38 Mr. H. E. Strickland's Notes on Mr. Blyth's 



the precise original habitats of many birds of this group which are 

 so commonly kept in cages. 



144. Spermestes nisoria ; the specific name of this species should 

 be punctulata (Lin.) ; it is not a Spermestes, that genus being de- 

 fined by Swainson with the " tail short, even." Col. Sykes makes 

 it the type of his genus Lonchura, which name being pre-occupied, 

 Mr. G. R. Gray has changed it to Oxycerca. But I can see no ge- 

 neric difference between it and Amadina, Sw., as typified by A. fas- 

 data (Gm.), and I therefore call the species Amadina punctulata 



(Lin.). 



145. Mr. Blyth gives no authority for his name Spermestes mela- 

 nocephala, but he probably refers to the Lonchura melanocephala of 

 M'Clelland. 



147. From Mr. Blyth's description in Journ. As. Soc. Beng. vol. xi. 

 p. 601, there seems no doubt that this is the Ember iza fucata. Pall. 

 \E. lesbia, Temm., but perhaps not of Gm.) 



148. This is not Erythrospiza rosea, but E. erythrina (Pall.), as 

 I have proved by comparing specimens of the latter from Siberia in 

 my own collection with Mr. Blyth's description in Journ. As. Soc. 

 Beng. vol. xi. p. 461. 



149. Boie's name Phyllornis is said to be prior to Chloropsis. 

 What are the anatomy, structure of tongue, food, and habits of this 

 genus ? Till this question is answered, it is impossible to say whether 

 those authors are most correct who class it among the short-legged 

 thrushes (Pycnonotincc), or those who refer it to the suctorial family 

 Meliphagida. 



152. Diceum erythronotum should be called D, cruentatum (Lin.). 



153. Diceum tickellice is perhaps the Certhia erythrorhynchus 

 (Lath.). What is the colour of the beak in D. tickellice ? 



154. Vinago militaris is probably intended for the species so named 

 in Gould's * Himalayan Birds,' which is I believe the true militaris 

 of Temminck, but which ought to be called phcenicoptera (Lath.). 

 The Vinago militaris of Mr. Jerdon is a very distinct and unnamed 

 species, smaller than the true m,ilitaris, the beak much weaker, the 

 lower belly bright yellow, and all the tail-feathers plain gray above. 

 I would call it Treron jerdoni, as a deserved compHment to Mr. Jer- 

 don' s labours. 



155. Vinago bicincta, Jerdon, I take to be the same as Treron 

 (^Vinago, Cux.) vernans (Lin.) (Columba purpurea, Gm.), in which 

 case its range would extend from India through Sumatra and Java 

 to the Philippine Islands. The Vinago unicolor of Jerdon is perhaps 

 the female, but we want more information respecting the changes of 

 plumage which the diflferent species of Treron undergo. Almost 

 every species presents individuals with a plain green plumage, devoid 

 of the purple or orange colours of the perfect bird. Are these adult 

 females, or young males } or are they in any instance distinct spe- 

 cies ? 



157. There is no doubt that the " Columba risoria" of Indian au- 

 thors is the true Turtur risorius (Lin.) (jT. erythrophrys, Sw.), ex- 

 tending thence through N. Africa to Senegal. The S. African T. 



