285 
Mr. R. Swinhoe on Formosan Ornithology. 
cadence. These have an indescribably hollow and unnatural 
sound,, and at first puzzle the listener to know whether they are 
produced by beast, bird, or insect. 
The nearest Indian ally of this species is the P. ruficollis , 
Hodgs., from Nepal. This is, however, a much smaller species, 
and more nearly affine to my P. stridulus of the Southern Chi¬ 
nese hills. I give the measurements from three freshly-killed 
individuals; the first a male, shot 8th August, 1861, at Taiwan- 
foo, and the two following females, shot 10th February, 1862, at 
Tamsuy:— 
6 . Length 8^in.; wing 3^ in.; 
2 • » 8 ; „ 3; 
$ • » > 
tail 3^in.; 
Q 1 . 
tarse 1^ 0 
in. 
From these it will be seen that the size varies somewhat in 
individuals; but from my large series I do not learn that there 
is any special sexual difference of size, nor even of colour. 
Upper mandible brownish black; under and apical edge of 
half upper flesh-white, with wash of lemon. Inside of mouth 
pale lemon flesh-colour. Tongue horny, except centre towards 
base, which is fleshy, sagittate, bulging a little on the sides 
about the middle, concave, following the curve of the bill; top 
ciliated, with a round brush. Ear horizontally oval, aperture oc¬ 
cupying lower two-thirds. Edge round iris black; iris straw- 
yellow. Legs dusky leaden grey, whitish on edges of scales; 
claws and toes dingy ochreous grey. 
Throat and eyebrow white. A black line runs from the bill 
past the eye, over the ear-coverts. Crown deep olive-grey, the 
feathers being marked centrally with black, those on the fore¬ 
head having white markings, and those over the eye-streak being 
almost entirely black. A bright rufous band runs from one side 
of the breast over the back to the other. Upper parts olive- 
brown, tinged with rufous. The 5th quill longest in the wing, 
the 6th slightly shorter; quills hair-brown, margined with light 
olive, the tertiaries more margined and washed with the colour 
of the upper parts. Tail graduated, the feathers rounded at the 
tip, the lateral feather being in. shorter than the central; the 
whole hair-brown, obscurely barred with a deeper shade, mar- 
