THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 241 



rufescent brown ; the entire under parts yellowish white ; the 

 base of the throat and the whole breast, sides and flanks with 

 large, conspicuous, blackish-brown, tear-like spots, very thickly 

 set about the breast ; a feeble line of such spots down each 

 side of the throat. Even in some birds killed in the Christmas 

 week, there are pinkish patches about the base of the throat 

 and breast; the wing lining and axillaries a silky greyish 

 white, tinged yellowish or creamy in some specimens. 



Even in the winter plumage this bird may be distinguished 

 from rosaceus by its somewhat smaller size, by its considerably 

 smaller bill, which in rosaceus measured at front from 0*48 to 

 0'59 ; its somewhat smaller wing, which in rosaceus varies 

 from 3*2 to 3 - 45 by the different proportion of the primaries, 

 the fifth primary in rosaceus being longer than in our present 

 bird, and being rarely more than 035 shorter than thelougestpri- 

 mary, by the absence of the pale primrose tinge to the axillaries 

 and edge of the wing from the carpal joint. 



In the summer plumage, the distinctions are much more con- 

 spicuous. In our present species, a broad streak over the eye from 

 the nostril, the cheeks, ear-coverts, chin, throat, and upper breast 

 are a, slightly rusty, vinaceous pink, quite spotless ; the rest of 

 the lower parts are pale buffy or rufescent white, with the same 

 spots on the sides and flanks as in the cold weather, and with 

 two or three of these on the lower breast; even the crown and 

 occiput have a faint rusty rufescent tinge, and the whole upper 

 surface is much browner than in winter plumage. In rosaceus 

 in summer plumage the whole upper parts are much greener. 

 A broad superciliary strike extends from the nostril to the nape 

 of a delicate pinky white ; the lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts 

 are much the same color as the crown, which is an olive green, 

 streaked with dark brown, without the faintest tinge of rufous, 

 and the chin, throat, and entire breast are a pale delicate pink, 

 widely different from the bright somewhat rusty vinaceous of 

 our present species, and the axillaries are primrose yellow, 

 while in our present bird they are the same color as in the cold 

 weather. 



Rosaceus seems to occur throughout the Himalayas, and 

 during the cold season may be met with in many parts of the 

 plains. I have killed it in Etawah, and I have it from various 

 localities in the Punjab and in Behar. Cervinus, on the other 

 hand, seems to me to be very rare in India; besides these 

 Andaman birds I have only one specimen, and that in full 

 breeding plumage procured in July high up in the valley of 

 the Sutlej beyond Chini. 



