90 Mr. E. Blyth's List of Birds obtained 



in proportion to the leaves ; 12. the colour of the plant is darker, 

 and when fresh of an olive-green ; 13. the growth is more tufted ; 

 14. the calyx, though absolutely less than in Jung, hicuspidata, L., 

 yet, relatively to the size of its own leaves and stems, is greater 

 and more elongated; 15. the calyx is narrower above; 16. the 

 capsule is far shorter in figure and quite characteristic; 17. the 

 gemm(£ are smooth, never angular, and situated on clusters of 

 leaves and not on a naked capitulus. It only remains to add, that 

 our plant differs from Jung, connivens, Dicks., by smaller size, 

 much minuter reticulation, by the leaves not being decurrent, by 

 its subpinnate habit, to say nothing of the less tumid and more 

 acuminated calyx. 



April 18, 1843. 



XII. — List of Birds obtained in the vicinity of Calcutta, from Sep- 

 tember 1841 to March 1843 inclusive. By Edward Blyth, 

 Curator to the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 



1 . Paleeornis Alexandrinus ; P. Nipalensis, Hodgson, ' As. Res.' xix. 

 177. A hill species, not usually met with in the low country, but 

 has occasionally been observed in the Calcutta Botanic Garden. 



2. P. torquatus. Very abundant, in flocks of from two or three to 

 twenty. T have seen a pair alight and walk about on the parapet of a 

 house. Flight rapid, and their screaming cry is frequently emitted 

 on the wing, announcing their approach. 



3. P. Bengalensis. This beautiful species is much less common 

 than the last, though still not rare. It is also less noisy, and I have 

 always observed it in small flocks. 



4. P. Pondicerianus. This fourth Bengalese species is almost ex- 

 clusively confined to the hills, but is brought in tolerable abundance 

 to the Calcutta shops. It has not been observed by Mr. Jerdon in 

 the peninsula of India, though named Pondicerianus ; but it is plen- 

 tiful on the opposite coast of the Bay of Bengal, and as I saw nume- 

 rous parrots of this genus flying across the bay, when making for 

 Madras, it might be inferred that the same species inhabit both 

 coasts ; though perhaps this may apply only to P. torquatus and P, 

 Bengalensis y which are frequent in the plain country*. 



* Tlie only additional species of this genus known to nic, except the Au- 

 stralian (so-called) P. Barrahandi, are, in India, P. schisticejjs, Hodgson, 

 ' As. lies.' xix. 178, peculiar to the Himalaya, and P. columhoides. Vigors, 

 on the Neilghiervies : the Malay countries produce P. Malaccensis ; and I 

 have just received a female specimen from the Mauritius, which is probably 

 referable to Ps. bitorquatus, Kuhl : P. xanthosoynus, Bechstein, said to in- 

 habit Ternate, rests on the authority of a description by Levaillant, who saw 

 a living specimen. The remaining described species in Mr. Vigors's Mono- 

 graph of this genus (Zool. Journ. ii. 49 et seq.) are merely nominal. Closely 

 allied to Palceomis is my genus Psittinus (Journ. As. Soc, Beng. xi. 789), 

 founded on the Psittacus Malaccensis, Latham, not of Gmclin, and appa- 

 rently comprising the remarkable Ps. selar'ms of Temminck. — E. B. 



