ASSAM, SYLHET AND CACHAR. 251 



Central and Northern Tenasserim is replaced by the nearly 

 allied P. dubius, nobis. 



623.— Ixulus flavicoUis, Hodgs. 



Seen once on the Limatol range of the Western hills, but 

 nowhere else in these latter. Very common in the higher 

 portions of the Eastern hills, where, haunting as they do the 

 depths of the forests, ceaselessly dodging in and out of the 

 dense undergrowth, I was perpetually shooting them by 

 mistake. 



This species is very variable in tint, partly according to sex, 

 partly to age, and partly, I think, as an individual difference. 

 The lores and moustachial stripe vary from black in an old 

 male to a brown unicolorous with the crown in a ( ? young) 

 female ; the cap and crest from quite a dark to quite a light 

 somewhat rufescent brown; the nuchal collar from intense 

 ferruginous orange to light straw buff ; the sides of the breast, 

 body and flanks from a strongly marked olive, a little tinged 

 here and there with ferruginous, to a pale earth brown ; the 

 middle of abdomen, vent and lower tail-coverts from a warm 

 buffy yellow to dull white ; and the brown of _ the mantle 

 similarly varies much in depth of colour. Besides this in 

 some specimens the feathers of the greater part of the throat 

 and upper breast have conspicuous though narrow dark shaft 

 stripes; in the majority only the shafDs themselves are dark, 

 while in a good many there is not a trace of this. 



Godwin- Austen records this from the Khasi hills and from 

 the Shengorh peak of the Dafla hills, but as yet I know 

 nothing further of its occurrence in Assam, Sylhet or Cachar. 

 It has never been observed in any part of British Burmah. 



From Shillong I have 62*. — Txulus occipitalis, Bly., and 

 God win- Austen records it from the Dafla hills, but I never met 

 with it in Manipur, nor do 1 know anything further as to its 

 occurrence in Assam, Sylhet, Cachar or British Burmah. 



624&^s.— Staphidea castaneiceps, Moore. 



This was only observed in the Eastern hills at 5,000 feet 

 and upwards, and even there seemed very rare. I only 

 twice saw it, first at Aimole on the 20th of April, a 

 single specimen in company with Ixulus fimicollis and 

 a lot of other little birds hunting in the brushwood ; and, second- 

 ly, on the 20th of May high up above Tankool Hoondoong, at 

 an elevation of about 5,800 feet, when I came across a small 



