1872.] MR. E. W. H. HOLDSWORTH ON CEYLONESE BIRDS. 405 



have been most kindly placed at my service ; and they have been of 

 great assistance to me in determining questions of species and nomen- 

 clature. I am glad also to acknowledge the help I have received from 

 Mr. J. II. Gurney, Mr. Edmund Harting, Mr. Howard Saunders, and 

 others, in the different groups of birds to which those gentlemen 

 have given their special attention. 



Mr. Layard's industry during his eight years' residence in Ceylon 

 resulted in more than doubling the number of birds known in the 

 island ; and he did not leave much for his successors to find out in 

 the low country, where he principally worked. His list included 315 

 species ; but I have found it necessary to omit a few which appear to 

 have been wrongly identified or to have been recorded by the late 

 Dr. Kelaart on doubtful evidence. I have added 25 species which 

 have been met with during the last few years, and among them two 

 birds hitherto undescribed, making altogether 325 species which 

 apparently have a good claim to be regarded as belonging to the 

 avifauna of Ceylon. 



The number of birds not hitherto recognized out of Ceylon is 

 remarkably large considering its small extent of country (equal to. 

 only five sixths of the size of Ireland). A few species at one time 

 thought to be peculiar to the island have since been recognized, or 

 are believed to be found, in India or Malacca ; but, so far as is known, 

 the following 37 species are exclusively confined to Ceylon, and are 

 pretty evenly divided between the low country and the hills, most of 

 them, however, being found only in the southern half of the island. 

 They form one ninth of the known Ceylon species. 



Birds peculiar to Ceylon. 



Athene castaneonota. Geocichla layardi. 



Tockus gingalensis. Merula kinnisi. 



PalcBornis calthropce. Oreocincla spiloptera. 



Loriculus indicus. Alcippe nigrifrons. 



Chrysocolaptes stricklandi. Brytnocataphus fuscocapillus. 



Brachypternus ceylonus. Pomatorhinus melanurus. 



Megalaima zeylanica. Layardia rufescens. 



' fiavifrons. Garrulax cinereifrons. 



Xantholccma rubricapilla. Rubigula melanictera. 



Centropus chlororhynchos. Drymoipus validus. 

 Phcenicopha'es pyri-hocephalus. Zosterops ceylonensis. 



Prionochilus vincens*. Cissa ornata. 



Eumyias sordida. Temenuchus senex. 



Erythrosterna hyperythra. Eulabes ptilogenys. 



Buchanga minor. Munia kelaarti. 



leucopygialis. Palumbus torringtonice. 



Dissemurus lophorhinus. Gallus stanleyi. 



Brachypteryx palliseri. Galloperdix bicalcarata. 

 Arrenga blighi. ' 



* Kecently discovered by Mr. Legge, E.A. A notice of this species is given 

 in a postscript to this Catalogue. 



