366 NOTES ON CEYLONESE ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



by 08 ; I'll by 0'8. The identification of the birds was 

 complete as they were seen and shot. 



212.— Coccystes jacobinus, Bodd. (86.) 



An egg ready for expulsion was found in a bird of this species 

 killed last November at Puttalam, Western Province. It is now 

 in the museum of the R. A. Society of Ceylon, and is of a 

 pale sky blue color, measuring 0'95 by 0'74. Mr. Holdsworth, 

 P. Z. S., 1872, p. 432, supposes it to lay in the nest of Mala- 

 cocercus striatus, and Layard found a young bird under the care 

 of a pair of these Babblers. 



214.— Endynamis honorata, Linn. (88.) 



The eggs of this species have been identified for the first time 

 in this island, during the present year. In May three batches 

 were found near Bolgodde, in the Western Province, all in 

 nests of C. culminatus. In one nest there were 4 crows and 

 four koels' eggs, in another 5 crows and 3 koels, and in the third 

 2 crows and 4 koels. The parasite eggs varied in character 

 considerably, and two nests contained two types. The smallest 

 measured 1'2 by 09, and were of a pale green ground color, 

 spotted rather thickly with longitudinally directed markings 

 of olive brown over numerous blotches of pale bluish grey ; 

 the darker spots being somewhat confluent at the obtuse end ; 

 the largest ranged up to 1'38 by l'O, and these were of an olive 

 brownish grey, marked all over, mostly at the larger end, with 

 reddish brown over numerous spots of bluish grey ; at the 

 obtuse end these expand into blotches. Other eggs were of an 

 olivaceous green, blotched and spotted with two shades of olive 

 brown over numerous smaller spottings of bluish grey ; the 

 markings are sparse at the small and confluent at the obtuse 

 end. I have long known the koel to be resident in Ceylon, 

 though a want of knowledge of the range of birds here has 

 induced some to consider it migratory. 



298.— Alseonax terricolor, Hodgson. (122.) 



I notice that the existence of a second species of Alseonax in 

 India is doubted, Mr. Hume making A. latirostris do duty for 

 the above. In Ceylon there is undoubtedly a flycatcher of this 

 genus most distinct from latirostris and answering to Jerdon's 

 A.ferrugineus, Vol. I., p. 460 — a bird which he considered identi- 

 cal with Butalis muttui, Layard. From the description, Jerdon 

 evidently considered this distinct from terricolor, and if this 

 latter is not to be allowed why is the former to be suppressed 

 too*? 



* But who proposes to suppress ferrugineus ? and what bearing have Mr. Legge'g 

 remarks, upon the question of the distinctness or identity of Hodgson's Himalayan 

 turriculor, and lialllea' Sumatrau latirostris? — Ed., S. F. 



