THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 59 



conclusion I came to S. F., I., 198, where I fully characterized 

 the three races. Yet formerly in the field, and again this year ob- 

 serving them alive and free, I was fully impressed with their dis- 

 tinctness. Now again reviewing only specimens, I find many of 

 my old difficulties arise. 



iSo far as one can see, the birds do not associate ; their habits 

 are recognizably distinct ; typical specimens of each are equally 

 recognizably distinct, but when one overhauls a hundred or so, a 

 certain number, small it is true, but still an appreciable propor- 

 tion of the whole, appear, which, in one way or another, connect 

 together, so far as color, size, and proportions of the primaries 

 go, the three supposed species. 



Mr. Brooks remarks on Sylvia a/finis and curruca (S. F., II., 

 332 ; III., 272), and Captain Butler's (S. F., Ill, 487) will be re- 

 membered and referred to. 



Mr. Dresser's article on S. curruca, Birds of Europe, Pts. 

 47 and 48, March 1876, p. 4, should also be consulted. 



Mr. Brooks pointed out, he. cit. sup., that our Indian White 

 Throats differed from the European Sylvia curruca in the shape of 

 the wing. The 2nd primary being in the European bird 

 equal to the 5th or 4/5th or 4th, whereas in the Indian bird the 

 2nd primary is never longer than the 6th. Now I consider that 

 this point, first noticed by Mr. Brooks, is a good and constant 

 point of difference. I have nine English specimens of S. curruca 

 before me ; in seven of these the 2nd equals the 5th, in one it is 

 intermediate between the 4th and 5th, and in one it is inter- 

 mediate between the 5th and 6th, but nearer the 5th. 



I have also before me one hundred and sixteen perfect winged 

 (I omit those that are imperfect) Indian White Throats, and in 

 not one single specimen is the 2nd primary longer than the 6th. 



I think it is, therefore, allowable on the strength of this ap- 

 parently perfectly constant difference in the wing formula to 

 assume that the European and Indian White Throats are 

 distinct. 



Reverting now to my original remarks on this group (S. F., 

 I., 197,) I still find, as I then did, that there are three recog- 

 nizable races in India, but whereas 1 called the 2nd or interme- 

 diate sized race, curruca. Mr. Brooks has shown by an examina- 

 tion of the type that this is really Blytb/s affinis, and the third 

 and largest race remains as yet without any distinctive appella- 

 tion. 



Now these three races are as follows : — 



First. — A very large species with the wings in the males 

 running to 2*8, with scarcely, comparatively speaking, any 

 brown upon the back ; everywhere a leaden-greyer bird than 

 either of the other two. 



