HAINAN SILVER KALEEGE 
Gennaeus whiteheadi Grant 
NAMES,—Specific: whitehead, after John Whitehead, who lost his life in the expedition on which he 
discovered this species. English: Hainan or Whitehead’s Silver Kaleege. 
BRIEF DESCRIPTION.—Male: Most nearly allied to xycthemerus. Nape and upper mantle pure white; 
remainder of upper plumage with two or usually a single, arrow-shaped submarginal black band, increasing in width 
toward the tail; wing markings are strong black lines, few in number; central tail-feathers usually white or with 
a few isolated black lines; these increase in width and number toward the outer pairs, which are predominately 
black. Female: Resembles more closely the female of “eatus than that of mycthemerus. Crown and nape mottled 
brown ; neck and mantle black with wide white shaft-streaks; under parts with the white dominant, the black 
reduced to a wide margin ; lateral tail-feathers chestnut. 
Types.—In British Museum of Natural History. 
RANGE.—The Island of Hainan. 
GENERAL ACCOUNT 
In the year 1899 John Whitehead, an English collector, visited Hainan, and 
discovered the present species of kaleege. Less than eight weeks after securing it he 
died of fever. The following extracts from his journal give us all that we know in 
regard to the haunts of this splendid bird— 
“March 25th. Started for the mountains again to- -day, arriving at 5 p.m. at a small 
village, where we camped for the night. Saw a few birds, a Zewscurus in the river, and 
a number of fericrocoti, also a few Paleornis javanicus. 1 see neither the white crow 
nor the magpie so far inland. Francolins are still abundant. We meet every day 
Chinese carrying bundles of skins of deer, monkeys, and pangolins, so I am sure we are 
not far from some large forests. 
“26th. Our Chinese porters refuse to go any further to-day; they say they have 
no rice, but the truth is they are done up and want to rest. The Mandarin sent two 
soldiers with us, so that we should be looked after; they have proved most useful. 
Some Chinese wanted to prevent our going through their village yesterday: one of 
them was, I think, drunk, and nearly had a row with us. The country is slightly less 
barren, but still a miserable place for collecting in. Rain all night. The hills have been 
so enveloped in clouds that I have not yet been able to see the mountain-tops. I hope 
to reach our destination some time to-morrow. 
“orth. Instead of reaching our destination to-day, the Chinese have taken us a 
day’s journey away from the mountains, as they say there is no road this (the north) side, 
so we have had to tramp over bare hills in a broiling sun. My old trouble, dysentery, is 
a great worry tome. The Lois, or Lt, as the Chinese call them, are, so far as the men 
go, nearly like the Chinese. The hair is at times a pigtail tied in a knob, but more often 
a knob of hair tied in front, which looks like a unicorn’s horn. Their villages are small, 
the houses of grass and sloped like an arch, and they live on the ground. The women 
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