104 FURTHER NOTES ON THE SWANS OF INDIA. 



from its point, a slightly curving line be drawn to a point on 

 the edge of the upper mandible about a quarter of an inch from 

 the gape, the whole of the space enclosed by such line between 

 it and the eye is perfectly black. At the extreme point of the 

 frontal feathers again is a black band, about a quarter of an 

 inch wide, which extends right and left over the whole nareal 

 space. The nail is black ; the rest of the bill was light grey. 

 The legs and feet, I may add, were greyish black. Both 

 male and female, though differing somewhat in size, are 

 precisely similar, both as regards plumage . and coloration of 

 the bill. The bill is slightly spatulate. In the male the upper 

 mandible is 1*1 wide opposite the nostrils, and 1*23 Avide near 

 the tip. The following are dimensions of both birds measured 

 in the flesh : — 



Male. — Length, 55*5; expanse, 84*37; wing, 23*12; 

 tail from vent, 8*5 ; bill at front, straight from termination 

 of frontal plumes to tip, 3*5 ; from anterior angle of eye, 

 5*15 ; from gape, 4 ; tarsus, 4*05 ; mid toe to root of claw, 5 ; 

 hind toe, 1 ; foot, greatest length, 8*37 ; breadth, 6*62. Weight, 

 15 lbs. 



Female. — Length, 53*12; expanse, 82*37; wing, 21*38; 

 bill at front from frontal plumes straight to tip, 3*55 ; 

 from anterior angle of eye, 4*75 ; from gape, 3*9 ; tarsus, 3*8 ; 

 mid toe to root of claw, 4*8 ; hind toe, 0*7 ; foot greatest 

 length, 7*5; greatest width, 6*5. Weight, 13 lbs. In both the 

 irides were dark brown. 



I could not at the time satisfactorily identify these birds, and 

 concluded that they were either the young of olor or buccinator, 

 or of some undescribed species. If the latter should prove to be the 

 case, I suggested for them the name of unioini, but I did not 

 unconditionally, as Mr. Blanford gives us to understand, propose 

 for them this name. 



The Editor of the Ibis suggested that they were probably 

 the young of olor, in which identification, having now compared 

 them with an adult, I can entirely coucur. 



In the cold weather of 1871-72, Dr. Stoliczka, when in 

 Cutch, thought he saw Swans there. He says, J. A. S. B., 

 1872, 229 : " While crossing the Rann from Kachh to Pachain 

 early in November (1871), I noticed several Swans, but at too 

 great a distance for it to be possible to form an idea as to the 

 species the birds belonged to." 



Until recently I had always considered, (S. F., IV., 33) 

 that Stoliczka, being very short-sighted, had mistaken Pelicans 

 (the white P. crispus abounds there) for Swans, but the 

 recent occurrence of Swans in Sindh renders it not improbable 

 that Stoliczka was right after all. 



