Chapter XXXII: Preface (31)

Genera.

a1. Bill more slender; first primary minute, shorter than primary-coverts; claw of hind toe more than one-half the length of tarsus. ... Alauda (p. 674) a2. Bill much stouter; first primary longer than the primary-coverts; claw of hind toe not more than one-half the length of tarsus. ... Mirafra (p. 675)

Genus ALAUDA Linnæus, 1758.

Bill similar to that of Anthus, but stouter and blunter; nostrils protected by short feathers and several hairs; rictal bristles few and short; first primary shorter than primary-coverts; second primary nearly as long as third, which is equal to fourth; tertials slightly longer than secondaries; claw of hallux slender, nearly straight, and equal to more than two-thirds the length of tarsus.

689. ALAUDA WATTERSI Swinhoe.

FORMOSAN SKYLARK.

Alauda wattersi Swinhoe, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1871), 389; McGregor
and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 103.
Alauda gulgula Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1890), 13, 575
(part); Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 244 (eggs); Whitehead,
Ibis (1899), 243 (nest).

Bohol (Everett, McGregor); Luzon (Möllendorff, Whitehead, McGregor,
Bartsch); Sibuyan (McGregor); Ticao (McGregor). Formosa and
the Pescadores.

Adult.--Upper parts blackish brown, streaked with ochraceous-buff; lores and superciliary stripe from bill to nape pale buff or whitish; ear-coverts dusky; malar region and sides of throat marked with small blackish spots; under parts white; chest buff with short blackish shaft-lines; sides and flanks buff, the latter obscurely streaked with dark brown; wing-feathers and rectrices dark brown, edged with cream-buff or ruddy buff; outermost pair of rectrices entirely white; the next pair with their outer webs white.

In freshly molted individuals the feathers of upper parts are rounded at the ends and fringed with white, producing a squamate appearance, which disappears as the plumage becomes worn; feathers of occiput somewhat lengthened forming a crest, and the feathers of sides of nape forming short ear-tufts.

A male in fresh plumage measures: Length, 150; wing, 85; tail, 54; culmen from base, 15; depth of bill at nostril, 5; tarsus, 23; hind toe with claw, 24. A female in worn plumage measures: Wing, 81; tail, 48; culmen from base, 13; depth of bill at nostril, 5; tarsus, 23; hind toe with claw, 22.

This species is very similar to the European skylark from which it is distinguished by its much smaller size.

Three eggs of the Formosan skylark from Isabela Province, Luzon, collected by Whitehead on May 25, 1894, are thus described:

"Shape ovate. Ground-color very pale greenish white, variously mottled and spotted with pale french-gray under-markings and brown upper-markings. In one egg the markings are chiefly concentrated into a zone round the middle of the shell; in the other two they are pretty equally scattered over the whole shell. Measurements 21 mm. by 16 mm."

A set of two eggs is "Much like the above and equally spotted all over, but the over-markings are of a more yellowish brown. Measurements 22 mm. by 15 mm.

"This lark was nesting in an open bit of country thinly covered with tufts of grass, beneath which the nests were concealed. Fully fledged young birds of this species were also observed on the same date." (Grant and Whitehead.)

Genus MIRAFRA Horsfield, 1821.

Bill very stout, almost finch-like, its depth at nostril almost as great as its length from nostril and equal to about two-thirds of the hind claw; nostrils exposed; rictal bristles short; tertials shorter than secondaries; first primary equal to one-third of the second, the latter about equal to the third, fourth, and fifth; hallux slightly shorter than its claw.

690. MIRAFRA PHILIPPINENSIS Ramsay.

PHILIPPINE BUSH LARK.

Mirafra philippinensis Ramsay, Ibis (1886), 160; Sharpe, Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. (1890), 13, 605; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 243; McGregor
and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 103.

Luzon (Heriot, Möllendorff, Steere Exp., McGregor, Whitehead);
Mindanao (Mearns); Mindoro (McGregor).

Adult.--Upper parts blackish brown, streaked with ochraceous-buff; superciliary line from bill to nape dark buff; cheeks and ear-coverts buff, speckled with black; chin and throat cream-buff; remainder of under parts dull ochraceous-buff, darker across the chest which is marked with small dusky spots; wing-feathers dark brown; quills ochraceous-buff on inner webs; primaries and their coverts edged with rusty buff on outer webs; secondaries and coverts edged with ochraceous-buff on outer webs; tertials edged with buff on both webs; outermost pair of rectrices with outer webs and most of the inner webs white; next pair with outer webs white half way to the shaft. Iris light brown; bill horn-color, lighter on lower mandible; feet and nails light flesh-color. A male from Luzon measures: Length, 140; wing, 70; tail, 46; culmen from base, 12; depth of bill at nostril, 65; tarsus, 21; hind toe with claw, 16. A female, wing, 68; tail, 42; culmen from base, 12; depth of bill at nostril, 6; tarsus, 21; hind toe with claw, 15.

In young birds in fresh plumage the feathers of the back are rounded at the tips and fringed with ochraceous-buff, and the spots on the chest are larger.

The Philippine bush lark is very abundant in the vicinity of Manila and great numbers have been noted in the markets in baskets with the equally common Formosan skylark.

Family FRINGILLIDÆ.

Bill conical (except in Loxia where the mandibles are crossed); commissure, or cutting edges of bill, angulated; [96] nostrils basal and near the culmen, often hidden by antrorse feathers; rictal bristles moderate in length; wings well developed with only nine primaries; rectrices twelve, tail square or slightly forked; tarsus scutellate in front, covered on each side by a single plate, and with a sharp ridge behind.

Genera.

a1. Mandibles falcate; the tips crossed ... Loxia (p. 676) a2. Mandibles not falcate; the tips not crossed; culmen and gonys straight or but little curved.

b1. Bill blunt and very stout, its width at nostril equal to bill
from nostril. ... Pyrrhula (p. 677)
b2. Bill sharp and slender, or only moderately stout, its width at
nostril much less than bill from nostril.

c1. Culmen and gonys gently curved; tail nearly square; top
of head liver-brown; a large black patch on chin and throat;
no yellow in the plumage ... Passer (p. 680)
c2. Culmen and gonys nearly straight; tail slightly forked;
plumage more or less yellow.

d1. Gonys relatively long, being about twice as long as its
ramus.

e1. Larger; culmen flat; bill but slightly compressed even
at the tip; chest orange-rufous ... Fringilla (p. 679)
e2. Smaller; culmen with a slight ridge; terminal half
of bill abruptly and greatly compressed; tip acute; chest
lemon-yellow. ... Spinus (p. 681)

d2. Gonys relatively short, being less than twice as long as
its ramus. ... Emberiza (p. 682)

Genus LOXIA Linnæus, 1758.

