386 NOTES ON A VISIT TO THE LUCKNOW MUSEUM. 



In both specimens the irides were bright yellow ; the upper 

 mandibles were blue-black ; the cere, gape, and lower mandibles 

 were leaden-blue ; the legs and feet were white, washed with 

 leaden blue, and the claws were black. 



Both birds appear to be fully adult ; the whole of the upper 

 plumage, including the wings and tail, is brownish-cinereous, the 

 head and neck being much lighter and tinged with ash ; the 

 lower plumage is a little darker, the throat and neck partaking 

 of the same ashy hue; the abdomen, tibial plumes, and under 

 tail-coverts, which latter reach to within 3 inches of the end of 

 the tail, are pure white. 



The ear-orifice is wonderfully developed, thus accounting 

 for my many hopeless attempts to circumvent the bird while 

 in repose. Not unfrequently I encountered it face to face 

 in a sudden bend of the river; but as a rule I used to see it 

 sitting on a boulder in the middle of the foaming torrent, 

 or on some favourite tree overlooking a sheltered cove, 

 in close proximity to pools and slack water. When disturbed, 

 it has the habit of rising perpendicularly to some height in the 

 air (this is necessary to enable it to clear the tall trees which 

 fringe both banks of the river) with a series of slow owl-like 

 flaps, affording an easy, and at times, a close enough shot, but 

 owing to the nature of the ground they are difficult birds to 

 bag ; three which I knocked down fell into the boiling torrent, 

 and were never seen again. 



As there has been a conflict of opinion relative to the tail of 

 this species,* it may be necessary to state that the basal 

 three-fourths of the under surface of the rectrices in both of 

 my specimens present a mottled u pepper and salt " appearance, 

 the white really predominating ; the terminal portion is of a 

 uniform brown color, and as it is devoid of any of the white 

 markings, which are so conspicuous in the remainder of the 

 rectrices, the bird on the wing certainly has the appearance 

 of having a " dark terminal tail band" as mentioned by 

 Brooks. 



It should be noted, however, that this peculiarity is not easy 

 of detection when the tail is closed, as the mottled appear- 

 ance I have above alluded to does not extend to the 

 upper surface of the rectrices, excepting to the inner webs of the 

 lateral ones, which of course get hidden by the central tail 

 feathers, and which latter are of a uniform brown color. The 

 upper surface of the closed tail presents therefore a " uniform 

 Z>?'0?im" appearance, as stated by Hume. 



* Jerdon states (Ibis, 1871, p. 336) that " on looking over Mr. Hume's collection I 

 was struck by seeing no white on the tail," &c. Hume (' Nests and Eggs,' Pt. 1, p. 43) 

 also alludes to •' the barless uniform brown tail which characterizes this species." 

 Brooks, per contra, is the only ornithologist (' J. A. S.,' 1872, p. 73) who niuintains 

 that it has a " dark terminal tail band." 



