60 Mr. \V. E. Brooks— iJ//-. Oates's 



tone. This shows tliat^ where there is close affiuity, fresshly 

 moulted examples are valuable in determining a species. 

 H. caligata has notes, too, that I did not hear from H. rama. 

 The habits of the two species differ somewhat; for while 

 H. rama will mostly be found in the babool bushes or trees, 

 H. caligata prefers a cotton-field ; and in tlie cotton-fields I 

 procured most of my examples. 



Vol. T. p. 406. Phylloscopus neglectus and P. siadianus. — 

 P. neglectus can hardly be called a Phylloscopus at all ; in 

 structure of bill, notes, and habits it is more like Sylvia (a 

 Whitetliroat), while P. sindianus is a typical Phylloscopus in 

 every respect. The note is a true " tisyip/'' as Blyth terms 

 it, and in size and general appearance the only bird with 

 which it is likely to be confounded is P. tristis; but it wants the 

 green and the yellow of P. tristis. The call-notes are also quite 

 different — shrill, faint, and sibilant in P. tristis, and loud, 

 clear, and Willow-Wren-like in P. sindianus ; only the call 

 of the latter is very much louder than that of the English 

 Willow Wren, and no small bird can be heard a greater 

 distance than P. sindianvs. Its loud clear call is simply 

 astonishing. It being winter-time when I procured it, I never 

 heard its song. It and P. tristis were both quite common in 

 the tamarisk bushes near Sukur, and so was P. neglectus; so 

 that I had ample opportunities of comparing the three. 



Vol. I. p. 425. Cryptolopha xanthoschista. — I would 

 separate the North-west bird as C. albosuperciliaris , Blyth. 

 These two are of the same size, but the fine dark blue tone 

 of the Eastern bird forbids its identification with the North- 

 west pale ashy-brown bird. The two species are very 

 correctly shown in the plate (xx.) of ' Lahore to Yarkand.' 



Vol. II. p. 61. Pratincola maura. — I cannot believe that 

 the small P. indica, which breeds plentifully in the Hima- 

 layas, is identical with the much larger bird, more resembling 

 in coloration P. rubicola of Europe. 



In the North-west Himalayas, I met only with the small 

 species. I believe there are two species at least. As well 

 as I remember, the larger bird is more eastern. Placing 

 a typical t^pccimcn of the small species [P. indica) alongside 



