270 FIRST LIST OF THE BIRDS OF 



Common during the cold weather. The earliest date on 

 which I have noticed this bird in the district was 10th October 

 1877, and the latest date 7th May 1878. On the 1st May this 

 year I saw one of these birds in the garden of a bouse at 

 Howrab where I was staying. 



[The second specimen is remarkable as being inseparable 

 from the Malayan superciliosus. The same broad pure white 

 supercilium continued forwards as a frontal band, and backwards 

 over two-thirds of the black ear-coverts; the same deep red head. 

 The bird is an almost perfect adult, only a few traces of bars re- 

 main on the sides of the breast. 



As far as I can make out cristatns and superciliosus are 

 the same birds. Cristatus being the name usually applied 

 to the more or less immature specimens, which we almost 

 exclusively obtain in India, and superciliosus the name applied 

 to the almost perfect adults which we, as a rule, obtain in 

 the Malay Peninsula ; but I have typical cristatus dull red 

 brown with inconspicuous supercilium, and scarcely perceptible 

 white or rather pale frontal band from the Straits, (this being a 

 younger bird like most of those we get in India) ; and, besides 

 this Furreedpore adult, I have two or three other Indian adults 

 inseparable from Malayan ones, and a dozen, at least, nearly 

 adults intermediate between these and the mass of my Indian 

 specimens which latter show much barring on the lower surface, 

 and which are what are usually set down as cristatus. 



From the brightest Malayan superciliosus, which is identical 

 with the bird figured by Lord Walden as phoenicurus, Ibis, 1867, 

 pi. 5, fig. 2, to the ordinary cristatus of India, specially 

 Calcutta and its neighbourhood, which, as regards coloration 

 of the upper surface, is accurately represented in fig. 1 of the 

 same plate, (which purports to be isabellinus,) I have a perfectly 

 unbroken series of forms. At any rate, I can disoover no 

 means by which they can be separated. 



Of course when referring to fig. 1 of the plate indicated, 

 I do not overlook that this plate exhibits a white wing 

 spot not found in cristatus, and that usually all cristatus color- 

 ed on the head, back, rump and tail, like this figure, show 

 more or less of fine barrings on the breast, but as regards the 

 colors of the parts above enumerated the plate in question 

 accurately represents the ordinary Bengal cristatus.— A. O. H.] 



265,— Tephrodomis pondiceriana, Gmel. 



24ih April 1878, Male. — Length, 7*0; expanse, ll'O; 

 wing, 3*42 ; tail from vent, 2*75 ; tarsus, 0*66 ; bill from 

 gape, 1"0 ; bill at front, - 75 ; closed wings fall short of end of 



