QQ THE BIRDS OF A DROUGHT. 



The rest of the upper surface is much as in the male, but as a 

 rule sandier and less earthy in tinge. 



The males are distinguished at once from those of griaea by 

 their dark crowns. 



Both sexes are distinguished by their somewhat larger size, 

 (wings in grisea taken at random measure : — 



Males.— 308; 3*07; 3'0;3-01; 3-1. 



Females. -2-99 ; 3'0 ; 2-9; 2'99 ; 306; 29 ; 2"87; 295) 

 and their somewhat larger bills. 



The females are further distinguishable by their whiter un- 

 der surface, paler upper surface, and especially crowns, and by 

 their deep colored axillaries, which in grisea are little darker 

 than the breast. In this latter species the lesser lower-coverts 

 about the ulna are dark brown in the female, but not nearly 

 so deep as in melanauchen. 



I found this species extremely common in the sandy wastes 

 about Jodhpoor. Their habits are precisely those of their 

 common Indian congener. Mr. Blanford found this common 

 about the extreme south-west corner of Sindh near the Hubb 

 River, but I never saw it in Sindh (though I found grisea com- 

 mon), and Captain Butler, who like myself has seen plenty of 

 this latter, has not yet succeeded in meeting with melanauchen in 

 Sindh. 



This species extends into Jeysulmir, but it does not appear 

 to cross the Aravallis, southwards into Oodeypoor. At any 

 rate I saw none there, but plenty of grisea directly we ap- 

 proached the less deserb tract's that fringe the Aravallis, whereas 

 whilst 1 was there, I saw no grisea about Jodhpoor, only mela- 

 nauchen. This was probably due to the drought, for Dr. King, 

 who collected about Jodhpoor for two years, got no melanauchen 

 but sent me specimens of grisea thence. 



Occasionally this species strays much further east, as our 

 museum contains a specimen shot in the Muttra District by Mr. 

 Adam. 



Idl.—rCalendrella brachydactyla. 769. — Galerida cristata, 

 both very common. 



788. — Columba intermedia ; very scarce, although in Jodhpoor 

 as elsewhere in Rajpootana never allowed to be killed by any 

 one, Europeans or Natives. In ordinary j'-ears they are said to 

 be more common. 



794. — Turtur senegalensis. 796. — Turtar risorius, both rather 

 rare. 



799. — Pterocles arenarius. 802,—Pterocles exustus. Only 

 one or two of each seen, though further away from Jodhpoor 

 where there was a little water, both species were numerous. 



