HANDBOOK
TO THE
BIRDS
OF THE
BOMBAY PRESIDENCY,
BY
LIEUT. H. EDWIN BARNES, D.A.C.,
BOMBAY COMMISSARIAT DEPARTMENT,
MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGICAL UNION AND BOMBAY NATURAL
HISTORY SOCIETY.
PUBLISHED BY THE CALCUTTA CENTRAL PRESS CO., LD.,
5, COUNCIL HOUSE STREET.
1886.
f,* JtT THB CALCUTTA CKNTBAL PBES8 CO.,
5, COUNCIL HOUSB 8TBBBT.
Z5"
LIBRARY
>
BIOLOGY
7-
K*
COLONEL CHARLES SWINHOE, F.L.S., F.Z.S.,
THIS WORK
BY HIS GRATEFUL
tarn
OBEDIENT SERVANT
THH
AUTHOR.
u
9832567
*
S L/Tft CL 6 )
PREFACE.
T IS with extreme reluctance that I have been
induced to publish the following unpreten-
tious volume, and I could have wished that
the task had fallen into more able hands ; but,
believing that a work of this kind is much
needed, and no one else apparently being willing to
undertake it, I venture with some diffidence to place it
before the public, hoping that it will meet with a favorable
reception.
Its object is to place, at a cost within the reach of all,
a book that will enable them to identify any bird they
may meet with.
When I first commenced taking an interest in ornitho-
logy, I was much hindered by the difficulty -expe-
rienced in obtaining works dealing with the subject, those
extant being so costly as to be quite beyond my
means ; and it was only by practising rigid economy,
and the exercise of much self-denial, that I obtained them.
Even then my difficulties were not ended ; the infor-
mation was scattered throughout so many volumes, and
I met with so many perplexing contradictions that the
books were often a hindrance rather than a help to me.
I conceived the idea of compiling a hand-book for private
use, dealing exclusively with that portion of India proper
garrisoned by Bombay troops. Many friends, to whom
I showed the compilation, expressed a wish to have a
similar one, and strongly urged me to publish it; it is
in deference to these wishes that the book appears.
U(
VI PREFACE.
I have followed Jerdon as closely as possible, and have
deviated from his descriptions only when such appeared
really necessary ; and for these alterations I am mainly
indebted to Mr. A. 0. Hume, whose numerous works on
Indian Ornithology are so well known.
The Bombay Presidency falls naturally into three
divisions, Sind, Rajputana, (including Guzerat, Kutch,
and portions of Central India), and the Deccan.
For information relating to the Birds of Sind, I am
indebted to many papers scattered throughout "Stray
Feathers," and also to Mr. Murray's valuable work on
the Vertebrate Zoology of Sind.
For similar information regarding Rajputana, I am
.mainly indebted to Major Butler, whose able papers on
the " Avifauna of Northern Guzerat and Mount Aboo"
appeared in " Stray Feathers," Volumes III, IV, and V,
I am again indebted to this gentleman for his exhaus-
tive resume of the " Birds of the Deccan," compiled from
papers by various authors published in " Stray Feathers,"
and supplemented to a great extent by his own researches.
I have quoted largely from the above authors, and trust
that this general acknowledgment will be deemed suffi-
cient.
I would add, in conclusion, that my long residence
in India, embracing a period of 20 years (during which
time I have been located at most of the military stations
in the Bombay Presidency) has afforded me ample
opportunities for the careful study of bird-life in all its
various phases.
L
CONTENTS.
*^ Jerdon'a
Number.
POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
1
The Cinereous Vulture ... Vultur monachus, Lin.
2
2
The Indian King Vulture. Otogyps calvus, Scop.
3
Sbis.
The Bay Vulture ... Gyps fulvescens, Hume
4.
4 Ms.
The Long-billed Pale
H
Brown Vulture ... pallescens, Hume
*
5
The White-backed Vul-
ture ... ... Pseudogyps bengalensis, Gm.
6
6
The White Scavenger
Vulture ... ... Neophron ginginianus, Lath.
7
7
The Lammergeyer ... Gypaatus barbatus, Lin. . .
8
8
The Peregrine Falcon ... Falco peregrinus, Gm.
9
9
The Shaheen Falcon ... peregrinator, Sund. . .
11
10
The Saker Falcon ... sacer, Gm.
12
11
The Laggar Falcon ... jugger, J. E. Or. . .
12
12
The Red-can Falcon babvlonimis /3
13
ERBATA.
16
Page 204, line 13, for " tringi" read :< Kingi."
<4 6
307 J5
29 " Setraonidae" read " Tetraonidffi."
m
17
17
The Kestril ... Uerchneis tinnunculus, Lin....
as
18
The Lesser Kestril ... naumanni, Fleisch.
W
1 Rbis
20
19
The Red-legged Falcon ... vespertina, Lin. ...
20
22
&
The Crested Goshawk ... Astur trivirgatus, Tern. ~^
23
The Shikra ... badius, Gm. ../"<*
24
The Sparrow Hawk ... Accipiter nisus, Lin.
24
25
The Jungle Sparrow
Hawk ... ... ,, virgatus, jfoz'fl 10. ...
24
26
The Golden Eagle ... Aquila chrysaetus, Lin.
25
27
The Imperial Eagle ... mogilnik, 8. G. Gm.
26
28
The Spotted Eagle ... clanga, Pall. ...
28
29
The Tawny Eagle ... vindhiana, FranJcl. ...
29
31
The Dwarf Eagle ... Hieraetus pennatus, Gm. ...
30
32
The Black Eagle ... Neopus malayensis, JReinw.
31
33
The Crestless Hawk Eagle. Nisaetus fasciatus, Vieill. ...
32
35
The Crested Hawk Eagle. Limnaetus cirrhatus, Gm. ...
33
37
The Rufous-bellied Hawk
Eagle ... ... kieneri, Gerv. ...
35
38
The Common Serpent
Eagle ... ... Circaetus gallicus, Gm.
36
39
The Crested Serpent
Eagle ... ... Spilornis cheela, Lath.
37
J* OM
^ ^
To/tT
IOA.UU d
n */
VI PREFACE.
I have followed Jerdon as closely as possible, and have
deviated from his descriptions only when such appeared
really necessary ; and for these alterations I am mainly
indebted to Mr. A. 0. Hume, whose numerous works on
Indian Ornithology are so well known.
The Bo.mbay Presidency falls naturally into three
divisions, Sind, Rajputana, (including Guzerat, Kutch,
and portions of Central India), and the Deccan.
For information relating to the Birds of Sind, I am
indebted to many papers scattered throughout "Stray
Feathers," and also to Mr. Murray's valuable work on
the Vertebrate Zoology of Sind.
For similar information regarding Rajputana, I am
* mainly indebted to Major Butler, whose able papers on
the " Avifauna of Northern Guzerat and Mount Aboo"
appeared in " Stray Feathers," Volumes III, IV, and V,
I am
tive rest
papers b <7 _
and supplemented to a great extent by his own researches.
I have quoted largely from the above authors, and trust
that this general acknowledgment will be deemed suffi-
cient.
I would add, in conclusion, that my long residence
in India, embracing a period of 20 years (during which
time I have been located at most of the military stations
in the Bombay Presidency) has afforded me ample
opportunities for the careful study of bird-life in all its
various phases.
L
Jerdon'a
Number.
1
2
Mis.
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
15
16
17
18
ISbis.
19
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
31
32
33
35
37
38
39
CONTENTS
Pale
Vul-
POPULAR NAME.
The Cinereous Vulture ...
The Indian King Vulture.
The Bay Vulture
The Long-billed
Brown Vulture
The White-backed
ture
The White Scavenger
Vulture ...
The Lammergeyer
The Peregrine Falcon .
The Shaheen Falcon
The Saker Falcon
The Laggar Falcon
The Red-cap Falcon
The Barbary Falcon
The Hobby
The Merlin
The Red-headed Merlin
The Kestril
The Lesser Kestril
The Red-legged Falcon
The Crested Goshawk
The Shikra
The Sparrow Hawk
The Jungle Sparrow
Hawk ...
The Golden Eagle
The Imperial Eagle
The Spotted Eagle
The Tawny Eagle
The Dwarf Eagle
The Black Eagle
The Crestless Hawk Eagle.
The Crested Hawk Eagle.
The Rufous-bellied Hawk
Eagle
The Common Serpent
Eagle ...
The Crested Serpent
Eagle ...
SCIENTIFIC NAME.
Vultur monachus, Lin.
Otogyps calvus, Scop.
Gyps fulvescens, Hume
pallescens, Hume ...
Pseudogyps bengalensis, Gm.
Neophron ginginianus, Lath.
Gypsetus barbatus, Lin.
Falco peregrinus, Gm.
peregrinator, Sund.
sacer, Gm.
jugger, J. E. Or.
babylonicus, Qurn.
barbarus, Lin.
subbuteo, Lin.
assalon, Tunst.
chiquera, Daud.
Cerchneis tinnunculus, Lin.
naumanni, Fleiscfi.
pekinensis, Swinh.
vespertina, Lin. ...
amurensis, Eadde
Astur trivirgatus, Tern.
badius, Gm.
Accipiter nisus, Lin.
,, virgatus, Eeinio. ...
Aquila chrysaetus, Lin.
mogilnik, S. G. Gm.
clanga, Pall.
vindhiana, FranJcl. ...
Hieraetus pennatus, Gm. ...
Neopus malayensis, Eeinw.
Nisaetus fasciatus, Vieill. ...
Limnaetus cirrhatus, Gm. ...
kieneri, Gerv. ...
Circaetus gallicus, Gm.
Spilornis cheela, Lath.
24
25
26
28
29
30
31
32
33
35
36
37
Vlll
CONTENTS.
Jerdon's
Number.
POPULAR NAME.
The Southern Harrier
40
41
Eagle ...
The Osprey
The White-tailed
Sea
SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page,
Spilornis melanotis, Jerd. ... 37
Pandion haliaetus, Lin. ... 38
Eagle ... ... Polioaetus ichthyaetus,
Horsf.
39
42
The Ring-tailed Sea Eagle. Haliaetus leucoryphus, Pall.
39
425/5.
The European White-
tailed Sea Eagle ... albicilla, Lin.
40
43
The Gray-backed Sea
Eagle ... ... leucogaster, Qm.
42
45
The Long-legged Buzzard. Buteo ferox, S. O. Gtn.
42
48
The White-eyed Blizzard. Butastur teesa, Frankl.
44
51
The Pale Harrier ... Circus macrurus, 8. O. Qm.
45
52
Montagu's Harrier ... cineraceus, Mont. ...
49
53
The Pied Harrier ... melanoleucos, Forst.
52
54
The Marsh Harrier .. ,, asruginosus, Lin
52
55
The Brahminy Kite ... Haliastur Indus, Bodd.
54
56
The Pariah Kite ... Milvus govinda, Sykes.
54
56bis.
The Large Pariah Kite ... melanotis, Tern, and
ScTil.
57
57
The Honey Buzzard ... Pernis ptilorhynchus, Tern....
57
59
The Black-winged Kite ... Elanus ceeruleus, Desf.
59
60
The Indian Screech Owl ... Strix javanica, Qm.
60
61
The Grass Owl ... Candida, Tick.
61
63
The Brown Wood Owl ... Syrnium indranee, Sykes. ...
62
65
The Mottled Wood Owl ... ocellatum, Less. ...
62
67
The Long-eared Owl ... Asio otus, Lin.
63
68
The Short-eared Owl ... accipitrinus, Forst. ...
64
69
The Rock-horned Owl ... Bubo bengalensis, Frankl. ...
65
70
The Dusky-horned Owl ... corornandus, Lath. ...
66
72
The Brown Fish Owl ... Ketupa ceylonensis, Gm. ...
68
74
The Indian Scops Owl ... Scops pennatus, Hodgs. ...
70
74:sepl
. The Striated Scops Owl ... ,, brucii, Hume.
71
75ter.
bakkamuna, Forst. ...
72
75quai
f. The Malabar Scops Owl ... malabaricus, Jerd. ...
74
76
The Spotted Owlet ... Carine brama, Tern.
75
77
The Jungle Owlet ... Glaucidium radiatum, Tick.
76
78
The Malabar Owlet ... ,, malabaricum,
Ely.
76
81
The Brown Hawk Owl ... Ninox lugubris, Tick.
77
82
The Common Swallow ... Hirundo rustica, Lin.
79
84
The Wire-tailed Swallow filifera, StepTi
79
85
The Red-rumped Swallow erythropygia, Sykes
80
86
The Indian Cliff Swallow fluvicola, Jerd.
81
87
The European Sand Mar-
tin .... .., Cotyle riparia, Lin.
82
89
The Indian Sand Martin sinensis, J. E. Cr. ...
82
90
The Dusky Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne concolor,
Sykes. ...
83
91
The Mountain Crag Martin rupestris,
Scop. ...
83
CONTENTS. ix
Numb!?. POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
Qlbis. The Pallid Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne obsoleta, Cab. 83
92 The English House Mar-
tin ... ... Chelidon urbica, Lin. ... 84
95 The White-rumped Spine-
tail ... ... Chsetura sylvatica, Tick. ... 85
98 The Alpine Swift ... Cypsellus melba, Lin. ,.. 85
99 The European Swift ... apus, Lin. ' ... 85
100 The Common Indian Swift affinis, J. E. Gr. 86
101 The White-clawed Swift leuconyx, Tick. ... 86
102 The Palm Swift ... batassiensis, J. E.
Gr. ... 87
103 The Indian Edible-nest
Swiftlet ... ... Collocalia unicolor, Jerd. ... 87
104 The Indian Crested Swift Dendrochelidon coronata,
Tick. ... ... 88
107 The Jungle Night Jar ... Caprimulgus indicus, Lath. 89
108 The Neilgherry Night Jar kelaarti, Ely. 89
109 The Large Bengal Night
Jar ... ... ,, albonotatus,
Tick. ... 90
111 The Ghat Night Jar ... atripennis,
Jerd. ... 90
lllbis. Unwin's Night Jar ... unwini, Hume. 90
112 The Common Indian
Night Jar ... asiaticus, Lath. 91
113 Sykes' Night Jar ... mahrattensis,
Sykes ... 92
114 Franklin's Night Jar ... monticolus,
Frankl. ... 92
115 The Malabar Trogon ... Harpactes fasciatus, Forst. 93
117 The Common Indian Bee-
eater ... ... Merops viridis, Lin. ... 93
118 The Blue-tailed Bee-eater philippinus, Lin ... 94
119 The Chesnut-headed Bee-
eater ... swinhoii, Hume. ... 95
120 The Egyptian Bee-eater persicus, Pall. ... 95
121 The European Bee-eater apiaster, Lin. ... 95
122 The Blue-necked Bee-
eater ... ... Nycticornis athertoni, Jard.
and Sell. ... ... 96
123 The Indian Roller ... Coracias indica, Lin. ... 97
125 The European Holler ... garrula, Lin. ... 98
127 The Brown-headed King-
fisher ... ... Pelargopsis gurial, Pears. ... 98
129 The White-breasted King-
fisher ... ... Halcyon srnyrnensis, Lin. ... 99
130 The Black-capped Purple
Kingfisher ... pileata, Bodd. *<* 100
132 The White-collared King-
fisher ... ... chloris, Bodd. ... 100
I.
CONTENTS.
POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME, Page.
133 The Three-toed Purple
Kingfisher ... Ceyx tridactylus, Pall. ... 101
134: The Common Indian
Kingfisher ... Alcedo bengalensis, Om. ... 101
134fo'. The European Kingfisher ispida, Lin. ... 102
ISS^watf.Beavan's Kingfisher ... beayani, Wald. ... 102
136 The Pied Kingfisher ... Ceryle rndis, Lin. ... 103
140 The Great Hornbill ... Dichoceros caratus, Shaw. ... 104
141 The Malabar Pied Horn-
bill ... . . . Hydrocissa coronata, Bodd. 105
144 The Common Grey Horn-
bill ... ... Ocyceros birostris, Scop. ... 106
145 The Jungle Grey Hornbill Tockus griseus, Lath. ... 106
147 The Alexandrine Paroquet Paheornis eupatria, Lin. ... 108
148 The Rose-ringed Paroquet torquatus, Bodd. 108
149 The Rose-headed Paro-
quet ... ... purpureus, P.L.S.
Mull. ... 109
151 The Blue-winged Paroquet columboides, Vig. 110
153 The Indian Loriquet ... Loriculus vernalis, Sparr. ... Ill
158 The Sind Woodpecker ... Picus sindianus, Gould. ... 112
160 The Yellow-fronted Wood-
pecker ... ... mahrattensis, Lath. ... 112
164 The Southern Pigmy
Woodpecker ... Yungipicus nanus, Vig. ... 113
165 The Heart-spotted Wood-
pecker ... ... Hemicercus cordatus, Jerd. 114
IQQbis. The Southern Large
Golden-backed Wood-
pecker ... ... Chrysocolaptes delesserti,
Malh. ... 114
167 The Black-backed Wood-
pecker ... ... festivus, Bodd. 115
169 The Great Black Wood-
pecker ... ... Thriponax hodgsoni, Jerd.... 116
171 The Small Green Wood-
pecker ... ... Gecinus striolatus, Ely. ... 116
175 The Southern Yellow-
necked Woodpecker ... Chrysophlegma chlorigaster,
Jerd. ... 117
178 The Bengal Rufous Wood-
pecker ... ... Micropternus pha3oceps, Bly. 118
179 The Madras Rufous Wood-
pecker ... ... gularis, Jerd.... 118
180 The Golden-backed Wood-
. pecker ... ... Brachypternus aurantius,
Lin. ... 118
181 The Lesser Golden-backed
Woodpecker ' ... puncticollis,
Malk. ... 119
188 The Common Wryneck ,., Yunx torquilla, Lin. ... 120
CONTENTS. xi
jTumbe'r POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
193 The Common Green Barbet Megalaima caniceps, Franlcl. 121
193fo>. The Western Green Barbet Megalaima inornata, Wald. 121
194 The Small Green Barbet viridis, Bodd. ... 122
197 The Crimson-breasted Bar-
bet ... ... Xantholaema hasmacephala,
Mull. ... 122
198 The Crimson-throated Bar-
*bet ... ... malabarica, Ely. 123
199 The Cuckoo ... Cuculus canorus, Lin. ... 124
201 The Small Cuckoo ... poliocephalus, Lath. 124
202 The Banded Bay Cuckoo sonnerati, Lath. ... 125
203 The Indian Cuckoo ... micropterus, Qould. 125
205 The Common Hawk
Cuckoo ... ... Hierococcyx varius, Vahl. ... 126
208 The Indian Plaintive
Cuckoo ... ... Cacomantis passerinus, Vahl. 127
210 The Drongo Cuckoo ... Surniculus lugubris, Horsf. 128
211 The Emerald Cuckoo ... Chrysococcyx maculatus, Qm. 128
212 The Pied Crested Cuckoo Coccystes jacobinus, JBodd. 129
213 The Red-winged Crested
Cuckoo ... ... coromandus, Lin. 130
214 The Indian Koel or Black
Cuckoo ... ... Eudynamis honorata, Lin..~. 130
216 The Small Green-billed
Malkoha ... ... Rhopodytes viridirostris,
Jerd. ... 131
217 The Common Concal ... Centropus rufipennis, III. ... 132
2 \lqiiint.ThQ Large Crow Pheasant maximus, Hume. 133
218 The Lesser Indian Concal ,, bengalensis, Gm. 133
219 The Southern Sirkeer ... Taccocua leschenaulti, Less. 134
220 The Bengal Sirkeer ... sirkee, Gray. ... 134
224 The Little Spider Hunter Arachnothera longirostra,
Lath. ' ... 135
226 The Violet-eared Bed
Honey-Sucker ... JEthopygia vigorsi, dykes. 135
232 The Amethyst-rumped
Honey-Sucker ... Cinnyris zeylonica, Lin. ... 136
233 The Tiny Honey-Sucker minima, Sykes. ... 136
234 The Purple Honey-Sucker asiatica, Lath. ... 137
235 The Large Purple Honey-
Sucker ... .. lotenia, Lin. ... 137
238 TickelTs Flower-Pecker ... Dicaeurn erythrorhynchus,
Lath. ... 138
239 The Neilgherry Flower-
Pecker ..." ... concolor, Jerd. ... 138
240 The Thick-billed Flower-
Pecker ... ... Piprimosa agile, Tick. ... 139
246 The Spotted Grey Creeper Salpornis spilonota, Frankl. 139
250 The Chesnut-bellied Nut-
hatch ... ... Sitta castaneiventris, Frankl. 140
xii CONTENTS.
Jfufnber POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
253 .' The Velvet-fronted Blue
Nuthatch .. ... Dendrophila frontalis, Horsf. 140
25-4 The European Hoopoe ... Upupa epops, Lin. ... 141
255 The Indian Hoopoe .. ,, ceylonensis, Reich. .. 142
256 The Indian Grey Shrike Lanius lahtora, Sykes. ... 143
257 The Rufous-backed Shrike erythronotus, Viq. ... 143
259 The Black-headed Shrike nigriceps, Frankl. ... 144
260 The Bay-backed Shrike... vittatus, Vol. ... 144
ZGObis. The European Red-backed
Shrike ... ... collurio, Lin. ... 145
261 The Brown Shrike ... cristatus, Lin, ... 145
262 . The Pale Brown Shrike... isabellinus, Hemp, fy
Elir. ... 146
264 The Malabar Wood-ShrikeTephrodornis sylvicola, Jerd, 147
265 The Common Wood-
Shrike ... ... pondicerianus,
Qm. ... 147
267 . The Little Pied Shrike ... Hemipus picatus, Sykes. ... 148
268 The Black-headed Cuckoo
Shrike ... ... Volvocivora sykesi, Strickl. 148
269 .The Dark Grey Cuckoo-
Shrike ... ... melaschista, Hodgs. 149
269quat.. Hypocolius ampelinus, Bp. 149
270 The Large Cuckoo Shrike Graucalus macii, Less. ... 150
271 The Large Minivet ... Pericrocotus speciosus, Lath. 151
272 The Orange Minivet ... flammeus, Forst. 151
273 The Short-billed Minivet brevirostris, Vig. 152
276 .The Small Minivet ... peregrinus, Lin. 152
277 The White-bellied Minivet erythropygius,
Jerd. ... 153
278 The Kingcrow ... Buchanga atra, Rerm. ... 154
280 The Long-tailed Drongo
Shrike ... ... longicauda, Hay. 154
281 The White-bellied Drongo casrulescens, Lin. 155
282 The Bronzed Drongo ... Chaptia senea, Vieill. ... 155
284 The Large Racket-tailed
Drongo ... ... Dissemurus grandis, Qould. 156
285 The Malabar Racket-tailed
Drongo ... ... paradiseus, Lin. 156
286 The Hair Crested Drongo Chibia hottentota, Lin. ... 157
287 The Ashy Swallow Shrike Artamus fuscus, Vieill. ... 157
288 The Paradise Flycatcher Muscipeta paradisi, Lin. ... 158
290 The ' Black-necked Blue
Flycatcher ... Hypothymis azurea, Bodd. 159
291 The. White-throated Fan-
tail ... ... Leucocerca albicollis, Vieill. 160
292 The .White-browed Fan-
tail ... aureola, Vieill.... 160
293 The White-spotted Fan-
tail ... ... leucogastcr, Cuv. 1C1
CONTENTS. Xlii
Number. POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
295 'The Grey-headed Fly-
. catcher ... . Culicicapa ceylonensis, Sws. 162
297 The Southern Brown Fly-
catcher ... ... Alseonax latirostris, Raffi.... 163
2996/s. , The Cherry Chopper ... Butalis grisola, Lin. ... 163
301 The Verditer Flycatcher Stoporala melanops, Vig. ... 164
304 The Blue-throated Red-
breast ... ... Cyornis rubeculoides, Tiff.... 164
306 Tickell's Blue Redbreast . tickelli, Ely. ... 164
307 . The Rufous-tailed Fly-
catcher ... ... ruficaudus, Sws. ... 165
309 The White-bellied Blue
Flycatcher ... pallipes, Jerd. ... 165
310 The White-browed Blue
Flycatcher ... Muscicapula superciliaris, Jer d. 166
323 The White-tailed Robin
Flycatcher ... Erythrosterna albicilla, Pal. 167
323fo's. The European White-
tailed Flycatcher ... parva, Bechst. 167
326 .The Little Pied Fly-
catcher ... ... maculata, Tick. 167
342 The Malabar Whistling
Thrush ... ... Myiophoneushorsfieldi, Vig. 168
345 The Yellow-breasted Ground
Thrush ... Pitta brachyura, Lin. ... 169
351 The Blue Rock Thrush.. Monticola cyaneus, Lin. ... 169
353 The Blue-headed Chat
Thrush ... ... cinclorhynchus, Vig. 170
354 The White-winged Ground
Thrush ... .. Geocichla cyanotis, Jard. Sf
355 The Orange-headed Ground Sel. ... 171
Thrush ... ... citrina, Lath. ... 171
356 The Dusky Ground Thrush unicolor, Tick.... 171
857 Ward's Pied Blackbird... Turdulus wardi, Jerd. ... 172
359 The Black-capped Black-
bird ... ... Merula nigropilea, Lafr. ... 173
365 The Black-throated Thrush atrogularis, Tern. ... 173
385 The Yellow-eyed Babbler Pyctoris sinensis, Gm. ... 174
386/er. The Grey-throated Bab-
bler ... ... griseogularis, Hume 174
389 The Neilgherry Quaker
Thrush ... ... Alcippe poiocephala, 7er d..*. 175
390 The Black-headed Wren
Babbler ... ... atriceps, Jerd. ... 175
395 TheYellow-breastedWren
Babbler ... ... Mixornis rubricapillus, Tick. 176
397 The Rufous-bellied Bab-
bler ... ... Dumetia hyperythra, FranJcl. 176
398 The White-throated Wren
Babbler ... ... albogularis, Bly..... 177
XIV CONTENTS.
POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
399 The [Spotted Wren Bab-
bler ... ... Pellorneum ruficeps, Sws.... 177
404 The Southern Scimitar
Babbler ... ... Pomatorhinus horsfieldi,
Sykes ... 178
404ter. Hume's Scimitar Babbler obscurus, Hume. 178
432 The Bengal Babbler ... Malacocercus terricolor,
Hodgs ... 179
433 The White-headed Bab-
bler ... ... griseus, Lath. 179
434 The Jungle Babbler ... malabaricus,
Jerd. ... 180
435 The Rufous-tailed Bab-
bler ... ... somervillii, Sykes. 180
436 The Large Grey Babbler malcolmi, Sykes 180
437 The Kufous Babbler ... Layardia subrufa, Jerd. ... 181
438 The Striated Bush Bab-
bler ... ... Chatarrhaea caudata, Dum. 181
439 The Striated Keed Bab-
bler ... ... earlii, Ely. ... 182
441 The Grass Babbler ... Chgetornis striatus, Jerd. .., 183
442 The Broad-tailed Eeed
Bird ... ... Schcenicola platyurus, Jerd. 183
443 The Long-tailed Reed
Bird ... ... Laticilla burnesi, Ely. ... 184
446 The Ghat Black Bulbul Hypsipetes ganesa, Sykes .. 185
450 The Yellow-browed Bul-
bul ... ... Criniger ictericus, Strickl. 185
452 The White-browed Bush
Bulbul ... ... Ixus luteolus, Less. ... 185
455 The Ruby-throated Bul-
bul ... ... Rubigula gularis, Qould. ... 186
457 The Grey-headed Bulbul Brachypodius poiocephalus,
Jerd. ... ... 186
459 The White-eared Crested
Bulbul ... ... Otocompsa leucotis, Gould. 187
460fo's. The Southern Red-whis-
kered Bulbul ... fuscicaudata, Gould. 187
461 The Common Bengal
Bulbul ... ... Pycnonotus pygaBUS, Rodgs. 188
462 The Common Madras
Bulbul ... ... hasmorrhous, Gm. 188
463 The Common Green Bul-
bul ... ... Phyllornis jerdoni, Ely. ... 189
464 The Malabar Green Bul-
bul ... ... malabaricus, Gm. 190
468 The White- winged lora lora tiphia, Lin. ... 190
468fo*. The Western lora ... nigrolutea, Marsh. ... 191
469 The Fairy Blue Bird ... Irena puella, Lath. ... 192
470 The Indian Oriole ... Oriolus kundoo, Sykes. ... 193
470$w. The Golden Oriole ... galbula, Lin. ... 194
CONTENTS. XV
Nufnbe'r. POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
471 The Black-naped Indian
Oriole ... ... Oriolus indicus, Jerd. ... 195
472 The Bengal Black-headed
Oriole ... ... melanocephalus, Lin. 195
473 The Southern Black-
headed Oriole ... ceylonensis, Ep. ... 196
475 The Magpie Eobin ... Copsychus saularis, Lin. ... 197
476 The Shama ... Kittacincla macroura, Om. 197
479 The Indian Black Robin Thamnobia fulicata, Lin. ... 198
480 The Brown-backed Indian
Robin .. ... cambaiensis, Lath 198
481 The White-winged Black
Robin ... ... Pratincola caprata, Lin. ... 199
483 The Indian Bushchat ... indica, Ely. ... 200
484 The White-tailed Bush-
chat ... ... leucurus, Ely. ... 200
4855/5. Stoliczka's Bushchat ... macrorhyncha,
Stol. ... 201
488 The Indian White-tailed
Stonechat ... Saxicola opistholeuca, StrickL 201
489 The Pied Stonechat ... picatus, Ely. ... 202
489fo's. Hume's Pied Stonechat ... alboniger, Hume .. 202
490 The White-headed Stone-
chat ... ... morio, Hemp. $ Ehr. 203
490fo's. The Hooded Stonechat ... monachus, Eupp 203
491 The Wheatear ... isabellinus, Eupp. ... 203
4915/s. The Red-tailed Wheatear kingi, Hume ... 204
492 The Black-throated Wheat-
ear ... deserti, Eupp. ... 205
492ter. The Grey-backed Warbler JEdon familiaris, MM. ... 205
493 The Black-tailed Rock-
chat ... ... Cerconiela melanura, Hupp. 206
494 The Brown Rockchat ... fusca, Ely. ... 206
497 The Indian Redstart ... Ruticilla runVentris, Vieill... 207
507 ... Larvivora superciliaris, Jerd. 208
512 The Common Ruby-throat Calliope camtschatkensis,
Gm. ... 209
514 The Indian Blue-throat... Cyanecula suecica, Lin. ... 209
515 The Large Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentorius,
Hemp. Sf Ehr. 210
516 The Lesser Reed Warbler dumetorum, Ely. 210
517 The Paddy Field Warbler agricolus, Jerd. 211
51Sbis. The Moustached Grass
Warbler ... .,. Lusciniolamelanopogon,Tew. 211
Hume's Grass Warbler ... neglecta, Hume ... 212
5lSter. Cetti's Bush Warbler ... Cettia cetti, Marm. ... 212
520 The Streaked Reed Warb-
ler ... ... Locus tella hendersoni, Cass. 213
530 The Indian Tailor Bird ,,, Orthotomus sutorius, Font. 214
xvi CONTENTS.
Jerdon's POPULAR NAME, SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
Number.
532 The Yellow-bellied Wren
Warbler ... ... Prinia flaviventris, Deless.... 215
533 The White-bellied Wren
Warbler ... ... adamsi, Jerd. ... 215
534 The Dark Ashy Wren
Warbler ... ... socialis, Sykes ... 215
535 Stewart's Wren Warbler stewarti, Ely. ... 216
536 Franklin's Wren Warbler gracilis, FrankL ... 216
538 The Malaber Wren Warb-
ler ... ... hodgsoni, Ely. ... 217
539 The Kufous Grass Warb-
ler ... ..* Cisticola cursitans, Jfrankl. 217
543 The Common Wren
Warbler ... ... Drymoipus inornata, Sykes 218
5445/s. The Great Kufous Wren
Warbler... ... rufescens, Hume 219
545 The Jungle Wren Warb-
ler ... ... ,, sylvaticus, Jerd. 220
546 The Allied Wren Warbler neglectus, Jerd. 220
54:9quint ... Blanfordius striatulus, Hume 221
550 The Streaked Wren
Warbler ... ... Burnesia gracilis, Lickt. ... 221
5505w. The Streaked Scrub
Warbler... ... Scotocerca inquieta, Rupp.... 222
651 The Rufous-fronted Wren
Warbler... ... Franklinia buchanani, Sly. 223
553 Sykes' Tree Warbler ... Hypolais rama, Sykes ... 224
The Booted Tree Warbler caligata, Licht. ... 224
The Pale Tree Warbler... pallida, Hemp, fy
Ehr. ... 225
... languida, Hemp, fy
Ehr. ... 225
The Desert Tree Warbler obsoleta, Sev. ... 226
554 The Brown Tree Warbler Phylloscopus tristis, Ely ... 227
554fo>. Hume's Tree Warbler ... neglectus, Hume 227
556 The Large-billed Tree
Warbler ... ... rnagmrostris, Ely. 228
558 The Dull Green Tree
Warbler... ... lugubris, Ely. ... 228
559 The Bright Green Tree
Warbler ... ... nitidus, Lath. ... 228
560 The Greenish Tree Warb-
ler ... ... viridanus, Ely. 229
561 TickelPs Tree Warbler ... affinis, Tick. ... 229
562 The Olivaceous Tree
Warbler... ... indicus, Jerd. ... 229
The Sind Tree Warbler... sindianus, .Z?r00&s. 229
563 The Large Crowned
Warbler ... ... Reguloides occipitalis, Jerd. 230
565 The Crowned Tree War-
bler ... ... superciliosus, Pall. 230
CONTENTS.
XV11
Jerdon'a
Number.
570
581
582
582bis.
qua
5SBbis.
589
590
591
591/er.
592
593
593/er.
594
594W*.
595
596
597
POPULAR NAME
The Brown-headed Wil-
low Warbler
The Lesser Black-browed
Warbler ...
The Large Black-capped
Warbler.,
The Allied Grey Warbler
Hume's Lesser White-
throat
The Himalayan Lesser
White-throat
f.The Grey Warbler
The Desert Warbler ...
The Pied Wagtail
The White-faced Wag-
tail
The Black-faced Wagtail
Sykes' Grey and Black
Wagtail
The European White.
faced Wagtail
The Grey and Yellow
Wagtail
The Slaty-headed Field
Wagtail
The Black-cap Field
Wagtail ...
The Grey-headed Field
Wagtail ...
The Yellow-headed Wag-
tail
SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
Eeguloides humii, Brooks ... 231
Abrornis cantator, Tick. ... 231
Sylvia jerdoni, Ely. ... 232
affinis, Ely. ... 232
minuscula, Hume ... 232
althea, Hume ... 233
rufa, Bodd. ... 233
nana, Hemp, fy Ehr. 234
Motacilla maderaspatensis,
Gm. 234
leucopsis, Gould.... 235
personata, Gould. ... 236
The Grey-backed Yellow
Wagtail ...
The Black-breasted Wag-
tail
The Indian Tree Pipit ...
The European Tree
Pipit
The Water Pipit
605Ma.Blakiston's Pipit
600 The Indian Titlark
601 The Large Titlark
602 Tho Stone Pipit
603 The Rufous Rock Pipit...
604 The Brown Rock Pipit ...
631 The White-eyed Tit ...
645 The Indian Grey Tit ...
646 The White-winged Black
Tit
dukhunensis, Sylces 236
alba, Lin. ... 237
Calobates melanope, Pall. ... 237
Budytes cinereocapilla, Savi. 238
melanocephala, Licht. 239
flava, Lin. ... 239
calcarata, Hodgs. ... 240
citeola, Pall. ... 241
Limonidromus indicus, Gm. 241
Anthus maculatus, Hodgs..*, 242
trivialis, Lin. ... 242
spinoletta, Lin. ... 243
blakistoni, Swinh. . . 244
Oorydalla rufula, Vieill. . . 244
striolata, Ely. . . 245
Agrodroma campestris, Lin 245
similis, Jerd. . . 246
sordida, Hiipp.. . 246
Zosterops palpebrosa, Tern.. . 247
Parus nipalensis, Hodgs. . . 248
,, nuchalis, Jerd. ... 248
xv
CONTENTS.
Jerdon'8
ft umber.
POPULAR NAME.
SCIENTIFIC NAME-
647 The Yellow-cheeked Tit... Machlolophus xanthogenys,
Viff. ...
aplonotus, Ely.
Corvus lawrencii, Hume ...
macrorhynchus,JFayZ.
umbrinus, Hedenb ...
splendens, Vitill. ...
648
6576/5,
660
QQObis.
663
674
The Southern Yellow Tit
The Indian Raven ...
The Indian Corby ...
The Brown-necked Eaven
The Common Indian Grow
681
GSlbis.
684
685
687
688
689
690
692
694
695
6-96
697
698
699
700
701
703
704
705
706
707
709
711
716
718
719
720
721
722
The Common Indian Mag-
pie ... ...
The Common Starling ...
The Lesser Starling ...
The Common Myna ...
The Bank Myna ...
The Southern Dnsky
Myna ... ...
The Black-headed Myna
The Grey-headed Myna...
The White-headed Myna
The Rose-colored Pastor
The Southern Hill Myna
The Common Weaver-
Bird ... ...
The Striated Weaver-
Bird ... ...
The Black-throated
Weaver-Bird ...
The Black-headed Munia
The Chesnut-bellied Munia
The Spotted Munia ...
The Rufous-bellied Munia
The White-backed Munia
The Plain Brown Munia
The Red Waxbill ...
The Green Waxbill ...
The House Sparrow ...
The Willow Sparrow ...
The Rufous-backed
Sparrow ... ...
The Yellow-throated
Sparrow
Dendrocitta rufa, Scop. ...
Sturnus vulgaris, Lin. ...
minor, Hume ...
Acridotheres tristis, Lin. ...
ginginianus,flrM.
mahrattensift,
SyJces ...
Sturnia pagodarum, Gm. ...
malabarica, Gm. ...
blythi, Jerd. ...
Pastor roseus, Lin. ...
Eulabes religiosa, Lin. ...
Page.
240
249
250
250
251
251
252
253
254
254
255
255
256
256
257
257
258
Ploceus philippinus, Lin. ... 259
manyar, Horsf. ... 260
bengalensis, Lin. ... 261
Amadina malacca, Lin. ... 262
rubronigra, Hodgs. 262
punctulata, Lin. ... 262
pectoralis, Jerd ... 263
striata, Lin. ... 263
malabarica, Lin. ... 263
Estrelda amandava, Lin. ... 264
formosa, Latli. ... 265
Passer domesticus, Lin. ... 265
hispaniolensis, Tern. 266
pyrrhonotus, "Ely. ... 266
... flavicollis, Franlcl. ...
The Grey-necked Bunting Emberiza buchanani, Biy. ...
The White-capped
Bunting ... ... stewarti, Ely. ..
The Grey-headed Bunting fucata, Pall. ...
The Striolated Bunting ... striolata, Licit. ..
The Black-headed Bunt.
ing ... ...
The Red-headed Bunting
Euspiza melanocephala, Gm.
luteola, Sparr. ..
267
268
269
269
269
271
271
CONTENTS,
XIX
JercVon's
Number,
724
7325/5.-
738
756
757
758
759
760
7605*5.
761
ing
The Desert Bull-finch
762
762*
765
7655/5.
767
769
770
773
775
780
784
786
787
788
7885/5.
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME.
The Crested Black Bunt-
Melophus melanicfcerus, Gm.
Bucanetes githagineus, Licht,
The Common Rose Finch Carpodacus erythrinus, Pall.
The Red-winged Bush-
Lark > ... Mirafra erythroptera, Jerd....
The Singing Bush-Lark cantillans, Jerd. ...
The Rufous-tailed Finch-
Lark ... ... Ammomanes phcenicura,
Frankl.
The Pale Rufous Finch-
Lark ... ... deserti, Licht. ...
The Black-bellied Finch-
Lark ... ... Pyrrhulauda grisea, Scop. ...
The Black-necked Finch-
Lark ... ... melanauchen, Gab.
,.. Calandrella brachydaetyla,
Leisl.
... Melanocorypha bimaculata,
Mene.
.. Alaudula raytal, Bly.
, adamsi, Hume ...
The Social Lark
The Indian Sand-Lark
The Little Sand-Lark
The Small Crown-crest
Lark ... ... Spizalauda deva,
The Large Crown-crest
Lark ... ... malabarica, Scop.
The Indian Sky-Lark ... Alauda gulgula, Frantt. ...
The Large Crested Lark Galerida cristata, Lin.
The Desert Lark ... Certhilauda desertorum, Stan.
The Bengal Green Pigeon Crocopus phosnicopterus,
Lath.
The Southern Green
Pigeon ... .., chlorigaster, Bly. ..
The Grey-fronted Green
"Pigeon ... ... Osmotreron malabarica, Jerd.
The Green Imperial Pi-
geon ... ... Carpophaga cenea, Lin. ...
The Himalayan Cushat ... Palumbus casiotis, Bp. ...
The Neilgherry Wood-
pigeon ... ... elphinstonii, SyJces
The Indian Stock Pigeon Palumboena eversmanni, Bon.
Pago.
272
273
274
274
275
276
276
277
277
279
279
280
280
281
282
282
283
284
285
285
286
287
287
The Blue Rock Pigeon
The Rock Dove
The Ashy Turtle Dove ...
The Rufous Turtle Dove
The Little Brown Dove...
The Spotted Dove
The Common Ring Dove
The Ruddy Ring Dove
Columba intermedia, Strickl.
livia, Bp. ...
Turtur pulchratus, Hodgs.
meena, Sykes ' ...
senegalensis, Lin. .,
suratensis, Gm. ...
risorius, Lin.
tranquebaricus, Herm.
The Bronze-winged Dove Chalcophaps indica, Lin
The Large Sand Grouse Pterocles arenarius, Pall.
288
288
289
289
290
290
291
291
291
292
293
XX
CONTENTS.
Jerdou'g
Number.
800
SOOfos.
801
801M*.
SOlfcr.
802
803
812
813
814
815
818
819
820
821
822
826
827
828
829
830
832
834
835
836
POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
The Painted Sand Grouse Pterocles fasciatus, Scop. ... 295
The Close-barred Sand
Grouse ...
The Large Pin-tailed
Sand Grouse
The Spotted Sand Grouse
The Coronetted Sand
Grouse ... ...
The Common Sand Grouse
The Common Peacock
The Red Jungle Fowl
The Grey Jungle Fowl
The Red Spur Fowl
The Painted Spur Fowl
The Black Partridge
lichtensteini, Tern. 296
alchata, Lin.
senegallus, Licht.
The Painted Partridge
The Chukar Partridge
The Seesee Partridge
The Grey Partridge
The Jungle Bush Quail,.
The Rock Bush Quail ...
The Painted Bush Quail
The Large Grey Quail ...
The Black-breasted Quail
The Black-breasted Bus-
tard Quail
The Large Button Quail
The Small Button Quail
The Indian Bustard
, coronatus, Licht.
, exustus, Tern.
Pavo cristatus, Lin.
Gallus ferrugineus, Qmel. ...
,, sonnerati, Tern.
Galloperdix spadiceus, Om.
lunulatus, Val.
Francolinus vulgaris, StepJi.
pictus, Jard. Sf
Selb.
Caccabis chukar, J. E. Or,
Ammoperdix bonhami, Qray.
Ortygornis pondiceriana, Cm.
Perdicula asiatica, Lath.
argoondah, Sykes.
Microperdix erythrorhynchus,
Sykes
Coturnix communis, Bon. ...
coromandelica, Gm.
837 The Houbara Bustard
Turnix taigoor, Si/Jces
joudera, Hodgs.
,, dussumieri, Tern.
Eupodotis edwardsi, J.
Or.
E.
297
297
299
300
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
Houbara macqueeni, J. E.
Or. ... ... 321
839 The Lesser Florican ... Sypheotides aurita, Lath. ... 322
840 The Indian Courier Plover Cursorius coromandelicus,
Gm. ... ... 324
840fo'f. The Cream-colored Cour-
ser ... ... gallicus, Om. ... 324
842 The Large Swallow Plover Glareola orientalis, Leach. ... 325
8425*5. The Collared Pratincole... pratincola, Lin. ... 326
843 The Small Swallow Plover lactea, Tern. ... 326
844 The Grey Plover ... Squatarola helvetica, Lin. ... 327
845 The Indian Golden Plover Charadrius fulvus, Gm. ... 328
8456/s. The European Golden
Plover ... ... pluvialis, Lin. ... 328
845^Ma^.The Caspian Sand Plover ^Egialitis asiatica, Pall. ... 329
846 The Large Sand Plover... geoffroyi, Wag. ... 329
847 The Lesser Sand Plover mongola, Pal. ... 330
848 The Kentish Ringed Plo-
ver ... ... cantiana, Lath. .^ 330
CONTENTS. xxi
Number 8 POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
849 The Indian Ringed Plover ^Egialitis dubia, Scop. ... 330
850 The Lesser Ringed Plover minuta, Pall. ... 331
851 The Crested Lapwing ... Yanellus vulgaris, Bechst. ... 332
852 The Black-sided Lapwing Chettusia gregaria, Pall. ... 332
853 The White-tailed Lapwing villotrci, And. ... 333
854 The Grey-headed Lapwing cinerea, Ely. ... 333
855 The Red-wattled Lapwing Lobivanellus indicus, Bodd. 334
856 The Yellow-wattled Lap-
wing ... ... Lobipluvia malabarica, Bodd. 335
857 The Spur-winged Lapwing Hoplopterus ventralis, Cuv. 335
858 The Large Stone Plover..* ^sacus recurvirostris, Cuv. 336
859 The Stone Plover ... (Edicnemus scolopax, 8. S.
Qm. ... ... 337
860 The Turnstone ... Strepsilas interpres, Lin. ... 338
861 The Crab Plover ... Dromas ardeola, PayTc. ... 339
862 The Oyster Catcher ... H^matopus ostralegus, Lin. 339
863 The Sarus ... ... Grus antigone, Lin. ... 340
864 The Snow-wreath ... leucogeranus, Pall. ... 341
865 The Common Crane ... communis, Bechst. ... 341
866 The Demoiselle Crane ... Anthropoides virgo, Lin. ... 342
867 The Woodcock ... Scolopax rusticola, Lin. ... 343
868 The Woodsnipe ... Gallinago nemoricola, Hodgs. 344
870 The Pin-tailed Snipe ... sthenura, Kuhl. ... 344
871 The Common Snipe ... galHnaria, Gm. ... 345
872 The Jack Snipe ' ... gallinula, Lin. ... 346
873 The Painted Snipe ... Rhynchasa bengalensis, Lin.... 347
875 The Black-tailed Godwit Limosa aegocephala, Lin. ... 348
S75bis. The Bar-tailed Godwit ... lapponica, !%. ... 349
876 The Avocet Sandpiper ... Terekia cinerea, Gm. ... 351
877 The Curlew... ... Numenius lineatus, Cuv. ... 351
878 The Whimbrel ... phjeopus, Lin. ... 352
880 The Ruff ... ... Philomachus pugnax, Lin.... 352
SSlbis. Temminck's Knot ... Tringa crassirostris, Tern $
Schl. ... 353
882 The Curlew Stint ... subarquata Cm. ... 354
883 The Dunlin ... alpina, Lin. ... 354
884 The Little Stint ... minuta, Leisl. ... 355
885 The White.tailed Stint ... temmincki, Leisl... 355
886 The Broad-billed Stint ... Limicola platyrhyncha, Tsm. 356
888 The Sanderling ... Calidris arenaria, Tern. ... 356
890 The Red-necked Phalarope Lobipes hyperboreus, Lin.... 357
891 The Spotted Sandpiper... Rhyacophila glareola, Qm. ... 357
892 The Green Sandpiper ... Totanus ochropus, Lin. ... 358
893 The Common Sandpiper Tringoides hypoleucos, Lin.... 359
894 The Green-Shanks ... Totanus glottis, Lin. ... 359
895 The Little Green- Shanks stagnates, Bech. ... 359
896 The Spotted Red-Shanks fuscus, Lin. ... 360
897 The Red-Shanks ... calidris, Lin. ... 360
898 The Stilt ... ... Himantopus candidus, Bp... 361
899 The Avocet ... Recurvirostra avocetta, Lin. 362
900 The Bronze-winged Jacana Parra indica, Lath. ... 363
xxii CONTENTS.
Jerdon'a
Number.
POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME.
Page.
901
The Pheasant-tailed
Jacana ... Hydrophasianus chirurgus,
Scop.
364
902
The Purple Coot ... Porphyrio poliocephalus,
Lath.
365
903
The Coot ... ... Fulica atra, Lin.
366
904
The Water Cock ... Gallicrex cinereus, Gm.
367
905
The Water Hen ... Gallinula chloropus, Lin. ...
368
907
The White-breasted Water
Hen ... Erythra phcenicura, Penn. ...
368
908
The Brown Rail ... Porzana akool, SyJces.
369
909
The Spotted Crake ... maruetta, Leach. ...
370
910
Baillon's Crake ... bailloni, VieilL
370
910fo's.
The Little Rail ... parva, Scop.
371
911
The Ruddy Rail ... fusca, Lin.
372
913
The Blue-breasted Banded
Rail ... Hypotamidia striata, Lin.
372
914
The Indian Water Rail ... Rallus indica, Bly.
373
915
916
Tho Adjutant ... Leptoptilus, argalus, Lin. ...
The Hair-crested Stork... javanicus, Horsf.
374
374
917
The Black-necked Stork Xenorhynchus asiaticus,Za^.
375
918
The Black Stork ... Ciconia nigra, Lin.
376
919
The White Stork ... alba, Bechst.
376
920
The White-necked Stork Dissura episcopa, Bodd. ...
376
923
The Blue Heron ... Ardea cinerea, Lin.
377
924
The Purple Heron ... purpurea, Lin,
378
924fo's.
The Large White Heron Herodias alba, Lin.
379
925
The Large Egret ... torra, B.-Ham. ...
379
926
The Smaller Egret ... intermedia, Hass.
379
927
The Little Egret ... garzetta, Lin.
380
928
The Ashy Egret ... Demi-egretta gularis, Bosc.
380
929
The Cattle Egret ... Bubulcus coromandus, Bodd.
381
930
The Pond Heron ... Ardeola grayii, Sykes
381
931
The Little Green Heron Butorides javanica, Horsf....
382
932
The Black Bittern ... Ardetta flavicollis, Lath. ...
883
933
The Chesnut Bittern ... cinnamomea, Om.
384
934
The Yellow Bittern ... sinensis, Om.
384
935
The Little Bittern ... minuta, Lin.
385
936
The Bittern ... Botaurus stellaris, Lin.
385
986&M.
The Malayan Tiger Bittern Goisakius melanolophus,
Eaffl.
386
937
The Night Heron ... Nycticorax griseus, Lin. ...
387
938
The Pelican Ibis ... Tantalus leucocephalus, .Fbrstf.
387
939
The Spoonbill ... Platalea leucorodia, Lin. ...
388
940
The Shell Ibis ... Anastomus oscitans, Bodd*
389
941
The White Ibis ... Ibis melanocephala, Lath. ...
390
942
The Black or Warty-"
headed Ibis ... Inocotis papillosus, Tern. ...
390
943
The Glossy Ibis ... Falcinellus igneus, Gm. ...
391
944
The Flamingo ... Phcenicopterus antiquorum,
Tern.
