Chapter XXVII: Preface (26)

Young.--A young male taken in June, 1903, has the plumage dark smoke-gray, almost black, the feathers of throat, breast, and wing-coverts faintly tipped with gray; wings and tail as in the adult and a few new feathers of head, neck, breast, and abdomen indicating the adult colors.

Genus CALLIOPE Gould, 1837.

Bill slender; culmen from base nearly equal to hind toe with claw; wing long and pointed; first primary more than one-half second and longer than tarsus; tail rounded, about three-fourths as long as wing. Throat white or bright red.

540. CALLIOPE CALLIOPE (Pallas).

SIBERIAN RUBYTHROAT.

Motacilla calliope Pallas, Reise Russ. Reichs (1776), 3, 697.
Erithacus calliope Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881), 5, 305.
Calliope camtschatkensis Oates, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1890), 2,
102, fig. 29 (head); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 214 (habits).
Calliope calliope Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 155; Oates and
Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 149; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1900), 85.

Pi-lóy, Manila.

Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Whitehead, McGregor);
Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Whitehead); Negros
(Whitehead). Siberia and northern China; in winter to southern
China, Burmese Provinces, northern and central India; accidental
in Europe.

Male.--Above olive-brown, at times more or less ashy; line over lores and over eye white; lores and line under eye black, below this a broader white line; base of jaw black; chin and throat-patch bright strawberry-red surrounded by a narrow line of black; chest ashy gray; middle of breast and abdomen white; sides of abdomen and flanks light buff-brown; tail-coverts white, washed with buff. Iris brown; bill dusky brown, nearly black with its base whitish; legs and nails dark flesh-color. Length, about 160 mm. A male from Calayan measures: Wing, 80; tail, 64; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 30; middle toe with claw, 24.

Female.--Differs from the male in having black lines on sides of head and throat replaced by brown; loral feathers with brown tips; throat-patch white; no ashy gray on breast. A female from Calayan measures: Wing, 78; tail, 63; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 29.

"Birds of the year have the brown of both the upper and under parts more ochraceous, and the male resembles the female, except in having traces of red on the throat. Young in first plumage appear to be unknown." (Seebohm.)

Genus COPSYCHUS Wagler, 1827.

Bill moderately stout, when measured from nostril less than hind toe with claw; rictal bristles small; wing pointed, slightly concave, and less than tail in length; first primary more than one-half the second, and much longer than tarsus; rectrices long, narrow, and strongly graduated; outstretched feet not reaching tips of shortest pair of rectrices. Colors black and white, the tail entirely black in the only Philippine species. Sexes somewhat unlike in colors.

541. COPSYCHUS MINDANENSIS (Boddaert).

DOMINICO.

Turdus mindanensis Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 38.
Turdus mindanænsis Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, pt. 1, 823.
Copsychus mindanensis Walden, Trans. Zool. Soc. (1875), 9, 194,
pl. 33, fig. 1; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 60;
Hand-List (1903), 4, 159; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 218 (habits);
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.

A-ni-ní-hol, Siquijor; do-mi-ní-co, Manila.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Bongao (Everett);
Cebu (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Guimaras
(Meyer, Steere Exp.); Lapac (Bartsch); Leyte (Everett); Lubang
(McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Whitehead,
McGregor, Bartsch); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow);
Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, Everett, McGregor); Negros (Layard,
Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Romblon
(Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Bartsch); Samar (Steere Exp.);
Semirara? (Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor);
Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Guillemard,
Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino);
Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor).

Male.--Upper parts and entire head, throat, and breast glossy blue-black; axillars, under wing-coverts, and feathers of thighs black, tipped with white; remainder of under parts white; wings and tail black, outer webs of the feathers glossy; inner wing-coverts entirely white (but one of the greater coverts occasionally half black); two secondaries with outer webs white. Length, about 185 mm. A specimen from Siquijor measures: Wing, 92; tail, 90; culmen from base, 20; bill from nostril, 14; tarsus, 25.

Female.--Similar to the male, but upper parts duller; forehead, lores, chin, throat, and breast ash-gray; flanks and crissum washed with pale fulvous. A female measures: Wing, 83; tail, 83; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 12.

Young.--Colors similar to adult in pattern, but upper parts dull black; chin, throat, and breast dark smoke-gray, spotted with white and pale buff.

"A showy bird, commonly seen in low bushes and about clumps of bamboo, close to the ground, or on it. The male is constantly opening and closing his tail, and seems to be a vain fellow, well aware of his good looks, and disposed to make the most of them. He is a fine singer as well. Seven males average 203 in length; wing, 107; tail, 105; culmen, 20; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 24. Four females, length, 199; wing, 84; tail, 83; culmen, 18.5; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 23. Iris and bill black; legs and feet nearly black. Breeding in Mindanao in the month of May." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus KITTACINCLA Gould, 1836.

Bill slender, hind toe with claw longer than bill from nostril; rictal bristles small; feathers about bill and chin with the shafts stiff, produced, and slightly recurved; wing pointed; first primary more than one-half the second; rectrices wide and strongly graduated. Colors largely black and white. In the type of the genus (Kittacincla tricolor) the tail is nearly twice as long as the wing, but in none of the Philippine species is the tail so greatly developed. Kittacincla may be distinguished from Copsychus by its more slender bill and wider rectrices.

Species.

a1. Wing slightly longer than tail; superciliary stripe white; breast and abdomen white.

b1. Rump and tail-coverts orange-chestnut ... luzoniensis (p. 560)
b2. Rump and tail-coverts black ... superciliaris (p. 561)

a2. Wing decidedly shorter than tail; superciliary stripe wanting; throat, breast, and abdomen nearly all, or entirely, black.

b1. Tail partly white ... nigra (p. 562)
b2. Tail all black ... cebuensis (p. 563)

542. KITTACINCLA LUZONIENSIS (Kittlitz).

LUZON SHAMA.

Turdus luzoniensis Kittlitz, Kupf. der Vögel (1832), 7, pl. 11,
fig. 2.
Cittocincla luzoniensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7,
91; Hand-List (1903), 4, 162; Grant, Ibis (1895), 447; (1896),
116; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 239, pl. 6, fig. 4 (egg);
Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 218 (habits, eggs); Oates and Reid,
Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 156, pl. 7, fig. 15; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.

Catanduanes (Whitehead); Luzon (Kittlitz, Möllendorff, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.);
Polillo (McGregor).

