AMitions to tJie Avifauna of Ceylon. 487 



remembered, was described from theN. W. Provinces bj' Franklin. 

 Skylarks of the same species are all subject to considerable 

 variation as reg-ards size ; and they are not easily understood till 

 the characters of each have been learned.* 



By JF. ViMcent Legge, Esq,, R. A. 



The following additions to our Avifauna have, with two ex- 

 ceptions, been made within the last 13 months, since the publica- 

 tion of the latest thin<^ out, toiiching- this island — Mr. Holds- 

 worth^s Catalogue of Cejdon Birds, Proc. Z. S., IS 72 — I accord- 

 ingly propose to enumerate them here with a few^ remarks on 

 each species. The numbers used are those which each bird 

 would assume if inserted in correct order in Mr. Holdsworth's 

 Catalogue. 



4 his, — Erythropiis vespertinus, Umi. 



An immature male shot on the Esplanade at Trincomalie on the 

 6th of December last. 



Length, 11-2 inches ; wing, 9*; iris, deep brown ; legs and 

 feet, orange ; cere and base of bill, with eyelid and orbital shin, 

 orange ,■ tip of bill, dusky leaden brown. 



This little kestrel was evidently an isolated straggler. It 

 was frequenting the large open place called the Esi)lanade, out- 

 side the Fort at Trincomalie, and hovered much in search of its 

 food. It descended to the ground every now and then, and, pro- 

 ceeding a few steps, would give a jump into the air and pounce on 

 some beetle or other coleopterous insect. On examination, its 

 stomach proved to be crammed with nothing but cohupiera, but 

 notwithstanding, it was wretchedl}^ thin. It was remarkably 

 tame, allowing of a near approach and close inspection before ris- 

 ina\ In lookino- over Jerdon's description of the immature bird of 

 this species, I see that it differs somewhat from this specimen, in 

 which the lower parts are much paler than he represents them ; 

 the thigh coverts and abdomen are very pale rusty white, but the 

 breast has scarcely a trace of this hue in its markings. It is 



* Having now a vastlj' larger scries of Iiulian skylai-ks tliau I liad when I 

 Wrote my paper on them, vide ante, p. 39, I am bound to state that my conviction 

 lias been grcatlv strengthened, that we have in India only two seyjarable species, 

 the one identical with arvensis, (ot whicli I can make out tlu-ee Indian races) and the 

 other, lor \\\\w\i giilgula, Franklin, now appears to be, perhaps, the oldest published 

 uame (of which 1 can make out live races.) Ed,, Stkay Feathkes. 



