234 NOTES. 



must now wait for further particulars from Mr. Doig, who 

 promises shortly a paper on the nidification of this and some 

 other species. 



In the Ibis for 1871, at page 31, I noted a specimen of a 

 young bird which I had obtained in Kumaon, and which the 

 late Mr. Verreaux had pronounced to be the young of Rubecula 

 ahahige. 



Recently re-examining this specimen I find that the bird in 

 question is undoubtedly the young of Niltava sundara. Dr. 

 Jerdon, it will be remembered, at the time considered that this 

 was probably the young of some species of niltava, and I have 

 no doubt now that the bird is really the young of Niltava 

 sundara, as I have other similar specimens, the parentage of 

 which is undoubted. 



Whilst this number was passing through the Press, I 

 received from Captain Butler a female of Schcenicola platyura, 

 vide ante, p. 209, killed by him at Belgaum. 



This bird was breeding, and he found the nest, but unfor- 

 tunately it contained no eggs. The following are the particu- 

 lars recorded by him : — 



Length, 675 ; expanse, 8'25 ; wing, 2-62 ; tail, 262 ; bill 

 at front, 0'43 ; bill from gape, 0*69. Irides olive brown ; 

 legs and feet fleshy brown ; bill brown above, fleshy below. 



This bird corresponds precisely, structurally, with the 

 Travancore specimen, but being killed late in summer, its 

 colour is everywhere much paler. Above, it is a dull, pale, rather 

 light rufescent brown, almost as faded as a summer Eypolais 

 caligata; but the transverse barrings on the upper surface of 

 the tail come out stronger than in the earlier killed bird. 



The entire lower surface is white, everywhere, except on the 

 throat, tinged with fulvous fawn, a little darker, and with a 

 faint olive tinge on the flanks. 



We thus have this species now, recorded from Southern 

 Travancore by Mr. Bourdillon, in about 8° N. Lat., from the 

 Goodalore Ghat leading down from the Nilgiris to the 

 Wynaad in about ll ,o 30", and from Belgaum in about 60° 

 N. Lat. all along the west coast. 



The question now arises, can this be an African species ? 

 I have not the time or materials for working this out myself 

 thoroughly ; but the peculiar strong rictal bristles, the long 

 slender feet, and the strong barring on the tail ought to render 

 the comparison with African birds of the same type easy. 

 Provisionally I am disposed to suggest that our bird is con- 

 generic, if not identical, with Catriscus apicalis, Licht., in which 



