

72 



in proportion than that of A. flavigastra. From that bird the present species is distinguished by 

 its not possessing a circle of yellow feathers round the eye, and in not having any yellow on the 

 ear-coverts. The quills and greater wing-coverts are broadly edged with yellow, which constitutes 

 a well-marked character in the species. 



Messrs. Hume and Davison write to me : — ■" This Spider-hunter does not occur, so far as we 

 yet know, in Tenasserim ; and even in the Malay peninsula it appears to be the rarest of all the 

 Spider-hunters. The only place at which we met with it was at Karoo, about twenty-six miles 

 east, or a little south-east, of Malacca, in the territory of the Rajah of Tampin. In the local 

 governor's garden there was a large Bombax tree, which was in flower at the close of October, 

 and which was infested by all the Honey-suckers, amongst which Arachnothera modesta, A. chry- 

 sogenys, A. longirostra, Anthreptes malaccensis, and several species of Dicasum were most nume- 

 rous ; and it was on this tree that our specimens were obtained ; but so rare was it that we had 

 no opportunity of observing its habits. 



" There does not appear to be so much difference in the size of the sexes as there is in most 

 of the other species; but, unfortunately, we measured no females in the flesh. 



"Two males measured — length 6'5, 6*55 inches, expanse 9-4, 9 - 62, tail from vent 1*9, 2-05, 

 wings 3, tarsi 0-65, bill from gape T3, T25 ; weight - 62, - 55 ounce. 



" The legs and feet dark plumbeous, soles orange-yellow ; upper mandible black, lower 

 mandible dark brown, bluish white at base ; irides dark brown. 



"These were the colours, be it remembered, on the 28th October; and the colours of the 

 soft parts may possibly change later on in the cold season. One male had the deep-orange 

 pectoral tufts well developed ; the other male only showed a faint trace of these tufts on one 

 side ; and the female showed no trace of them at all." 



In the British Museum there is a specimen from Sumatra, collected there by Mr. Wallace; 

 and Mr. E. C. Buxton also met with it on that island, in the Lampong district. 



Count Salvadori first mentions its occurrence in Borneo, where Dr. Beccari procured two 

 specimens in the neighbourhood of Sarawak. These specimens were unfortunately lost; so that 

 it was a great satisfaction to me to procure an adult male collected by Mr. Henry Everett in the 

 same part of that island. This specimen agrees in every respect with the specimens of that sex 

 above described and figured. 



I have examined the types of Arachnocestra crassirostris, Reichb., and of Arachnothera 

 temmincki, Horsf. & Moore, and have no hesitation in referring them to the same species. The 

 former I have described as the immature bird ; for, from the general appearance of that specimen, 

 as well as from the upper mandible being slightly paler at the base, it would appear not to be 

 fully adult. It has probably faded slightly ; for according to Reichenbach's original description 

 the throat and breast were yellowish grey. It has been mounted ; and therefore the total length 

 can only be measured approximately ; and the tail, which was apparently never quite fully grown, 

 is much worn. 



The type of Arachnothera temmincki agrees perfectly with the adult male above described 

 and figured, and which was collected by Mr. Davison at Kuroo, near Malacca. 



The female here described and figured is in the Marquis of Tvveeddale's collection, and is 

 also from the neighbourhood of Malacca. For the loan of the type of A. crassirostris, preserved 

 in the Dresden Museum, I am indebted to Dr. A. B. Meyer. 



