FURTHER ADDITIONS TO THE SINDH AVIFAUNA. 119 



really referring, as he was not much of an ornithologist. Captain 

 Boys' remarks were as follows : — 



"Shot several specimens on the road to Sukknr, at a place 

 called Mhuta-jeedo, and met with others at nearly every stage 

 lower down towards Sukkur." 



It is, therefore, nearly certain that Mr. Gould figured some 

 of these Sukkur specimens, and the occurrence now of leucomela 

 in Sindh, not so very far from Sukkur, and the color of the 

 under tail-coverts, as shown in the plate, renders it extremely 

 probable that these specimens were really leucomela also, or if 

 not leucomela, at any rate a very nearly-allied species, and 

 not morio. I say very nearly allied because I notice that Mr. 

 Gould says that his bird has a broader band of black on the 

 tips of the lateral tail feathers than true leucomela, and com- 

 paring now the Sindh bird, and one from Shiraz with another 

 from Egypt, I notice that, as a matter of fact, both the former 

 have very much broader black tips to the feathers mentioned 

 than the Egyptian specimen. I also notice, as insisted on by 

 Mr. Gould, that they are larger birds, both having the wings 

 '6'8 against barely 3 - 5 in the Egyptian bird. 



The very few specimens available to me prevent my offering 

 any opinion as to whether these, and some other slight differ- 

 ences which I observe, are constant and worthy of specific 

 recognition ; I merely note the point for future investigation. 



This species had been found by De Filippi in the neighbour- 

 hood of Teheran, and was obtained by St. John at Shiraz ; 

 but the most easterly point at which it had hitherto been 

 observed was by Mr. Blanford at Rayin, S.S.E. of Kerman, at 

 an elevation of about 9,000 feet in May, in about 58° E. 

 Long. Its occurrence now in nearly 68° E. Long., and if I 

 am correct about Captain Boys' specimens in fully 69° E. Long, 

 greatly extends the South-Eastern range of this species. 



I have already, S. F., L, 185, pointed out some of the differ- 

 ences between this species, and what Messrs. Blanford and 

 Dresser identify as morio (olim S. capistrata, Gould apud nos.); 

 but in the comparison I then made I referred to Egyptian speci- 

 mens of the species. Comparing Sindh and Persian specimens I 

 find that the size is as nearly as possible the same, but that 

 the bills in leucomela are a trifle slenderer. 



The main points of distinction are, that the under tail-coverts 

 in leucomela are (in the Sindh aud Persian specimens they 

 are much paler in the Egyptian bird) a distinct though pale 

 russet, while in morio they are never more than pale fulvous. 

 The secondaries in leucomela are narrowly tipped with pure 

 white — which is not the case in morio. A considerable portion 

 of the inner webs of all the quills on their lower surface 



