199



of head darker than body and more distinctly brown. Throat

and under parts as given below. Thus Nos. 2 and 3, but No. 1

who lived the longest somewhat different, although he had not

gone through another moult that I am aware of; but unfortu¬

nately the head had been badly pecked, so that some points were

doubtful. The narrow yellow connecting line across the base of

the forehead was not apparent. All the fore part of the head,

extending well up to the crown, was black, and this black

entirely surrounded the base of the bill, and, reaching down¬

wards, enveloped the orange throat patch, and spread over the

fore-neck and chest, but faded away towards the abdomen,

which, with the underparts generally, was of a light ash colour.

Some of the black about the face was very deep and bright,—

but it became more dull and sooty on and below the breast.

The chin patch was of a very brilliant orange, or orange

yellow, slightly but distinctly projecting downwards at each

lower corner, like whiskers when the chin is shaven. Thus

all the living and the dead in the flesh, but not apparent in

the preserved skins.


My female at this time was a neat, dapper little bird, very

lively and active as a rule, apparently of a plain brown colour;

but when in the sun it was seen that the upper parts of the body

were faintly washed with yellow. Faint watery-yellow or whitish

superciliary streaks might be detected; but I failed to perceive

any clear trace of the yellow chin spot. On the other hand,

sometime during February I noticed, what I had not noticed

earlier, a faint cloud of dark brown on the lower throat. This

is not referred to in the Catalogue; but it seems to point to the

females of the Tittle and Olive Finches being very like one

another.


Irides in both sexes, darkish brown.


(To be continued


THE COLLARED JAY-THRUSH.


(Garml ax picticollis.)


By A. C, Butler, Ph.B.


This bird is a native of China, and was described by the

late Consul R. Swinhoe, in the Proceedings of the Zoological

Societjr for 1872. He obtained the species in the mountainous

region of the province of Che-Kiang (Nimgpo), and on examining

the stomach found that it contained smooth caterpillars, grass¬

hoppers, seeds, and pulp of fig-like berries. •



