A NOTE ON THE GENERA SCH@NICOLA AND CATRISCUS. 255 
Mr. Layard. Anyhow, I have no doubt that the bird occurs in 
Ceylon, and has escaped observation there just as it did for so 
lone in India. 
In the ninth volume of “ Stray Feathers” several notices of 
this bird are published. At p. 209 Mr. W. Edwin Brooks, 
who has made the Warblers of India his especial study, gives 
a minute account of the generic features of Schawnicola, based 
on the Travancore specimen procured by Mr. Bourdillon (Jus. 
4. O. Hume) ; and at p. 211, Mr. Hume gives an editorial note, 
with additional information from Mr. Bourdillon, recording 
the capture of three more specimens. Two of these have since 
passed into the collection of the British Museum, and are marked 
by the collector as “ breeding”’— a statement on which Capt. 
Butler afterwards comments. At p. 234, Mr. Hume records 
the capture of a specimen by Captain Butler at Belgaum, and 
suggests the possibility of Schanicola being identical with the 
African genus Catriscus. Lastly, at p. "260 of the same 
volume of “ Stray Feathers,’ Mr. Hume gives an_ excellent 
resume of the history of Schenicola platyura as far as known, 
and Capt. Butler adds some most interesting notes on the nest- 
ing of the species at Belgaum. In the space of two years, 
therefore this interesting bird has been rescued from the obli- 
vion into which it had fallen, and we now know a good deal 
about its habits and general economy. 
It is with the object of answering Mr. Hume’s question as 
to the possibility of the Indian bird being identical with the 
African Catriscus apicalis, that I write these few lines. A 
perception of affinities has been one of Mr. Hume’s most 
noticeable qualities as an ornithologist ; and his association of 
Schenicola with Catriscus turns out to be perfectly correct; 
but the Indian species is not exactly the same as the African 
one. The following I believe to be the literary history of the 
genus, with its two species :— 
SCHGNICOLA. 
Type. 
Schenicola, Blyth, J. A. S. Bene? peor C4; 
(1844, nee Bp. 1850). : we 2 ss . platyura. 
Catriscus, Cab. Mus. Hein. Th, i i. P 43 "(1850) . .S. apicalis. 
Clavis. specierum. 
a. Saturate rufescenti-brunneus, regione parotica pileo concolori; hypo- 
chondriis saturate rufescenti-brunneis ; subcaudalibus fulvescentibus 
vel rufescenti-brunneis ........ .. platyura. 
6. Pallide rufescenti-brunneis, regione parotica "pallide brunnea ; “hypo- 
chondriis pace 2 aay erent nigricantibus pallide mar- 
PRE, SS gageencconsocuscne eeeneeeconevecey ces eereenaes cee cer cescesvescee 
1c Scuantcona PLATYURA. 
Timalia platyura, Jerdon, Madr. Journ., xiil., p. 170 (1844) ; 
Gray, Hand-1. B. i. p, 815, no. 4706, 
apicalis, 
33 
