Contributions to the Ornithology of India, Sfc. 151 



of the bill is of the same yellow as the cheeks^ the points of the 

 closed wings just reach to the tail tip^ and a conspicuous fold of 

 skin is continued from beneath the ear to the throat underneath, 

 which is little more than indicated in the North- African species. 

 Moreover^ the throat is quite bare in the Indian species, thinly 

 clad with short white feathers in •percno'ptenis. " 



In Sindh and at Muscat, I saw both black and yellow bills, 

 and I could not observe any marked difference in size between 

 them, but as I did not measiu'e and preserve specimens, this g-oes 

 for little. But I have of late years procured and measured, 

 numerous specimens, in many different parts of India and every 

 where, both of black and yellow-billed birds, and with and 

 without more or less of slender white feathers on the throat; and I 

 have been unable to detect any constant difference in size be- 

 tween individuals presenting these different characteristics. Mr. 

 Brookes remarked in the Ibis of 1870, that there appeared to be 

 a certain geographical distribution of the two races, that he 

 found both in Delhi, but could not procure a black-billed one 

 at Almorah or Etawah. From the latter locality I have a black 

 billed bird, and my present impression is that the differences 

 alluded to are not dependant on race, but on age or season. 



It may be after all that PharaoVs chicken is distinct from our 

 dirt-bird, but whether this be the case or not, I think very few 

 of the distinctions indicated by Mr. Blytli will hold good 



I have made arrangements for having the weight and length 

 (total and of wing) ascertained, and the various points re- 

 ferred to noted, in the case of twenty adult Egyptian birds. 1 

 wish each of my Indian readers Avould do the same for me in 

 regard to two or three adult Indian birds shot in their respective 

 neighbourhoods. The points to be noted, are 1, sex ; 2, date of 

 killing; 3, total length; 4, length of wing; 5, distance by 

 which closed wings exceed tail ; 6, colour of corneous portion of 

 bill ; 7, colour of cere and whether darker than, or unicolorous 

 with, skin of face ; 8, throat ; whether bare or feathered, if 

 the latter, to what extent ; 9, fold of skin from beneath ear to 

 chin ; whether conspicuous or merely indicated ? 



7.— Gypaetus barbatus, L. 



1 observed this species on two occasions in the hills dividing 

 Sindh from Khelat. Dr. Day observed it near Duryalo, and it is 

 well known to most sportsmen who have shot ibex in those ranges. 



"^ 8.— Falco peregrinus, L. 



Notwithstanding the myriads of ducks which haunt the 

 inland waters of Sindh, peregrimis (the dxick hawk jmt excellence) 

 seems very scarce. We only procured a single specimen, and 



