NOTES. 525 



is also longer ; the bird's total length is about 5*25 ; the wing of 

 the specimen referred to 5*35 ; the tail, from vent, fully 2. 



The whole head and neck are a much darker brown than in 

 affinis ; the entire mantle, breast, abdomen, and sides are blackish 

 brown, almost black ; and the upper tail-coverts and tail feathers, 

 which are a very light brown in affinis, are almost black in 

 subfurcatus. 



Recently, for the first time, I have had an opportunity of 

 examining a really good specimen of Hierax melanoleucos, Blyth, 

 the White-legged Falconet. 



The following are dimensions taken from the skin : — 



Length, 6*75 ; wing, 4 - 22 ; tail, from vent, 2*6 ; bill, at front, 

 from edge of cere to point, 0*42 ; tarsus, 0*9 ; mid toe, to root of 

 claw, 82 ; claw, 0*33; hind toe, to root of claw, 0'45 ; claw, 

 0'S6 ; the 2nd and 3rd quills sub-equal and longest ; the 1st, 

 15, and 4th, 0*3 shorter. 



Lores and a very narrow line continued backwards over the 

 eyes to the sides of the neck, chin, throat, sides of neck (except 

 a broad black patch extending downwards from the posterior 

 portion of the eye for about 0"8j, breast, abdomen, vent, lower 

 tail-coverts, flanks, and tibial plumes, silky white ; the sides 

 black ; wing lining white ; the greater lower-coverts barred 

 with brown ; forehead, crown, occiput, back, rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, wings, and tail glossy black ; all the tail feathers, except 

 the two central ones, with white bars on the inner webs, six on 

 the outer pair, five and four on the others, and with two or 

 three small white spots on the outer Avebs of the two or three 

 exterior tail feathers quite at their bases ; quills barred with 

 white on their inner webs. 



The bird is considerably larger than either of the two other 

 species, the Red-legged and Black-legged Falconets, which occur 

 within our limits. 



This specimen was shot near Suddya in Assam. 



In a recent number of the Ibis Lord Walden proposes to 

 change Blyth's name "punctatus'" for our Spotted Wren, to 

 " formosus" a name of his own, because punctatus is a title 

 previously bestowed in 1823 by Brehm on the common Euro- 

 pean Wren. 



In this I am quite unable to concur ; and as it involves, to 

 my notion, a fundamental error in principle, I feel bound to 

 protest against it. Had Brehm' s name stood for the species 

 to which it was applied, the proposed change would be correct ; 



