NOTES. 527 



further both on the middle back and markedly on the breast, 

 and have only a scarcely perceptible buffy tinge on the lower 

 tail-coverts. In Hendersoni, moreover, the black in the exterior 

 tail feather runs considerably further up the outer web than 

 it does on the inner, whereas in all my specimens of leucomela 

 the black is even on both webs. 



From Si morio, Ehr., they equally differ in the much 

 smaller bills, and in the much greater amount of black on 

 the breast, &c, and also in the silvery whiteness of the 

 cap. Unlike both leucomela and morio, the lower surface of 

 the quilts is in this species a pale grey brown. Lastly, both the 

 secondaries and their greater coverts are very distinctly, though 

 narrowly, tipped with white. 



What I say of morio, I say on the assumption that our 

 authors are correct in identifying Ehrenberg's bird with our 

 Punjaub one, which I hold to be the young of picata. It is 

 just possible that the true morio may, though very like our birds, 

 be really distinct, and the only specimen of morio 1 have seen 

 differs so markedly in the bill as to favour somewhat this 

 hypothesis. But Messi's. Blanford and Dresser are not likely 

 to have overlooked such a point. 



One specimen of Hendersoni marked, a female, differs in hav- 

 ing the black browner than in the males, and in having no more 

 black either on breast or back than leucomela, from which it only 

 differs in its almost white under tail-coverts, much smaller bill, 

 and generally smaller size and slenderer form. This bird was 

 killed along with one of the males, with which it perfectly agrees 

 in every point structurally ; but the difference in the extent 

 of black on back and breast, as compared with all the three males, 

 is so marked, that until further specimens are obtained it seems 

 to me an open question whether it may not belong to some other 

 species not included in the monograph. 



I WISH some competent European ornithologist would point 

 out how immature specimens of Erythropus vespertinus and its 

 Eastern representative E. amurensis, are to be distinguished ; 

 or on the other hand that some Indian ornithologist would 

 procure a really adult Orange-legged Hobby Avithin our 

 limits. 



At present it is still doubtful whether the birds that we 

 obtain in India belong to the Eastern or the Western form. 



The history of this so-called Eastern form is this : Von 

 Badde, in the 2nd volume of his Reisen in suden von ost 

 Siberien, mentioned that the Red-footed Hobbies from Eastern 



