DESCRIPTION OF ANOTHER NEW REGULOIDES. 391 



When describino^ Eegiiloides hnmii in Stray Feathers, Vol. 

 VIL, 1878, pp. 128 to 136 and 236 to 238, also 475 to 478, 

 I referred to the dark-headed Shillong bird ; and I supposed it 

 was only a variety of R. humii. Since I have seen the dark 

 eastern bird in life, the mystery is cleared up. My friend 

 Mr. Hume was strongly of opinion that the Shillong bird was 

 new, but I then persisted that it was not. He is, therefore, the 

 discoverer of the new species, and he has been the primary 

 cause of both birds being discriminated. I now understand 

 why the dark richly coloured bird has not occurred in the 

 plains. The rather dark ones I have referred to of R. humii 

 fall very far short of the new bird, and I never got one in 

 the plains with yellow bill and pale yellowish legs and feet. 

 The legs and feet of R. humii are a dusky greyish brown and 

 stouter made than those of R. mandelUi. 



Mr. Mandelli has had the bird long in his collection under 

 the name of super ciliosus. Some of them I sent to friends 

 in England under that name. Latterly he had an idea 

 that it might be female erocJiroa, but when at Parjeeling I shot 

 a few erochroa, and the female does not differ from the male. 



The four closely affined Reguloides — super cilia sus^ humii, 

 subviridis, and mandellii — form an interesting little group, the 

 more so, as they formerly all stood under one name. Old and 

 inferior skins would puzzle the best ornithologist to separate, 

 but with the fresh bird, or with the eyes shut, and only 

 hearing the very different notes, separation is easy and sure. 

 There may be attempts to suppress one or more of the recently 

 described species, but they will stand while the world lasts 

 with those who know them in life. 



I heard the note of erochroa at Darjeeling a sort of 

 chirp and not Phylloscopine. I also heard li. maculipennis, 

 the most abundant of Darjeeling Reguloides. It has a very 

 feeble little chirp, so feeble it might be thought the note of 

 an insect, a single " tsip" often repeated. It rather put me 

 in mind of a Goldcrest. I once heard the '' Weesf of 

 R. superciliosus, as Seebohm aptly expresses its note : but 

 I only heard this one bird at Darjeeling. In the plains now, 

 I frequently hear it ; and the " Weest" is a good guide towards 

 obtaining specimens. 



I have now heard the notes of a good number of Phylloscopi 

 and Reguloides, and they are all thoroughly different. The 

 Wagtails are the birds where little or no assistance can be 

 obtained from the note. 



I subjoin a diagnostical table, very unscientific and ■' popular" 

 no doubt, but which will still, I hope, help others to discrimi- 

 nate several closely-allied members of this genus. 



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