'Nov'RtTiES.—H^drornis Oaiesi. 477 



Hydrornis Oatesi, Sp. Nov. 



Similar to Hydrornis nipalensis, Hodgson, but entirely wanting the 

 rich greenish blue ocoipital and nuchal patch of the male, and the dull 

 bluish green nuchal patch of the female of that species. 



In sending- me for examination his collection of birds from Up- 

 per Peg-n^ Mr. Gates remarked : " There is a Byclrornis which I 

 am sure is new, at any rate, it is not included in Elliotts mono- 

 graph." In this Mr. Gates is quite correct, and as to him belongs 

 the credit both of first procuring, and discriminating it, it is only 

 fitting that it should bear his name. 



The present species is precisely like nipalensis, except that in 

 both sexes the whole front top and back of the head, and back 

 of the neck are a rich, somewhat brownish rufous, the occipital 

 and nuchal blue patch of the male, and the nuchal green 

 patch of the female of nijjalensls being entirely wanting, which 



1 need hardly say is never the case in adult nijjalensis. All the 

 specimens, three males and two females, all manifestly adults, and 

 all procured in the Eastern Pegu Hills, are precisely similar ; the 

 sexes only differing in the scarcely perceptibly brighter color of 

 the back and rump in the male. 



I have compared these birds with a large series of twenty odd 

 adults from Sikim, also with a bird from Arracan, which is pre- 

 cisely similar to the Nepalese birds, and also with the young of 

 nipalensis. The quite young bird of this latter species is, of course, 

 a totally different, conspicuously mottled, bird, but birds nearly 

 adult, closely approach the adult, and I find that in these, even 

 before all signs of immuturity have disappeared, the nuchal patch 

 is clear and distinct. 



Except the absence of these patches which of course is very 

 conspicuous, I can find absolutely no other difference between 

 the two species, either in size or plumage; inter se,ihe specimens 

 of both vary somewhat in length of bill, and tarsi, and in depth 

 of bill, but there is no constant difference between the two as a 

 body. The dimensions of the present species recorded in the 

 flesh by Mr. Gates are as follows : 



Length, 9*6 to 10; expanse, 15-35 to 15-75 ; tail, from vent 

 2'5 to 3-9 ; wing, 4-6 to nearly 5 ; bill, from gape, 1-3 to 1-41 • 

 from anterior margin of nostril to point, 0-7 to 0'78 ; tarsus 



2 to 2-3. He remarks further : 



" The upper mandible is brown, its tip and margins, gape 

 and lower surface of lower mandible, pale salmon fleshy, the rest 

 of lower mandible, brown ; the inside of mouth, flesh-color ; iris 



