238 Contributions to the Ornithology of India, 8fc. 



spotted," and he identifies our Indian bird with SchlegeFs N. 

 Major. 



Schleg-el, Faun. Japon., p. iii^ thus contrast the two species. 



Arquata Major. 



Bill, 4-94 to 5-94 7-11 to 7-33 



Tarsus, 3-1 3-56 to 3-65 



Wings, 12-05 to 12-4 •12-4 to 12-68 



Spots of the flanks in g-en- 



Spots of the flanks — trans- eral — long-itudinal, most com- 



versal, broad, and triangular. monly narrow, and sometimes 



indistinct. 



Now as regards European curlews being more uniform in size 

 than Indian ones, I must beg to doubt the fact. There appears to 

 be just the same disproportion between the sexes of the European 

 bird that there is amongst the Indian. I have an English male 

 before me, of which the bill is only 4-85, and again an English 

 female, with a bill 6-12. 



Then as regards what both Mr. Blyth and Prof. Schlegel say 

 as to the flanks of the European bird being much more broadly 

 spotted, I regret that I cannot in any way concur ; on the 

 contrary, I believe that differences in this respect are pure- 

 ly individual ; I have one English bird in which the spots 

 on the flanks are considerably narrower and more longitudinal 

 than in fully half my Indian specimens, and again some Indian 

 birds that have the spots, regular broad arrow-head bars, fully as 

 broad as any English specimen ; and generally, I may say, that 

 the Indian and English birds at any rate to judge from my 

 specimens of both, though varying materially as individuals in- 

 ter se, are absolutely inseparable as races, so far as plumage is 

 concerned. 



But so far as I can judge, there really is a marked difference 

 in the length of the bills of the two species. I myself have an 

 English male with a bill only 4-85, a female 6-12. Macgillivray 

 gives the bill at 6-25 ; so that, probably, taking the two sexes, 

 the bills of the English birds vary from 4-85 to 6-25. Now the 

 bills of the males of Indian birds vary from 5-25 to 5-9, and those 

 of the females, from 6*5 to 7-5, so that taking the two sexes 

 together, the bills of our Indian birds vary from 5-25 to 7-5, 

 against 4*8 to 6-25 in the English. As to the Indian birds, I 

 can speak with absolute certainty, having carefully measured the 

 bills of 18 specimens. Of the English bird, I cannot of course 

 speak so confidently, but should their bills really only vary within 

 the limits above assigned, then the difference in length is very 

 considerable. 



