SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONSVOLUME 107, NUMBER 14
A REVIEW OF THE RACES OF THESPOTTED BABBLING THRUSH,PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS SWAINSON
BYH. G. DEIGNANAssociate Curator, Division of Birds,U. S. National Museum
(Publication 3908)
CITY OF WASHINGTONPUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONOCTOBER 20, 1947

SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONSVOLUME 107, NUMBER 14
A REVIEW OF THE RACES OF THESPOTTED BABBLING THRUSH,PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS SWAINSON
BYH. G. DEIGNANAssociate Curator, Division of Birds,U. S. National Museum
(Publication 3908)
CITY OF WASHINGTONPUBLISHED BY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTIONOCTOBER 20, 1947
ZU £orb (§attmoxt ^ueeBALTIMORE, MD., n. B. A.
A REVIEW OF THE RACES OF THE SPOTTEDBABBLING THRUSH, PELLORNEUMRUFICEPS SWAINSONBy H. G. DEIGNANAssociate Curator, Division of Birds, U. S. National MuseumHaving long been dissatisfied with the conventional treatmentsof the well-known spotted babbling thrush, Pellorneum ruficepsSwainson, I have recently brought together a series of 339 specimens,possibly the greatest aggregation of this species that has ever beenstudied. The institutions that have cooperated in the project, and tothe authorities of which my thanks are hereby rendered, are1. Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. (M.C.Z.)2. American Museum of Natural History, New York, N. Y.(A.M.N.H.)3. Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, Penn, (A.N.S.P.)4. United States National Museum, Washington, D. C.(U.S.N.M.)5. Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,Mich. (U.M.M.Z.)6. Chicago Natural History Museum, Chicago, 111. (C.N.H.M.)7. Los Angeles County Museum of History, Science and Art, LosAngeles, Cahf. (L.A.C.M.)As might be expected in a terrestrial, sedentary bird of extensiverange, considerable geographic variation appears in this material, andmuch of what has always been treated as simple individual varia-tion proves to be of subspecific importance. Subspeciation is foundnot only in the major zoogeographic areas where, by analogy withother species, it might be expected to occur, but also within com-paratively small portions of those areas, and trenchantly differentforms are often separated from each other by rivers and hill rangesthat to most other lowland birds of the Oriental Region would proveno barrier at all. The number of populations that have seemed tome worthy of nomenclatorial recognition will be received with com-plete disbelief, unless the importance of these delimiting geographicfactors is realized. Acceptance of it, however, will at once explainSMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS, VOL. 107, NO. 14
2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. IO7
such an anomaly as the supposed coexistence of "Pellorneum ruficepspectorale" and "P. r. minus" in central Burma and the Chin Hills(see Smythies, Birds of Burma, 1940, pp. 502-503) or the statementthat "P. r. minus" occurs throughout the range of "P. r. mandellli"and is also met with in the area occupied by "P. r. suhochra-ceum" (see Stuart Baker, Fauna of British India, Birds, ed. 2, vol. i,1922, p. 242).The fact is that in too many cases the type locality of the namedforms has not been sufficiently restricted, with the result that seriesplaced by the revisers under a single name have been compositesof two or more distinct races. With proper arrangement, it will beseen that no two subspecies can be truly said to occur together andthat, accordingly, there can be no question of two specific entities'having been confounded.Geographic variation is shown mainly by the presence or absenceof dark centers to the feathers of the uppermost back (present in allraces north of about lat. 20° N., obsolescent in borderline popula-tions, and absent in the more southern groups) ; color tone of theupper parts ; the width and abundance of dark centers to the feathersof the breast and sides of the abdomen; the amount of bufify washover the under parts.What may be considered, from the broad view, individual varia-tion, appears in the dimensions of bill, wing, and tail (to such anextent that in most races these measurements are without signifi-cance) and, within fairly narrow limits, in the several characters thatserve as subspecific criteria. But when a long series of a given race isbroken up in accordance with the various proveniences, it will befound that much of the so-called individual variation is in realityof a subracial nature. Variation of this sort is too tenuous to beworthy of a name, but is nevertheless of the greatest interest as areflection of the extraordinary plasticity of the species.Real individual variation is shown by a tendency to erythrism thatappears in any race ; specimens exhibiting this would seem to be
"foxed," if others of the same place and date did not fail to show anydeviation from the average coloration of much more recently col-lected birds. This rufescence is usual in immature examples and isstronger in the young of those populations in which increased rufes-cence has become a subspecific character. Worn plumage tends tobecome grayer, but the degree of wear varies so much from one speci-men to another, without regard to the time of year, that I have notfound it practical to divide my series on a seasonal basis.
NO. 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS—^DEIGNAN 3Although a great number of skins have been available to me fromthe Indo-Chinese countries, it will be noticed that my material fromIndia has not been equivalent ; the Indian forms are nevertheless dis-cussed, since certain changes in the accepted nomenclature are requiredby the rules of priority.
1. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS OLIVACEUM JerdonP [ellorneum], olivaceum? Jerdon, Madras Journ. Lit. and Sci., vol. 10,
"Oct." 1839, p. 255 ("jungles of Trichoor, Wurguncherry and Manan-toddy"; type locality here restricted to Trichur, Cochin State, southwesternIndia).Pellorneum ruficeps granti Harington, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 33, Dec. 23,1913, p. 81 (Mynall, Trivandrum District, Travancore State, southwesternIndia).Diagnosis.—No specimen has been examined, but granti was dis-tinguished by Harington from ruficeps as "an altogether much darkerand more richly coloured form."Range.—Southwestern India (Travancore and Cochin States).Remarks.—Pellorneum olivaceum was placed in synonymy withruficeps by Jerdon himself (Birds of India, vol. 2, pt. i, 1863, p. 27)and has been left there ever since. The type specimens came, how-ever, from Trichur (lat. io°3i' N., long. y6°i^^ E.) and Wadak-kancheri (lat. io°40' N., long. 76° 15' E.) in Cochin State and fromManantawadi (lat. 11 "48' N., long. 76°oi' E.) in the MalabarDistrict of the Madras Presidency ; in Cochin only the richly coloredform of Travancore occurs (see Whistler, in Ali, Journ. Bombay Nat.Hist. Soc, vol. 38, 1935, pp. 78-79), while in Malabar some specimensare intermediate between ruficeps and the Travancore race (seeWhistler and Kinnear, Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc, vol. 35, 1932,p. 747). To avoid fixation of the name upon an unstable populationdwelling within a stone's throw of the type locality of ruficeps, thetype locality of olivaceum must be restricted to one of the Cochinproveniences, and I have selected Trichur as the one farthest from therange of true ruficeps.
2. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS RUFICEPS SwainsonPellorneum ruficeps Swainson, Fauna Boreali-Americana, pt. 2, The Birds,Appendix No. i, Feb. 1832, p. 487 (India; type specimen probably the onefrom the Nilgiri Hills, ex Gould Collection, recorded by Bowdler Sharpe,Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, vol. 7, 1883, p. 521 ; typelocality here restricted to Coonoor, Nilgiri Hills District, Madras Presi-dency, India).
4 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. ID/Megahirusf nificcps Sykes, Proc. Comm. Sci. Corr. Zool. Soc. London, pt.2, July 31, 1832, p. 91 ("the Dukhun" ; type specimen probably the one from"? Mahabaleshwur hills," ex India Museum, recorded by Bowdler Sharpe,Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum, vol. 7, 1883, p. 521).M [otacilla]. Dumeticola Tickell, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. 2, Nov. 1833,P- 576 ("jungles of Borabhum and Dholbhum" =Manbhum and SinghbhumDistricts, Chota Nagpur Division, Province of Bihar and Orissa, India.)Diagnosis.—Specimens from the restricted type locality have theforehead, crown, and nape dull rufescent brown, some of the frontalfeathers narrowly tipped with blackish ; the remaining upper parts,including the exposed portions of the remiges and rectrices, olivaceousbrown, the feathers of the mantle almost invisibly fringed paler andwith pale shaft streaks, the tail feathers narrowly tipped with white
;
the lores and a posteriorly broadening supercilium extending to thenape, pale buff; the ear coverts brownish buff, often outlined pos-teriorly with dark brown ; the feathers of the sides of the neck oliva-ceous brown, fringed with buff or buffy gray ; the under parts white orbuffy white, but heavily washed on the lower flanks with olivaceousbrown, and with the feathers of the breast and sides of the abdomenbearing olivaceous-brown central streaks ; the under wing coverts palebuff ; the under tail coverts olivaceous brown, fringed with white.Range.—According to Whistler and Kinnear (Journ. Bombay Nat.Hist. Soc, vol. 35, 1932, p. 746), the hills and coastal lowlands ofwestern India from the Narbada River to Malabar; the NilgiriHills ; the Eastern Ghats and adjacent lowlands from Coimbatore toNorth Arcot ; Vizagapatam ; isolated hill tracts in Orissa, Bihar, andwestern Bengal.Specimens examined.—"South India": no definite locality (2unsexed), "Hundgi" (i male, i female); Madras: Nilgiri HillsDistrict: Coonoor (2 females) ; Bellary District: Bellary (i female) ;Bombay: Poona District: Khandala (i female); Rajpipla State:Juna (i male) ; Kathiawar Peninsula: Songadh (i female), Wadala(2 unsexed).Remarks.—Under P. r. ruficeps British ornithologists have placedthe birds of all India south of the Himalayas (excepting those ofTravancore and Cochin). After seeing the populational variationexhibited by this species in the countries to the eastward, I find itdifficult to believe that careful study of good series will not show thatin India also considerable subspeciation occurs, especially in the iso-lated populations to the northeast. Tentatively, however, I accepttheir judgment.The belief that the London example from the Nilgiris may beSwainson's type is based upon the fact that many, if not all, of the
NO. 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS DEIGNAN 5
specimens listed by Swainson in the Fauna Boreali-Americana camelater into Gould's possession ; a number of the North American forms,including several types, were presented by Gould in 1857 to theSmithsonian Institution.
3. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS PUNCTATUM (Gould)Cinclidia punctata Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pt. 5, Dec. 5, 1838, p. 137("the Himalaya Mountains"; type locality here restricted to Kalka, BaghatState, Simla Hill States, India).Pellorneum rtificeps jonesi Stuart Baker, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 41, Nov.9, 1920, p. 9 (Kalka, Baghat State, Simla Hill States, India).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. ruficeps, but with a grayish cast to therufous of the forehead, crown, and nape, and to the olivaceous brownof the remaining upper parts ; the feathers of the sides of the neck andof the uppermost back fringed with buffy white or pale gray, thoseof the uppermost back also with ill-defined deep brown centers ; theunder parts more strongly washed with buff and with the centralstreaks of the feathers of the breast and sides of the abdomen nar-rower and of a much deeper color (blackish brown rather thanolivaceous brown).Range.—Western Himalayas from the Kangra District of thePunjab to Garhwal State.Specimens examined.—Punjab: Kangra District: Bhadwar (7males, 2 females).Remarks.—The name punctatum was given to a bird from "theHimalaya Mountains," and nothing in his diagnosis indicates whetherGould was naming the race of the eastern or western hills. Accordingto Hume, however (Stray Feathers, vol. 9, 1880, p. 251), the col-lection of which the specimen formed part was made "somewherenear Simla." It may be assumed that Hume had some good groundsfor his statement, and I am the more willing to accept it since thename mandellii, dating from 1871, may then be left undisturbed forthe bird of the eastern Himalayas.Stuart Baker's jonesi was based upon two specimens, comparedonly with mandellii. His description is very misleading, for, in rela-tion to mandellii, the black markings of the nape are not "even morehighly developed," the black stipplings on the forehead are not "morenumerous and highly developed," and the spots on the breast arenot "much darker than in the average specimen of mandellii" ! Thesediscrepancies are, however, of only academic importance, since jonesimust be synonymized with punctatum.
