44G Notices and Descriptions of various [May, 



N. W. Himalaya, as about Simla ; and the present species, Nepal and 

 Sikim. Size about the same, but the bill of P. melanolophos is con- 

 spicuously more slender : the latter has also the back, and the belly, 

 pure dark grey ; the black of the throat and breast carried further 

 down ; a ferruginous patch confined to each side of the breast, below the 

 black ; and the greater and lesser wing-coverts are tipped with rufes- 

 cent-white, forming two bars on the wing. — P. rubidiventris, on the 

 other hand, has the upper-parts of a paler and rufescent grey, with a 

 strong tinge of ferruginous upon the rump ; no trace of bars on the 

 wing ; the black of the throat less developed, this being bordered with 

 the same grey as the back ; and the whole of the abdominal region is 

 tinged with dilute ferruginous. 



P. atricepsy Horsfield, will bear the prior name cinereus of Vieillot, 

 founded on one of Levaillant's figures. It is the P. major, var. B, of 

 Latham.* In my description of Sylviparus modestus, Burton, XIII, 

 942, I omitted to notice the spot of silky-yellow feathers above the eye, 

 upon which Mr. Hodgson founds his name seriophrys (or sericophrys 

 would have been better) ; neither has Mr. Burton noticed it. This is 

 very conspicuous, however, in the recent specimen (as I have been 

 informed) ; but was completely hidden in the dry skin from which I 

 drew up the notice adverted to. 



Pa?'adoxornis group, XIV, 578. To this should probably be re- 

 ferred the Australian genus Struthidea. Of Ileteromorpha rvficeps, 

 Capt. Tickell writes me word — " I have killed several of these birds, 

 and watched them in their wild state, at Geeng, near Darjeeling ; and 

 I cannot agree in opinion with those who would class its group among 

 the Crateropodines. This bird is a great devourer of grain (maize, 

 rice, and buckwheat, which last is common about Nepal). It perches 

 on the tops of high trees, as well as bushes, when off its feed ; and in 

 fact shows nothing in its manners of the thicket-loving, skulking, habits 

 of the Crateropodines" 



Of the vast series of birds comprised in, or allied to, the last named, 

 many subgroups will require to be distinguished. Just upon the con- 

 fines of the series, we have the Leiotrichance, comprising Cutia, Pteru- 

 thius, Leiothrix and its subgenera, Ixulus, Ynhina, and even Myzomis, 

 Then another minor series, comprising Sibia, Leioptila y Ixops, Actino- 

 * The Society has lately received a specimen of this bird from Ceylon. 



