458 LIEUT. -COL. H. H. GODWIN-AUSTEN ON [May 20, 



but without success ; one, which he brought safely down to Calcutta 

 and embarked on board ship, died from accidental exposure to sea- 

 water after leaving Colombo. The history of the first discovery of 

 this bird was given by Dr. Jerdon in the ' Proceedings of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal,' 1870, p. 59 ; and he then very appropriately 

 named it after one who had laboured so long and so ably at Indian 

 ornithology. 



Curious to say, the first bird ever obtained from the natives was 

 brought to England alive, together with the still very rare and then 

 new species, Lophophorus sclateri, and both were finally deposited 

 in the Society's Gardens, where they lived a short time. The only 

 other specimen I know of the latter bird was also obtained by 

 Capt. Brydon at Saddya, and is now in the Indian Museum, 

 Calcutta. 



A full account of both species, by Mr. P. L. Sclater, is to be found 

 in the P. Z. S. for 1870, p. 162, with figures drawn by Mr. Keule- 

 mans. 



In Elliot's 'Monograph of the Phasianidae,' a splendid drawing is 

 given of the male of C. blythii, unfortunately represented sitting 

 on a pine tree ; no pines, however, are to be found in that portion 

 of the Burrail range occupied by this bird, although Pinns lhasiana 

 comes in at a lower altitude in the more open country further east 

 and west. 



Ceriornis blythii J . (Plate XXXIX.) 



Ceriornis blythii, Jerdon, P. A. S. B. 1870, p. 60. 



$ (by dissection, Brydon). Head above black, with ear-coverts and 

 a broadish line down the side of the upper neck of the same colour ; 

 above the eyes a dark orange-red line commences, and extends back be- 

 yond the occiput. The back is uniformly and finely mottled with 

 umber-black and ochre, some of the feathers on the upper margin 

 having two small terminal chestnut spots, with a minute white central 

 and terminal ocellus between them. This spotting disappears towards 

 the upper tail-coverts, which are tipped with rusty brown. The tail is 

 irregularly barred with mottled ochre and black. Chin and throat 

 whitish, each feather narrowly margined black. The nape and upper 

 breast of a rich orange-chestnut colour, somewhat duller than in the 

 male, followed posteriorly by plumage of a pale umber ground, more 

 or less finely mottled with the umber- black, which increases on the 

 flanks, while some of the feathers have terminal ashy spots margined 

 black, and white-shafted. These feathers on the abdomen merge 

 into feathers dark-tipped as seen against the paler hue of that part. 

 The thighs are narrowly barred dull black and ochre, a few of the 

 thigh-coverts tipped dull white. The wing is more richly mottled 

 with ruddy ochre and black, the former colour merging into sienna- 

 brown on the indistinct barring of the primaries. No spurs. 



Dimensions: wing 9*75, tail 6*5, tarsus 3 - 5 inches; of a male in 

 my possession, which was the second specimen obtained, the wing 

 is 10 9 inches. 



In my 4th List of Birds from N.E. Frontier (J. A. S. B. 1871, 



