90 A FIRST LIST OF THE 



absolutely want even a trace of white upon the crest, which 

 nigripennis, Gould, our commonest Indian Hoopoe, often has, and 

 have bills incomparably larger than this latter species. I have 

 seen no specimen of epops with a bill more than 2*3 inches; the 

 largest nigripennis bill that I have yet noticed was 2*1 inches : the 

 bill of one specimen of the present species sent by Captain Feilden 

 measures 2*5 from forehead to point. The bill of the male 

 Hoopoes are always longer than those of the females ; but, sex 

 for sex, I believe that typical longirostris (a quite young bird, a 

 female, sent by Mr. Oates, has the bill at front 2*2) will be found 

 always to have a bill conspicuously longer than epops, from which, 

 moreover, it is further separated by the entire absence of white 

 on the crest, while from nigripennis its much greater size at 

 once divides it. 



But then my experience is, that the majority of the birds 

 are not typical, but intermediate forms, which it is very hard to 

 separate from nigripennis. 



As for the absence or presence of the white spot upon the first 

 primary on which Dr. Jerdon lays some stress, it is worthless 

 as a diagnosis of all three species ; specimens of each are before 

 me exhibiting the spot on both first primaries, on one of them 

 only, and lastly on neither of them. 



Mr. Oates remarks: "This species is common in the plains 

 throughout the year, but is, or seems to be, most numerous in 

 February and March, when I presume it breeds, because it is 

 then incessantly calling." 



260 bis.-— Lanins hypoleucos, JBlgth—( Journal, 

 As. Soc, Bengal, 1848, XVII, p t 249). 



This species appears to be common throughout the province of 

 Pegu, and it has been sent from the northern portions of the 

 Tenasserim provinces. 



Length, 7*5 to 8; wing, 2*3; tail, 3*5 to 3' 75; bill, at front, 

 - 45 ; from gape, 0'8 ; tarsus, nearly 1. 



Bill, blackish brown, yellowish fleshy at gape and base of 

 lower mandible. Forehead, orbital region, and ear coverts, black- 

 ish ; crown, back, and sides of the head and neck, dark slaty grey 

 to dull ashy; back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail coverts, deep 

 maroon ; in faded specimens, ferruginous chestnut ; wdng, blackish 

 to pale dingy hair-brown. Primaries and secondaries narrowly 

 margined on their outer webs with white, which becomes more 

 and more rufescent as the feathers approach the tertials ; tertials 

 broadly, and coverts less broadly, margined with ferruginous. A 

 conspicuous white speculum at the base of the fifth to the tenth 

 primaries, narrowest on the fifth, and increasing in breadth to the 

 tenth. The two exterior tail feathers on each side, pure white ; 

 shafts, darker ; the next on each side, with the tips and generally 



