Eye hazel; legs horny brown; beak black, lower mandible dull white at the base.

77. IRENA TWeeddalii.

t.

Fairly common, though local, feeding on fruits and berries. Eye brick-red in male, brown in female; feet and bill black.

78. PYCNONOTUS CINEREIFRONS. t.

79. PHYLLORNIS PALAWANENSIS.

t.

Fairly common, frequenting the more open spots in the forest.

It is very difficult to distinguish these last three species when in the forest.

A winter migrant, arriving about the 26th September.

86. CITTOCINCLA NIGRA. t.

Rather local, not easily shot, frequenting the thick low growth close to the coast and generally keeping well out of harm's way. The note is a "chick, chick," sharply uttered. The young were fully fledged by the end of June. They are spotted with brown above and on the throat and wings, like the young of the Robin; the primaries are edged with brown; abdomen white.

Adults:

eye, feet, and bill black. Young: feet and bill bluish white.

A winter visitor, arriving about 16th September.

88. CISTICOLA CISTICOLA. M.

Eye hazel; legs and lower mandible flesh-colour, upper light brown.

Fairly common on the grass-plains, but difficult to collect, as you never know exactly where the bird is in the long grass. It suddenly starts up within a few yards, and flies with a jerky flight for about fifty yards, when it is again lost sight of in the long grass. But it will settle at times on the lower branches of the small trees which stud these plains, and may then be easily approached.

89. ORTHOTOMUS RUFICEPS. M.

Scarce.

90. MOTACILLA FLAVA. *.

A winter visitor, first seen on 13th September, when the vanguard passed in a south-westerly direction. In October they were still migrating in hundreds, but were mostly young birds.

91. ANTHUS GUSTAVI. *.

Mixed up with the flocks of Motacilla flava; first seen about 20th September.

This beautiful little Titmouse is fairly common in the forest, frequenting the high trees in small parties, probably families. The young were fully fledged in the beginning of September.

I do not believe that Parus elegans was found in Palawan by Professor Steere, though a skin of P. elegans in the British Museum is labelled as from that island. But the date it bears is too near to the dates on other specimens of the same species from Luzon, to make it at all doubtful where the bird really came from. All specimens of Parus collected by Dr. Platen and myself in Palawan are P. amabilis.

Eye and bill black; bill at base bluish; feet dull cobaltblue.

The description of the adult female (in B. M. Catalogue, vol. viii. p. 22) from typical specimens collected by Professor

Steere really applies to the adult male only, so I take it that they were wrongly sexed.

Adult female. Head greenish black, slightly greener on throat; a pale yellow collar at the back of the neck; back olive-green, slightly grey on the rump. Upper tail-coverts greenish black; tail brownish black, tipped and marked as in the male, but to a very much less degree. Wings dark brown, marked as in the male, but not nearly so pronounced; primaries externally washed with greenish yellow, but quills not tipped with white; rest of the under surface slightly duller than in the male.

The young are brown above, more greenish on the lower back, with a distinct yellow collar, as in the female; beneath pale yellow, with a slightly greyish tinge on the throat. Some young males have the adult plumage on the throat and breast, but the back is much mingled with immature feathers, which have faded into rusty brown. The white spots on the wings and tail often become worn off.

94. DENDROPHILA FRONTALIS. M. (but not Bornean).

This Nuthatch is fairly common in the more open country, especially amongst the dead trees, which are left standing, often in numbers, in the rice-fields. This, curiously enough, is not the Bornean species, D. corallipes (which has brightred legs, and is of a richer colour in plumage), but is the true D.frontalis of Java, Sumatra, and other islands. Thus it is doubtful whether Dendrophila frontalis reached Palawan via Borneo. D. anochlamys of the Philippines is more like the Bornean species, both being more brightly coloured than D. frontalis, but the Philippine bird is brown-legged like D. frontalis. The orbital skin of the typical D. frontalis is lemon-yellow, that of the Palawan D. frontalis grey. Sulu, "Baltēlik."

Eye straw-yellow; bill vermilion; orbital skin grey; legs light brown.

95. MYZANTHE PYGMÆA.

P.

Scarce, feeding on small fruits and berries.

96. PRIONOCHILUS JOHANNE. †.

Fairly common, frequenting open places in the forests, feeding on small fruits.

In Mr. Sharpe's paper on my Palawan collection, he did not describe the female, so I add a description :-General colour above olive-green, with a bright yellow patch on the rump; head slightly grey, with a dull yellow patch on the crown; wing-coverts and tail brownish black, edged with greenish yellow; primaries edged with grey; sides of face and ear-coverts greyish brown, with a distinct white cheekstripe, followed by a brown line along the side of the throat; under surface bright yellow, slightly deeper on the fore neck; throat almost white, slightly mingled with yellow; flanks dull greyish yellow.

This species has a longer bill than P. xanthopygius of Borneo, its nearest ally.

97. CINNYRIs sperata. P.

This little Flower-pecker was rather scarce; most of my specimens were collected in a large swamp, where the trees at the time were in flower, and were frequented by nearly all the other Sun-birds found in Palawan. The females, however, are very difficult to obtain; during four months I only procured one specimen.

Fairly common in certain localities, where the country is open enough; in habits and note exactly resembling C. pectoralis. On a large plain, studded here and there with clumps of bamboo and low trees, I collected a few pairs, all of which had nests, on the 29th June. The nests hang from the ends of the boughs, often in a very exposed position. The eggs are two in number, and are similar to those of C. pectoralis.

99. CHALCOSTETHA INSIGNIS. M.

Very common in the mangrove-swamps.

Fairly common, frequenting the edges of old forest.

The female is, I believe, undescribed, and is above bright

olive-green, greyer on head and rump; wings brown outwardly, edged with reddish brown. Two centre tail-feathers olive-green, with a black blotch near the tip, which in certain lights is metallic green; rest of tail black, tipped with oliveyellow, edged outwardly near the base with reddish yellow. Under surface greyish olive on the sides of the face, throat, and breast; abdomen pale yellow, deepening on the under tail-coverts.

Faded females are dull brown above; pale greyish brown on the throat, breast, and flanks.

101. ANTHREPTES MALACCENSIS. Scarce.

M.

102. ARACHNOTHERA DILUTIOR. t.

Plentiful in the mangrove-swamps, feeding amongst the flowers.

Eye hazel; orbit sulphur-yellow; feet dull blue.

Plentiful in all old jungle, feeding entirely on fruit. This species never seems to settle on the ground or to visit the vicinity of native villages, and I never saw it near the Sulu cattle. Here we find in Palawan an interesting member of the Crow family which has attained none of the pernicious habits that make his more civilized brethren in other parts of the globe so renowned. It will be interesting to see if, when Palawan becomes opened up for planting and its forests destroyed, its Crow will become more civilized too, and change its present mode of life into that of a garbageeating pilferer. I am afraid civilization will benefit the Crow as little as it does the native, so that our philanthropic European race will improve them both, as it generally does, off the face of the earth.

But to return to the Crow it is, no doubt, one of the most interesting birds in Palawan, and may often be noticed making flights from forest to forest, with neck outstretched, and uttering a peculiar "Ka-ka-gug-gug" note. During flight the wings are often held below the body, the primary feathers only being used with a quick flittering motion. Eye, bill, and feet black.