NOTES. 529 



"Judging from the Nepal specimen in the British Museum, 

 I suppose amurensis to be the species found in India." 



I have failed to satisfy myself as to which species our Indian 

 bird belongs to, but either it is vesper linns, or only the perfect 

 adults of the two species are distinguishable. 



I carefuly examined all the specimens of the Orange-legged 

 Hobby in the Calcutta Museum. 



These are, 1st, adult male from Algiers. 



„ „ „ Hungarian Museum. 

 JS early „ ,, ,, „ „ „ 

 Adult female „ „ „ „ 

 2nd, Nearly adult male from near Calcutta. 

 Young male „ „ 



„ female „ „ 



„ male Nilghiris. 

 ,, „ Cachar. 

 These Indian birds are undistinguishable from the European. 

 At first when I examined the nearly adult male, almost in full 

 adult plumage, and found the under win^-coverts barred, I 

 made certain it was amurensis, but the nearly adult Hungarian 

 male (the fully adult specimen of which had the whole under 

 wing-coverts uniform deep slaty) Lad I found the lower wing- 

 coverts precisely similarly barred. 



So with the inner webs of the quills, the bars of which dis- 

 appear in the perfect adult. In both the nearly adult birds 

 some of the lateral tail feathers are old ones conspicuously 

 barred. 



A good adult male, if such a thing is to be got in India, 

 is what we want to settle the question. Considering how 

 comparatively common they are said to be in Eastern Bengal 

 during the rains, this ought not to be very difficult. 



An examination of an enormous series of Otocoris, collected 

 in Yarkand by Dr. Stoliczka and other members of the expedi- 

 tion, during the winter months chiefly, inspires me with great 

 doubts as to the validity of 0. longirostris, Gould., which 

 must, I believe, as surmised by Dr. Jerdon, be merged in 

 0. pencillata, Gould. 



Since my description of Podoces Biddulphi was printed, I have 

 had the opportunity of examining a male of this species. In 

 plumage it does not differ from the female, but it is a somewhat 

 larger bird, and has a conspicuously larger bill. 



