No. 8. — Descriptions of New Birds from Central China. By 

 John E. Thayer and Outram Bangs. 



The birds here described as new are from the province of Hupeh, Cen- 

 tral China. They are part of the first instalment of a series of bird skins ■ 

 collected by ^Er. Walter E. Zappey. The senior author, recognizing that 

 zoological specimens from Central and Western China are very imper- 

 fectly represented in American museums, took advantage of the oppor- 

 tunity offered by the Arnold Arboretum botanical exploration in charge 

 of the well known English collector, Mr. E. H. Wilson, and engaged Mr. 

 Zappey to accompany the Wilson expedition. The series thus far re- 

 ceived consists of more than 3,000 skins, all in excellent condition. 

 Later, when all the material has been studied, we shall publish a com- 

 plete list of the birds observed, with data, and the itinerary, and field 

 notes of the collector. 



Collocalia fusciphaga capnitis, subsp. nov. 



%?,?. — Coll. M. C. Z., No. 50,013, adult Z, Wan-tas-shan, Hupeh, China, 

 June 5, 1907. W. R. Zappey. 



Characters. — Similar to C fusciphaga vestita (Lesson) from Sumatra and tlie 

 southern Malay Peninsula but larger (larger even than C fusciphaga elaphra 

 Oberholser which is the largest of the group) ; paler above and greenish instead 

 of brownish black ; rump rather paler than back (rump and back are concolor in 

 C. f. vestita) ; underparts more grayish, less brownish, and with more evident 

 blackish shaft streaks. 



Measurements of the type, wing, 123; tail, 56; tarsus, 10; culmen, 5.2. 



Collocalia inopina, sp. nov. 



J>/?e. — Coll. M. C. Z., No. 50,014, adult $, Ma-fuding, Hupeh, China, 

 5,000 feet, June 1, 1907. W. R. Zappey. 



Characters. — Most closely allied to C lowi (Sharpe) from northern Borneo, 

 Anambas Islands, etc., but slightly larger, and browner in general coloration. The 

 back especially much browner ; rump, pale, contrastiug with back (in C. lowi the 

 rump is but httle paler than the back). Underparts with the pronounced dark 

 shaft lines as in C. lowi. 



Measurements of the type, wing, 134 ; tail, 56 j tarsus, 12 ; culmen, 5.5. 



