MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 987 



the cheeks retaining the chrome colour; that by the middle of December 

 there was every indication that the plumage of the former winter would be 

 renewed. On the other hand, Captain Perreau tells us that the young male 

 (which was ultimately killed by the adult male) also changed colour in 

 December, and this 1 cannot confirm because I have made careful enquiries 

 and, as lately as the 31st March it's present owner has informed me that there 

 is no indication of any change." 



" 1 am hoping that this matter may still be cleared up beyond any possibility 

 of doubt, because Captain Perreau has just returned to India and will be able 

 to obtain a series of skins, and on the other hand, I hope to be able to keep an 

 eye on the biros which were bred in my aviaiy and record any change." 



I hope he has been more successful with his records than I with my skins. 

 As to my young bird, I find the following note about it's decease : — " Found 

 dead in a box, probably worried by old cock, no mistake as to which it is, 

 little yellow showing bib not quite developed, back and head less so." 



He also gives the size of the eggs as being 72 mm. by 53 mm., and mentions 

 the female " with her yellow cheeks and richly coloured and striated wings." 



Cinnamons do not visit us here even in winter, woi-se luck, we get F. 

 (lomesticus, var. ind. instead, and he seems to increase every year. I spent 

 two " ten-days" further up the hill this year. I got no skins. I plead laziness 

 with extenuating circumstances. At the first place they were rare and only met 

 witli when they were safe. There was no yellow on those I saw. In the 

 second place (^Kajiar) they were extremely common but — there was a " week" 

 oa. Afternoons and evenings were occupied and I rather begrudged giving up 

 even a part of my mornings to skinning. Also a gun attracts more attention 

 than a couple of " dropnets " and a small spring-net, I had not meant to do 

 any trapping at all, but was rather glad to find the mornings free and still 

 more glad that I had the above nets, not that they did much good for what 

 I specially desired, i.e., hlaik and yellow Grosbeaks and Cinnamons. I spent 

 three mornings at the latter in a place that had been used by transport mules 

 at the start of the " Camp," and which simply swarmed with these sparrows. 

 They were uncommonly cheeky and tame, but would have nothing to do with 

 my nets. I saw only two with yellow, old cocks, both had nests close with 

 young. They were practically in sight all the time ; the yellow was not over 

 bright and was confined to the cheeks or may be sides of the neck. I saw 

 hens (and cocks too for that matter), feeding young at a distance that any 

 yellow even of the palest ashy would have been easily discernible even without 

 glasses. 



I met with a few in Dalhousie on the way through, some with nests in the 

 houses I visited No yellow except on one cock, which was coloured like the 

 Kajiar yellow cocks. 



Gates describes the hen as having the whole lower plumage pale ashy 

 yellow. He describes the cock of P. ruUlans as only differing from that of 

 /'.Cfitnanwiueus in having "the cheeks and ear-coverts pure white and the 



