LEIOTHRIX LAURINiE, Salvad.
Marchioness Doria’s Hill-Tit.
Leiothrix laurince, Salvad. Ann. Mus. Civic. Genov, xiv. p. 231 (1879).
T h is beautiful species was discovered by Dr. Beccari during his expedition to Sumatra in 1878. Ten
specimens were obtained, all of them on Mount Singalan; and it is somewhat extraordinary that such a
very conspicuous species should not have been discovered by any of the travellers who had previously
visited Sumatra.
I t is of the same form and style of coloration as. Leiothrix argentauris o f the Himalayas; but it is easily
distinguished by the richer coloration on the throat and breast, which are crimson.
The following is a translation of Count Salvadori’s description
Forehead, throat, neck all round, upper tail-coverts, and a large patch at the base of the quills blood-red;
crown, lores, fore part of cheeks, and a line at the base of the lower mandible jet-black; ear-coverts silvery
grey ; back and rump olive; breast and abdomen olive-yellowish ; wing-coverts olive like the back ; quills
blackish, edged towards the tips with orange, edged a t the base with blood-red, the innermost dusky, uniform;
tail black, the two outermost feathers edged externally with yellow ; bill orange-yellow; feet pale ; iris brown.
I am indebted to Capt. Wardlaw Ramsay for the loan of a pair of birds, received by him from the Genoa
Museum, thus enabling me to give a life-sized figure of the male and female birds.