36 Mr. Blyth — A few Identifications 



larger, and some perhaps even twice as heavy, in the same 

 flock, and others of both sexes intermediate, though the female 

 is always the larger*. The same extraordinary variation of size 

 occurs in Numenius major, which is the hitherto supposed N. 

 arquata of India. 



Hamatopus longirostris, Vieillot, as figured by Mr. Gould, is 

 (I think) identical with the species inhabiting the Bay of Bengal, 

 as also with the Pied Oyster-catcher of China (Swinhoe). 



The Pluvialis erroneously assigned to Charadriiis xantho- 

 cheilus, Wagler, by Mr. Gould (after Jardine and Selby, ' 111. 

 Orn.^), is considered identical with the Indian race (P. longipes, 

 Prince Bonap.) by MM. Temminck and Schlegel (Faun. Japon.), 

 who term it C. pluvialis orientalis, and note it likewise froni 

 South Africa, Java, Borneo, Celebes, Timor, and Japan. It is 

 also commonly sent in the Malaccan collections, and abounds in 

 India during the cold season. 



Ardea rectirostris, Gould, is A. sumatrana, Baffles, A. typhon, 

 Temminck, .^./wsca, Blyth, and A. insignis, Hodgson; but it 

 is not A. nohilis, Blyth, as assigned by Dr. Schlegel, which = 

 A. goliath, Temm. 



A. leucophcea, Gould, is identical with A. cinerea, L. [A. bruh, 

 Jacqaemont), alike over the major continent and its islands. 



Herodias syrmatophorus, Gould, from Australia and New 

 Zealand, does not differ (that I can perceive) 'from H. modesta, 

 Gray (Hardwicke, '111. Ind. Zool.'), of Asia and Africa, which is 

 very common in India ; and I have seen no specimens referred 

 to H. alba (L.) which were in any respect different. As 

 regards size, the males are larger than the females; and as 

 respects the colouring of the bill, this becomes black in the breed- 

 ing-season, and is yellow at other times and in the young. This 

 species has neither occipital crest nor pendent breast-plume, 

 and the dorsal train is comparatively short. The bill becomes 

 black before the train is developed, and changes again to yellow 



* There is an Himalayan example of L. rufa in the Derby Museum of 

 Liverpool, presented by Col. Everest. Mr. Hodgson also obtained the 

 species in Nepal. In the Derby Museum there is also a fine specimen of 

 the rare Javanese Woodcock, Scolopax saturata, Horsfield, marked S. 

 russatu. 



