Lusciniola seebohmi Grant, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. (1895), 4, 40;
Ibis (1895), 443; Whitehead, Ibis (1899), 211 (habits).
Tribura seebohmi Sharpe, Hand-List (1903), 4, 191; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 88.
Luzon (Whitehead).
"Seebohm's grass warbler belongs to the section of the genus Lusciniola
in which the first primary is half or more than half the length of
the second, the sides of the head and ear-coverts brown, the throat
pure white and devoid of spots, and the tail considerably longer than
the wing.
"Clearly the nearest allies to this species are L. luteiventris and
L. mandellii. In these three species the wing-formula is as follows:
"L. luteiventris. Fourth quill slightly longer than, rarely subequal
to, the fifth; third intermediate between fifth and sixth.
"L. mandellii, L. seebohmi. Fifth somewhat longer than the fourth
and sixth, which are subequal, and distinctly longer than the third.
"The present species differs from both its allies in having the general
color of the upper parts browner, the white on the chin and throat
more extensive and shading into grayish on the sides of the neck;
while the sides and flanks are more grayish brown in tint and but
slightly washed with buff; the lower mandible appears to have been
yellowish white, as in L. luteiventris. Length, 147; wing, 51; tail,
63.5; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 19." (Grant.)
Genus ORTHOTOMUS Horsfield, 1821.
Bill long, depressed basally, compressed near the tip, with no notch
at tip of mandible; rictal bristles few and moderate in length;
no bristles on forehead; chin-feathers without lengthened shafts;
wing short, rounded, and curved to the body; first primary less than
one-half second, the latter considerably shorter than the fourth;
fifth, sixth, and seventh subequal and longest; secondaries but little
shorter than primaries; rectrices long, narrow, strongly graduated,
and their tips rounded; tarsus about equal to culmen from base;
outstretched feet usually reaching to, or beyond, the tip of tail;
colors largely green, chestnut, gray, and white; or green, black,
and gray or yellow.
Species.
a1. Top of head, or the forehead at least, chestnut.
b1. Chin, throat, and ear-coverts white, or gray streaked with white.
c1. Back bright olive-green.
d1. Chestnut of head confined to frontal and circumocular
regions, not extending to occiput.
e1. Chestnut of forehead sharply defined posteriorly; crown
gray. ... frontalis (p. 573)
e2. Chestnut of forehead not sharply defined, but merging
into dull olive-gray on crown ... mearnsi (p. 574)
d2. Chestnut of head covering the entire forehead, crown,
and occiput. ... chloronotus (p. 575)
c2. Back gray.
d1. Outer webs of rectrices green ... castaneiceps (p. 574)
d2. Outer webs of rectrices dull chestnut, gray basally.
e1. Wing-feathers edged with green; throat and breast white,
streaked with gray ... derbianus (p. 575)
e2. Wing-feathers edged with gray; throat and breast
white. ... ruficeps (p. 576)
b2. Chin and ear-coverts, as well as forehead and crown,
cinnamon-rufous. ... cineraceous (p. 576)
a2. Top of head smoky gray or black; throat black in the adult.
b1. Thighs green; middle of breast and of abdomen black or smoky
gray.
c1. Ear-coverts white forming a conspicuous patch; top of head
dark smoky gray cinereiceps (p. 577)
c2. Ear-coverts black; top of head black; eyebrow and eye-circle
white. ... nigriceps (p. 578)
b2. Thighs chestnut; entire breast and abdomen bright
yellow. ... samarensis (p. 578)