﻿FOUR NEW PHILIPPINE BIRDS. 293 



edged with olive-brown, all but the center pair tipped with white, increasing in 

 extent towards the outermost feather which has its outer web almost entirely 

 white. "Length. 6.00 inches:" wing. 2.70: tail. 2.40; exposed culmen, 0.58; bill 

 from front margin of nostril. 0.41 ; tarsus, 0.78. 



The exact type locality of Parus elegans Lesson is unknown, but it is 

 fair to assume that specimens from Luzon represent this species. Speci- 

 men Xo. -x52 <$, Bureau of Science Collection: Mariveles, Bataan Prov- 

 ince, Luzon; February 18, 1902; McGregor and Celestino, is here used 

 as a basis for comparison. It may briefly be described as follows : 



Pardaliparus elegans (Lesson). 



Head above, neck, cheeeks, chin, throat, and fore breast glossy-black: space 

 below eye, ear coverts, sides of neck, a large irregular spot on hind neck, breast, 

 abdomen, under tail-coverts, and thighs lemon-yellow; flanks lightly washed with 

 greenish-yellow; mantle with large spots of black, yellow, and white; lower back 

 and riimp olive-green ; upper tail-coverts and rectrices black, the latter with 

 white tips and two or three outer pair, with a white spot in middle of outer 

 web; wings black; median and greater coverts and secondaries with large, white 

 tips; small white spots on alula; outer webs of primaries narrowly edged with 

 white or pale olive-green ; quills edged with white on inner web; under wing 

 coverts white, edged with yellow and mottled with blackish; irides and bill black; 

 feet and nails plumbeous. Length in flesh. 4.75 inches: wing. 2.58; tail, 1.66: 

 exposed culmen, 0.38; tarsus, 0.75. 



Pardaliparus albescens sp. nov. 



Parus elegans McGregor. Bull. Philippine Mus. (1903), 1, 11 (Ticao and 

 Masbate I . 



Pardalipai us elegans McGregor and Worcester, Publications of the Bureau 

 of Government Laboratories I 1906). 3 6, 94 (part). 



Specific characters. — Similar to P. elegans Lesson, but little or no olive-green 

 on upper parts and the white much more extensive, to a large extent replacing the 

 black. 



Type. — Xo. 1000 <$ adult, Bureau of Science Collection: Ticao Island. P. I.; 

 May 9, 1902; B. C. McGregor and A. Celestino, collectors. Total length in flesh, 

 4.37 inches; wing. 2,53; tail. 1.55; exposed culmen. 0.38; tarsus. 0.72. Irides 

 dark: bill black; legs and nails lead-color. 



Remarks. — Gadow l observes that: "Immature birds and females have the back 

 more yellow and olive-grey, the white spots and the white wash getting more 

 pronounced in old birds, sometimes giving the back a nearly white appearance." 

 While this is true, the characters assigned to the present species are believed to 

 be quite independent of age and season. Adults from Masbate and Ticao agree 

 in having these characters, while not one in a large series from Luzon shows 

 them. It may be added that the wearing away of the tips of the dorsal feathers 

 produces a considerable difference in the bird's appearance and in birds with 

 worn plumage the yellow head band, the breast, and the abdomen become much 

 paler in color than in freshly moulted birds. Excluding young birds, I have before 

 me two skins from Ticao. three from Masbate. three from Mariveles, Luzon and 

 19 from Baguio, Benguet, Luzon. For a large part of the Benguet series I am 

 indebted to Dr. E. A. Mearns. 



1 Gadow: Cat. B>ls. (1883), 8, 23. 