392
CONTENTS.
xxill
Jerdon's
Number.
POPULAR NAME. SCIENTIFIC NAME. Page.
9445/5.
The Lesser Flamingo ... Phcenicopterus minor, Geof. 393
944/er.
The Mute Swan ... Cygnus olor, Gm. ... 394
945
The Grey Goose ... Anser cinereus, Meg. ... 394
947
The White-fronted Goose albifrons, Scop. ... 395
949
The Barred-headed Goose ,, indicus, Lath. ... 395
950
The Black-backed Goose Sarcidiornis melanonotus,
Penn. ... 396
951
The Cotton Teal ... Nettopus coromandelianus,
Gm. ... 397
952
The Whistling Teal ... Dendrocygna javanica,
Horsf. ... 398
953
The Large Whistling
Teal .., .,, fulva, Gm. ... 399
954
The Ruddy Shieldrake ... Tadorna casarca, Pall. ... 400
956
The Shieldrake ... cornuta, 8. G. Gm. 400
957
The Shoveller ... Spatula clypeata, Lin. ... 401
958
The Mallard ... Anas boschas, Lin. ... 402
959
The Grey Duck ... poecilorhyncha, For at. 403
960
The Pink-headed Duck ... Bhodonessa caryophyllacea,
Lath. ... 404
961
The Gadwall ... Chaulelasmus streperus, Lin. 405
9615/5.
The Marbled Teal ... angustirostris,
Mene. ... 406
962
The Pintail Duck ... Dafila acuta, Lin. ... 407
963
The Widgeon ... Mareca penelope, Lin. ... 408
964
The Common Teal ... Querquedula crecca, Lin. ... 409
965
The Blue-winged Teal ... circia, Lin. ... 410
966
The Clucking Teal ... formosa, Gear. 411
967
The Bed-crested Pochard Fuligula rufina, Pall. ... 412
968
The Red-headed Pochard ferina, Lin. ... 412
969
The White-eyed Pochard nyroca, Guld. ... 413
970
The Scaup Pochard ... marila, Lin. ... 413
971
The Crested Pochard ... cristata, Kay. ... 414
$7 1 bis.
The Golden Eye ... Clangula glaucium, Lin. ... 415
972
The Merganser ... Mergus merganser, Lin. ... 416
9725/s.
The Bed-breasted Mergan-
ser ... ,, serrator, Lin. ... 416
973
The Smew ... Mergellus albellus, Lin. ... 417
974
The Crested Grebe ... Podiceps cristatus, Lin. ... 418
9745/5.
The Black-necked Grebe nigricollis, Sund.... 419
975
The Little Grebe ... minor, Gm. ... 420
976
Wilson's Petrel ... Oceanites oceanica, Kuhl. ... 421
9765/5.
The Persian Shearwater Puffinus persicus, Hume ... 421
filter.
The Skua ... Stercorarius asiaticus, Hume 422
9785/5.
The Yellow-legged Her-
ring Gull ... Larus cachinnans, Pall. ... 423
978/er.
The Lesser Herring Gull affinis, Eeinw. ... 424
979
The Great Black-headed
Gull ... ichthyaetus, Pall. ... 424
980
The Brown-headed Gull brunneicephalus, Jerd. 425
981
The Laughing Gull ... ridibundus, Lin. ... 425
XXIV
CONTENTS.
Jerdon'a
Number.
SSlquat
982
983
984
985
987
987M*.
989
990
POPULAR NAME.
The Sooty Gull
The Caspian Tern
The Gull-billed Tern ..
The Small Marsh Tern ..
The Large River Tern ..
The Black-bellied Tern ..
The White-cheeked Tern
Saunder's Little Tern ..
The Large Sea Tern ..
The Smaller Sea Tern .,
992
The Brown-winged Tern
The Sooty Tern
993 The Noddy
995 The Indian Skimmer ...
999fo>. The Indian Tropic Bird...
9965w. The White Booby
1003 The Lesser White Peli-
can
1004 The Grey Pelican
10045t>. The White Pelican
1005 The Large Cormorant ...
1006 The Lesser Cormorant ...
1007 The Little Cormorant ...
1008 The Indian Snake Bird ..
SCIENTIFIC NAME.
Larus hemprichi, Bp.
gelastes, Licht.
Sterna caspia, Pall.
anglica, Mont.
Hydrochelidon hybrida, Pall.
Sterna seena, Sykes
melanogastra, Tern.
albigena, Licht.
saundersi, Hume ...
bergii, Licht.
media, Horsf.
cantiana, Gm. ...
anaetheta, Scop.
fuliginosa, Gm.
Anous stolidus, Lin.
Rhynchops albicollis, Sivs....
Phaeton indicus, Hume
Sula cyanops, Sund.
Pelecanus javanicus, Horsf.
philippensis, Gm.
crispus, Bruch....
Phalacrocorax carbo, Lin. ...
fuscicollis,
Steph. ...
fi pygma3us,
Pall. ...
Plotus melanogaster, Pen. ...
APPENDIX. List of birds collected or observed
Kbaodesh by J. Davidson...
m
Page.
426
426
428
428
427
429
429
430
430
431
432
432
433
433
433
434
434
436
437
438
436
438
439
439
440
442
INDEX
TO THE
ABBREVIATIONS OF THE NAMES OF AUTHORITIES CITED.
And. J. V. Andouin.
Sanies. Sir Joseph Banks.
Bechst. J. M. Bechstein.
B. Ham. Fr. Ham. Buchanan-Hamilton
Sly. Edward Blyth.
Bodd. M. Boddaert.
Boie. H. Boie.
Bonn. L'Abbe Bonnaterre,
Bosc. L. A, Q. Bosc.
Bp. Prince Charles Lucian Bona-
parte.
Briss. Brisson.
Brooks. "William Edwin Brooks.
Bruch, Bruch.
Cab. Dr. Jean Cabanis.
Cas. John Cassin.
Cuv. George L. C. F. D. Cuvier.
Baud. W. M. Daudin.
Deless. Adolphe Delessert.
Deaf. R. L. Desfontainea.
Dum. A. M. C. Dumeril.
Ehr. C. G. Ehrenburg.
Eversm. Dr. Edouard Eversman.
Fleisch. E. G. Fleischer.
For st. John Reinhold Forster.
FranU, James Franklin,
Geor. J. G. Georgi.
Gerv. Paul Gervais.
Gm. Jo. Fred. Gmelin,
Gm. S, G. S. G. Gmelin,
Gould. John Gould,
Gr. G. R. George Kobert Gray.
Gr. J. E. John Edward Gray.
G. St. Hill, Isodore Geoffrey St. Hillaire.
Giild. Ant. J. Giildenstadt.
Gurn. J. H. Gurney.
Hardw, General Hardwicke.
Hass. Van Hasselfc.
Hay, Lord Arthur Hay. After-
wards Lord W~alden and
later Marquess of Tweed-
dale.
Heden. Hedeoborg.
Hem. F. G. Hemprichi.
Herm. J. Hermann.
Hodgs. Brian H. Hodgson.
Hors. Dr. Thomas Horsfield.
Hume. Allan Oscar Hume.
III. C. Illiger.
Jard. Sir William Jardine.
Jerd. Dr. T. C. Jerdon.
Eaup, J. J. Kaup.
Kuhl. Heinrich Kuhl,
Lace. B. G. Lacepede.
Lafr. Raron Frederic de Lafresnnye
Lath. John Latham.
Leach. William Elford Leach.
Leisl. J. P. A. Leisler.
Less. Rene Primevere Lesson.
Licht. Heinrich Lichtenstein.
Lin. Carl v. Linne.
Main. Alfred Mulherbe.
Harm. Alb. de la Marmoree.
Marsh. Capt G. F. L. Marshall, R. E.
Menetr. Ed. Men^tries.
Mey. Bern. Meyer.
Mont. George Montagu.
Mull., P. L. S.Ph. L. Sfc. Muller.
MM.. 8. S. Muller.
Pall. P. S. Pallas.
Payk. Gust. Paykull.
Pears, Dr. J. T. Pearson.
Penn. Thomas Pennant,
Eadde. Professor Gustav Radde.
Raffi. Sir Thomas Stamford Rafflea.
Reich- H. G. L. Reichenbach.
Retnh. Professor J. Reinhardt.
Reinw. Reinwardt.
Rupp. Dr. Edward Riippell.
Sav. J. Ces. Savigny.
Savi. P. Savi.
Schl. Dr, Herman Schlegel.
Scop. J. Ant. Scopoli.
Selb. Prideaux John Selby.
Sharpe. Robert Bowdler Sharpe.
Shaw. G. Shaw.
Sparr. Anders Sparrmau.
Stanl. Edward Stanley.
titeph. James Francis Stephens.
Stol. Dr. Ferdinand Stoliczka.
Storr. C. T. Storr.
Strickl. H. E. Strickland.
Sund. Carl. J. Sundevall.
Stvinh. Robert Swinhoe,
Sws. William Swainson.
Sykes. Col. W. H. Sykes.
Tern. C. J. Temminck.
Tick. Col. S. R. Tickell.
Tunst. Tunstalt.
Vahl. Mart. Vahl.
Valenc. A. Valenciennes.
Vieill. L- P. Vieillot.
Viff. N. A. Vigors.
Waql, Dr Joannes Wagler.
Wa'ld. Viscount Walden, Earlier Lord
Arthur Hay ; later Marquess
of Tweeddale.
LIST OF REFERENCES.
THE BIRDS OP INDIA, by T. C. Jerdon.
STRAY FEATHERS, \ 7 ols. I to X, edited by A. 0. Hume.
GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMAH AND CEYLON, by Messrs. Hume and
Marshall.
MY SCRAP BOOK, by Allan 0. Hume.
THE VERTEBRATE ZOOLOGY OF SIND, by J. A. Murray, Curator, Frere
Hall Museum, Karachi.
NESTS AND EGGS OF INDIAN BIRDS, by A. 0. Hume.
BIRDS NESTING IN INDIA, by Capt. G. F. L. Marshall, R. E.
IBIS, 1885, edited by Messrs. Sclater and Saunders.
F.E.K. WEDDERBUHN.
29 MAY. 8 J
HANDBOOK
TO THE
BIRDS OF THE BOMBAY PRESIDENCY.
INTRODUCTION.
THE Animal Kingdom consists of five divis>ous>,the first cf
which, the Vertebrates, falls naturally into four classes : '
I. MAMMALIA. ;>*,,,.,
II. AVES.
III. REPTILIA.
IV. PISCES.
The second of these only comes within the scope of this work ;
it has been divided into the following orders :
I. RAPTORES.
II. INSESSORES.
III. GEMITORES.
IV. RASORES.
V. GRALLATORES.
VI. NATATORES.
This arrangement is considered by many to be far from perfect,
but it is the system adopted by Jerdon in his Birds of India, in
accordance with which nearly every collection in India is
arranged, and it has at least the merit of being simple and easily
understood.
ORDER, Raptores.
Bill strong, covered at the base with a cere or naked membrane,
strongly hooked at the tip; nostrils open ; legs strong and muscu-
lar ; toes four, three in front and one behind, on the same plane,
more or less rough beneath, and with strong, generally well-
curved, and sharp claws.
FAMILY, Vulturidse.
Bill rather long, compressed, straight at the culmen, curved
towards the tip, upper mandible never toothed, sometimes
sinuate ; cere very large ; tarsus reticulated with small scales,
somewhat short, stout, usually feathered at the knee, sometimes
slightly elevated ; middle-toe long ; outer-toe joined to the
2 VULTURIN.E.
middle one by a membrane ; hind-toe short ; claws rather blunt,
strong, not much curved.
SUB-FAMILY, Vulturinae.
Bill large, thick, strong, higher than broad, hooked only at the
tip ; cere large ; nostrils naked, transverse ; head and upper
part of neck naked, or covered only with down; wings long,
first quill short, third and fourth quills sub-equal, fourth longest ;
tail moderate or rather short, with twelve or fourteen tail feathers ;
tarsus reticulated, with some large scutse near the claws.
GENUS, Vultur, Lin.
Tail with twelve feathers ; bill rather short, strong, deep,
curving from the end of cere ; nostrils round or oval ; tarsus
feathered from more than half its length ; claws strong, rather
-'acute.', / r :-/r \ ;
The neck ; raff advances upwards towards the hinder part of
;l*sad; and-, there is a transverse occipital crest of down ;
otherwise -as ra the characters of the sub-family.
Vultur monachus, Lin t
1. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 6 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 441 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 62 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 53 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 1.
THE CINEREOUS VULTURE.
* Length, 42 to 45 ; expanse, 96 to 118 ; wing, 29'5 to 32 ;
tail, 13 to 16 ; tarsus, 4'8 to 5'5 ; bill from gape, 3'6 to 4.
Bill horny, dusky black at tip, paler at base of upper mandible ;
cere pale-mauve ; naked part of neck delicate bluish-white,
occasionally shaded pink ; irides brown ; legs creamy-white.
The whole body, including the wings, is a rich, very dark,
chocolate-brown, beneath darker ; quills and tail nearly black ;
ruff conspicuous, dense, feathers lengthened and lanceolate, rather
lighter in color than the back ; lores, cheeks, chin, throat, and
crown covered with dark-brown fur-like feathers, sparse below
but dense and soft on the upper parts of the head.
This fine Vulture is comparatively rare ; it has not as yet been
recorded from the Deccan or South Mahratta country. Butler
only observed a single specimen in Guzerat, Murray states it to
be a winter visitant to Sind, and Jerdon notes its occurrence
in Central India, where I have myself occasionally met with it.
Of its nidification in this country nothing appears to be
known,
GENUS, Otogyps, Gray.
Head and neck bare, sides of neck with a wattle of skin ; bill
* All dimensions are in English inches,
VULTURIN^E. 3
very thick and strong ; crown of the head flat ; cranium very
large, otherwise as in Vultur.
Otogyps calvus, Scop.
2, Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 7 ; Butler, Guzerat; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 441 ; Deccan and South Mahratta
country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 369 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 62 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 53; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 8.
THE INDIAN KING VULTURE,
Lai Siri Gidh, Hin.
Length, 30 to 33 ; expanse, SO to 88 ; wing, 22'5 to 24 ; tail,
9-8 to 11 ; tarsus, 43 to 4*6 ; bill from gape, 2'6 to 3.
Bill black; cere naked; head and neck deep yellowish-red,
more or less spotted with black ; irides red-brown ; legs dull-red.
Dark brown-black, lighter on lower back and rump, brownish
on scapulars and some of the secondaries ; quills black ; tail
black, shaded with brown ; crop-patch black, a zone of white
downy feathers across the breast ; beneath deep-black ; inner
side of thigh bare, with a patch of white above the joint.
The Indian King Vulture, or, as Jerdon prefers to call it,
the Black Vulture, has been recorded from all parts of the
region. It is not uncommon as a rule, but only occurs singly
or in pairs, rarely more than two being seen together. It is of
a very pugnacious disposition, and admits of no companionship,
more especially when feeding. I have often seen a score or
more of Gyps fulvescens, or other Vulture, patiently waiting
until his kingship had gorged himself on a dead cow or other
carcass before they dared approach. It is, I believe, a permanent
resident, breeding wherever found. Jerdon states that " it is
said to breed usually on inaccessible cliffs." Murray also states
that " it is said to do so in Sind." This is contrary to my
experience, and it may perhaps be noticed that neither of them
speak from their own personal knowledge. I found a nest near
Deesa in February ; it was a large, compact, cup-shaped structure,
composed of twigs, placed in a thick thorny ber-bush, about ten
feet from the ground. Later I found two others in similar
situations. The locality where I found these nests was a rather
extensive plain, studded with ber-bushes, with occasional high
trees dotted here and there, and on one side was a range of hills,
offering splendid sites to a cliff building bird, which however
they did not avail themselves of. In Central India I have
found the nests on lofty trees. The egg there is only one is
pale greenish-white when first laid, but after a time, as
incubation proceeds, it becomes more or less stained by the
droppings of the parent birds. The texture is moderately fine ;
the egg lining is green. They vary from a long oval shape
to one nearly spherical, but generally speaking they are broad
ovals. They average 3'4 inches in length by 2 '6 in breadth.
4 VULTURIN^:.
GENUS, Gyps, Sav.
Tail with twelve or fourteen feathers ; bill more lengthened
than in Vultur ; culmec more gradually curving, much rounded
and compressed beyond the cere ; nostrils oblong, oblique, or
transverse ; head and neck clothed with soft down ; the bottom
of the neck with a ruff of lengthened feathers.
Gyps fulvescens, Hume.
3 bis. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 442 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 63 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 53 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 19.
THE BAY VULTURE.
Length, 41 to 47 ; expanse, 94 to 106 ; wing, 27 to 29'5 ; tail
(of 14 feathers), 12 to 13'5 ; tarsus, 3*88 to 4'2 ; bill from gape,
3 to 3'2 ; weight, 12 to 18 Ibs.
The top of the head, cheeks, chin and throat are covered with
dingy yellowish-white hair-like feathers, so closely set upon
the top of the head, chin and throat, and with such an admixture
of brown that the dark skin, which in the hill bird(6r. himalayensis)
shows so plainly through the scant covering, is, in this species,
completely hidden. The nape and the whole of the neck (except
the back and side of the basal one-fifth or less, which are bare or
nearly bare), are closely covered with dense, short, fur-like white
or dingy yellowish-white down. The crop-patch is about the
same color as in the hill bird, but somewhat more rufous, and
the whole of the rest of the plumage is a far more rufous, and
deeper fawn or buffy-brown than in 0. himalayensis. The lower
plumage is in the adult of a rich rufous-brown, bay, or even dull-
chesnut, conspicuously white shafted, whilst the mantle is a
warm sandy-brown, unlike the coloring of any of our other Indian
Vultures. The feathers of the ruff are almost linear, (the web
not so much separated as in the hill bird; usually of a warm
wood-brown or rufous-fawn, the feathers conspicuously paler
centred. The upper back, the whole of the upper wing-coverts and
all but the longest scapulars are a warm wood-brown, or
brownish rufous-fawn, yellower and sandier, in some deeper and
more of a bay color in others. The secondaries, tertials and
longer scapulars, umber (but not dark-umber) brown ; the latter
(viz. the longer scapulars) more or less tipped with the rufous
or sandy color of the upper back, which color, in some specimens,
more or less extends to the tips and outer webs of the tertiaries.
Lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts the same color as the
upper back, but of a considerably lighter tint, in some mingled
with brown, and in some altogether of a pale pure bay. The
primaries and tail-feathers are very dark brown ; in some not so
dark as the corresponding feathers in G. himalayensis, but in
others of an intense chocolate-brown. Lower parts a rich sandy
VULTUKIN.E. 5
or rufous, or even a deep bay, (the tint varies in different stages
of plumage) each feather conspicuously paler shafted, and most of
them ( in the younger birds ) conspicuously, though narrowly,
paler centred. Hume, " Rough Notes."
The Bay Vulture does not occur in the Deccan or South
Mahratta country, but is not uncommon in Central India, Guzerat,
and Sind. Of its nidification, little appears to be known : it is
said to breed during January and February, building a large plat-
form nest on lofty trees, and laying a single white egg, larger
than either calvus or bengalensis,
Gyps pallescens, Hume.
4 bis. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 442 ; Deccan
and South Mahratta country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 369 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 54.
THE LONG-BILLED PALE-BROWN VULTURE.
Length, 36 to 39 ; expanse, 85 to 90 ; wing, 23 to 25'5 ; tail
from vent, 10 to 11 ; tarsus, 3'5 to 4 ; bill from gape, 2'65 to 2'95 ;
weight, 11 to 14 Ibs.
Bill and cere pale greenish, yellowish horny on culmen and
blackish towards tips of mandibles ; bare skin of head and face
dusky ashy-leaden ; irides brown ; legs and feet dingy ashy-leaden ;
margins of scales whitish ; claws creamy-horny.
In the perfect adult brownish-white hair-like feathers are
thinly sprinkled over the head, nape, cheeks, and throat ; the
upper half of the back and sides of the neck are perfectly bare ;
the crop-patch is closely covered with silky tight-fitting, dark
hair-brown feathers ; the whole of the rest of the lower surface
is a pale whity-brown, becoming almost a pure white towards the
vent and lower tail-coverts ; the ruff is full, soft, and pure white,
of very downy feathers, the webs much disintegrated ; the whole
mantle is pale earthy -brown, the centres of the lesser, and all
but the tips and margins of the larger scapulars being dark
hair-brown!
The lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts white, tinged with
pale earthy brown, many of the feathers, however, especially of the
longer tail-coverts, being brown at the base, but so broadly tip-
ped and margined with the paler color that little of the brown
shows ; the primaries and tail-feathers are deep chocolate-brown ;
the secondaries and tertiaries hair-brown, more or less suffused
on their outer webs with pale dingy earthy or fulvous-brown.
A quite young bird has the top and back of the head, and
upper part of the back of the neck, thickly covered with white
down ; the rest of the head and neck, as in the adult ; the
crop-patch much lighter than in the adult, is covered with pale,
dove-colored brown feathers ; the rest of the lower surface is
pale brown, becoming albescent towards the vent, each feather
broadly centred ( most conspicuously so on the sides and breast),
with dingy white ; the ruff, of long, linear lanceolate feathers, is a
6 VULTURIN.E,
very pale fulvous-white, faintly margined with brown ; the mantfe
a somewhat pale hair-brown, every feather narrowly, but con-
spicuously, centred with fulvous- white ; the quill-feathers and
tail-feathers chocolate-brown, darkest on the primaries and rec-
trices ; the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts are nearly
pure white, only a few of the longest being tinged with brown.
In an intermediate stage the crop-patch is intermediate in
color between that of th'e adult and of the young, as is also the
color and character of the ruff, and indeed of the whole plumage.
This bird differs at all ages' from bengalensis in having
fourteen instead of twelve rectrices. Hume, " Hough Notes."
With the exception of Sind, this Vulture is common through-
out the Presidency. It breeds on cliffs during December and
January ; the egg is usually very pale greenish-white, but is
occasionally spotted and blotched with pale-reddish or faint
purplish-brown. They average 3'61 in length by 272 in breadth.
GENUS, Pseudogyps, Sharpe.
Tarsus shorter than middle toe ; tail of twelve feathers.
Pseudogyps bengalensis, Gm.
5. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 10; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 442 ; Deccan and South Mahratta
country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 369 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 63 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 54 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p, 26.
THE WHITE-BACKED VULTURE,
Gidh, Hin.
Length, 33 to 37 ; expanse, 83 to 88 ; wing, 22 to 24 ; tail,
9 to 11 ; tarsus, 3'5 to 3*9; bill from gape, 2'65 to 2'9 : weight,
9 to 13 Ibs.
Bill horny, dusky on cere; irides red-brown; legs dusky-
black.
Adult : above cinereous-black ; back and rump white, beneath
dark -brown ; the feathers centred lighter ; the short feathers of
the crop deep-brown ; ruff whitish, the feathers short and downy ;
head and neck nearly bare, with a few scattered hair-like feathers.
The young is paler, with the head and neck more or less clothed
with whitish down; bill and cere horny-black; legs black;
irides brown.
The White-backed is the commonest Vulture we have ; it
occurs in great numbers all over the country ; they breed during
December, January, and February, choosing lofty trees in the
neighbourhood of villages, in the tops of which they make huge
platform nests, sometimes as many as twelve or fourteen in a
single tree. Jerdon says : " It breeds by preference on rocky
cliffs." I doubt this, as I have found the nests on trees, adjacent
to cliffs, in every way suitable. I have never found more than a
NEOPHRONIN^f 7
single egg, or a single nestling, in a nest ; this would seem con-
clusive, but others state that they lay one or two eggs.
The color of the egg is white, with a greenish tinge, and is
generally much discolored ; they are often spotted and blotched,
with various shades of reddish-brown. The texture is moderately
fine, the shell thick and strong, and the lining a deep green.
They vary much in size and shape, some being moderately long
ovals, while others are nearly spherical. They average 3'26
inches in length by 2'42 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Neophroninae.
Bill lengthened, slender, straight, hooked suddenly at the tip ;
cere very long, occupying nearly two-thirds of the whole bill ;
nostrils longitudinal, nearly in the middle of the bill ; part of
the head and face naked ; neck with acuminated feathers ; wings
ample, pointed, the third quill longest ; tail moderate, wedge-
shaped, of twelve or fourteen feathers ; legs moderate, toes much
united at base by membrane.
GENUS, Neophron, Sav.
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family.
Neophron ginginianus, Lath.
6. Jerdon's Birds of India, Yol. I, p. 12 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 442 ; Deccan and South Mahratta
country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 369 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 64 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 54 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 31.
THE WHITE SCAVENGER VULTURE.
Length, 26 to 29 ; wing, 19 ; tail, 9 to 10 ; tarsus, 3 ; bill from
gape, 2-5.
Bill horny -brown ; cere and face turmeric-yellow ; irides
reddish- brown ; legs and feet yellowish- white.
Adult : yellowish or creamy-white ; quills black ; neck feathers
long, lanceolate, and tinged rusty ; secondaries dark brown, ashy-
white at base.
The young bird has the plumage dirty-brown, with the quills
blackish-brown ; the back and rump albescent or tawny ; the
inner edge of the secondaries and of some of the primaries
cinereous ; the nude parts of head and cere greyish ; feet cine-
reous.
In an intermediate stage the birds are mottled-brown and
white.
The White Scavenger Vulture is another very common species,
and is found throughout the whole district ; it breeds during
March and April, generally on trees but occasionally on rocky
8 GYPAETIN.E.
cliffs, old buildings and such like places. It makes a large nest
of twigs, lined with old rags and rubbish ; straggling, if built
on a cliff or a building rather more compact if on a tree. In
the latter situation, the nest is generally placed at the junction
of a large limb with the trunk, but sometimes on a horizontal
branch, very rarely in a fork. The eggs, two in number, are
very handsome ; they are somewhat chalky in texture, greyish-
white in color, richly blotched and clouded with deep brownish-
red. They vary much in shape, size and color.
