OF THE LIST OF THE BIRDS OF INDIA. 187 



Mcntifringilla blanfordi and mandellii had possibly no 

 title to be included, but several specimens of the former, and 

 one of the latter, bore on the covers and tickets " borders of 

 native Sikhira and Tibet," and were thus catalogued, and my 

 list was prepared from my larger list, and this catalogue at 

 Calcutta. Referring to the specimens, I find that none of the 

 covers so labelled are in Mr. Mandelli^s handwriting, and it is, 

 therefore, possible that in making new covers and adding* 

 tickets (Mr. Mandelli used not to ticket his birds only to 

 write the localities on the covers) some of my museum 

 establishment may have made a mistake. If so, it is to say 

 the least curious that out of a number received and catalogued 

 at the same time, some should have been entered as " Tibet" 

 only, and others as " borders of Sikhim and Tibet." Mr. 

 Mandelli will probably remember whether he was or was not 

 told at the time he got these specimens that some were from 

 Tibet and some from the borders of this and Sikhim. Pending 

 his decision, 1 doubt my baboos having made any such 

 interpolation. 



I entirely agree with Mr. Blanford as to the name Micro- 

 hierax. I ought not to have employed it. I shall revert 

 to Idierax. 



As for Strix deroepstorffi, when 1 gave the name, it miaht 

 have been better to have dropped the " de," but there is no 

 rule on the subject ; practically in India the gentleman after 

 whom I named it has had the " c?e" so soldered on to his 

 name, that had I called it " roepstorffi" many would have 

 failed to recognize whose labours (and they have been con- 

 siderable) in Natural History it was intended to commemorate, 

 and, au reste, having once so named the bird, I did not see the 

 propriety of altering the name when merely compiling a list. 



Whether Caprimulgus unwini should be kept distinct 

 from europaus, is of course a matter of opinion. I can only 

 say, that with the large series I now have of both, it seems 

 to me more convenient to do so. 



As regards the names Palceornis purpureus and cyanocephalus, 

 which Mr. Blanford says Captain Legge has shown to be wrongly 

 applied by me, I have only to remark that I have not yet myself 

 worked this out indpendently, but until I can do this, I adhere 

 to the Marquess of Tweeddale's distinct enunciation, (Birds of 

 Burmah, J. A. S. B., 1875, Pt. II, extra number, p. 56) that 

 cyanocephahis applies to the Burmese race, and that purpureus 

 must be adopted for the Indian race. I verified the Marquess 

 of Tweeddale's very elaborate statement at the time, and I 

 thought he was right. Before I reject his view and adopt 

 Captain Legge's, the latter must show clearly wherein the 



