1872.] W. T. Blanford— On Birds from Silckim. 157 



throughout. I know that hi the race inhabiting the Central Provinces the 

 female is barred beneath at all ages. I have four specimens from Chanda and 

 the Godavari valley, all females, and there are three more in the Indian Mu- 

 seum from Singbhum, Chutia Nagpur, &c. Several are evidently adults, all are 

 barred beneath on the throat and breast. Indeed, I am far from sure that the 

 male of the Central Indian form is not also barred, one specimen in the 

 Indian Museum marked as a male from Chutia TsTagpiir certainly is so, but a 

 male from Manbhiim resembles the Himalayan bird, except that it is a little 

 smaller, wing 675. This, however, may belong to the Eastern Bengal race, 

 which is found in the Himalayas and East of the Bay of Bengal. The Indian 

 form proper is, as a rule, rather smaller with a slightly smaller bill.* 



G. Layarcli, Blyth (?G. pusillus olim) Ibis, 1866, p. 368, is apparently 

 quite distinct, for it is said to have the anterior under wing coverts barred, 

 which is never the case in adults of the Central Indian form, and, according 

 to Mr. Blyth, the breast in the female of G. Layarcli is not barred. A descrip- 

 tion of the adult female of G. Macei from Chanda may be useful to enable 

 ornithologists with better collections to determine how far the Indian form 

 is separable from the Himalayan, Eastern Bengal and Barmese race. 



Upper parts bluish grey, the feathers of the rump and upper tail coverts 

 with whitish edges. Central tail feathers a rather browner grey, outer tail 

 feathers brown, passing into white at the tips, the white tips, being very 

 narrow and soon worn off on the central feathers, so that they can only be 

 detected in freshly moulted plumage, but increasing progressively in length 

 until in the outermost restrices they are f in. to an inch long. Quills brown, 

 all but the 1st narrowly edged inside and outside with white, the last second- 

 aries (tertiaries) with the outer web grey. Lores dusky grey, a dark band 

 from them passing through the eye and comprising the ear coverts. Lower 

 plumage greyish white barred with darker grey on the throat and breast ; ab- 

 domen and under tail coverts white, with a few dusky bars, further apart 

 than on the breast, on the upper part of the belly and on the flanks. 

 Measurements (in inches) taken before skinning 



Length wing tail tarsus bill from forehead bill from gape 



12 65 to 6-75 5-25 1- 0-9 1-4 



Young birds have the grey of the head less pure, and the lower parts white, 

 barred with dusky, the bars in some cases extending to the vent. 



If the races from Central India and the Himalayas be distinguishable, 

 it remains to be seen which is G. Macei of Lesson. The Himalayan . and 

 Barmese races are identical, I believe. 



63 Iff. Zosterops simplex, Swinhoe. 



Two specimens from Eastern Nipal, sent to me hj Mr. Mandelli, belong 

 to this race, which must be added to the Birds of India. The difference 

 * This has been, I find, noticed by Beavan, Ibis, 1867, p. 322. 



21 



