Mr. R. B. Sharpe's Catalogue of xVccipitres. 95 



the wings are closed, the rufous tint is, in consequence, much 

 more permanent. Such a rufous-tinted specimen, ohtained 

 at Agra, is well described by Mr. Carleylle, as quoted at 

 p. 228 of Mr, Hume's ' Rough Notes / and a beautiful speci- 

 men in this phase of plumage was, subsequently to the pub- 

 lication of Mr. Sharpe's volume, presented to the British 

 Museum by Captain Pinwill, who procured it in Bengal. 

 This is the largest of the Bengal specimens noted in the fore- 

 going list, and it is also the most rufous example of this spe- 

 cies which has come under my notice. 



The white abdominal ocellations in S. undulatus are fre- 

 quently somewhat obscured by the partial overlapping of 

 the feathers ; and when the plumage is much worn, they are 

 rendered still less conspicuous by the fading of the dark 

 coloration of the surrounding portions of the feather. This 

 remark equally applies to the adult specimens of the smaller 

 race which Mr. Swinhoe obtained in Hainan, and to most 

 others of similar size which I have seen from Burmah and 

 Central India. 



Of all the specimens of the above races which have come 

 under my observation, that in which the ocellations are the 

 most conspicuous is a Formosan bird in the Norwich Museum^. 

 In another Formosan adult, and also in an adult male from 

 Amoy, which Mr. Swinhoe retained in his own collection, the 

 white spots are well marked, but not so remarkably as in the 

 Formosan specimen at Norwich. The latter, however, is almost 

 equalled in this respect by the example from Siam in the 

 Norwich Museum, and also by Lord Tweeddale's specimen 

 from Khalee Gungee, in Assam. The two other examples 

 from Assam, which I have examined, do not possess this 

 peculiarity ; neither have I seen any Indian specimens fully 

 equalling in this respect the three specially marked examples 

 above alluded to. The two most clearly spotted Indian spe- 



* This specimen is also remarkable for having the upper pale bar on 

 the tail more distinct, and the lower one nan-ower (being only one inch 

 in breadth) than is usual in Indian specimens of S. imdulatus. I re- 

 gret that I have preserved no notes as to the marldngs on the tail in other 

 Formosan examples. 



