182 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on [Ibis, 



of different geographical areas, undue weight has sometimes 

 been attached to alleged points of variation which are purely 

 individual, and in some cases, perhaps, do not even exist. 

 As regards size, the following table gives the wing-measure- 

 ments of the Indian and Burmese birds examined : — 



N.W. India 155 to 165 mm. Average 158-8. 



Nepal 146 to 149 mm. „ 147-6 (3 birds only). 



Sikkim 1.30 to 149 mm. „ 142-0. 



Assam 136 to 148 mm. „ 1420. 



North Burma .... 144 to 151 mm. „ 148-5. 



Central Burma . . 143 to 157 mm. ,, 1502. 



South Burma 140 to 150 mm. „ 144-5. 



Judging from measurements, therefore, it would seem that 

 we have a large form from extreme north-western India, 

 a smaller form from north-eastern India, and a bird inter- 

 mediate in size from Nepal. From north and central Burma 

 we have another intermediate-sized form, whilst from south 

 Burma and northern peninsular Siam and Burma the form 

 is again somewhat smaller. 



In coloration there appear to be three quite distinct races 

 in the above areas, which agree well with the three main 

 divisions in size above referred to. 



The north-west Indian and Nepal birds are green above 

 with the rump tinged with yellow, sometimes fairly strongly 

 so, and this is most noticeable in the Nepal birds, although 

 these are so much smaller. The average wing-measurements 

 of 20 birds is 158 mm. 



Birds from Sikkim, Buxa Dooars, Assam, north and south 

 of the Brahmapootra river, as far east as Sadiya and as far 

 south as Tippera, are distinguished by being much suffused 

 with golden bronze on the upper parts, most conspicuously 

 so on the wing-coverts and inner secondaries ; the rump and 

 upper tail-coverts are much more yellow in some cases, being 

 practically wholly of this colour, and below also the plumage 

 is conspicuously tinged with bronze-yellow. 



The average wing-measurement of 46 males is 142 mm. 



The third geographical race, as shown by coloration, seems 

 to extend over the whole of Burma, Siam, and northern 



