INHABITING THE PHILIPPINE ARCHIPELAGO. 209 



throat dark chocolate-brown, without a tinge of ferruginous. Nor does this colour 

 descend so low as its corresponding shade in M. topela. The undulations on the under 

 surface, which are of the same character as in M. toiiela, are bolder and larger. Quite 

 distinct from M. ■punctularia (Linn.) and M. nisoria (Temm.). 



Coccothraustes ]}hiUi}pinensis,BAsson,Oi:n.\u. ^.2^2, no. 6, pi. xii. fio-. 1, cf, pi. 

 xviii. figs. 1, 2, nest (1760). 



Loxia phiUppma, Linn. S. N. i. p. 305, no. 36 (1766), ex Brisson ; v. Martens, J. f. O 

 1866, p. 14. 



Gros-hec des Philippines, D'Aubenton, PI. Enl. 135. fig. 2. 



Le Toucnam-courvi, Bufibn, Hist. Nat. Ois. iii. p. 465. 



Loxia maculata, L. S. Miiller, Suppl. p. 150, no. 56 (1776), ex D'Aubent. 



Originally and minutely described by Brisson from examples in M. Aubrey's cabinet, 

 said to have come from the Philippines. Since that date (1760) there is no evidence of 

 any species of Ploceus inhabiting those islands. Camel does not include any members 

 of the genus ; and he would certainly have noticed a bird so remarkable for the con- 

 spicuous nest it constructs. Dr. Jerdon (Birds of India, ii. p. 348) states that he is 

 convinced that the figure in D'Aubenton's plate {I.e.) refers to P. hypoxanthus (Daud.'). 



In this opinion I find it impossible to concur. D'Aubenton's figure fairly depicts the 

 common Indian Weaverbird, Ploceus baya, Blyth (J. A. S. B. 1844, p. 945), the belly 

 being represented pure white, while in the so-called P. hypoxanthus the belly and under 

 tail-coverts are rich golden. According to Bufibn (I.e.). D'Aubenton's figure was 

 taken from a male example of Brisson's Coceothraustes philippinensis, on which Linnaeus 

 founded Loxia philippina. Brisson's description completely agrees with P. baya, Blyth, 

 and cannot apply to P. hypjoxanthus of the Indian autliors. Moreover Brisson describes 

 and figures the nest of his Weaverbird, and unmistakably represents the pensile nest 

 of P. baya, Blyth, and not the non-pensile nests of the other known Asiatic Weavers 

 P. manyar (Horsf.), P. bengalensis (Linn.), and P. javanensis (Less.). It is satisfactory 

 to find that Hermann (Observ. Zool. p. 205, 1804) identified an example of a Weaver- 

 bird, sent from Tranquebar along with its jjensile nest, as Loxia philippina, Linn. ; for 

 he evidently describes a young male of P. haya, Blyth. 



" Toucnam-courvi" the supposed native name iu the Philippines, according to Brisson 

 (Z. c), does not sound Tagalish, as already remarked by Dr. v. Martens {I. c.) ; while, 

 on the other hand, it closely resembles the Malay name for the common Weaverbird, 



' Loxia hijpoxantha, Sparrman, Mus. Carls, faso. iii. no. 71, "Sumatra" (1788). 

 Loxia hypoxantha, Daudiu, Traite d'Omith. ii. p. 429 (1800), ex Sparrm. 



Above uniform olive-green ; forehead and underaurface bright yellow. Evidently not a Ploceus {cf. Sun- 

 devall, Kritisk, p. 12, no. 711). The TveU-marked species to which the specific title of Jii/poxanthus has been 

 applied by Jerdon, Blyth, and Dr. Pucheran (Rev. Zool. 18-54, p. G7), and which is found, in suitable localities, 

 throughout Burma, must take the title of I'loceics javanensis (Lesson), Traite, p. 44G, "Java '' (1831). 



