APPENDIX I. 1217 



Page 566. — Cinnyris asiaticus. Through some inadvertence I have spoken of the nest noticed by Mr. Holdsworth 

 as being in his bungalow at Aripu, instead of in a rest-house in the south of the island. 



Page 572. — Cinnyris minimus. Layard confirms my supposition that it was at Pt. Pedro where he found this species 

 " not uncommon " (Ibis, 1880, p. 2S0). 



Page 574. — Dicasum minimum. This little Flowerpecker is identical with the Certhia erytlirorliynclia of Lath. Ind. 

 Orn., and must stand in this work as Dictum eettheorhynchtjm, Latham, Ind. Orn. i. p. 299 (1790). Mr. Parker 

 writes me of a nest of this tiny bird, recently found at the Giants' tank, and which was suspended from the end of a 

 leafy bough about 5 or 6 feet from the ground. The opening was at the side, and the top was covered over by a hood, as 

 in the nests of Cinnyris. The character of the nest is therefore intermediate between that of Cinnyris and Pipirisoma. 

 It contained three young ones almost fledged, which quite filled up the nest. 



Page 579. — Piprisoma agile. Mr. Parker has sent me a beautiful nest of this little bird, taken in theN.W. Province. 

 It is one of the most remarkable nest-structures that can be imagined. It resembles exactly a brownish-red felt purse 

 suspended to a little branch, with a large opening at the top, extending down the front somewhat. The material is of 

 the consistency of loosely-woven flannel, and the whole nest is entirely in one piece, so that were it not attached to the 

 branch it could be turned inside out like a stocking. It is made of the small brown stamens of some flower, evidently 

 agglutinated to a framework of cotton and spiders' webs, and is about -| inch thick in some places, in others not more 

 than g. Prom the point of suspension to the bottom of the nest is 3| inches, the greatest diameter of the purse is 

 2 inches, and the length of the opening If inch by 1 inch in breadth. 



Page 579. — Prionoehilus pipra. Count Salvadori, in 'The Ibis ' for January 1880, p. 144, corrects my mistake with 

 regard to this species being a made-up bird, and points out that it is a South- American species of the genus Iodopleura. 



Page 598. — '? Cotyle obsoleta. I find, on looking over old letters received from my correspondent, Mr. Parker, that 

 he has observed, at Anaradhapura, a Martin which would appear to be the same as Mr. Bligh's Haputale bird. It is, 

 however, possible that it may be the Common House-Martin (Chelidon urbica, Linn.), which visits the Nilghiris 

 occasionally. 



Page 633.— In my article on the Indian Sky-Lark, I have referred in the note to a further species, to be treated of 

 in the Appendix, concerning which I now have to remark that I am unable to deal with it as satisfactorily as I expected, 

 owing to my not having heard from Mr. Hume as to his opinion concerning the specimen of this race which I sent him 

 twelve months ago last August. Absence from his museum at Simla has, I presume, prevented his comparing the 

 specimen with a requisite series. 



On the 27th of June, 1S73, 1 shot a pair of Larks out of a small flock of a dozen or so that were feeding gregariously 

 on the bare plains near the leways at Hambantota. They differ from all other specimens of Larks I have met with in 

 Ceylon in their small size and proportionately stout Mirafra-Hke bill. They are changing from the first or nestling- 

 plumage to the mature dress ; and were it not for the stout bill, their small size would indicate them to be the young of 

 Alauda gulgula. The specimens, which are males, measure : — Length 5-75 to 6-0 inches ; wing 3-1 to 3-05 ; tail 1-8 to 

 1-85; tarsus 0-95; middle toe 0-55: hind toe 0-45, its claw (straight) 0-53 to 0-55 ; bill to gape 0-64, at front 0-5. 

 The bill is considerably stouter than that of fine specimens of the Indian Sky-Lark, but has not the massive curved form 

 of the bill of the Mirafra or feathered-nostrilled Larks, nor such a conical one as Spizalauda. 



Iris fulvous brown ; bill and upper mandible blackish, with a pale edge, lower mandible fleshy ; legs and feet olive- 

 brown, joints dark plumbeous. 



The feathers of the head and interscapular region are black, the margins rich rufous on the head, rufous-grey on 

 the back ; wing-coverts and tertials broadly margined with rufous ; the primaries edged outwardly with rufescent white ; 

 the nestling tail-feathers are very pointed ; the lateral newly-acquired ones rufescent white, with dark inner edges ; lores 

 and a broad supercilium rufescent white ; the new feathers of the throat and chest pale rufous, as also those of the 

 thighs ; the nestling-feathers of the under surface whitish ; across the chest the feathers are striped with dark brown. 



The second example has none of the bright rufous coloration of the one described. 



I compared both with a specimen of Alauda malabarica, the South-Indian form of Sky-Lark, sent to me by Canon 

 Tristram, as also with examples of Spizalauda deva, lately contained in the India Museum, and I do not find that it 

 corresponds with either. Owing, however, to the very poor series of Indian Larks to which I have had access, I am 

 unable to declare this Ceylonese form to be new or not. If it be so, I would propose the name of Alauda parlceri, in 

 honour of my valued correspondent, Mr. H. Parker, of the Ceylon Public Works Department. 



