4;6 Notices and Descriptions of Birds. [May, 



published by me, excepting only such names as there were no specimens 

 to answer to ; of which a very few only occurred. 



A collection of birds from Afghanistan and the Deyra Doon, just 

 received on loan from Capt. Hutton, affords the following novelties, 

 which I proceed to describe out of hand. 



Malacocercus Huttoni, nobis. Merely differs from M. caudatus in 

 its larger size, and the general paler hue of its upper parts. Length of 

 wing '?>\ in., and of middle tail-feathers above 5 in. From Candahar. 



Carpodacus crassirostris, nobis. Length about 5^ in., of wing 3f in., 

 and tail 1| in. Bill highly Pyrrhidine, resembling that of Hremator- 

 piza (XIII, 950). General colour earthy grey-brown above, faintly 

 tinged with crimson on the tips of the feathers ; the under-parts, cheeks, 

 forehead, rump and upper tail-coverts, conspicuously crimson-tipped ; 

 and the alars and greater wing-coverts and rectrices except towards the 

 tip, margined with deep crimson. Bill apparently yellow ; and legs 

 pale. From Afghanistan. 



Emberiza ? aurifrons, nobis. A true Bunting, but with bill of 

 peculiar form, much resembling that of Passer arciiatus, (Tern.), of 

 South Africa. Length 5^- in., of wing 3 in., and tail 2^ in. ; its medial 

 feathers f in. shorter. Forehead and vertex bright golden-saffron, much 

 as in Catamblyrhynchus diadema, (Lafr.), figured by Mr. G. R. Gray ; 

 occiput, cheeks, throat and fore-neck, black, passing to dusky on the 

 nape and sides of the neck ; back dusky, with yellowish lateral margins 

 to the feathers ; the rump towards the tail deep canary-yellow, shoulder 

 of the wing golden fulvous-yellow, and margins of the remiges and 

 rectrices saffron-yellow ; under tail-coverts pale canary-yellow, and rest 

 of the lower parts albescent tinged with yellow, with a dusky central 

 streak to each feather, and those of the breast dusky with yellow mar- 

 gins ; axillaries pure white ; a pale bar on the wing ; and the bill 

 and feet dark. From the north-west Himalaya. 



Melanocorypha torqnata, nobis. Afghanistan Lark, XIII, 962. 

 Nearly allied to M. calandra, from which it differs in its smaller size, and 

 general paler hue ; the black of the sides of the breast meeting across. 

 Length of wing 4^- in., and of tail 2\ in. ; tarse under 1 in. The exte- 

 rior web of the outermost tail-feather is not white, as in M. calandra. 



