207 
Species 0 /Antlius and Budytes. 
A. japonicus, judging from the examples I have seen, appears to 
retain them. The breast of immature A. japonicus is still more 
boldly spotted than in the mature bird, and in this respect 
rivals the well-marked Anthus maculatus, Hodgs.; the breast, 
however, possesses none of the warm tint of the adult, but is 
of a pale qchraceous-white ground-colour. These remarks 
apply to the one immature bird I saw in Mr. Swinhoe^s col¬ 
lection ; others may vary. 
The voice of Antlius blakistoni is very like that of A. pra- 
tensis. In India the bird is only to be found in marshy loca¬ 
lities in the north-west, and not at all in Bengal, so far as I 
know. Of its song I know nothing, as it leaves India in 
March, while the birds are still in small flights. 
Budytes taivanus, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1870, p. 346, P. Z. S. 
1871, p. 364. 
Unlike Anthus blakistoni , this good species has not been sup¬ 
pressed. It is a most remarkable Budytes; and its long strong 
bill alone renders it distinguishable from every other species. 
It is a much darker-toned bird above than any of the other 
four green-backed Budytes; and the head in breeding-plumage 
is of a rich dark olive; the broad supercilium is of a very deep 
yellow, and the cheeks are uniform blackish olive-brown; 
lower surface deep yellow, not so brilliant as in B. flavus and 
the other three allies, and much washed with dusky on the sides 
and flanks. The tail is fully a quarter of an inch shorter 
than in B. rayi , the outer feathers nearly all white, and the 
penultimate diagonally marked with white, having the greater 
portion of the inner web brown. There is no white on any 
other tail-feather of the six examples examined. The bills at 
front measure respectively *5, *5, *5, *48, *5, ’47. To the dis¬ 
tinguishing points which Mr. Swinhoe has indicated, the long 
strong bill should be added. 
With such good distinguishing marks, why should the 
green-backed Budytce be singled out for confusion ? If such 
nearly allied birds are to be lumped together, there is an end 
of ornithology as a science, and its greatest charm is gone. 
These allied species are difficult; but the difficulty should not 
