Vol. xlii.] 16 



Named in honour of Mr. T. Wells, to whom I am much 

 indebted for his kind assistance and advice in the Bird- 

 room of the British Museum. 



PomatorMmis ruficollis laurentei, snbsp. nov. 



Near P. r. hakeri, but much smaller. The bill is uniform 

 dusky pink, the underparts are pale olive with much white 

 down their centre, and the upper parts are olive-brown 

 resembling P. r. styani. The tail is of the same olive-brown 

 as the back and obsoletely barred. Wing 75 mm. 



Tape J, Kopaotsim, S.E. Yunnan (alt. 5500 ft., 250 k. 

 N. of Mengtsz), 15 May, 1921. 



Two birds of the year from the same locality have the bill 

 similarly coloured, but have much greyer underparts. 



Named in honour of Mr. E. P. Laurente. 



Ohs. P. r. reconditus Bangs, when compared with P. r. 

 stridulus, appears to be a well-marked race. I have six 

 specimens from Hokow, one from Loukouchai, two from 

 Loshuitang, and one from Lotukow, all of which places are 

 within the tropics, but at altitudes varying respectively from 

 300 ft. to 6000 ft. The specimen from Loukouchai shows no 

 white on the belly, the series from IJokow have all some 

 white on this part, and the single Lotukow specimen is much 

 the same in this respect. A specimen collected by Captain 

 Vaughan, R.N., at Howlik on the West River, agrees also 

 with the Hokow bird, but has in its present condition more 

 black on the culmen. 



The breast in PomatorJiinus r. reconditus is of a richer and 

 darker chestnut than in P. r. strididus from Fohki^n, the 

 chestnut breast showing in strong contrast with the abdomen. 

 The bill is pale yellow with the base of the culmen black, this 

 feature showing practically no variation in my series *. 



There would appear to be a third local race of this most 



* With reference to liord Rothschild's remarks on tlie colour of the 

 bill in Chinese specimens of Pomatorhinus ruficollis, I found when 

 dealin;^ with Yunnan birds that no reliance could be placed on tlie 

 colour of the bill when thoroughly dry, the dark parts increasing in 

 extent and changing the appearance of the bill. Thus the three speci- 

 mens from the vicinity of Yunnan-fu, which, when fresh, had a plain 

 pinkish bill, have now a pronounced dusky base to the upper mandible ! 



