1842.] Asiatic Society. 203 



become yellowish by drying. It is found at Singapore, and also in the interior of Sumatra." The 

 following is the ridiculous description of B. Lathami in Griffith's 'Animal Kingdom' (vii. 468), 

 "Greenish, quills dark ; face and chin, brown." In Shaw's Zoology (ix. 28), the B. Lathami, 

 or " Buff-faced Barbet" (Latham), is described sufficiently in accordance with the specimens 

 before me, except that the beak is stated to be "covered with bristles at the base, which are longer 

 than the bill itself [ ! ] There is a specimen of this bird," it is added, "in the British Museum, 

 native place unknown ;" and a figure is given, perched on a full-grown tree no bigger than itself, 

 which is worthy of the taste which placed it so. I subjoin a description of three specimens before 

 me. The form belongs evidently to the distinct family of Barbets (Bucconidcc, Leach;, and, as 

 compared with the true Barbets, the beak differs in being more compressed, and in having a sharp 

 upper ridge, which instead of becoming rounded off is still sharper and more elevate to the fore- 

 head, towards which it even rises to describe an obtuse angle in the outline ; the inferior angle of 

 the upper mandible is continued backward to beneath the eye, and that of the lower mandible to 

 beyond the eye, combining thus 'with the raised vertical ridge to impart an appearance of great 

 size to the beak ; the tip also of the upper mandible is prolonged to overhang the lower one; the 

 vibrissa impending the bill are reduced to minute rudiments, but the frontal and coronal plumes 

 have the shaft prolonged and spinous. In other respects, the external structure is essentially simi- 

 lar to that of Bucco, except that the wings are rather less rounded, having the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 

 even 6th primaries sub-equal and longest, and the 2nd but little shorter than the 7th. Plumage of 

 a glistening downy character on the under -parts, and colouring everywhere sombre, with some 

 faint indications of brighter hues. Length about 6£ inches ; of wing 3£ inches; and tail 2 inches : 

 bill to forehead § inch, to gape 1^ inch ; and tarse rather less than § inch. Colour of the upper-parts 

 nearly uniform dusky-brown, deepest on the crown, and everywhere slightly edged with dull green ; 

 throat dingy-reddish, and under-parts glistening dull white, margined, together with the former, 

 with yellowish green ; there is also a ruddy cast on the forehead and cheeks. The beak of one 

 specimen is nearly suffused with dusky-black, as characteristic of the male (according to Sir St. 

 Raffles), while in the others it is pale corneous, tinged with brown at the base. Feet as described. 



Cuculus micropterus. 



Phcenicophceus tristis. 



Edolius affinis, Nobis, Jante, p. 160. 



Lanius strigatus, Eyton, P. Z. S. 1839, 103 ; at least according with the Latin definition 



excepting that the head is concolorous with the rest of the upper-j. arts, instead of being cinereous. 



It is evidently a bird in immature plumage, and the character upon which the specific name is 



founded would most assuredly disappear with maturity. 



Muscipeta atriceps, Nobis. Very closely allied, it would appear, to M . Borbonica : length 7 inch- 

 3 9 



es, of wing 3£, and tail 3 — inches ; bill to forehead above £ inch, and to gape 1 inch ; tarse ~ 

 o lo 



inch ; tail slightly rounded : crown and nape of the male deep glossy black ; the sides of the head, 



neck and breast, dark ashy passing into glossy -black on the throat, and into paler ash on the lower 

 part of the breast and flanks ; the middle of the belly whitish, and vent and lower tail-coverts rufes- 

 cent ; the rest of the upper-parts bright rufo-ferruginous, dashed with ashy brown on the inter- 

 scapularies, and all the wing feathers dusky within, edged with ferruginous. The female is ra- 

 ther smaller, her wing measuring but 3^ inches, and tail 2\ inches ; upper-parts light olive-brown, 

 tinged with greenish-ash on the crown and ear-coverts, the wings and tail as in the male ; throat 

 and breast pale rufescent, still lighter on the flanks and middle of the belly. The female before 

 me appears to have been an older bird than the male, with colours more matured : her tertiaries 

 and the outer webs of the nearest secondaries, are wholly rufous ; while in the male the tertiaries 

 have a dusky stripe along their middle, and the outer webs of all the secondaries are only rufous- 

 edged. I think it probable that the whole back of the male would become uniform bright rufous, 

 and the throat, sides of the head, and fore-part of the neck, black like the crown. 



Eurylaimus nasutus : .Todus nasutus, Gmelin ; Cimbyrynchus nasutus, Vigors ; Eur. lemniscatus, 

 Raffles. 



