318 A Contribution to Malayan Ornithology. [No. 4, 



gradually increasing till the last tertiaries become wholly green, 

 most of' the secondaries and tertiaries are sometimes narrowly 

 tipped with yellowish brown, a few of the median wing coverts are 

 externally distinctly edged with chestnut ; tail green above, the 

 two median feathers wholly so, the others blackish on the terminal 

 half of the inner webs and terminating with a yellcw tip, both the 

 black and yellow increasing towards the outermost tail feathers. 

 Below, chin and throat whitish with a very slight greenish tinge, 

 breast and vent with elongated dark brown blotches as in the $ , 

 lower tail coverts pure yellow, tail feathers below greenish. The 

 young have the back and wing coverts more or less brown and the 

 other colors of the $ less pure. 



This species seems common about Malacca, and is very common 

 in the Wellesley Province, being constantly seen flying about 

 immediately one passes through the cocoanut forest in the interior. 

 Its habits and call are entirely that of other Oriols and so is also 

 its coloration. $ , wing 4£-4£ inches ; tail about 2£" ; bill at front 

 H" - Ti" '■> fr° m g a P e if" 1 " 5 tarsus \%" ; the $ is of the same size 

 as the S , or slightly smaller. 



As compared with other allied species the size is somewhat 

 small and the bill distinctly hooked at the tip, but these are, I 

 believe, not sufficient characters, upon which subgenera could be 

 based, and, therefore, Bonaparte's name Xanthonotus appears to me 

 to have no claim to be accepted as a distinct appellation. 



Fam. IRENID2E. 

 66. Irexa puella, Lath. (var. cyanea Begbie). 



/. Malayensis, Moore, vide W aide n in Ann. and Mag. Nat. 

 Hist. V, 1870, p. 417. 



It was, I think, B 1 y t h who first pointed out, years ago, the 

 constant smaller size of the Malayan as compared with the Indian 

 bird, but on account of the identity in coloration, he considered 

 the two races as belonging to one and the same species, /. puella 

 of L a t h a m, (J e r d o n, B. India, II, p. 1 05). There are probably 

 few ornithologists who, after having seen large series of this 

 species, would not follow B 1 y t h in his determination, and 

 though the question of India. Malaya and Java, each being 



