484 ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS IN SIKHIM, 



583 ^^s.--Sylvia nana, Hemp, and Wir. 



I obtained two at Sehwan, and where the desert bushes were 

 all dyin^ for want of moisture. 



589 5«>.— Motacilla hodgsoni, G. B. Gray. 



I found this bird at Salbaree in the Sikhim Terai. 



591 ^er.— Motacilla alba, Lin. 



This should be struck out of the Indian list. 



Immature alba, and I think even the old bird in winter, have 

 the white of the face tinged with yellow. Let any one, who can, 

 show me Indian winter examples with this same yellow tinge. 

 I have never seen it, and I think I have shot as many dukhu- 

 nensis as any one. 



592.— Calobates melanope, JPall. 



In Sikhim during frost, and in the warm plains, this bird is 

 equally at home. 



596.— Anthus maculatus, Eodgs. 



I met with it frequently in Sikhim from 5,000 feet and below 

 in December and January ; but it is rather more numerous in 

 the plains. I did not see arhoreusji.e., trivialis, in Sikhim. 



605 if^r.— Anthus spinoletta, Zin. 



This should I think be struck out of the Indian list. It is the 

 next species that has been mistaken for it. 



605 qmt.—Anth.\xs blakistoni, Swinhoe. 



Common in the Punjab. I obtained it at Mooltan, at Sukhur 

 and at Sehwan. It frequents fields of green wheat and other 

 crops that are kept pretty damp. Its note is very much like that 

 of A . pratensis. 



In winter plumage this species may be easily distinguished 

 from spinoletta by the character of the breast spots, which are 

 small and well defined, and not large and cloudy as in spinoletta. 

 In summer plumage the two would be very hard indeed to sepa- 

 rate, for blackistoni is not the small bird that Swinhoe^s dimen- 

 sions would lead one to think it is, but it is a very fine Pipit in- 

 deed, almost, if not quite, the size of spinoletta. 



I saw some of Major Biddulph's Gilgit examples of spinoletta^ 

 as he had labelled them, but they were all blakistoni. I give 

 below dimensions of some I obtained in the Punjab and 

 Sind :— 



Lengths of males, 6-95; 6-7; 6-6; 6-65; 6-75 j 6-8; 6'8' 

 6-75 ; 6-85. 