Bill compressed, the tips crossed; both culmen and gonys strongly curved; wings covering about half the tail. Adult male almost entirely red, adult female partly yellow, and young of both sexes heavily streaked.

691. LOXIA LUZONIENSIS Grant.

PHILIPPINE CROSSBILL.

Loxia luzoniensis Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1894), 3, 51;
Ibis (1894), 516; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 244 (eggs);
Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 239 (nesting habits); McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 103.

Cu-di-li-guit, Benguet Igorot.

Luzon (Whitehead, Worcester, McGregor).

Adult male.--Head and body geranium-red, clearest and brightest on rump, tail-coverts, and under parts, more pinkish on throat, paler on abdomen; lores, malar stripe, and ear-coverts dusky; feathers of back and wing-coverts with dusky bases; thighs drab-gray; under tail-coverts white, washed with geranium-pink, and with pointed shaft-markings of dark brown; wings and tail blackish, the larger feathers narrowly edged with geranium-pink. Length, about 140; wing, 82; tail, 51; culmen from base, 15; tarsus, 15.

Adult female.--Feathers of upper parts dark brown with lighter edges; feathers of back edged with pale yellow; feathers on anterior part of crown edged with light chrome-yellow; rump and tail-feathers nearly uniform light chrome-yellow; nasal plumes, lores, and line under eye whitish; cheeks and ear-coverts blackish brown; under parts drab-gray, chin and throat nearly white; breast and abdomen with a faint olive or yellow wash; tail-coverts white with pointed shaft-markings; wing-feathers and rectrices blackish with narrow edges of gray or pale yellow. A female, wing, 80; tail, 49; culmen from base, 16; tarsus, 15.

Young birds are dingy white heavily streaked, both above and below, with blackish brown and more or less washed with olive-gray, olive-yellow, or light chrome-yellow. Older individuals, probably of the second summer, lose the dark streaks and become extensively yellow, while still older males become indiscriminately mottled with red and yellow.

"In the end of December, 1893, Mr. Whitehead noticed a pair of these crossbills with nesting materials in their bills. In the following January, while in the highlands of Benguet, he found a nest containing three eggs and situated at the end of a pine branch. The slender branch overhung a steep slope, and it was found impossible to secure the eggs. Again on Mount Data, towards the end of January, 1895, after much trouble, a second nest was discovered near the top of a high pine-tree. This nest contained four young birds, two of which flew away before they could be secured." (Grant and Whitehead.)

Genus PYRRHULA Brisson, 1760.

Bill very short, stout, and blunt; bill from nostril equal to its width, and to its depth at middle of nostril; culmen and gonys decidedly curved; tail nearly square. General color of body buffy brown; chin black; rump white.

Species.

a1. Larger; wing, 80 mm. or more ... leucogenys (p. 678) a2. Smaller; wing less than 80 mm.; general color more brownish. ... steerei (p. 678)

692. PYRRHULA LEUCOGENYS Grant.

PHILIPPINE BULLFINCH.

Pyrrhula leucogenys Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1895), 4, 41;
Ibis (1895), 455, pl. 14 (leucogenis); Whitehead, Ibis (1899),
239 (feeding chabits and young); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 103.

Luzon (Whitehead, Mearns, McGregor).

Adult male.--Forehead, entire top of head, upper tail-coverts, rectrices, and secondaries glossy steel-blue; lores, jaw, and chin black; cheeks and auriculars white, forming a large patch; back olive-brown; under parts lighter brown; middle of abdomen and under tail-coverts light ochraceous-brown; rump-band white; primaries black, edged with steel-blue; innermost secondary edged with orange-vermilion on the outer web; greater coverts widely tipped with light buff; axillars and wing-lining white. Iris dark brown; bill white or pale yellow, black at tip and along the cutting edges; legs pale flesh-color. Length, about 160; wing, 78; tail, 61; depth of fork, 12; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 16.5.

Adult female.--Like the male, except that the red on the innermost secondary is brownish orange. The difference is very slight and my specimens have no red whatever on the secondary. A female from Pauai, Mountain Province, Luzon, measures: Wing, 79; tail, 65; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 16.

An immature, but fully grown, male differs from the adult in having the crown brown, but somewhat darker than the back and with a few black feathers; lores and jaw dusky; white cheek-patch small and poorly defined; chin dusky; throat and breast slightly olivaceous.

This bullfinch is not uncommon in the mossy oak forests of the highlands of Luzon.

693. PYRRHULA STEEREI Mearns.

STEERE'S BULLFINCH.

Pyrrhula steerei Mearns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. (1909), 36, 445.

Mindanao (Mearns).

"Characters.--Similar to Pyrrhula leucogenys Grant, from the mountains of Lepanto in northern Luzon. The Mindanao bird differs in being smaller, with a differently colored, much smaller bill, more brownish coloration, and a tendency to whitening on the middle of the abdomen, which the Luzon bird lacks.

"Adult male (type, killed July 9).--Crown and front of head all round, to just behind eye, black; crown glossed with purplish blue; lores, malar region, chin, and upper throat dead black; auriculars white; scapulars and interscapular region deep broccoli-brown; rump white; rectrices, upper tail-coverts, primaries, secondaries, tertials, primary-coverts, and base of greater wing-coverts, glossy bluish black; lesser wing-coverts dark broccoli-brown; terminal two-fifths of greater wing-coverts broccoli-brown, paler terminally; outer web of innermost secondary edged externally with orange-vermilion; under parts broccoli-brown, shading to whitish on middle of belly and to tawny ochraceous on crissum; axillars pure white; under wing-coverts brown at base, broadly white terminally; underside of shafts of primary-quills white nearly to the tips. Fresh specimens, including the type, were noted in the field as having the iris dark brown; bill plumbeous-black, perceptibly horn-color at extreme base; feet brownish flesh-color, with underside of toes yellowish; claws brown. In the dry skins the bills are uniformly plumbeous-black.

"Adult female * * *. Exactly like the male, except that the outer web of the innermost secondary is edged externally with yellowish orange instead of orange-vermilion." (Mearns.)

Genus FRINGILLA Linnæus, 1758.

Bill moderately stout; culmen flat, without a ridge, and straight except at its extreme tip; wings long, extending beyond the toes and nearly to the tip of the slightly forked tail; colors black, white, and orange-buff.

694. FRINGILLA MONTIFRINGILLA Linnæus.

BRAMBLING.

Fringilla montifringilla Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758),
1, 179; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 12, 178; Oates,
Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1890), 2, 233, fig. 65 (head); McGregor,
Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 24; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 103.

