Part 190

"We have a large series of birds from Tablas. In nearly all of them the under wing-coverts are barred with black and white. This we consider to be a sign of immaturity, however, and we do not regard them as specifically distinct from the Mindoro birds, though their general color is slightly darker, and the black head-marking less distinct." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

A nest and one egg were taken in Mindoro on April 26, 1905. The nest is composed of mosses, small leaves, lichens, and fine rootlets; the outside is covered with cobwebs which serve to hold the materials together and to fasten the nest to the fork in which it was built. The nest is about 115 mm. across the top and its outside depth is about 50. The ground-color of the egg is light gray with a slightly greenish tinge; a heavy and continuous wreath of spots and blotches encircles the shell near the plane of its short diameter; a few small spots are scattered about over the entire surface; the deep shell-markings vary from pale to dark lavender; the surface spots and blotches are reddish brown; measurements, 30.7 by 21 mm.

451. ARTAMIDES CEBUENSIS Grant.

CEBU ARTAMIDES.

Artamides cebuensis Grant, Ibis (1898), 535; Sharpe, Hand-List (1901), 3, 290; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 77.

Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor).

Male.--Lores and line of feathers around eye black; general plumage gray; similar to A. mindorensis, but chin and nasal plumes gray. Wing, 170; tail, 130; culmen from base, 31; bill from nostril, 23; tarsus, 27.

Female.--Upper parts, throat, and breast gray; abdomen and crissum closely barred with black and white. Wing, 166; tail, 130; culmen from base, 28; bill from nostril, 22; tarsus, 25.

Genus MALINDANGIA Mearns, 1907.

"Wing and tail about equal; wing-feathers as in Edolisoma, third, fourth, and fifth quills longest; tail forked, fourth quill longest, third subequal, outer quill shortest; webs of outer pair of rectrices sharply pointed; in form and pattern the tail resembles that of Campochæra, but has the webs more pointed; bill with culmen decidedly shorter than tarsus, narrower at gape than length of outer toe without claw; stiffened shafts of rump-feathers very pronounced." (Mearns.)

452. MALINDANGIA MCGREGORI Mearns.

MCGREGOR'S CUCKOO SHRIKE.

Malindangia mcgregori Mearns, Phil. Journ. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 355.

Mindanao (Mearns).

"Adult male and female.--Upper parts including crown, mantle, rump, upper tail-coverts, and middle pair of tail-feathers uniform light gray; forehead, chin, throat, breast, and sides of head to above eyes black; innermost secondaries, scapulars, and least wing-coverts gray like the back; middle and greater wing-coverts and a broad external band on innermost pair of secondaries white; remaining wing-quills black externally, broadly white on inner webs at base; alula all black; axillars and under wing-coverts white; three outer rectrices tipped with grayish white on both webs, the innermost of the three narrowly, the next broadly, and the outermost for more than one-third of its length; chest, flanks, and thighs gray like the back, this color fading to whitish on the abdomen and becoming pure white on the under tail-coverts. Iris red or reddish brown; bill all black; feet plumbeous-black, with under side of toes yellow. Three adult males measure: Length, 236 to 240; alar expanse, 335 to 342; wing, 110 to 113; tail, 108 to 117; culmen, 19 to 19.5; tarsus, 23 to 24; middle toe with claw, 20 to 21. Female: Length, 230; alar expanse, 330; wing, 108; tail, 111; culmen, 19; tarsus, 23; middle toe with claw, 21.

"Remarks.--The black of the under side of the head extends around the neck and forms an incomplete black neck-collar which in the oldest males is but narrowly interrupted in the median line above. The sexes are colored alike, but one female (No. 14,177), probably immature, has the black areas of the head and neck replaced by a dark gray color. The plumage otherwise differs from that of the adult only in having scarcely discernible fulvous edgings and wavy cross-bands to the feathers of the abdomen. This species was abundant on Mount Malindang. Fifteen specimens were collected, ten of them males and five females." (Mearns.)

Genus EDOLISOMA Jacquinot and Pucheran, 1853.

This genus is similar to Artamides, but its members are smaller and the bill is decidedly more slender. The plumage is unbarred in the adult and the male has the chin, throat, forehead, and face masked in black, or else the whole plumage is black. The young have the under parts barred. The following key to species is modified from the one given by Grant, Ibis (1896), 538.

Species.

a1. Crissum and tips of rectrices black or gray; no white wing-band.

b1. Plumage nearly uniform glossy black or blackish gray (males).

c1. Plumage entirely glossy black.

d1. Back glossed with blue ... cærulescens (p. 486) d2. Back slightly glossed with green ... alterum (p. 487)

c2. Plumage nearly uniform blackish or dark gray (females).

d1. Darker; under parts uniform dull smoke-gray ... cærulescens (p. 486) d2. Lighter; under parts uniform slate-gray ... alterum (p. 487)

b2. Plumage not entirely uniform in color; wings-and tail mostly black; under parts mostly light gray.

c1. Band across forehead, lores, sides of face, and throat black (males).

d1. Rump and upper tail-coverts whitish gray, much paler than the back. ... mindanense (p. 488) d2. Rump and upper tail-coverts gray, uniform in color with the back.