138 Lord Walden on a further Collection of 
been moulted. Thus the basal part of one of the median rec- 
trices is more or less green, while the remainder is of a mixed 
amethystine and greenish hue. Its fellow rectrix, a new fea¬ 
ther not fully grown, is coming in of a pure amethystine 
colour. Several of the upper tail-coverts are green at their 
base. It would therefore appear that the old feathers have 
the power of changing their colour from green to ame¬ 
thystine. 
75. ? Oriolus melanocephalus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 160. no. 3 
(1766). 
“S. Andaman: March 23,^, 29, d $, iris carmine, legs 
greenish plumbeous, bill carneous; April 24, d j May 10, $ ” 
The five examples in the collection differ from true O. me¬ 
lanocephalus by being smaller and by wanting the charac¬ 
teristic broad yellow outer margins of the two innermost ter- 
tiaries and feathers. The remaining tertiaries, as well as all 
the secondaries, exhibit much less yellow on their edges and 
at their tips. The Andaman black-headed Oriole in this 
respect resembles true O. ceylonensis; but in the latter species 
the secondaries possess very bold terminal yellow spots. Only 
one specimen is of a bird in perfect plumage. If it represents 
the normal characters of the race, the Andaman bird may 
have to be specifically separated. In their dimensions the 
Andaman, Burmese, Ceylonese, and Malabar birds are about 
equal, the average length of the wing being five inches. But 
the Burmese form only differs from true O. melanocephalus 
by being smaller, the average length of wing in that species 
from the Himalayas, Bengal, Central India, and Assam being 
five and a half inches. 
76. Geocichla albogularis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1847, p. 146, 
u Nicobars.” 
Geocichla innotata , Blyth, op. cit. 1858, p. 270, “ Anda¬ 
mans Ball, Str. Feath. i. p. 69. no. 61; Blyth, Append, to 
Mouat, Andaman Isl. p. 360. no. 36 (1863). 
“S. Andaman: March, April, May, d $, iris umber-brown, 
bill dark brown, lighter at base of mandible, legs pale flesh*, 
colour." 