Male.--Head, neck, back, chin, and throat black, the upper parts with a slight blue gloss; on each side of head from above lores to nape a broad superciliary band of white, connected across forehead by a narrow white band; rump and tail-coverts orange-chestnut; breast, abdomen, and crissum white; flanks washed with orange-buff; feathers of thighs brown with white tips; wings black; some of the primaries narrowly edged with white, some of the greater coverts broadly tipped with white; axillars and wing-lining white; rectrices black, the four outer pairs broadly tipped with white. Iris and bill black; feet and nails light flesh-color. Length, about 180 mm. A male from Bataan Province, Luzon, measures: Wing, 82; tail, 82; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 23.

Adult female.--"Top of the head, mantle, and upper back olive-brown; lores, sides of the head and neck, and the chest dull gray, the chin and middle of throat being somewhat paler, almost whitish; wings washed and edged on the outer web with brown; the rest of the plumage is very similar to that of the male. Length, 183; wing, 76; tail, 81; tarsus, 27.

"An immature female is similar to the above, but the middle of the chin and throat is mostly white, in somewhat marked contrast to the gray chest and sides of the head and neck." (Grant.)

Two eggs of the Luzon shama collected at Cape Engaño, Luzon, on April 27, 1895, are thus described:

"Shape short ovate. Ground-color pale sea-green, profusely spotted and blotched all over, especially toward the larger end, with reddish brown and with some indistinct lilac under-markings. Measurements 21 mm. by 16 mm." Two eggs collected in the same locality on May 26, are "rather more oval in shape than the above and more richly marked. Measurements 23 mm. by 16 mm.

"One nest was placed in the hollowed-out stem of a dead palm broken off by the wind, the other in a hollow stump close to the ground; in both cases the nest was composed of moss and dry grass." (Grant and Whitehead.)

"In Marinduque we shot this species about bamboo clumps in the open. In Luzon we invariably found it in the deep woods. A male from Luzon measures as follows: Wing, 75; tail, 79; culmen, 18; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 22. Bill black; legs, feet, and nails flesh-color." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

543. KITTACINCLA SUPERCILIARIS Bourns and Worcester.

WHITE-EYEBROWED SHAMA.

Cittocincla superciliaris Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota
Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 23; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1903) 1, 162; McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1903), 1, 9;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.
Cittocincla nigrorum Grant, Ibis (1896), 547; Whitehead, Ibis
(1899), 218 (habits); Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 162; McGregor
and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.

Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Whitehead,
Celestino); Ticao (McGregor).

Male.--General color glossy black; a broad superciliary line from above lores to nape white; breast, abdomen, and crissum white with a faint buff wash on flanks; feathers of thighs brown with white tips; wings black; axillars and wing-lining white; tail black, outer pairs of rectrices with narrow white tips, wanting in one specimen. Iris dark; bill black; legs light flesh-color; nails light brown. Length, 165 mm. A male from Masbate measures: Wing, 84; tail, 73; culmen from base, 20; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 28; middle toe with claw, 23. A male from Ticao, wing, 79; tail, 66; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 27; middle toe with claw, 22.

"A young male, nearly adult, has a few white feathers on chin and throat and a faint wash of light buff on the flanks. A much younger bird has many of the feathers of the back tipped with rusty brown and the greater wing-coverts and quills washed with the same color; chin and throat almost pure white; an ill-defined black collar; the entire under surface washed with light buff, deeper on the flanks.

"This well-marked species is extremely rare in Masbate. It feeds in dense thickets in the deep woods and we never heard it utter a note. The Luzon bird, C. luzoniensis, has a superciliary stripe, but this stripe is not nearly so broad as in this species, and as the strongly marked superciliary line is one of the most noticeable characters of the Masbate bird we have named it accordingly." (Bourns and Worcester.)

544. KITTACINCLA NIGRA Sharpe.

PALAWAN BLACK SHAMA.

Cittocincla nigra Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877),
1, 335, pl. 52; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 90; Hand-List
(1903), 4, 161; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.

Balabac (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan
(Steere, Everett, Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Everett, Celestino, White).

Adult male and female.--Almost entirely glossy blue-black; some feathers of lower abdomen, flanks, and sides of back with white shafts, or with subterminal white spots which are more or less concealed; under tail-coverts black, broadly tipped with white; four central rectrices black, the others white with concealed black bases; wings black, most of the feathers edged with glossy blue-black. Length, 215 to 220 mm. A male from Palawan measures: Wing, 88; tail, 105; culmen from base, 17; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 23. A female, wing, 81; tail, 98; culmen, from base, 17; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 22.

Young.--Similar to the adult but throat and breast less glossy; abdomen, flanks, and crissum entirely white, thighs brown; the flanks slightly washed with earthy brown. In more nearly adult plumage the throat and breast become glossy and the white of the abdomen is reduced in extent and broken up; the thighs become black.

"Quite common in Palawan, where we found it skulking in thickets in the deep woods, usually near or on the ground, though it would fly up into the trees if followed. In the Calamianes Islands we found it abundantly in bamboo thickets.

"Four males from Palawan average: Length, 205; wing, 87; tail, 107; culmen, 21; tarsus, 24; middle toe with claw, 22. Two females, length, 230; wing, 90; tail, 105; culmen, 20; tarsus, 25; middle toe with claw, 22. Iris dark brown to black; legs, feet, and nails brown to black; bill black. Called by natives of Palawan 'tam-be-lad-nun'." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

545. KITTACINCLA CEBUENSIS Steere.

CEBU BLACK SHAMA.

Cittocincla cebuensis Steere, List Birds and Mams. Steere
Exped. (1890), 20; Bourns and Worcester, Minnesota
Acad. Nat. Sci. Occ. Papers (1894), 1, 58; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1903), 4, 162; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86;
McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 307.

Cebu (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor).

Adult.--Glossy blue-black; wings black; coverts, alula, and some of the secondaries edged with glossy blue-black; axillars and wing-lining similar; tail black. Two adult males measure: Wing, 90, 95; tail, 105.6, 99 (imperfect); culmen from base, 19; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 27, 26; middle toe with claw, 24, 23.

An immature male from Toledo, Cebu, October 13, differs from the adult as follows: Feathers of crown and nape tipped with dull rusty brown; wings dull seal-brown; each feather of alula and greater coverts with a subterminal spot of ocherous brown; lesser coverts black, fringed with silvery gray; lower parts dull blue-gray, tips of feathers ocherous, becoming more rusty on flanks.

