1863.] MR. R. SWINHOE ON THE BIRDS OF CHINA. 277 



deep blackish brown ; shoulder-edge, tips of greater coverts, spot on 

 base of primaries, and tips of secondaries white ; rump, two outer 

 tail-feathers, and tips of the rest white." M. De Grijs told me that 

 he saw these birds on the margins of pools on the hills, and that 

 they frequently uttered twittering notes not unlike those of the Sand- 

 piper (Tringoides liypoleucus), but louder. I compared the Chinese 

 skin at the time with one from Burmah, received from Mr. Blyth, 

 and could not find any noticeable difference between them. 



90. CiNCLus PALLAsii, Temm. 



This is noted from Amoorland, Japan, and Formosa. I have 

 therefore no hesitation in including it in my Chinese list, as it is 

 sure to occur in the interior mountain-ranges. 



91. Pitta nympha, Schleg. Faun. Jap. Supp. pi. A. ; Ibis, 1861, 

 p. 412. 



I never procured but one specimen of this bird, and that was 

 in June 1861 at Amoy ; so that at present I cannot regard it as more 

 than a straggler, probably from the extreme south of China. My 

 specimen runs uncommonly close to P. cyanoptera, var. from Siam, 

 which has the black crown-line separate from the nuchal bar. Mine 

 has the black crown-line only indicated by a brown patch, and the 

 white on its wings more extended. At the best I presume it can 

 only be considered a race of the varying species P. cyanoptera. 

 The Malacca race has the black crown-line united to the nuchal bar. 



92. Myiophonus c^ruleus. Scop. ; Ibis, 1861, p. 36. 



Common on all the retired rocky hills from Canton to Ningpo, 

 where it is ever a constant resident. The males are a good deal 

 larger than the females. It finds its nearest ally in the M. tem- 

 minckii. Vigors, of Assam and Arakan, which is always distinguish- 

 able from our black-billed bird by its partly yellow bill. The group 

 is represented in Formosa by a species of the subdivisional form 

 Ari-enga, hitherto only known from Java and the Neilgherries. 



PYCNONOTIDiE. 



93. Hypsipetes holtii, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1861, p. 266. 



Very closely allied to II. maclellandi, Horsf. First procured at 

 the Foochow hills. Has since been obtained on the Ningyang tea- 

 hills near Amoy( see The Ibis, 1861, p. 409). Resident on the hills. 



94. Ixos jocosus, L. 



Gracnla cristata, Scop. 

 Sitta chinensis, Osbeck. 



In China not found north of Canton ; about that city it is spe- 

 cially common (see The Ibis, 1861, p. 39). Our specimens appear 

 identical with those from Calcutta. The young birds have a brown 

 instead of a black crest, the lore and under the eye only being black, 

 and the upper plumage generally is much lighter and mixed with 