Calayan (McGregor). Europe, northern Asia, Kamchatka, northern
China; in winter to British Islands, Japan, Liu Kiu and Bonin
Islands.

Male in winter.--Head, neck, mantle, and sides of head, of neck, and of throat black with wide fringes of light buff or ochraceous-buff; feathers of neck and mantle with gray bases; lower back and rump white, black along the sides; tail-coverts black, tipped with buff; chin, middle of throat, fore breast, sides, and flanks orange-buff; flanks with a few black spots; lower breast and abdomen white; crissum light buff; feathers of thighs black with buff tips; wing-quills black; primaries and secondaries narrowly edged with pale yellow; outer webs of fourth to seventh primaries with a spot of white at tips of primary-coverts; secondaries with larger white spots nearer their bases; tertials broadly edged with orange-buff on their outer webs; scapulars and lesser coverts orange-buff; median coverts white, some of them washed with buff; greater coverts black with broad buff tips; rectrices black, edged with ashy gray or pale yellow; outermost pair with basal half of outer webs white; axillars canary-yellow; wing-lining and edges of the inner webs of quills white. Iris brown; bill yellow; its tip dusky; legs light brown, soles pale yellow; nails dusky. A male from Calayan Island measures: Length, 165; wing, 94; tail, 65; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 20.

Female in winter.--Not greatly different from the male. A female from Japan measures: Wing, 85; tail, 58; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 19.

Male in summer.--"The summer plumage of the male is gradually assumed by the shedding of the sandy-colored edges, and the bluish ashy of the hind neck and mantle remains as a spot behind the head, the feathers of these parts generally showing ashy gray bases throughout the summer plumage.

"Nestling.--Recalls the plumage of the adult female, but more tinged with olive, the nape-patch well developed, and the rump-patch tinged with sulphur-yellow; under surface of body washed with pale sulphur-yellow, tinged with orange on fore neck, chest, and sides of body." (Sharpe.)

The brambling as a Philippine species is known only from three winter specimens collected in Calayan Island.

Genus PASSER Brisson, 1760.

Bill moderately stout, not greatly compressed; culmen straight and with a decided ridge for its basal half; rounded and gently curved for its distal half; wing moderate in length, covering less than half the tail, and its tip not reaching the base of toes. Colors black, dingy white, rusty brown, and liver-brown.

695. PASSER MONTANUS (Linnæus).

MOUNTAIN SPARROW. [97]

Fringilla montana Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 183.
Passer montanus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 12, 178;
Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 238 (habits); Hume, Oates ed. Nests &
Eggs Ind. Bds. (1890), 2, 162; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 104.

Gor-re-ón, Manila.

Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Luzon (Steere Exp., Bourns
& Worcester, McGregor). Northern Africa and nearly the whole of
Europe and Asia.

Adult (sexes similar).--Forehead, crown, and hind neck liver-brown or vinous-chestnut; back, rump, and tail-coverts dull cinnamon-rufous; back with wide black stripes confined to the inner web of each feather; lores, a line under eye, a large patch on ear-coverts, chin, and middle of throat black; remainder of sides of head and sides of throat grayish white; remainder of under parts dirty pale gray, washed with fulvous-brown on sides, flanks, thighs, and tail-coverts; wings and tail brown, most of the wing-feathers edged with dull cinnamon-rufous; lesser coverts dull chestnut; median coverts blackish, tipped with white; greater coverts edged with cinnamon-rufous and tipped with white; the tips of median and greater coverts forming bars; second to fifth primaries with an ocherous-buff band on outer webs near the tip of primary-coverts. A male from Manila measures: Length, 140; wing, 66; tail, 52; culmen from base, 13; tarsus, 17. A female, wing, 68; tail, 54; culmen from base, 14; tarsus, 17.

Young.--Color pattern like that of the adult, but upper parts lighter; crown and neck dark clay-brown, cinnamon on sides of occiput and sides of neck; back with broad streaks of buff; ear-coverts, chin, and throat slate-gray and the areas not so well defined as in the adult.

The mountain, or tree, sparrow is an introduced species in the Philippine Islands. It is found in considerable numbers about Manila and in towns along the railroads. It is also abundant in the town of Cebu.

Genus SPINUS Koch, 1816.

Bill slender and acute, its distal half greatly compressed; culmen straight, without a decided ridge; wings very long, reaching nearly to the tip of tail which is forked. Colors canary-yellow, black, and white.

696. SPINUS SPINUS (Linnæus).

SISKIN.

Fringilla spinus Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 181.
Chrysomitris spinus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 12,
212; McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 24.
Spinus spinus McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 104.

Calayan (McGregor). British Islands, Europe, northern Asia,
and Siberia; in winter to Japan, southern China, and the Liu
Kiu Islands.

Male.--General color lemon-yellow; crown and nape black; back and scapulars yellowish green with dark shaft-lines; rump yellow; tail-coverts olive-green; chin and middle of fore throat black; a band from above center of eye to neck lemon-yellow; ear-coverts washed with olive; cheeks, sides of neck and of throat, and remaining under parts bright lemon-yellow, becoming white on middle of abdomen; flanks streaked with black; feathers of thighs drab-gray tipped with white; under tail-coverts yellow with broad dusky shaft-marks and white tips; wing-feathers blackish brown; primaries, except the first, narrowly edged with yellow and, except the outer three, with a spot of yellow on outer web near the tips of the coverts, forming a bar, which is continued on the outer webs of the secondaries, each of the latter has also a large yellow spot near the tip; tertials edged with yellow, and median coverts tipped with yellowish olive; greater coverts black with olive-yellow tips; rectrices, except the middle pair, bright yellow with wide blackish brown tips, fringed with gray. A male from Calayan Island measures: Length, 114; wing, 70; tail, 43; culmen from base, 12; tarsus, 15.

Female.--Somewhat similar to the male, but the yellow much paler and more restricted; black cap and chin-spot wanting; under parts nearly all white and more heavily streaked with blackish; above olive-green with a hoary cast; head and neck spotted, and back streaked, with blackish; yellow line above and behind eye mottled with olive-green; under parts white or pale gray heavily streaked with blackish brown on sides, flanks, breast, and sides of abdomen; middle of breast and abdomen white; sides of head and of neck with obscure dusky streaks and a yellow wash. A female measures: Wing, 70; tail, 42; culmen from base, 11; tarsus, 13.

"Young birds resemble the old female, but are browner, with less yellow, so that the rump, eyebrow, and sides of face are whitish; the upper surface of the body is thickly mottled with blackish mesial streaks on all the feathers, and the under surface is white thickly spotted with blackish brown, the spots being triangular on the throat and breast, and longitudinal on the sides of the body and flanks." (Sharpe.)

