BIRDS OF UPPER PEGU. 57 



Captain Feilden says : " These birds disappear entirely from 

 Thayetmyo during- the hot-weather. The last I saw was in 

 March. At the beginning 1 of the rains, a few scattered flocks, con- 

 taining birds that have lately left the nest, may be noticed 

 apparently migrating, and from this time a few pairs, apparently 

 breeding, are to be found about the largest trees in valleys high 

 up in the hills. As soon as the rice is cut, they appear in 

 immense flocks and settle on the rice-fields, walking about with 

 great activity, and gleaning carefully the fallen grain. In 

 captivity they will feed at night as well as during the day, and 

 if they escape from their cage, run with great rapidity. I once 

 took one for a rat by candle-light, as it ran from behind a box 

 into a corner of the room." 



Captain Feilden gives the length : Males, adults, 14 to 14' 12 ; 

 young, 12-25; Females, adults, 11' 12; young, 10-25. Irides, 

 pale yellow ; in young, greyish white ; legs, olive green. 



153. — Loriculus vernalis, Sparrm. 



Birds from Thayetmyo do not appear to differ from those from 

 various parts of Continental India north and south, and the 

 Andamans. 



Mr. Oates says : " Tolerably common in the plains, more so 

 on the hills. A fine male, which I shot on the Pegu Hills, 

 measured — 



"Length, 5-65; expanse, 10*75; tail, from vent, 1*9; wing, 

 3-45; bill, from gape, 0*45; tarsus, 0*47." 



157 ter— Picus analis, Horsf.— Picus pectoralis, 



Blyth.— (Journal, Asiatic Society, 1846, p. 15.) 



Mr. Blyth when he described this species, which Dr. Jerdon says 

 is identical with analis of Horsfield, was not aware of the locality 

 from which his specimen came. This species appears to be one 

 of the commonest about Thayetmyo. Captain Feilden considers 

 that there are two recognizable varieties, one slightly larger than 

 the other; in the former, the forehead and nareal tufts are 

 nearly black ; in the latter, these are nearly white. I do not myself 

 think it possible to draw any distinction between the numerous 

 specimens sent me ; they differ, no doubt, slightly inter se in many 

 little particulars, but there is no constancy in these differences. 



The males vary from 6*25 to 6- 94 in length ; the females are a 

 trifle smaller. The wings vary from 3-55 in the smallest female 

 to 3-9 in the largest male. Bill, at front, 075 to 0-85 ; tail, from 

 vent, about 2'0 to 2-2. 



In the male the forehead and crown are crimson; in the 

 female black. The feathers immediately impending the base of 

 the upper mandible, in some whitish, in some dusky, and in some 



H 



