154 



Descriptions of some supposed New, or 



colour ; the upper tail coverts and the rectrices are brownish 

 black, barred with lighter bands, the middle rectrices not 

 forming an exception ; first quill of the wing almost spurious 

 and the outer webs of the Primaries are distinctly spotted, 

 and their inner webs more faintly barred with a colour 

 similar to the caudal bands. The bill is ivory white, and the 

 feet 'n the dried skin black. 



This bird's generic characters seem to place it near the ge- 

 nus Dendrocopus, if not in it. 



Dimensions. 



Total length 8^- inches. | Outer hallux. 1 inch. 



Wine 4 T H 7 Outer toe 1 „ 



Tail 3 „ Bill from base 1^ 



Tarsus ruths. gape l^ g - „ 



Gracula lieligiosa, Linne. 



Under the name of G. religiosa, Linne confounded two, if 

 not more species. Cuvier subsequently separated the largest 

 species which is found in Malasia from the continental Indian 

 species, naming the former Javanus, and the latter Indicus, 

 without regard to Linne's prior name of religiosa, (which was 

 applied to two species whose distinctness he allowed in his 

 systerna natures, but to which he only gave the one name above 

 mentioned.) This is I believe generally allowed to apply to 

 the larger or Malasian species, but on reading over atten- 

 tively the notice, given by Linne in his system, of the G. re- 

 ligiosa, I find that the first bird described is evidently our 

 Peninsular bird, as it is distinctly said that the variety No. 2 

 is much larger. The name religiosa therefore ought most 

 certainly to be retained to the first described species, and 

 not to the variety. I have now before me specimens of 

 three distinct species, the first from Malacca, the second from 

 Malabar, and the third from Northern India and Arracan; the 

 third species is intermediate in size between the Malacca' and 

 Malabar bird, and differs in other points also, which I will 



