i<2 OUR INDIAN CISTICOLJI. 



Moreover in the spring plenty of intermediate forms will be 

 found ; all birds do not change their plumage at the same time ; 

 I have some birds still iu almost typical winter plumage, killed 

 quite at the end of March, and others killed about the same 

 time already much changed. 



I have the birds in both plumages from the most various lo- 

 calities, Sindh, Mount Aboo, Dehli, the Sambhur lake, the Dhoon, 

 Jhansi, Saugor, Ceylon, Dacca, Bhotan Dears, Cachar, Assam, 

 Calcutta, Pegu, Tenasserim, the Nicobars, but every specimen 

 in the typical plumage first described killed between 1st May 

 and September, and all those in the second between 1st Novem- 

 ber and 1st April. 



The bird is oue that varies very considerably in size ; in one 

 specimen fairly measured from the frontal bone to the point, 

 the bill is only 0*42, in another, (the largest I have,) similarly 

 measured it is 051. No vast difference iu figures, but mak- 

 ing a great difference in the look of the bill. Again iu one 

 bird, a male (the males are always rather larger) from Sau- 

 gor, killed in August in typical summer plumage, the wing is 

 2*25, but I have females in both summer and winter plumage 

 with the wing only 1*8. The average for females is about 

 1"95 and for the males, 2*1, but I have specimens of both 

 sexes 2'0. 



Of the 2nd species on our list I need say nothing ; it will be 

 clear to any one consulting Major Godwin-Austen's description 

 (re-published S. F. III., 397) and his pretty plate in the Asia- 

 tic Society's Journal, that munipurensis is only the cold weather 

 pliijmage of cursilans. 



Jerdon's figure represents the faded winter plumage, the 

 streaks dying out on the head and back, but the tail not yet 

 moulted. Temminck as his figure and description (P. C. 6, f. 

 3) clearly show had before him a bird in winter or spring 

 plumage. 



The figure in the Fauna Japonica, is of the early hot weather 

 plumage; the tail has been moulted, the head has become near- 

 ly uniform brown, but the back has still to grow duller. 



What stage of plumage Dr. Bree's marvellously colored plate 

 (B. of E. n. o. in Brit. II. 88) may be intended to portray, 

 1 am quite unable to suggest. 



I may add that I believe (though of this I am not positive) 

 that the birds moult their tails at the beginning of the hot 

 weather and then get their central tail feathers rather shorter 

 and broader than, as well as differently coloured to, those they 

 have in the cold weather after the autumn moult. 



This is what Drymoipus inornatus does, and thus it earned 

 for its cold weather garb, Tickelfs name of longicaudatus. 



