OF THE TRAVANCORE HILLS. 397 
It is possible that this male may be a young one, and that 
the adult male may also be blue, but it seems more likely that 
it belongs to the ruficauda group, which equally occurs in the 
Himalayas and Travancore, besides other suitable intervening 
localities. I originally doubted whether these birds might not 
be females of C. pallipes, Jerdon, but dismissed that idea as 
the present species had then only occurred in Sikhim, while 
pallipes was entirely a southern bird. When now more speci- 
mens occurred from Southern India, I again reverted to this 
idea. I find, however, after careful comparison that this idea 
is quite untenable; the birds are absolutely distinct ; the shape 
of the bills are different, being longer and narrower in pallipes ; 
the shape of the wings also is different ; in pallipes, the 4th and 
5th quills are equal and longest, the 6th sub-equal. In the present 
species the 3rd and 4th are sub-equal and: longest, the 5th 
slightly shorter. The tarsi again are scarcely over 0°5 in the 
present species, while they are slightly over 0°7 in pallipes, and 
the feet of the one are nearly double the size of the other. 
And here I ought to notice that Dr. Jerdon’s description of 
pallipes is very brief and not altogether satisfactory. I haye 
three specimens obtained at the very same locality where 
Jerdon obtained his type, and therefore though in slight particu- 
lars my description and dimensions may not accord with his, 
mine may, I believe, be relied on as correct. 
Cyornis pallipes, Hale. 
Length, 6°37, 65; expanse, 9:8, 10; wing, 2°95, 
3; tail, 2, 2°5 nearly ; bill at front measured from the edge of 
the feathers, 0°48, 0°53; but measured from the junction of 
bill to the skull, 0°68, 0:7; tarsus, 0°71, 0°73; wing when 
closed falls 1:25 short of end of tail; the fourth and 5th quills 
are equal and longest; 6th slightly shorter; 3rd 0:1 shorter 
than 4th; 2nd 0°47 shorter than 4th; 1st 1°35 shorter 
than 4th. 
The bill is black; the irides, brown; the feet seem to vary 
in colour, not one was pale whitish flesh colour as described by 
Jerdon. In one the feet were pale whity brown, in another 
they were bluish white, in a third very pale leaden grey. 
The lores and an excessively narrow line across the fore- 
head at the base of the bill, black; above this the forehead 
and two long superciliary stripes, are of a perceptibly paler 
and brighter blue than the rest of the plumage. ‘The belly, 
abdomen, vent, and lower tail coverts, and greater portion of 
wing lining, pure white ; sides and flanks, greyish ; chin, black- 
ish ; inner webs of the quills, greater coverts, and tail feathers, 
hair brown ; the rest of the plumage dull blue, indigo in some 
