

described species, has most generously lent me the type specimen of his Anthreptes xanthochlora, 

 as well as a male of A. simplex from Malewoon. 



I find, on comparing these skins with my two Bornean specimens above described, the 

 former of which was collected by Mr. Low in North-west Borneo, opposite Labuan, the other by 

 Mr. Everett at Bintulu, that Mr. Hume's specimens are brighter and rather yellower, and have 

 the feathers in front of the eye shaded with olive. In the male the metallic forehead does not 

 extend quite so far upon the crown ; and it has no pectoral tufts. These differences I attribute to 

 its not being in quite such full plumage, but should hesitate to call it a very young bird, although 

 I think it probable that the yellower shades are due to age. The typical female of A. xantho- 

 chlora agrees well in its general colouring with Mr. Hume's male specimen of A. simplex from 

 Malewoon, and was only separated on account of its smaller size ; and therefore, in order to 

 compare them with the Bornean specimens above described, I shall give the following measure- 

 ments : — 



A. simplex (d), 10th January, Malewoon. In the flesh — "length 5*25 inches, expanse 7 - 75, 

 bill from gape 07, wing 2 - 4, tail 2 - 0, tarsus - 6 " (Davison). From the dried skin — length 4 - 80 

 inches, culmen 0'60, wing 2 - 4, tail 2-0, tarsus 06. 



A. xanthochlora (2), Pabyai, Mergui district, 14th November, 1874. In the flesh — "length 

 4 - 75 inches, expanse 7 - 0, bill from gape 06, wing 2*25, tail T75, tarsus 0-5, weight a little over 

 0-26 ounce" (Davison). From the dried skin — length 4 , inches, culmen 048, wing 2 - 20, tail 

 1-75, tarsus 0-58. 



I make the tarsus in this latter specimen 0'08 longer than Mr. Davison does, thus giving no 

 appreciable difference in the length of the tarsus between the specimens before me, and in the 

 bill only a difference of O07 between it and my Bornean specimens ; so that I feel sure Mr. Hume 

 will agree with me that the specific title of A. xanthochlora must be suppressed. Still, in justice 

 to that gentleman, I must state that the two specimens he sent me appear far more different in 

 size as they lie on the table before me than their measurements would indicate, but with the 

 Bornean specimens between them the gradation in size is perfect. 



Messrs. Hume and Davison only procured three specimens of this bird, two of which were 

 males ; and they write to me : — " We found these two males, one in the south of the Tenasserim 

 Province at Tenasserim town, the other at Malewoon, on the Pakchan estuary. We have not 

 observed it yet in the Malay peninsula. The male from Tenasserim town measures — length 

 4-75 inches, expanse 7 - 37, tail from vent 1*82, wing 2 - 38, tarsus 06, bill from gape 0*65. 



"The legs and feet were pale dirty green, the bill dark horny brown, the irides wood- 

 brown." 



The third specimen was the type of A. xanthochlora, of which they write : — " We obtained 

 a single specimen (a female) of this supposed species at Pabyai, a village a little to the north of 

 Mergui, on the mainland (Mergui itself is on an island) ; and but for the great difference in size 

 (which the figure and linear dimensions give no adequate idea of), especially in the bills, I 

 should have considered it a female of A. simplex ; but in no other of the most closely allied 

 species is there such an enormous difference in the size of the sexes. 



" The colour of the irides, too, is different ; but that, as we have already seen in the case of 

 Anthreptes malaccensis, is not at all a safe character." 



