88 TURDINUS CRISPIFRONS. 



In no specimen, and mine are all fresh and beautiful 

 ones, can I discover the smallest ashy tinge on the lower 

 surface. 



I would add to Blyth's description that in the stage of plumage 

 he described, there is a long, rather obscure, grey streak from 

 the nostrils over the eyes and ear-coverts, that the ear-coverts 

 are non-olivaceous brown, white-shafted, that the wing 

 lining is deep olive brown, and that it is as often buff or pale 

 tawny as whitish that is mingled along the middle of the 

 under surface of the body. 



But in another stage of plumage a broad frontal band, lores, 

 baud above the eye, chin, cheeks, throat, ear-coverts, sides of 

 neck, a broad collar on the back of the neck, and at least part of 

 the breast, are snow white ; the middle of the abdomen, vent, 

 and even tibial plumes are more or less mottled with this pure 

 white, and the wing lining is white or nearly so. 



The birds in this plumage are absolutely identical in every 

 dimension with those colored as above. Nor is this a case 

 of individual albinism. There are nearly a dozen speci- 

 mens like this (some, however, showing here and there a 

 single dark feather in the midst of the white), and as many 

 more differing only in wanting the collar, or in the white 

 only just descending to the breast. 



Now the curious thing is this, my specimens are as fol- 

 lows : — 



36 from Wimpong, 15 miles from Thatone, all killed on 

 different dates between the 20th December, and the 2nd 

 of January. 



39 from near the banks of the Toungsha Gyne R. and killed 

 on the 8th, 9th, and 10th March, and 



7 from Moumenzeik near Moulmeiu, killed on the 11th 

 March. 



Now every single one of the very white birds is from Wim- 

 pong. 



Does this white plumage indicate a local variety ? or is 

 it seasonal ? 



If the former, it is not of a nature to receive specific rank, 

 for 3 of the Wingpong birds are absolutely identical with 

 Toungsha Gyne ones, 3 or 4 more only differ in having the 

 lores, ear-coverts, cheeks, and streak over the eye pure white, 

 and 5 or 6 others, in addition to this, show some white feathers 

 on the forehead, or on the nape. Again several (4) of the 

 Toungsha Gyne R. birds, though making no other approach to the 

 white plumage, have the entire chin and throat right down to 

 the breast snotv white. 



