276 V. Ball — Notes on Andaman Birds. [No. 4, 



I could not see any constant characters which would serve to distinguish 

 the two species other than that of size. Measurements of a male in inches : 

 wing 14 - 2 ; tail 9 - 2 ; bill to gape l - 8 ; tarsus 34. 



2. TTat,t7cttts lettcogaster, Gmel. 



Three specimens in various stages of plumage. Length of wing of 

 adult 20 - 8 inches. 



Fain. Stbiqtdm. 



3. Ephialtes spilqcephaltts, Blyth. (?) 



So far as it is possible to make out one of these difficult birds without 

 a good series for comparison, the specimen of Andaman scops before me 

 appears to correspond most nearly with Blyth's description of JE. spiloceplia- 

 lus ( = S. Malayanus, Hay ?) J. A. S. B. XV. p. 8, and with a specimen 

 of that species from Masuri in the old collection, No. 147, I, of Blyth's Cat. 



Mr. Hume only doubtfully refers spiloceplialus, Blyth, to gymnopodus, 

 Gray, so that for the present I think it safer to give Blyth's name. The 

 bird certainly belongs to the pennatus type as distinguished by Mr. Hume, 

 though Col. Tytler records F. Lempigi from the Andamans. 



Authorities are so divided as to the nomenclature to be adopted in 

 reference to this genus, that without attempting to discuss the question as 

 to what species spiloceplialus should be finally referred to, I shall confine 

 myself to shewing the points of resemblance between the Andaman bird and 

 spiloceplialus, Blyth, by the description of the former which is as follows : 



Above. Rufous inclining to bay, each feathej of the head, back of neck, 

 scapulars, wing coverts, back and rump with two fawn colored spots edged 

 with black. Primaries — first two not grown, fourth and fifth equal, five 

 white spots on the outer webs. Tail rufous brown, darker on the inner webs 

 of the rectrices, with four white bands. 



Beneath. Facial disk fawn colour. Loral bristles black, white towards 

 the base. Breast and abdomen finely mottled with brown and fawn or dusky 

 white, each feather with two brownish black spots which are separated by a 

 white bar. Tarsi covered for three-fourths of their length with short rufous 

 colored feathers, barred with brown. Feet and claws not quite so slender as 

 in the Masuri specimen. 



Measurement in inches : wing 5"6 ; tail 3 ; tarsus 1. 



Fain. HiBTnsrDiNiDJ3. 

 4. Collocalia LijS*chi, Horsf. BZirundo fucipliaga, Thun. 

 Trans. Linn. Soc. XIII, p. 143, G. Linchi et G. fucipliaga, Wallace, P. Z. S. 1863, 

 p. 384. C. affiwis, Tytler ? 



The present collection contains three specimens of Collocalia which 

 appear to have been taken from the nest as the primaries are not fully grown. 



