250 NOTES UPON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS MADE 



the size of a shilling. I shot one or two M. dukhunensis the 

 other day, thus marked ; and I have seen others. I should be 

 sorry to distinguish a species by this circular shape of the 

 pectoral patch. In J. A. S. for 1872, p. 82, I re-described M. 

 Uodgsoni as 31. casJimirensis ; and I indicated its probable 

 identity with 31. personata, Gould ; but this was not proved, aud 

 was, I think, a mistake*. Mid-summer breeding examples of 

 31. personata, with grey backs, would decide the question, and 

 it is to be hoped they will be obtained before long if not already 

 actually in hands. The complete history of Mr. Gould's species 

 is very interesting. My present conviction is, that it is a good 

 species. Females both in winter and summer, of the black- 

 backed birds, are variable ; some are a dark grey, others 

 lighter ; some have spotted backs, or blotched with the two 

 colours rather, while others closely approach the male, and have 

 nearly pure black backs. 



592.— Calobates melanope, Pallas. 



Frequently seen up the valley of the Bhagiruttee. 



At Batwari, I saw fully-grown young birds following the 

 parents in the bed of a small stream, and being fed by them. 

 The young, through my telescope, appeared to be plain grey and 

 white, and I could not observe any yellow about them ; but 

 probably the vent aud under tail-coverts might have been 

 tinged with yellow. I never closely examined the nestling of 

 the affined species, C. boarula, so cannot say more about the 

 exact plumage of the nestling. 



The comparatively short tail of this species precludes its 

 identity with C. boarida. I have the latter from Asia Minor. 



596.— Pipastes maculatus, Hodgson. 



Rather scarce up at Derali and Bairamghatti. In the pine 

 woods above Derali I heard its song, which was different from 

 that of P. arboreus, although of similar character. I heard the 

 latter's song on two occasions when I was in Cashmere in 1871. 



P. maculatus frequents by preference open grassy glades 

 among the pines, and generally high up near the snows. The 

 plumage of this bird is notably f distinct at all seasons from that 

 of P. arboreus. The latter never has the posterior part of the 

 supercilium pure white, as in P. maculatus ; but has it always 

 of a uniform fulvous tint ; nor has P. arboreus any of the strong 

 greenish tiut characteristic of P. maculatus. The character of 

 striation on the back is, at all seasons, utterly different in the 

 two birds. The long-drawn sibilant note, something like the call 



* See also Vol. II., p. 456.— Ed. 

 f See also " Nebxs aud Euus," p. 383.— Ed. 



