Part 211

Cagayan Sulu (Guillemard).

Male.--"Above grayish olive; the forehead grayish, with black shafts to the feathers, the occipital region with a tinge of chestnut; feathers round the eye and in the parotic region ashy; throat and chin pure white, broadly striped with black; breast pale yellow, also broadly striped, shading off below into the yellowish olive-gray of the crissum and under tail-coverts; thighs with a slight reddish tint; under wing-coverts white; wings chestnut; tail brown with traces of dark barring. Iris pale yellow; bill and feet lead-colored. Length, about 145; wing, 64; tail, 60; bill from gape, 18; tarsus, 20.

"This species, which was common in low bushes in the more open situations in the island, is at once distinguishable from M. bornensis by the upper surface being of an ashy olive-brown instead of chestnut. It has a loud note of alarm, is very restless in its movements, and apparently rarely flies far off the ground." (Guillemard.)

Genus MACRONOUS Jardine and Selby, 1835.

Rictal bristles about as long as bill from nostril; nasal opening oval and not protected by a flap; culmen from base less than tarsus; long feathers of the back reaching to or beyond the tips of tail-coverts, their shafts stiff and usually white; feathers on sides of body long, decomposed, and hair-like; most of the plumage loose and decomposed. Macronous resembles Mixornis in its long dorsal feathers, but differs from the latter in having the shafts of these feathers thick and stiff. Zosterornis differs from both of these genera in having shorter dorsal plumes and in having a flap above the nasal opening.

Species.

a1. Entire top of head black with conspicuous white shaft-stripes.

b1. Throat and breast white, edges of the feathers ocherous buff or brown. ... striaticeps (p. 535) b2. Throat and breast washed with ocherous brown or sparrow-brown.

c1. Slightly larger; lighter in color and with lighter markings. ... mindanensis (p. 535) c2. Slightly smaller; much darker and with heavier markings throughout. ... montanus (p. 536)

a2. Entire top of head brown with a few narrow shaft-stripes of white. ... kettlewelli (p. 537)

515. MACRONOUS STRIATICEPS Sharpe.

BASILAN TIT BABBLER.

Macronus striaticeps Sharpe, Trans. Linn. Soc. 2d. ser. Zool. (1877), 1, 331; Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 584; Hand-List (1903), 4, 53; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 50; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 82.

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

Adult (male and female).--Entire top and sides of head and neck black, streaked with white; lores white; remainder of upper parts, including exposed edges of wing- and tail-feathers, rusty tan-brown; feathers of mantle and back with lighter shafts; chin and throat white; feathers of breast and abdomen white with gray or brown edges, slightly olivaceous on fore breast; flanks and tail-coverts ocherous buff with lighter shafts; thighs ocherous buff; wing-lining and inner edges of quills dark buff. Length, 140 to 144. A male measures: Wing, 60; tail, 54; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 20. A female, wing, 60; tail, 54; culmen from base, 15.5; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 21.

"The sexes are alike in size and color. Young birds are rather more rufescent below and have the streaks on the head tinged with rufous. Both specimens collected by Doctor Steere had the iris hazel, but Mr. Everett gives the iris as white in all those obtained by him." (Sharpe.)

"This species seems to be confined to the Island of Basilan, where it is extremely common in the forest and second growth. It works about the dense tangle of vines, and usually keeps within five to ten meters of the ground. Thirteen males average: Length, 134; wing, 60; tail, 54; culmen, 16; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 18. Eight females, length, 130; wing, 58; tail, 53.5; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 17.5. Iris very dark brown; upper mandible black, lower drab; legs and feet drab." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

516. MACRONOUS MINDANENSIS Steere.

MINDANAO TIT BABBLER.

Macronus mindanensis Steere, List Birds and Mams. Steere Exped. (1890), 17; Grant and Whitehead, Ibis (1898), 240 (eggs); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 223 (habits); Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 54; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 82.

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

Adult.--Similar to Macronous striaticeps, but throat, breast, and sides of head washed with ocherous buff or fulvous giving these parts a soiled appearance. A male from Bohol measures: Wing, 60; tail, 53; culmen from base, 16; bill from nostril, 10; tarsus, 20. A female from Bohol, wing, 59; tail, 53; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 19.

"Common in Mindanao and Samar. Habits exactly like those of M. striaticeps. Four males average: Length, 144; wing, 60; tail, 56; culmen, 16.5; tarsus, 18.5; middle toe with claw, 19. Four females, length, 135; wing, 55; tail, 54; culmen, 14.7; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 18.5. Iris light yellow-white; legs, feet, and nails drab; bill nearly black, the lower mandible slightly lighter than upper.

"It is remarkable that the differences between M. striaticeps and M. mindanensis should have escaped the notice of naturalists until they were pointed out by Doctor Steere. The two species are quite distinct, and can be distinguished with absolute certainty." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

"Mr. Whitehead found a nest of this species [near Paranas, Samar, June 15, 1896] containing three eggs. These were in such an advanced stage of incubation that the young birds hatched out a few hours after the eggs were placed in his room. Eggs pure white, thickly speckled towards the larger end with dark red. The nest, a large ball of bamboo leaves and loosely constructed, was placed close to the ground in old forest." (Grant and Whitehead.)

517. MACRONOUS MONTANUS (Mearns).

MOUNTAIN TIT BABBLER.

Macronous mindanensis montanus Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. (1905), 18, 4. Macronus montanus McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 82.