118 Olser rations regarding some species of birds. [No. 2, 



India, some from even as far east as Comillah in Tipper ah, and 

 there is not the slightest doubt, I believe, that both forms repre- 

 sent different sexes and stages of plumage of the same species. 

 Mr. Blanford might, therefore, well kill a perfectly intermediate 

 specimen. 



473. Oriolus Geylonensis.— None of the supposed specimens of 

 this species, from Ahmednugger sent me by Messrs. Fairbank 

 and Bruce were, in my opinion, Ceylonensis, — at least if Geylonensis 

 be a good species. The chief distinctions supposed to exist be- 

 tween melanoceplialus and Ceylonensis consist — 1st, in the black of the 

 throat coining much further down on the breast of melanoceplialus, 

 than of Ceylonensis ; 2nd, in melanoceplialus having the secondaries 

 and tertiaries broadly tipped yellow, and the outer webs of the 

 latter yellow, while in Ceylonensis only the tertiaries are tipped, 

 and this only on the outer webs, with yellow. 



Messrs. Fairbank's and Bruce's Ahmednugger specimens, 

 though somewhat intermediate, pertained rather to the melanoceplia- 

 lus than the Ceylonensis type. As a matter of fact, I have shot good 

 typical examples of both races in the same localities in the Bhabur, 

 below Gurhwal, and in Oudh Terai, and I at present utterly dis- 

 believe in Ceylonensis as a distinct species. Perhaps, however, I 

 have never seen a true Ceylonensis, my museum unfortunately con- 

 tains no Ceylon specimen. 



353. Oroccctes cinclorliynclius. — Stragglers of this species (and 

 what is more remarkable of Oreocincla dauma) occur every cold 

 weather in the plains of the N. W. Provinces and the northern portion 

 of the Central Provinces. When our Avifauna comes to be more 

 closely watched, a vast number of the Himalayan species, now 

 considered to reside exclusively in the Hills, will be found to visit 

 the plains during the cold weather. I killed a fine specimen of 

 Ticliodroma muraria on the clay cliffs of the river Jumna, at Shere- 

 gurh, some 20 miles due north of Jaloun. 



354. Geociclila cyanota. — Mr. Blanford may be right in con- 

 sidering the olive tint on the back a sign of immaturity, but it is 

 curious, that out of a large series of this species and citrina, no 

 single male exhibits this peculiarity, but a large proportion of the 

 females do. This may be accidental. 