"An immature female is slaty black above, tail dull black; wing-coverts brown, tipped with distinct spots of rufous-brown, these spots forming two irregular bars; quills fulvous-brown; primaries faintly washed on outer webs with rufous-brown; forehead brownish; lores, ring round eye, sides of face and chin light rufous-brown; center of throat and upper breast slaty gray, a few of the feathers still retaining brownish centers; rest of under surface slaty black washed with brown; under tail-coverts black with brown shaft-stripes." (Bourns and Worcester.)

"Apparently confined to the island of Cebu where it is very rare. Invariably found in the forest and in dense thickets close to the ground. It is both quiet and shy. We never heard it utter a note.

"Two males from Cebu average: Length, 205; wing, 90; tail, 100; culmen, 20; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 24. Iris very dark brown; legs, feet, and nails dark brown, almost black; bill black. Breeding in June." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Subfamily SAXICOLINÆ.

The two species representing this subfamily in the Philippines are small; the upper tail-coverts are white, which is not true of the other Philippine Turdidæ; the bill is slender and the feeding habits are Muscicapine.

Genera.

a1. First primary about one-half the second in length; tail uniform in color. ... Pratincola (p. 564) a2. First primary less than one-third the length of second; tail bicolored, the basal part light ... Saxicola (p. 565)

Genus PRATINCOLA Koch, 1816.

Bill stout; rictal bristles strong, equal to or longer than bill from nostril; wing moderate; first primary more than one-half second and longer than tarsus; tail moderate in length and rounded.

546. PRATINCOLA CAPRATA (Linnæus).

PIED CHAT.

Motacilla caprata Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766), 1, 335.
Pratincola caprata Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1879), 4, 195;
Hand-List (1903), 4, 173; Oates, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1890),
2, 59, fig. 24 (head); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 104 (habits);
Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 161; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.

Si-páo, Manila.

Bantayan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Cebu (Everett,
Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Jagor,
Everett, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester);
Mindoro (Everett); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
Celestino); Panay (Steere, Steere Exp.); Siquijor (Bourns &
Worcester, Celestino); Ticao (McGregor). Persia, India Peninsula,
Burmese provinces, Java, Borneo.

Adult male.--Most of the plumage glossy black; inner series of secondary-coverts white, forming a conspicuous patch; rump, upper tail-coverts, and crissum pure white; some feathers of flanks, lower abdomen, and thighs tipped with white; extreme bases of outer rectrices white. Bill, legs, and nails black. Length, about 130 mm. Wing, 68; tail, 50; culmen from base, 14; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 20. In winter the male has many feathers of head, back, breast, abdomen, and sides of body fringed with buff.

Adult female.--In fresh plumage (April); upper parts ashy gray with dark brown centers to the feathers; rump and tail-coverts rusty buff; lower parts brown; feathers of chin edged with pale whitish buff; crissum pale whitish buff; remainder of under parts ocherous brown, the feathers with darker centers; feathers of wing dark brown with lighter margins; rectrices blackish brown. In worn plumage (September) the upper parts, except uropygium, become seal-brown; wing-feathers similar from the wearing away of the light margins; under parts darker than in the fresh plumage. A female measures: Wing, 64; tail, 50; culmen from base, 13; bill from nostril, 7.5; tarsus, 20.

Young.--A young male (May) resembles the female in worn plumage, but the under parts are richer and more mottled; chin and throat buff with blackish edges to feathers; breast and abdomen rusty ocherous, the feathers of breast fringed with dull black; head, neck, and back smoky black, most of the feathers marked with small buff spots; secondaries, alula, and secondary-coverts broadly edged with rusty ocherous; edging of alula-feathers lighter; bases of inner greater coverts pure white.

Genus SAXICOLA Bechstein, 1802.

Bill slender; rictal bristles weak, the longest less than bill from nostril; wing long, flat, and pointed; first primary short and slender, less than one-third of second; tail rounded, extending very little beyond the folded wings.

547. SAXICOLA OENANTHE (Linnæus).

WHEATEAR.

Motacilla oenanthe Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 186.
Saxicola oenanthe Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881), 5, 391;
Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 175; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds'
Eggs (1905), 4, 165; McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4,
27; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 86.

Calayan (McGregor). Europe and northern Asia to Alaska; in winter
to the Indian Peninsula and eastern Africa.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--General color of the upper parts pale slate-gray; forehead and eye-stripe, which extends to the nape, white; lores and upper part of the ear-coverts black; wings and wing-coverts nearly black, a few traces of the autumnal buff margins to the feathers generally left; rump and upper tail-coverts white; tail white except the terminal three-fifths of the two center feathers, and the terminal fourths of the others, which are nearly black; under parts very pale buff, slightly darker on the throat and breast; axillars and under wing-coverts white with dark centers; inner margin of quills brown. Bill, legs, feet, and claws black. Wing with the third and fourth primaries nearly equal and longest; second primary sometimes as long as the fourth; bastard primary, 19 to 14 mm. Wing, 106.6 to 89; (females, 94 to 87.6); tail 62 to 51; culmen, 18 to 16; tarsus, 30 to 27.

"Adult female in breeding plumage.--General color of the upper parts dull brown; forehead and eye-stripe buffish white, much narrower than in the male; lores and upper part of the ear-coverts brown; wings and wing-coverts not so dark as in the male; rump and upper tail-coverts white; tail as in the male, but the dark parts not quite so dark; under parts as in the male. After the autumn molt both sexes have a buffish brown margin to every feather, so that they are scarcely distinguishable, and resemble the adult female in breeding plumage except that the quills and tail-feathers are margined with buffish brown at the tip, and the innermost secondaries and wing-coverts are similarly margined, not only at the tip but along the outside webs; the under parts are also darker in color. It is not known that birds of the year differ from adults.

"Young in first plumage resemble the female, but have obscure transverse terminal dark bars and pale centers to most of the feathers of the upper and under parts." (Seebohm.)

The only specimen of the wheatear recorded from the Philippines, a male from Calayan, measures: Wing, 97; tail, 57; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 27.

Family SYLVIIDÆ.

Bill slender, short or moderately long; upper mandible with a small notch; culmen slightly curved near the tip; nostrils exposed; rictal bristles usually inconspicuous; wing rounded and curved to the body, tertials much shorter than secondaries; tarsus slender, longer than bill from gape; tail rounded, wedge-shaped, or graduate. Nearly all the members of this family are plainly colored and the sexes closely resemble each other. The young birds are unspotted; they either resemble the adults, or else they are more highly colored. Some of the genera of flycatchers are very similar to certain genera which are here placed in the Sylviidæ.

