NOTES. 465 



Jerdon includes Fringilla montifringilla (No. 752) in the 

 " Birds of India/' on what reads like very fair evidence, but 

 I confess that I have my doubts of the occurrence of this 

 species within our limits, although it very likely may occur in 

 Wakhan, Badakshan and Cabool. As to the Simla and 

 Mussouri habitats, I can only regard them as requiring 

 confirmation, which I have altogether failed to obtain. I 

 have never seen, nor even heard on reliable authority, of an 

 Indian killed specimen of this species. Has any one else? 

 Because, if so, let him speak. 



Referring to 912 — PorzanaCeylonica, Gmelin apud Jerdon 

 nee Gm., the Marquis of Tweeddale makes (P. Z. S., 1877, p. 

 767) the following instructive remarks : I had already in- 

 dependently come to this same conclusion, but his Lordship 

 was the first to publish it and put the whole question very 

 clearly. 



" Brown, (Illustr., p. 94, and XXXVII, "Ceylon," 1776,) 

 described and figured under the title of the Rail, this species 

 from a Ceylonese example obtained by Governor Loten. At 

 p. 96 he also described, and on plate XXXVIII he figured, 

 a distinct bird from the same source under the title of Rail. 



Gmelin (S. N., I., p. 716, No. 17) copied Brown's description 

 of his Rail and bestowed on it the title of Rallies zeylonicus. 

 But Gmelin, while correctly quoting p. 96 of the Illustrations, 

 incorrectly referred to plate XXXVII, on which is depicted 

 Brown's The Rail. On Brown's description of the Rail Gmelin 

 founded no title ; but when incorporating the Linnsean species 

 Rallus capensis (Mantissa, p. 525) in his edition of the " Sys- 

 tema" (1. c. No. 11), and more or less transcribing the Linnsean 

 diagnosis, he followed Latham (Synop. Ill, pt. I, p. 234. No. 8) 

 and referred the Liunajan to the one described by Brown at 

 p. 94, as well as to the one figured by Brown on plate 

 XXXVIII. Latham made the identification with a note of 

 interrogation. Gmelin, in both cases, associated the wrong plate 

 with the pages containing Brown's descriptive remarks, and 

 called both species Rail. As Gmelin's diagnosis of his Rallus 

 zeylonicus does not apply to the ferruginous-breasted Rail of 

 Ceylon, the Rail of Brown, we must adopt the next title, 

 that of Lafresnaye — Gallinula eurizonoides, Lafresn., Rev. 

 Zool., 1845, p. 368. I cannot with certainty identify the bird 

 described and figured by Brown under his title of Rail, 

 (Rallus zeylonicus, Gm.) ; but it is apparently a gallinaceous 

 bird — possibly Galloperdu spadiceus (Gm.)" 



