ON TWO SPECIES OF BATRACHOSTOMUS. 351 



4£ inches; its outermost feather 2£ inches less, penultimate 

 1 inch less, and ante-penultimate but £ inch less. The uniform 

 rufous-brown of the throat and breast, crossed by the 

 white torque, and bordered below by another, well distin- 

 guishes this species from B. javanensis ; and the bright white 

 spot on the wings (corresponding but not similar to those of 

 the large B. auritus) distinguish it as readily from B. affinis. 

 It remains to ascertain whether either B. moniliger, B. affinis 

 or B. auritus, presents the state of plumage corresponding to 

 that named Podargus cornutus by M. Temminck, who consi- 

 ders this to be identical with B. javanensis, while Mr. Gray 

 regards them as separate species. The dark young specimen 

 of presumed B. affinis from Darjeeling would seem to indicate 

 from its considerable resemblance to cornutus, that it would 

 afterwards have assumed that dress, in which case it would 

 seem to follow that the two are different phases of the same 

 bird irrespective of age, and perhaps sex. B. moniliger in- 

 habits Ceylon, where Mr. Layard is informed that it is not 

 uncommon at a particular altitude in the Kandyan country ; 

 and it is most probably the Coorg species seen by Mr. Jerdon, 

 as noticed in XIV, 209." 



Now our adult castaneus is nearly everywhere a bright ches- 

 nut bay, the white spots of the nuchal collar, and of the breast 

 and abdominal bands are bordered, with black below, and not 

 above. The wing-coverts are entirely spotless, and all the median 

 scapulars, that is to say, neither the shortest nor the longest, 

 have more or less of one or both of the webs for the terminal 

 half of the feathers pure white bordered externally with black. 

 To which we may add that the wing varies from 5*2 to 5"5, 

 against 4'75 in moniliger. 



To resume the following is Blyth's description of the other 

 species : — 



(J. A. S., XVI., p. 1180). " Batrachostomus affinis, Nobis, 

 N. S. Very similar to B. javensis, in the plumage figured by 

 Dr. Horsfield, and which is considered to be the young dress 

 of Podargus auritus, Tem,) but smaller, with no white spots on 

 the wing, nor pale spot like bands on the tertiaries and caudal 

 feathers ; but the former are uniformly freckled over with 

 dusky specks, and the latter present a series of obscure 

 freckled bands, seen best at a little distance : throat and breast 

 plain rufous, with a few white feathers having a subterminal 

 dusky border on the foreneck, and sides of the breast only. 

 Rest as in B. javensis, Juv. Length about 9 inches, of wing 

 4£ inches, and middle tail feathers the same. This is the small 



