920 MR. SHARPB ON SCHCENICOLA AND CATRISCUS, [NoV. 29, 



as it was purchased by the Museum from Mr. Cuming, who received 

 it doubtless from one of his correspondents, perhaps Mr. Thwaites or 

 Mr. Layard. Anyhow, I have no doubt that the bird occurs in Ceylon, 

 and has escaped observation there, just as it did for so long 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 ac- 

 count of the generic features of Schcenicola, based on the Travancore 

 specimen procured by Mr. Bourdillon {Mus, A. O. Hume) ; and at 

 p. 211, Mr. Hume gives an editorial note, with additional informa- 

 tion from Mr. Bourdillon, recording the capture of three more spe- 

 cimens. 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 Schcenicola 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 Schcenicola plutyura as far as known, and Capt. 

 Butler adds some most interesting notes on the nesting of the species 

 at Belgaum. In the space of two years, therefore, this interesting 

 bird has been rescued from the oblivion 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 Schcenicola 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 : — 



Schcenicola. rj, 



Schcenicola, Blyth, J. A. S. Beng. xiii. p. 374 (1844, 



nee Bp. 1850) S. platyura. 



Catriscus, Cab. Mus. Hein. Th. i. p. 43 (1850) . . S. apicalis. 



Clavis specierum. 



a. Saturate nifescenti-brunneus, regione parotica pileo concolori ; 

 liypoohondriis saturate ruiesceuti-briuineis ; subcaudalibus ful- 

 vesceutibua vel rufesceuti-brimneis platyura. 



h. Pallide rufescenti-brimiieus, regione parotica pallida bruniiea ; 

 bypoclioudriis fulvesceutibus ; subcaudalibus nigricautibus pal- 

 lide marginatis apicalis. 



1. ScHffiNICOLA PLATYURA. 



Timalia ]ilatyura,i&xi}ion, Madr. Journ. xiii. p. 170 (1844); Gray, 

 Hand-1. B. i. p. 315, no. 4706. 



Schcenicola platyura, Blyth, J. A. S. Beng. xiii. p. 374 (1844); 

 Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 73 (1863) ; Hume, Str. F. 1878, vol. vii. p. 37; 

 id. Str. F. 1879, p. 97; Brooks, Str. F. 1880, p. 209 ; Hume, t. cit. 