6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. IO7
4. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS MANDELLII BlanfordHemipteron nipalcnse Hodgson, in J. E. Gray, Zoological Miscellany, No. 3,1844, p. 83 (Nepal). Nomen nudum! Synonymized with Pellornetim man-dcllii Blanford, by Godwin-Austen, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. 46, pt. 2,No. I, May 12, 1877, p. 41.Pellorneum Mandellii Blanford, Proc. Asiat. Soc. Bengal for 1871, No. 9,Sept. 1871, p. 216 (Sikkim).Pellorneum Mandellii Blanford, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol. 41, pt. 2, No. 2,June 25, 1872, p. 165, pi. 7, fig. 2 (Sikkim).Pellorneum nipalense Bowdler Sharpe, Catalogue of the Birds in the BritishMuseum, vol. 7, 1883, p. 518 (Nepal, ex Hodgson).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. punctatum, but with the rufous of thefront, crown, and nape deeper and richer in color and with theremaining upper parts rufescent brown (not grayish olivaceousbrown) ; the centers of the feathers of the uppermost back blackishbrown and more clearly defined from the light-colored fringes ; thecentral streaks of the feathers of the breast and sides of the abdomenbroader and bolder.From P. r. ruficeps distinguishable by the more rufescent tones ofthe colors of the upper parts ; by the bold dark central streaks of thefeathers of the uppermost back ; by the deeper color of the streaksof the breast and sides of the abdomen.Range,—Nepal; Sikkim; Darjiling District.Specimens examined.—"Himalayas": no definite locality (i un-sexed) ; Nepal: no definite locality (i unsexed) ; Sikkim: no defi-nite locality (4 unsexed); Bengal: Darjiling District: Sivok (ifemale), Darjiling (i unsexed).Remarks.—It should be noted that the name mandellii dates, notfrom June 1872, as generally quoted, but from September 1871, asindicated above.
5. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS CHAMELUM, new subspeciesType.—A.M.N.H. No. 588344, adult male, collected at Gunjong,Cachar District, Surma Valley and Hill Division, Assam Province,India, on November 2, 1895, by E. C. Stuart Baker (ex RothschildMuseum).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. mandellii in having sharply definedblackish-brown centers to the feathers of the uppermost back, butdiffering in having the rufous of forehead, crown, and nape, and thebrown of the remaining upper parts paler and grayer (these partsintermediate in tones between those of punctatum and mandellii).Range.—Southwestern Assam (Khasi Hills).
NO, 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS DEIGNAN 7Specimens examined.—Assam: Garo Hills District: Tura (imale), Rangsakona (i unsexed) ; Cachar District: Gunjong (i male,2 females), Mahu (i male).Remarks.—Pellorneiim intermedium was said by Bowdler Sharpeto range "from Cachar to the neighbourhood of Thayetmyo" ; as willbe found explained under P. r minus, this name is best restricted tothe population of Thayetmyo, and the quite different birds of northernCachar may then safely be called as above.
6. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS PECTORALE Goawin-AustenPellorneiim pectoralis [sic] Godwin-Austen, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, vol.46, pt. 2, No. I, May 12, 1877, p. 41 (Sadiya, Sadiya Frontier Tract, AssamProvince, India).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. mandellii in having sharply definedblackish-brown centers to the feathers of the uppermost back, butdiffering in having the rufous of the front, crown, and nape muchdeeper in tone (rufous chestnut) ; the brown of the remaining upperparts decidedly darker ; the under parts more heavily washed with aricher (sometimes almost rufescent) buff.From P. r. chamelum immediately separable by its much moresaturate coloration above and below.Range.—Northeastern Assam (Sadiya Frontier Tract).Specimens examined.—Assam : Sadiya Frontier Tract : Tezu (
i
male, i female).Remarks.—Inasmuch as a form different from pectorale occurs sonear Sadiya as Dibrugarh and Margherita, it was of some importanceto learn whether Godwin-Austen's type was taken literally at Sadiyaand thus represented the dark population found north of the Brahma-putra. Dr. Dillon Ripley has kindly investigated the matter for me inLondon and writes that Ogle took the type and four others along theBrahmakund road east of Sadiya and that all are of the darker race.
7. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS RIPLEYI, new subspeciesType.—A.M.N.H. No. 588323, adult male, collected at Margherita,Lakhimpur District, Assam Province, India, on December 21, 1901,by H. N. Coltart {ex Rothschild Museum).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. mandellii in having sharply definedblackish-brown centers to the feathers of the uppermost back, butdiffering in having the rufous of the front, crown, and nape slightlyricher in tone; the brown of the remaining upper parts much more
8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 10/
strongly rufescent ; the under parts more heavily washed with a richer(sometimes almost rufescent) buff.From P. r. chamelum immediately separable by its very muchwarmer coloration above and below.From P. r. pectorale distinguished by the much paler, less chestnut,rufous of the front, crown, and nape, and by the much lighter brownof the remaining upper parts.Range.—Northeastern Assam (Lakhimpur District south of theBrahmaputra River)*.Specimens examined.—Assam : Lakhimpur District : Dibrugarh(i male, i female), Margherita (ii males, 5 females).Remarks.—This race is named for S. Dillon Ripley, who collectedthe specimens of pectorale that confirmed the distinctness of theMargherita population and who has sent me valuable informationon the series of Pellorneum riificcps in the British Museum.
8. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS STAGERI, new subspeciesType.—U.S.'N.M. No. 377762, adult male, collected at NTonVillage (on the left bank of the Irrawaddy, 15 miles north of My-itkyina), Myitkyina District, Sagaing Division, Burma, on May 17,1945, by Kenneth E. Stager (original number B-176).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. mandellii in having sharply definedblackish-brown centers to the feathers of the uppermost back, butdiffering in having the rufous of the forehead, crown, and nape deeperin color (almost chestnut) ; the olivaceous brown of the remainingupper parts somewhat darker; the central streaks of the feathers ofthe breast and sides of the abdomen broader and more numerous.From P. r. pectorale distinguishable by having the front, crown,and nape chestnut rufous (rather than rufous chestnut) ; the brownof the remaining upper parts paler ; the under parts even more boldlystreaked and with the ground color (except in two individuals dis-cussed below) palest buff.From P. r. ripleyi separable by having the rufous of the front,crown, and nape darker (nearer to chestnut) ; the remaining upperparts darker and more olivaceous, less rufescent (thus more clearlydemarcated from the color of the nape) ; the under parts even moreboldly streaked and with the ground color (except in two individualsdiscussed below) palest buff.Range.—Northeastern Burma (Myitkyina and Bhamo Districts).Specimens examined.—Burma : Myitkyina District : N'Pon Vil-lage (i male, i female), Tanga (i male), Washaung-Namaoyang
NO. 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS—DEIGNAN 9
road (i male), Lonkin (i female); Bliamo District: Bhamo (2females).Remarks.—Two females (i from NTon, i from Lonkin) must beconsidered "erythros" (a neologism constructed by analogy with
"melano"). Although they are, especially above, less rufescent thanexamples of ripleyi, yet they approach them below in the amount ofrich buffy wash and in having the streaks on the breast and sides ofthe abdomen brownish and therefore less clearly demarcated fromthe ground color than is the case with the other specimens of stageri(which have the streaks blackish and the ground color bufify white).Differences between stageri and "pectorale" {=ripleyi) have al-ready been commented upon by Mayr (Ibis, ser. 14, vol. 5, 1941,p. 69).The new race is named for Kenneth E. Stager, Curator of Orni-thology and Mammalogy at the Los Angeles County Museum ofHistory, Science and Art, who collected the type specimen whileserving as a member of the United States of America TyphusCommission.
9. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS SHANENSE, new subspeciesType.—A.M.N.H. No. 143416, adult female, collected at Ma-li-pa(lat. 23°4i' N., long. 98°46' E.), Kokang State, Burmese WaStates, on March 15, 1917, by Roy C. Andrews and Edmund Heller(original number 567).Diagnosis.—Differs from the five races immediately preceding byhaving obsolescent deep brown centers to the feathers of the upper-most back, much as in P. r. punctatum.From P. r. stageri, the geographically nearest form, distinguishedalso by having the rufous of the front, crown, and nape somewhatpaler and brighter ; the brown of the remaining upper parts paler andrather more olivaceous; the central streaks of the feathers of thebreast and sides of the abdomen much narrower and less numerous
;
the ground color of the under parts intermediate between the twoextremes shown by the series of stageri (discussed above).Range.—The parts of Burma and southwestern Yunnan lying be-tween the Mekong and Salween Rivers.Specimens examined.—Yunnan: Southwest: Chaunglung (imale); Burma: Kokang State: Ma-li-pa (i female); KengtungState: Loi Mwe (i female), Mong Len (2 unsexed).Remarks.—The three specimens from Kengtung State have beendiscussed by Meyer de Schauensee (Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadel-
10 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I07
phia, vol. 98, 1946, pp. 114-115). It is highly noteworthy that a racequite distinct from shanense is found in the Siamese province ofChiang Rai, less than 30 miles distant from Mong Len, one of thelocalities for this new form.
10. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS HILARUM, new subspeciesType.—M.C.Z, No. 265793, adult female, collected at Kyundaw(lat. 2i°oi' N., long. 94°35' E.), Pakokku District, Magwe Divi-sion, Burma, on January 28, 1938, by Gerd Heinrich (original num-ber 1274).Diagnosis.—The feathers of the uppermost back have the darkbrown centers even more obsolescent than is the case with P. r.shanense.This race furthermore has the rufous of the front, crown, andnape paler and slightly more grayish than in shanense (near to thecolor of these parts in chamelum) ; the remaining upper parts grayisholivaceous brown (but little browner than are these parts in punc-tatum) ; the ground color of the under parts pale buff (slightly palerthan in shanense, with which it agrees, however, in the breadth andabundance of the dark streaks on the breast and sides of theabdomen).Range.—Central Burma (Mandalay, Meiktila, Pakokku, LowerChindwin Districts, and southern part of Upper Chindwin District).Specimens examined.—Burma: Mandalay District: Maymyo (imale, i female) ; Meiktila District: "Kalaw" (i unsexed) ; PakokkuDistrict: Kyundaw (i female), Dudaw Taung (i male, i female);Lower Chindwin District: Taungbauk (i male); Upper ChindwinDistrict: Mingin (i male, i female).Remarks.—So far as one may judge from a single example, thebird collected at "Kalaw" belongs with this race. Kalaw lies just atthe western edge of the Shan Plateau, above the plains of Meiktila,and one would hardly expect the population of the plateau to be out-wardly identical with that of the lowland Dry Zone. Since the speci-men has by no means as full data as one could wish, I have assumedthat the locality is only roughly correct, and that the bird was collectedsomewhere near, but west of and below, Kalaw, and thus in the Meik-tila District.
11. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS VICTORIAE, new subspeciesType.—A.M.N.H. No. 306134, adult male, collected on MountVictoria (lat. 21 "15' N., long. 93° 5 5' E.), Kanpetlet District,
NO. 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS
—
^DEIGNAN IIMagwe Division, Burma, on March 12, 1938, by Gerd Heinrich (orig-inal number 2010).Diagnosis.—Nearest P. r. hilarum, but with the rufous of theforehead, crown, and nape paler and grayer (close to the color ofthese parts in punctatum) ; the remaining upper parts olivaceousgray-brown (more gray and less brown than in any other race) ; theunder parts streaked as in hilarum, but with the ground color aneven paler buff.Range.—Burma (Chin Hills).Specimens examined.—Burma: Kanpetlet District: Mount Vic-toria (i male), Kyaukswe (i male).
12. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS subsp.In Arakan there seems to be a distinct race, characterized byobsolescent dark centers to the feathers of the uppermost back anda warm rufescent suffusion above and below. Since but two oldspecimens have been seen, neither of which has proper data, and oneof which is an "erythro," this population will not be named here,although, since it does not agree with any of the neighboring ones,a special designation will probably be found necessary in the futurewhen better material is available.
13. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS MINUS HumePellorneum minor [sic] Hume, Stray Feathers, vol. i, Nos. 2-4, Feb. 1873,p. 298 (Thayetmyo, Thayetmyo District, Magwe Division, Burma).Pellorneum intermedium Bowdler Sharpe, Catalogue of the Birds in theBritish Museum, vol. 7, 1883, p. 519, pi. 13, fig. i ("from Cachar to theneighbourhood of Thayetmyo" ; type locality here restricted to Thayetmyo,Thayetmyo District, Magwe Division, Burma).Diagnosis.—From all precedent forms, excepting olivaceiim andruficeps, distinguished by having no trace of dark centers to thefeathers of the uppermost back and by having the light edgings tothe feathers of the sides of the neck narrow and inconspicuous.Pellorneum r. minus has the rufous of the forehead, crown, andnape brighter than has any race yet discussed ; the remaining upperparts olivaceous brown, faintly suffused with rufescent ; the underparts everywhere washed with buff and with the central streaks ofthe feathers of the breast and sides of the abdomen narrow andsparse.Range.—Burma (valley of the lower Irrawaddy from theThayetmyo District to its mouths).
12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 10/Specimens examined.—Burma : Thayetmyo District : Thayetmyo(i male), Pyalo (i male) ; Prome District: Shwedaung (i female) ;Tharrawaddy District: Pinmezali Resthouse (i female) ; Insein Dis-trict: Insein (i male) ; Rangoon Town District: Rangoon (2 males,4 females).Remarks.—Bowdler Sharpe based his intermediimi upon two ex-amples (one a juvenile) from Dilkhusha (a locality not shown onmodern maps, but situated on the Barak River in the Cachar Districtof Assam) and an unknown number of specimens from Thayetmyo(borrowed from Wardlaw Ramsay). The description is unsatisfac-tory, and no type was designated, but the colored plate appears to havebeen taken from one of Ramsay's southern birds ; certainly it is not likethe form from the hills north of the Surma Valley that I have calledchanielum. Whatever race is found at Dilkhusha cannot possibly beidentical with that of Thayetmyo, and I adjudge it best to makeSharpe's name an absolute synonym of Hume's minus and thus toremove it from all further consideration.
14. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS SUBOCHRACEUM SwinhoePellorncmn siibochraccum Swinhoe, Ann. Alag. Nat. Hist., ser. 4, vol. 7, Apr.1871, p. 257 ("the Tenasserim provinces": type locality here restricted toMoulmein, Amherst District, Tenasserim Division, Burma).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. minus, but distinguished by havingthe brown of the upper parts paler and less olivaceous, more rufes-cent ; the under parts washed with a more vivid buff.Range.—Burma (Salween, Thaton, Amherst, Tavoy Districts, andmainland Mergui District).Specimens examined.—Burma: Salween District: Sinzwe Forest,Yunzalin River (i male) ; Thaton or Amherst District: "ThaungyinValley" (3 females); Amherst District: "Hteekleethoo Choung" (ifemale), Mepale (i male, 2 females), Kaukareik (i male), Lampha(i female); Mergui District: Bokpyin (2 males). Ban Sadein (ifemale).Remarks.—Although P. r. snbochraceiim is not a strongly markedform, yet it seems to be readily separable in series; it is in somerespects transitional between minus and the following archipelagicrace.
15. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS INSULARUM, new subspeciesType.—U.S.N.M. No. 180408, adult female, collected on DomelIsland (lat. ii°37' N., long. 98° 16' E.), Mergui Archipelago, Mergui
NO. 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS—DEIGNAN 1
3
District, Tenasserim Division, Burma, on January 25, 1904, by Wil-liam L. Abbott.Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. suhochraceum, but trenchantly sepa-rated by having the rufous of front, crown, and nape deeper in tone(almost chestnut) ; the hue of the remaining upper parts darker andmuch more rufescent ; the ground color of the under parts a richer,almost rufescent, buff.Range.—Burma (Mergui Archipelago).Specimens examined.—Burma: Mergui District: Ross Island (imale), Domel Island (i female), Sullivan Island (i male), SaintMatthew Island (i male, i female).Remarks.—Macronoiis {"Mixornis") gidaris is another babblingthrush that has evolved a distinct race on these islands ; it must becalled M. g. archipelagicus (Oberholser), 1922.
16. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS ACRUM, new subspeciesType.—U.S.N.M. No. 330563, adult male, collected at Yala (lat.6°3o' N., long., ioi°i5' E.), Yala Province, Siam, on January 30,193 1 > by Hugh McC. Smith (original number 4512).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r, suhochraceum, but distinguishable inseries by having the rufous of the forehead, crown, and nape slightlydeeper in tone; the brown of the remaining upper parts darker andcolder (even more olivaceous and less rufescent than in P. r. minus) ;the under parts rather more lightly washed with a somewhat palerbuff.Range.—Southwestern Siam (from the headwaters of the MaeKlong) southward down the Malay Peninsula (excepting the Bur-mese portion) to Perak and Pahang.Specimens examined.—Malaya: Pahang: Gunong Tahan (imale) ; Kelantan: Sungei Lebir (i female) ; Perak: Taiping (i male,I female); Siam: lat. 6°-7° N. : Narathiwat (4 males), Yala (imale), Bukit Pattani (i male) ; lat. 7°-8° N. : Phatthalung (i male),
"Trang Province" (i male, i female), Chong (i male). Ban PhraMuang (i male). Ban Tha Chin (i male, 2 females). Ban ThapThiang (i female) ; lat. 8°-9° N. : Khao Phanom Bencha (2 males),Ban Krasom (i male). Ban Khiri Wong (i male), Nakhon Si Tham-marat (2 females); lat. 9°-io° N.: Surat Thani (i male); lat.ii°-i2° N. : Khao Nok Wua (i female), Khao Luang (4 males, 3females), Prachuap Khiri Khan (4 males, 3 females) ; lat. i2°-i3°N. : Khao Sam Roi Yot (3 males), Pran Buri (i male). Ban KaengSok (i male, i female). Ban Thung Luang (6 males, 2 females) ;
14 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. IO7
lat. I3°-I4° N. : Rat Buri (i male), Ban Pong (2 males); lat.I4°-I5° N. : Kanchanaburi (3 males), Ban Si Sawat (2 males, Ifemale) ; lat. i5°-i6° N. : 28 mi. E. of Ban Um Phang (i female).Remarks.—Beyond such a minor distinction, from one populationto another, as a slightly more or less rich huffy wash on the underparts (and this appearing capriciously), it is not possible to find anycharacter by which the rich material before me can be subdivided.That birds of this plastic species should be almost uniform acrossmore than 1 1 degrees of latitude may be easily explained by the MalayPeninsula's lack of natural barriers to north-south expansion.
17. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS subsp.One specimen has been seen from Pulau Langkawi, the large islandat the northern mouth of the Strait of Malacca just off the MalayState of Kedah. In the bold streaking beneath and the very lightwash of buff, it differs strikingly from any one of the long seriesof P. r. acrum from the adjacent mainland, but can be separated fromthe race of northwestern Siam only by the rather deeper coloration ofits upper parts. I believe that a distinct subspecies will be found toinhabit Langkawi and the neighboring Pulau Terutau.
18. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS subsp.Two specimens from southeastern Burma, one from Thandaung,the other from "Pegu Yomas," do not agree with any one of theseveral Burmese races already described. They have the upper partsas in the form of northwestern Siam and the under parts with equallybold streaks but on a ground color much like that of P. r. minus. Theyare perfectly distinct from this last and probably represent a sub-species confined to the valley of the Sittang.
19. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS CHTHONIUM, new subspeciesType.—U.S.N.M. No. 336631, adult female, collected at elevation2,900 feet on Doi Suthep (lat. i8°5o' N., long. 98°55' E.), ChiangMai Province, northwestern Siam, on November 21, 1936, by H. G.Deignan (original number 1932).Diagnosis.—Upper parts much as in P. r. acrum, but the feathersof the uppermost back frequently with vaguely nigrescent centers ; thecentral streaks of the feathers of the breast and sides of the abdomenalmost always broader and more numerous ; the buffy wash of theunder parts usually almost restricted to the flanks and breast (whereit often forms a fairly distinct pectoral band), with the result that, in
NO. 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS—^DEIGNAN 1
5
series, this is, despite the heavy streaking, a whiter bird beneath thanany one of the seven precedent forms.Range.—Hilly country of northern Siam (excepting Chiang RaiProvince), on the vi^est south to Ban Kaeng Soi (lat. I7°45' N.,long. 99° 1 5' E.) and probably farther, on the east south to MuangLorn Sak (lat. i6°45' N., long. ioi°io' E.).Specimens examined.—Siam: North: Ban Kaeng Soi (i female),Doi Ang Ka (i unsexed), Doi Samoeng (2 males), Doi Suthep (2females), Chiang Mai (4 males, 4 females), Ban Chiang Dao (ifemale), Doi Chiang Dao (2 females). Ban Huai Chang Tai (imale), Ban Tong Pa Sa (i unsexed), Doi Nang Kaeo (i male, 4females), Doi Khun Tan (3 males, i female). Ban Mae Mo (i male,I female), Ban Mae Phun (i male). Ban Phai Thon (i female),Muang Ngop (i male). Ban Nam Khian (i female), Doi Ta Kong(i male), Muang Lorn Sak (9 males, 2 females).Remarks.—Unlike many other northern Siamese species, Pellor-neum ruficeps shows no important differentiation to east and west ofthe Khun Tan Range. Since P. r. chthoniiim everywhere ascends thehills to the lower limit of the evergreen forest, it is plain that severalof the passes through these mountains could serve as funnels for itsdistribution across them.On Doi Suthep it ranges unchanged from the plains at its foot toabout 3,000 feet, where the mountain evergreen begins. An appar-ently isolated colony exists in the open hill forest of oak and pinefrom 4,500 to 5,000 feet ; unfortunately, no specimens of this popula-tion have been available for comparison with the lowland birds.N.B.—An aggregation of 19 examples from the lower Pa SakRiver (Ban Thawai Phra, Ban Manao Wan, Ban Kaeng Khoi), thehills dividing the Chao Phaya system from that of the Mekong (BanPak Chong, Ban Lat Bua Khao), the western part of the plateau ofeastern Siam (Ban Bua Yai), and the country between this plateauand "Southeastern Siam" (Kabin Buri, Ban Aranyaprathet) cannotbe placed to subspecies at the present time. While all the localitiesnamed lie near each other on the map, a peripheral line connectingthem would include just the territory where two, if not three, racesmight be expected to intergrade. It is possible that the birds of thelower Pa Sak must be identified eventually as atypical chthonium,those of Kabin Buri and Ban Aranyaprathet as atypical examples ofthe form of "Southeastern Siam," those of Ban Pak Chong and BanLat Bua Khao as intermediate between chthonium and a hypotheticalrace of the eastern plateau (which would be exemplified by the single
l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. IO7
specimen from Ban Bua Yai). In short, unless one is to risk naminga population variably intermediate between two other races, no stepin this direction should be taken until much more material from thecenter of the eastern plateau has been carefully examined.
20. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS INDISTINCTUM, new subspeciesType.—U.S.N.M. No. 336635, adult male, collected at Chiang SaenKao (lat. 20° 15' N., long. ioo°05' E.), Chiang Rai Province,northernmost Siam, on January 12, 1937, by H. G. Deignan (originalnumber 2188).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. chthonium, but distinguishable in seriesby having the rufous of the forehead, crown, and nape a little paler intone ; the color of the remaining upper parts paler and decidedly morerufescent ; the under parts slightly more strongly washed with a ratherwarmer buff.From P. r. shanense (which occurs in the adjacent Southern ShanState of Kengtung) easily separable by having the general colorationof the upper parts paler in tone ; the light edgings to the feathers of thesides of the neck narrow and inconspicuous ; the dark centers to thefeathers of the uppermost back almost invisible or wholly absent;the under parts less extensively washed with buff—the throat almostfree of this color.Range.—Northern Siam (Chiang Rai Province) ; probably the partof Haut-Laos lying west of the Mekong River.Specimens examined.—Siam : Chiang Rai Province : Chiang SaenKao (2 males), Chiang Rai (i male), Muang Fang (3 males), BanMuang Sum (i female), Ban Tao Pun (i female), Ban Pang Ai (imale), Doi Khrang (2 males, i female), Wiang Pa Pao (i male, ifemale) ; Laos: Enclave: Doi Chang Kong (i juvenile male).Remarks.—P. r. indistinctuni is but one of several birds that occurin northern Siam only within the Mekong drainage.
21. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS OREUM, new subspeciesType.—C.N.H.M. No. 78973, adult male, collected at Muong Moun(lat. 2i°42' N., long. I03°2i' E.), Laichau Province, northwesternTongking, on March 29, 1929, by J. Van Tyne (original number 919).Diagnosis.—Distinguished from P. r. indistinctum by having therufous of the front, crown, and nape and the rufescent brown of theremaining upper parts decidedly deeper in tone; the dark centers tothe feathers of the uppermost back more frequently present andrather more sharply defined ; the light edgings to the feathers of
NO. 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS—^DEIGNAN I7the sides of the neck broader and more conspicuous : the under partsrather less extensively washed with buff.From P. r. shanense separable by having the brown of the upperparts slightly more rufescent, less olivaceous; the dark centers to thefeathers of the uppermost back less strongly defined ; the light edgingsto the feathers of the sides of the neck narrower and less conspicuous
;
the under parts less extensively washed with buff—the throat andcenter of the abdomen almost free of this color.Range.—Hilly regions of Yunnan, Haut-Laos, and Tongking, sofar as these lie between the Mekong River and the Black River-RedRiver divide.Specimens examined.—Yunnan: Southwest: Szemao (imale);Laos: Vientiane Province: Vientiane (i female), Tha Ngon (3males, i female) ; Haut-Mekong Province: Ban Houeisai (i female,1 unsexed), Nam Khueng (3 males, i female), Lo-tiao (i male) ; 5®Territoire Militaire: Bountai (2 males, 4 females), Phong Saly (imale, i female); Tongking: Laichau Province: Muong Mo (imale), Muong Moun (3 males), Paham (i male, i female), Laichau(i male).Remarks.—Since four of the five birds from Vientiane Provincewere shot in July and are so grayed from wear as to be subspecificallyunidentifiable, the extension of oreiim's range so far to the south isbased upon a single specimen and requires confirmation.
22. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS VIVIDUM La TouchePellorneum nipalense vividum La Touche, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, vol. 42, Oct. 29,1921, p. 17 (Hokow, southeastern Yunnan, China).Diagnosis.—Similar to P. r. oreum, but separable in series byhaving the rufous of the forehead, crown, and nape darker (almostchestnut) ; the brown of the remaining upper parts deeper in tone(about like that of P. r. mandellii) ; the dark centers to the feathers ofthe uppermost back still more conspicuous ; the under parts somewhatmore boldly streaked.Range.—The valley of the Red River from the Chinese frontier toits mouths and thence southward along the coast of the Gulf of Tong-king to central Annam,Specimens examined.—Tongking: Backan Province: Backan (imale) ; Annam: Thanhhoa Province: Hoixuan (6 males, 2 females,2 unsexed) ; Vinh Province: Phuqui (i unsexed) ; Quangtri Prov-ince: Phuoc (i unsexed).
l8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 10/
23. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS UBONENSE, new subspeciesType.—A.N.S.P. No. 126892, adult male, collected at Ban Chanu-man (lat. 16° 15' N., long. 105 °oo' E.), Ubon Province, easternSiam, on February 3, 1936, by collectors for R. Meyer de Schauensee(original number 491 )
.
