170 Viscount Waldeu on Dr. Stoliczka's 



QQ. Ibena puella (Lath.). 



Dr. Stoliczka is of opinion that the three forms of Irena which 

 I have lately discriminated (Ann. Nat. Hist. 4th Ser. vol. v. p. 

 417), "should only be considered as local races of one and the 

 same bird." A perusal of the grounds stated in support of this 

 opinion leads me to the belief that the learned Doctor was not 

 possessed of all the materials necessary to arrive at a sound con- 

 clusion. Thus the Javan /. turcosa is pronounced to be a local 

 race, although Dr. Stoliczka tells us that he has "not seen Java 

 specimens." Nor does our author in his history of /. puella 

 appear to be very well acquainted with all the facts. 



Dr. Stoliczka commences with this passage ; — " It was, I 

 think, Blyth who first pointed out, years ago, the constant smaller 

 size of the Malayan as compared with the Indian bird ; but, on 

 account of the identity in coloration, he considered the two 

 races as belonging to one and the same species, /. puella, 

 Latham. There are probably few ornithologists who, after 

 having seen large series of this species, would not follow Blyth 

 in his determination." I will now quote what Mr. Blyth 

 really did say ; — " hena, Horsfield. A curious distinction be- 

 tween the Indian and Malayan /. puella auctorum has been 

 pointed out by Lord Arthur Hay, to whom we are indebted for 

 the discrimination of numerous other closely allied forms. In 

 the Malayan bird, the under tail-coverts reach to quite the end of 

 the tail; while in /. indica, A. Hay, they are never less than an 

 inch and a quarter short of the tail-tip in the males, and generally 

 an inch and a half short in the females. I have verified this 

 observation upon so many examples from both regions, that 

 there can be no doubt of the fact." (J. A. S. B. xv. pp. 308, 309) . 

 It will be seen that not one word is said about coloration, or 

 about " the constant smaller size." Nor has the relative size of 

 the three species ever been alluded to by me, beyond my remark 

 in the Annals (/. c), that in all three species the length of the 

 wing is equal. So far as I have been able to observe, no 

 appreciable difference of general size exists. But the Malabar 

 bird has the tail a quarter of an inch longer than the Malayan and 

 Javan. And it is this greater length of the rectrices, combined 

 with the shorter coverts, that makes the discrepancy between 



