258 A CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF NEPAL. 



differed in plumage nearly as much as tlie adult male does from 

 the adult female. One of these little birds had the upper sur- 

 face dark bottle-green, and measured length, 7 ; wing, 3'4 ; 

 the other was dark brown above, barred with rufous. It ap- 

 pears, therefore, that in this species the sexes differ in colour 

 ab initio. 



I have carefully compared my five adult Koils with a large 

 series of malayana and honorata, and they unquestionably belong 

 to the latter species. This might be gathered from the dimen- 

 sions alone, but I may add that in the Nepal birds the bill is 

 much smaller than in specimens of malayana, being equal in size 

 to the bills of examples from Deesa, and actually smaller than 

 in some specimens from Etawah and the Laccadives. 



I mention this because Nepal has lately often been 

 given as a habitat for malayana ; that species may occur in 

 some part of the Nepal territories, but certainly the Koil of 

 the Nepal Valley is honorata. 



The Indian Koil is a seasonal visitor to the valley, arriving 

 about the end of March or beginning of April, and departing 

 in September. It frequents the woods of the central part of 

 the valley, gardens, groves, and trees, near houses and villages ; 

 in April, May, and June its well-known cry may be constantly 

 heard. The eggs are laid in the nest of the common crow 

 (C. splendens), as in the plains of India. 



215.— Rhopodytes tristis, Less. 



Three females, Vallei/, May, July, and August. — Length, 20'2 

 to 23*4; expanse, 18"5 to 19*2; tail, 13 to 16'5 ; tarsus, 1*5 

 to 1'6; bill from gape, 1-5 to 1*6; bill at front, 1-2 to 1-25 ; 

 closed wings short of tail, 10-2 to 13*5 ; wing, 6-3 to 68. 



Bill horny green, darker towards the base ; orbital skin dark 

 red ; irides dark or brownish red ; feet greenish plumbeous ; 

 claws horny black. 



I found this species in the valley of Nepal, in small numbers, 

 from April to September. It frequented tree bushes in thickish 

 jungle at the foot of the hills. 



221.— Taccocua infuscata, Bli/. 



Nawakot District, November. — Length, 17-7 ; expanse, 18-6 ; 

 wing, 6*4; tail, 10"35 ; tarsus, 1*75 ; bill from gape, 1*4; bill 

 at front, 1*05 ; closed wings short of tail, 7*0. 



Bill cherry red; tip yellow; margin of maxilla black at 

 middle; gape and orbits dusky purplish; mouth black; irides 

 dark brown ; feet slaty ; claws brown-black. This specimen 

 iigrees well with Jerdou's description. 



