NOTE. 169 



tion to the fact of their occurrence as an extremely exceptional 

 matter. He says : — 



" I have only as yet met with this species in one single 

 locality in this district, and that is in a mangrove swamp along 

 the coast at a place called Kelsi, near the north of the Dapuli 

 Taluka, the northernmost one of this District. Even here there 

 $eem to be only a few pairs." . 



This place is about seventy-five miles, almost exactly due 

 south of Bombay. 



Mr. Brooks writes : — " Comparing an example of Caprimul- 

 gus asiaticus, Latham, with the plate in the Ibis for 1866, page 

 75, of Tristram's C. tamaricis, I cannot see the slightest differ- 

 ence. 



Mr. Tristram says : " In form and size it much resembles 

 C. asiaticits, but it is a trifle larger in all its dimensions/' &c. 

 The dimensions given, in the original description, are : — 



" Long, tota, 9*0 ; alse, 5*6 ; caudse, 4*2." 



The dimensions of my example are : — 



u Long, tota, 9-0 ; alse, 5'6 ; caudse, 4'2." 



The dimensions given by Jerdon are : — 



Length, 9 inches; extent, 18 ; wing, 5^ to 6; tail, 4|. 



Blyth says, it is variable as regards size. 



We thus have as close a correspondence as could be wished 

 for as regards size, and the coloration of the Ibis plate is pre- 

 cisely that of asiaticus. 



I see no reason why tamaricis should not be suppressed, 

 and would direct the attention of those to the subject, who 

 may have specimens of both for comparison." 



I agree with Mr. Brooks, and beg to reproduce here what I 

 printed on this subject, six or seven years ago, when writing 

 on C. asiaticus :— 



" The tarsi are bare, and in both sexes the two exterior 

 lateral tail-feathers and primaries have the usual white spots. 



" This species varies, as will be seen, a good deal both in 

 size and tint. I may here note that in my opinion G. tamari- 

 cis (Tristram), figured in the Ibis for 1866, is nothing but 

 asiaticus. Mr. Tristram says : a In form and size it much 

 resembles C, asiaticits, but it is a trifle larger in all its dimen- 

 sions,''' and then he gives these latter as follows :— 



" Length, 9 ; wing, 5*6 ; tail, 4*2. J ' Now it will be seen 

 from the above that asiaticus varies in length from 8"75 to 9'36, 

 and that the wing varies from 5*55 to 6, so that, as far as 

 dimensions go, the species accord well enough. Then as regards 

 plumage, though I have several darker specimens, I have 

 three, any one of which might have been the original of the 



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