IG4 



and frolics over a bush, it utters a rapid succession of these notes ; but its voice often runs off 

 into quite a cheerful little song. In the midst of its activity, it often stops suddenly and begins 

 to preen itself, twittering gaily all the Avhile. On the banks of the Chinlan river (N.E. Hainan), 

 on the 7th of March, we found it in abundance among the mangrove-marshes, flitting from bush 

 to bush and alighting on the topmost twigs. The edge of the jungle at Lingshuy and Yu-lin- 

 kan (S. Hainan) yielded plenty of these birds, and we found them also plentiful on West Island, 

 picking the insects off the large red flowers of the tall leafless Bombax malalaricum. At Tuntow, 

 on the borders of the Kangen and Changhwa districts, at Haosuy, and at Hungpe (all in W. 

 Hainan) we noticed them again in tolerable numbers; and from all the places noted we got 

 specimens. I have thus a good series : and not one shows an extension of the frontal metallic 

 black; and as the last specimen was shot on the 30th of March, there is no reason to suppose 

 that the summer dress would appear otherwise, all the birds having the lateral yellow breast-tufts 

 well developed." 



Mr. Swinhoe has most kindly placed his fine series of this bird at my service ; and from his 

 specimens my figures and descriptions are taken. All these birds were collected by him in 

 February, at which season the adults have evidently assumed their full plumage. Two other 

 specimens, one collected in February and the other in March, are in the plumage of the fully 

 adult male, excepting as regards the forehead, where only a few of the plumes are metallic. 

 Those are, I consider, birds bred in the earlier part of the previous season ; and the young bird 

 here described was probably from a late brood. 



