342 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 



Indo-Malayan provinces ; for in Southern India and Ceylon C. 

 macrurus is replaced by C. nigripennis. 



112. Caprimulgus asiaticus. 



Noticed by Mr. Swinhoe at sea not far from Aden ! (Ibis, 

 1864, p. 414. Qusere, C. mahrattensis?). Of C europceus Mr. 

 Gould writes — " I believe it frequents the whole of Africa, and 

 ranges as far east as Afghanistan" (Birds of Great Britain, 

 pt. iii.). 



114. Caprimulgus monticolus. 



I observed (and shot) this species in Upper Martaban, flying 

 in company with the grand Lyncornis cerviniceps, the latter 

 being by far the more abundant. On their first appearance 

 towards evening, those superb birds would seek their food high 

 in the air, descending gradually within gunshot, and finally 

 sweeping about close to the ground. This habit I noticed for 

 many successive evenings. A wounded bird would set up its 

 aigrettes in fine style*. 



Respecting the use of the pectinated claw of these and certain 

 other birds, I agree with Dr. Jerdon that both the hypotheses to 

 which he refers (vol. i. p. 192) are alike untenable, — but not so 

 the opinion that it is employed to detach beetle-claws, and the 

 like, from the gape. 



115. Harpactes fasciatus; Gould, B. As. pt. vi. pi. 



116. Harpactes hodgsoni ; Gould, B. As. pt. xvii. pi. 



In the first edition of his monograph of Trogonidce, Mr. Gould 

 separated the Red-headed Trogon of the Indo-Chinese province 

 (as also of Sumatra) from that of the South Eastern Himalaya, 

 distinguishing the former as H. erythrocephalus. In the 

 ' Birds of Asia ' he still regards them as distinct : — " The H. 

 hodgsoni" he remarks, " difiers from H. erythrocephalus in being 

 considerably larger in all its proportions, particularly in the size 

 and length of the tail, while at the same time it possesses a 

 smaller and more compressed bill. The colours also, in all 



* Mr. Goiild (Handb. B. Austral, i. p. 95) refers to the species of 

 i?/nconws as if inhabiting- only "the Indian islands." L. cerviniceps is, 

 I believe, peculiar to the Indo-Chinese countries ; and L, tcmmincki is 

 common in the Malayan peninsula. 



