1074 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI. 



{C eeylonends) a bird I know well in the hills around Simla. In the "Fauna 

 of British India" it is stated: — Culicicapa cei/lonensis . Distribution. 

 " The whole Empire, except Sind, the Punjab and Rajputana, from which 

 provinces I have not seen any specimens." 



A. E. JONES. 

 Lahokb, IMh December 1911. 



[Major MagTath found this Flycatcher a fairly common winter visitor at 

 Eannu and obtained one specimen as early as October. — .!., B. N. H. S., Vol. XX, 

 p. 777. — Eds.] 



No. XII.— NESTLING PLUMAGE OF THE GREAT STONE PLOVER 

 {ESACUS RECURVIROSTRIS.) 



As I can find no record of the down stage of Esacus recur lirostris the fol- 

 lowing description may be worth noting. On the evening of April 14th, 

 1910, I found a clutch of two eggs of this species in the bed of the River 

 .Sutlej at Phillour, which were chipped. These I took, and with my aid 

 both young birds hatched the following morning. They were described 

 on the 16th as follows : — 



Upper parts ashy grey, tinged with sandy, nuich of the down with black 

 tips. A black line divides the forehead and crown extending to the ante- 

 rior corners of the eyes, and curving downwards over the cheeks to the 

 ear coverts, nearly meeting black lines, which start from the posterior 

 •corners of the eyes and almost join on the occipvit. The eye lids are 

 fringed with grey down, the lower bearing a single black spot. An indis- 

 tinct and broken black line crosses the upper back and extends along the 

 upper portion of the flanks to the tail. There are indistinct black spots 

 ■on the back. Wing ashy grey but without the black tips to the down, the 

 .anterior edge of the forearm darker, a black spot at the inner angle of the 

 ■elbow. Lower parts greyish white. 



Bill, short and stout, culmen curved ; dusky black, naval pits lighter. 

 Eggtooth whitish. It is lightish brown. Feet plumbeous grey. 



Call, a shrill chirrup, rather similar to that of a young sparrow. 



H. WHISTLER, Indian Police. 

 Rawal Pindi, Ajjril 1912. 



No. XIII.— THE HIMALAYAN GREENFINCH {HYFACANTHIS 

 SPIN O IDES, Vigors.) 



With reference to the discussion on this species started in the Journal 

 [Vol. XX, p. 517] by Mr. Dodsworth, the following facts may be worth 

 bringing to your notice. Col. Rattray in his article on " Birds nesting in 

 the Murree Hills " in Vol. XVI of the Journal, p. 6o8, states :— " These birds 



