348 



lItJSCICAPID^< 



accounted for by age and not by season of the year. Unfortunately, 

 very few of the skins examined by me have the sex and date of cap- 

 ture attached, and so, even if my idea of the sequence is correct, I 

 am unable to form an estimate of the time it would take for a male 

 bird to acquire the adult white plumage. 



The nestling described above shows the first dress, which may be 

 described as dull chestnut with a whitish belly. 



The adult female is also described. 



The male at first resembles the old female, but has the glossy 

 crown and crest, as well as the throat, steel-green ; rest of under 

 surface white ; tail rufous, longer than in the old female. 



The next dress is like the foregoing, but with a long red tail, and 

 with the quills and primary-coverts edged with white, only the inner 

 secondaries being rufous like the back. From the perfect character 

 of this plumage, as well as from the number of specimens which 

 exhibit it, it would appear to be the full breeding-plumage of the 

 male at some period or other, probably in the second year. 



At the same time this and the preceding stage of plumage may 

 be of the same period in the bird's life, as there is one specimen be- 

 fore me now with the white centre tail-feathers full-grown, and a 

 few white feathers coming in the centre of the back, while the wings 

 are still rufous. 



In the red-tailed stage, when the long red centre tail-feathers are 

 worn along with the metallic head and throat, the specimens from 

 South-eastern India and Ceylon differ from those from Northern and 

 North-western India in having the chest and sides of the body grey 

 and not white. 



The change from the red to the full white plumage seems to be ac- 

 complished partly by a change of feather, and partly by a direct 

 moult. 



Hab. India and Ceylon. Breeds also in Turkestan. 



a. (S ad. ; b, § ad. sk. Cashmere. 



c, d. c? inim. sk. Cashmere. 



e. (S imm. sk. Cashmere, 8000 feet. 



/, ff. (J ad. sk. N.W. Himalayas. 



h-k. S imm. ; /. $ N.W. Himalayas, 

 ad. sk. 



m. S ad. sk. 

 w. 2 ad. sk. 



o. c? imm. sk. 



p. 2 ad. sk. 



q. c? imm. sk. 



r. S ad. sk. 



s-v. (J ad. .sk. 

 tc, c? imm. sk. 



Mui-ree, June 7, 1862. 

 Murree, June 22, 



1872. 

 Murree, May 15, 



1872. 

 Matheran, Bombay, 



Jan. 25, 1872. 

 Matheran, Jan. 29, 



1872. 

 Matheran, Jan. 21, 



1872. 

 Nepal. 

 Nepal. 



E.M. Langworthy, Esq. [P.]- 



E. M. Langworthy, Esc[.[P. J 



Pm'chased. 



Capt. Stackhouse Pinwill 



fp.]. 

 Capt. Stackhouse Pinwill 



fP.]. 

 Capt. C. H. T.Marshall [P.]. 

 Capt. O.H.T.MarshaU[P.]. 



Capt. C. H. T. Marshall [P.]. 



Major Hayes Lloyd [P.]. 



Major Hayes Lloyd [P.]. 



Major Hayes Lloyd [P.]. 



B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.]. 

 B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.]. 



