Part 229

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.

Batan (McGregor); Bohol (Everett); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Fuga (McGregor); Luzon (Heriot, Steere Exp., Whitehead, Bartsch); Mindanao (Bourns & Worcester); Sulu (Bartsch). Indian and Malay Peninsulas, southern Europe, Indo-Chinese countries, Greater and Lesser Sunda Islands, Ceylon, China, Africa, Celebes.

Male, in worn plumage (Batan Island, June).--Above earthy brown; head and neck nearly uniform, much faded; feathers of back and tail-coverts with wide blackish brown centers; lores and superciliary line white; cheeks, ear-coverts, and under parts white; flanks and thighs ocherous-buff; wing-feathers dark or blackish brown with whitish edges; rectrices dark brown basally, followed by a wide ocherous-buff space, subterminal band blackish brown, wide tip white. Wing, 53; tail, 40; culmen from base, 12; bill from nostril, 8; tarsus, 23.

Male and female in fresh plumage (Calayan Island, November).--Similar to the male described, but feathers on head blackish brown, edged with buff; neck, rump, and edges of dorsal feathers dark buff, more rusty buff on rump; edges of wing-feathers wider and more rusty than in the worn plumage; middle pair of rectrices dark buff with blackish shaft-streaks, the shafts light; outermost pair of rectrices with outer webs and wide tips white, the greater part of inner webs blackish; remaining rectrices with wide white tips and subterminal black bands, the latter fading into dark brown toward base of tail; under part of body white; breast and crissum washed with buff; flanks and thighs rusty buff. Male, wing, 56; tail, 53; culmen from base, 11; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 22. Female, wing, 48; tail, 46; culmen from base, 10; bill from nostril, 7; tarsus, 20.

On the authority of Colonel Legge, Sharpe says that in the male the inside of the mouth is black, while in the female it is fleshy.

"Common in the deep grass of the open fields. The habits of the various species of this genus found in the Philippines are practically the same. They live in the grass, and when flushed fly in a curious, jerky way for a short distance, and then drop back into the grass where they instantly disappear. They sometimes perch on tall grass stems or low bushes, and make a series of noises more like the notes of some great grasshopper than those of a bird. We several times found them perched in trees and singing. Four females from Mindanao measure: Length, 105; wing, 46; tail, 38; culmen, 12; tarsus, 19; middle toe with claw, 17. Legs, feet, and nails pale reddish brown; upper mandible nearly black, lower pale at tip, black at base." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

565. CISTICOLA EXILIS (Vigors and Horsfield).

GOLDEN-HEADED CISTICOLA.

Malurus exilis Vigors and Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1825), 15, 223. Cisticola exilis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1883), 7, 269; Hand-List (1903), 4, 198; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 221 (habits); Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 194; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 89.

Pí-rot, Bohol, Siquijor; pi-pit co-gon, Manila.

Bantayan (McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Caluya (Porter); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Leyte (Bartsch); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Panay (Bourns & Worcester); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Bourns & Worcester); Semirara (McGregor & Worcester); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor). Southern China, India Peninsula, Burmese provinces, Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, Australia, Formosa.

Adult male (May to August).--Top of head golden buff becoming dusky on hind neck; back ashy gray heavily streaked with black; lower back, rump, and tail-coverts dark tawny buff; under parts heavily washed with tawny buff, most heavily on sides and thighs; middle of breast and thighs lighter and nearly white; wing-feathers blackish brown, more or less edged with ashy gray or rusty buff; tail blackish, tipped with dark buff. A male from Bohol measures: Wing, 42; tail, 31; culmen from base, 10; bill from nostril, 6; tarsus, 29.

Female.--Similar to the male, but top of head fulvous-brown, heavily streaked with black.

Male in non-breeding plumage resembles the female, having a streaked crown and the under parts mostly white.

Young, in first plumage, resemble the adult in non-breeding plumage, but the under parts, especially the face, throat, and breast, are washed with pale lemon-yellow.

"Three males from Sulu measure: Length, 90; wing, 40.6; tail, 35.5; culmen, 11.6; tarsus, 17; middle toe with claw, 14. Two females, length, 97; wing, 40; tail, 36.5; culmen, 12; tarsus, 18; middle toe with claw, 15." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Genus MEGALURUS Horsfield, 1821.

Bill small and slender, culmen gently curved; bill from nostril a little less than hind toe without claw; rictal bristles few and small; first primary more than one-half second, the latter considerably exceeded by third; fifth and sixth equal and longest; rectrices long, pointed, and much graduated, the inner ones usually considerably abraded; tail much longer than wing; tarsus long and heavy; toes short; tarsus about two-fifths of wing.

Species.

a1. Much larger; wing, about 100 mm.; tarsus, about 38; top of head earthy brown. ... palustris (p. 582) a2. Much smaller; wing, about 70 mm.; tarsus, about 28; top of head rusty brown. ... tweeddalei (p. 583)

566. MEGALURUS PALUSTRIS Horsfield.

STRIATED MARSH WARBLER.

Megalurus palustris Horsfield, Trans. Linn. Soc. (1820), 13, 159; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1881), 7, 123; Hand-List (1903), 4, 202; Oates, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1889), 1, 383, fig. 122 (head); Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 219 (habits); Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1905), 4, 199; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 89.