OUR INDIAN CISTICOL^E. 95 



are not the normal proportions in cnrsitans, in which the 2nd 

 is usually mu'ch more nearly equal to the 3rd, while the first is 

 smaller. But I have found one cursitans, in which the propor- 

 tions of the primaries were nearly the same as in my single 

 specimen of erythrocephala. 



The tail is rounded, not graduated ; the outermost feather 

 is only 035 shorter than the central ones; this recalls homalura; 

 but then the plumage is so utterly unlike the description of 

 homalura, that one cannot believe in their being different stages 

 of the same bird. 



The legs and feet are similar in size to those of cursitans, but 

 appear to have been of a darker and redder colour. 



The forehead and crown are an uniform dull, orange rufous, 

 or rufous orange buff, entirety unmixed with any other colour ; 

 the lower throat and breast are similar, only a shade less ferru- 

 ginous, or orange ; abdomen, vent, lower tail coverts, tibial 

 plumes, the same, but rather paler, and a little browner, on 

 the latter. "Wing lining a rather purer buff. The chin and 

 middle of the upper throat a trifle paler than the breast, the pale 

 or whitish bases of the feathers showing through a little. The 

 nape a dark yellowish or slightly rufescent olivaceous brown. 

 The sides of the neck and the ear-coverts, the colour of the 

 breast more or less overlaid and tinged with that of the nape. 



The back, rump, and upper tail coverts, similar to the nape, but 

 the first feebly striated with dark brown. 



The wings dark hair brown, but all the feathers so broadly 

 margined with rusty olivaceous, that except on the tertiaries 

 very little of the hair brown is seen in the closed wing. 



The tail is dark brown, obsoletely banded ; the feathers 

 very narrowly margined towards their bases with olivaceous, 

 and very narrowly tipped with pale rufescent. Looked at from 

 below the feathers are similar aud show no trace of a dark 

 penultimate band. 



The lores appear to be much the same colour as the crown, 

 but lighter and less pure and perhaps have a faint Hue through 

 them, but my specimen does not show this clearly. I believe 

 erythrocephala to be a thoroughly good species. 



On the whole, therefore, although it may be that our list 

 should include five species of this genus, I am much inclined 

 to suspect that the number will ultimately have to be 

 reduced to 3. 



A. 0. H. 