They average 2*6 inches in length by T98 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Gypaetinae, Bonn $ Gray.
Bill strong, lengthened, compressed, straight ; upper man-
dible ascending in front of cere, then curved, with the tip
much hooked ; nostrils oval, vertical, covered with dense rigid
recumbent bristles ; lower mandible with a beard, or tuft of
rigid setaceous bristles directed forward ; head closely feathered ;
wings very long, the first quill rather shorter than the second,
the third longest ; feet short, stout ; the tarsus hirsute to the
toes ; the thigh-coverts lengthened ; the three front toes slightly
united by membrane, middle-toe very long, hind-toe short ;
claws strong, moderately curved ; tail cuneate, long,
GENUS, Qypaetus, Storr.
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family.
Gypaetus barbatus, Lin.
7. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 12 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 64 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 35.
THE LAMMERGEYEE.
Length, 44 to 49 ; expanse, 99 to 110 ; wing, 30 to 34 ; tail,
21 to 25 ; tarsus, 3'9 to 47 ; bill from gape, 4 to 47.
Bill bluish-horny, dusky at tip ; irides pale-orange or straw
color; sclerotic membrane blood-red; feet plumbeous; claws
black.
Head whitish with dark stripes, tinged rufous ; cheek-stripe
and supercilium black ; feathers of the nape lengthened, creamy-
white, tinged wiih bright tawny; upper parts black;
the back and rump paler, with white shafts, and the coverts
with white streaks; greater-coverts, wing and tail ashy-black,
with darker edges and white shafts to the feathers ; beneath dull
orange or ferruginous, with a more or less marked black pectoral
collar (not always present ), paling below the breast, and becom-
ing albescent or nearly white on the lower belly and under
tail-coverts.
The Lammergeyer or Bearded Vulture only occurs in the
northern parts of Sind.
FALCONING. 9
FAMILY, Falconidse.
Bill usually short and compressed, tip elongated, curved, and
sharp ; margin of upper mandible toothed or festooned ; wings
more or less pointed ; tail various, generally rather long ; leers
and feet strong ; tarsus bare, or feathered ; toes generally un-
equal, with the claws lon<j, sharp, and well curved ; head and
neck are always feathered ; eyes sunk, shaded above by a bony
projection or brow.
SUB-FAMILY, Falconinse.
Bill short, strongly curved and hooked, the upper mandible
with a sharp tooth (or sometimes two) over-lapping the lower
one, which is short, truncated and slightly notched to receive
the tooth of the upper mandible.
The wings are long, with the second quill usually longest,
sometimes the third nearly equal to it, and one or two of the
first quills are usually notched on their inner webs; the tail
is moderately long, even, or very slightly rounded, and broad ;
the legs are short, muscular, and reticulated ; the toes lengthened,
with the outer and inner one generally very unequal in length ;
the claws sharp, well-curved, and somewhat retractile.
GENUS, Falco, Lin.
Bill with the upper mandible furnished with one strong
tooth ; nostrils round, with a central tubercle ; wings long and
pointed, reaching nearly to the end of the tail, the first one or
two quills notched internally, the second quill longest ; the tail
rather short ; tarsus short, strong, reticulated, feathered at the
knee ; toes long, scutellated, the middle-toe very long, outer-toe
longer than the inner ; claws long and sharp ; inner fore and
hind-claw very large.
Falco peregrinus, Gm.
8. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 21 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 442 ; Deccan and South Mahratta
country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 370 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 65 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 49.
THE PEREGRINE FALCON.
Bhyri, HiN.
? . Length, 18 to 20'25 ; expanse, 35 to 39 ; wing, 13 to 14'5 ;
tail, 6 to 675 ; tarsus, 2 to 2'2 ; bill from gape, 1-3.
c?. Length, 16 ; wing, 12'25 ; tail, 575.
Bill, pale blue at base of upper mandible, greenish at base
of lower mandible, bluish-black at tips of both; cere dingy-
yellowish; irides deep bro\vn; legs and feet pale yellowish-
brown ; claws black.
Adult : above deep bluish-grey, most of the feathers with some
dark markings ; head, nape, and moustache darker ; rump and
10 FALCONIN.E.
upper tail-coverts much lighter ; wings blackish-brown, more or
less spotted or barred with white on the inner web ; tail grey,
with some dark bands, and a pale tip ; beneath chin and throat
pure white ; breast, white, with a few narrow longitudinal streaks,
almost disappearing in old individuals ; abdomen with some small
heart-shaped spots ; flanks and thigh-coverts with dark transverse
bars ; inner wing-coverts white, with numerous well-marked
dark cross bars.
Young bird: above dark brown, most of the feathers edged
with paler and somewhat rufous brown ; head more edged with
whitish, especially the hind head ; cheek-stripe brown ; wings
darker brown than the back, with pale rufous spots or bars on the
inner webs ; the tail dusky-cinereous, with numerous interrupted
pale rufous or rufous- white bars ; beneath white or creamy, with
brown oval spots, longitudinal and narrow on the throat and breast,
wider and ovate on the abdomen.
The following extract from Mr. Hume's " Rough Notes" will
assist in discriminating the various species of Falcons :
" First, the Sacer so far exceeds all the others in size that
this alone would be sufficient to identify it. The wings average
from 15 to 16 inches, against 14 in F. juggur and F. peregrinus,
and 13 in perigrinator and babylonicus.. Then, while the cen-
tral tail-feathers of peregrinus, perigrinator, and babylonicus
are all barred, (in different stages according to age) and those of
juggur are unbarred, those of Sacer, in most of the specimens I
have seen, are marked with roundish spots (more or less broad
ovals on the laterals). Then, again, the Sacer never has much, and
commonly shows scarcely any sign of a cheek-stripe, while in all
the others it is well marked Further, the Peregrine is distin-
guished at all times from the Juggur, by its huge, broad cheek-
patch, which in the Laggar is at most about a quarter of an inch
broad, and by the entire absence of barring on the centre tail-
feathers in F. juggur, which absence equally distinguishes this
later from both perigrinator and babylonicus.
From babylonicus, both perigrinator and peregrinus differ in
the cheek-stripe, which is narrow in the former, as in the juggur,
but very broad and strongly marked in the two latter ; but baby-
lonicus, as far as my experience goes, is not of the juggur type
of brown plumage, the old birds becoming slaty or greenish-blue
as do both peregrinus and perigrinator, whilst the oldest jug-
gur is never more than slaty-brown.
Then, as to perigrinator and peregrinus, the comparatively
rich rufous coloring at all ages of the -under parts, and the very
dark head and nape of the former, at once separate the two
species.
The Peregrine, though it occurs throughout the district, is no-
where common. It is also called the Duck-hawk, from its habit
of preying on the duck tribe; so long as they (the ducks)
remain on the water, they are safe, and the ducks seem instinct-
FALCONIN.E. 11
ively to know this, for immediately a Peregrine appears in sight,
they betake themselves to the water with the utmost speed they
are capable of, the hindmost generally falling a victim to the
Peregrine's superior powers of flight.
Nothing certain appears to be known concerning its nidification
in this country, but it is strongly suspected to breed on the banks
of the Cabool and Swat rivers. I have myself seen young birds
offered for sale at Kotri, Sind : these birds were said to have
been obtained from nests on the banks of the Indus.
Falco perigrinator, Sund.
9. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 25 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 443; Deccan and South Mahratta
country; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 370; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 55 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 55.
THE SHAHEEN FALCON.
Shahin, Hin.
<?. Length, 14'87 ; wing, 11*49 ; tail, 6 ; tarsus, 1'85 ; bill from
gape, 1-1.
? . Length, 18 ; wing, 13'5 ; tail, 6'25.
Bill bluish, black at tip ; irides brown ; cere, orbits, legs and
feet yellow ; claws, black.
Young bird with the upper parts and cheek-stripe very dark
cinereous, or dusky-blackish, darkest on the head, hind-neck and
cheek-stripe, most of the feathers narrowly edged with rufous,
those of the back and rump more broadly so ; occasionally the
forehead is somewhat rufous, and there is always a patch on the
nape, where it forms a sort of crucial mark ; tail paler than the
rest of the body, faintly barred with rufous, and tipped with the
same ; chin and throat pale rufous-yellow, almost white in some
birds and unspotted ; cheeks the same, with narrow dark stripes ;
the rest of the body beneath bright rufous or chesnut, with
longitudinal dark -brown stripes on the lower breast and the mid-
dle of the abdomen ; oblong spots on the sides, and arrow-shaped
markings on the lower abdomen, vent and under tail-coverts ;
under wing-coverts rufous, with dark brown bars ; the quills bar-
red with rufous on their inner webs.
The old bird has the head, nape, and cheek-stripe almost black ;
back and upper parts slaty, light on the rump, and almost with-
out any markings ; chin, throat, and upper breast white ; the rest
of the plumage beneath rufous or chesnut, almost unspotted.
The changes of plumage from the young bird consists in the
head, gradually becoming darker ; the back (and the rump more
especially) becoming lighter and more slaty-blue, and in the
markings of the lower surface gradually disappearing from the
crop downwards with each successive moult. Individuals vary
a good deal in the amount of white on the* chin and throat, and
12 FALCONING.
in its intensity ; in some it is well marked, in others always a
creamy or rufous-white.
The Shaheen Falcon occurs sparingly throughout the country,
with the exception of Sind, from whence it has not yet been re-
corded. Dr. Jerdon says that it breeds on inaccessible cliffs, arid
that he has seen three eyries. One, at the large waterfall in
Mhow, is within our district, and I have myself seen, during the
cold season of 1881, a pair of Shaheens frequenting this spot.
Major Butler had reason to believe that a pair bred annually at
Khandalla.
Falco sacer, Gm.
10. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 29 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 66 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 62.
THE SAKER.
Chargh, Hin.
c?. Length, 19'81 ; wing, 15; tail, 9'2 ; tarsus, 2'13; bill from
gape, 1-42.
? . Length, 22 ; wing, 15'5 ; tail, 1075 ; tarsus, 213 ; bill from
gape, 1-45.
Young bird with the top of the head yellowish- white, brown
streaked ; upper parts brown, with slight pale edgings to some of
the feathers ; beneath white, with large oval brown spots ; legs
and feet pale bluish; bill and cere bluish-black at tip. The
adult has the upper parts rather pale slaty-brown, almost slaty
in old birds ; cheek-stripe indistinct ; top of the head reddish-ash
color with fine black streaks ; chin white ; breast and lower parts
white, with oblong, slaty spots ; cere greenish-white ; feet lemon-
yellow.
The Saker Falcon or Cherrug has only been obtained from Sind,
where it is stated to be not common and only occurring in the
cold weather. Those obtained were all in the immature phase.
Falco juggur, J. E. Gray.
11. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 30; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 443 ; Deccan and South Mahratta
country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 370 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 67 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 55j Hume's Scrap Book, p. 70.
THE LAGGAB.
Laggar, Female, Hin.
Juggur, Male, Hin.
<J. Length, 15 to 16'5 ; expanse, 37 to 41 ; wing, 12 to 13 ;
tail, 7 to 8 ; tarsus, 17 to T9 ; bill from gape, 1 to 112.
?. Length, 17'5 to 19; expanse, 42 to 45; wing, 13 to 15;
tail, 8 to 9 ; tarsus, 175 to 2 ; bill from gape, 115 to 1-37.
In the young, the color of the legs and feet vary from pale
plumbeous to dull greenish-grey ; in the adult from full wax-
FALCONING. 13
yellow to a bright almost orange-yellow. The claws are blackish-
horny ; the cere is dingy greenish-grey or plumbeous in the
young, bright yellow in the adult ; the orbit greenish-yellow in the
former, blight yellow in the latter ; the bill varies at base from
greenish-horny to greyish-blue and even blue, and at tip from
dark horny-blue to bluish-black ; the irides are brown.
Adult Male. Above dusky-ashy or slate color ; crown of head
dull rufous with central ashy-black striations ; lores, forehead,
chin, throat and eyebrow white ; moustachial stripe black ;
wing-coverts concolorous with the back, the carpal margin
white ; the breast white with a few brown spots ; lower abdo-
men, flanks and thighs ashy brown ; tail clear ashy-grey with
pale rufous bars on the inner webs and a white tip.
Young of a chocolate-brown above and below ; wing-coverts
with rufous margins ; head yellowish-fawn ; or pale rufous ;
forehead and eyebrow whitish ; chin and throat white ; under
tail-coverts dirty-white with faint brown markings.
The Laggar is the commonest of the larger Falcons, and occurs
throughout the region. It is a permanent resident, and breeds
during the first three months of the year, the majority of them
laying in Fabruary. It is by no means particular in the choice
of a site for its nest ; a hole in the face of an old building, a
ledge on a rocky or clayey cliff, a fork in a tree, or even a
deserted crow or other nest, are all made use of. The eggs,
three or four in number, are oval in shape, of a fine but chalky
texture, reddish or yellowish- white in color, so closely freckled
and stippled with reddish-brown, as to leave little or none of the
ground color discernible. At such times the egg, unless looked
at closely, appears to be a uniform brick-red. Sometimes the
color is whiter and the egg blotched, clouded or capped with
reddish-brown, not however very distinct. They are at times
very beautiful.
They average 2 inches in length by T55 in breadth.
Falco babylonicus, Gurney.
12. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 32 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 79 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 67.
THE RED-CAP FALCON.
Length, 16; expanse, 38; weight, 12ozs ; wing, 11 '87 ; tail,
(of 12 feathers), 6 ; tarsus, (feathered for 0'5 in front) 1*87;
bill from gape, -1'19.
Legs and feet bright yellow, whitish at the joints of the
reticulated scales of the tarsus ; soles with large pads, very
conspicuous under second joint of middle and exterior toe ; claws
horn black; middle-toe very slender and elongated; irides
dark brown ; edges of the lids greenish-yellow, with tiny dark
lashes ; membrane of the orbits pale greenish.
Forehead baffy- white, feathers dark shafted ; line over the
14 FALCONING.
.eye continued round the back of the head, whitish or fulvous-
white ; feathers dark shafted ; whole crown of the head brown, a
few feathers in centre towards the front very broadly margined,
the rest very narrowly margined, with fulvous or buffy- white ;
the nape below the white stripe darkish-brown in the centre,
the feathers margined with buffy-white, and with a patch of
white on either side the feathers of which have dark spots
towards the tip ; the whole of the rest of the back of the neck,
upper back, scapulars, and wing-coverts a nearly uniform brown
with a faint tinge of slaty, and all the feathers tipped and
margined with fulvous-white, very narrowly towards the head,
and more broadly towards the points of the scapulars ; the hue
of the back of the neck is slightly darker ; the quills are much
the same color, but somewhat more bluish ; all the quills have
a number of incomplete bars, or oval spots of rufous-white on
the inner web ; the last five primaries, the secondaries and the
tertiaries have each two or three tiny rufous-white spots on the
outer webs also ; and the greater-coverts of the secondaries
and tertiaries have similar small inconspicuous spots on both
webs ; and all the secondaries and tertiaries, and the last few
primaries, are narrowly tipped with buffy-white ; the rump
and lower back are a somewhat paler and more sandy-brown,
margined with pale rufous ; the upper tail-coverts are a still
more sandy-brown, tipped and margined with dingy-white, and
with one or more incomplete bars of fulvous-white ; the tail-
feathers are brown, paler and sandier on the centre feathers,
and darker, and more slaty on the outer feathers, all
narrowly tipped with dirty- white, and all with six or seven one-
quarter-inch broad transverse bars on both webs, fulvous white
on the centre feathers, and rufous-white on the exterior feathers ;
the bars are scarcely visible on the outer web of the exterior
feather ; chin, and upper part of throat, pure white ; a dark-
brown cheek-stripe from under the eye, margined with pale
rufous ; ear-coverts mingled pale brown and rufous-white.
Hinder portion of the cheeks white, some of the feathers
tinged pale-rufous ; an ill-defined brown stripe (the feathers
slightly tipped fulvous-white) running backwards from the
posterior angle of the eye, and dividing the white of the hind-
cheeks from the white of the sides of the nape ; the lower
throat and upper portion of breast fulvous-white, each feather
dark shafted, and with a narrow somewhat pear-shaped streak
of dark brown towards the tip ; the rest of the breast, sides
and upper abdomen fulvous-white, each feather with a well
marked central stripe of brown, narrowest in front, broadest to-
wards the sides.
Lower abdomen and vent white, slightly tinged with fulvous,
a few of the feathers dark shafted; lower tail-coverts (which
do not reach within two inches of the end of the tail) white,
with two or three transverse, somewhat wavy bars, of pale
FALCONING. 15
brown ; interior thigh-coverts white ; exterior thigh-coverts
white, tinged with fulvous, each feather dark shafted, and with
a central lanceolate stripe of brown, the bars above mentioned
showing through; the lower wing-coverts, all reddish-brown,
conspicuously margined at the tip, and the longer ones barred
with somewhat fulvous-white.
Mr. Hume in his " Rough Notes " gives the measurements and
description of a fine female, shot by him in the Punjaub :
Dimensions. Length, 17'95 ; expanse, 4*1, tail from vent,
7*25 ; foot, greatest length, 4'5, greatest width 4 ; wing, 13 ;
wings, when closed, reach to within 1*87 of end of tail ; tarsus,
175 ; mid- toe to root of claw, 1*9 ; weight, 1*87 Ibs.
Description. The irides were deep brown ; the cere, gape,
and orbital skin, as well as the legs and feet, were bright yellow ;
the claws were black, and the corneous portion of the bill was
blue, changing to horny-black at the tip.
The forehead and the centre of the top of the head were
sandy-rufous, each feather with a dark-brown shaft ; the sides
of the top and the back of the head were a somewhat ashy or
slaty-brown, the feathers more or less margined with sandy-
rufous ; a broad, rufous, half collar ran round the back of the
neck, a little mottled behind the ear-coverts, and again in the
centre of the back of the neck, with dusky-slaty ; the whole
mantle was slaty-grey, dark and dusky towards the base of the
neck, and paling towards the rump and upper tail-coverts ; most,
if not all, of the feathers were narrowly margined paler, those
towards the nape with rufous, and those lower down with greyish-
white ; most of the feathers also were somewhat conspicuously
darker shafted, and all exhibited broad, transverse somewhat
ill-defined, dusky-slaty, bands ; the rump and upper tail-
coverts were pale slaty, or French-grey, with brown shafts, and
transverse arrow head, dusky bars ; the tail-feathers were
pale slaty-grey, tipped with rufous, and with numerous broad
transverse, well defined, slaty-brown bars, broadest towards the
tips ; there was a blackish line under the eye, continued down-
wards for about an inch and a quarter, as a narrow cheek-stripe ;
the two cheek-stripes nearly meet on the throat, about an inch
and a half below the base of the lower mandible ; the whole
of the lower parts were a rich rufous-salmon color, somewhat
paler on the chin and centre of the throat, and deeper on the
ear-coverts, sides of neck, and centre of the abdomen ; the
breast, chin and throat are perfectly spotless ; the abdomen,
flanks, lower tail-coverts and tibial plumes were regularly, but
rather widely barred with slaty-brown ; the bars, everywhere
narrow, being nearly obsolete in the centre of the abdomen, an d
best marked on the flanks ; the under wing-coverts were of
a pale salmon color, conspicuously barred with brown.
The Red-headed Falcon or Lanner has only been recorded from
Sind. With regard to its modification nothing certain seems to be
16 FALCONING.
known, but Mr. Hume had reason to believe that it bred in the
Peshawar Valley and in Cashmere.
Falco barbarus, Lin.
12 b is. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 68.
THE BAKBARY FALCON.
cT. Length, 14 ; wing, 10'8 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 1'6.
?. Length, 15 '5 ; expanse, 36'4 ; wirg, 1T4; tail, 6 '4 ; tarsus,
1*8 ; bill from gape, I'l.
The base of the beak is yellow, but the point is blue ; the cere
and feet beautiful yellow, and the orbital skin orange.
The forehead presents a mixture of rufous and dull white. This
part of the head is encircled by a black (or dark slaty) horse-shoe-
shaped band, of which the lateral branches pass over the eyes,
their extreme points joining in front of the eyes, the moustachial
stripes which extend along the sides of the neck ; the occiput
and nape are covered by a rufous half-collar marked with three
black spots, of which the centre one forms a band on the nape ;
the back and wings are a light bluish-grey, with large spots and
irregular bars of bluish-black ; the tail, which is a lighter grey
than the back, is barred transversely with black bands, very nar-
row towards the bases of the feathers, but widening gradually
towards their ends, the tips of which are white ; the chest is
pure isabeline ; the flanks, vent, and abdomen of the same color,
but the feathers bear very narrow longitudinal striae and little
triangular black spots.
This Falcon only occurs as a rare visitant, Sind being the only
part of the region with which I am dealing, in which it has occur-
red.
Falco subbuteo, Lin.
13. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 33 ; Butler, Aboo ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 443 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 370 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 69 ; Hume's
Scrap Book, p. 85.
THE HOBBY.
<. Length, 1075 ; wing, 9 : 4 ; tail, 5'25.
?. Length, 12'5 ; wing, 10*4 ; tail, 5'5.
Cere and legs greenish-yellow.
Adult : blackish-slaty above, rusty-white beneath ; throat and
neck unspotted ; breast and abdomen with dark brown streaks,
narrow on the centre of the abdomen, wider on the flanks ; thigh-
coverts and under tail -co verts pure ferruginous ; tail dark slaty,
with dark bands ; frontal line and narrow stripe over the eye pale
rusty- whitish ; cheek-stripe black, distinctly separated from the
dark cheeks and ear-coverts ; quills barred internally with light
rufous.
Young bird : dark brown above, the feathers edged with ferrugi-
FALCONING. 17
nous; cheek-stripe darker, beneath whitish, with a rusty tinge,
and all the feathers with broad blackish-brown spots or streaks ;
the lower abdomen, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts ferrugi-
nous, with a few brown streaks.
The European Hobby is a somewhat rare winter visitant to the
greater part of the region ; at Aboo it is not uncommon, but has
not as yet been recorded from Central India,
Falco sesalon, Tunst.
15. Hypotriorchis cesalon, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 35 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 7 ; Hume's
Scrap Book, p. 89.
THE MERLIN.
J. Length, 11-25 ; wing, 8 ; tail, 5.
? . Length, 13'5 ; wing, 9 ; tail, 5*5.
Above, fine blackish-grey, darkest on the crown, and reddish,
mixed with white, on the nape ; ear-coverts yellowish-grey ; quills
blackish-brown ; tail grey, with a broad black band, white-tipped
at the end; chin and throat white, the same tinged with ochrey on
the breast and with reddish-orange on the abdomen, with dark
brown spots. The female is browner than the male, with the
markings more rufous, and the lower parts ochrey-white, tinged
with rufous on the breast, and the spots larger and more numer-
ous.
The young bird has the head rufous, with dark streaks ; and
the rest of the plumage above brown, tinged grey, with dark
shafts, and pale rufous edges ; quills dark brown ; tail ashy-brown,
barred with rufous ; the chin is white, the rest of the plumage
beneath pale ochrey-white, with broad brown marks reduced to
lines on the thighs and under tail-coverts.
The Merlin is another very rare visitant to Sind,
Falco chiquera, Daud.
16. Hypotriorchis chiquera,DdMid. Jerdon's Birds of India,
I, p. 36; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 444; I/
Deccan and South Mahratta country, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 370 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 70 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 55 ; Hume's Scrap
Book, p. 91.
THE KED-HEADED MERLIN.
Turumti, Hin.
<?. Length, 11 to 12 ; expanse, 26 ; wing, 8 to 8'25 ; tail, 475
to 6 ; tarsus, 1*5.
?. Length, 13 to 14 ; wing, 8'5 to 9 ; tail, 5'5 to 6 ; tarsus,
1-5.
Cere, orbitar skin, and legs, bright yellow.
Adult : head, nape, and cheek-stripe bright rufous ; the rest of
the plumage above fine pale grey ; quills dark slaty ; tail light grey,
2
FALCONING.
with a broad black terminal band, white tipped at the end ; beneath
white, unspotted to the breast ; all the rest of the lower parts with
narrow cross bands of dusky grey ; quills with the inner webs
banded dusky and whitish ; tail with narrow cross bars, conspicu-
ous beneath, not seen above.
Young bird : head, nape, and moustache dark dusky-rufous,
with dark mesial lines ; the upper parts grey, with dark markings
to all the feathers ; quills darker ; tail with numerous bars, and a
broad black terminal band ; beneath white, more or less tinged
rusty, with some streaks on the neck and breast, and broadish
bars on the abdomen and thigh-coverts.
The Turumti is more or less common throughout the region.
It frequents open country in the vicinity of cultivation, and I
have often obtained its nest within village enclosures. It com-
mences to breed in January, and nests may be found quite up
to the end of March. They prefer rather high trees, such as
tamarind and peepul, and in a fork near the top, they construct
rather a neat cup-shaped nest of twigs, lined with grass, roots,
&c. It would be rather a difficult nest to find were it not for
the fussy habit the bird has of darting out, attacking, and
driving away any bird that may happen to come near the tree.
Jerdon says that they do not hesitate to attack the Tawny Eagle.
The usual number of eggs is four, but I have occasionally found
only three, well incubated. They are rather longish ovals, some-
what chalky in texture, of a yellowish or reddish-brown color,
closely stippled, blotched, mottled and clouded with darker shades
of the same color.
They average 1'65 inches in length by about T25 in breadth.
GENUS, Cerchneis.
Tarsi long, strong, with transverse hexagonal scales ; rest as in
Falco.
Cerchneis tinnunculus, Lin.
17. Tinnunculus alaudarius, Brisson. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 38 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 444 ; Deccan and South Mahratta country ; Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 370 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 71 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 56 ; Hume's
Scrap Book, p. 96.
