96 HIEROCOCCYX NISICOLOR. 



Hierococcyx nisicolor, Ilodgs. {in Bly. J. A. S. B., 

 XII., 943, 1843.) 



Mr. Blj'th originally described this species imder Mr. 

 Hodgson's manuscript name as follosw : — 



" Mr. Hodgson lias also forwarded an apparently distinct 

 species by the appellation C. nisicolor, to which I have no hesi- 

 tation in referring the young specimen from Macao mentioned 

 in a note to p. 240, ante. It is closely allied to C.fugax,* from 

 which it is chiefly or wholly distinguished by its much deeper 

 colouring. Mr. Hodgson's example would appear to be a 

 remarkably small one, and is probably a female, but the differ- 

 ence of size between it and the young specimen from Macao is not 

 greater than occurs in the respective series of C. canorus 

 and C micropterus now lying before me. Length about twelve 

 inches and a half; of wing six inches and five-eighths, and 

 middle tail-feathers five inches and three-quarters ; bill to gape 

 an inch and three-sixteenths. Colour of the upper parts very 

 dark pure ash-colour ; throat and cheeks the same, as in C 

 fug ax ; uuder-parts aud tail also as in the latter species, but the 

 flanks not barred (in the specimen) : throat below the chin con- 

 trasting with the dark ashy above and laterally, and the central 

 marking of the feathers of the throat deep ash, like the rest of this 

 colour, it being very dark on those of the fore-neck. The 

 Macao specimen is moulting its tail-feathers, but has the wing 

 seven inches and a half long, being probably a young male ; 

 cap, with the throat, ear-coverts, and sides of the neck, very 

 dark ashy, and several white feathers on the nape, as in 

 some young examples of C.fugax; interscapularies dusky ash, 

 very faintly rufous barred, imparting a shade of that colour 

 to the parts ; scapularies, tertiaries, and wing-coverts, succes- 

 sively more distinctly barred with bright rufous ; the fore-neck 

 tinged and the plumage of the breast tipped with the same ; 

 aud the uuder-parts longitudinally streaked throughout with 

 dusky, shewing no trace of bars on the flanks : lower tail- 

 coverts dull white: bill and feet as in C. fugax. 



Later, in his commentary on Jerdon's Birds of India, Ibis, 

 1866, 362, Mr. Blyth remarked as follows : — 



" 206. — Hierococcyx nisicolor. 



I have now seen several examples of this bird, all from the 

 South-Eastern Himalayan, and am well satisfied that it is a 

 distinct race. The largest adult measured 7 inches in length 



* Mr. Blyth here refers to varius, which at that time was accepted osfugax. — 

 A. O. H, 



