4t3 BOURNS AND WORCESTER: PRELIMFNARY NOTES. 



being tipped with lilac. Some of the wing-coverts are black tip- 

 ped with blue. No rufous on primaries except on outer web of first. 



Another bird has chin and throat pure white, the breast mottled 

 with golden" yellow and lighi cinnamon rufous. Feathers of abdo- 

 men nearly white, tips washed with rufous. Under wing- coverts 

 and axillaries cinnamon rufous. A* little more black in the scapu- 

 lars than the preceding. Tail with broad black shaft stripes on 

 apical half of under surface of feathers. 



Another specimen has chin and throat pure white. Sides of face, 

 breast, flanks, under wing-coverts and axillaries cinnamon rufous, 

 deepest on the breast. Abdomen nearly white. A few golden yel- 

 low feathers appearing on breast, flanks and abdomen. Scapulars, 

 except a few of the smallest, black quite broadly tipped with, blue, 

 tail with tips of all its feathers black. 



Finally, a single specimen has under surface as in preceeding 

 except that yellow feathers have not begun to appear. Scapulars 

 and inner third of inner secondaries black, the former tipped with 

 blue, the latter with rufous washed with lilac. Tail with apical 

 two- thirds of feathers black washed with rufous on edges of webs. 

 The bill of this last bird shows signs of immaturity, being blackish 

 toward the tip instead of clear scarlet. 



We were at first greatly puzzled by these birds, as the black 

 scapulars with their blue tips form a striking marking and with a 

 single exception the bills of our specimens showed no sign of imma- 

 turity. After carefully examining the whole series, however, we 

 are convinced that the cinnamon rufous under surface, tail-feathers 

 tipped with black and black scapulars tipped with blue are them- 

 selves signs of immaturity, the black gradually disappearing with 

 age, and yellow feathery appearing on the under surface 

 until the plumage first described by us is reached. This finally 

 becomes worn and soiled giving the dirty yellowish under plumage 

 already noted. Our Tawi Tawi birds were shot late in October and 

 early in November, Palawan birds in December, and Calamianes 

 birds in January and February. 



Ceyx melanura Kaup. 



Ceyx melanura Kaup.; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mas. xvii. p. 180(1892). 

 Ceyx samarensis Steere, L'st B. and M. Steere Exped. p. 10 (1890). 



We obtained a fine series of specimens in Samar which agree in 

 every detail with the description of C. melanura. The specimens 

 secured by us were found among the hills in deep forest and invari- 

 ably away from water. 



