284 MR. R. SWINHOE ON THE BIRDS OF CHINA. [June 23, 



and upper wing-spot are primrose-yellow. At first glance this might 

 be taken for a Pied Wagtail. The spinous rigidity of its rump- 

 feathers is stronger in this than in any other species with which I 

 am acquainted. 



117. Pericrocotus cantonensis, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1861, p. 42. 



This species, forming so happy a link between the preceding grey 

 and some of the crocus-tinted forms of this group, 1 have as yet only 

 seen from Canton, where it was pretty common. The tendency of 

 the female to develope the yellow tints is in this much more strongly 

 shown than in the last, so much so that Dr. Sclater declined to accept 

 mv identification of the sexes. But apart from any special exami- 

 nation of the sexual organs, the skins carry in their plumage their 

 sexual stamp ; for, analogous to what obtains in the foregoing species, 

 the male of this has a white forehead and a dark head. I have no 

 young specimen ; but, judging from the last, I should say that the 

 young would be as strongly tinged with satfron as the female. 



J . Bill and legs black ; irides deep brown ; forehead, throat, 

 sides of nape, and vent white ; the rest of the under parts dingy ; 

 head, back, and scapulars deep brown, with a wash of grey, blacker 

 on the former ; rump and upper tail-coverts light yellowish brown ; 

 vrings and tail rich hair-brown, the former edged paler, the latter 

 with the stems brownish white, and more or less white on all except 

 the two central rectrices ; white of under wing and wing-bar with a 

 wash of pale saffron, the yellow being rather bright on some of the 

 axillaries ; wing-spot dingy yellow. 



2 . Rump'more of a colour with the back than in' the male ; upper 

 parts lighter and browner ; wing-spot bright yellow ; quills edged with 

 yellow ; the light part of rectrices rather bright yellow ; axillaries 

 and wing-bar fine primrose-yellow ; forehead narrow, dingy white ; 

 in other respects like the male. 



Length 7f ; wing 3^ ; expanse 9f ; tail 3|-. 



118. Pericrocotus sordidus, n. sp. 



I have a bird, procured at Amoy on the 29th September, 1859, 

 which difi'ers from the preceding two in many respects, but yet has 

 such intermediate characters that I have at one time felt inclined to 

 consider it a variety of the one, and at other times of the other. 

 After due deliberation, I have thought it best to separate it as a 

 distinct form. ^ly only specimen is a male, not quite mature. 

 Upper parts greyish brown, paler on the forehead, and darker blue- 

 grey on the head and hind neck ; wings and tail hair-brown ; greater 

 wing-coverts tipped with white, but no wing-spot outwardly visible ; 

 two middle rectrices unicolorous, the rest more or less white ; throat 

 and vent white, the former tinged with brown ; a black spot in front 

 of the eye ; under plumage greyish brown ; a dingy white bar runs 

 across the under wing, with a faint tinge of primrose-yellow. 

 Length 7iin.; wing 3| ; tail 3-f^. This may turn out to be only a 

 more northern race of the P. cantonensis ; but, at all events, it is 

 extremely interesting as drawing the species closer still to P. cine- 



