REMARKS ON THE GENUS PERICROCOTU3. 193 



Note that when there is any fiery tinge about an apparent 

 female, it is really a young- male. This is clearly shown by 

 our large accurately sexed series, but native taxidermists, when 

 not carefully checked, invariably take it for granted that the 

 yellow birds are females and ticket them accordingly, without any 

 examination of the organs. The wings I measured were as 

 follow : — 



<J's.— 4-2; 4-1 ; 415 ; 4'1 ; 4'17; 4*0; 4'15; 4"0 ; 421; 

 4-14; 4-0; 4-3; 4 2; 4-17. 



?'s.— 4-05; 4-03; 4*3 ; 3-9; 3-9; 3'97; 3'95 ; 4-2; 4-1. 



<?'sjuv.— 375; 3-83; 3*95 ; 4-1. 



Mr. Ball has already remarked, S. F., II., p. 401, that the 

 dimensions given by Lord Walden, Ibis., 1873, p. 310, for a wing 

 of this species, viz., 4*6, is contrary to experience. I may add 

 that, out of my whole series of 55 birds, only two Mussouri 

 birds had the wings over 42, and in these, —one male and one 

 female — they were 43. 



Mr. Sharpens area of distribution of this species a Hima- 

 layas and Central India'"'* is far too vague and comprehensive. 

 So far as my present experience goes speciosus does not occur 

 in the Himalayas westwards of the valley of the Tonse — a Hill 

 affluent of the Jumna which the old Hill road from Simla to 

 Mussouri crosses about half way between the two places. Cer- 

 tainly from Kotegurh, nearly due north of Simla, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of which I had a collecting establishment for 5 years, 

 who obtained I believe every bird that occurred within a circle 

 of 100 miles, summer or winter, no specimen was ever sent me, 

 and I have never myself seen any specimen from any part 

 of the Himalayas west of the Tonse. Eastwards, of course, if 

 elegans be united it may be said to extend to Assam, but I have 

 reason to believe that true speciosus only extends to Western 

 Bhotan. 



Into Central India it does not, to the best of my belief, extend 

 at all. In the cold season it is found in the submontane tracts 

 below the Central Himalayas, as in the Dhoon, Northern 

 Bijnore, Pillibheet, and the Kohilcund, Oudh and Sikhim- 

 Terais and Bhotan Doars, and many parts of Eastern and 

 Lower Bengal — as for instance Dacca and Jessore, in both of 

 which I have shot it, and Calcutta, where Jerdon says it occurs. 

 I have even specimens of true speciosus from the plains of 

 Tipperah. Thence, it appears in Midnapore, Chota Nagpore, 

 the Tributary Mehals, and the northern portion of the Ganjam 

 District (Jerdon) and Sumbhulpoor, the most eastern of the 



* Mr. Sharpe remarks that, to judge by dimensions given by Mr. Ball, there can be 

 little difference in size between Chota Nagpore and Himalayan examples — as the former 

 are only, I believe, the latter on their cold weather migration this may be admitted. 



