Adult.—Above dusky wood-brown, slightly olivaceous on the back and more russet-brown on the rump, tail-coverts, and margins of the rectrices; wings brown, the quills edged with russet; the first three primaries, however, fringed with much lighter brown; wing-coverts olivaceous; eyelids and eye-stripe whitish or pale buff; a dusky spot before and behind eye; under parts whitish; sides of neck and breast washed with olivaceous; flanks and crissum yellowish buff; thighs brown. Iris light brown; upper mandible dusky, lower mandible, legs, and nails flesh-color. Length, about 140. Male, wing, 55; tail, 63; culmen from base, 15; bill from nostril, 9; tarsus, 24. Female, wing, 52; tail, 60; culmen from base, 14; bill from nostril, 8; tarsus, 23.
Although this species resembles H. minutus both in size and color, it might be placed in another genus. The tail is decidedly longer than the wing, the latter rounded and weak; the first primary is equal to two-thirds of second and one-half of third; the fifth and sixth are nearly equal and longest. The plumage is somewhat decomposed and is less compact than in H. minutus.
Genus PHYLLERGATES Sharpe, 1883.
In size and superficial appearance Phyllergates resembles Orthotomus, but the two genera are really very distinct. In Phyllergates the bill is much wider and more depressed at the base, and blunter at the tip; the rictal bristles are slightly longer; the wing is longer; the tarsus and feet are more slender; the rectrices are much wider, nearly uniform in length, except the short outermost pair, and but ten in number.
Species.
574. PHYLLERGATES PHILIPPINUS Hartert.
LUZON TAILOR WARBLER.
- Phyllergates cinereicollis (not of Sharpe) Grant, Ibis (1894), 510; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 221 (habits).
- Phyllergates philippinus Hartert, Novit. Zool. (1897), 4, 517; Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 237; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 91.