 

 at different times no leas than four specimens of this. 



Fungshan, Formosa, January, 1S61. 

 Amoy, China, March, 1861. 

 Macao, 19th March, 1860. 

 Formosa^ February, 1866. 

 And my bird is absolutely identical with Chinese ones, save 

 only that its upper surface has a more ruddy tone. 



Blyth placed this as Arundinax. Swinhoe at first adopted 

 this generic name, then changed it to Lusciniopsis, then to 

 Calamodyta, and then he made a new genus for it, cantans and 

 minuta, which he thus defined : " Bill moderate, with long 

 lunate aperture to nostril, legs and feet large and strong, with 

 powerful hind toe and claw ; wings rounded with first four 

 quills graduated, the fourth being the longest ; tail moderately 

 graduate." (P. Z. S., 1871, 353.) But in the meantime. 

 JSalvadori {Att. Ace. Sc. di Tor. V, 511, 1870) had also created 

 a new genus for the bird and renamed it as Homochlamy& 

 luscinia. Svvinhoe's specific name stands, but Salvadori's 

 generic name has precedence, and for the moment we may 

 retain this, but Swinhoe himself went back ultimately _ to 

 Arundinax, and comparing the two, cedon and canturiens, it is 

 very doubtful to me whether they should be separated 

 generically. Homochlamys has the same bill, with the same 

 three very stout rictal bristles, but it has a somewhat shorter 

 3rd primary, a shorter and less graduated tail, and stouter 

 legs and feet, all these proportionally of course. 



Swinhoe at one time or another gave the following parti- 

 culars of this species : — 



Length, 65, 6'6 ; wing, 28, 3-0 ; tail, 2-9, 30 ; tarsus, 1-1 ; 

 bill from gape, 0*8 ; bill at front, 05 ; mid-toe, 085 ; hind 

 toe, 065. 



Bill wood-brown, with the edge of the upper and whole 

 of lower mandible pale flesh colour ; inside of mouth chrome 

 yellow ; iris hazel ; legs pale-brownish flesh colour ; claws 

 wood-brown, paling on the soles. 



Forehead and crown of the head rufous brown ; upper parts 

 and tail olive brown ; wings hair brown, with yellowish- brown 

 margins ; throat, under wing-coverts and belly white i; eye- 

 streak and remaining under parts ochreous grey. 



" This bush-loving species, common from Canton to Shanghai, 

 is also found in Formosa. It creeps about the hedges much 



