434; Notes on some Cei/lonese Birds. 



amples of gymnopthalnios, the whole head and back are darker, 

 but many specimens from quite the South of ludia^ Anjungo 

 for instance, positively differ from some specimens of Hardwickii 

 from Northern India ordi/ in the much darker occiput and nape. 



179.— Micropternus gularis, Jerd. 



Mr. Hohlsworth says, Ceylon specimens have the lower parts 

 rather darker than those from India. I do not know whether 

 this is an orig-inal observation, but Blyth stated it also long" ag-o. 

 I can only say / can^t see it, and will undertake to shew Indian 

 specimens as dark as any Ceylon ones. 



240.— Piprisoma agile, Tich. 



Ceylon specimens pei-haps differ slig-htly from Continental 

 Indian ones ; but an examination of a very large series of Ceylon 

 specimens would be necessary to enable me to pronounce authori- 

 tatively on the subject. At present it seems to me that the 

 Ceylon birds have a very much more decided green cast on the 

 upper surface, especially on the rump and upper tail coverts ; 

 that they are slightly smaller, and that the bills are a little 

 shorter and somewhat markedly less compressed towards the 

 points. 



261 ^er.— Lanius lucioniensis ? Lath. 



I have a single indifferent specimen of a shrike from Ceylon 

 which certainly is not cristatibs, and which is very close if not 

 identical with lucioniensis, of which I have very numerous speci- 

 mens from the Andamans and Nicobars and China. It is cer- 

 tainly not the Malayan super ciliosus, as figured by LeValliaut, 

 but I cannot refer to Latham^s original description, and I have 

 an idea that he described a much greyer and less rufous bird than 

 LeValliant figures. This, and not cristatus, is doubtless the bird 

 referred to by Layard as super ciliosus, anyhow, a second species 

 of shrike must be added to the Ceylon list, cristatus of course 

 occurs there also, but this is an adult bird, with the grey brown 

 head and back, and pale forehead of lucioniensis, and either 

 belongs to that species, or to a very closely allied one, not yet 

 discriminated. 



265 &is.— Tephrodornis affinis, Blyidi. 



I do not quite understand the principle upon which Mr. 

 Holdsworth admits Oriolus ceylonensis as a distinct species, but 

 refuses this rank to the present bird. If one compares speci- 

 mens from Ceylon and say Dacca, no two nearly allied forms 

 could be more easily separable. In the Dacca bird the upper 

 surface is a darkish earth-brown, there is an enormous, yellowish- 



