Journal of the Federated Malay States museums - Sabrizain.org

1917-] H. ( Robinson: Biids from /. . 157
Females. TL.—,248,— ,245, 258, .'47: W. 128, 14.5, 1.52,
140, 133, 135; T. 114. 129, 128, 129, 131, 132; B. 24,26, 27.
25, 5, 17, 27; TS.— , 17— ,17. 5. 17. '7-
Stresemann (Nov. Zool. XX, p. 340) has separated the
lorm from the south of the Peninsula, (type from Bentong,
Pahang) as Surniculus lugubris brachyurus as having a wing
averaging about 124 mm. with a tail always shorter than the
wing. He includes in this race the birds from Borneo and
Sumatra, confining the typical S. lugubris of Horsf. to Java,
Bali and Ceylon, which is rather an anomalous distribution.
Our series from t "tie lowlands of the south of the Peninsula
is unfortunate] \ somewhat deficient in adult birds; a male from
Penang has the wing 12S, tail 127, a male from Ulu Selama,
wing 119. tail 116; a male from Tanjong Malim, 126, tail 123,
a male from Kuala Tembeling, Pahang, close to the type
locality, wing 119, and tail 1 14, and two males from Temengoh,
North Perak, wing 117, 120, tail 118. A female from Pulau
Jemor in the Straits of Malacca, near the coast of Sumatra,
has the wing 135 and the. tail 130. while two males from West
Sumatra have the wing 126. tail 123 and a female, tail 12 3, wing
123. These specimens certainly bear out Stresemann's
diagnosis.
Specimens from the mountains of the Peninsula win re
the species breeds are however emphatically not this race ns
two males from the Semangko Pass on the binders of Selangoi
and Pahang measure wings. 146, 138; tail, 138, 135. ami must
be referred to the Himalaic form as also one from Taiping
•-hot in January, wing 143, tail 138 mm.
S tar as the evidence goes it appears that two races are
quite distinct viz. Surniculus lugubris, Horsf. from Java and
Bali, which has possibly become very slightly modified 111
Sumatra, Romeo, ami the South of the Malay Peninsula at
low levels (S. /. brachyurus) and 5. lugubris dicruroides from
the Himalayas, through the Indo-Chinese Countries to the
north of th. Malay Peninsula and southwards along the mam
range at high elevations. Judging from analogy the Ceylon
and Malabarese specimens will probably also prove separable.
These conclusions are substantially those come to by
Stresemann from the study of the very large material in the
British and Tring Museums.
53. Centropus sinensis intekmedius (Hume).
Centrococcvx intermedins, Hume Stray ; Feath 1. p.
454d873).
Centropus sinensis (Steph.) :
Robinson and Kloss, p. 41.
Shelley torn. cit. p. 343:
tropus sinensis intermedins. Stresemann, No"<
Zool. XX, p. ]^z (1913) ; Robinson, antea, vol. v. pp. 93, 146;
Gyldenstolpe, p. T03.
Sept