332 NOTES. 



Writing to me recently Mr. J. H. Gurney says : — " There are 

 certainly two spotted eagles of different species which have 

 hitherto been confounded under the name of Ncevia, both being 

 European. 



The large bird (which Brooks is quite right in saying is the 

 Ncevia of Brisson) is, I think, identical with the Indian A. vittata 

 of Hodgson. 



The smaller bird is excessively close to, and possibly identical 

 with; the Indian A. liastata" 



Referring to my remarks (Stray Feathers, 1873, p. 197, ei 

 seq.) as to difficulty of making more than one species out of our 

 Indian white-throats, Mr. Brooks remarks as follows : — 



" I have been shooting white-throats here the last two days, 

 and I find the Dinapore bird accords perfectly with the true 

 C. garrula, and I agree with you that a line separating this bird 

 from (J. affinis cannot be drawn. Size is no criterion, for I 

 have an English bird as large nearly as the largest affinis I have, 

 and larger than most of my N. W. specimens. The only difference 

 to be observed is the superior amount of white on the tail of the 

 generality of N. W. birds. But some have a large amount of 

 white in the outer tail feathers and a spot of white on the penul- 

 timate one, while others have no white on the penultimate 

 feathers. 



" Others again have any amount of grey patches on the white, 

 and hardly any two have their tails alike. As the range of 

 size between the smallest C. garrula I got here, and the largest 

 C. affinis I got in the N. W. is less, decidedly, than between 

 different specimens of Phylloscopus tristis obtained in the 

 same place, I have no hesitation in concluding that C. affinis, 

 Blyth, is a spurious species, and properly only a local or occa- 

 sional variety. 



u Jerdon's type of C. affinis in the Indian museum, or the types 

 which he sent to Blyth, and from which the latter described this 

 species, I have carefully examined, and in length of wing, tail, 

 and tarsus they accorded perfectly with my N. W. examples. 

 Your six-inch birds must have been abnormal monsters, 

 but note that the wing you give is only 2 '75, or equal to that 

 of a good-sized English bird. Fide Macgillivray's dimensions. 

 So also Jerdon's total length of six inches is supported by a wing 

 of only 2f. I fancy the neck of the six-inch bird must have 

 been dislocated or its tail may have come loose." 