THE KESTRIL.
Narzi, Hin.
c? Length, 13 to 14 ; expanse, 30 ; wing, 10 ; tail, 6'25 ; bill from
gape, 0'85; tarsus, 1'53.
o Length, 15 ; wing, 1075 ; tail, 7.
Bill yellowish at the base, bluish-black at tips and on culmen ;
irides brown ; cere and orbits bright yellow ; legs and feet bright
orange-yellow ; claws blackish-horny.
Male : forehead yellowish ; head, nape and tail fine ashy-
FALCONING. 19
grey, the latter with a broad black band, and the former some-
times tinged black ; mantle and wing-coverts vinaceous, with
some heart-shaped black spots ; beneath creamy or rusty with
spots of brown, linear on the breast, oval on the abdomen, and
heart-shaped on the sides ; the under tail-coverts are unspotted ;
quills brown, with white bands or spots 011 the inner webs.
Female (and young male) : above of a ruddy vinaceous color,
with long dark stripes on the head and neck, broadish bars on
the back and wing-coverts ; tail with numerous dark bands, and
a broader one at the end, white-tipped ; cheek-stripe dark, of
small extent ; ears hoary ; plumage beneath reddish-ochraceus,
with numerous and close brown spots.
To the above description, which is Dr. Jerdon's, must be added,
that the tail is tipped with white, and that the centre tail-
feathers have at times linear black spots on their inner webs ;
the quills are also often narrowly edged and tipped with white.
The young male is not exactly like the female ; it is always
more rufous.
The Kestril is common throughout the country, but only as a
winter visitant. It arrives in September and does not take its
departure until April. It does not breed anywhere within our
limits ; but is known to do so on the Himalayan, Suleiman, and
Neilgherry ranges. I obtained a good series of eggs on the Khoja
Amran Hills, between Quetta and Kandahar.
Cerchneis naumanni, Fleish.
18. Erythropus cenchris, Maum. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 40 ; Butler, Deccan and South Mahratta country ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 371 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 103.
THE LESSER KESTRIL.
Total length, 12*5 inches ; culmen, 075 ; wing, 9'5 ; tail, 6 ;
tarsus, 1'2.
Bill lightish-blue, yellow at base, and blackish at tip ; cere,
orbits, and feet beautiful yellow ; the claws generally white, very
rarely inclining to blackish ; iris dark brown.
Adult male : upper surface of body rich cinnamon-rufous ;
entire head and hind-neck, lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts,
and tail blue-grey, the latter tipped with white, and crossed by a
broad subterminal band of black ; lores and a few streaks on the
cheeks whitish ; lesser and medium wing-coverts cinnamon-rufous,
like the back, a few of the outer ones of the latter series washed
with blue-grey ; the greater-coverts and inner secondaries blue-grey
washed with rufous externally ; primaries dark brown ; throat
deep fulvous-white ; breast pale cinnamon or vinous, with a few
blackish ^spots on the breast, becoming larger on the sides of
the body ; thighs paler rufous, unspotted ; abdomen and under
tail-coverts yellowish-white ; under wing-coverts white, with a
few tiny black oval spots, larger on the axillaries.
20 FALCONING.
Adult female : dissimilar to the male. Above tawny-rufous,
transversely crossed by bars of blackish-brown, narrower and more
obscure on the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, the latter
of which are strongly inclined to grey; tail rufous, barred with
black, tipped with whitish, before which a broad subterminal band
of black ; head and neck rather paler rufous, the former broadly,
the latter more narrowly, streaked with blackish shaft stripes;
forehead and a distinct eye-brow whitish; cheeks and ear-coverts
silvery-white, with narrow shaft lines of black ; primaries dark-
brown, barred on the inner web with rufous; secondaries colored
like the back, the outer ones narrowly margined with white at the
tip ; throat, vent and under tail-coverts fulvous- white, unspotted ;
breast inclining to rufous- fawn color; all the feathers mesially
streaked with blackish, these stripes being broader on the flanks,
and very tiny on the sides, which are also paler rufous. Total
length, 12'5 inches; culmen, 07 ; wing, 9'3; tail, 5'9; tarsus, 1'2.
Young male : like the old female, but somewhat paler rufous.
The blue tail is assumed by a moult, the blue head being, on the
other hand, gained by a change of feather. Birds in intermediate
stages are often thus seen. Sharpens Catalogue.
The Lesser Kestril has been recorded from the Deccan by
several observers, but Mr. Hume remarks that it is doubtful whe-
ther the form that occurs there may not be the closely allied
Cerdmeis pekinensis. I therefore add a description of the latter.
18 fo's. Cerchneis pekinensis, Swinh.
Adult male : very similar to G. naumanni, but darker and
more vinous-red above ; underneath also darker colored and un-
spotted when adult. The principal distinction is in the wing-
coverts, which are almost entirely blue-grey, only the very inner-
most being slightly washed with rufous. Total length, 12 inches ;
culmen, 0'8 ; wing, 9'6 ; tail, 5*8; tarsus 1-45. Sharpes Cata-
logue.
Cerchneis vespertina, Lin.
19. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 41.
1 9 bis. Butler, Deccan; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 371 ; Hume's
Scrap Book, p. 106.
THE RED-LEGGED FALCON.
<?. Length, 11; wing, 875.
$. Length, 11 '5; wing, 9'25 ; expanse, 27; tail, 5.
Bill fleshy-red, with a dusky tip ; cere and legs deep orange-
red ; claws fleshy ; orbitar skin orange-yellow.
Young bird : above dark slaty-grey, some of the feathers centred
and tipped darker; tail light grey, obsoletely barred; ocular region
and cheek-stripe nearly black ; narrow frontal band, supercilium,
lores, ear-feathers, and sides of neck and throat white; breast and
abdomen rusty-white, with blackish-brown marks, longitudinal on
the breast, heart-shaped on the sides, and arrow-like on the centre
ACCIPITRIN^ 21
of the abdomen ; vent, under tail-coverts, and thigh-coverts pale
unspotted rusty.
The adult male has the whole upper plumage unspotted ashy,
pale ashy beneath ; chin and throat whitish ; wings dusky-black ;
thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts, bright rusty-red.
Dr. Jerdon remarks that the Red-legged Falcon is not common
in India, but that he has killed it in Central India ; it is nearly
certain that he mistook it for 19 bis, Cerchmis amurensis, Radde.
This latter Major Butler procured at Belgaum. The points of
difference are as follows;
VESPERTINA, AMURENSIS,
ADULT <$.
Under wing-coverts and axillaries.
Bluish-grey. Pure white,
Breast,
Bluish-grey. Grey,
ADULT 9 .
Under surface.
Rufous, either uniform or with Creamy- white ; the breast
slight remains of blackish shaft broadly streaked and the flanks
lines. barred with black ; abdomen,
thighs, and under tail-coverts
uniform pale rufous.
Juv.
Head.
Rufous with narrow shaft lines Dark bluish, with black shaft
of black ; forehead whitish ; under streaks ; forehead fulvous ; un-
surface of body buff, streaked der surface of body buff,
down the centres of the feathers broadly streaked with black on
with brown ; no bars on the the chest and barred on the
flanks ; tail bluish. flanks with the same color; tail
bluish.
SUB-FAMILY, Accipitrinse.
Bill short and stout, curving from the base, with a blunt tooth
or festoon in the upper mandible ; wings short, rounded ; tail
longish, ample, and rounded ; tarsus long, scutellate in front, or
nearly smooth in some; toes long; claws long, curved and acute,
unequal ; inner-claw large.
GENUS, Astur, Lac.
Bill short, stout, curved from the base, compressed, with a
prominent festoon or rounded tooth in the upper mandible, near
the middle ; nostril large, oval, oblique, near the culmen ; lores
thickly clad with minute feathers ; wings short, rounded ; first
quill short, fourth and fifth quills usually equal and longest t ;
tail long, far exceeding the points of the wings, nearly even or
22 ACCIPITRIN^.
slightly rounded ; tarsus moderate, or shortish, plumed below
the knees for nearly half the length of the tarsus, stout, with
large scutse in front and behind ; near the knee, posteriorly, the
scales are small and reticulated; toes strong, outer-toe longer
than the inner one, joined to the middle-one; middle -toe moder-
ately long ; claws well curved, unequal ; inner claw very large,
about equal to that of the hind-toe.
Astur trivirgatus, Tern.
22. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 47 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 116.
THE CRESTED GOSHAWK.
GOT besra, Hin.
<y. Length, 16; wing, 8*5 ; tail, 7 ; tarsus, 2*2.
$ . Length, 17'5 ; wing, 9'5 ; tail, 8 ; tarsus, 2*5 ; hides bright
yellow ; legs pale yellow ; cere lemon-yellow.
The young bird is brown above, with pale edgings to the
feathers ; eyebrows white, and some white or rufous about the
nape ; below white, more or less spotted on the breast, abdomen
and flanks with dark brown spots, least numerous in the male ;
tail pale ashy-brown, with four or five dark broad bands ; thigh-
coverts with transverse brown bands ; a narrow dark line down
the centre of the chin and throat ; and two more, one on each
side of the neck, not very distinct in the male, but becoming
more so with age ; an occipital crest of several elongated feathers ;{,]
under wing-coverts white, with brown spots ; quills and tail
beneath light cinereous, with dark bands.
The adult bird has the upper plumage glossy dark brown, in
some with an olivaceous tinge, in older birds with a dark
slaty hue, especially when freshly moulted ; wings and tail
banded, the latter with four distinct dark bands ; beneath
white, the throat and upper part of the breast, with pale yellow-
"Brown oval spots ; the rest of the plumage beneath barred with
rich yellow-brown, the bars broad on the breast, belly and flanks ;
narrow on the thigh-coverts, but all becoming more narrow by
age.
The Gor-besra is one of the rarest winter visitants we have.
As yet it has only been doubtfully recorded from the hilly wooded
regions near Mhow ; outside our limits, on the Neilgherries, it
is not uncommon.
With regard to its nidification nothing definite seems to be
known, but it is strongly suspected to breed in the more -sou them
parts of India.
Astur badius, 6m.
23. Micronism badius, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 49 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 445 ; Dec-
can and South Mahratta country; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
ACCIPITRIN.E. 23
p. 371 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 72 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 56 ;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 117.
THE SHIKRA, Hin.
<J . Length, 12 to 12'5 ; expanse, 23 ; wing, 6'8 to 7'5 ; tail, 5'5
to 5'9 ; bill from gape, 078 ; weight, 5 to 6 ozs.
9 . Length, 14 to 15 ; wing, 8'25 ; tail, 7; tarsus, 1-9; weight,
8J to 9J ozs.
Bill bluish, dusky at tip ; hides; pale yellow ; cere yellow ;
legs and feet yellow.
The young bird is dark reddish, or dusky-brown above ; the
feathers edged with rufous, most broadly so in the male ; back of
the head and nape a good deal variegated with white ; tail light
ashy -brown, with six dark bands, beneath white, with a central
dark chin line ; the breast and abdomen with large oval brown
spots, longer on the breast, rounded on the abdomen ; the thigh-
coverts rufescent-white, with smaller spots ; under tail-coverts
with a few faint stripes. The male has usually fewer spots than
the female.
The adult bird is pale ashy^grey above, darkest on the head,
and with a dusky-reddish nape, only conspicuous when the head
is bent forwards; tail with the two centre feathers and the two
outer ones not barred, the others only barred on their inner webs ;
quills blackish-grey, with some dark narrow bands on the inner
webs ; beneath white, with a faint chin-stripe, not always present ;
breast and upper abdomen closely barred with pale rufescent,
fawn-colored, transverse marks ; the lower abdomen, thigh-
coverts, and under tail-coverts pure white ; irides deep orange
color ; cere bright yellow ; feet dark buff-yellow.
As this plumage is not assumed before the fourth or fifth year,
intermediate stages are common, and consist in the upper
plumage bee oming more uniform ; in the bars of the tail becom-
ing gradually indistinct ; and in the longitudinal drops beneath
changing to bars, gradually disappearing in some parts.
The Shikra is common throughout the region, frequenting
gardens, cultivated ground, and open jungle. It is a permanent
resident, breeding during April and May. It takes a very long
time to make its nest, which is generally placed in a fork near
the top of a tree ; it is composed of twigs and is not very com-
pact, scarcely so large as that of the Turumti. The eggs, three
or four in number, are oval in shape and of a pale delicate bluish-
white color, indistinctly spotted with very faint grey ; the shell
is smooth and glossless. They average from 1*56 inches in length
to 1-21 in breadth.
GENUS, Accipiter, Briss.
Bill very short, curving from the base, compressed, with a very
prominent festoon in the middle of the edge of the upper man-
dible ; nostrils oval, oblique ; wings rounded, the fourth and fifth
24 ACCIPITRIN^E.
quills nearly equal ; tail long, slightly rounded or even slender ;
tarsi long, slender ; the scutae very smooth, and scarcely percep-
tible ; toes long, slender ; the inner toe considerably shorter than
the outer one, but longer than the hind-toe ; claws well curved.
. T-
Accipiter msus, Linn.
24. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 51 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 445; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 371 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 73 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 56 ; Hume's
Scrap Book, p. 124.
THE SPARROW HAWK.
Basha, Hin.
c. Length, 12 to 13 ; wing, 8'5 ; tail, 6 ; tarsus, 2'25.
? . Length, 15 to 16 ; wing, 9*5 ; expanse, 25 ; tail, 7'5 ; tarsus,
2-5-
Young bird yellowish-brown above, the feathers edged
with ochrey, not much so in female ; the quills banded on
their inner webs ; and the tail with four bands ; beneath
ochrey-white, with broad longitudinal streaks on the chin
and throat, changing to bars on the breast, lower abdomen, and
thigh-coverts.
The adult is blackish or brownish-grey above, white on the
eyebrow and nape ; the quills brown banded, and tail more ashy
and lighter, with four bands, the last widest and with a white tip,
the others somewhat indistinct in very old birds ; the chin and
throat pale ochrey-white, with brown stripes ; the rest of the
plumage beneath white, the feathers with brown shafts, and
densely banded with reddish ochrey, in some specimens quite
rusty ; under tail-coverts pure white.
The adult female differs somewhat from the male in being paler
and browner above, and in the lower parts being whiter, with the
bars and markings more narrow.
The Sparrow Hawk occurs sparingly throughout the region, but
only as a cold weather visitant.
Accipiter virgatus, Reinw.
25. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 52 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 445 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 56 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 132.
THE JUNGLE SPARROW HAWK.
Besra, Hin.
<?. Length, 11 ; wing, 675 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 2 ; weight, 5J ozs.
? . Length, 14'5 ; wing, 8'5 ; tail, 6'5 ; tarsus, 2'25 ; weight,
7 ozs.
Irides pale yellow ; cere pale lemon-yellow ; legs and feet
pale greenish-yellow.
The young bird is dark brown, above the feathers edged paler
AQUILINE, 25
and rufous, tinged with dusky on the cheeks and ears ; tail light
brown, with dark bars ; beneath white, with a mesial throat stripe,
and brown oval drops on"fhenbYeaWand~abdomen, most numerous
in the felnale.
The adult bird has the plumage above deep glossy olive-brown,
with a blackish or slaty tint ; the head and neck dusky-black ;
ears and face light dusky ; the tail light greyish, with four dark
bands on the centre tail-feaOiers, and six on the outer ones ;
throat white, with a mesial blackish stripe, and a few streaks of
the same ; the rest of the lower parts white, very closely banded
with bright ferruginous-brown, mixed with dusky-brown ; under
tail-coverts pure white. With increasing age the brown of the
upper parts become dark slaty-blackish on the head, and light
on the tail, and the transverse bands of the breast tend to
coalesce, and the lower belly to become whiter. In the female,
after the first moult, the breast is marked with oval light yellow-
brown drops, and the abdomen with broadish bars. The adult
male differs from the female in being more grey on the upper
parts ; in the breast and flanks being almost ferruginous, and in
the bands on the lower belly and thigh-coverts being fewer and
lighter in tint.
The Besra has only been recorded from the Deccan and Central
India. In both it only occurs as a rather rare winter visitant.
SUB-FAMILY, Aquilinae.
Bill strong, more or less lengthened, straight at first, curved
towards tlie point ; wings moderate or Jong, 4th quill usually the
longest ; tail moderate or rather long, tarsus rather long, stout,
bare or feathered ; toes moderate, strong ; claws well curved ; of
large size and robust make.
GENUS, Aquila.
Bill strong, more or less lengthened, straight at base, arching
downwards towards the tip, which is moderately hooked ; upper
mandible with the margin somewhat sinuate ; nostrils oblique,
oblong ; wings long, with the fourth and fifth quills sub-equal and
longest ; tail moderate or long, rounded or graduated ; tarsus
moderately long, feathered to the toes ; toes with reticulated scales,
with some large scutae near the claws, which are of moderate
size and curvature ; the hind-toe and claw powerful ; the outer- toe
joined by a small web to the middle-toe.
Aquila chrysaetus, Lin.
26. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 55 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 74 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 139.
THE GOLDEN EAGLE.
Length, 36 to 40 ; expanse, 95 to 100 ; wing, 28 ; tail, 17 ; tar-
sus, 4*25 ; bill at gape, 2 '5.
26 AQUILINE.
Irides clear orange-brown ; cere and feet yellow.
Adult rich dark umber-brown, glossed with purple on the back
and wings ; the feathers of the hind-head and nape lanceolate, pale
orange-brown, having a golden appearance in the sunshine ;
shoulders, thigh-coverts in front, and leg-coverts, with a tinge of
the same ; quills blackish-brown, white towards the base on the
inner webs, and clouded with greyish-black ; tail nearly square,
the centre feathers somewhat elongated and narrowed, greyish-
brown, with numerous dark markings and cloudings, or dusky-
brown with numerous grey mottlings on the inner web, especially
towards the base, almost white on the base in young birds.
The Golden Eagle is very rare, and only occurs within our
limits, on the hills that separate Sind from Khelat.
Aquila mogilnik, S. S. Gm.
27. A. imperialis, Bechst. ; Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p.
57 (in part) ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 372 ;
Aquila heliaca, Sav. ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p.
74 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 142.
THE IMPERIAL EAGLE.
<?. Length, 28*5 to 30'5 ; expanse, 69 to 76 ; wing, 2075 to 23 ;
tail, 10*5 to 12-5 ; tarsus, 3'38 to 4 ; bill from gape, 213 to 2'63.
?. Length, 30 to 32'63 ; expanse, 70 to 85 ; wing, 23 to 24'5 ;
tail, 12 to 14 ; tarsus, 375 to 4'06 ; bill from gape, 275 to 313.
Bill pale bluish-grey, bluish- horny at tip ; cere, gape and base
of lower mandible deep yellow, tinged green near nostril ; legs
and feet dingy-yellow ; claws black.
This bird has two well marked stages of plumage :
1st. The general character of this stage is lineated. The
under parts with broader or narrower pale centres to the feathers,
and the upper parts with pale central stripes. What I take to
be the earliest form of this stage has the head and nape brown,
the feathers tipped and margined with pale yellowish-brown ;
the upper back, scapulars, and lesser wing-coveits darker brown,
most of them showing faint traces of paler centres and tips, and
some faintly margined slightly paler.
The lower back is buffy, a patch on the rump being mottled
with brown, the upper tail-coverts being fulvous-white ; the
tail-feathers pale wood-brown, much abraded with dirty fulvous
tips, and showing towards the bases traces of a mottled, paler,
and darker barring.
The primary quills are dark-brown, almost black ; the
secondaries and tertiaries paler and dingier brown, with a mere
trace of a fulvous- white tipping, but the tertiaries are a good
deal mottled with fulvous-white ; the median and greater wing-
coverts are, here and there, tipped with fulvous- white, but many
are not so ; the chin, throat, sides of the neck, breast, and
abdomen are pale buffy-brown ; the feathers margined with
darker-brown, which latter, however, is very narrow, and almost
AQUILINE. 27
wanting on most of the throat feathers, while it occupies the greater
portion of the feathers on the lower breast and abdomen ; the
tibial plumes, vent, and lower tail-coverts are dingy reddish-buff ;
the lesser and median lower wing-coverts are reddish-buff, more
or less centred with brown, and the greater lower wing-coverts are
mingled white and blackish-brown ; the lineation of the lower
surface is more obscure and ill-defined than in what I take to be
later forms of this same stage. In the next form of this stage
every feather of the head, nape, and upper back is brown (a
soft hair brown), darker than the form above described, with a
conspicuous narrow, fulvous, central stripe. All the wing-coverts
and scapulars are tipped with fulvous or fulvous- white, the lesser
ones narrowly, in fact with a mere spot at the tip the larger
ones more broadly ; the rump, back and upper tail-coverts are
as above described ; but the tail is a dingy wood-brown, without
any trace of bars, and broadly tipped with fulvous-white.
The secondaries are conspicuously tipped with white or fulvous
white ; the chin, throat, and ear-coverts are unstreaked fulvous ;
the breast and upper two-thirds of the abdomen are a warm,
somewhat purplish-brown, with conspicuous, well defined, narrow,
central fulvous stripes ; the lesser and median lower wing-
coverts are more mingled with brown than in the specimen above
described, and the larger lower-coverts are greyish-white, mottled
with blackish-brown, and the axillaries, which, in the form first
described, were reddish-buff, mottled with brown, are in this one
similar to the feathers of the breast. In another form of this
stage the head and back resemble the form first described ; the
tail and wings the second ; while the chin, throat and ear-coverts
are very pale buff, and the breast and abdomen are of the same
color, each feather narrowly margined with the warm purplish-
brown.
Specimens in this stage vary greatly, independently of the
points noted above ; in the color of the thighs, vent and lower
tail-coverts (which in some are nearly white, in others rufous
buff), and in the extent and purity of the white, or fulvous-
white tipping, to the tail and secondaries. The difficulty is,
tfiat these various differences do not go together. If the birds
be arranged in a series, with reference to the comparative width
of the central stripes of the breast feathers, which width varies,
as above noticed, from less than one-fifth to nearly four-fifths of the
total width of the feathers, and then turned back upwards, no
corresponding progression in the lineation of the upper surface
is observable, and, in order to obtain a regular series, according
to the extent and amount of the lineations of the upper
feathers, a totally different arrangement will be necessary.
Adopting either of these arrangements, we shall still have no
regular progression in the extent or purity of the white tipping
of the tail, or secondaries, or in the color of the lower abdo-
men, vent, and leg-feathers,
28 AQUILINE
Two birds, whose heads, necks, and upper backs correspond,
differ entirely where the lower plumage, or perhaps tail-feathers,
are concerned, and vice versa. It is clear, therefore, that some
birds change first below, others above ; some earlier on the heads
and others on the tails ; thus rendering the determination of
the comparative priority of the various forms doubly difficult.
The adult stage is well-known. The whole head, nape, cheeks,
ear-coverts, and sides of the neck, buff or orange-buff ; the back,
scapulars (except a few which are pure white), upper tail-
coverts, wing-coverts, primaries, and secondaries, chin, throat,
breast, abdomen, leg-feathers, sides, axillaries, and wing-lining,
deep blackish-brown ; the lesser wing-coverts margined, and the
upper tail-coverts tipped with fulvous-white ; the lower tail-
coverts white, and a good deal of white mottling about the
tertiaries, which are a pale-brown ; the tail grey, with a very
broad terminal black band, occupying fully two-fifths of its
visible surface, and above this, a number of more or less broad,
irregular mottled, and imperfect transverse dark brown bands,
which sometimes do, and sometimes do not, coincide exactly at
the shaft
This is what I take to be the perfect adult. In less advanced
examples of this stage, the forehead, and more or less of the
crown, are blackish-brown ; the feathers of the chin and throat,
as well as the upper breast, are margined, more or less broadly,
with the same orange-buff as the head and nape.
The axillaries and lower wing-coverts are more or less
mottled with rufous ; the lower tail-coverts with rufous-brown ;
and the ground color of the tail, above the black tip, is pale
yellowish-stone color rather than grey ; the upper tail-coverts
likewise are paler brown, and more broadly tipped with fulvous-
white. In this stage, too, the changes are not synchronous ;
birds most advanced about the head being often least so about
the tail ; those most advanced on the upper, least so on the
under surface, and vice versa.
The amount of white on the scapulars, too, varies greatly ; some
have only a single feather, others nearly the whole scapulars
white, and I have some specimens, perfect adults, as regards
the plumage on every other point, but exihibiting no trace
whatsoever of white on the scapulars. Huww, " Rough Notes."
The Imperial Eagle is by no means common. It occurs
throughout the region, excepting perhaps Guzerat.
Aquila clanga, Pall.
28. Aquila ncevia, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 59 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 445 ; Deccan, Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 372; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 75; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 56 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 162.
AQUILINE. 29
THE SPOTTED EAGLE.
$. Length, 25 to 26'5 ; expanse, 60 to 64; wing, 19 to 20 ;
tail, 10'6 to 11 ; tarsus, 4 ; bill from gape, 2'3 to 27.
? . Length, 27 to 28'5 ; expanse, 68 to 73 ; wing, 20 to 21 ;
tail, 11'5 to 12 ; tarsus, 4 to 4'25 ; bill from gape, 2'3 to 2'5.
Cere, orbits, and feet dark yellow ; irides deep brown.
Adult : richly empurpled brown on the scapulars, inter-scapu-
lars, and lesser wing-coverts ; the lanceolate feathers of the
head and neck somewhat lighter brown, streaked paler, and the
under parts generally lighter brown than the upper plumage ;
some larger and pure white spots on the greater wing-coverts,
and two white bars tipping the secondaries and greater-coverts,
as in A. mogilnik ; the tibial plumes similarly spotted ; the
under tail-coverts, and generally the short tarsal plumes, are
white ; and the abdomen is more or less streaked with fulvous.
