THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 55 



torquatus. 160. — Picus mahrattensis. 234. — Arachnechthra 

 asiatica, short hilled and green, closely approaching the 

 breviroslris form. 254 — Upupa epops. 256. — Lanius lahtora. 

 277 — Pericrocotus erythropygius. 278. — Buchanga atra. 

 292 — Leucocerca aureola, rare. 436. — Malaeocercus inalcolmi, 

 very common. 438. — Ohatorbea caudata, do., fairly typical and 

 not approaching huttoui. 459 — Otoeompsa leueotis. 462. — 

 Molpastes hasmorrhous. 480. — Thamnobia cambaiensis, fairly 

 typical. 481. — Pratincola eaprata, very common. 



485 Us. — Pratincola macrorhyncha, Stol. 



J. A. S. B., XLL, 238, 1872, juv.— S. F., IV, 40, n. Descr. 

 — S. F., V., 132, 241, 244. 



P. rubetraoides, Jam. Jerd. B. of In., App., 872, 1864, sine 

 descr. 

 {Dresser, B. of Eur., Pt. XXIV., 1873, sine 



descr.) 

 Hume, S. F., V., 240, 1877, Descr. adult. 



P. rubetra ? Hume, Ibis, 1869, 355 ; 1871, 28. 



P. jamesoni, Hume, S. P., V., 239, 1877. 



Distribution. — Punjab, {Goorgaon, Umballa, Sirsa, Hansi, 

 Shahpoor, and probably all western districts) ; Rajpootana, 

 (Jodhpoor, BicTcanir, Jeysalmir) ; Northern Gruzerat, Cutch, Sindh 

 {Thurr and Pakhur districts, and probably elsewhere.) 



This species was extremely abundant in the thin, stunted 

 scrub jungle, that here and there studs the sandy, semi-desert, 

 waterless tracts which occur all round Jodhpoor. I procured a 

 large series, and I satisfied myself beyond a possibility of doubt 

 that Stoliczka's and Jameson's birds pertain to the same species. 



It seems highly improbable, and I state the fact with diffi- 

 dence, but according to my sexing (and I sexed 33 birds), the 

 adult males and females are alike, and constitute rubetraoides, 

 while the birds of the year are macrorhyncha. All my birds 

 were killed at the end of January and during the first week 

 in February, when the weather was singularly cold, and the 

 generative organs were entirely undeveloped, and in most 

 specimens traceable with great difficulty, and I may be in 

 error. But in my large series I have just as many males as 

 females in both forms, and the close similarity of both sexes 

 was what I had years previously ascertained, to the best 

 of my belief, in the case of the adults {rubetraoides) in the 

 Punjab, so that for the present I think we must accept the 

 conclusion that the young of both sexes are alike, and are 

 the birds Stoliczka named macrorhyncha, while the adults 

 equally {at any rate in the cold season) are alike, and represent 

 r ubelraoides. 



