1840.] 



of the Peninsula of India, 



9 



accurately described its winter dress as being almost identical with that 

 of the female. I may here state that there are two other opinions pre- 

 valent in India on this subject. One is that the black florikiu is the 

 young bird, and that he changes to the livery of the female ; the other 

 is that he is the adult cock bird, but that he does not change his 

 plumage. The following are the chief reasons I have for consider- 

 ing the black Jlorikin as the nuptial plumage of the common or fulvous 

 Jlorikin. 



1st. All black fiorikin examined by me (and others, I believe,) have 

 been males. 



2d. The black Jlorikin agrees exactly with the characters of the male 

 of the 0, fulva^ as described by Sykes, in size, length of wing, and 

 acumination of the quill feathers — the points of difference from the female. 



3d. The time of the first appearance of the black plumage of the 

 Jlorikin corresponds with the era preceding the breeding season— and its 

 disappearance also coincides with the termination of the breeding sea- 

 son ; and I have seen specimens in all states of progressive change, from 

 the female garb to that of the perfect black Jlorikin^ and again from this, 

 their nuptial plumage, to the more sobar livery of the rest of the year. 



4th. No males in the grey or fulvous plumage, in which at least 

 some black feathers were not visible, were ever shot by me during the 

 breeding or summer season, i. e. from June to November. 



5th. I may cite the evidence of Lieutenant Foljambes, in a brief 

 pap r in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, in which he states 

 it as his belief ' that they are the same bird, but that the black one is 

 only met with in Guzrat during the monsoon,' i. e. the breeding season. 



Lastly — I may state that several successful sportsmen, to whom I have 

 lately mentioned my opinion on this subject, fully agreed with me, and 

 even the opinion of those who considered the black birds to be young 

 ones, is, I think, to be added to the testimony in favour of the black being 

 the breeding plumage of the male bird. 



In the neighbourhood of Jaulnah, where my observations have been 

 chiefly made, I have seen the male bird just commencing to assume the 

 black plumage early in May, and I believe the majority of them have 

 assumed the perfect black plumage by the beginning of August. By the 

 middle of November most of them have, with the exception of a few 

 stray feathers, occasionally re-assumed their more sober grey livery. 

 I am perfectly aware that there are many occasional exceptions to this ; 

 dependent, however, I am convinced, chiefly on the well known great 

 irregularity of the time of breeding, so common in hot countries, where 

 the birds are not compelled, as they are in a cold country, to limit 



