204 LIST OF r.IRDS IN MANIPUE, 



in the manner of Sylvia cinerea of Europe. Its song is a 

 short trilling note, sweet, but never varied. At Shanghai it 

 was abundant, as also at Hong-Kong and Macao. In the 

 two last places nearly every hedge or cluster of bushes had 

 its L. canturiens creeping about unseen and trolling out its 

 abrupt song. When approached in the midst of its leafy 

 retreat it sounds its alarm note, a harsh " charr, " and if hard 

 pressed quietly slips out of the other side of the bush and 

 flits to a further cover. The gizzard of one shot contained 

 diptera and larvae." 



The following are the dimensions from the skins of my 

 Chinese and Cachar birds : — 



In all the fourth and fifth primaries subequal and longest, 

 sometimes exactly equal, and sometimes one or other a hair's 

 breadth the longest; similar minute variations in the other quills, 

 but they average, the third, 0"15, the second, 0-59, and the first, 

 1 -8 shorter than the longest. 



Shortest or exterior tail-feathers from barely 0*5 to fully 

 0'7 shorter than longest or central ones. 



Though not very conspicuous or even apparent in skins 

 until the feathers are lifted, there is a tolerably broad 

 supercilium from near the nares, over the lores, eyes and 

 part of the ear-coverts, the anterior portion buffy, the pos- 

 terior white. The lores are brown or dusky grey, as I make 

 out in the males, and sullied fulvous white in the females, 

 but this difference may not be sexual, though my specimens 

 lead to this idea. 



The chin, throat and middle of abdomen are white ; 

 the breast and sides overlaid with a dingy brownish fulvous, 

 and the flanks, vent, and lower tail-coverts a dingy brownish 

 fulvous ; shoulder of wing-lining and axillaries and inner 

 margins of quills, white, pure or slightly creamy ; the upper 

 surface in the Chinese birds, as described by Swinhoe, but in 

 the Cachar bird, though the cap is much reddest, the rest of 

 the upper surface is also a distinctly rufescent brown, far more 

 ruddy than the Chinese birds, though killed at the same 

 period as some of them. In every other respect the birds 

 are identical. I notice that in the best specimens there is. 

 an indication of du&ky or brown lore band being continued 

 behind the eye. 



