MELOPHUS. 337 



" The/emale only differs in being generally somewhat smaller, in having 

 the white, grey, and black of ths head, neck,, throat and breast much duller 

 (and in many specimens overcast with, a sandy or pale rufous shade), the 

 various stripes being less well marked, and in having the dark spots and 

 streaks of the throat and: breast almost obsolete." 



Male. .Female. 



r A r i 



Length 575 to 5*97 5'5 to S'9 



Expanse 9'37 975 9' > 9*5 



Tail from vent 2-45 275 2*2 2-72 



Wing from carpal joint to tip* of longest 



primary 2-96 3-1 2'8; 2-96 



When closed' reaching, within i.'i to 1*3, 1*1 17 



of the end of tail. 



Foot r . IT i* i 1-17 



Width -63 & 72 -8 



Bill at front -36,, -39 -35 "38 



Legs and feet were in some pale- waxy yellow, in some dingy, income fleshy 

 yellow or yellowish fleshy. The feet, especially at the joints, more or less 

 tinged with brownish : the claws rather pale brown ; the bill had the upper 

 mandible brown, in some blackish brown ; the lower in some waxy, in some 

 fleshy, and' in some dingy yellow;- irides brown.- (Hume, Ibis,. 1869.) 



Hab Sind, Punjab, N'.-W. Provinces, and Beloochistan, affecting sandy 

 plains ; also R'ajputana,.Kutch and Guzerat. In Sind, chiefly the barren hills, 

 during winter. 



Gen. MelOphUS. Swains. 



Head' crested ; upper mandible ridged and slightly notched at tip. 



872. Melophus melanicterus (Gm.), Bp., Consp. \. p. 470; 



Jerd. t B. Ind. ii. p. 38'*; Hume, Nests and Eggs Ihd. B. p. 467-; id., Str. F. 

 1873, p* 47; Cock and Marsh., t. c. p. 357 ; Blyth and Wald., B. Br. Burm. 

 p. 95 ; Hume, Str. F. 1875, p. 254 ; Ward law -Ramsay, Ibis, 1877, p. 462 ; 

 Hume and Dav., Sir. F. 1878, p. 409 ; Murray, Str. F. 1878, vol. ii. p. 113; 

 Oates, B. Br. Burm. p. 357; Murray, Vert. Zool. Sind,y. 189; Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. Br. Mus. xii. p. 569.. Fringilla melanictera, Gm., Syst. Nat. i. p. 910. 

 Melophus erythropterus, Swains, Classif. B. ii. p. 29. Euspiza lathami, Blyth, 

 Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc., p. 129. The CRESTED BLACK BUNTING. 



Entire head, neck, back, scapulars, rump, upper tail coverts, chin, throat, 

 breast, and under surface, including the under tail coverts, glossy black, 

 unglossedon the latter; lesser wing coverts black ; median and greater series, 

 primaries, secondaries and tail dark cinnamon ; the primaries, secondaries and 

 tail feathers tipped dusky brown ; bill pale brown, darkish on the upper man- 

 dible ; legs reddish brown ; irides dark brown. 



