Calcutta, with Notes by H. E. Strickland. 115 



No. 130 a, b. The genus Budytes was strange!}' omitted in my 

 catalogue, though two species are common : B. citreola, which is less 

 abundant, and of which 1 have one example with a jett}'-black back, 

 and B. lieema, Sykes, which is extremely common, and appi'oximates 

 the B. neglecta, Gould. The sexes of this bird appear to assemble in 

 separate flocks ; at least I have two or three times vainly sought to 

 pick out a female from among a flock of males, and I think that I 

 have also observed a flock of females only. The note of this bird is 

 much weaker and less articulate than that of B.flava of Britain. The 

 young males assume j'ellow under-parts in February and March, and 

 a dull leaden-blue cap and nape, having a strongly defined whitish 

 superciHum ; in old males the under-parts are much brighter yellow, 

 and the head and nape are fine dark ashy-gray, with no trace of su- 

 percilium, the throat continuing white at all ages, spreading laterally 

 to contrast with the dark ear-coverts. A black cap I have never 

 seen, though Mr. Jerdon includes B. melanocephala among the spe- 

 cies of Southern India, and doubts its distinctness from B. beema, 

 which he identifies with B. neglecta. See also IMr. Drummond's re- 

 marks on the species of the Ionian Islands, vol. xii. p. 416 ante. Spe- 

 cimens with the superciHum slightly developed, or with only a trace 

 of it, are also here common *. 



Of Anthi I have an extensive series of Indian species, but have ob- 

 tained no additional ones in this vicinity. 



No. 134. This lark I heard singing delightfully, soaring over the 

 dry rice-stubble along the banks of the river during a late excursion ; 

 its song and mode of delivery closely resembling that of the British 

 skylark. No. 135 appears to be identical with A. gulgula, apud 

 Jerdon, and I have not obtained a second examj^le of it in this part. 

 I have also a very extensive series of Indian larks and Mirafrce to 

 describe, as soon as I can get leisure to do so. 



No. 139 is also Alauda gingica of Latham, after Sonnerat. 



No. 141. I observed a large flock of this species during my late 

 excursion, feeding upon the seeds of the reeds, &c. which choke up 

 the moat surrounding the old fort at Budge Budge, a most capital 

 locale for the researches of the ornithologist. 



No. 142. I have now obtained wild specimens oi Euplectes striatus, 

 which I had previously procured only in the bird-shops f. 



No. 145. Spermestes malacca, auct. 



No. 149. For a monographic notice of the species of Phyllornis, 



* The species of Budi/fcs are as yet by no means salisfactorily made out. 

 It appears clear however that the gray -headed species of India and Malasia 

 (Molacilla bistrigata, Raffles) is the same with the cinereocapilla of South- 

 ern Europe. The young of this in Europe has a yellow superciliary streak, 

 and I have a similar specimen from India. It appears from Mr. Blyth's 

 account that the Indian bird witli a white superciHum {B. heema, Sykes) is 

 also the young of the bistrigata ; and if this be certainly the case, the true 

 B.flava of North Europe {B. neglecta, Gould) must be distinct, as the gray- 

 headed birds without a white superciHum are never found in the North of 

 Europe.— H. E. S. 



t E. striatus, Blyth, seems to be the E.flaviceps, Swainson, ' Animals in 

 Menageries,' p. 310.— H. E. S. 



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