150 Mr. J. H. Gurney^s Notes on 



that the British Museum possesses an example from Nepal, 

 and the Norwich Museum one from Madras ; the late 

 Mr. Jerdon, referring to this species under the title of 

 E. vespertinus, speaks of having found it on the Nilglriris, in 

 the Carnatic, in Central India, along the Himalayan range, 

 and at Darjeeling. He adds that "it is not very unfrcquent 

 in Lower Bengal and in the neighbourhood of Calcutta during 

 the rainy season only " "^. 



But one specimen of E. amurensis has been recorded from 

 Ceylon — an immature bird, obtained at Trincomalie in the 

 month of December f. 



The winter migration of E. amurensis to South Africa is 

 very curious and interesting. The Norwich Museum pos- 

 sesses a specimen obtained by Sir John Kirk on the river 

 Zambesi J ; and there can be little doubt that this is the species 

 which he met with on the Shire, apparently on its return 

 northward journey, in February and March, and recorded, 

 under the name of E. vespertinus , in 'The Ibis ^ for 18G4, 

 p. 316. Mr. Ay res speaks of meeting with numbers of these 

 birds about Maritzburg, in Natal, during the " summer 

 months " of the southern hemisphere, which of course corre- 

 spond to the northern winter §. He has also obtained this 

 species in Transvaal in December and January || ; and Mr. 

 Layard has recorded a specimen obtained further inland in 

 the Matabili country ^. This, however, is not the most 

 westeily extent of its migration, as Mr. Andersson obtained 

 certainly one, and probably three examples, in Damara 

 Land*"^; he also procured one as far south as the Knysna, 

 which, with one of his Damara specimens, is preserved in the 

 Norwich Museum. 



I have had the opportunity of examining several specimens, 

 in different stages, of both species of Erytliropus ; and, judging 



* ' Birds of India,' vol. i. p. 41. 

 t Legge's ' Birds of Ceylon,' p. 120. 



X The ticket attached to this specimen is not vei-y legiUe ; but the 

 date noted upon it appears to be " 1st February." 



§ Ibis, 18G8, p. 41. || Ibid. 1873, p. 280, and 1877, p. 341. 



U Ibid. 1871, p. 237. ** ' Birds of Damara Land,' p. 17. 



