132 
Lieut. Wardlaw Ramsay^s Synopsis 
3. PoMATORHlNUS MELANURUS. 
Pomatorhinus melanurus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 451 
(1847); Ibis, 1867, p. 301; Holdswortb, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 
447. 
Upper surface, sides of breast, flanks, abdomen, and lower 
tail-coverts rufescent olive-brown, the crown dark brown, 
tinged with olivaceous; lores black ; ear-coverts dark brown, 
a white supercilium from the nares to the nape; throat, 
breast, and centre of belly pure white. Spec, descr. ex 
Ceylon [Nevill) ; mus. Tweeddale. 
Bill pale yellow; irides red brown; feet lead-colour [Holds- 
wortK ). 
Hub. Ceylon. 
There is considerable variation both in plumage and size 
between specimens from different parts of Ceylon; indeed 
Holdswortb (Z. c.) hints at the possibility of there being two 
species in the island; but this I am not disposed to admit. 
The small race which is found at Newera Eliya has the 
back olive-brown, without being in the least rufescent, whilst 
the larger race, of which there are specimens in Lord Tweed- 
dale^s museum, obtained by Mr. Spencer Chapman at Avis- 
havelle and Ruanwelle, near Colombo, has the above-mentioned 
part of a very bright rufescent olive-brown, and a few of the 
lateral breast- and flank-feathers partially white or centred 
white as in P. schisticeps, between which species and P. mon- 
tanus, of Java, the present species is intermediate. 
The dimensions of these two races, as they may be called, 
are as follows :— 
Large. Wing 3*6 to 3*7 inches, bill from gape 1 to 1*5, 
tarsus 1*3, tail 4*2. 
Small. Wing 3*2 to 3*5 inches, bill from gape 1 to 1*5, 
tarsus 1*25, tail 3*75. 
4. Pomatorhinus schisticeps. (Plate III.) 
Pomatorhinus schisticeps, Hodgson, As. Res, xix. p. 181 
(1836) ; Jerdon, B. of Ind. ii. p. 29. 
Pomatorhinus leucogaster, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 137. 
Pomatorhinus montanus, Horsfield, MUlelland, P. Z. S. 
1839, p. 166. 
