198 ^GIALITIS HIATICULA, Lin. 



occurrence within our limits, had to be erased from tlie list 

 of our Avifaumv {vide S. F,, I., 495). 



The occurrence of this species in India bein<^ now, however, 

 established beyond all doubt, it becomes necessary to describe 

 it, and point out how it may be readily distinguished from 

 other allied forms which have hitherto been known to occur in 

 India. 



It may be well to premise that Sultanpur, in the neig-hbour- 

 liood of which this specimen was procured, is in Northern India, 

 and about 30 miles south of Delhi. 



In breeding- plumage this species can be distinguished at a 

 glance. The legs, feet and bill orange yellow ; the tip of the 

 bill and the claws black ; chin, throat and a collar round the 

 neck white ; a broad black band across the breast continued as 

 a narrow black collar behind the white one. The whole an- 

 terior portion of the head, lores, cheeks, ear-coverts black, with 

 a white band across the forehead from eye to eye, and another 

 white band over the posterior portion of the eye and ear-coverts ; 

 crown, occiput, and rest of upper parts of a greyish earth 

 brown, darker on the earlier primaries and the whole of the 

 lower parts below the black breast band ; wing-lining and 

 axillaries pure white. The outer tail feather on each side pure 

 white ; the rest, except the central ones, tipped white, and with a 

 dark brown subterminal band. 



But it is not in this plumage that we are likely to meet with 

 the bird, nor, I apprehend, are we likely to get many adults. 

 It will probably be mostly birds of the year that will be met 

 with, and these are by no means so easy to discriminate. 



I have no measurements recorded in the flesh, but I have a 

 number of European specimens as well as this Indian one, and the 

 following appear to be about the dimensions. The birds I may 

 note vary a good deal in size, according possibly to age or sex : — 



Length, 7-0 toB'O ; wing, 4-96 to 5*55 ; tarsus, 092 to 1*1 ; 

 tail, from insertion of feathers into the os coccygis, 2*4 to 

 2-75 ; bill at front, from frontal bone to tip, 0-68 to 078. 



In the youno- the legs and feet appear to have been a duller 

 horny yellow; the bill dark horny brown, yellowish at the 

 base of the lower mandible. 



As regards the color of the legs, therefore, it resembles duhia, 

 and as regards the bill minuta {vide S. F., VIL, 299, 300), but 

 the bill is much coarser and larger than in either species, and 

 the legs also are coarser, the feet much larger, and the wings 

 of course very much longer. 



A band over the base of the bill and through the lores to the 

 eye grevish brown ; a band under the eye and over the ear- 

 coverts dark brown ; forehead dingy brownish or buflfy white ; 



