222 Journal of the F.M.S. Miiseiins. [Vol. X, 



The specimens constitute a new record for Java. I 

 Jiave no hesitation in including them in Chihia for there 

 seems to me no reason why those birds which have been 

 placed in Dicniropsis should be excluded from the earlier 

 genus : all link up too closely to be separated. Sharpe long 

 ago expressed the same opinion with regard to the genus 

 of these birds (P.Z.S. 1879, p. 247). 



Since Mr. Stuart Baker published the results of his 

 studv of continental material of the species Chihia 

 hoitenlotta (Nov. Zool. XXVI, 1919, p. 44), I have been 

 able to examine, side by side with the specimens in the 

 F.M.S. Museums, the collection of these birds belonging 

 to the Indian Museum. 



On the whole this material confirms Baker's 

 conclusions (except that being smaller the series shows a 

 smaller range in dimensions and presents one or two 

 anomalies'), viz., that in the North of India from the 

 Northwest to the Eastern Himalayas and Assam — and 

 perhaps North Burnia and the Shan States the birds are, 

 on the whole, larger ; whereas in Bombay, Central India, 

 Bengal, South Burma and Siam to Cochin-China and Annam 

 they average not so large. 



But investigation of material should go hand in hand 

 with investigation of literature and Baker has omitted a 

 study of the latter. It is certainly a less interesting pursuit. 



It is open to anyone to select a type locality for a form 

 which has been described without one and often, of course, 

 it is largely a matter of chance whether the choice made 

 is anywhere near correct : but the selection should at least 

 have the appearance of probability. As the type locality 

 for a bird known to Brisson and Lumeus Sikkim seems so 

 improbable .that the fixation may be tlisregarded. 



But in this case there is another reason for rejecting 

 it. As a type-locality the region including Sikkim io 

 preoccupied. Baker considers birds from Nepal, Sikkim 

 and Bhutan to be alike and the Nepal bird has bc'n described 

 by Gould as Edolius chrishna (P.Z.S. 1836, p. 5) and by 

 Hodgson as Edolius casia (Indian Review, 1, 1836-7, p. 

 324). Until the longer-winged, longer-billed northern birds 

 are separated into races by some reviser the name they must 

 all beai* is Chihia hottrntoita chrishna (Gould) . 



Other places which are perhai)s debarred from selection 

 as tyi>e localities of the original form are Borabhum and 

 Dholbhum, Chota Nagpur, (Criniger splendens llckell, 

 Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal II, 1833", p. 574) ; and Bengal 

 (Calcutta), the locality given by Latham for his Crishna 

 Crow (Gen. Hist. Birds, III. 1822, j). 51, pi. XI) which is 

 the same as Edolius harhatus Grav (Zool. Misc., 1831, 

 p . 34). 



* Specimen from Upper Burma, wing 166, bill from nostril 2B ; 

 from Loisampa, Shan States, wing 180, bill from nostril, 26 (if is 

 possible that more material may show these lo be tbe Chinese 

 form) : from South of Irawadi, wing 179, bill 29 mm, 



