218 Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. [No. 2. 



p. (S'.—From seeing the fourth number of Gould's ' Birds of Asia,' I 

 find that the fragments of a large caepodacus from Kashmir, noticed in 

 J. A. S. XXII, 583, pertain to a specimen of C. kubicilla, (Brandt, v. 

 Coccothraustes caucasicus, Pallas) ; also that my C. grandis, J.A.S. XVIII, 

 810, from the Tyne range beyond Simla,=C. eodochlamts (Brandt, v. 

 C. sophia, Bonap. and Schlegel). The difference in the brightness of 

 colouring of Mr. Gould's male specimens of C. kubicilla from different 

 localities is merely seasonal, and exactly corresponds with what I have 

 observed of the common Indian species, currently referred to C. eeythei- 

 nus. No. 938 of my Catalogue of Birds in the Society's museum is 

 correctly identified ; but the earliest name for the species is Tuedus fus- 

 catus, Pallas. Of T. ruficollis, Pallas, Mr. Gould mentions the suspi- 

 cion that it is merely a variety of T. ateogulaeis, batterer ; and states 

 that he had "never seen a specimen of the latter species with any other 

 than blackish-brown tail-feathers; if I had," he adds, "I should have 

 become a convert to the opinion of those who consider the two birds to 

 constitute but a single species." Had he turned to my Catalogue, how- 

 ever, which he quotes, he would have found it stated of T. euficollis, 

 that it is " perhaps a variety of T. ateogulaeis, of which some specimens 

 are partially rufous-tailed." We have such in our museum. I strongly 

 suspect, also, that Meeula castanea, Gould, is an analogous variety of 

 M. albocincta, (Eoyle); and Geocichla dissimilis, nobis, of G. uni- 

 coloe.* No. 1465 of the same Catalogue is Euplocomus Vieilloti, 

 (G. E. Gray) ; distinct, it now appears, from Eu. ignitus. Mr. Gould 



* In a letter just opportunely received from Capt. Thos. Hutton, that observer 

 writes — " I incline now to think that Merula castanea is distinct from M. 

 albocincta, on account of difference of habit ; the former is in large parties, the 

 latter always single and solitary. Turdus ruficollis I do not know in these 

 parts ; but T. atrogularis is abundant here in winter and also in Afghanistan. 

 Geocichla dissimilis and unicolor may probably be the same, though I think 

 not, as I have never seen a bird answering to your description of the former." 



The same gentleman adds, in reply to another enquiry of mine, — " I never saw 

 Corvus corax in all my wanderings, nor yet in auy collection made in the hills ; 

 and have no faith in its existence in these parts." So Mr. Hodgson also lately 

 assured me, that he had never heard of it to the southward of the snowy ranges, 

 though common in Tibet. But in a letter just received from Mr. L. C. Stewart, 

 now at Wuzeerabad, that observer writes — " Corvus corax abounds, and is as 

 impudent and familiar as C. splendens. He seems to replace C. culminatus, 

 as I have not seen one of the latter. There can be no mistake, for he is as big as a 

 balf-grown Turkey." A specimen would be very acceptable from that locality. 