The siskin as a Philippine species is known only from four specimens taken in Calayan in the month of November, 1903.

Genus EMBERIZA Linnæus, 1758.

Bill small and conical, its outlines nearly straight; cutting edge of upper mandible with a decided angle near its base; wing covering not more than one-half the tail; tips of rectrices more rounded and the tail less forked than in either Fringilla or Spinus. Plumage more or less streaked with black; outermost rectrices nearly all white, but with an oblique blackish mark near base of inner web and a small dusky mark near tip; next pair black with a long white mark near shaft.

Species.

a1. Chin and throat chestnut; no yellow on under parts; lores, sides of face, ear-coverts, and throat vinous-chestnut; remaining under parts white; breast and sides streaked with black ... pusilla (p. 683) a2. Chin and throat not chestnut; under parts more or less yellow.

b1. Throat dull ashy gray; lores and chin blackish
(male). ... spodocephala (p. 684)
b2. Throat and breast yellow.

c1. Sides of body and flanks reddish brown, streaked with black
(female). ... spodocephala (p. 684)
c2. Sides of body and flanks yellow, streaked with black
... sulphurata (p. 685)

697. EMBERIZA PUSILLA Pallas.

LITTLE BUNTING.

Emberiza pusilla Pallas, Reise Russ. Reichs (1776), 697; Sharpe,
Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 12, 487; Grant, Ibis (1894), 517;
Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 240; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 104.

Luzon (Whitehead). Northern Europe, Siberia, and northern China;
in winter to Tenasserim, Assam, Burma, and the Himalayas.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--General color above rufous-brown, with broad black centers to the feathers, the rump rather duller brown; the scapulars chestnut with black centers; lesser wing-coverts brown; median and greater coverts black, externally edged with pale rufous-brown, with narrow white tips; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, externally fringed with brown, the primaries margined with ashy brown, the secondaries with rufous; tail-feathers blackish brown, edged with lighter brown, the penultimate feather with a long wedge-shaped mark of white on the inner web; the outer feather for the most part white, with an oblique blackish mark on the inner web, and a small dusky mark near the end of the outer web; center of crown vinous-chestnut, with a broad black streak along each side, forming a band; a superciliary line, lores, sides of face, ear-coverts, and throat vinous-chestnut, with a moustachial line of black along the under margin of the cheeks, running behind the ear-coverts; hind neck paler than the crown, and streaked with whitish like the sides of the neck; remainder of under surface of body from the lower throat downwards dull white; the center of the breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts uniform; the lower throat, fore neck, and breast, as well as the sides of the body, streaked with black; under wing-coverts and axillars white; quills dusky below, ashy along the inner web. 'Bill brown, the lower mandible whitish; feet reddish gray; iris brown.' (David.) Length, 122; culmen, 10; wing, 71; tail, 52; tarsus, 20.

"Adult female in breeding plumage.--Scarcely differs from the male, but is not quite so richly colored on the throat, and less distinctly streaked with black below.

"In winter plumage the adults are more rufous than in summer, with rufescent edges to the feathers of the upper surface, especially on the quills and tail-feathers; the black mark behind the ear-coverts is more distinct and not so broken up as in the breeding plumage; the under surface is suffused with ochraceous-buff, and the black streaks are less pronounced.

"Young.--Resembles more the adult female in winter plumage, but has scarcely any vinous tinge about the face; head rufous-brown, streaked with black, with a slight band of fulvous down the center of the crown; back fulvescent, washed with rufous and broadly streaked with black; wing-coverts broadly edged and tipped with yellowish buff; throat whitish, spotted with black like the breast; the latter as well as the flanks yellowish buff, streaked with black. After the first molt the coloration of the adult is assumed, but the plumage is always duller and much paler, and in some birds, probably females, the throat is white without any chestnut.

"Nestling.--Yellowish buff, broadly streaked with black, the head more rufous, and the ear-coverts rufous; underneath white, washed with rufous on the chin and with ochraceous-buff on the throat and breast, thickly streaked with black on the latter as well as on the flanks and sides of the body; wings and tail as in adults, with the exception that the wing-coverts are more fulvous at tips." (Sharpe.)

Whitehead collected the only specimen of the little bunting which has been recorded from the Philippine Islands.

698. EMBERIZA SPODOCEPHALA Pallas.

BLACK-FACED BUNTING.

Emberiza spodocephala Pallas, Reise Russ. Reichs (1776), 3, 698;
Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 12, 522; Grant, Ibis (1895),
258; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 240; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 104.

Catanduanes (Whitehead). Eastern Siberia; in winter to Assam,
Manipur, China, and eastern Himalayas; accidental in Japan.

"Adult male in summer plumage.--General color above dark brown, the feathers of the upper back slightly washed with rufous, edged with fulvous and broadly streaked down the middle with black; scapulars like the back; lesser wing-coverts uniform reddish brown; median and greater series blackish brown, externally sandy brown, margined paler and tipped with buffy white, more distinct on the median coverts; the inner greater coverts more distinctly rufous externally; primary-coverts and quills dusky brown, externally fringed with ashy; quills dusky brown, externally washed with rufous, the primaries with ashy white; inner secondaries resembling the inner greater coverts; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts uniform earthy brown; center tail-feathers light brown, the remainder dark brown, edged with lighter brown, the penultimate one with a large wedge-shaped mark of white near the end of the outer web, the outer feather almost entirely white save for an oblique black mark on the inner web and a small brown mark at the end of the outer web; head and neck all round, including the sides of the face and neck, throat, and chest ashy gray with a distinct wash of olive; lores, base of cheeks, and chin black; breast pale sulphur-yellow, whiter towards the vent; under tail-coverts pale sulphur-yellow; thighs ashy olive; sides of breast and flanks reddish brown, rather distinctly striped with black; axillars very pale sulphur-yellow; under wing-coverts white with dusky bases; quills dusky below, ashy whitish along the edge of the inner web. 'Bill brown, with the point blackish and the lower mandible whitish; feet flesh-color; iris chestnut-brown.' (David.) Length, 120; culmen, 11.4; wing, 68.5; tail, 54.6; tarsus, 19.

"Adult male in winter plumage.--Only differs from the summer plumage in being more olive-yellow on the head and neck, some of the feathers of the crown and hind neck being tipped with rufous-brown.