Characteristic species of the Turdidæ, Muscicapidæ, and Sylviidæ are easily recognized and distinguished, but the three families intergrade through intermediate genera so that even the highest authorities on classification are by no means agreed as to the respective limits of these three families.

Genera.

a1. Tail with twelve rectrices.

b1. Tail wedge-shaped, or at least decidedly rounded, the rectrices
usually pointed.

c1. Wing longer than tail.

d1. First primary shorter than primary-coverts and more or
less pointed.

e1. Rictal bristles minute ... Locustella (p. 567)
e2. Rictal bristles strong ... Acrocephalus (p. 569)

d2. First primary longer than primary-coverts, equal to one-half
the second primary or more.

e1. Bill much longer; hind toe with claw less than exposed
culmen. ... Orthotomus (p. 572)
e2. Bill much shorter; hind toe with claw more than culmen
from base. ... Cisticola (p. 579)

c2. Wing shorter than tail.

d1. Rictal bristles minute; tail rounded ... Tribura (p. 571)
d2. Rictal bristles moderate, the longest more than one-half the
bill from nostril; rectrices strongly graduated ... Megalurus
(p. 582)

b2. Tail square; the rectrices not pointed; first primary about equal
to primary-coverts; third and fourth primaries equal and longest;
rictal bristles moderate ... Acanthopneuste (p. 584)

a2. Tail with ten rectrices; rictal bristles well developed; first primary more than one-half the second; tail rounded or slightly graduate.

b1. Front of tarsus scutellate; feathers of forehead and chin
with their shafts stiff and extending beyond the webs ... Horornis
(p. 586)
b2. Front of tarsus entire; feathers of forehead and chin
normal. ... Phyllergates (p. 588)

Genus LOCUSTELLA Kaup, 1829.

Bill small and slender; rictal bristles minute; wing flat and pointed, somewhat longer than tail; first primary narrow and pointed, less than primary-coverts; second primary nearly as long as third which is longest; rectrices graduated and slightly pointed, the outermost feather nearly as short as, or shorter than, under tail-coverts; tarsus and toes well developed, reaching nearly to tip of tail. Plumage obscure, spotted in the smallest species.

Species.

a1. Larger; wing more than 60 mm.; plumage without spots or streaks.

b1. Slightly larger; bill, tarsus, and toes decidedly heavier; bill
from nostril about 11 mm.; rectrices uniform in color, the outermost
pair slightly longer than the under coverts ... fasciolata (p. 567)
b2. Slightly smaller; bill, tarsus, and toes decidedly more
slender; bill from nostril about 10 mm.; rectrices with pale tips
and subterminal blackish bars, the outermost pair slightly shorter
than the under coverts. ... ochotensis (p. 568)

a2. Smaller; wing less than 60 mm.; feathers of upper parts with conspicuous, dark, median streaks; chest, sides, and flanks usually marked with elongate dark spots ... lanceolata (p. 569)

548. LOCUSTELLA FASCIOLATA (Gray).

GRAY'S GRASSHOPPER WARBLER.

Acrocephalus fasciolatus Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1860), 349.
Locustella fasciolata Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881),
5, 109, pl. 5; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 210 (habits, migration);
Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 185; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 87.

Batan (McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Everett, Whitehead,
Celestino); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Mindoro (Porter); Sulu
(Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi
(Bourns & Worcester). Talaut, Sangir, and Molucca Islands, eastern
Siberia, China, and Japan; in winter to Batchian, Halmahera,
and Morotai.

Male (Batan Island, May).--Above dark russet-brown; wings and tail seal-brown, edged with russet-brown; second primary edged with gray; a distinct line over lores, eye, and ear-coverts ashy gray; lores and upper ear-coverts dusky; chin and fore throat white, becoming ashy or drab-gray on cheeks, ear-coverts, sides of throat, and breast; breast ashy gray, becoming white on middle of abdomen; sides, flanks, and thighs light olive-brown; crissum yellowish olive-brown. Wing, 76; tail, 68; outermost rectrix, 45; culmen from base, 20; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 26; middle toe with claw, 24.

In winter the upper parts, especially the head, are lighter; the superciliary stripe, cheeks, and under parts are washed with buff and the gray is entirely obscured. The male and female are very similar if not identical in colors. A female from Calayan in fresh winter-plumage measures: Wing, 72; tail, 66; culmen from base, 19; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 26. A female in somewhat worn plumage, wing, 72; tail, 68; culmen from base, 19; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 25.

549. LOCUSTELLA OCHOTENSIS (Middendorf).

YELLOW GRASSHOPPER WARBLER.

Sylvia (Locustella) ochotensis Middendorf, Sib. Reise (1853),
2, 185.
Locustella ochotensis Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881), 5,
113; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 210 (migration); Sharpe, Hand-List
(1903), 4, 186; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 87.

Basilan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Calayan
(McGregor); Luzon (McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Mindanao
(Goodfellow); Mindoro (Whitehead); Romblon (McGregor). Kurile
Islands, northeastern Siberia, Greater Sunda Islands, Kamtchatka,
Japan; Borneo in winter.

Adult.--Above russet-brown; feathers of head and back with darker centers; lores and a line over eye to nape ashy; cheeks and ear-coverts brown with a buff wash; jaws white; loral and malar feathers with shafts extending beyond the webs, the produced portions black; sides of the neck brown; under parts white; sides, flanks, thighs, and crissum buffy brown; a faint buff wash across fore breast; wings and tail similar to the back, the latter with obsolete, narrow bars on upper surface; rectrices dark gray below, each with a dark bar just anterior to the whitish tip. Upper mandible dusky, lower mandible light flesh-color, dusky at tip; legs and nails pale flesh-color. Length, about 165; male, wing, 74; tail, 60; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 24; middle toe with claw, 23. Female, wing, 65; tail, 54; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 22; middle toe with claw, 21.

Young.--In young birds the sides of the head and the entire under parts are strongly suffused with yellowish buff.

550. LOCUSTELLA LANCEOLATA (Temminck).

STREAKED GRASSHOPPER WARBLER.

