﻿1874.] W. E. Brooks — Ornithulof/ical Notes and Corrections. 243 



and there appears to be but little doubt that M. imlmtris is this Ijird in 

 either second or third plumage. 



As before observed, Ji. Govinda, Sjkes is tlie larger Kite which comes 

 to the plains of India in the cold weather. The large dimensions given by 

 Sykes render it certain that he described the larger species, for no common 

 village Kite reaches the length of 26 inches. It is also pretty clear that 

 Sykes did not contemplate there being two affined Kites, both of them 

 found in the country in which he worked. 



Mr. Gurney has informed me that the two types are of different sizes ; 

 but regardless of the types, neither of which in this instance may have been 

 the very one from which Sykes described, I think we should hold to the 

 original description, which describes a large 26-inch Kite. And in this case 

 Milvus major, Hume and Milvus 7nelanotis, Temm. and Schleg. become sy- 

 nonyms of Milvus Govinda, Sykes. 



I possess a common Indian village Kite, returned to me by Mr. Gur- 

 ney as being feather for feather identical with the Australian species, 3f, 

 a finis, Gould. This identical bird is the commonest form of the resident 

 species distributed so widely over India ; and I think, therefore, that our 

 common Kite should in future be known by its correct name of M. qffinis. 



At Mussoorie, both species are to be seen during the spring and sum- 

 mer, but more in the interior of the hills only the large species, M. Go- 

 vinda, is met with. A few breed at Barahaut on the Bliaugaruttee. 



Pehnis cristata, Cuv. 



A young bird from the nest which I once kept in confinement, had the 

 breast of a rather light earth-brown, each feather having a black central 

 stripe. Even in this young bird the crest was well developed. 



The dark-plumaged birds are the fully adult ones. I have one shot 

 from the nest in this plumage, and all I saw at Saharunpore in July, where 

 they had their nests in trees near the canal, were of this dark plumage. In 

 speaking of the young bird, I should have mentioned that the upper plu- 

 mage was a very dark clove-brown. 



HiETJNDO Daueica, Lin. and H. ertthroptgia, Sykes. 

 I only met with the latter species in cishimalayan Cashmere, as far 

 up as Chungus on the Tawi river. At Mussoorie, Simla, and Almorah, and 

 also at Binsur, north of Almorah, the strongly striated species with paler 

 rump-band {H. Dauricd) prevails. It is also somewhat larger than S, 

 erytliropygia. I have procured both in the plains in the cold weather, 

 but the hill bird is there very much scarcer. H. erytliropygia breeds near 

 Chunar, and at most places in the North-West Provinces where there are 

 old buildings or quarries suitable. The eggs are laid at the commencement 

 of the rains. At Mussoorie, I saw a nest of H. Daurica ou the ceiling of 



