OUR TNDIAN CERTHIIN.E. 73 



(a) Upper back red. 15 nipalensis, Hodgs. 



(b) Upper back preen. 16 Horsjieldi, Bly. 

 II. — Upper half of head, back 



of neck, and sides of the 

 throat steel-blue. 



(a) Front, of breast black. 17 saturate, Hodgs. 



(b) Front of breast yellow ,\% sanguini- Wald.\ c 3 Jjgfg^jJ 



}: 



mottled with scarlet. pectus j semn mils 



Some of my Indian readers may be both able and willing to 

 furnish Captain Shelley with additional information in regard of 

 the distribution, habits, notes, food, nidification, &c, of some of 

 the many species of Sunbirds that occur within our limits ; it 

 so, their communications should be addressed to 32, Chesham 

 Place, London. 



€uv gnM&n tetljtinae. 



In 1873, Mr. Brooks published (J. A. S. B., XLII., p. 255 et 

 seq.) a monograph of the Indian species of the genus Certhia. 



This paper is so excellent in many respects that I shall 

 reproduce here great portions of it, but inasmuch as I differ 

 greatly from Mr. Brooks as to the names that some of the 

 species should bear, I shall add a few remarks in regard to 

 this point and indeed some other minor ones. 



Mr. Brooks was the first to point out that in India we 

 have at least five good species of Certhias iu which view I 

 entirely concur. 



These are — 



1.— Certhia himalayana, Vig., which calls for no 

 comments. 



2.— Certhia Hodgsoni, Brooks* 



Mr. Brooks says : — 



tl I regard the four outer plain or unspotted primaries of C. 

 Hodgsoni, versus the three plain ones of the English bird, 

 as conclusive evidence of the distinctness of the two species. 

 The much longer and straighter bill with the white lower 

 mandible, and the grayer and less rufous toue of plumage 

 with much whiter spotting on the back and head, should also 

 be taken into account. The legs and feet of the English bird 

 are also, as a rule, darker. The voices of the two birds differ ; 



* For original description, sec S. F, III., 233 n.— En. 