Sylvia lanceolata Temminck, Man. d'Orn. (1840), 4, 614.
Locustella lanceolata Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881),
5, 118; Oates, Fauna Brit. India Birds (1889), 1, 354; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1903), 4, 186; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1905), 4, 180, pl. 9, fig. 9; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 87.

Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Heriot, McGregor). Russia, Siberia,
and central Asia; in winter to China, Andaman Islands, Indian
Peninsula, and Burmese provinces.

Adult (sexes similar).--Above olivaceous russet-brown, each feather with a wide seal-brown shaft-streak; primaries and secondaries seal-brown edged with russet-brown, second primary edged with whitish; secondary-coverts similar to back; tail nearly uniform brown; sides of head and ear-coverts brown; a yellowish buff line above, and another below, eye; cheek and jaw buff, traversed by a narrow blackish brown line; under parts whitish, washed with buff on fore breast, sides, flanks, and crissum; feathers of these parts more or less marked with blackish brown shaft-lines. Bill dusky above, flesh-color below; legs and nails pale yellowish flesh-color. Length, 120 to 125. A male from Calayan measures: Wing, 57; tail, 45; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 17. A female, wing, 53; tail, 43; culmen from base, 11; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 19.

"The streaks on the lower surface become reduced in aged birds. The bird least marked in my series has a few streaks only on the middle of the breast and on the flanks, with one or two faint marks on the under tail-coverts. In this state it is very like the Indian L. straminea. The majority of the birds are densely streaked from the chin to the tail-coverts, except on the abdomen; and all these are characterized by a richer tone of coloring beneath. The tail-coverts vary in the most extraordinary manner. In many of the birds they are entirely unmarked; in others densely streaked, and this apparently quite independently of the amount of streaking on the other parts of the lower plumage." (Oates.)

Genus ACROCEPHALUS Naumann, 1811.

Bill comparatively long and stout; from three to five large rictal bristles on each side of bill; wing long, flat, and pointed; first primary minute, narrow, and pointed; third primary longest, second a little shorter; tail decidedly rounded; tarsus and feet well developed.

Species.

a1. Much smaller; wing, about 60 mm.; a blackish stripe on each side of crown. ... sorghophilus (p. 570) a2. Much larger; wing, about 90 mm.; no blackish stripes on the crown. ... orientalis (p. 571)

551. ACROCEPHALUS SORGHOPHILUS (Swinhoe).

LITTLE REED WARBLER.

Calamodyta sorghophila Swinhoe, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1863), 92 and 293.

Acrocephalus sorgophilus Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881), 5, 94; Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 187; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 87.

Luzon (McGregor). China.

Male.--Above tawny olive, uniform and more ocherous on rump and tail-coverts; head and back distinctly streaked with dark brown; lores, sides of head, and a line above each eye yellow-buff; on each side of crown a long blackish stripe bordering the superciliary line below; a dark line on upper border of ear-coverts; under parts pale buff, flanks and thighs darker; wings and tail brown and much worn. Rectrices twelve; iris dark brown. Wing, 55; tail, 49; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 8; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 18; hind toe with claw, 14. Bill comparatively broad and flat.

The specimen described above was killed in a bed of reeds on the border of Laguna de Bay, January 19, 1902. The only other specimen known was taken near Amoy, China, in May, 1861. The original description follows:

Type.--"Upper mandible of bill blackish brown, edge of upper and whole of lower yellow-ocher; rictus and inside of mouth yellow; iris ocherous brown; legs and toes plumbeous, with paler soles; upper parts ocherous olive, with a few rather faint streaks of blackish brown; eyebrow and cheeks ocherous, more buff-colored on the lores; over the eyebrow a black streak marks each side of the head; under parts yellowish buff, much paler on the throat, under neck, and center of belly; wing-coverts and tertiaries deep hair-brown, margined with ocherous olive; quills hair-brown edged with light chestnut-brown; tail pale hair-brown margined with reddish olive which color also tinges the rump; inner edges of the under wing edged with very pale rusty ocher. Length, 116.8; wing, 56.6; tail, 47.7; tarsi, 17.7; bill along culmen, 10.6.

"First quill very small, narrow, and pointed, about 8.6 mm. long; second quill 7 mm. shorter than the third and fourth, which are equal and longest, the fifth quill 3.8 mm. shorter than the third and fourth; the sixth 5.5 mm. shorter than the fifth. Tail much graduated, the rectrices being narrowed at their tips; tarsi thick; toes and claws strong, the hind toe and claw especially so." (Swinhoe.)

552. ACROCEPHALUS ORIENTALIS (Temminck and Schlegel).

ORIENTAL REED WARBLER.

Salicaria turdina orientalis Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica,
Aves (1850), 50.
Acrocephalus orientalis Seebohm, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881),
5, 97; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 210 (migration); Sharpe, Hand-List
(1903), 4, 187; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 183;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 87.

Batan (McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Cebu
(Meyer, Steere Exp., McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Whitehead, McGregor);
Mindanao (Steere Exp., Goodfellow); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Palawan (Platen). Japan, northern China, and eastern
Siberia; in winter to Burmese provinces and the Malay Archipelago.

Adult male and female.--Above nearly uniform olive-brown; feathers of back, tail-coverts, and wing-coverts somewhat fringed with ocherous buff; primaries, secondaries, and rectrices dark brown, edged with olive-brown; second primary with a whitish outer web; below white, washed with buff; chin and throat nearly pure white; breast pale buff; sides, flanks, thighs, and crissum considerably darker; lores and spot behind eye brown; eyelids pale buff; a line from nostril over lores and eye to occiput pale buff; feathers of lores and jaws with produced black shaft-tips. The obscure dusky streak on throat and the pale tips to the rectrices, frequently seen in Philippine specimens, are said to be characteristic of birds of the year. Length, about 190. A male in fresh plumage from Calayan measures: Wing, 85; tail, 77; culmen from base, 19; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 26. A female from Calayan, wing, 80; tail, 68; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 13; tarsus, 24.

This species is resident in Bohol and specimens from that island are smaller than those taken in Calayan and in Luzon during migration.

Genus TRIBURA Hodgson, 1845.

"Bill to gape equal to head or less, straight, cylindric, compressed; at base higher than broad, and having the ridge raised and keeled between the oval apert nares; tip of upper mandible scarcely inclined but distinctly notched; rictus smooth; wings short and feeble but not much or equally gradated; first two quills conspicuously gradated, three next subequal and longest; tail more or less elongated and gradated throughout, rather cuneate than fan-shaped and somewhat rigid or worn; tarsi stout, smooth, longer than the mid toe and nail; toes and nails simple, compressed, inner fore with its nail exceeding the outer fore, central elongate, hind least; nails acute." (Hodgson.)

