presented by Mr. Hodgson to the British Museum. 323 



in the ' Zoology of South Africa ;' a species also generally distributed 

 over the country. 



P. 133. Hiaticula subrufina. This I take to be H. Leschenaultii 

 (Lesson), and Charadrius cirripedesmos , Wagler, apud Sundevall. — 

 Ardea nobilis, nobis. Is not this A. goliath, Ruppell ? 



P. 134. Herodias orientalis, Gray, is an old specimen of H. gar- 

 zetta, having dropped its crest. I have seen many like the figure in 

 Hardwicke's ' Illustrations,' both crested and uncrested. — H. modesta 

 I consider to be H. alba (Linn.). There are three species of purely 

 white Egrets exceedingly common throughout India in suitable loca- 

 lities ; and the two larger of these have the bill black during and 

 towards the breeding season, yellow at other times. These are H. 

 alba and H. intermedia. The seasonal changes of these birds I shall 

 elsewhere explain in detail. Mr. Gould has lately figured two Au- 

 stralian Egrets, which would not appear to differ in any respect from 

 H. alba and H. garzetta, represented from dry skins. 



P. 136. Argala immigratoria, Hodgson, refers to Leptoptilus java- 

 nicus, vel Ciconia nudifrons, M'Clelland, and C. calva, Jerdon : C. nu- 

 difrons, Jerdon, appears to me to refer to the young of L. argala, v. 

 A. migratoria, Hodgson. 



P. 137. The common Curlew {Numenius arquata) varies in size to 

 a very extraordinary degree, and so does the Limosa cegocephala ; but 

 I have satisfied myself that the large, small, and intermediate are all 

 of one species, respectively. Mr. Gould has lately figured a new 

 Godwit, as he thinks, from Australia ; but it appears to me to be no 

 other than the L. cegocephala. 



P. 143. The Indian Porphyrio is P. poliocephalus, Lath., distinct 

 from P. smaragdinus, Temm., v. indicus, Horsfield, of Malacca and 

 Java. 



P. 144. Anser rubrirostris ? Is not this A. cinereus, the common 

 Gray-lag Goose, now rare in England, but extremely common in 

 India ? It is not well known to the generality of British ornitho- 

 logists. 



P. 149. Carbo albiventer, Tickell, refers to the young of Graculus 

 carbo ; Phalacrocorax leucotis, Bly th, to a much smaller species, which 

 I have been considering as the C. graculus, apud Temminck. Gr. 

 carbo (verus) is common in various parts of India ; but 1 have only 

 obtained Gr. pygmceus in Lower Bengal. 



The foregoing is a hastily written commentary on Mr. Gray's 

 * Catalogue,' which embodies the results of my study of the species 

 enumerated, so far as relates to their nomenclature and synonymy. 

 I think that it would have been much better if the very numerous 

 synonyms previously unpublished had been suppressed ; but as the 

 evil appears together with its antidote, there seems no necessity for 

 encumbering future catalogues or descriptions with this host of super- 

 fluous names, that could have been meant only as provisional appel- 

 lations. Mr. Hodgson's merits, as the accumulator of such stores, 

 contributing so largely to diffuse an acquaintance with Himalayan 

 mammalia and birds, can never fail of being fully and deservedly 

 appreciated. 



Calcutta, April 14, 1847. 



23* 



