578 ON THE DICEUEID^ AJND THEIR AEEANGEMENT [1878. 



of as a subspecies of B. atra. It is the predominant and most widely distributed Dicrurine form 

 in Africa, and varies according to locality almost as much as B. atra does in Asia, several races 

 having received distinctive titles. 



Buclianga longicaudata. — A British-Museum example, "purchased," of this species is 

 recorded with Ladakh for its origin. A note of interrogation after the name of this eccentric 

 habitat would not have been misplaced. In contradistinction to Mr. Hume, Mr. Sharpe readily 

 admits, as had already been admitted long ago by Jerdon and Blyth, the absolute specific 

 distinctness of this well-marked species. It is the Bicrurus himalayanus, Tytler (Himalayan 

 race), which title is made a synonym of Buclianga atra in the Catalogue. 



Ibis, 1878, Buclianga cineracca. — For the grey species of Buclianga which inhabits Java Horsfield's 



P' title is adopted, and that of leucopliceus, Vieillot, is omitted, together with Le Vaillant's plate 



(Ois. d'Afr. 170) and description, on which Vieillot founded his title. While there may be 

 some grounds for doubting the precise origin of Le Drongolon, there can be no question about 

 Le Brongri. Le Vaillant could only have obtained his types from Java ; and even if he got them 

 from Burma, or from any other part of the area the species inhabits, the validity of the title 

 would not be affected. It is true that Le Vaillant states with much precision that his specimens 

 came from Ceylon ; but no such species inhabits that island. In his account of Le Brongri a 

 ventre Mane, 1. c. (=D. leucogaster, VieilL, a description, plate, and title nowhere alluded to by 

 Mr. Sharpe), Le Vaillant says that his type came from Batavia, and that its upper plumage is 

 exactly the same as that of Le Brongri. His description of the upper plumage of both species 

 is given in similar terms ; and their colouring, as shown by the plates (170, 171), is the same. 

 The type of Le Brongri is, I believe, no longer extant (indeed Le Vaillant described from 

 desiccated spe cimens) ; but that of Le Brongri a ventre hlanc was, when I \isited Leyden some 

 years ago, in perfect preservation. An examination of this type specimen, and a comparison of 

 it with an authentic Javan example of B. leucophceus, convinced me that the type was manu- 

 factured, and made up of a specimen of Le Brongri {B. leucophceus) with the white plumage of 

 some other bii-d affixed to the uuderparts, so as to replace the bluish-grey lower plumage of 

 B. leucoi)liceus. On expressing this conviction to Professor Schlegel, he most obligingly desired 

 his taxidermist to test the specimen. This having been done by means of applying heat, the 

 taxidermist was enabled to strip oif the whole of the white uuder-plumage from the chin to the 

 crissum in one piece. This, skin and all, appeared to have been taken from the under surface 

 of Coccystes jacohimis, and, after having been fitted, to have been glued on to the plucked chin, 

 throat, breast, and abdominal skin of B. leucojihceus. There can be no possible doubt therefore 

 that Vieillot's title of leucopliwus is applicable to the Javan bird, and that Horsfield's title of 



Ibis, 1878, cineraceus must be superseded — a conclusion which has been generally accepted for many 

 P' ■ years, but which is now, ex cathedra, upset in this Catalogue without any reason assigned. 



In the synonyms of the various species catalogued by Mr. Sharpe he omits altogether the 

 wholesome and useful practice adopted by most accurate authors of gi-^dng, either with or without 

 brackets, according to the generic title employed, the name of the original author of the species, 

 before that of the author using the title. The extreme inconvenience of this practice meets the 

 student on every page ; but it is very forcibly illustrated in the synonyms given of this species 

 and of B. leucogenys. In the first case, the title B. leuco])hceus is attributed to Gray {nee V. 



