Notes and Gorrections. 235 



Carpodacus purpureus ; for it lias bred during two springs in 

 my own garden. The nest is always placed about eighteen 

 inches from the top of a spruce, and is much like that of the 

 Greenfinch ; the eggs are like those of Carpodacus eryfhrinus, 

 but a trifle smaller, of a pale blue, with small black spots. 

 I saw several pairs of this bird in which both male and female 

 were in the same brown plumage, and numerous fights there 

 were between the red and the brown males, on their first 

 arrival, for the possession of the females. At last the division 

 was arranged and the nests were built. The song of this 

 species is very pretty. 



Many authors describe the red plumage as the adult one, 

 and it is evidently the only adult one with which they are 

 acquainted. But it is really only the adolescent plumage, 

 and is put on after the young bird's first autumnal moult ; for 

 I saw a good many red Linota linaria in November and 

 December. This red plumage becomes brighter as the ex- 

 treme tips of the feathers wear away, and is at its reddest 

 in May and June. 



Speaking of Phylloscopus luguhris, ' Catalogue of Birds in 

 the British Museum,^ vol. v. page 48, Mr. Seebohm says, 

 " This species is very closely allied to the preceding, being 

 absolutely identical in colour and in its seasonal changes of 

 plumage, and would scarcely be entitled to specific rank 

 were it not that it appears to have a more eastern geogra- 

 phical range .^^ The preceding species referred to is P. mag- 

 nirostris ; but this bird is much larger, with a longer wing, 

 larger bill, and is not nearly so dusky about the head and 

 shoulders as P. lugubris. Then the two voices, i. e. call-notes 

 &c., with which I am well acquainted, are as distinct as " chalk 

 and cheese.''^ I know the song of P. magnirostris, which 

 breeds in the North-west Himalayan region ; the other bird 

 is not known to breed within Indian limits. There are 

 other species of Phylloscopus much more closely allied than 

 the above two, which Mr. Seebohm would apparently like 

 to unite. Blyth, however, rightly distinguished them. 

 P. lugubris is very common about Calcutta ; but I never got 

 one even at Dinapore, which is only about 400 miles north 



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