198 Confribidions to the Ornithology of India, ^c. 



sider all the three races as pertaining to one species. The- 

 great difficulty is that the ascertained males of the largest race, 

 are fully double the weight of those of the smallestj have a wing 

 fully one-fifth larger, and bills half as long again. 



The three raee& may be thus characterized. 



First, there is the smallest race, which for convenience sake 

 I separate as minula. The length of this is about 5 '3 mea- 

 sured in the flesh; the wing, from 2 '3 to 3-4; the bill, about '3 

 from forehead to tip. This is the palest of all the three, I have 

 sixteen specimens of this race, males and females, from Bhawulpore 

 Yarkand; Jhansie, and Sindh. The males and females do not, 

 differ perceptibly in size -, but the grey of the head of the fe- 

 males is slightly paler than in the males. 



The second race is the intermediate one, generally identified 

 with the European curruca or garnda. This is about 5 '75 

 inches in length, has a wing varying from 2*5 to 2 "6, and a bill at 

 front of nearly 0*4; in some specimens only about 0*35. Some 

 specimens of this race are absolutely identical with English 

 specimens, not only as to color, but as to shape and size of wings, 

 legs, feet, and bill. 



Then there is the third and largest race which corres- 

 ponds well with ajjinis, Blyth ; length fully 6; wing, from 

 2'65 to 2'75, and bill at front, 0*45. This latter species hss the 

 whole upper parts much darker as a rule, than eurruca and 

 h fortiori than minula, and the grey of the head seems to over- 

 shade to a certain extent the whole of the mantle, rump, and 

 upper tail coverts. 



I have forgotten to mention that in both the two latter races 

 the females are somewhat smaller and decidedly duller colored 

 than the males. 



Defined as above and arranged in three groups, the races seem 

 distinct enough ; but then when closely examined, grave reasons 

 will be found for doubting whether any hard and fast line can 

 be drawn between the three races. I can pick out half a dozen 

 affinis, a dozen curruca, and a like number of minula ; (both sexes 

 in each case being represented by the selected specimens) which 

 no one certainly would consider to belong to one and the same 

 species ; but then there will be some twenty odd specimens, which 

 more or less bridge the intervening gaps, and there are some few 

 in regard to which it is a mere toss-up to which of two 

 divisions they should be assigned. Under these circumstances, 

 according to my view of such cases, all tliese should be consi- 

 dered as belonging to one and the same species ; but the differ- 

 ences between a typical male minula, and a similarly typical 

 affmi^ are so striking, both in size and color, that I confess I 