Young birds are pale brown throughout, lighter beneath ; and
in the intermediate plumage the feathers are dark, centred with
pale brown ; some have the plumage dark dull brown, with
dingy-white markings.
The Spotted Eagle occurs throughout the district, frequenting
tanks and marshes, more especially the well-wooded parts.
It is often seen in the early morning sitting in a slouching
kite -like attitude, half way up a tree. Its favorite food appears
to be frogs, but it does not disdain carrion.
It breeds about May ; the nest is a large platform-like structure,
built generally in a fork, near the top of a high tree, in the vicinity
of water, and is composed of sticks and twigs. The eggs, one
or two in number, are blunt oval in shape, of a slightly yellowish
glossless white color, profusely spotted and blotched with faint
yellowish and purplish-brown. They measure 275 by 2.
Aquila vindhiana, FmnU.
29. A. fulvescens, Gray. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p.
60 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 446 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 372 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sirid, p. 76 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, p. 57 ;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 173
THE TAWNY EAGLE.
Wokhab, Hin. Dholwa, Wagree.
c?. Length, 24 to 26; expanse, 60 to 66'5 ; wing, 18 to 21 ;
tail, 10 to 11 ; bill at gape, 2 to 2'25.
? . Length, 27 to 28'5 ; expanse, 69 to 73'5 ; wing, 20 to
22-5 ; tail, 11 to 12 ; bill from gape, 2*25 to 2*5.
Cere deep yellow ; irides hazel -brown ; feet yellow.
Young bird, light fulvous, brightest on the head and throat,
changing to pale dingy-brown on the back and scapulars, and
to whitish-yellow beneath, with dark shafts; shoulders and
lesser-coverts pale whity-brown ; quills black ; tail dusky, with
faint dark bars.
30 AQUILINE.
At a later stage the bird is uniform fulvous-brown throughout.
In an intermediate state, the abdomen is marked with fulvous
streaks, and there are many specks and streaks of the same
on the head and back of the neck. The adult bird is tawny-
brown, with the head and throat dusky, or almost black ; the
feathers of the crown, and the neck-hackles, tipped with pale
brown ; the wings, breast, and lower parts deep fuscous brown ;
the breast slightly speckled, and the belly and wings spotted
more or less with light tawny-brown ; two wing bars, and the
tip of the tail also light.
The Tawny Eagle is very common everywhere, and is fre-
quently to be seen soaring with Kites, or perched on the top
of a tree, even within cantonments. They breed from Decem-
ber to March, or even later ; the nest, composed of sticks, is
placed rather high up in a lofty tree, as a rule, near a village ;
the eggs, two in number (very rarely three \ are broad greyish-
white ovals, thinly spotted with yellowish-brown ; unspotted
varieties frequently occur.
They average 2 '63 inches in length, by 21 in breadth.
GENUS, Hieraetus, Kaup.
Bill small, slightly curving from the base ; commissure per-
fectly straight ; wings not reaching to the end of the tail ; tarsus
short, stout ; toes short, inner claw very large. Birds of small
size, with a tendency to an occipital crest. The inner edge of
the centre claw is somewhat dilated as in Pernis.
Hieraetus pennatus, 6m.
31. Aquila pennata, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 63 ; Butler, Deccan and Southern Mahratta country ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 372 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind,
p. 78 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 182.
THE DWARF EAGLE.
g. Length, 1875 to 22; expanse, 49 to 53 ; wing, 15 to 16'5
tail, 8-25 to 9 ; tarsus, 2'3 to 2'5 ; bill from gape, 1*4.
?. Length, 19 to 24 ; wing, 15'5 to 16'5; tail, 9 to 9'25 ;
tarsus, 2 '8.
Bill bluish-black, pale blue at base ; cere bright yellow ; irides
pale brown ; legs and feet pale wax -yellow.
Head and neck pale orange-brown ; the feathers lanceolate,
and streaked in the centre with dark brown ; some of the fea-
thers lengthened, entirely brown, forming a rudimentary crest ;
a narrow superciliary stripe, and a band from the angle of the
mouth below the ears, and a central stripe on the chin, dark
brown ; the rest of the upper plumage sepia-brown ; the mid-
dle wing-coverts, and some of the scapulars, broadly edged with
whitish-brown, forming a conspicuous light band on the wings ;
tail dark brown, with a pale tip, the inner webs of the feathers
AQUILINE. 31
barred indistinctly ; plumage beneath reddish -brown, palest on
the feathers of the tarsi, and the feathers streaked with dark-
brown.
The young bird is white beneath, head and neck also with
white edges to the feathers and the brown of the upper parts
lighter, and the white markings on the wing more distinct ; the
upper tail-coverts also are whitish, and the tail distinctly barred on
both webs. There is very generally a white shoulder spot at all
ages, and the forehead is white in some.
The Dwarf Eagle occurs sparingly throughout the district.
It is, perhaps, less uncommon in the Deccan than elsewhere.
The nest, composed of twigs, is generally built on a high tree ;
the eggs, two in number, are similar to those of Milvws govinda,
but are perhaps more highly colored. They may be looked for
in February.
GENUS, Neopus, Hodgson.
Bill rather small, slight, bending from the base, much hooked
at tip, with a slight festoon in the upper mandible ; cere rather
large ; nostrils ovoid, oblique ; wing very long, equal to or exceed-
ing the long tail ; fourth and fifth quills equal and longest ; first
quill short ; second nearly equal to the third ; the larger quills
strongly emarginate ; tail long, slightly rounded ; tarsus feathered,
somewhat feeble, of moderate 1 ength ; toes short, unequal, the outer-
toe very short, and the claw small ; inner-toe very large, nearty
as long as the central one, and stouter, and the claw much larger,
longer than the hind-claw ; all the claws moderately curved.
Neopus malayensis, Rein.
32. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 65 ; Butler, Deccan and
South Mahratta country ; Stray Feathers, Yol. IX, p. 372 ;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 187.
THE BLACK EAGLE.
3. Length, 27'5 ; wing, 22 ; tail, 14.
?, Length, 30'5 ; wing, 23; tail, 14 ; tarsus, 4.
Cere, gape, and feet deep yellow ; bill greenish-horny, black at
tip ; irides dark brown.
Of an uniform brown -black, paler and duller beneath ; upper
tail-coverts barred with white ; tail with some light bars ; quills
faintly barred with grey on their inner webs.
The Black Eagle occurs sparingly along the Western Ghats,
but has not as yet been recorded from any other part of the
district.
The very peculiar feet of this bird make it a very easy one
to identify. The genus consists of this one s pecies only.
GENUS, Nisaetus, Hodgs.
Bill moderately long, strong, deep, much hooked at the tip,
moderately compressed ; cere large ; nostrils large, elliptic ; upper
32 AQUILINE.
mandible strongly festooned ; wings moderate, fifth quill longest,
tail long, nearly even ; tarsi long, strong, but not thick, feathered
to the toes ; toes large, unequal ; claws very large, sharp and
well curved ; the inner-toe and claw, and hind-toe and claw,
especially very large.
Nisaetus fasciatus, Vieill.
33. Nisaetus bonelll, Tern. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 67 ; Butler, Deccan, &c. ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 373 ;
Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 446 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 77 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 189.
THE CRESTLESS HAWK EAGLE.
Length, 27 to 29 ; expanse, 64 to 68 ; wing, 18'5 to 20 ; tail,
11 to 13 ; tarsus, 375 to 4 ; bill from gape, 21 2'2.
Bill greenish-horny, black at tip ; irides bright yellow, pale
brown in the young bird ; feet pale greenish-yellow.
Adult : above dark hair-brown, with usually some white about
the head and back of neck ; quills dusky-black ; tail slaty-grey-
ish, with about seven narrow dark bars, and a broad subter-
minal one ; beneath white, with dark brown mesial streaks on
the feathers of the lower part of the abdomen ; thigh-coverts,
tarsal feathers and vent nearly brown, the feathers centred
darker, and the thigh-coverts, tarsal feathers, and under tail-
coverts more or less banded with white, or with rufous in some
In some old birds the entire ground color of the lower parts
is rufous-brown.
The young bird is pale brown above, pale rufous or ferruginous
beneath, in some .nearly white ; tail pale greyish-brown, with
dark bars.
With each successive moult the white or ferruginous becomes
purer white and the dark central stripe to each feather increases
in size, more especially on the lower part of the abdomen.
The Crestless Hawk, or as some prefer to call it, Bonelli's
Eagle, occurs throughout the region, but is nowhere com-
mon. It nests on ledges of rocky cliffs, which are often
very difficult of access, owing to their choosing a site under a
projecting crag. Th e nest is a huge affair composed of sticks,
sometimes measuring four or five feet in diameter ; the egg
cavity is lined with green leaves ; the eggs, two in number, are
moderately broad ovals, measuring 275 by 2 ; they are of a
pale greyish- white color, sometimes unspotted, but are generally
thinly marked with yellowish or reddish-brown spots. They are
seldom, if ever, richly marked.
GENUS, Limnaetus, Vigors.
Bifl short, high at the base, curved, hooked at the tip, with
a prominent festoon in the upper mandible ; wing short ; tail long,
square ; tarsi long, moderately strong, feathered to the base ;
AQUILINE. 33
toes unequal, large ; claws large, strong and much curved ;
usually crested.
Limnaetus cirrhatus, Gm.
35. Limnaetus criMaletlus^TQm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 71 ; Butler, Deccan, &c. ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 373 ;
Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 446 ; Hume's Scrap Book
p. 206.
cf. Length, 24 ; wing, 16 ; tail, 11 ; tarsus, 4.
$ . Length, 29 ; wing, 17'5 ; tail, 12'5.
Irides yellow, dun-brown in the young birds ; cere and feet
pale yellow.
Young : pale brown above ; head and neck fulvous ; long occipital
crest black, with white tip ; feathers of the head and neck
white-edged ; beneath, white, with some small light fulvous or
brown spots on the breast and lower parts.
There is less white on the wing-coverts than in the young of
the last, and the bars on the tail are wider.
The adult bird has the occipital crest sometimes five inches
long, and of as many as twelve feathers of different lengths,
deep black, tipped with white ; the head and neck fulvescent-
brown, with dark mesial streaks ; upper plumage glossy hair-
brown ; the scapulars, interscapulars, and tertiaries, more or
less black ; the wing-feathers banded more or less distinctly ;
tail light greyish-brown, with three or four dark bands, the
last one broader ; beneath, the foreneck and breast pure white,
with a broad dark mesial streak to each feather, and three dark
lines on the white throat, not so distinct, however, as in the last,
from all the feathers being more or less streaked ; belly, flanks,
vent, and under tail-coverts dark brown ; thighs the same, only
a little freckled with whitish ; tarsal feathers mottled white
and fulvous-brown.
The above is Jerdon's description, to which I will add an
extract from Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 356, by Mr. Hume :
" The youngest birds of cirrhatus, when they first issue from
the nest, have the entire head, neck all round, chin, throat and
entire under parts white ; only on the crown and sides of the
neck is there a slight fulvous tinge, and a few of these feathers have
linear brown shaft stripes, and the flanks and the upper portion
of the tibia have a pinkish fawn-colored tinge ; the entire chin,
throat, breast, and abdomen, absolutely pure spotless white ; the
crest black, with usually very little white tipping ; the tertiaries
and secondary greater-coverts, conspicuously margined with
white ; the tail with six or seven transverse darker brown bars>
besides the subterminal one which is not wider than the others. A
little later a buffy fawn-colored tinge spreads over the whole head
and sides of the neck, a few of the feathers of the breast get a
faint tinge of the same color, and these exhibit a linear shaft
3
34 AQUILINE.
stripe ; on the abdomen many of the feathers get a fawn-colored
spot towards their tip, and a tint of the same color pervades
portions of the vent-feathers and lower tail-coverts.
" Later, again, the whole head, nape, and sides of neck become
a warm fawn brown, all the feathers now showing narrow,
blackish shaft stripes. The lower parts are still chiefly white,
but almost all the feathers of the breast and abdomen have a
more or less triangular brownish, fawn-colored spot at the tip,
and show a tendency to a dark shaft stripe ; and in some birds
at this time several of the feathers of the lower throat have
conspicuous narrow black shaft-stripes.
" The sides become fawn-brown, though the feathers still are
mottled white at the bases and the shafts are darker ; the thighs,
vent-feathers, and lower tail-coverts are now a warm, but brown-
ish fawn color, somewhat irregularly barred with white ; the
tail has now only four bands besides the subterminal one, which
has become conspicuously broader. (Sometimes the young bird,
before exhibiting any black streaks on the side of the neck or on
the throat, become nearly uniform warm fawn color on the entire
lower surface, and even retains this plumage until it has acquired
the adult tail.)
" Then (to return to the normal stage of progression) the
black striping of the head, back, and sides of the neck, becomes
more conspicuous ; a black central throat stripe begins to be
indicated, the warm fawny tint of thighs and vent becomes re-
placed by a wood- brown, the black shaft stripes of the breast
become more oval, and the tail begins to approach the normal
type with only three transverse bars besides the subterminal
one.
" Gradually the brown of the vent and flanks creeps up to the
lower breast ; the breast spots grow larger and larger, and ulti-
mately the white margins of the feathers almost wholly assume
the brown tint of the abdomen. The entire white chin and
throat have the feathers so broadly striped, centrally, with black,
that only just enough white peeps through to give indications of
separation between a black throat stripe, and two broad black
moustachial stripes.
" The brown of the head and sides of the neck, though still
warm, has lost the fawny tinge of the younger stages, and the
black centres of the feathers have greatly increased in size.
" The tail has a very broad terminal band, of say T8 and inter
space of 2, and three other bands each about an inch broad.
The crest, quite black and untipped, grows to a great length.
While these changes have been going on the whole upper
plumage has been growing darker.
" As to the white tipping to the crest this is very irregular, the
youngest birds and the oldest generally want it ; birds of inter-
mediate stages generally have it."
The Crested Hawk Eagle is confined to the hilly tracts of the
AQUILINE. 35
Deccan, where it is not uncommon ; it is more plentiful at Ratna-
giri. It is a permanent resident, but nothing certain is known in
regard to its nidification. It has been observed at and near
Aboo, but has not yet been recorded from Sind.
Limnaetus kienerii, Oerv.
37. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 74 ; Hume's Scrap
Book, p, 216.
THE RUFOUS-BELLIED HAWK EAGLE.
Length, 22 to 29; expanse, 50; wing, 15 to 17'5 ; tail, 10 to
12'5 ; bill from gape, 1'5 ; tarsus, 3.
Bill leaden-blue ; cere yellow ; irides brown ; feet yellow ;
claws black.
" The whole of the top and sides of the head, including the
lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts, the back and sides of the neck,
the back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts, and lesser and
median wing-coverts, a nearly uniform blackish brown ; the
feathers all with more or less of metallic reflections, some green-
ish, some purplish ; in some lights the whole of these parts
appear to be almost, if not quite, black. The tail-feathers are
a dark chocolate brown ; the central ones, with two or three
faint irregular paler patches, traces of where bars may have been ;
the lateral ones, with broad, but faint and irregular, paler and
mottled transverse bars. The under surface of the tail-feathers,
a sort of silver-grey ; the shafts white, a broad ill-defined dusky
terminal patch, and in all, but the exterior feathers, four or five
somewhat narrow transverse dusky bars above this ; the quills
are of two colors, the one set which appear to be older, dingy
hair-brown ; the others, almost blackish-brown, with faint green
or purple reflections. The inner webs in all are paler, except
quite at the tips ; and above these, there are dim transverse
darker bars. The first five quills are conspicuously notched on
the inner web, and the second to the fifth are emarginate on the
outer web. The chin, throat, and breast are white ; the feathers
tinged towards the tips with pale rufous, and most of them with
narrow, blackish-brown lanceolate shaft stripes. The whole of
the wing-lining, (except the lower greater primary-coverts),
axillaries, sides, flanks, abdomen, tarsal and tibial plumes, vent
and lower tail-coverts, bright ferruginous ; most of the feathers
dark shafted, and many of those of the wing-lining, abdomen
and sides with a conspicuous narrow, black, shaft stripe, and a
few of the feathers just above the base of the tibia, very broadly
tipped with blackish-brown, forming a very conspicuous patch."
Humes Stray Feathers, Vol. I, p. 311.
Jerdon remarks in his Birds of India, that " this beautiful
Hawk Eagle has been found in Central India, and in the Hima-
layas, but appears very rare. No other observer appears to have
met with it within the district.
36 AQUILINE.
GENUS, Circaetus, Vieillot.
Bill rather short, gently curving from the base, much hooked
at the tip ; culmen rounded, compressed at the sides ; commissure
nearly straight ; nostrils oval, oblique ; wings long, the third
quill longest, or second and third sub-equal, fourth nearly as
long, the first three quills emarginate ; tail long, nearly even ; tarsi
long, plumed below the heel, clad with small, hexagonal scales;
feet small ; toes short, scutellate at the base of the claws ; the
lateral toes about equal ; claws tolerably curved, rather short, of
nearly equal length.
Circaetus gallicus, Gm.
38, Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 76 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 446 ; Deccan, &c., Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 373; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 79;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis> 1885, p. 57 ; Hume's
Scrap Book, p. 217.
THE COMMON SERPENT EAGLK
Jean le Blanc.
Sampmar, Hin.
<$. Length, 2575; expanse, 70; tail, 1175; wing, 20'8 ;
tarsus, 37.
$ . Length, 29 ; expanse, 76 ; tail, 13'25 ; wing, 22.
Bill pale greyish-blue at the base, blackish horny at the tips ;
cere small, whitish, with a tinge of bluish-grey in places ; irides
deep yellow ; legs dirty pale yellow ; claws black.
Young : head and nape whitish ; the feathers brown streaked ;
back and wings pale earthy-brown, lightest on the wing-coverts-;
quills dusky-black ; tail pale ashy-brown, with darker bands, and
the inner webs almost white ; beneath chin to breast fulvous, with
narrow longitudinal brown streaks ; from the breast to the vent
white, with a pale brown streak on the centre of each feather.
The adult is darker brown above and on the head ; and the
lower parts white ; the feathers all marked with brown stripes, or
spots, tending to form a denser zone on the throat and breast.
The head is large, full and puffy ; the feathers of the head
and neck rounded, not lanceolate ; the wings reach to the end of
the tail ; the inner edge of the centre claw is conspicuously
dilated into a cutting edge.
This Eagle is known by several trivial names, one of the best
known being Jean-le-Blanc ; it was called the Common Serpent
Eagle, by J~erdon, on account of its penchant for snakes, to which
habit also it owes its Hindustani appellation ; it is also called
the Short-toed Eagb.
It is found throughout the region, frequenting open plains,
but eschewing the more densely-wooded districts. It breeds
during the first three months of the year ; the nest is generally
built on trees, and is a large, loose, straggling structure, composed
AQUILINE. 37
of sticks and twigs. The egg, there is only one, is a broadish
oval, of a pale bluish-white color ; the egg lining is a peculiar
bright sap-green. The size of an average egg is 3 inches by 2*35,
GENUS, Spilornis, Gray.
Bill straightish at the base ; wings short ; head crested ; other-
wise as in circaetw&
Spilornis cheela, Lath.
39. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 78 ; Butler, Deccan, &c. ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 373 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 80 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 222.
THE CRESTED SERPENT EAGLE,
<?. Length, 26 to 28 ; expanse, 58 to 63 ; wing, 18'5 to 20 ; tail,
12 to 13 ; tarsus, 3'9 to 4'3 ; bill from gape, 1'9.
5 . Length, 29 to 32 ; expanse, 67*5 to 73 ; wing, 19'5 to 21 ;
tail, 14 to 15 ; tarsus, 415 to 4'5 ; bill from gape, 212.
Cere and orbits deep yellow ; irides bright yellow ; legs dirty
yellow.
Adult : head black, the feathers white on their basal portion,
and for nearly two-thirds their length, showing a conspicuous full
black and white crest ; above hair-brown ; shoulders and lesser
wing-coverts with small white spots, the quills with broad dusky
bands ; tail brown, mottled and clouded with white, and with
two broad blackish bands ; beneath chin to breast unspotted
brown ; thence to under tail-coverts pale brown, with whitish
faint bars, and white ocelli.
The young bird has the upper plumage brown, edged with pale
rufous, the crest feathers having more white than the adult ; the
tail hoary-brown, with three broad bars ; quills brown, with
darker bands, and the quills and medial wing-coverts tipped
white ; beneath pale whity-buif ; the feathers of the breast
darkest, and centred with brown ; ear-coverts, and stripe beneath
the eyes, deep black.
The Crested Serpent or Indian Harrier Eagle is very rare ; one
was obtained at Savantvadi by Mr. Crawford, and another in Sind
by Mr. Blanford. These are, I believe, the only recorded in-
stances of its occurrence within our limits.
Spilornis melanotis, Jerd.
39bis. Butler, Deccan, &c. ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 373 ;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 230,
The Southern Harrier Eagle differs perceptibly from S. cheela
of Upper India ; the wings of the latter vary in the males from
.18*5 to nearly 20 inches, and in the females from 19'5 to nearly 21 ;
while in this present species they vary in the males from 17 to
barely 18 inches, and in the females from 18 to 18*5 inches; the
lower parts also are somewhat less conspicuously ocellated, and
38 AQUILINE.
'the barring on the breast, so conspicuous in adult clieela, is almost
entirely wanting.
The Southern Harrier Eagle is a permanent resident and is
not uncommon in the hilly tracts and jungles along the Western
Ghats, but has not been recorded from elsewhere within our
limits.
GENUS, Pandion, Savigny.
Bill short, curved from the cere, rounded above -tip produced and
much hooked; margin of upper mandible sinuated ; nostrils small,
narrow, obliquely transverse ; wings long, reaching beyond the
end of the tail, jiecond quill longest, or second and third nearly
equal ; tail moderate, nearly even ; the tarsus moderate, entirely
covered with reticulated scales ; toes quite free, outer-toe versatile,
longer than the inner-toe ; claws large, much curved, rounded
below, nearly of equal size ; soles of the feet covered with sharp
pointed scales.
Pandion halisetus, Lin.
40, Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol? I, p. 80; Butler, Gttzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 40 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p, 373 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 81 ;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 234.
THE OSPREY.
? . Length, 26 ; wing, 20 ; tail 9 ; tarsus, 2 '2 5 ; bill at gape
1-6 ; mid toe, 3*5.
. Length, 23'5 ; wing 19 ; tail, 8'5.
The bill black ; gape and base of lower mandible pale lavender
plumbeous ; cere dark lead-color ; irides bright yellow ; legs and
feet delicate sea-green ; claws black.
Above, head and nape white, the feathers of the forehead and
crown with dark brown stripes ; upper plumage rich hair-brown ;
quills blackish ; tail pale brown, with dark bars, whitish on the
inner web ; a dark brown band from the eyes over the ears ;
beneath pure white, with some brown spots on the breast, longi-
tudinal in youth, broader in advancing age, and tending to coalesce
in the fully adult.
The Osprey or Fish Hawk occurs throughout the region, but
is nowhere abundant ; it frequents the backwaters and lagoons
on the coast, also the larger tanks and lakes inland, and is found
occasionally along the courses of the larger rivers ; it is perhaps
more common along the sea coast. It probably breeds within the
district, but there is no record of its eggs having been taken.
GENUS, Polioeetus, Kaup.
^Bill somewhat lengthened, straight at the base, compressed,
with a prominent sharp festoon ; wings short ; tail rather short,
slightly rounded ; tarsus feathered in front for one-third of its
length, stout, covered in front with large transverse scales,
AQUILINE. 39
posteriorly with .some large, somewhat irregular scales, exter-
nally and internally with very small scales ; feet large, toes nearly
covered above with large scutse ; lateral toes nearly equal ;
middle and outer-claws about equal, less than the hind-claw ;
claws rounded.
Poliosetus ichthysetus, Horsf.
41. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 81 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 239.
THE WHITE-TAILED SEA EAGLE.
Length, 27 to 29 ; wing 19 ; tail, 8'5 ; tarsus, 3'5 ; weight, 4 Ibs.
Bill and cere blackish ; irides brown.
Adult with the head, lores, ears, chin, and throat light grey,
the rest of the plumage light wood-brown, darkest above, lighter
beneath, and deepening on the scapulars and wings ; lower ab-
domen, vent, thigh-coverts, and tail white, the latter with a broad
terminal dark brown band.
The young bird is lighter brown above, all the feathers edged
and tipped with whitish ; beneath pale reddish-brown with pale
mesial streaks, and albescent on the under tail-coverts ; tail
mottled and clouded with light cinereous and brown.
Dr. Jerdon says : " This Fish-Eagle is found over a considerable
part of India, but is rare towards the south. Mr. Elliot met
with in it Dharwar. I never observed it myself south of the
Nerbudda." And again : " I found its nest on several occasions ;
once near the Nerbudda, in a large tree."
GENUS, Haliaetus, Savigny.
Bill straight at base, longish, compressed, curved towards the
tip, which is much hooked ; upper mandible with the margin strong-
ly sinuate ; nostrils somewhat oblong, transverse ; wings long,
fourth and fifth quills sub-equal and longest ; tail moderate or
rather short ; tarsus moderate, strong, plumed for nearly half
its length, the lower half with large transverse scutse in front
and a short and more irregular series behind ; or with a few and
irregular ones in front above, and the whole of the rest reticu-
lated with small scales, hexagonal, or irregular ; toes large, covered
with scutse ; outer-toe scarcely mobile ; claws large, unequal,
squared beneath, well curved.
Haliaetus leucoryphus, Pall.
42. Haliaetus fulviventer, Vieill. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 82 ; H. Macei, Cuv. ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers,
Vol. Ill, p. 447 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 82 ;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 242.
THE RING-TAILED SEA EAGLE.
. Length, 29 to 31 ; expanse, 75 to 79 ; wing, 21 to 22 ; tail,
11 to 12 ; tarsus, 375 to 4 ; bill from gape, 2'25 to 2'43.
