Review of Dr. Finsch's ' Die Papageien.' 279 



Hume^s arguments in support of this subdivision have there- 

 fore no bearing on Dr. Finsch beyond this, that our German 

 author followed both Blyth and Jerdon and nearly every other 

 Indian naturalist when keeping the species united, while Mr, 

 Hume differs from them. Captain Hutton last year, and also 

 for the first time (Str. Feath. i. pp. 335, 338), had already 

 subdivided one of Mr. Hume's three species into four distinct 

 species ; so that between these two Indian field naturalists the 

 species, P. eupatrins, which Jerdon and Blyth had considered 

 one and the same, is broken up into six species. " Dr. Finsch 

 did not discriminate these three species and perhaps may not 

 admit them now" {t. c. p. 11). Quite true. Unfortunately 

 Dr. Finsch had followed Jerdon and Blyth, and had not fore- 

 seen in 1868 what Mr. Hume's great superiority of perception 

 was going to discover in 1874. Mr. Hume then proceeds to 

 quote the greater part of the passage in which Dr. Finsch 

 states his reasons, in opposition to Jerdon and Blyth's recorded 

 opinions, though stated with complete courtesy, for not feel- 

 ing convinced that the sexes in P. eupatrius are distinguished 

 by sexual peculiarities of plumage (Papag. ii. p. 14) . After 

 which Mr. Hume exclaims, "Please note the modesty and 

 courtesy of this passage ! Dr. Jerdon and Blyth (who have ex- 

 amined the fresh birds) state so and so, but Dr. Finch thinks 

 it is very probable that it is quite the contrary. Like the 

 Psalmist of old, Dr. Finsch seems to have 'said in his heart that 

 all men are liars ' " (/. c). There is not a word of discourtesy 

 nor of dogmatism in the whole passage, though made to wear 

 a semblance of egotism by Mr. Hume omitting, I will not 

 say intentionally, to quote the concluding sentence. Here is 

 the omitted final sentence with which the passage, as tran- 

 scribed by Mr. Hume {t.c. p. 11), should be read. "Inas- 

 much as I must therefore in the meanwhile leave the question 

 undecided, I commend it to the attention of all ornithologists 

 (lege icli sie alien Ornithologen an's Herz)" (Papag. /. c). 



Jerdon and Blyth state that the large rose-ringed Parrakeets 

 of Ceylon, the Andamans, and of the continent belong to one 

 species. Mr. Hume states that they constitute three species. 

 Mr. Hume mav differ. Dr. Finsch mav not. We then are 



