to ' The Birds of India: 129 



Southern India, Central India, the N.W. Provinces, and the 

 Punjab, to the exclusion of the last. Blanford, who obtained it 

 near Nagpore with the red well developed in November, doubts 

 if the male ever assumes the female plumage. 



324. Erythrosterna pusilla. 



The white on the throat of this bird is barely pure as I say in 

 my description ; and I have seen it with the pale tips to the wing- 

 coverts not apparent in spring. 



325. Erythrosterna acornaus. 



I have also seen this species in spring without any pale wing- 

 band as described, and with a tinge of rufous on the lores, eye- 

 brows, and throat. Dimensions of one killed on the Haji-pir 

 pass leading into Kashmir, in April, in the flesh were as follows: — 

 Length 4f inches, extent 7^, wing 2^, tail If, tars. \, foot |-. 



The legs were dingy red. In summer plumage the throat 

 and fore neck become pale rufous, as I have seen in one or two 

 instances, and as figured by Hodgson. The chief distinguishing 

 mark of this Flycatcher from E. pusilla is the ashy-grey tinge of 

 the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts. Blanford obtained 

 this species at Seoni in Central India; and it therefore probably 

 extends more or less, though sparingly, over peninsular India. 



This naturalist states that his specimen was identical with 

 Hodgson's type specimen but does not agree well with my 

 description. In his description the ashy colour of the upper tail- 

 coverts is said to spread more over the back than what I describe ; 

 but I fail to see any essential difference between my description and 

 a specimen now before me. Mr. Hume hazards a guess that this 

 may be the female of E. maculata ; but the female of that bird 

 is figured by Hodgson with the tail quite rufescent, much more 

 resembUng that of E. pusilla ; and both species have the throat 

 and upper breast more or less rufous in summer. 



326. Erythosterna maculata. 



The female is figured by Hodgson as dull slaty-brown above, 

 white beneath, the tail rufescent, without any trace of white. 



This species is stated to extend to Java, and even to Timor. 

 I found it very abundant in Assam. 



