Raya rubropygia, Hodgs. Journ. As. Soc., vol. viii. p. 36. 



Eurylaimus lunatus, Horsf. in Proc. of Zool. Soc, Part VII. p. 156. 



Serilophus rubropygia, Blyth, Cat. of Birds in Brit. Mus. As. Soc. Calcutta, p. 196—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 169, 

 Serilophus, sp. 1.— Cat. of Sp. and Draw, of Mamm. and Birds presented to Brit. Mus. by B. H. Hodg- 

 son, Esq., p. 56, and App., p. 150. 



Eurylaimus rubropygius, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 65, Eurylaimus, sp. 4. pi. xxiii. 



Simornis (Raya) rulropygia, Hodgs.— Gray, Zool. Misc. 1844, p. 82. 



Serilophus rubropygius, G. R. Gray, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., Part II. sec. i. p. 38. 



Eurylaimus serilophus rubropygius, Horsf. Cat. of Birds in Mus. East Ind. Comp., p. 119. 



Rai Siiga, Nepaulese. 





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SERILOPHUS RUBROPYGIUS. 



Red-backed Eurylaime. 



The native habitat of this species is said to be the south-eastern Himalayas, Assam, Sylhet and Arracan, 

 where it doubtless takes the place of the S. lunatus of Rangoon and Tenasserim. It was first made known 

 to science by B. H. Hodgson, Esq., who some years since forwarded examples to this country, which with 

 his drawings of the species may be found in the national collection. Although bearing a general resem- 

 blance to the S. lunatus, it may at all times be distinguished by the absence of the black stripe above the 

 eye, by its more grey colouring, by its less developed crest, by its longer and more squarely formed tail, and 

 by the almost total absence of the lunate mark on the sides of the neck. Like the S. lunatus, it is a rare 

 bird in the collections of Europe, and as is the case with that species, little or nothing is known respectino- 

 its habits and economy ; it would therefore be a real boon to ornithological science if this blank could be 

 supplied by some one resident in the native country of these birds paying attention to the subject, and 

 forwarding the result of his observations to the scientific journals of India or Europe. 



The sexes appear to differ but little in their colouring; the lunate mark on the sides of the neck is 

 obsolete in some individuals, and is not very conspicuous at any time in the adult. 



Head, crest, back and scapularies brownish grey, under surface paler grey; on each side of the neck a 

 small semilunar mark of silvery white elevated feathers as in S. lunatus, but much less developed • wine- 

 coverts black ; primaries and secondaries lazuline-blue at the base and along the basal third of the outer 

 web ; on their inner web opposite the blue a patch of white extending on to the shaft ; the remainder of 

 their length velvety black, passing into blue on the four outer feathers, which are slightly tipped with 

 white, the remainder blue at the tip, with an intervening oblique mark of white on their outer web and 

 chestnut on their inner web ; the three innermost scapularies, the rump and upper tail-coverts rich chest- 

 nut ; tail black, the outer feather tipped with white, and the two next on each side with a large mark of 

 white on the inner side near the tip; thighs black; under tail-coverts white; bill blue, bright on the upper 

 mandible ; under mandible greenish, with greyish white edges ; tarsi and toes green in front, fleshy brown 

 behind ; irides reddish brown. 



Habitat. Central and lower regions. Hodgs. 



The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size : the plant is the Hoya cmnamomi folia. 







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