BIRDS OF UPPER PEGU. 131 



They all belong to the true puella, as distinguished from malay- 

 ensis, Horsf. Here I think that Lord Walden is clearly 

 right. So far as I have yet seen, there is no gradation be- 

 tween the two species; all the birds that I have examined, 

 either have the lower tail coverts reaching to the end of the tail, 

 or falling from 1*2 to 1*5 short of this. I have not as yet, how- 

 ever, obtained specimens from the southern portion of the Tenas- 

 serim provinces, and if from these or any other intermediate 

 locality between Tenasserim and Penang we should get specimens 

 with an intermediate length of lower tail coverts, then I should 

 refuse to admit malayensis as a distinct species ; for the present it 

 seems to me impossible not to accept it. 



Mr. Oates says : " It is only on the eastern slopes of the Pegu 

 Hills that this bird is found ; in the plains and on the western 

 slopes of the hills it never occurs, neither have I ever received it 

 from the Arracan Hills. 



" It is extremely abundant in all the Evergreen Forests, frequent- 

 ing well-wooded ravines. Jerdon states that it keeps to the 

 tops of the highest trees ; this, however, is not the case in Pegu, 

 where the bird seems to prefer low densely-foliaged trees. It 

 does not wander much, as a rule. It has a sweet note, a kind of 

 clear whistle not to be compared, however, in richness to that of 

 the Common Black -headed Oriole. It is very sprightly in its 

 actions, flitting from branch to branch restlessly, but never going 

 far from the particular locality it has selected. I measured a 

 good many ; the sexes do not differ constantly in size. The follow- 

 ing is a resume of the dimensions : — 



" Length, 10 to 10*45; expanse, 15*3 to 15*5 ; tail, from vent, 

 4*1 to 4*5 ; wing, 4*9 to 5*2 ; bill, from gape, 1*15 to 1*25 ; tarsus, 

 0*79 to 0-87. 



" In one specimen the under-tail coverts fell short of the end of 

 the tail by 1*2, in the rest by 1*25. 



" The irides are rich red ■ the eyelids, pinkish fleshy ; bill, legs, 

 feet, and claws, black; the inside of the mouth, fleshy. I ex- 

 amined the stomachs of many specimens ; they were all entirely 

 filled with Banyan figs. Looking to the appearances presented on 

 dissection, I should say that they breed during the latter half of 

 April." 



471 ter.— Oriolus tenuirostris, Blyth. 



My museum happens to be rather rich in Black-naped Orioles. 

 Of some of the species rarest in collections, I have, if my identifi- 

 cations are correct, a very fine series, and in hopes of helping to 

 clear up some of the difficulties that beset this little group, I 

 subjoin a rough diagnostical key to the several species, eight in 

 number, with which I am acquainted, and shall be glad to have 

 any errors pointed out. 