40 AQUILIN^.
?. Length, 32 to 34*25 ; expanse, 82 to 85 ; wing, 23 to 24 ;
tail, 13 to 14; tarsus, 4 to 4 '5 ; bill from gape, 2 '6 5 to 2'88.
Cere pale bluish-green; nostrils, gape, and base of lower
mandible bluish ; upper mandible greenish-horn color ; irides
pale brownish-yellow ; feet greyish- white.
Adult : whole head and neck pale fulvous, brownish on the
head and nape ; feathers of the neck long and lanceolate ; iii-
terscapulars, back and rump rich brown ; scapulars and wings dark
brown, blackening on the quills ; tail ashy-black, or dark cinereous,
with a broad white central band; beneath, from the throat,
reddish-brown, darkest on the lower abdomen, thigh-coverts, and
under tail-coverts.
The young bird has the head and hind neck light brown ;
ear-coverts dusky-brown ; the upper plumage brown, with the
quills dark ; tail black throughout ; lower plumage pale brown ;
the wings reach to the end of the tail, which is very slightly
rounded.
The Ring-tailed Sea Eagle occurs sparingly in Guzerat, but
is far more common in Sind, where it breeds during November,
December, and January. The nests are huge platforms, com-
posed of stout sticks and are placed near the top of a high tree
in the vicinity of water ; the eggs, generally three (occasionally
only two, more seldom four), in number, are greyish-white in
color and measure about 275 inches, in length by 2*2 in breadth.
Haliaetus albicilla, Lin.
4>2bis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 83; Hume's
Scrap Book, p. 253.
THE EUROPEAN WHITE-TAILED SEA EAGLE.
c?. Length, 36 ; expanse, 72 ; wing 24 ; tail, 1T5 ; tarsus, 4.
?. Length, 40; expanse, 80 ; wing, 27'5 ; tail, 12 ; tarsus, 4'5.
Male. The cere and bill are pale yellow ; the irides bright
yellow ; the tarsi and toes gamboge ; the claws black with a tinge
of greyish-blue ; the plumage of the head, neck, forepart of the
back and breast, with the upper wing-coverts greyish-yellow ;
the feathers all greyish-brown at the base, of the other parts
greyish-brown, edged with yellowish-grey ; the scapulars and
feathers of the rump glossed with purple, those of the abdo-
men, tibiae, and subcaudal region inclining to chocolate-brown ;
the quills and alular feathers brownish-black, with a tinge of
grey ; the inner secondaries inclining to greyish-brown ; the shafts
of all white towards the base ; the lower surface of the quills and
the larger coverts tinged with greyish-blue ; upper tail-coverts
and the tail are white, (generally freckled with dusky grey at
the base) ; the down on the breast is pale grey, that on the sides
darker.
Female. The female does not differ from the male in color,
and her superiority in size is often not remarkable.
AQUILINE. 41
Young. The bill is brownish-black ; the cere greenish-yellow ;
the feet yellow ; the claws black ; the bases of all the feathers are
brownish- white ; their middle parts light reddish-brown ; their
tips only blackish-brown ; the head and nape are dark brown ; each
feather with a minute brownish-white spot on the tip ; on the
middle of the back and on the wings light reddish-brown is the
prevalent color ; the black tips of comparatively small extent ; on
the third part of the back there is much white, that color ex-
tending further from the base ; the quills and larger wing-coverts
are blackish-brown, with a tinge of grey ; the tail feathers brown-
ish-white in the centre, black towards the margins, with irregular
white dots ; the lower parts are of the same color as the back,
or are pale reddish-brown, marked with longitudinal streaks and
spots of dark brown ; the lower wing-coverts brown ; the tail-
coverts white, with light-brown tips.
Progress towards Maturity. In the second year the young
exhibits little difference, being, however, of a darker tint on the
back and wings. An individual at this age has the bill brownish-
black, tinged with blue ; its base and the cere greenish -yellow ; the
iris hazel-brown ; the feet gamboge ; the claws brownish-black ; the
head and nape are dark brown ; the base of all the feathers, on the
upper parts, is white ; on the hind-neck and foreparts of the back
that color, tinged with yellowish-brown, prevails, a lanceolate or
obovate deep brown spot, being on each feather towards the end ;
on the middle of the back the brown prevails, on the hind part
white, and the rump and upper tail-coverts are light brown, tipped
darker ; the scapulars are dark brown with a purplish tinge ;
the wing-coverts dark brown at the end, but most of the larger
pale brown in the greater part of their extent ; the quills black,
with a purplish-grey tinge, the secondaries gradually becoming
more brown, and all faintly variegated with light grey and
brown on the inner webs ; the tail is brownish-black, with a
tinge of grey, and more or less finely mottled with whitish ; the
lower parts may be described as brownish-white, longitudinally
streaked with dark brown, there being a lanceolate patch of the
latter on each feather ; the lower wing-coverts and feathers of
the legs dark brown ; the lower surface of the quills bluish-grey ;
the lower tail-coverts white, tipped with brown ; the down on the
breast pure white.
Remarks. In this species the bill and iris change from
dusky-brown to pale yellow, and the plumage, at first white at
the base, and dark brown at the end, gradually loses its white,
while the dark parts become paler and more extended, the final
coloring being more uniform.
The tail forms no exception, for its basal white also diminishes
but the white, which is gradually substituted for the brownish-
black, spreads from near the end to the base. Macgillivray.
The European White-tailed Sea Eagle occurs along the banks
of the Indus ; they are mostly immature specimens,
42 BUTEONINJE.
Haliaetus leucogaster, Gm.
43. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 84 ; Butler, Deccan and
South Mahratta Country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 373 ;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 259.
THE GREY-BACKED SEA EAGLE.
Female. Length, 30 ; expanse, 84 ; tail, 11 '5 ; wing, 23 ; tarsus,
4 ; bill from gape, 2'65.
Male. Length, 2675 ; expanse. 74 ; tail, 9 "8 ; wing, 21 ; tarsus,
4 ; bill from gape, 2 '4.
Bill, upper mandible pale leaden-brown, bluish at junction with
cere ; lower mandible pale blue, brownish at tip ; irides brown ;
cere and gape pale leaden color ; legs and feet white, tinged more
or less greenish-brown.
Adult : head, neck and entire under parts pure white ; mantle
ancT wing pale blue-grey ; quills and tail cinereous black, the
latter Broadly tipped with white.
The young bird has the mantle and wing-coverts brown, the
white parts fulvous-white, tinged with rusty-brown, and dusky,
especially on the head, breast and middle of the abdomen ; and
the tail is dark with spots and speckles.
Wings reach beyond the end of the tail, which is much rounded
or somewhat wedge-shaped. Its talons have trenchant inner
edges, and the feet are rough beneath.
The Grey-backed Sea Eagle is not uncommon on the Sea-coast.
A large colony frequents and breeds upon Pigeon Island.
They appear to subsist chiefly upon sea snakes, as the
ground beneath their nests ( which are generally built upon
high trees) is strewed with their bones. It is also called the
White-bellied Sea-Eagle.
SUB-FAMILY, Buteoninae.
Bill small or moderate, rather weak ; wings long or moderate ;
tail short, or moderately long in a few; tarsi rather long, with
scuta3 both in front and behind; feet short ; hind-toe short.
GENUS, Buteo, Cuvier.
Bill short, sloping from the base, tip hooked, margin of the
upper mandible very slightly festooned ; nostrils large, oval, trans-
verse ; gape, wide ; lores clothed with hair-like feathers ; wings
long, with the third and fourth quills sub-equal and longest, fifth
quill nearly as long ; the inner web of the first four quills strongly
notched ; tail moderate, or short, even or rounded ; tarsi rather
long, feathered on the upper third or further ; tarsal scales broad,
transverse ; toes with four or five large scales at their extremity
only ; lateral toes very unequal ; all toes short.
Buteo ferox, S. G. Gmelin.
4*5.~-Buteo canescens, Hodgs. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
BUTEONIN^E. 43
p, 88 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 447 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 374 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 85 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 57 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 274.
THE LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD.
Chuhamar, Hin.
<?. Length, 2075 to 23'5 ; expanse, 50*25 to 59 ; wing, 16 to
17'6 ; tail, 9'25 to 10'5 ; tarsus, 3'2 to 375 ; bill from gape, T8
to 2.
?. Length, 2275 to 25 ; expanse, 56*25 to 62; wing, 1S'2 to
1975 ; tail, 1018 to 1975 ; tarsus, 3'2 to 3'8 ; bill from gape, 1*9
to 2-08.
Cere greenish-yellow ; irides pale dun; legs pale yellow.
Young : head, neck, throat, breast, and belly white, some of
the feathers streaked with brown, and dashed with buff; back
and wing-coverts pale yellowish-brown, some of the feathers edged
with rufous ; quills dusky-brown, whitish on their inner webs, and
the secondaries barred ; tail with the outer webs reddish-white,
inner webs dirty- whitish, barred with brown.
In a more advanced state of plumage the head and neck are
rufescent-brown, with a whitish eye-streak ; back and wing-coverts
darker brown, with a tinge of purple in the freshly-moulted bird,
and many of the feathers edged with rufous ; quills greyish on
their outer web, with a dusky tip, and whitish internally, except
at the tip, which is black ; tail pale rufous, or rufous-grey, with a
darker subterminal band, and some indistinct bars, and ashy-white
below ; beneath, the throat is white, with dusky streaks, and the
rest of the under parts fulvous- white, with dusky and rufous
blotches, forming a sort of gorget on the breast and a more or less
dark abdominal band ; tibial feathers dusky -rufous.
The adult bird is yellowish-brown above, and on the throat and
breast, purest on the head and breast, and many of the feathers,
especially of the back, with dark centres, where the lighter tint
indeed is nearly lost ; quills, with the outer webs, greyish, the
inner webs blackish from the tip to the deep sinuosity, white be-
yond ; wings with a large white patch beneath, formed chiefly by
the inner webs of the quills ; tail reddish or cinnamon-grey, indis-
tinctly barred ; belly, vent, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts
deep auburn- brown ; the line of demarcation between this and the
lighter tint of the breast abrupt and strongly marked.
The plumage of this handsome Buzzard varies considerably in
all its different stages, and this has led to its being described
under numerous synonyms. It still remains a vexata quczstio as to
which is its adult plumage. The difficulty, as Mr. Hume observes
in his Scrap Book, is the changes of the upper and lower surfaces
vary in different specimens, some change first on the upper sur-
face others on the lower, so that it is difficult to assign any chrono-
logical value to these changes.
The Long-legged Buzzard occurs, as a cold weather visitant,
44 BUTEONIN^J.
throughout the region with which I am dealing, but is nowhere
very common. It feeds on rats, mice and lizards, and occasionally
small birds which, however, it always seizes on the ground.
GENUS, Butastur.
Bill, short edge of mandible scarcely festooned ; nostrils small,
oval, with a superior membrane ; wings reaching nearly to the
end of the tail ; third and fourth quills sub-equal and longest ; the
first four emarginate.
x
Butastur teesa, Franld.
48. Poliornis teesa, Frank. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 92 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Yol. Ill, p. 447 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX., p. 374 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 86 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 57 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 286.
THE WHITE-EYED BUZZARD.
Teesa, Hin.
Length, 16 to 18'2 ; expanse, 36 to 39 ; wing, 11 to 12'5 ; tail,
6-5 to 7'5 ; tarsus, 2 to 2*5 ; bill at gape, T2 to 1*4.
Bill yellowish- white, dusky at tip ; jrides stone-white, pale
brown or dun in the young bird ; legs and feet yellowish-white.
Upper plumage rufescent-brown, feathers dark shafted ; fore-
head white ; a conspicuous white nuchal mark ; wing-coverts
mottled light brown and whitish, feathers dark shafted ; quills
pale brown with narrow dark bars, and dark tip ; winglet dark
brown ; tail pale rufous with indistinct bars, plainer towards the
tip ; beneath chin and throat fulvescent, with a central dark chin-
stripe, and a lateral one on each side, bounding the light chin ;
the rest of the lower parts hair-brown, banded on the abdomen,
less so on the breast, with white bars ; thigh-coverts faintly bar-
red with rufous, and the under tail-coverts unspotted fulvescent-
white.
The young bird is brown above, paler and rufescent on the head,
with a white eyebrow, and a nuchal spot ; wing-coverts much
mottled with white, forming a light wing-spot ; quills pale brown,
banded darker and white beneath ; tail pale rufescent, with dark
bars on the inner webs, and on both near tip ; beneath, white or
fulvescent, some of the feathers streaked with brown, especially
on the breast and flanks.
The Teesa is very common, and is a permanent resident, breed-
ing principally in April. The nest is usually placed high up in
a fork in an umbrageous tree, often a mango forming one of a
small clump, generally an outer one ; it is a loose structure of
sticks and twigs, unlined ; the eggs, from two to four (but most
often three) in number are pale bluish- white, unspotted ; they are
oval in shape and measure about 1*8 in length by 1*5 in breadth.
BUTEONIN.E.
45
GENUS, Circus, Lacepede.
Bill short, weak, high at the base, compressed, sloping, mode-
rately hooked at tip, a slight festoon in the middle of the margin
of upper mandible ; cere large, covered with setaceous curved
plumes ; lores covered with small feathers and bristles ; ears large ;
the coverts and the lower parts of the face partly surrounded by a
*uff of small thick-set feathers forming an imperfect disc ; wings
long, third and fourth quills longest ; tail long, slightly rounded ;
tarsi long, slender, well plumed at the knee, smooth, with large
transverse scutse in front ; toes rather short, not very unequal ;
talons sharp, well curved ; hind -toe short.
Circus macrurus, S. G. Gm.
51. Circus swainsoni, A. Smith. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 96 ; Butler, Deccan, &c. ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 374 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 88 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 57 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 447 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 298.
THE PALE HARRIER.
<?. Length, 17'6 to 18'5 ; expanse, 41 to 42 25 ; wing, 13'5 to
14 " tail, 9 to 10 ; bill from gape, 1 to T2 ; tarsus, 2'6 to 2'8.
?. Length, 18'65 to 20'65 ; expanse, 40 to 47*5; wing, 1375
to 15-1 5; tail, 9-5 to 11-25; bill from gape, 1'2 to 1-38; tarsus,
2-65 to 2-92.
Male, above pale grey ; wings and back darker ; beneath greyish-
white ; rump white, banded with greyish ; tail-feathers, except the
two centre ones, banded grey and white ; 3rd, 4th and 5th quills
dusky.
The female is brown above, the feathers of the head and neck
edged with rufous ; beneath dark ochraceous with brown streaks
continued on to the lower tail-coverts ; upper tail-coverts banded
whitish-brown ; tail with the centre feathers greyish, the outer
ones pale rufous, all with dark bands.
The above is Dr. Jerdon's description which is very meagre. I
therefore add Mr. Hume's description, extracted from Rough
Notes which is more voluminous :
Description. Legs and feet bright orange to lemon-yellow,
according to age ; claws black ; irides bright yellow in adults,
dark brown in the young ; orbits yellow, dingier in the young ;
bill, cere greenish or dusky-greenish in the adult, somewhat yel-
lower in the young, specially on the culmen, and hidden at sides
by the bristles of the lore ; gape and base of lower mandible
blue, or sometimes greenish-blue ; upper mandible and tip of
lower mandible bluish or horn-black.
Plumage, male. Lores closely clothed with tiny white
feathers, with elongated, naked, black-brown, hair-like shafts ;
forehead, and streak above eyes, and feathers of orbits greyish-
white, slightly paler than surrounding parts ; the whole of the
46 BXJTEONIN^.
rest of the top of the head and nape to where the ruff joins in,
grey, tinged with brown, most strongly so on nape feathers and
with dark shafts ; cheeks and ear-coverts grey, the feathers
broadly edged with greyish-white, so as to produce a striated
appearance. Feathers of ruff, which, as regards color, is very
conspicuous, greyish-white with narrow, central, grey streaks;
back of the neck, below, brownish-grey ; patch of nape greyish-
white, the feathers slightly darker shafted and some of them
with the greyish traces of faint, brownish-grey, transverse,
subterminal spots ; the whole of the base of the neck behind,
upper back and scapulars, a sort of ash-grey, more or less
tinged towards the tips with brownish-grey, and the longer
scapulars frosted with a purer grey ; the middle and lower back
a shade lighter grey, the white bases of the feathers showing
through, more or less ; upper tail-coverts pure white, with re-
gular, broad, transverse, grey or slightly brownish-grey bars ;
the whole of the wing-coverts, winglet, tertials, and outer webs
of secondaries and last four primaries grey, more silvery on quills,
and browner on lesser-coverts ; the median-coverts narrowly pale
margined, and most of the other feathers of the corners narrowly,
paler tipped ; the second and last four primaries have the cen-
tral halves of the inner webs pure grey, and the marginal halves
white ; the first primary is silver-grey on the outer web, dusky-
grey on the inner, as far as the notch, and above this chiefly
white ; the next four are nearly black, with a good deal of silver-
grey, however, on the outer webs of the first two, and of white,
more or less mottled with dusky, on the inner webs of all towards
the base ; the sixth is dusky-grey on the outer web and tip, and
paler and browner-grey on inner web, which has a broad marginal
stripe, broadest towards base, where it occupies nearly the whole
web of white irregularly mottled with grey ; the central tail-
feathers are a uniform silver-grey, slightly shaded with dusky on
the terminal half; the next feather, on each side, is similar, but
there are five or six white patches on the shafts, and traces of
corresponding paler bars on the inner webs, which are very
narrowly, paler margined ; in each succeeding feather, the white
patches on the shaft are better marked, and extend further and
further across the outer webs, while the corresponding broad pale
bars on the inner webs, at first only mottled with white, become
pure white and larger, and at the same time the white margin
of the inner webs spreads inwards, so that the two exterior
feathers have the inner webs pure white, with only four or five,
somewhat narrow bars of grey, or brownish-grey, (which do not
extend to the margin), and here and there a little freckling,
chiefly towards the base of the same color ; chin, throat and
front of the neck pearl-grey, whitish on chin ; breast, abdomen,
vent, sides, wing-lining and thigh-coverts pure white with just
the faintest possible grey mottling or freckling in places on
sides, and base of thighs ; lower tail-coverts white, with rather
BUTEONIN.E. 47
brownish -grey, broad, incomplete, rather wavy, transverse bars,,
about one or two on each feather ; inner surface of the wings
mingled white and very pale grey, only the. terminal one-third to
one-half of the second to the fifth primaries blackish-brown;
the first to the third quills are conspicuously notched on their
inner webs, the second to the fourth emarginate on outer,
webs.
Female. The lores dusky, covered with black bristle-like hairs,
as is also the point of the chin ; a patch (scarcely noticeable
in some specimens) over the eye, and in front of it, white, tipped
with brownish ; below the eye, and front of the ear-coverts,
somewhat purer, while a band, inside the ruff, from the base
of the lower mandible over the ear-coverts to the sides of the
nape, dark umber-brown, usually darkest towards the nape, the
feathers narrowly edged with rufous, and centred darker ; a dark
streak from the posterior corner of the eye, meeting the top of
this band ; forehead, and a line from the forehead over the eye,
and the last mentioned dark streak, nearly unstriated rufous-
brown ; the rest of the forehead, and top and back of the
head, and nape, where the ruff joins in, and back and
sides of the neck, rufous, the feathers all more or less broadly
centred with umber-brown ; the centres being larger, propor-
tionably, at the base of the neck ; upper back and smaller
scapulars umber-brown, most of the feathers usually tipped
with rufous ; the longest scapulars somewhat lighter colored,
with scarcely a trace of the rufous tipping ; middle back
often of a somewhat lighter brown than the upper back, and
the feathers with conspicuous rufous tips or margins ; rump
feathers slightly darker, and with somewhat less conspicuous
rufous tips ; upper tail-coverts pure white, with only a spot or
incomplete bar of dark or pale brown, or rufous, towards the tips ;
centre tail-feathers dark umber-brown, inconspicuously tipped
with grey, scarcely perceptible in some and with four or five
transverse grey bars, the broadest bars towards the tip ; the
next feather darker brown, conspicuously tipped with white or
rufous-white, and with one broad, and two or three narrow, pale
rufous, and greyish transverse bars, the rufous being chiefly next
the shaft ; the next feather much the same, but the white or
rufous (some are whiter, some more rufous) of the bar, and
tipping, purer, and a considerable patch at the base, on the outer
web, mingled white and rufous, with only a tinge of brown ;
the second, exterior feather, nearly pure white, or a pale rufous,
as the case may be, with subterminal, central, and basal bands
of brown, which are more or less rufous in the two latter on the
outer web ; the exterior feather has almost the whole outer web
rufous-white, and the interior more or less rufous-white, with
traces of a subterminal and two other bands of mingled darkish
rufous and brown ; the whole of the lesser wing-coverts
umber-brown, broadly margined with rufous or rufous-white ;
48 BUTEONIN.E.
the median-coverts the same color, in some conspicuously, in
some faintly tipped with the same rufous-white tint; the
greater-coverts of the secondaries, and the tertials themselves,
still the same umber-brown, but only very narrowly (in some
not at all) tipped with rufous-white ; the winglet, primaries
and their greater-coverts and secondaries, slightly darker brown,
all but the first four primaries, and most of the secondaries, with
a very narrow, whitish tipping, and the outer webs of the first
primary, and the next three, which are conspicuously marginate,
below the margination more or less silvered with grey; the
inner webs of all the primaries above the tips, more or less white
or rufous-white, with conspicuous, broad, dark brown bars. In
some specimens the brown bars are so broad that the ground of
the web appears brown, and the rufous interspaces appear like
pale bars ; there are traces of similar markings on the se-
condaries, most conspicuous in those nearest the primaries, and
less so in those adjoining the tertials ; chin white or rufous-
white ; the ruff in front, and on either side towards the
nape, white or rufous-white ; the feathers centred darkish brown ;
the whole of the front of the throat, breast and abdomen white
or fulvous or pale rufous-white, the feathers all broadly or
conspicuously centred with brown and rufous ; the feathers of
the vent, lower tail-coverts, and external thigh-coverts, pure
white or pale rufous-brown, shafted, and with two or more irregu-
lar spots of pale rufous along the shafts ; the axillaries mostly
rufous-brown, with indistinct incomplete fulvous-white bars ; the
lesser under wing-coverts fulvous, or pale rufous-white, the
feathers mostly darker centred ; the greater lower wing-coverts
mostly a brown or rufous-brown, and for the most part edged
and tipped with fulvous-white or pale rufous ; the longest of
the lower tail-coverts are rather conspicuously tipped with pale
rufous.
Females differ considerably in the amount of rufous on the
top and back of the head, back and sides of neck, etc. in some,
the prevailing line is rufous, there being only very narrow brown
centres to the feathers, but in others, the brown much predomi-
nates, the feathers having only somewhat narrow rufous margins ;
the extent and amount of the rufous tippings to the feathers of
the back and rump varies much, as also the extent and depth
of rufous in the tail, and on the lower parts.
Young. Lores, forehead, a patch under the eyes, a streak over
the eyes, to upper corner of the ruff, and a broad patch on the
nape, (which latter has several of the central feathers brown
tipped) white ; bristles of the lores black ; a patch in the interior
corner of the eye, under the white line, and beyond the posterior
angle of the eye, backwards, till it joins the top of the ear-coverts,
dark umber-brown ; the whole top of the head warm umber-
brown, faintly margined with rufous, where it infringes on the
white supercilium and white nape-patch ; the whole of the
BUTEONINyE. 40
nape, upper back, scapulars, and wings (except in some specimens
some of the median-coverts) nearly uniform umber-brown, but
the quills with a trace of darker banding, most of the median
wing-coverts in some specimens so broadly edged with pale ferru-
ginous or buff as to show but little of the brown, these edgings
entirely wanting in others ; the winglet, greater-coverts, secon-
daries, and most of the primaries very narrowly paler tipped ;
feathers of the lower back and rump the same brown as the rest
of the upper parts, but each feather distinctly tipped with buff;
the upper tail-coverts often pure white, one or two of them only
with an ill-defined brown patch ; in other cases marked as in
adult female ; two centre tail-feathers dark umber-brown, with
four bars of lighter greyish-brown ; the next four feathers the
same dark-brown, but tipped and barred with ferruginous or buff,
which is brighter and more extensive, as the feathers recede from
the centre ; exterior tail-feather almost entirely rufous-buff with
two irregular, dark-brown bars, and a trace of a third ; patch
from the lower mandible, over the cheeks, and embracing the
ear-coverts rich dark umber-brown ; round this posteriorly, the
ruff uniform pale rufous-buff, except just where it separates the
white eye-streak from the white nape-patch, where the feathers
are mingled with dark brown ; sides of the neck, below the ruff,
which is thus clearly defined, dark umber-brown ; chin whitish, with
black bristles at the tip ; whole lower parts of the body, including
lower tail-coverts, uniform rufous fawn or pale ferruginous ;
the lining of the wing the same, but paler, and the largest
of the lower wing-coverts mottled with brown ; the lower surface
of the quills greyish-brown ; the primaries very distinctly-barred
and with more or less white replacing the brown ; the first three
primaries conspicuously emarginate on the inner webs, and the
third and fourth on their outer > webs ; lower surface of the tail
exterior feathers nearly uniform pale fawn, with only an indistinct
trace of three ill-defined bars ; the four next feathers umber-
brown, with fulvous-white tips, and two well marked, fulvous-
white, broad bars ; the two centre feathers with scarcely a trace
of paler tipping, and with three narrower greyish bars.
The Pale Harrier is a very common cold weather visitant to
all parts of the district ; it arrives in October, and leaves about
the end of March, and does not therefore breed anywhere within
our limits.
Circus cineraceus, Mont.
52. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 97 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 374 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p 88 ; Circus pygargus, Lin. ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 57 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 303.