"Adult female.--Rather browner on the head than the male and not so ashy; no black on the face or chin; ear-coverts brown, streaked with yellowish shaft-lines; lores, eyelid, and an indistinct eyebrow yellowish buff; a broad cheek-stripe of pale sulphur-yellow widening out on the side of the neck; throat and under surface of body pale sulphur-yellow, olive greenish on the throat and fore neck; a distinct malar streak of dusky blackish spots; sides of body and flanks reddish brown, streaked with black; lower abdomen and under tail-coverts yellowish white.

"Old females in the breeding season become a little more ashy on the head and neck. Young birds are always browner than the adults above, and have a number of dusky spots on the throat; otherwise they greatly resemble the old females. Young females (Mus. H. Seebohm) are pale brown above, with less developed black centers on the mantle; the head brown, washed with rufous and streaked with black; under surface dull white, with only a slight tinge of sulphur-yellow on the abdomen and axillars; the throat pale olive-yellow, browner on the fore neck and chest, with brown shaft-lines. Young males in winter plumage resemble the adult female, but seem to have more dusky spots on the throat, which commences to become dusky olive in April, with blackish on the chin. Some (probably of an earlier brood) have dusky olive throats in November, but always show dusky spots." (Sharpe.)

The only known Philippine specimen of the black-faced bunting was collected by Whitehead.

699. EMBERIZA SULPHURATA Temminck and Schlegel.

JAPANESE YELLOW BUNTING.

Emberiza sulphurata Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves
(1850), 100, pl. 60; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1888), 12,
519; Grant, Ibis (1894), 517; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 240.
Emberiza sulfurata McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 104.

Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead, McGregor, Porter). Japan,
northern and central China; Formosa in winter.

Male (Calayan Island, November, 1903).--Top and sides of head and neck dusky olive-green; eyelids white; lores, subocular region, and malar stripe dusky; mantle dusky olive-green, heavily striped with black and somewhat washed with cinnamon; lower back and rump nearly uniform olive-gray; tail-coverts dark umber with olivaceous edges; under parts sulphur-yellow, brightest on chin, dusky across throat which is washed with buff, sides of breast washed with olive; abdomen and crissum pale canary-yellow; sides of body and flanks streaked with blackish brown; wing-feathers dark brown; lesser coverts olive; median and greater coverts, tertials, and some of the inner secondaries broadly edged and tipped with cinnamon-rufous or dull chestnut; remaining quills more narrowly edged with lighter cinnamon, inner webs of quills edged with drab-gray; rectrices blackish, the middle pair at least edged with olive-brown; outermost pair nearly all white, but with an oblique blackish mark near base of inner web and a small dusky mark near tip; next pair black with a long white mark near shaft. Upper mandible dusky; lower mandible bluish; legs and nails flesh-color. Length, 152; wing, 71; tail, 60; culmen from base, 10; tarsus, 19.

Female.--The winter plumage of the female is very similar to that of the male. A female from Calayan measures, wing, 65; tail, 54; culmen from base, 9.5; tarsus, 19.

"Adult male in breeding plumage.--General color greenish gray, washed with pale yellow; the head and mantle paler and more sulphur-yellow, the latter with broad mesial streaks of black; the scapulars like the mantle; the rump and lower back uniform and more distinctly ashy gray; upper tail-coverts ashy with yellowish edges; lesser wing-coverts ashy with a yellowish tinge; median and greater series blackish, edged with ashy and tipped with yellowish white, the greater coverts slightly rufescent on the outer margins; bastard-wing, primary-coverts, and quills blackish, edged with ashy olive, the secondaries externally rufescent, the innermost with whitish margins, so as to resemble the inner greater coverts; center tail-feathers light brown, the others blackish, the outer one for the most part white, excepting a longitudinal mark along the end of the outer web and an oblique basal mark on the inner web; penultimate feather with the white much reduced and forming a large wedge-shaped mark on the inner web; the third feather with only a small white mark near the end of the inner web; ear-coverts greenish gray like the hind-neck; lores, feathers in front of the eye, and a spot at base of chin dusky blackish; feathers below the eye, cheeks, and under surface of body sulphur-yellow, paler on the lower breast and abdomen, and still lighter on the under tail-coverts, which are whitish tinged with yellow; sides of breast and flanks ashy olive, the latter streaked with black; axillars and under wing-coverts white, washed with pale yellow; quills ashy below, whitish along the edge of the inner web. Length, 133; culmen, 10; wing, 72; tail, 57; tarsus, 18.

"Considerable difference exists in the full-plumaged males with regard to the amount and intensity of the black stripes on the back. In winter the adult male appears to be always more broadly streaked with black on the back, the black centers becoming attenuated during the breeding season; the mantle is also washed with rufous like the inner secondaries.

"The adult female in breeding plumage differs but little from the male, being duller in color and rather browner on the mantle, which is very broadly streaked with black; it is further distinguished by the absence of the black lores and chin spot. Length, 120; culmen, 11.4; wing, 70; tail, 53; tarsus, 18.

"Young birds in winter plumage.--Only differ from the plumage of the adult female in being rather more olive-brown, with the rufescent edges to the feathers of the mantle and inner secondaries broad and strongly pronounced; lower back and rump uniform ashy olive; the under surface of the body is clear yellow, with a tinge of saffron-color on the throat and chest." (Sharpe.)

The Japanese yellow bunting is a somewhat abundant but inconspicuous migrant in the Philippine Islands. It was found in Calayan Island in November and in Tarlac Province, Luzon, in the month of March. It has also been taken in the vicinity of Manila.

Family PLOCEIDÆ.

Bill short and very stout, both deep and broad; culmen flat and slightly curved; outline of bill, viewed from above, kite-shaped; nostrils small and round, pierced near the frontal feathers and situated nearer to the culmen than to the cutting edges; primaries ten.

Subfamily VIDUINÆ.

First primary narrow and pointed, shorter than primary-coverts. All the Philippine members of this subfamily are of small size and social habits.

Genera.

a1. Forehead not blue; sides of breast not green.

b1. Larger; width of bill at nostril little more than one-half the
culmen from base; tail slightly rounded ... Padda (p. 687)
b2. Smaller; width of bill at nostril about two-thirds of culmen
from base; tail wedge-shaped, the central pair of rectrices pointed.

c1. Tips of central rectrices more acute ... Munia (p. 688)
c2. Tips of central rectrices pointed but less acute ... Uroloncha
(p. 691)

a2. Forehead blue; sides of breast green ... Reichenowia (p. 692)

Genus PADDA Reichenbach, 1850.

Bill large, length of culmen about twice the width of upper mandible; tail nearly square; rectrices but slightly, if at all, pointed; legs and feet stout. Head and chin black; a large white patch covering face and ear-coverts; young with under parts buff and the head without the black and white markings.

700. PADDA ORYZIVORA (Linnæus).

JAVA SPARROW.

