Adult (sexes alike).—Above, including sides of head and neck, ashy gray, with a very slight olivaceous tinge on back; lores and a line over eye whitish; under parts clear straw-yellow, deepest on chin and throat; under tail-coverts white, washed with yellow; thighs slightly ashy; wings and tail brown with light edges to the feathers; wing-coverts and upper tail-coverts like the crown; each of the rectrices except the middle pair with a white spot on inner web near tip and a preceding dusky band; edge and lining of wing pale yellow. Iris dark brown; bill black; legs dark plumbeous. A male from Laguna de Bay measures: Length, 122; wing, 51; tail, 36; culmen from base, 12.
Young.—Lubang Island, October 25, 1902. A young bird just able to fly, resembles the adult and differs only in having the under parts very much paler yellow.
This little flycatcher closely resembles the species of Zosterops in habits, but it is less common in occurrence. At times small flocks are found feeding in clumps of bamboo or in high mangrove thickets. It has a pleasing note by means of which the members of a flock are kept together. In its active movements from tree to tree it resembles the titmice, but we have never found Gerygone in forest. The type of the species was collected in Luzon by Jagor.
“The Philippine gerygone was common about bamboo clumps in the open fields of Luzon. Five males from Luzon average as follows: Wing, 51; tail, 38; culmen, 12; tarsus, 14; middle toe with claw, 12. Five females, wing, 52; tail, 37; culmen, 12; tarsus, 16; middle toe with claw, 16. Iris, legs, feet, and nails black; bill black.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)
410. GERYGONE RHIZOPHORÆ Mearns.
MANGROVE GERYGONE.
- ?Gerygone flaveola Guillemard, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1885), 263.
- Gerygone simplex Worcester and Bourns, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. (1898), 20, 563 (part).
- Gerygone rhizophoræ Mearns, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. (1905), 18, 7; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 72.
Bongao (Everett); Mindanao (Mearns); Sulu (Guillemard, Bourns and Worcester).
“Adult male and female (seven specimens).—Upper parts, including entire top and sides of head, ashy brown tinged with olive; upper tail-coverts browner; sides of neck yellowish olive; tail-feathers drab, subterminally and broadly banded with blackish, tipped with drab-gray, and with a white spot near the end of the inner web of all [each of] the tail-feathers except the innermost pair; wing-coverts like the back; quills darker brown and narrowly edged with olive; whole under parts straw-yellow except the crissum which is almost white; lining and edge of wing yellowish white; thighs mixed straw-color and olive-brown; inner edge of quills whitish. Measurements of male: Wing, 50; tail, 39; culmen, 10.5; tarsus, 16.” (Mearns.)
A female from Zamboanga is the only example of this species examined by me. In this specimen the crown is slightly darker than in specimens of G. simplex from Mindoro, Luzon, and Lubang with which I have compared it. Unfortunately Mearns does not compare his species with G. simplex which is probably its nearest relative. Guillemard records a gerygone from Sulu as G. flaveola, and his specimens were, perhaps, the same as G. rhizophoræ.