1855.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 271 



erect, short and stiff frontal plumes, which are much less developed in 

 the other species: the rictal bristles are also much slighter. Length 



*Leioptila annectans, nobis, /. A. S. XVI, 450. Sikim. And, lastly, the 

 genus Sibia, Hodgson, comprising — 



1. S, PicoiDES, Hodgson, /. A. S. VIII, 38 : Heterophasia cuculopsis, nobis, 

 J. A. S. XI, 187. S. E. Himalaya. 



2. S. gracilis; Hyp sip etes gracilis, McClelland and Horsfield, P. Z. 8. 1839, 

 p. 159 ; /. A. S. XVI, 149, XX, 521. Asam ; Khasya hills. 



3. S. capistrata ; Cinclosoma capistratum, Vigors, P. Z. 8. 1831, p. 85 : C. 

 melanocephalum (?) , Royle's list: S. nigriceps, Hodgson, J. A. 8. VIII, 38. 

 Himalaya generally. 



It is very remarkable that no species of this group has hitherto been noticed 

 from the Malayan peninsula ; and two or three only, as yet, in the great islands : 

 but Capt. Tickell's recent discovery of two new species in the mountainous interior 

 of the Tenasserim provinces renders it likely that others will yet be met with 

 further south, when the loftier regions of the interior come to be explored. A 

 recent author observes, that " although Malacca birds are among the very com- 

 monest in European collections, I am not aware that the country has been visited 

 by any ornithologist. * * * There are two Portuguese resident in Malacca, 

 whose sole business is procuring and selling the skins of mammalia and birds. 

 They have numbers of the Malays of the interior in their employ, whom they 

 furnish with ammunition, arseniated soap, &c. All the birds are skinned and put 

 up by these Malays, who are paid a small sum per skin. The greater part of the 

 birds thus come from one or two localities only, where, as this collecting has been 

 going on for years, there can hardly be a new bird to be found." Ann. Mag, 

 N. H. f Feb. 1855. Yet this author (Mr. A. R. Wallace) mentions certain species as 

 having been procured by himself, during his nine weeks stay at Malacca, which we 

 have never seen in collections from that neighbourhood, that had been purchased 

 of the dealers referred to ; and other species as being there common, which we 

 have rarely seen in such collections (nectarinia hypogrammica for example). 

 It is very evident that the more dull-coloured species, and also those which are 

 particularly abundant about the station (unless of remarkably shewy plumage), 

 are neglected. Alcedo beryllina, Vieillot (v. A. biru, Horsfield), is stated to 

 occur there, and Heifer mentions it as an inhabitant of the Tenasserim provinces ; 

 but we have seen it from neither portion of that range of country, though likely 

 enough to occur ; and, of restricted Alcedo, only A. euryzona, Tern., A. mening- 

 ting, Horsf., and A. bengalensis, Gmelin (the common Indian bird). Mr. 

 Wallace's Halcyon gularis is probably the Indian H. smyrnensis, which 

 abounds in the Malayan peninsula, and accords precisely with the late Mr. Strick- 

 land's description of a Smyrna specimen ! A Woodpecker is mentioned as " like 

 Hemicercus concretus, but with head and crest of the same colour as the body." 



2 H 



