Contributions to the Ornithology of India, Sfc. 183 



0*62 oz. in weight, and I do not think they average as much as 

 0'5 oz. The Neilgherry birds (P. licolor as it is commonly de- 

 signated) weighs up to 0"75 oz., and averages 0*63. 



Except this small difference in weight, I do not really see any 

 constant or sufficient difference between the Neilgherry and 

 Ceylon birds, (for I have a specimen from Ceylon absolutely 

 identical with Neilgherry ones) and those of the rest of India. 

 Two specimens from the immediate neighbourhood of Madras are 

 fully as large as any Neilgherry one, and between the largest 

 Neilgherry bird with a wing, 3"15 j (and practically they rarely 

 exceed 0'3;) to the smallest Upper-Indian bird, with a wing, 2-4, 

 every size of wing may be met with in intermediate localities. 



I very much doubt the pi'opriety of retaining atrata, Blyth, 

 licolor, Sykes, as a distinct species ; all that can be said is 

 that Northern-Indian specimens of c«/?f<??^(^ are generally smallest, 

 Central-Indian, Goojerat, and Sindh birds intermediate, and 

 Southern Indian and Ceylon birds, largest. 



This species was pretty common everywhere in Upper Sindh; but 

 perhaps somewhat rarer in the southern portions of the Province. 



483.— Pratincola rubicola, L. ^^-^2^^.r . 



I do not think that under any circumstances the most typi- 

 cal examples of the so-called Fratincola indica deserve specific 

 separation. On examining a large series of say thirty or forty 

 specimens, collected in different parts of India from North to 

 South, it will be found that these readily divide into three groups. 

 \st, birds absolutely identical with European s^^ecimens (I say 

 this after comparing them with a large series of European birds) ; 

 ^nd, birds of the true Indica type smaller, and much blacker ; 2>rd, 

 intermediate specimens which it is difficult in many cases to 

 assign preferentially to either group. 



It is true that as far as my experience goes, typical rulicola 

 does not breed in the Himalayas; but comes to us as a 

 visitant from beyond these, while typical Indica breeds through- 

 out the lower ranges of the Himalayas ; but these facts do not 

 in themselves in my opinion in the face of the unbroken series^ 

 of connecting links that exist, justify a specific separation. 



Be this however as it may, the great majority of the Sindh 

 birds, (and the stone chat is very common throughout the pro- 

 vince) clearly belong to the ruhicola type. Indeed though some of 

 the birds are intermediate, I did not succeed in securing a single 

 typical indica between Jhelum and Kurrachee. .y . - 



484.— Pratincola leucura, Blyth. >4^>/^^< 



This species was very abundant, but only in particular loca- 

 litiesj in Sindh. I obtained a single female in reeds standing: 



