Letters, Announcements, ^c. 239 



webs, and with a large portion of their inner webs white, the 

 rest a darkish brown. Winglet and primary greater coverts 

 much the same colour. The greater coverts of the secondaries 

 were mostly pure white, those only near the primaries tinged at 

 the tips with rather pale bufFy-browu. 



I have thus transcribed verbatim from my notes (at the risk 

 of being insufferably tedious) the descriptions of these two birds, 

 recorded when they had just been killed, because Pelicans are 

 not easily sent by post for comparison ; and as Dr. Jerdon does 

 not include P. crispus in his ' Birds of India,' and Mr. Blyth 

 doubts its occurrence there, I think it very important that this 

 species, of which I have now three examples, should be identified 

 beyond all doubt. I myself believe it to be P. crispus ; but 

 the measurements and description above given will surely enable 

 those who have access to museums at home to determine this 

 point *. 



Myriads of the Bughaira-Lark {Melanocorypha torquatn) swarm 

 in every one of the few " bajera " {Peucillaria spicata) stubble- 

 fields that here and there diversify this almost waterless waste. 

 In the lower and central portions of the Duab of the Ganges 

 and Jumna this bird occurs, but only as a straggler, its little 

 relative the Short-toed Lark, Calandrella brachydactyla, being 

 there found in countless flocks. Here, on the other hand, the 

 Short-toed Lark has few representatives, while the Bughaira- 

 Larks are innumerable. These latter have a rather sweet note, not 

 unlike that of Galerita cristata ; they rise in rapid succession as 

 you walk through the tall stubble, but are not at all wild ; I 

 shot thirteen running in a small field. 



Of the European Courser, Cursorius gallicus, I found several 

 small parties between Ferozpoor and Sirsa. People assure.me 

 that they breed in this country and in this neighbourhood. If so, 

 it is rather singular ; for in this same district I procured speci- 

 mens of the Indian Courser, C. coromandelicus, a very nearly 

 allied bird, differing chiefly in its much more decided coloration, 

 which certainly does breed here. One scarcely expects to find 

 two such very closely allied forms living and breeding in the same 



• [Mr. Blyth, on reading the above remarks, is satisfied that Mr. Hume 

 is right. — En.] 



