;54 



by the ashy-brown colouring of the underparts. From A. affinis the present species is separated 

 on account of its smaller size, and its having the shaft-stripes on the throat and front of the 

 breast less distinctly marked. There are also some other slight differences, as, for instance, the 

 slightly greener shade in the plumage of A. modesta, and the paler colour of the under mandible. 



These differences are sufficient for a practised eye at once to separate the Java birds from 

 others from the Malay peninsula and Borneo ; yet they are really so slight that it is not without 

 some hesitation that I retain the birds as specifically distinct, rather than as being mere local 

 varieties of one species. 



An immature specimen collected by Lieutenant Wardlaw Ramsay at Malacca agrees perfectly 

 with the adult above described, excepting that the shaft-stripes are entirely absent. 



According to the notes kindly placed at my disposal by Messrs. Hume and Davison, " the 

 Grey-breasted Spider-hunter is rare in Tenasserim, and only occurs, as far as we know, in the 

 southern portion. The most northerly point where we have as yet met with it is Meeta Myo, in 

 the Tavoy district ; but in the Malay peninsula it is much more abundant ; in fact, throughout 

 the whole country about Malacca and, again, about Jahore it is perhaps the commonest species 

 of the genus. 



" Like the other species of Arachnothera the present one most especially affects plantain- 

 gardens and cocoanut-trees, and, so far as voice and flight are concerned, offers nothing to remark 

 as distinguishing it from the other nearly allied species. 



" Usually the males are notably larger than the females. 



'■'■Males. Length 7 inches, expanse 10-25, tail from vent 2 to 2T2, wing 3-25 to 3-37, bill 

 from gape 1*45 to L55 : weight - 75 to 1 ounce. 



'■'■Females. Length 6*25 to 6"75 inches, expanse 9 to 9 - 5, tail from vent l - 62 to L85, wing 

 2-8 to 2-9, tarsus 0-62 to 0-7, bill from gape 1-35 to 1'4: weight 0-55 to 0-6 ounce. 



" The irides are brown ; the legs vary from reddish ochre to pale reddish brown ; the upper 

 mandible is black, the lower one reddish horn-colour. 



" We know nothing as yet of the nidification." 



In Borneo it would appear to be a rather rare species ; for the only specimens from that 

 island I have been able to examine are the specimen here figured and one collected on the 

 banks of the river Lawas, in North-western Borneo, and most kindly presented to me by Governor 

 Ussher. These specimens are perfectly identical in every respect with those from the Malay 

 peninsula. 



Count Salvadori, in his admirable work upon the birds of Borneo, published in 1874 (Ann. 

 Mus. Civic. Genova, vol. v), also records it from the neighbourhood of Sarawak upon the autho- 

 rity of Doria and Beccari, who found it hunting for small spiders amongst the foliage, and 

 observed in the mouth of one individual three spiders still alive. According to their notes the 

 habits perfectly resembled those of the other species of this genus. 



The specimens above described were collected by Mr. Davison in the Malay peninsula, and 

 are in Mr. Hume's collection ; while the bird represented in the upper figure of the accompanying 

 illustration is a male obtained by Mr. Everett at Simunjon, in North-western Borneo, and now 

 in my collection : according to the label it had the " irides light brown, and the legs transparent 

 flesh-colour." 



