INTRODUCTION. xi 



the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,' 1872, and by far the most complete treatise 

 which had ever been compiled on the avifauna of the island. The author devoted particular 

 attention to the synonymy of the birds, which, up to that time, was in a very confused state ; and 

 the result was the working-out of the correct title of each species, which constituted a most 

 valuable addition to the literature of the Ceylonese omis. The catalogue numbers 326 species. 



In this list 24 species were added by the author, which are published under the following 

 titles : — Ilypotriorchis severus, Picus ceruginosus, Pandion haliaetus, Buteo desertorum, Huhna 

 pectoralis, Brachyptemus puncticollis, Prionochilus vincens, Erythrosterna hyperythra, Arrenga 

 Might, Geocichla layardi, Zosterops ceylonensis, Estrelda amandava, Chrysocolaptes festivus, 

 Francolinus pictus, Chettusia gregaria, Terekia cinerea, Tringa salina, Sterna leucoptera, Sterna 

 gracilis, Phaethon rubricauda, Sula fiber, Taccocua leschenaulti, Drymoipus jerdoni, Gallinago 

 nemoricola. Of the above, Zosterops ceylonensis was not an additional species, but a new 

 name for Zosterops annulosus included in Layard's list. The Butalis multui of Layard's list 

 appeared also under another title (Alseonax terricolor), though this identification afterwards 

 proved to be erroneous. Arrenga blighi was a new species described by Mr. Holdsworth from 

 specimens procured by Mr. Bligh and himself. 



A few were omitted, which the author considered had been species wrongly identified, or 

 had been recorded by Kelaart on doubtful evidence ; these were — Ephialtes scops, Malacocercus 

 griseus, Oisticola liomalura, Phyllopneuste montanus, Phyllornis aurifrons, Hetceromis malabaricus, 

 H. cristatella, Picus macei, Alauda malabarica, Cuculus bartletti, Turtur humilis, and Branta 

 rufina. Among this number Cuculus bartletti appears to be the Small Cuckoo (Cuculus polio- 

 cephalus, p. 231) ; and Turtur humilis seems to have be.en accidentally omitted, as no mention 

 whatever is made of the species. The Zosterops annulosus of Layard's notes, as we have seen, was 

 discriminated as a new species. Figures are given of Arrenga blighi, Zosterops ceylonensis and 

 Z. palpebrosus, Brachypteryx palliseri, and Erythrosterna hyperythra. 



Review of present Work. — The total number of species included in the present work is 371, 

 of which two are introduced birds, viz. Padda oryzivora and Estrelda amandava. Of the 

 remainder, 18 species, besides the two just mentioned, are treated of in footnote articles, or 

 noticed in the Appendix ; of these, Falco chicquera, Accipiter nisus, Scops malabaricus (App.), 

 Palceornis columboides (App.), Lanius lucionensis, Siphia nigrorufa, Munia rubronigra, Fuligula 

 rufina, Phalacrocorax fuscicollis, and Fregata aquila are considered as doubtfully occurring. 

 The following, Cotyle obsoleta, Oceanites oceanicus, Phaethon indicus, Coturnix communis, are 

 looked upon as doubtfully identified ; two species, Schoenicola platyura and Brachyptemus 

 intermedins (red race of B. puncticollis), are doubtfully determined; Alauda parkeri is 

 perhaps not a good species ; whilst one bird (Stercorarius antarcticus) may have, perhaps, been 

 conveyed to the island in the form of the single example of the species noticed. In addition to 

 the above, Fuligula ferina, Turnix sykesi, and a species of Anser are referred to in " Notes " as 

 likely to occur. The following 24 species have been added by the author to Mr. Holdsworth's 



