41 [Vol. xliii. 



that it had always been an accepted principle in investigating 

 ornithological records, that they should be supported by 

 confirmatory evidence when put forward by those pecuniarily 

 interested in them (e.g., by professional taxidermists). 

 Records of rare birds from such sources are not accepted 

 unless examined in the flesh by competent and disinterested 

 ornithologists. The occurrence of the two specimens of 

 M. jiava tliunbergi is not disputed, but there is no scrap 

 of evidence to connect them with the nest and eggs — or, 

 indeed, that they were breeding at all — beyond the word o£ 

 the taxidermist who shot and sold them. Moreover, if the 

 record were genuine, it follows that a pair of an Arctic 

 subspecies had crossed the intervening territory of M. fiava 

 flava and settled down to nest in that of a third race, 

 M. fiava rayi, considerably before the normal breeding-time. 

 Such a case has no parallel in nature. In all probability the 

 presence of the female M. f. tlmnlergi in the neighbourhood 

 of a nest of M. f. rayi was purely accidental. 



Mr. J. D. La Touche forwarded the following descriptions 

 of new subspecies of Chinese birds : — 



Cryptolopha burMi distincta, subsp. nov. _l 



Similar in general appearance to C. h. te]?liToce2?liala 

 Anderson, but smaller, the crown pure grey and Uach, the 

 coronal grey and the enclosing black stripes distinct and 

 well defined, the black stripes starting from the base of the 

 bill. In three out of seven examples examined, the forehead 

 is almost grey like the crown , but in the four others this 

 part is more or less green. The eye-ring is complete, but 

 narrow, the sides of the head are rich dark green. The 

 outer rectrices as in C. t. tephrocephala. 



It differs from C. t. intermedia of N.W. Fohkien in its 

 larger bill and in the colour of the head. C. t. intermedia has 

 the forehead green, the centre of the crown pale grey with 

 a slight admixture of green, and an interrupted eye-rmg. 



Wing, c? 52-57, ? 50-55-5 mm. 



Types, c?, Mengtz, S.E. Yunnan, 25 March, 1921. 

 ?, „ „ 21 April, 1921. 



