THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OF BENGAL. 285 



there is a brighter and- more distinct white band inside the 

 black than in pratincola ; moreover the upper surface of the 

 shaft of the first primary in pratincola is almost white, while 

 in the adults of orientalis it is either pale brown, or very 

 decidedly brownish white. 



Dr. Jerdon remarks of the present species that it "is found- 

 throughout India in suitable places." My experience does not 

 corroborate this view of the distribution of this species. 

 I have never heard of this species occurring in Sindh, the 

 Punjab, Rajpootana, or the Central Provinces, and it is of 

 extreme rarity, as far as my experience goes, both in Oudh 

 and the North-West Provinces ; almost the only place in 

 which I have known it to occur, within these latter pro- 

 vinces has been along the Ganges from Futtehgurh downwards, 

 and there only in small numbers and at comparatively rare 

 intervals. 



The following are the dimensions of insular specimens of 

 this species recorded in the flesh : — 



Length, 8-82 to 9-5; expanse, 21"5 to 21-75; wing, 7'12 

 to 7'5 ; tail, from vent, 3'4 to 3'75; central tail feathers 

 about one inch shorter; tarsus, 1"2 to 13; bill, from gape, 

 about 1-0 ; at front, about 0*5 to nearly 0-6. 



The legs and feet are brownish; the bill black ; the gape in 

 the adult vermilion, brightest in the male, paler and duller in 

 the female ; the irides umber brown. 



In the adults the forehead, top, and back of the head are 

 a moderately dark hair brown, a patch immediately in front of 

 the eyes occupying nearly the whole of the lores, black ; the 

 entire chin and throat pale rufous fawn, palest on the chin. 

 A broad black line runs down from the centre of the lower 

 margin of the eye, across the cheeks and round the base of the 

 throat ; inside this is a somewhat narrower, pure, white line, 

 which may be traced beyond the origin of the black line, quite 

 to the gape, above which aud under the black loral patch it 

 commences ; the ear-coverts and sides of the neck outside the 

 black line, the whole breast, and the back of the neck a rather 

 pale rufescent brown, or brownish rufescent. The entire man- 

 tle, including scapulars, tertials, lesser aud median, and secon- 

 dary greater coverts, a dull greenish brown, varying in iutensity 

 in different specimens ; primaries and their greater coverts, 

 secondaries aud wiuglet dark hair brown, with, in old adults, 

 a blue gloss; in younger birds this gloss, especially on the 

 secondaries, is rather greenish than blue. Some of the secon- 

 daries just edged albescent at the tips; the rump colored like 



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