CISTICOLA CUESITANS. 
533 
the up-country birds cited proving, however, an exception : in breeding-plumage the head is somewhat more 
uniform than in winter ; but there is in this sex always an absence of that striation which is characteristic of 
the other ; some birds at the autumn moult retain the dark head more than others. 
Female. G-alle (June). Edges of the feathers of the head dusky buff, and those of the back conspicuously wide. 
Colombo (September : two examples). Hoad and upper surface the same as in the above. 
Horton Plains (January). Head striated, edgings of back-feathers very dusky ; rufous of the lower back the same ; 
flanks dark ; spot in front of the eye not so dark as in the male. At all seasons the head of the female is striated, 
owing to the light edgings of the feathers. 
The length of the lateral tail-feathers, and also of the adjacent pair, varies. Specimens from the eastern province are 
more rufous in their marldngs than those from the Colombo district. 
Young. Iris greyish olive ; bill dark horn, under mandible yellowish fleshy ; legs and feet fleshy reddish. 
In first plumage (July) a male in my collection has the feathers of the head, hind neck, back, and wing-coverts very 
broadly margined with fulvous, the quills edged conspicuously with the same ; the centres of the feathers are very 
black ; fore neck and chest tinged with bufi, and the flanks strongly coloured with fulvous, as in the adult. 
Obs. Blyth described (loo. cit.) a second species of Cistieola from Ceylon, under the title of omalura, alleging that it 
differed from G. cursitans in having “ a shorter bill, the whole upper parts much darker, and the tail subeven, 
except that its outermost feathers are J inch shorter than the next. The prevailing hue of the upper parts is 
dusky black, with much narrower rufescent margins to the feathers than in 0. cursitans, the rump, how’ever, 
being unimxed rufescent as in that species, and the neck much tinged with the same.” This is simply the plumage 
of a dark specimen from up-country, in which district Eelaart allirms that he found this supposed species, although 
Bayard discovered it first of all at Gallo, and afterwards met with it at Pt. Pedro. IMumbers of examples may 
be met \^ith corresponding to Blyth’s C. omalwa ; but it is impossible to separate them from O. cursitans, which is 
as variable in Ceylon as it is throughout the vast range of territory in which it is elsewhere found. Males of the 
omalura type have the inside of the mouth black and the forehead uniform, as in typical cursitans ; and the females 
of both have the inside of the mouth fleshy and the head striated, and there is no difference in size, which, more 
than any thing, shows the identity of the tw'O supposed species. Ajiy one examining a large series of this inter- 
esting little bird from India, Europe, and Africa must speedily come to the conclusion that it would be very 
unsafe to take slight differences in plumage into consideration, so variable is it in this respect. The relative 
upper tail-coverts ; primaries and secondaries plain brown, the feathers margined with rufous-brown ; tail ruddy 
brown, obsoletely and narrowly barred with brown ; the ground-colour of the two outer pairs of rectrices dark 
brown towards the tips, which are pale ; lores, which are brown, surmounted by a wdutish streak ; ear-covert 
feathers brown at the tips and whitish at the base ; chin, throat, and down the centre of the breast dull white, 
the sides of the fore neck and the flanks brownish fulvous ; under tail-coverts fulvescent brownish, tipped whitish; 
under wdng whitish. 
Ohs. While examining some drawers of skins in the British Museum, I came on this example of a Timaline bird, 
labelled “ Ceylon, ex Cuming.” It appears to have been entirely overlooked during a period of more than twenty 
years ; for no bird corresponding to it has ever been noticed as being in the national collection from Ceylon. 
My friend Mr. Sharpe informs me that there is no doubt about the locality, and therefore the subject of this 
notice must be added to the already long list of Ceylonese birds. AVhether the specimen in question is correct y 
identified as being the SehcenicoLa platyura of Jordon it is impossible to say, for he only procured one examp e, an 
that w'as lost, not, however, until after Blyth had seen it, and applied to it the generic appellation of toniico a. 
I have carefully compared the skin in the British Museum with the description given by Jerdon o t e generic 
characters and plumage of his bird, and it corresponds in both respects so closely, that I feel almost sure t at i is 
the same species. Jerdon’s generic characters are : — “ Bill moderate, rather deep, much compresse , s ig j 
curved on the culmen; a few strong rictal bristles Wings moderate, slightly rounded, 4th quill longest, 
3rd equal to the 6th ; tad. moderate, very broad, soft,” &c. His description is extremely curt, and runs as follows : 
“Above dark olive-brown ; the feathers of the tail obsoletely barred ; beneath ochreous yellowish, bill horny 
yellow; hides yeUowish brown. Length 5-25 inches ; wing 2g ; tail 2-5 ; bill at front 0'4 ; tarsus 0'9, 
It would appear that the Broad-tailed Eeed-bird has recently again been procured in Travancore, as in the last number 
