188 THE BIKDS OF MONGOLIA ETC. 



from our P. major, keeping to the wooded mountain- districts of Kan-su. I 

 met with P. minor also in Ussuri and about Lake Hanka, where the young 

 had left their nests already in the middle of June. 



^ 85. PCECILE AFFINIS, U. Sp. 

 P. cine tee simillimaj sed capite nigro. 



The present species is very closely allied to P. cincta, Bodd., but differs 

 from it in the following characters :— Qd) The crown of P. affinis is not dark 

 brown, but coffee-black, like P. luguhris : but the black mark of the head does 

 not reach far on the back ; it is just like that of P. cincta. (J) Compared with 

 the latter, the flanks and the back are much darker in P. ajinis. (^c) The 

 wide edges of the tertiaries and wing-coverts, as well as the narrow edges 

 of the other quills, are of the same light brown colour as the back ; whilst 

 P. cincta has light grey edges. (6?) Sides of the neck, breast, and centre of 

 the stomach are not so pure white as in P. cincta, but are shaded with brown. 

 (^) The lower wing-coverts are reddish brown. 



In size these two species do not differ; and the following are the 

 measurements of P. ajinis (J s^— length 6'^ 3, width 7''*5, wing 2^^*63, tail 

 2''-38, gape 0'''42, thickness of bill at the base 0''-17, tarsus 0'''67, middle toe 

 0''-4, hind toe 0''-26, hind claw 0'''26. Culmen black ; legs dark lead-colour ; 

 iris dark brown. 



"We noticed several specimens in the Ala-shan mountains, where it 

 appears to be common, especially in the fir forests ; but in Kan-su, where the 

 firs are scarce, it inhabits the larch woods, and at times ascends to the 

 alpine ranges. 



Not having preserved any specimens from Muni-ul and the Hoang-ho 

 valley, we cannot state with certainty whether the birds we shot there 

 belonged to the present species or not. 



