268 MR. F. w. STYAN ON CERVULUs Crinifrons. [May 4, 



forehead, and slender build of the former, and the yellow head and 

 black slits along the face of the latter. It is, however, much larger 

 than either, and apparently longer in the legs, compared with the size 

 of body. Its fur is of a similar hard texture to that of Elaphodus 

 michianus, but the colour is much richer and more glossy. The 

 skull is attached to the skin, but I have not taken it out to examine. 

 This species appears to be very rare ; ever since the description of it 

 first appeared, the man I employed to hunt has been specially 

 looking for it, but has only procured this single specimen. When I 

 first gave him a description of it he was quite incredulous, and 

 said no such animal was known, nor would he believe in it until he 

 actually came across this one. 



" Last summer he procured for me two young of the Flaphodus, 

 which I am not aware have been described before. They are 

 apparently not more than two or three weeks old, but are almost 

 exact miniatures of the adult, similar in colour, with a very 

 pronounced frontal tuft, but no pale eyebrow, ears marked with 

 white as in adult. On each side of the back is a row of not very 

 distinctly marked white spots, and outside that again just the faintest 

 suspicion of another rovv^. 



" I have also to record an interesting addition to the avifauna of 

 China in the shape of Hirundo savignyi. Two birds, which I 

 believe to be of this species, were killed at Pekin last October, one 

 of which is now in the Shanghai Museum. David records having 

 seen Swallows with reddish-yellow underparts in Upper Mongolia, 

 which doubtless were of the same species, but no record of its 

 occurrence in China exists. Both are males, one an immature bird, 

 and measure respectively 7\ and 7 inches — the tail in the former being 

 4 inches, in the latter 3^, not fully developed. In the adult the 

 forehead and throat are deep chestnut, the lower parts uniform rich 

 chestnut-buff; the nuchal collar is broad and complete, but a little 

 mixed with chestnut. In the younger bird the colour of the forehead 

 and throat is similar to that of the lower parts in the adult, while 

 its lower parts are again paler, a bright buff, and the nuchal collar 

 is broken in the centre. 



" Whether H. savignyi is now admitted as a distinct species or is 

 regarded as only a variety of H. rustica I do not know ; but if the 

 latter, its range is remarkably wide, and it is strange to find it where 

 the parent form is unknown and replaced by a distinct species, 

 H. gutturalis. 



"I am. Sir, 



" Yours faithfully, 



" F. W. Styan, P.Z.S. 



" P.S. — A friend tells me that when in Pekin in 1883 he saw 

 Swallows with uniform brick-red underparts, but did not obtain 

 specimens. It is probable the species is not uncommon there." 



The following papers were read :- 



