Mr. A. Hume on Indian Ornitholugy. 27 



Asia, and Africa. Blyth indicates it in his Catalogue of the 

 Calcutta Museum, page 75. I received it many years ago from 

 India, and always considered it identical with the European 

 species.''^ With reference to the above, it is necessary to point 

 out that the specimens noted in Blyth's Catalogue were obtained 

 from England, and that neither Mr. Blyth, Dr. Jerdon, nor, so 

 far as I know, any other of our Indian ornithologists were aware 

 of its occurrence in India. 



323. Erythrosterna leucura. 



I sent a male and female of the bird usually referred to this 

 species, which occurs throughout Upper and Central India. 

 Having compared them with European specimens which I pos- 

 sess, and also with Gould's and Breeds figures, I concluded that 

 they were the true E. parva, while I considered the eastern race 

 which I have received from Tipperah, and which appeared to 

 me to present certain slight differences, to be the £. leucura of 

 Gmelin, Latham, and Blyth. M. Verreaux, however, says in re- 

 gard to the male, " After all the comparisons that I have made, 

 I cannot make your bird out to be anything else than E. leucura ; 

 I may note that exactly similar specimens have been received 

 from Siberia.'' 



In regard to the female, he says, " I think your bird is a 

 female oiE.parva, with European specimens of which it precisely 

 agrees." He adds, " M. Gerbe considers this to be the female 

 of the foregoing, in which case it would be E. leucura." 



It appears to me somewhat doubtful whether E. leucura is 

 really distinct from E. parva. Most certainly, the distinctions 

 pointed out by Mr. Blyth do not hold good wdth regard to many 

 of our Upper-Indian specimens ; and it will be observed that an 

 experienced ornithologist like M. Verreaux felt disposed to refer 

 the male to one species and the female to the other. 



483 bis. Pratincola rubicola. 



I have long suspected that we have in India two distinct races 

 of Stonechat, the larger absolutely identical with the Euro- 

 pean, the smaller doubtfully separable as P. indica. This 

 seems to me to explain much of the discussion that has taken 

 place as to whether our Indian bird is or is not distinct from the 