553. TRIBURA SEEBOHMI (Grant).

SEEBOHM'S GRASS WARBLER.

Lusciniola seebohmi Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. (1895), 4, 40;
Ibis (1895), 443; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 211 (habits).
Tribura seebohmi Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 191; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88.

Luzon (Whitehead).

"Seebohm's grass warbler belongs to the section of the genus Lusciniola in which the first primary is half or more than half the length of the second, the sides of the head and ear-coverts brown, the throat pure white and devoid of spots, and the tail considerably longer than the wing.

"Clearly the nearest allies to this species are L. luteiventris and L. mandellii. In these three species the wing-formula is as follows:

"L. luteiventris. Fourth quill slightly longer than, rarely subequal to, the fifth; third intermediate between fifth and sixth.

"L. mandellii, L. seebohmi. Fifth somewhat longer than the fourth and sixth, which are subequal, and distinctly longer than the third.

"The present species differs from both its allies in having the general color of the upper parts browner, the white on the chin and throat more extensive and shading into grayish on the sides of the neck; while the sides and flanks are more grayish brown in tint and but slightly washed with buff; the lower mandible appears to have been yellowish white, as in L. luteiventris. Length, 147; wing, 51; tail, 63.5; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 19." (Grant.)

Genus ORTHOTOMUS Horsfield, 1821.

Bill long, depressed basally, compressed near the tip, with no notch at tip of mandible; rictal bristles few and moderate in length; no bristles on forehead; chin-feathers without lengthened shafts; wing short, rounded, and curved to the body; first primary less than one-half second, the latter considerably shorter than the fourth; fifth, sixth, and seventh subequal and longest; secondaries but little shorter than primaries; rectrices long, narrow, strongly graduated, and their tips rounded; tarsus about equal to culmen from base; outstretched feet usually reaching to, or beyond, the tip of tail; colors largely green, chestnut, gray, and white; or green, black, and gray or yellow.

Species.

a1. Top of head, or the forehead at least, chestnut.

b1. Chin, throat, and ear-coverts white, or gray streaked with white.

c1. Back bright olive-green.

d1. Chestnut of head confined to frontal and circumocular
regions, not extending to occiput.

e1. Chestnut of forehead sharply defined posteriorly; crown
gray. ... frontalis (p. 573)
e2. Chestnut of forehead not sharply defined, but merging
into dull olive-gray on crown ... mearnsi (p. 574)

d2. Chestnut of head covering the entire forehead, crown,
and occiput. ... chloronotus (p. 575)

c2. Back gray.

d1. Outer webs of rectrices green ... castaneiceps (p. 574)
d2. Outer webs of rectrices dull chestnut, gray basally.

e1. Wing-feathers edged with green; throat and breast white,
streaked with gray ... derbianus (p. 575)
e2. Wing-feathers edged with gray; throat and breast
white. ... ruficeps (p. 576)

b2. Chin and ear-coverts, as well as forehead and crown,
cinnamon-rufous. ... cineraceous (p. 576)

a2. Top of head smoky gray or black; throat black in the adult.

b1. Thighs green; middle of breast and of abdomen black or smoky
gray.

c1. Ear-coverts white forming a conspicuous patch; top of head
dark smoky gray cinereiceps (p. 577)
c2. Ear-coverts black; top of head black; eyebrow and eye-circle
white. ... nigriceps (p. 578)

b2. Thighs chestnut; entire breast and abdomen bright
yellow. ... samarensis (p. 578)

554. ORTHOTOMUS FRONTALIS Sharpe.

SHARPE'S TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus frontalis Sharpe, Ibis (1877), 112, pl. 2, fig. 1;
Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 336 (part); Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 220 (part); Hand-List (1903), 4, 192 (part);
Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 219 (habits); McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 88 (part).

Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Dinagat (Everett); Leyte (Steere Exp.,
Whitehead); Mindanao (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Goodfellow, Celestino, Clemens, Bartsch); Samar
(Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead).

Adult.--Forehead, lores, and ring around eye rufous-chestnut, sharply defined against the ashy gray crown; ear-coverts, sides of neck, and hind neck ashy gray like the crown; back, rump, tail-coverts, and edges of wing-feathers and of rectrices bright olive-green, the last with a dusky subterminal band; under parts white, more or less streaked with cinereous on throat and breast; sides ashy; flanks and under tail-coverts washed with light yellowish green; thighs chestnut. Length, about 115. A male from northern Mindanao measures: Wing, 44; tail, 35; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 19. A female from Bohol, wing, 41; tail, 34; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 19.

Specimens in fresh plumage have the occiput more or less washed with green; the dusky spots at end of tail are variable.

555. ORTHOTOMUS MEARNSI McGregor.

MEARNS'S TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus frontalis Sharpe,
Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 336 (part); McGregor
and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88 (part).
Orthotomus mearnsi McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A,
289.

Basilan (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor).

Adult.--Similar to Orthotomus frontalis, but the chestnut of forehead extending on crown to, or nearly to, posterior border of eye, not ending abruptly; the whole crown and nape slightly suffused with chestnut, the crown never clear slate-gray as in O. frontalis; behind eye the chestnut extends over the sides of nape. The type measures: Length, 114; wing, 47; tail, 45; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 11.5; tarsus, 20. Female, wing, 47; tail, 40; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 20.

556. ORTHOTOMUS CASTANEICEPS Walden.

CHESTNUT-HEADED TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus castaneiceps Walden, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1872),
10, 252; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 223; Hand-List
(1903), 4, 192; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 220; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88.
Orthotomus panayensis Steere, List Bds. & Mams. Steere
Exped. (1890), 20.

Sa-gua-ti, Ticao; ta-gua-ti, Masbate and Bantayan.

Bantayan (McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Masbate
(Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Everett, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead); Panay (Murray, Steere, Steere Exp.,
Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor).

Adult.--Top of head from bill to neck, lores, a broad line under eye, and upper part of ear-coverts chestnut; back, rump, and tail-coverts slate-gray; the rump and tail-coverts green in some specimens; wing-feathers and rectrices edged with bright olive-green; tail with a dusky band near its tip; under parts white; throat and breast streaked with slate-gray; sides and flanks more or less washed with ashy gray; thighs chestnut, flanks and crissum washed with green in some specimens. Length, about 150. A male from Bantayan measures: Wing, 57; tail, 55; culmen from base, 20; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 23. A female, wing, 50; tail, 46; culmen from base, 18; tarsus, 22.

