xni, D, 6 Zimmer: Birds of Southern Palawan 347 



Kittacincla nigra Sharpe. 



The Palawan black shama was the chief musician of the forests 

 where I found it. Its sweet song had a wide range of tone and 

 a number of variations, which the bird was not at all chary of 

 demonstrating, although while performing it liked to keep hidden 

 in the shelter of the fern thickets and other undergrowth. When 

 startled, it did not fly far but took refuge quite near at hand 

 behind the first convenient screen or at a little greater distance 

 in the open. Except at Sarong and Dadagican it was noted 

 regularly. Specimens were taken at Brooke's Point. 



SYLVIID^ 



Locustella ochotensis (Middendorf ) . 



I found the yellow grasshopper warbler by sheer luck, on 

 March 17. I had just shot an ^githina viridis from a low tree 

 on the cogon plain, behind the forest at Brooke's Point, and had 

 stooped to pick the specimen from the ground, when I saw a 

 small brown bird disappearing into a patch of tall talahib grass. 

 With my specimen in one hand, I steadied the gun and fired at 

 the disappearing bird, which must have been out of sight before 

 the charge of shot reached the place. I went forward, hardly 

 hoping for success, but on parting the grass stems I found the 

 warbler where it had fallen. This is the first record of L. ocho- 

 tensis from the Palawan group of islands. It is not a common 

 bird anywhere in the Philippines. 



Orthotomus ruficeps (Lesson). 



Rufous-headed tailorbirds were not common. I usually found 

 them in the thickets and brush piles, where they skulked wren- 

 like, and for the most part silent. Individuals were seen at 

 Brooke's Point, Sarong, Candauaga, and Bonabona. Specimens 

 were taken at Brooke's Point. 



ARTAMID^ 



Artamus leucorhynchus (Linnaeus) . 



The white-bellied swallow shrike was common about dead 

 trees in the clearings and at the edge of the forest. It was noted 

 at Brooke's Point, Dadagican, Candauaga, Bonabona, Tagba- 

 riri, Calatugas, and Puerto Princesa. 



LANIID^ 



[Otomela lucionensis (Linnaeus), 



A single shrike of the genus Otomela was noted at Brooke's 

 Point on Mai:ch 8 but was not taken. As there is a possible 



