DIE PAPAGE1EN. 23 



" Blyth is uncertain, and .says of the black -billed birds, ' female 

 or young-/ " but had he asked Mr. Blyth, he would I think have 

 found that that gentleman never doubted that the adult females 

 had black bills — all he did doubt was, whether or no, the young- 

 males had the same at any stage. 



Finsch tells us that this species is found in Madras ; if he 

 means the town or district of Madras (Chingleput) then he is 

 certainly in error — if he means the presidency of Madras, then 

 since the places he enumerates, the Malabar Coast and the Nil- 

 g-hiris are both in this Presidency, it is, to say the least, surplu- 

 sage, calculated to mislead, as no one reading- that the bird oc- 

 curs on the Malabar Coast in Madras, and on the Nilghiris, 

 would conceive that Madras here signified the Presidency, and 

 not the town or district. 



As usual, Dr. Finsch laments our ignorance in regard to all 

 these species. It is really a pity that he will not be content 

 to speak for himself. That he has still somewhat to learn is 

 patent in every page, but the Indian ornithologists whose dis- 

 tinct statements he so unceremonious^ ignores, puts aside, or 

 directly contradicts, unfortunately for his reputation, are not 

 quite so much " in tiefes Dunkel" as himself. 



My (15), longicaudatus does not occur within our limits, so 

 far as I yet know, and I have never examined a fresh bird. 



Turning to erythrogenys, (No. 13), of Dr. Finsch, I do not pre- 

 tend to find any fault with him for uniting the two species 

 which respectively inhabit the Nicobars, and the Andamans, and 

 Cocos under this one name. Till we recently worked out in 

 good earnest the avifauna of these groups, no one certainly 

 knew, though Lord Walden, I gather, suspected that the birds 

 were distinct, and it may be as well to enter somewhat into de- 

 tails, in regard to this matter. 



We brought home 114 carefully sexed specimens of the red- 

 cheeked paroquet, from all parts of the Andaman and Nicobar 

 Groups, from Preparis on the North to the great Nicobar on the 

 South, and we find that the birds from the two groups differ 

 persistently in both sexes, both in size and plumage. 



To illustrate properly the difference in size, I must give the 

 measurements of the wings of a large series of both males and 

 females, in fact of every entirely full plumaged, perfect winged 

 adult now before me. 



Paleoenis Erythrogenys. Males. — Kondul, 7 - 62 ; 7'5. Te- 

 ressa, 7-45; 7-5; 7-65; 7'65. Car Nicobar, 7*6 ; 73. Mont- 

 schall, 7-4. Triukut, 7'5j 7*45 ; 7'4; 7'4; 7'5 ; 7-5. Pilu Milu, 

 7-5; 7-5. Camorta, 7'7; 7'4; 7"4; 7"5; 7'4; 7'6; 7"5; 7'4j 7"5. 



Paleoenis Erythrogenys. Females. — Car Nicobar, 73 ; 7*35 ; 