"Steere has attempted to separate the Panay tailorbird from that of Guimaras and Negros, but after a most careful examination of a large series of specimens from Panay, Negros, and Masbate we are compelled to say that there is not the slightest difference between the birds from the three islands. Their size is the same. The wash of olive-green on the back, on which Doctor Steere relied to separate the Panay birds, is a variable character present in some birds, absent in others shot at the same season. It occurs in birds from Negros and Masbate as well as those from Panay. The presumptive evidence against finding one species of Orthotomus in Panay and another in Guimaras is of course very strong. Guimaras is to all intents and purposes a part of Panay and there are no other known differences between the birds of the two islands. Masbate is a new locality for the species." (Bourns and Worcester.)

"The chestnut-headed tailorbird frequents low bushes in open country, also the mangrove swamps; less common in the woods. A noisy bird, its note being very similar to that of O. frontalis." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

557. ORTHOTOMUS DERBIANUS Moore.

DERBY'S TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus derbianus Moore, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1854), 309, pl. 76;
Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 224; Hand-List (1903), 4,
192; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 220 (habits); McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 88.

Catanduanes (Whitehead); Luzon (Cuming, Everett, Möllendorff,
Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor).

Adult.--Top of head from bill to nape, lores, narrow line under eye, and upper parts of ear-coverts chestnut; back, rump, and tail-coverts cinereous; wing-feathers brown, edged with olive-green; tail dull chestnut, edged with gray at base; under parts light gray, streaked with white on throat and breast; thighs chestnut; iris and legs tan-brown; nails flesh-color. Length, about 140. Male, wing, 50; tail, 50; culmen from base, 19; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 20.

"Habits similar to those of O. frontalis. A male measures as follows: Wing, 47; tail, 47; culmen, 18; tarsus, 19.5; middle toe with claw, 18. A female, wing, 46; tail, 41; culmen, 19; tarsus, 19.5; middle toe with claw, 17.5." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

558. ORTHOTOMUS CHLORONOTUS Grant.

GREEN-BACKED TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus chloronotus Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1895), 3, 2;
Ibis (1896), 117, pl. 3, fig. 1; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898),
240 (eggs); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 220; Sharpe, Hand-List (1903),
4, 192; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 191, pl. 9,
fig. 12; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88.

Pi-pit ma-na-ná-hi, Manila.

Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor).

Adult.--Differs from Orthotomus derbianus in having the entire back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and crissum olive-green and the rectrices edged basally with olive-green. A male measures: Wing, 49; tail, 47; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 21. A female, wing, 50; culmen from base, 18; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 19.

Three eggs of the green-backed tailorbird from Isabela Province, Luzon, collected by Whitehead on May 29, 1894, are described as follows: "Shape ovate. Ground-color pure white, thinly spotted and dotted all over with brown-lake over-markings and a few pale reddish lilac under-markings. Measurements 16 mm. by 13 mm.

"The nest of the green-backed tailorbird is of the ordinary type, being a pocket formed by two leaves sewn together. It was placed among the herbage by the side of a path about 8 inches [20 cm.] from the ground. On the 19th of May a second nest was found on a small islet in a stream where a few slender large-leaved plants were growing just above the water. This nest contained two young birds." (Grant and Whitehead.)

559. ORTHOTOMUS RUFICEPS (Lesson).

RUFOUS-HEADED TAILORBIRD.

Edela ruficeps Lesson, Traité d'Orn. (1830), 309.
Orthotomus ruficeps Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7,
224; Hand-List (1903), 4, 193; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 88.

Balabac (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan
(Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, White,
Celestino); Sibutu (Everett); Sitanki (Bartsch). Malay Peninsula,
southern Tenasserim, Sumatra, Borneo.

Adult.--Top of head, lores, and upper ear-coverts chestnut; back, rump, and tail-coverts ashy gray; wing-feathers blackish, edged with ashy gray; rectrices chestnut, basal one-third or more ashy gray or brown; under parts including cheeks, and lower part of ear-coverts, silky white; breast, sides, flanks, and crissum washed more or less with pale buff. Length, about 125. Male, wing, 48; tail, 42; culmen from base, 17; bill from nostril, 12; tarsus, 20. Female, wing, 45; tail, 40; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 19.

In certain individuals (young?), each rectrix, except the two outer pairs, has a large black spot near its tip.

"This tailorbird is often found in the deepest forest; its habits are like those of the species already described. Birds from the Calamianes Islands average larger than those from Palawan. Four females from Palawan average: Length, 114; wing, 44; tail, 37; culmen, 17.5; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 15. Seven males from the Calamianes Islands, length, 130; wing, 50.5; tail, 46; culmen, 19; tarsus, 22; middle toe with claw, 17. Iris light brown; legs, feet, and nails very light brown; upper mandible light brown, lower nearly white." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

560. ORTHOTOMUS CINERACEUS Blyth.

ASHY TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus cineraceus Blyth, Jour. As. Soc. Bengal (1845), 14,
489; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 225; Hand-List
(1903), 4, 193; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88.

Cagayan Sulu (Guillemard, Mearns). Malay Peninsula, Sumatra,
Borneo.

Male (Cagayan Sulu).--Forehead, crown, chin, entire sides of face, and ear-coverts chestnut-rufous; back dark gray; under parts gray, lighter on abdomen; wings dark brown, edged with lighter brown; tail with an indistinct, dark subterminal band.

"Adult male.--General color above clear ashy gray; the crown, sides of head, including the cheeks, ear-coverts, and chin bright cinnamon-rufous, the hinder crown and occiput gradually shading off into brown as they approach the hind neck; throat, neck, and under parts generally ashy gray; the center of the abdomen and under tail-coverts pure white; thighs deep cinnamon-rufous; under wing-coverts washed with rufous, as also is the edge of the wing; lower surface of quills dark brown, edged along the inner web with rufous-white; wings above brown, somewhat washed with olive and not so gray as the back, the primaries narrowly edged with whity brown; tail light brown, with paler brown margins, the outer feathers tipped with white, before which is a tolerably distinct subterminal bar of dark brown; bill in skin light horn-brown, the under mandible paler and more yellowish. 'Legs pale warm brown; iris naples-yellow.' (Everett). Length, 119; culmen, 14; wing, 47; tail, 44; tarsus, 19.