Loxia oryzivora Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 173.
Munia oryzivora Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1890), 13, 328;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 105.

Maí-ang cos'-ta, Manila.

Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Heriot, Steere Exp., Bourns
& Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Steere); Panay (Bourns &
Worcester); Samar (Bourns & Worcester). Java, Sumatra, Malacca.

Adult (sexes similar).--Lores, entire top of head, chin, fore throat, rump, upper tail-coverts, and rectrices black; sides of head and ear-coverts white forming a large conspicuous patch; entire back, lower throat, fore breast, sides of throat and of breast, secondaries, and secondary-coverts lilac-gray; lower breast, abdomen, and flanks dark vinaceous; thighs and crissum white; alula, primaries, and primary-coverts slate-gray, edged with cinereous. Bill, legs, and nails pink. A male from Luzon measures: Length, 135; wing, 69; tail, 49; culmen from base, 16; tarsus, 18.

Young.--Above smoke-gray and drab-gray; breast and throat light drab-gray; sides of face, chin, abdomen, thighs, and crissum cream-buff.

The Java sparrow occurs in some abundance in the vicinity of Manila, but is rarely found in other localities in the Philippines.

Genus MUNIA Hodgson, 1836.

In Munia the bill is shorter in proportion to its width than in Padda; rectrices slightly graduated and, except the two of three outer pairs, sharply pointed at their tips.

Species.

a1. Back and wing-coverts chestnut; head, throat, and chin black or blackish brown (adult).

b1. Head black ... jagori (p. 689)
b2. Head dark smoky brown ... formosana (p. 690)

a2. Back and wing-coverts hair-brown or wood-brown; head nearly uniform with the back.

b1. Upper parts with white shaft-lines; chin and middle of throat
rich vandyke-brown; remainder of under parts mottled (adult)
... cabanisi (p. 690)
b2. Upper parts without shaft-lines; chin and throat nearly uniform
with remaining under parts which are not mottled (young).

c1. Larger; breast and abdomen rich buff ... jagori (p. 689);
formosana (p. 690)
c2. Smaller; breast and abdomen cream-buff ... cabanisi (p. 690)

701. MUNIA JAGORI Martens.

PHILIPPINE WEAVER.

Munia (Dermophrys) jagori "Cabanis," Martens, Jour. für
Orn. (1866), 14.
Munia jagori Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1890), 13, 337; Grant
and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 245 (eggs); Whitehead, Ibis (1899),
241 (habits); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 105.
Munia brunneiceps Grant, Ibis (1895), 261; (1896), 554 (=jagori
in worn plumage).
? Fringilla minuta Meyen,
Nov. Act. Acad. C. L. C. Nat. Cur. (1834), 16, suppl. prin. 86,
pl. 12.

Bi-ching, Benguet; maí-ya, Ticao; má-ja, Bohol.

Balabac (Everett); Bantayan (McGregor); Banton (Celestino);
Batan (McGregor); Basilan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol
(Everett, Steere Exp., McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Cagayan Sulu
(Mearns); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Calayan (McGregor);
Cantanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Meyer, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Fuga (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.);
Leyte (Everett, Steere Exp., Bartsch); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon
(Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Masbate
(Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Steere, Murray,
Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Mindoro
(Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Everett,
Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay, Whitehead, Celestino);
Palawan (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Steere
Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Polillo (McGregor); Romblon (Bourns &
Worcester, McGregor); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester);
Semirara (Worcester); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan
(Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester);
Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester, Bartsch); Tablas (Bourns &
Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor).

Adult.--Entire head, chin, throat, and chest blackish brown; hind neck and sides of neck usually lighter or chocolate-brown, sharply defined against the chestnut of back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and edges of quills; sides of breast, flanks, and a narrow band across breast chestnut, brighter than the back; middle of lower breast, abdomen, thighs, and crissum, black or blackish brown; rump and tail-coverts deep maroon; tips of longest coverts and edges of two central rectrices golden brown or orange-rufous. Iris dark brown; bill, legs, and nails light horn-blue. A pair from Luzon measure: Male, length, 120; wing, 54; tail, 39; culmen from base, 11; tarsus, 16; female, wing, 54; tail, 38; culmen from base, 10; tarsus, 13.

Young.--Head and neck hair-brown; back and wing-coverts wood-brown, tail-coverts lighter; throat creamy buff; breast, abdomen, and crissum yellowish buff; rectrices and wing-feathers dark brown edged with buff.

The Philippine chestnut weaver, or rice bird, is abundant throughout the Islands. It is extremely social in its habits and in many cases a dozen of its globular nests may be found within a radius of a few meters.

The nests are frequently built among the branches of a common species of pandanus which grows on sandy beaches. Chestnut weavers in great numbers, and Munia cabanisi, Padda oryzivora, and Uroloncha everetti in lesser numbers, are captured in nets and sold, either in the Manila markets for food or on the streets as cage-birds.

"This chestnut weaver finch feeds in large flocks and is much prized by some of the inhabitants as an article of food, its small size being compensated for by the fact that a score can be killed at one discharge of a gun. It seems to breed throughout the year; its bulky nest is placed in the grass, and is composed entirely of grass stems and leaves; the entrance is a round opening at the side. The eggs are pure white and more or less globular; from six to ten eggs are deposited in a set." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

702. MUNIA FORMOSANA Swinhoe.

FORMOSAN WEAVER.

Munia formosana Swinhoe, Ibis (1865), 366; Sharpe, Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. (1890), 13, 338; Grant, Ibis (1895), 112; Whitehead,
Ibis (1899), 242; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 105.

Luzon (Whitehead). Formosa.

Adult.--This species is very similar to M. jagori from which it may be distinguished by its smoky brown head and neck; fore part of crown and sides of face blacker. The measurements of the type as given by Sharpe and changed to millimeters are: Length, 96.5; culmen, 11.4; wing, 48; tail, 35.5; tarsus, 15.

"Munia formosana Swinhoe, of which a specimen was recorded from Isabela, north Luzon, appears to be a distinct pale-colored form, the head, even in freshly-molted male examples, being of a dark smoky brown. In addition to the specimens recorded in the Catalogue of Birds, I have examined a number of Formosan examples of this species in the Seebohm collection." Grant, Ibis (1896), 554.

703. MUNIA CABANISI Sharpe.

CABANIS'S WEAVER.

Oxycerca jagori (not Munia jagori Martens) Cabanis, Jour. für
Orn. (1872), 317.
Munia cabanisi Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1890), 13, 353
(new name); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 242; McGregor and Worcester,
Hand-List (1906), 105.

Luzon (Meyer, Heriot, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Mindoro (Porter); Panay (Bourns
& Worcester).

