Review of Dr. Finsch's ' Die Papageien.' 293 



these words, " an der Malabarkiiste, bei Madras, im Decau, bei 

 zum 17°iiordlich, selten in den Neilgherries, bis auf H5hen von 

 5000'^' (^.c. p. 7G). The Himalayas are not included. But even 

 here, notwithstanding Mr. Hume magniloquently has said that 

 he has " not taken in hand to catalogue Dr. Finsch^s errors " 

 [t. c. p. 18), the little slip of the pen " bei Madras '' is not 

 overlooked. For, big as the beam is which intercepts the 

 reviewer's critical vision, he is here able to esj^y this small 

 mote in his brother naturalist^s eye, and it is seized upon with 

 all the charitable avidity compatible with " friendly relations." 

 " Finsch tells us that this species is found in Madras ; if he 

 means the town or district of Madras (Chingleput) then he is 

 certainly in error — if he means i\\e presidency of Madras, then 

 since the places he enumerates, the Malabar coast and the 

 Nilghiris are both in this Presidency, it is, to say the least, 

 surplusage, calculated to mislead;" and so on {t. c. p. 23) . To 

 an old Madrasee, one who has shot along with Jerdon many 

 a specimen "in the flesh," to say nothing of Snipe in the paddy- 

 fields of the Chingleput district, this phrase " district of Ma- 

 dras (Chingleput) " seems strange thunder. Madras was, and 

 I believe is, a district by itself, with an area of some 30 square 

 miles — bounded on the north by the Nellore district, to the 

 west by the Arcot districts, and on the south by the Chingle- 

 put district, from which it is separated by the Adyar river. 

 But this may be all changed, and the Madras and Chingleput 

 districts may have been amalgamated^. If so, this local and 

 parochial erudition in a high Bengal official is to be com- 

 mended ; but can it be reasonably expected from a European 

 naturalist ? 



Of this species it may be also asserted that at the time 

 Dr. Finsch wrote there was no published concurrent and 

 convincing evidence on the moot point, the coloui'ing of 

 the bills in the two sexes. In the absence of adequate con- 

 clusive proof. Dr. Finsch maintained (/. c.) , although with 

 perfect deference to Dr. Jerdon, that the bills in the two sexes 



* As a matter of fact I am informed in episf. by Sir Walter Elliot, the 

 well-known and eminent Indian naturalist, that " Madras is certainly not 

 included in Chingleput, but is a district by itself.'' 