"Female.--Differs from the adult male in being white below, without the gray throat, although indications of the latter are generally seen in the grayish shade more or less observable on the lower throat and sides of breast. The cinnamon-color of the chin is also difficult to trace, being so faintly pronounced.

"Young.--General color above olive-brown; quills brown, externally washed with olive-green; tail brown, tipped obscurely with whity brown, with a subterminal shade of black, scarcely forming a spot; ear-coverts pale rufescent; under surface of body dull yellowish white, the thighs obscure fawn-color; center of the body pale yellowish, the sides of the breast and flanks obscurely washed with greenish." (Sharpe.)

561. ORTHOTOMUS CINEREICEPS Sharpe.

ASHY-HEADED TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus cinereiceps Sharpe, Ibis (1877), 113, pl. 2, fig. 2;
Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 337; Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 222; Hand-List (1903), 4, 192; McGregor
and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88.

Basilan (Steere, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester).

Adult.--Entire top of head, lores, and hind neck dark ashy gray; a large white patch on ear-coverts; remainder of upper parts olive-green, lighter on tail-coverts; wing-feathers blackish, edged with green; rectrices olive-brown, edged with green; cheeks, chin, and throat black; fore breast ashy gray; center of lower breast and abdomen white; sides, flanks, thighs, and crissum washed with yellow. A male from Basilan measures: Wing, 47; tail, 55; culmen from base, 16.5; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 21.

Young.--The immature bird resembles the corresponding plumage in O. nigriceps, having more or less white on the chin and throat.

"Very common in Basilan. Eight from Basilan measure: Length, 126; wing, 47; tail, 76; culmen, 18.5; tarsus, 21; middle toe with claw, 17.5. Six females, length, 111; wing, 45; tail, 41; tarsus, 19.5; middle toe with claw, 16. Iris brown; legs, feet, and nails very light brown, in some cases almost white; upper mandible nearly white, lower very light brown. Breeding in Basilan in August." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

562. ORTHOTOMUS NIGRICEPS Tweeddale.

BLACK-HEADED TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus nigriceps Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1877), 828,
pl. 85; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 222; Hand-List
(1903), 4, 192; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88.

Mindanao (Everett, Celestino).

Adult.--Loral feathers white with black tips; ring around eye and superciliary stripe to above ear-coverts white; remainder of head, hind neck, sides of neck, chin, throat, and chest black; back, rump, and tail-coverts olive-green; wing-feathers blackish, edged with green, brighter and more yellow on greater coverts and bend of wing; rectrices brown, edged with green; middle of breast and abdomen smoky gray; sides, flanks, thighs, and crissum olive-green. Length, about 125. A male from northern Mindanao measures: Wing, 46; tail, 45; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 22.

Young.--In immature birds the cheeks, chin, throat, and breast are white.

563. ORTHOTOMUS SAMARENSIS Steere.

YELLOW-BREASTED TAILORBIRD.

Orthotomus samarensis Steere, List Birds & Mams. Steere
Exped. (1890), 20; Grant, Ibis (1897), 228; Whitehead, Ibis
(1899), 220 (habits); Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 192; McGregor
and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88.

Bohol (McGregor); Leyte (Whitehead); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Whitehead).

Adult male.--Entire head, neck, chin, throat, and middle of fore breast black; back and rump dull olive-green brighter around the neck; rump and tail-coverts dull russet-brown; wing-feathers blackish, edged with olive-green, the bend of wing and tips of greater median coverts yellow; rectrices brown, edged with russet; breast, sides of breast, and of neck, and abdomen lemon-yellow becoming olivaceous on sides, flanks, and crissum; thighs dull chestnut. The black of fore breast is sharply defined against the yellow, and does not extend over the sides of the chest as it does in O. nigriceps, but is confined to the central parts of the chest, its posterior outline being rounded. All the specimens known have more or less white on the chin and malar region, but this is variable in extent and is probably a sign of immaturity as it is in O. nigriceps. A male from Bohol measures: Length, 127; wing, 44; tail, 39; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 11; tarsus, 21.

The female is unknown.

"Iris light brown; bill brownish black, mandible pinkish brown; legs yellowish flesh-color. This bird has a sweet and powerful song and in this respect it differs from the other species. It is very shy and difficult to obtain." (Whitehead.)

"The yellow-breasted tailorbird is extremely rare. A single specimen was secured by the Steere Expedition, and we were able to secure but one more. Both birds were shot in deep forest close to the bank of a stream. Our specimen, a male, measures: Length, 114; wing, 42.6; tail, 40; culmen, 19; tarsus, 21; middle toe with claw, 18. Iris chocolate-brown; legs, feet, and nails very light brown; bill black. Breeding in August." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus CISTICOLA Kaup, 1829.

Bill small, slender, and sharply pointed; culmen gently curved in its terminal half; bill from nostril equal to hind-toe without claw; wing somewhat rounded and flat; difference between the length of primaries and of secondaries less than first primary; first primary slender, much less than one-half the second, the latter nearly as long as third; fourth and fifth equal and longest; rectrices long, much graduated, their tips rounded; the tail is similar to that of Orthotomus, but the feathers are much wider; tarsus and feet well developed, the outstretched toes reaching to or beyond tip of tail. Birds of this genus present puzzling seasonal changes of plumage. The tail is longer in the winter than in the breeding season, and the female is somewhat smaller than the male. The seasonal variation in color is great and has led ornithologists to name several species which do not exist. It is not certain that the smaller species found in the Philippines is really C. exilis, and it may be either C. erythrocephala Jerdon or C. semirufa Cabanis. [77]

Species.

a1. Larger, wing and tail longer; breeding male with top of head ocherous-buff, streaked with blackish brown, and with tail about 40 mm. ... cisticola (p. 580) a2. Smaller, wing and tail shorter, breeding male with top of head golden buff or tawny, and tail about 30 mm. ... exilis (p. 581)

564. CISTICOLA CISTICOLA (Temminck).

TEMMINCK'S CISTICOLA.

Sylvia cisticola Temminck, Man. d'Orn. (1820), 1, 228.
Cisticola cisticola Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 259;
Hand-List (1903), 4, 197; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 221 (habits);
Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 191; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 89.

Gug-nás, Batan; Tic-tic-ru-bo, Calayan.