Adult (sexes alike).--Upper parts, including secondary-coverts and tertials, dark hair-brown with whitish shaft-lines; tail-coverts and rectrices light yellowish green; lores dusky; face and ear-coverts brown with light shaft-lines; chin and middle of throat vandyke-brown with lighter shaft-lines; feathers on the remaining under parts white with white shafts and white edges, each feather with a broad, median, brown mark and a wide brown band around the feather, next to the white edge, producing a peculiar and characteristic pattern. Iris light brown; bill horn-blue, the upper mandible darker especially toward the tip; legs and nails horn-blue. A male from Benguet Province, Luzon, measures: Length, 108; wing, 48; tail, 39; culmen from base, 10.5; tarsus, 13. A female, wing, 48; tail, 36; culmen from base, 11; tarsus, 13.

Young.--Upper parts broccoli-brown, darker on crown; under parts cream-buff, nearly white on middle of abdomen and on crissum.

Cabanis's weaver is sometimes found in small flocks, but it is much rarer than either Munia jagori or Uroloncha everetti.

"A large flock of Cabanis's weavers was seen in an open field in Panay, but this species was not again found by us. A female measures: Wing, 50; tail, 37.5; culmen, 11; tarsus, 13; middle toe with claw, 17." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus UROLONCHA Cabanis, 1851.

The genus Uroloncha as represented in the Philippines differs very little from Munia; in the two species of Uroloncha found here the plumage is all, or nearly all, chocolate-brown, the tail is wedge-shaped, and the central pair of rectrices, although pointed, are less acute than in Munia.

Species.

a1. Feathers of back and wing-coverts with white shaft-lines; middle of abdomen white. ... everetti (p. 691) a2. Feathers of upper parts without white shaft-lines; abdomen chocolate-brown uniform with the rest of the plumage. ... fuscans (p. 692)

704. UROLONCHA EVERETTI (Tweeddale).

EVERETT'S WEAVER.

Orycerca everetti Tweeddale, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1877), 20,
96; Proc. Zool. Soc. (1877), 764, pl. 73, fig. 2.
Uroloncha everetti Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1890), 13, 363;
Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 242; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 105.

Bi-lit', Calayan.

Balabac (Everett); Basilan (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester);
Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Catanduanes
(Whitehead); Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Guimaras
(Steere Exp.); Leyte (Whitehead); Luzon (Everett, McGregor);
Mindanao (Koch & Schadenberg, Bourns & Worcester, Celestino);
Mindoro (Porter); Negros (Whitehead, Celestino); Palawan (Everett,
Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay
(Steere Exp.); Polillo (McGregor); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester);
Samar (Whitehead); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Tablas
(Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester, Everett).

Adult (sexes alike).--Above chocolate-brown, darkest on forehead and tail-coverts; tertials, secondary-coverts, hind head, neck, back, and rump with distinct white shaft-lines; rectrices dark brown, edged with pale greenish yellow; lores blackish; sides of head and neck like back; under parts dark chocolate-brown, nearly black on chin and crissum; lower breast and abdomen white, forming a large patch. Iris dark red-brown; upper mandible black, lower mandible light horn-blue; legs and nails dark blue. Length, 110 to 120. A male from Camiguin Island measures: Wing, 51; tail, 40; culmen from base, 12; tarsus, 12. A female from Palawan, wing, 50; tail, 37; culmen from base, 11; tarsus, 12.

Young.--An immature male has the color pattern like the adult, but the brown is lighter, the shaft-lines are less pronounced, and the abdomen is washed with buff.

"Everett's weaver was common about the rice fields, and was several times observed in deep forest, greatly to our astonishment. Four males average: Length, 108; wing, 48; tail, 39; culmen, 12; tarsus, 13; middle toe with claw, 16.5. Four females, length, 107; wing, 48.5; tail, 37.5; culmen, 12; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 17. Iris dark brown; legs, feet, and nails leaden; upper mandible black, lower gray. Found breeding in Palawan in the month of December." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

705. UROLONCHA FUSCANS (Cassin).

CHOCOLATE WEAVER.

Spermestes fuscans Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philad. (1852),
6, 185.
Uroloncha fuscans Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1890), 13,
364; McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1903), 1, 6; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 105.

Cagayan Sulu (McGregor). Borneo.

Adult (sexes alike).--Entire plumage chocolate-brown; chin, throat, wings, and tail darker; lower breast and abdomen with indications of light shaft-lines. A male measures: Wing, 49; tail, 37; culmen from base, 10.5; tarsus, 13. Female, wing, 50; tail, 39; culmen from base, 10.5; tarsus, 14.

Genus REICHENOWIA Poche, 1904. [98]

Tail short and square; outstretched feet reaching to end of tail. Forehead blue, remaining upper parts mostly green; breast and abdomen tawny-rufous.

706. REICHENOWIA BRUNNEIVENTRIS (Grant).

BAMBOO WEAVER.

Chlorura brunneiventris Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club (1894), 3,
50; [99] Ibis (1894), 518; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 242 (habits
and notes); McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 105.

Luzon (Whitehead); Mindoro (Whitehead, McGregor).

Adult.--Above including tail-coverts dark grass-green; head green; forehead blue with a narrow black band along base of bill; lores, sides of face, ear-coverts, and under parts tawny-rufous, paler posteriorly; sides of breast green, washed with blue; sides of body and flanks grass-green; primaries edged with olive-yellow; tail-feathers green at ends; center ones green, washed with orange. "Iris dark brown; bill black; feet flesh-color." (Whitehead.) Length, 106; wing, 58.

This curiously colored weaver appears to be very rare or, at any rate, to be difficult to collect. Whitehead's interesting notes on this species follow:

"These small bamboo sparrows are always difficult to obtain; being wary and of swift flight, they disappear in a second when alarmed. Amongst the bamboo-flowers, on which they feed, their movements are very slow and quiet, and it is only after one has found a number of bamboo-clumps in full flower, by carefully hiding and watching the flowers, that any success is obtained. My first specimens were collected in Benguet at an elevation of only 2,000 feet [610 meters], and we next met with the species again at 7,600 feet [2,300 meters] on Monte Data, where a single specimen was secured. In Mindoro I shot a Chlorura [=Reichenowia] in a pine tree close to my camp, and noticed another some days previously feeding at the end of a pine branch; this was at an elevation of 4,500 feet [1,370 meters]. The note, which seems only to be uttered when the bird is on the wing, is 'tsit, tsit,' and is a somewhat hissing sound."

Family ORIOLIDÆ.

