NOTKS. 519 



fact which according to me (and as I have previously shown 

 the Brit. Assoc. Code) entirely prevents its interfering with any 

 other name — setting all this aside, certainly leucopygia does 

 not kill leucopygialis. No one suppresses viridanus, because 

 there is a viridis in the genus, and why suppress leucopygialis 

 because there is a leucopygia ? Pace the great authorities in 

 Europe, I think Blyth's name must certainly stand. 



I may note that Dendrocitta assimilis, nobis (S. P., V., 117) 

 is not as has been suggested D. sinensis, any more than it is 

 D. himaluyensis. The former is distinguished by having 

 the upper tail-coverts pure white, (not light French grey), and 

 the whole of the two centre tail-feathers black, instead of having 

 the basal two-thirds of these grey. In both these respects 

 assimilis agrees with himalayemis, but as regards colour of 

 throat, sides of neck, face and back, it agrees with sinensis, 

 while its bill differs from both. 



Writing of Pratincola insignis from the Gorakpur and 

 Bustee districts, Mr. E. W. Cleveland says : — 



" I have looked very carefully for this species ever since I 

 got your letter, but have only succeeded in securing five 

 more up to date. 



" I have seen and shot perhaps as many more, but have un- 

 fortunately lost them in the dense cane fields which these birds 

 usually frequent, and whence, if not killed outright on the spot, 

 it is impossible to recover them. 



" It takes a good deal of patient fagging to find these birds 

 as they occur rather sparingly in these districts. 



le Judging from my owu experience, I should say that in the 

 course of a ten- mile ride across a stretch of flat open country, 

 thickly dotted with cane fields (their favourite haunts) one would 

 scarcely meet with more than a single pair of these birds, 

 whereas upwards of twenty P. indica would probably be seen in 

 that distance." 



Mr. Brooks, not long ago, (ante p. 139), pointed out that 

 Mr. Seebohm was in error in applying Hodgson's name alboides, 

 to the Wagtail to which heretofore the name luzonensis, 

 Scopoli, has been (and erroneously) assigned. 



According to Hodgson's own plates, his term alboides, clearly 

 refers to the other black-backed form hodgsoni of G. R. Gray, 

 and I think that even in his original description, which I now 

 reproduce, the same may be traced. 