Diagnosis.—From P. r. vividum easily separable in series by havingthe rufous of the front, crown, and nape lighter and brighter ; thebrown of the remaining upper parts lighter and more olivaceous (lessrufescent than in any one of the three precedent races) ; the darkcenters to the feathers of the uppermost back usually absent or, ifpresent, almost invisible ; the under parts as boldly streaked, but on aground color nearer white, less strongly washed with buff.From P. r. chthonium distinguishable in series by having the brownof the upper parts slightly darker and a little more olivaceous; thecentral streaks of the feathers of the breast and sides of the abdomenbroader and more blackish brown, on a whiter, less buffy, groundcolor.Range.—Easternmost Siam (Ubon Province).Specimens examined.—Siam : Ubon Province : Ban Chanuman (2males, 4 females). Ban Khemmarat (2 males, 2 females).Remarks.—The one specimen seen from Ban Bua Yai on theplateau of eastern Siam (mentioned in Remarks under P. r. chthon-ium) does not agree well with this series and probably belongs withanother race.
24. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS subsp.Four specimens from Pakse and Ban Kok in the Boloven regionof Bas-Laos (a fifth is quite obviously mislabeled and belongs withsome other population) stand very near to P. r. ubonense, but seem tohave the brown of the upper parts a little paler. With so short aseries, I am not prepared to name these birds on so slight a character,but it would be surprising if better material did not show that herealso we have a distinct race.
25. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS subsp.A specimen taken by Boden Kloss at Daban in southern Annam ismuch like P. r. acrum above, and has the ground color of the underparts much as in P. r. chthonium, but differs from all others beforeme in the breadth of the dark streaks, which seem to form an almostunbroken band across the breast. Since its provenience is known to
NO. 14 THE RACES OF PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS—^DEIGNAN I9be one of the main speciation centers of southeastern Asia, this birdwill probably prove to be representative of a still undescribed race.
26. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS subsp.Three specimens from the isolated forest at Trangbom, BienhoaProvince, Cochin-China, must for the present be left unnamed. Theyhave the under parts somewhat as in P. r. ubonense, but the upperparts much more rufescent.
27. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS EUROUM, new subspeciesType.—U.S.N.M. No. 3371 19, adult male, collected at Chanthaburi(lat. I2°35' N., long. I02°05' E.), Chanthaburi Province, south-eastern Siam, on April 19, 1937, by H. G. Deignan (original number2527).Diagnosis.—A very saturate race, near to P. r. vividum, fromwhich it is barely distinguishable in series by having the brown ofthe upper parts slightly darker and even more rufescent ; the darkcenters to the feathers of the uppermost back less often present andthen more obsolescent ; the under parts washed with a very slightlywarmer buff.From P. r. acrum easily separable by having the rufous of the fore-head, crown, and nape, and the brown of the remaining upper partsdeeper in tones ; the central streaks of the feathers of the breast andsides of the abdomen much broader and bolder.Range.—Southeastern Siam (Rayong, Chanthaburi, and TratProvinces).Specimens examined.—Siam: Trat Province: Ban Bang Phra (imale, 2 females) ; Chanthaburi Province: Chanthaburi (4 males, 2females), Khao Sa Bap (i male, i female), Khao Soi Dao (i male,3 females) ; Rayong Province: Ban Hup Bon (i male). Ban Si fiacha(i female). Ban Nong Kho (i male).Remarks.—Under the following form I shall explain why the namesmithi seems to me inapplicable to birds from the mainland of south-eastern Siam.
28. PELLORNEUM RUFICEPS SMITHI RileyPeUorneum smithi Riley, Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington, vol. 37, Oct. 21, 1924,p. 129 (Ko Chang, off Trat Province, southeastern Siam, at lat. i2°oo' N.,long. 102° 30' E.).Diagnosis.—The unique specimen differs from any one of 18 ex-amples of P. r. enroum (including three from the nearby mainland
20 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL, ID/
of Trat Province) by having the rufous of the forehead, crown, andnape deeper in tone (almost chestnut) ; the brown of the remainingupper parts much deeper and much more rufescent; the under parts(excepting the throat and center of the abdomen) washed with darkrufescent buff.From P. r. insularum of the Mergui Archipelago, the only race thatapproximates it in erythrism, smitlii is easily distinguished by itsgenerally darker and more rufescent tones and by its much broaderand blacker streaks on the breast.Range.—Ko Chang (an island off Trat Province, southeasternSiam).Specimens examined.—Siam : Trat Province : Ko Chang (
i
female, the type).Remarks.—The type of P. r. sniiflii has up to now been consideredan "erythro" of the race inhabiting the neighboring mainland. Thediscoveries that the species breaks up into a bewildering number offorms in continental areas, and that subspeciation appears in theMergui Islands and Pulau Langkawi, lend strong support to the prob-able validity of a race endemic to Ko Chang. Moreover, the fact thatthe type of sniithi exceeds in erythrism the erythristic race insularum,every specimen of which in turn exceeds in erythrism the reddestexamples seen of euroiim, would seem to indicate that its characterscannot be explained as simple abnormality.SUMMARY
1. In Pellorneum ruficeps, considerable variation usually treated asindividual has proved to represent true subspeciation.2. The boundaries between the ranges of subspecies are often riversor chains of hills.3. Examination of 339 specimens has shown that not less than 28populations seem to deserve nomenclatorial recognition, although,whether for lack of material or other reasons, names have been usedfor but 23 of these ; 13 names have been established for the first time,4. The name Pellorneum ruficeps granti Harington, 191 3, has beensynonymized with olivaceiim Jerdon, 1839, and the name Pellorneumruficeps joncsi Stuart Baker, 1920, with punctatum Gould, 1838,5. Type localities have been restricted whenever it has been foundnecessary.