SPECIES PREVIOOSLY DESCRIBED. ' 45 



Ceyx euerythra Sharpe. 



Ceyxeuerythra Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. Vol. xvil. p 179 (1892). 



It is hard to make out what Dr. Sharpe means by his description 

 (Cat. B. xvii. p. 179) "entirely red with a wash of beautiful lilac on 

 the upper surface; greater wing-coverts and innermost secondar- 

 ies tipped with rufous," but we take it that he means upper surface 

 entirely red. We have fourteen specimens from Tawi Tawi, Pala- 

 wan and the Calamianes islands and they show some interesting 

 plumage changes which were for some time a puzzle to us. 



An adiilt pair in high plumage from the Calamianes have entire 

 upper surface of body red, washed with lilac, most heavily on head 

 and rump. Wing- coverts and scapulars like back. Secondaries 

 rufous with broad black shaft stripes. Primaries black, the first 

 rufous for entire length of outer web and most of the others show- 

 ing a small amount of rufous at their tips. Under surface of pri- 

 maries washed with rufous on inner webs. Chin and throat white 

 faintly tinged with lemon yellow. Remainder of under surface deep 

 golden yellow, darkest on sides of breast and flanks. A yellowish 

 white patch behind ear. Under tail-coverts golden yellow tipped 

 with rufous. Tail uniform bright r.ufOus above and below. Under 

 wing coverts and axillaries golden yellow. Bend of wing rufous. 



This plumage we take to be typical for fully adult birds in fine 

 feather. 



Two females from Palawan agree with this description except that 

 in one the secondaries show rufous only on under surface of inner 

 webs, and that the primaries show no rufous except on basal half of 

 outer web of first. The under wing coverts, axillaries and bend of 

 wing are light rufous instead of yellow. 



Dr. Sharpe (Ibis, '94, p.- 246) reports an adult male of this species 

 from Bongao and a female from Tawi Tawi. We note certain 

 differences shown by our Tawi Tawi specimens, of which we have 

 twelve. Of these four agree with the Calamianes birds except that 

 the scapulars show more or less black at their bases and that the 

 secondaries show more of black. Among the remaining specimens, 

 however, there are some curious variations. 



First it is to be noted that in three fully adult birds beginning to 

 moult the under surf ace. is pale dirty yellowish, the throat white. 



In two of the birds a few scattered yellow feathers are appearing 

 in the white of the throat. , This then is the worn out plumage of old 



birds. 



A male with rich yellow under surface and white throat has some 

 of the scapulars entirely black, tipped with blue, the remainder 



