980 MR. H. SEEBOHM ON HORORNIS FORTIPES, ETC. [DeC. 3, 



pastor, Strickland, are undoubtedly P. indica, Blyth. This species, 

 distinguished, amongst other characters, from P. rubicola (Linn.), by 

 its pure white unspotted rump, and its almost entirely black axil- 

 laries, was first discovered in Europe by Harvie-Brown and myself 

 in the valley of the Petchora ; Drs. Finsch and Brehm found it on 

 the Obb ; and I brought home several skins from the Yenesay. 

 Although Severtzoff records both species from Turkestan, there can 

 be scarcely any doubt that Pallas' s birds from the Irtish and the 

 Tobol belong to the eastern species, which must therefore stand as 

 Pratincola maura, Pall. (Reise Russ. Reichs, ii. p. 708). 



3. On the Identity of Horornis fortipes, Hodgs., Neornis 

 assimilis, Gray, Horeites robustipes, Swinhoe, Horeites 

 paflidus, Brooks, and Horeites brunnescens, Hume. By 

 Henry Seebohm, F.Z.S. 



[Eeceived November 7, 1878.] 



Cettia fortipes (Hodgson). 



Salicaria ?, Hodgson, icon. ined. nos. 900 & 923. 



Horornis fortipes, Hodgson, J. A. S. Beng. xiv. p. 584 (1845). 

 Dn/mo-ca brevicaudata, Blyth, J. A.S. Beng. xvi. p. 459 (1847). 

 Horornis assimilis, Gray, Cat. Mamm. &c. Nepal coll. Hodgson, 

 p. 30, no. 143 (1863, ex Hodgson). 



Horeites robustipes, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1866, p. 398. 

 Neornis assimilis, Gray, Hand-list of Birds, no. 3096 (1869). 

 Horeites pallidus, Brooks, J. A. S. Beng. xli. p. 78 (1872). 

 Horeites brunnescens, Hume, Ibis, 1872, p. 109. 



An examination of thirty-two skins of Horornis fortipes, Hodgson, 

 H. assimilis, Gray, Horeites robustipes, Swinhoe, and Horeites pal- 

 lidus, Brooks, leads me to the conclusion that they all belong to one 

 species. 



They agree in having the general colour of the upper parts russet 

 (not olive) brown, somewhat yellower on the rump. The wings are 

 brown, fringed externally with russet-brown, and margined inter- 

 nally with white. The tail is brown, fringed with russet-brown. An 

 indistinct eyebrow and the underparts are huffish white, shading 

 into ochraceous brown on the flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts. 

 Axillaries and under wing-coverts pale yellow. Young birds have 

 the underparts yellower. The bill is moderately stout, dark horn- 

 colour above, pale horn-colour below, but darker towards the tip. 

 Rictal bristles slender. The wing is very rounded, the first primary 

 rather more than half the length of the second, and the fifth, sixth, 

 and seventh are nearly equal and longest. The tail consists of ten 

 feathers only, and is rounded, its outside feathers being about 0"45 inch 

 shorter than the longest. The foot and tarsus are robust, pale brown 

 in colour ; and the latter is very indistinctly scutellated in front. The 

 length of wing varies in adults from 1'9 to 2-28, the tail being about 

 one-twentieth shorter. The culmen measures about 05. 



