THE IBIS. 



NEW SERIES. 



No. VII. JULY 1866. 



XXI. — The Ornithology of India. — A Commentary on Dr. 

 Jerdon's ' Birds of India.' By Edward Blyth, late 

 Curator of the Museum of the Asiatic Society at Calcutta, 

 Hon. Mem. As. Soc. 



Upon looking over Dr. Jerdon's three volumes, with the view 

 to comment upon them, I was surprised at first to remark how 

 little seemed to be needed in the way of emendation, considering 

 the number of species and also the extent of territory comprised 

 within the geographic limits to which the author has restricted 

 himself; but on proceeding with my task, I was led from in- 

 quiry to inquiry, and from one result to another, in the investi- 

 gation of synonyms and examination of type specimens in 

 various collections, until this series of notes has gradually at- 

 tained a length far beyond what I had originally anticipated. 



In India I had the privilege of inspecting most of the proof- 

 sheets of the first volume, and any suggestions that I had at the 

 time to offer were of course at the author's service ; whilst various 

 identifications at which I arrived on my return to England in 

 March 1863 are inserted in the Appendix at the end of his third 

 volume. In 'The Ibis' for 1865 (p. 27 et seq.) I further en- 

 deavoured to elucidate the synonymy of various species, and it 

 is not probable that much now remains to be accomplished in 

 that particular department, additional to what I have now to 

 bring to notice ; but it is likely that a few more species will have 



N.S. VOL. II. Q 



