74 The Marquis of Tweeddale on the 



to the common King-Crow of Southern India Mr. Sharpe 

 includes all the forms which inhabit Ceylon, India, Burma, 

 China, and Java. None of the races which by different 

 authors have been separated under distinctive titles are allowed 

 even to rank as subspecies *, This is an easy way of disposing 

 of one of the most difficult points which occur among the Di- 

 cruridse; but it by no means exhausts the question. 



Mr. Sharpe observes (p. 24G) that he " cannot understand 

 why Vieillot's title of macrocercus applies particularly to the 

 Javan bird."*^ It was founded on Le Drongolon of Le Vaillant 

 (Ois. d^Afr. 1. 174), who omitted to state the origin of his type. 

 The assumption that it came from Java merely rests on its 

 probability ; and so far Mr. Sharpe is entitled to his doubt. 

 But then, if the origin of the type cannot be established, why 

 does Mr. Sharpe adopt its title for his variety a, which in- 

 cludes all the British-Museum specimens of the Indian con- 

 tinental races, and for which Hermann^s title of atra is the 

 oldest and is strictly applicable ? 



The totally distinct African species, D. assimilis (Bechst.) 

 = D. musicus, Vieillot, is treated of as a subspecies of B. atra. 

 It is the predominant and most widely distributed Dicrurine 

 form in Africa, and varies according to locality almost as 

 much as B. atra does in Asia, several races having received 

 distinctive titles. 



Buchanga longicaudata. — A British-Museum example, 

 " pvirchased,^^ of this species is recorded with Ladakh for its 

 origin. A note of interrogation after the name of this ec- 

 centric habitat would not have been misplaced. In contra- 

 distinction to Mr. Hume, Mr. Sharpe readily admits, as had 

 already been admitted long ago by Jerdon and Blyth, the 

 absolute specific distinctness of this well-marked species. It 

 is the Dicrurus himalayaniis, Tytler (Himalayan race) , which 

 title is made a synonym of Buchanga atra in the Catalogue. 



Buchanga cineracea. — For the grey species of Buchanga 



* As Mr. Sharpe permits Dissvmuroides dicriirifunnis to stand as a 

 subspecies separate from D. andamanensis, and Buclianya insidaris as a sub- 

 species of B. ccerulescens, the principle on which, for instance, B. tmiior 

 is united with B. alhin'ctus, is not very apparent. 



