152 



Mr. Layard, who, previously to his visit to the Philippines, had only been working with his father, the 



well-known Mr. E. L. Layard, in South Africa, visited Negros with no previous knowledge of the 



ornithology of that part of the world, and consequently had no preconceived notions as to the difference 



of the male and female of P. solitarius. His notes, as may be seen in the accouut of his collection 



published by Lord Walden and Mr. E. L. Layard in 'The Ibis' for April 1872, are most carefully 



compiled, and the sexing of his specimens may be strictly relied on. This young bird is said by him to 



be a male ; and we have not the slightest doubt ourselves of the complete correctness of this identification. 



It is an important piece of evidence in the present inquiry, because it confirms our statement made 



above, that the male of P. solitarius does not lose its spotted plumage in the first autumn like P. cyanus. 



Here is a bird of the previous year gaining its first spring plumage, for the remains of the winter dress 



are fast disappearing. A blue shade is coming on the whole of the upper surface, on the sides of the 



neck, and (though more faintly seen) on the throat and upper breast. Still more important, however, 



is a very visible change on the flauk-feathers, which are turning to bright chestnut. Thus we have an 



indication of the plumage about to be assumed, viz. blue on the upper parts and on the throat, chestnut 



on the lower parts of the body. We are not sure whether the full blue-and-red plumage is assumed in 



the first spring, but we think that the male most likely loses his spotted dress entirely at this early season. 



The exact time may vary slightly in different localities; for Mr. Swiuhoe procured a male specimen in 



Hainan, on the 11th of March, in full blue-and-red livery, with only a few traces of dingy edgings to the 



feathers of the head and back, the remains of winter plumage. On the other hand, two out of the three 



specimens procured by Mr. Henry Whitcly at Hakodadi on the 17th of April, 1865, arc in most beautiful 



lull blue-and-red plumage, though the faint traces of mottlings visible on a close examination suggest 



that they had emerged from a spotted dress not very long before. The third specimen, a male, like the 



others, and killed on the same day, has plentiful remains of these escalloped markings on the breast and 



of bars nn the back ; and a fourth example, procured by Mr. Swinhoe in Formosa, in March 18G6, is 



similar; so that it would appear that the full blue-and-red plumage is donned in the first spring. We 



now add a description of one of Mr. Whitcly's Japanese specimens, all of which are at present in Lord 



Walden's collection, to give an illustration of the male in what we take to be his second plumage. 



Adult Male in first summer. Above bright cobalt-blue, more brilliant on the head and face, with a few very 

 tiny black specks in the centre of the back, being the remains of young plumage ; least wing-coverts 

 bine, exactly like the rest of the back; the rest of the upper wing-coverts black, edged with bright blue 

 and tipped with white; quills black, very narrowly edged on the outer web with bright blue, the inner 

 feathers narrowly margined with white at the tip; tail entirely black, feathers washed with blue on 

 the outer web, mere especially towards the base, and very narrowly tipped with white; entire throat 

 and fore part of the breast bright cobalt ; rest of the under surface of the body bright chestnut, as also 

 the under wing- and tail-coverts ; on the lower breast are a few remains of whitish edgings to the 

 feathers; the lower flanks and sides of the vent, as well as the thighs, bright cobalt; bill black; feet 

 black ; eye dark hazel. {H. Whitely, MS.) 



Thus far the explanation of the changes of plumage in the Eastern Blue Rock-Thrush is tolerably simple ; 

 hut we are now rather puzzled as to whether the male bird changes directly into a second autumnal 

 plumage with escalloped markings on the throat as in the first stage, but having the back blue with 

 white terminal cross markings, and the belly chestnut, also barred with white and black. The next 

 stage (if plumage through which the bird passes from the blue-and-red livery is into one entirely blue 

 all over; and it is to fix the time when this final change takes place that we find it so difficult. We 

 have before us no less than three specimens which, while exhihiting escalloped markings on the upper 

 breast and throat, have the back blue with a few cross bars of white and black, and the whole head and 

 neck washed with dingy brown, apparently only the winter dress. The belly is chestnut, with cross 



