same name as the Chinese race; and one author gives a joke, which annoyed a celebrated old gentleman with
a bald head. The latter was sitting with some friends in an arbour, when a Bulbul flew over. One of the
friends asked what bird it was, and another replied, ‘ The White-polled Grandsire,’ as I. sinensis is named
by the Chinese literati. The friends laughed, but the old gentleman did not like it.
“ The whole story is thus given in the ‘ Kiung-shan-Heen Gazetteer ’ :—‘ Choo Kokih was in the reception-
hall o f Lord Woo, when this bird flew past. Lord Woo asked what bird it was. Choo replied, “ The W hite-
polled Grandsire.” Chang Chao, an old gentleman also present, suspecting that Choo was joking a t his
expense, said, “ I have never heard of a bird called White-polled Grandsire. Perhaps you know another
called White-polled Grandmother ? ” Choo a t once rejoined, “ N o ! but you must know the Parrot’s Mamma
(Cockatoo). Would you like to have also a Parrot’s Papa ? ” Poor Chang was perplexed, and the rest o f the
company amused.^'
I copy the annexed description from the published papers of Mr. Swinhoe:—
“Adult.—Bill and legs black. Iris rich brown. Crown, moustache, and nuchal band black. Auriculars
brown, ending in a large white spot. Upper parts brownish grey, each feather being margined laterally with
yellowish olive-green. Quills and tail hair-brown, margined on outer webs with greenish yellow. Throat
white; a broad pectoral band of light greyish brown. Underparts pure white in most specimens, with only a
few yellow streaks; in others dingy yellowish white, most of the feathers margined exteriorly with sulphur-
yellow. Under wing whitish, the fourth and fifth quills equal and longest. Tail-feathers twelve, somewhat
graduated, with white under-shafts.
“ The young o f this species have the head a uniform colour with the back, which is light brown instead of
g rey ; the rest of the colours are much paler. Among my series from Amoy I have one very curious variety,
in which the white o f the occiput and throat is o f a fine clear smoke-grey. My specimens differ from one
another chiefly in the development of the white occipital p a tch ; some have it very large, and occupying a
good portion of the head, while in others it gets encroached upon by the black, until in some specimens it
almost entirely disappears. There is also a great variation in size and length o f wing and ta il; but in the
form and length of bill the difference is not so appreciable as I have found it in many species o f birds.”
The Plate represents the birds with their nest and young, all of the natural size.