Bill as long as head, the terminal half decidedly compressed; culmen slightly curved throughout; gonys straight or slightly curved; a small but distinct notch near tip of bill; nostril oval, exposed, and nearer to cutting edge of mandible than to culmen; rictal bristles short; wing long, covering one-half or more of the tail; primaries ten, the first more than one-half and less than two-thirds of second, the latter shorter than third and equal to sixth; the fourth longest; rectrices well developed, tail slightly rounded.

Genus ORIOLUS Linnæus, 1766.

Characters the same as those given for the family. In the Philippine species the prevailing colors are yellow, black, and gray; the rectrices are black, tipped with yellow in all the species.

Species.

a1. Under parts entirely yellow, or yellow streaked with black or olive; throat and chest never black nor gray.

b1. Much larger; wing more than 140 mm.; tail, about 110; under
parts uniform yellow (adult), or with black shaft-lines on the breast
(young). ... acrorhynchus (p. 695)
b2. Much smaller; wing less than 130 mm.; tail, 90 or less.

c1. Lores and chin yellow; bill leaden blue; bill from nostril,
about 18 mm. ... isabellæ (p. 697)
c2. Lores and chin white; bill dull red; bill from nostril,
about 15 mm. ... albiloris (p. 697)

a2. Under parts yellow on crissum only; throat and chest gray, black, or streaked; abdomen white heavily streaked with black.

b1. Crown and hind neck bright yellow, or greenish yellow, uniform
with mantle and back (sexes alike).

c1. Crissum bright yellow; shafts of rectrices light yellow below,
inner webs broadly tipped with yellow, the spots 8 mm. or more
in length.

d1. Inner webs of wing-quills edged with bright yellow; under
wing-coverts bright yellow. ... samarensis (p. 698)
d2. Inner webs of wing-quills edged with white, pale gray,
or pale yellow, never with bright yellow.

e1. Inner webs of quills edged with white or pale gray;
yellow spots at tips of rectrices larger. ... steeri (p. 698)
e2. Inner webs of quills edged with pale yellow; spots at
tips of rectrices smaller.

f1. Ear-coverts dull olive-yellow; smaller; wing, about
110 mm.; tail, 70. ... basilanicus (p. 699)
f2. Ear-coverts pure gray; larger; wing, about 115 mm.;
tail, 80. ... cinereogenys (p. 700)

c2. Crissum dark greenish yellow; rectrices nearly uniform black,
very narrowly tipped with yellow, the spots about 2 mm. in length;
the shafts white or gray. ... assimilis (p. 700)

b2. Crown and hind neck black (male), or black streaked with
olive-green (female), in contrast with the yellow mantle and
back. ... xanthonotus (p. 701)

707. ORIOLUS ACRORHYNCHUS Vigors.

PHILIPPINE ORIOLE.

Oriolus acrorhynchus Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1831), 97.
Oriolus chinensis Linnæus, apud Sharpe, Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. (1877), 3, 203; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898),
235 (eggs); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 100 (habits); McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 106.
Oriolus suluensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1877), 3, 205.
Broderipus acrorhynchus Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1877), 760.
Oriolus palawanensis Sharpe, Ibis (1888), 200.

Cul-au-uan, Palawan; cu-li-au-an, Lubang; kee-ao, Calayan and
Ticao; tu-li-haó, Bantayan, Bohol, and Masbate; ca-li-lau-an,
Cagayancillo; tu-tu-li-ao, Cuyo; da-mud-lao, Bohol.

Banton (Celestino); Bantayan (McGregor); Balabac (Steere, Everett);
Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol
(Everett, McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Cagayancillo (McGregor);
Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor);
Caluya (Porter); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead);
Cebu (Meyer, Murray, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cuyo
(McGregor); Dinagat (Everett); Fuga (Whitehead); Guimaras (Meyer,
Murray, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Lapac (Guillemard);
Leyte (Everett, Steere Exp.); Libagao (Porter); Lubang (McGregor);
Luzon (Cuming, Meyer, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
Whitehead, McGregor, Bartsch); Maestre de Campo (McGregor &
Worcester); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester,
McGregor); Mindanao (Steere, Murray, Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester, Goodfellow, Bartsch); Mindoro (Steere Exp., Schmacker,
Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Layard, Meyer, Steere,
Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Palawan (Everett,
Lempriere, Platen, Whitehead, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester,
White); Panaon (Everett); Panay (Murray, Steere Exp., Bourns &
Worcester); Pangamian (Bartsch); Polillo (McGregor); Romblon
(Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Steere Exp.); Semirara (McGregor &
Worcester); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester, Porter); Sibutu (Low,
Everett); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor
(Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Burbidge,
Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester);
Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor).

Adult male.--Bright golden yellow and black; forehead and part of crown yellow; lores, a wide space about eye continued with a broad band across crown and occiput black, forming a broad crescent-shaped mark; wings black, some of the primaries narrowly edged with gray; tertials tipped with yellow; secondary-coverts, axillars, wing-lining, and edge of wing bright yellow; rectrices black, tipped with yellow, the yellow tip narrowest on the central pair and gradually wider on each succeeding pair to the outermost; entire under parts bright yellow, not so deep as the back. Iris pale pink; bill pinkish flesh-color; legs plumbeous; nails horn-color. An adult male from Luzon measures: Length, 305; wing, 150; tail, 104; culmen from base, 34; bill from nostril, 24; tarsus, 25.

Adult female.--Similar to the male, but the mantle with a dusky, slightly olive, wash contrasting strongly with the clear golden yellow of hind neck. A female from Mindoro measures: Wing, 149; tail, 112; culmen from base, 34; bill from nostril, 25; tarsus, 26.

Young.--Above olive-yellow or golden olive; the crescent crown mark obscure and more or less dusky olive in color; tertials and rectrices dusky, washed with olive; under parts much paler than in the adult, near lemon- or gamboge-yellow; feathers of breast with distinct black shaft-lines. As the bird becomes older the crescent-mark on the head becomes better developed and the shaft-marks on the breast become less distinct. The bill is dusky brown in immature individuals.

Three eggs of the Philippine oriole, taken by Whitehead at Cape Engaño, Luzon, on April 15, 1895, are thus described:

"Shape ovate. Pure white, with scattered spots and minute dots of deep blackish brown, and a few faint under-markings of slate gray. Measurements 32 mm. by 23 mm." Two eggs from Fuga, April 5, 1895, are "similar to the above." Measurements 33 mm. by 22 mm.

"The first nest was placed in a casuarina tree on the seacoast at some distance from the forest; the second was found in a high tree close to the freshly made nest of the white-breasted sea eagle (Haliætus leucogaster) from which the bird was disturbed. Both nests were of the usually oriole type." (Grant and Whitehead.)