442 REMARKS ON THE GENUS IORA. 



from Jagadrie, in the sub-Sewaliks on the north of the Saha- 

 runpoor district, we also have only tiphia. 



One remarkable fact, however, has to be noticed, and that is, 

 that amongst a large series from Sambulpoor, belonging more 

 or less to the intermediate race of tiphia, which is most strong- 

 ly characterized at Jliansi, Saugor, &c, one male and one 

 female nigrolutea appeared. Whether this is merely sporadic, 

 or whether there is any extension of nigrolutea in this direc- 

 tion, I cannot say ; if there is, it must be through Humeerpore, 

 Banda, and north of Jubbulpore. 



Setting this isolated case aside, Jhansi, Etawah and Saharun- 

 poor mark points on the borders of its range, and we have no 

 tiphia from any other of the localities from which I have 

 noted 'nigrolutea (except Sambulpoor), nor from anywhere 

 near any of these, except from Mount Aboo, which, as I have 

 long since explained, is an outlying patch of a very different 

 fauna to that which occupies the plains around it. 



Nigrolutea is, therefore, a species with a defined area, within 

 which, so far as we know, no other species of the genus occurs. 



It is instantly and invariably distinguishable by the white on 

 the tail. In the females always, and in the males during the 

 non-breeding plumage, the two central feathers are almost 

 wholly greyish white, the tips generally purer white, and the 

 outer web often shaded with ashy. The rest of the tail 

 feathers black, broadly tipped with pure white ; this tip in the 

 outermost feather on each side occupying the terminal one-third 

 to, at times, one-half of the feather. In the breeding plumage 

 the male has the white tippings to the lateral tail feathers more 

 or less reduced, and the central tail feathers like the rest jet 

 black, and white tipped. 



I have been able to discover no trace of any intermediate 

 forms, unless the tendency of Jhansi, Saugor, &c, birds to show 

 bright yellow through the black of the upper back in the full 

 breeding plumage may be so held, and which I hardly think, 

 as I find a similar, though much less marked, tendency in some 

 Mysore, Mount Aboo, and Ahmednagger specimens, and in a 

 less degree still in others from Madras and other localities. 



This species has constantly, though it is difficult to show this in 

 fio-ures, a smaller and shorter bill than tiphia from auy part of 



India. 



It has at all seasons more conspicuous and whiter margins 

 to the secondaries and tertiaries and their greater coverts than 

 has tiphia at the same season. 



In this species the wings vary in adults from 2-4 to 2*6, but 

 in only 3 out of 30 specimens do they exceed 2*55, and in only 

 one out of 30 is the wing below 245. 