MONTAGUE'S HARRIER.
c?. Length, 16'5 to 17 7 ; expanse, 40 to 43'5 ; wing, 14'5 to 15'3 ;
tail, 9'3 to 10-2; tarsus, 217 to 2'35 ; bill from gape, 1 to 112.
50 BUTEONINJ2.
?. Length, 18-6 to 19'5 ; expanse, 41'8 to 439; wing, 15 to
16 ; tail, 9'87 to 10'5 ; tarsus, 2'28 to 2'46 ; bill from gape, 1 07
to 1-2.
Male : above throat and breast darkish blue-grey, darkest on
the back ; the first six quills black, the next one lighter, changing
to grey ; secondaries grey, with a black bar ; tail grey, the outer
two feathers barred on their inner webs with bright rufous, the
other three with dusky ; belly, vent, under tail-coverts, and under
wing-coverts white, with bold dashes of rich chestnut or reddish-
brown.
The female chiefly differs from the female of the last in color, by
the lower parts being whiter, and the streaks much larger, and
more rufous-brown.
Such is Jerdon's description. To this I add Mr. Hume's
description, which is much more detailed and is taken from his
" Scrap Book"
Description. Legs and feet yellow ; claws black ; irides bright
yellow in the adult, sometimes brownish-yellow in the female,
almost white in one young one examined ; bill black, dusky
in the young ; cere greenish-yellow, yellower in the young.
Plumage, Adult Male. The whole head, chin, threat, neck all
round, breast, back, scapulars, wings, (except the first seven
primaries which are blackish) , and central tail-feathers grey, of
different shades ; the neck, cheeks, and ear-coverts bluish ;
crown of the head and occiput (below which there is a white
mottled nape-patch, owing to the white bases of the feathers
showing through), here and there tinged with rufous brown ; the
scapulars infuscated and brownish; the back darker and more
ashy, and the wings and centre tail-feathers more silvery ; the
secondaries have a broad, blackish, transverse band across both
webs, forming a conspicuous wing-band (not unlike that of the
common pigeon 0. intermedia), and with traces of another, or
in some specimens, two other bands on the inner webs ; the
central tail-feathers unbarred, the laterals with four very broad,
transverse, dark bars on the inner webs, and traces of the same
on the outer webs of some of the feathers, the grey fading as
the feathers recede from the central ones, and to pure white on
the exterior ones, and the dark brown bands changing gradually
to dull chesnut on the latter ; a broad circle round the eye
whitish ; the lower parts from the breast downwards, and the
whole wing-lining (except a few of the longer lower-coverts, which
are ashy-grey with large white spots), pure white ; the feathers
of the abdomen with narrow, rather pale chesnut central streaks ;
there are lanceolate chesnut dashes in the wing-lining ; the axil-
laries are broadly and irregularly barred with blotches, and lower
tail and thigh-coverts have the shafts of the same color, a few
faint streaks of which are also generally to be seen mingling
with the blue-grey of the breast.
Adult Female. Forehead, and a band round the eye, slightly
BUTEONIN.E. 51
rufous-white ; crown and occiput rufous-brown, streaked with
dark hair-brown ; a streak from the base of the lower mandible,
widening so as to involve the whole ear-coverts, darkish brown,
in some very dark ; some of the feathers, commonly, very
narrowly margined rufous ; back, wings, scapulars, and central
tail-feathers dark umber-brown ; the quills and central
tail-feathers darkest ; the lateral tail-feathers paling as they
recede from the central ones, which are unbarred, with four
or five broad transverse, lighter and generally more rufous-brown
bars, often more or less obsolete on the outer webs ; the whole of
the lower parts are light rufous-buff, with narrow, deeper
rufous, shaft stripes ; rump and upper tail-coverts mingled
white, rufous-buff, and reddish-brown.
" Young 'male of the second year killed while undergoing his
second moult."
The top of the head, and the feathers round the cheeks, a
mixture of brown and rufous ; ear-coverts grey ; occiput varied
with white ; the nape, back, scapulars, tertials, and upper tail-
coverts lead-grey ; upper surface of all the tail-feathers, except
the two in the middle, barred with shades of brown and rufous ;
middle tail-feathers, with the outer webs, uniform pearl-grey ; the
inner webs with fine dark brown bands on a greyish ground ;
wing primaries and secondaries blackish-brown ; greater wing-
coverts dark browu ; lesser wing-coverts lighter brown, varied
with rufous and two or three grey feathers; chin, and front of
neck, pearl-grey ; breast, belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts
white, with a longitudinal rufous stripe on the centre of each
feather ; under surface of tail-feathers barred with greyish-white
and brown ; legs, toes, and claws, as in the adult male.
A young male of the year : a narrow frontal band, a line above,
and a patch below and behind the eye, arid two broad patches on
either side of the nape white, the feathers of the latter with
brown shafts ; chin and throat whitish, bristles, at point of chin,
black ; the top of the head rusty-rufous ; the feathers with more
or less narrow, lanceolate or linear, dark brown shaft stripes ;
ear-coverts and a line extending to them from the base of the
lower mandible dark brown, the feathers mostly narrowly mar-
gined with ferruginous ; wings, back, and scapulars rich brown
of different shades, palest on the upper back ; rump, and lesser
wing-coverts, more umber on the secondaries and longer scapu-
lars, and greyer, except at the extreme tips, on the primaries ;
all the quills, the primary greater-coverts, back, rump, and scapu-
lars, narrowly but conspicuously margined at the tips with rufous
buff, or faintly rufous-white ; the lesser and most of the median-
coverts more broadly margined with brighter rufous.
The first few primaries silvered on their outer webs towards
their bases, and with three or more irregular, dark, transverse
bars on the inner webs, (which are mostly brownish-white above
the notches), and faint traces of these on the grey-brown, outer.
52 BUTEONINyE.
webs, above the emarginations ; all the tail-feathers tipped with
pale rufous, most broadly on the external feathers ; the central
tail-feathers deep brown, with four broad, transverse, greyish-
brown bars, greyer at the bases and broader towards the tips ;
the lateral tail-feathers similar in character, but the grey-brown
bars change, as the feathers recede from the central ones, to
rufous-grey, rufous, and rufous-white ; and the deep brown inter-
spaces change similarly to nearly pure cinnamon-rufous ; the
upper tail-coverts are absolutely pure white in some, in others with
very narrow, rufous-brown, shaft stripes. From the throat, the
whole lower parts, including the wing-lining, are pure, pale cinna-
mon-rufous ; some of the feathers of the sides of the breast, with
linear, dark -brown shaft stripes, and all the feathers with the
shafts slightly deeper colored than the webs.
Montague's Harrier occurs throughout the Deccan, Rajpootana
and Sind. I did not meet with it in Guzerat ; it is of course a
seasonal visitant only.
Circus melanoleucus, Forst.
53. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 98 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 307.
THE PIED HARKIER.
Length, 17 to 18; wing, 14; tail, 8 ; tarsus, 2'9 ; mid-toe and
claw, 1*6.
Bill and cere black ; irides yellow ; legs yellow.
Whole head, neck, breast, back, upper scapulars, middle wing-
coverts and primary quills black ; the greater-coverts and second-
aries, and some of the scapulars, beneath the others, pale grey ;
the lesser-coverts and shoulders partially white mixed with some
grey ; upper tail-coverts mixed white and grey ; beneath from the
breast pure white ; tail pure grey, unbarred, paling on the outer
feathers.
The wings reach nearly to the end of the tail. Sexes alike.
Dr. Jerdon remarks that the Pied Harrier is rare in the
Deccan and Central India, but common in Bengal.
Circus seruginosus, Lin.
54. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 99 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 447 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 374 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 89 ; Swin-
hoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 58 ; Hume's Scrap
Book, p. 314.
THE MARSH HARRIER.
<?. Length, 19 to 21*7; expanse, 47 to 50; wing, 15'6 to
1675 ; tail, 94 to 10 2 ; tarsus, 3'4 to 3'86 ; bill from gape, 1-4 to
1-5.
?. Length, 21 to 24 ; expanse, 50 to 54 ; wing, 16'2 to 171 ;
tail, 975 to 10'22 ; tarsus, 3'55 to 3'9 ; bill from gape, T5 to T63.
MILVIN.E. 53
Legs and foot rich yellow, dingy or pale greenish-yellow in the
young ; the claws brownish-black ; the irides are orange -yellow,
sometimes with a pink tinge, deep brown, or brownish-yellow in
the young ; the bill is blackish or brownish-black, yellowish at the
base, 'and bluish there in the young ; the cere is greenish-yellow,
or sometimes pale-greenish, in the young.
The young bird is uniform dark reddish umber-brown ; in a
further stage the head and throat are yellowish, or rufous- white,
with dark stipes on the crown ; in some the head is pure white,
and the upper tail-coverts and base of the outer tail-feathers
are pale reddish.
In the fully adult the head, neck, and breast are pale rufous, with
dark brown stripes, deepening to dark red-brown on the belly
and thigh-coverts ; upper tail-coverts marked with red, white, and
brown ; the shoulders, secondaries, and tail pure silvery-grey ;
back, scapulars and tertiaries deep brown ; primaries black.
To this Mr. Hume adds that, as the young bird advances to-
wards maturity, there first appears a large rufous-fawn, or rufous-
white patch upon the breast ; then the rufous, or yellowish-white
of the head and nape begins to run down the back of the neck,
and margins of a similar color begin to make their appearance
on the feathers of the upper back and the smaller wing-coverts ;
the color of the upper parts slightly fades, and a greyish tinge
begins to overspread the outer webs of the primaries.
It is probable that the adult plumage, in which the shoulders,
secondaries, and tail are silver grey, is only assumed by the
male.
The Marsh Harrier is generally spread throughout the district,
and (although a few may possibly remain to breed) is a cold
weather visitant only. It frequents marshes, rivers, and lakes,
and feeds chiefly on frogs, rats, and water insects.
It often carries off wounded duck and teal.
It seems instinctively to know sportsmen, and not infrequently
follows them round a tank or jheel, with a view to dinner. I
have often, by their help, retrieved wounded birds that would
otherwise have been lost to me.
SUB-FAMILY, Milvinse.
Bill typically small and weak, occasionally stout, rather straight
at the base, and suddenly hooked, or curved from the base,
and much hooked at the tip, rounded at the sides and compress-
ed only at the tip ; the margin sinuated or toothed ; wings long ;
tail short and even, or long and forked ; tarsi short, rather thick ;
toes short, broad ; claws moderate, not very unequal.
GENUS, Haliastur, Selby.
Bill rather stout, straight over the cere, curved and hooked
beyond margin of the upper mandible, festooned (as is very
prominently seen in young birds) ; nostrils oval, oblique ; wings
54 MILVIN^E.
very long, the 4th quill longest ; tail moderate, broad, and
slightly rounded ; tarsi short, moderately stout, with a large
plume of feathers at the knee, covered anteriorly and posteriorly
with large scutse ; lateral scales small, reticulate ; feet small,
lateral toes unequal ; claws not very unequal, grooved beneath,
inner and hind-claws about equal; toes rough beneath, with
sharp points.
Haliastur indus, Bodd.
55. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 101 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 448 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 374 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 90 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 58 ; Hume's Scrap
Book, p. 316.
THE BRAHMINY KITE.
Brah/mami Chil, Hin.
Length, 18 to 21 ; expanse, 54 to 57 ; wing, 15 to 1675 ; tail,
6'5 to 7'5 ; tarsus, 2 to 2'25 ; bill at gape, T4 to 1'5.
Adult : head, neck, and body below, as far as the middle of
the abdomen, white, with longitudinal narrow streaks of dark
brown ; the rest of the plumage rich chesnut-rufous, darkest on
the interscapulars and back ; quills black, chesnut internally
towards the base ; tail paling towards the tip.
The young bird is pale brown ; the feathers of the head, neck,
and lower parts lighter streaked, and the upper feathers spotted
with fulvous or whitish ; the tail is dusky, with a tinge of
maroon.
The Maroon-backed Kite is found throughout the region,
abundantly in Sind, but more rarely in Guzerat and Rajputana.
It is a permanent resident, breeding on trees in February and
March. The eggs, two in number, are oval in shape, greyish
white in color, sparingly spotted with dull brownish-red ; they
average 2 inches in length by about 1 "64 inches in breadth.
GENUS, Milvus, Cuvier.
Bill short, somewhat straight at the base, tip well curved and
hooked, upper mandible with a rounded obsolete tooth, or
festoon ; nostrils oval, oblique ; wings long, 4th quill, or 3rd and
4th, longest ; tail lengthened, forked or emarginate ; tarsus short,
plumed above in front, with scutse in front below ; posteriorly
naked to the knee, reticulate ; toes rather short ; claws moderate,
unequal, and moderately curved ; outer-toe slightly mobile.
Milvus govinda, Sykes.
56. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 104 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 448 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 374 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 90 ; Swin-
hoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 58 ; Hume's
Scrap Book, p. 320,
MTLVIN/E. 55
THE PARIAH KITE.
Chil, Hin.
Length, 22 to 25 ; expanse, 51 to 60 ; wing, 17 to 19 ; tail, 11
to 1375 ; tarsus, 2 to 2'25 ; bill from gape, T5 to 1'8,
The males are generally the smallest, but large males exceed
small females in size, so I have not given the measurements of
the sexes separately.
Legs and feet from pale lemon-yellow in young birds to wax-
yellow in older ones, pale greenish-grey in very young birds ;
claws black ; irides varying from deep brown to pale or yellow-
ish-brown ; bill blackish-horny ; cere and gape vary from green-
ish-grey in the young to yellow in the old bird.
Adult : top of the head, back and sides of the neck dingy or
pale umber-brown ; the feathers with a narrow dark shaft stripe,
and a narrow stripe, towards the tips, on each side of this ; the rest
of the upper parts brown, darker on the first few primaries, pahr
on the tertials and lesser wing-coverts ; tail tinged grey, and with
obscure traces of transverse darker bars ; some of the lesser-coverts,
tertials, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers are narrowly but ob-
scurely tipped paler ; chin and throat whity-brown ; the shafts darker ;
the breast, abdomen, lower tail-coverts, and tibial plumes, dull
hair-brown, dark shafted ; those of the breast with narrow, pale
stripes on each side of the shaft stripes ; the rest, in most birds,
with a pale spot towards the tips.
Young bird : head, neck, breast, abdomen, and sides umber-
brown, each feather broadly streaked fulvous-yellow or buff ;
chin and throat dingy-fulvous, some of the feathers inconspi-
cuously darker shafted ; back, scapulars, upper tail-coverts, and
wing, (except the first few primaries which are almost black) a
more or less rich umber-brown, glossed in many cases with purple,
and every feather more or less narrowly tipped with fulvous or
fulvous-white ; the tail and lower tail-coverts much as in the
preceding ; in some specimens the light streaks are almost pure
white, in others rufous-buff.
All intermediate stages are met with ; the changes are not
regular, and have no chronological value, and, even amongst
adult birds considerable variations occur.
The Pariah Kite is common everywhere, and is a most impor-
tant feature in an Indian landscape. To visitors from England,
on their first arrival in Bombay Harbour, (which is literally
swarming with these birds) they must appear strange and their
numbers incredible, unaccustomed as they (the visitors) are to
the presence of birds of prey. They hang round the ships on
the eager look-out for scraps of food, which sailors and others
amuse themselves by throwing to them ; long before the scrap
reaches the water, it is pounced upon by one of the kites, who
rarely misses a fair chance. If the scrap be small, it is devoured
upon the wing ; if large, the kite perches upon the rigging, but
is not allowed to consume the morsel in peace as the other kites
MILVIN.E.
try to get it from him, and it, in general, changes hands, or
rather feet, several times before it is finally disposed of. Garbage
washed through the scupper holes, if at all eatable, is eagerly
pounced upon ; in fact, they are excellent scavengers, inland as
well as in the harbour. The kite is fearless and venturesome
in the pursuit of food ; it has been known to swoop down on,
and snatch food from the hand of a child, or even a grown up
person ; meat or other food in a plate, carried in hand, is not
safe from their attacks, and it would be the height of folly to carry
anything eatable on the head (the usual custom with natives
in this country), unless it was well covered over. They are easily
caught, by placing a light blanket on the ground and throwing
a piece of meat upon it. The kite swoops down on the meat,
its claws become entangled in the blanket, and the bird can be
secured before it can release itself. Soldiers often amuse them-
selves in this way, and after cutting the webs of the quills and
tail-feathers into fantastic shapes, let them go.
Kites, although far more numerous near the haunts of man,
are by no means uncommon elsewhere. A camp is sure to be
infested by some scores of them ; they seem to know instinctively
when a meal is under preparation, and show increased activity
at these times. They have a peculiar habit of assembling
together in some favorite spot at the close of the day before
retiring to roost.
All writers on the subject seem to agree that they breed
during the first three months in the year, and a nest
taken on Christmas day has been spoken of as exceptionally
early. I have taken nests from October to April, not in one year,
or in one district only, but habitually, as the following extracts
from my nesting memoranda will show :
From.
To.
Aboo
7th October, 1876
8th April, 1877.
Deesa ...
20th October, 1876
7th April, 1877.
)> ,
25th October, 1877
25th March, 1878.
Hyderabad, Sind
5th November, 1878
10th March, 1879.
8th November, 1880
5th April, 1881.
Mhow ...
15th October, 1881
Poona
25th October, 1881
20th March, 1882.
Neemuch ...
4th December, 1 883
9th April, 1884.
,, ...
5th October, 1884
31st March, 1885.
Most of these nests were observed inside cantonment limits ;
indeed, in the breeding season, there is scarcely a compound,
containing a suitable tree, that is not tenanted by a pair of these
birds ; in fact, they have a decided penchant for breeding in the
vicinity of man. This, considering the persecution they receive
at times, on account of the havoc they make in a brood of chickens,
MILVINJ:. 57
is not a little to be wondered at. A pair of kites with their hungry
brood are not desirable neighbours near a poultry yard. I am
inclined to think that they have two broods in a year ; more
especially as I notice in Poona that a nest in a neem tree in my
garden was occupied twice in the same season, whether by the
same birds or not I cannot say. The nests are more numerous
in the months of November and February than at other times ;
this also points to two broods in th^ year.
The nests are clumsy structures, often of large size, built
generally in a stout fork, or junction of the limbs, but occasion-
ally on a horizontal bough of a tree. The eggs are usually two
(rarely three) in number, broad oval in shape, greyish-white in
color, boldly and handsomely blotched, streaked, and spotted
bright red-bro?yn. They vary much in coloring. In size they
average 2'2 inches in length by about 1'8 in breadth.
Milvus melanotis, Tern fy ScU.
56fo's. Milvus major, Hume. Sind, Stray Feathers, Vol. I,
p. 160 ; Butler, Bombay ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 375 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 91 ; Hmne's Scrap
Book, p. 326.
THE LARGE PARIAH KITE.
Length, 2675, 2775 ; wing, 21, 21 '5 ; tail, 13'3, 1375 ; tarsus,
2'5, 2-4; bill at gape, 175, 178.
Adult Female. Bill and claws horny-black ; legs dull yellow ;
toes mingled dingy-greenish and yellow.
Plumage. General plumage much as in the common kite.
There appears to be a set controversy regarding the distinct-
ness of this from M. govinda. I have never met with the bird
myself, although I have constantly been on the look-out for it.
Mr. Hume saw several specimens in the dhunds of Upper Sind,
and obtained one in Bombay Harbour.
GENUS, Pernis, Cuvier.
Bill rather small, gently curving from the base, the tip very
slightly hooked ; margin of the upper mandible almost straight,
or very feebly simiated ; nostrils narrow, oblique ; the lores
covered with small scale-like feathers ; wings moderate, fourth
quill longest, the second to the sixth sinuate internally ; tail rather
long, slightly rounded ; tarsi short, half plumed in front, covered
with small reticulated scales ; toes with transverse scales, entire
at the roots of the nails, elsewhere divided ; lateral toes about
equal, free, or barely united to the mid-toe ; nails unequal, only
moderately curved ; middle-claw dilated internally.
Pernis ptilortiynchus, Tern.
57. Pernis cristata, Cuv. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 108; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 448
58 MILVINJE.
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 375 ; Svvinhoe and Barnes,
Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 58 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 330.
THE HONEY BUZZARD.
3. Length, 24 to 25 - 5 ; expanse, 49 to 54 ; wing, 15 '5 to 16 ;
tail, 10'3 to 11 ; hill from gape, T4 to T45.
9. Length, 26 to 28; expanse, 55 to 57; wing, 1575 to
17*25 ; tail, 11'5 to 1275 ; bill from gape, 1'63 to 176.
Young bird : brown above, the feathers more or less edged
lighter ; head and neck usually paler, sometimes rufous-brown,
at other times whitish, with central dark streaks, more or less
developed ; beneath white, sometimes only faintly streaked, at
times with large streaks, more rarely with large oval brown
drops, and with or without a dark central chin-stripe, and two
lateral ones.
In some birds, especially those from Southern India, there is a
.well marked occipital cresf; "of several graduated feathers, general-
ly deep brown or almost black.
In a further stage the brown above becomes darker and more
uniform ; and the lower parts assume a pale rufous brown tinge,
with the central streak more or less developed, according as it
was in the young bird, and the incomplete tail bands are more
clouded.
The adult has the plumage above rich brown ; the head and
lores generally, but not always, suffused with ashy-grey, arid the
lower parts uniform darkish-brown, with the dark streak almost
obliterated ; the tail is brownish-ashy, faintly clouded with
dusky, and with two wide dark black bars, and a third, almost
concealed by the upper tail-coverts ; the terminal bar is tipped
white or greyish.
The wings reach to about three inches from the end of the
tail ; the gape is short, only reaching to the anterior part
of the eye.
In most birds in a transition state the feathers of the lower
parts are banded brown and white, especially on the lower
abdomen, thigh-coverts, &c., and some of these feathers are
generally to be found at all ages.
Mr. Hume, after giving very detailed descriptions in his
" Scrap Book," adds : " Almost every possible combination of the
varying plumage, and shades of color, of different parts, above
described, may be met with."
Jerdon omits giving the colors of the soft parts ; the omission
has been well supplied by Mr. Hume, whom I now quote :
" The legs and feet, which are very full and puffy, vary from
dingy yellowish-white in the young to bees wax-yellow in old
adults ; scutellation well marked and reticulate (the plates
somewhat concave, especially at back of tarsus), except about
three or four transverse scutae at the tip of all the toes ; a mere
trace of a connecting membrane between the central and out-
ward toes at the base ; claws black, and except the mid-toe claw,
MILVIN^E. 59
compressed ; hind-claw much curved, and mid-claw with the interior
margin usually much dilated, especially towards the tip ; irides
brilliant yellow, duller or slightly brownish in younger birds ; cere
black, greenish at nostrils and towards commissure ; gape and two-
thirds of the commissure from gape, and greater portion of lower
mandible, pale blue ; greater portion of upper mandible and tip of
lower black ; a small dingy-greenish patch on each side of the
lower mandible towards the base ; tongue moderate, obtuse,
entire, rather stiff and membraneous towards the tip (where it is
slightly emarginate) and margins."
With the exception of Sind, the Honey Buzzard is more or
less common throughout the region ; it occurs more plentifully
in well-wooded districts ; it is a permanent resident, and breeds
during May and June. The nest is generally placed at some
height in a fork of a tree, and is composed of twigs, lined with
dead leaves ; the eggs, two in number, are very broad oval or
nearly spherical in shape ; they are white, or buffy- white, in color,
thickly clouded, blotched, or capped with deep reddish-brown
or blood-red; they measure 2 inches in length, by about 17
inches in breadth.
GENUS, Elanus, Savigny.
Bill very small, wide at the base, compressed at the tip, which
is much hooked and lengthened ; edge of upper mandible slightly
sinuated ; cere short ; nostrils large, oval, longitudinal ; wings
very long, pointed, second quill longest, the first emarginate near
the tip ; tail short, almost even, or emarginate ; tarsi short,
thick, weak, plumed above, covered with reticulated very small
roundish scales beneath ; toes thick, soft, free, unequal ; outer
toe shorter-than the inner one ; claws rather large, middle on<
keeled, others rounded.
Elanus cceruleus, Desf.
59. Elanus melanopterus, Daud. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 112; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, L ,)W
p. 449 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 375 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 92 ; Swinhoe and Barnes,
Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 58 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 338.
THE BLACK-WINGED KITE.
Length, 12 to 13 ; expanse, 34 to 35 ; wing, 10 to 1175 ; tail,
5'25 to 575 ; tarsus, 11 to T3 ; bill from gape, 0*95 to 115.
Legs and feet bright yellow ; claws black ; bill black, cere and
base of lower mandible yellow; irides bright crimson in the
adult, yellowish-pink or bright yellow in the young.
Plumage. Adult : forehead a narrow streak above the dark
supercilium ; the anterior portion of the lores, the chin, cheeks,
ear-coverts, throat and whole lower parts, wing-lining, edge of the
wing, and all but the central tail-feathers white ; the external webs
of all, but the two exterior on each side of these, more or less
60 STRIGINJ:.
faintly tinged grey ; posterior portion of lores, a narrow super-
cilium, a small patch of coverts just at the origin of the primaries,
nearly hidden by the winglet, (which is grey and not black, as
Dr. Jerdon gives it), and the whole of the lesser-coverts, and the
median, secondary, and tertiary coverts black ; the wing patch
more or less glossy, with the browner bases of the feathers
showing through, and usually with more or less of a greyish bloom
most conspicuous over the forearm ; the rest of the upper
plumage grey, (of very different shades in different individuals, but
always darkest on the primaries, scapulars and interscapulary region)
which varies from a full slate-grey to a pale almost pearl -grey.
The Black-winged Kite is more or less common throughout the
whole district ; it is a permanent resident, but I have been
unable to ascertain anything in regard to its breeding, and the
published accounts are at present misleading.
FAMILY, Strigidse.
Head large, densely feathered; eyes surrounded with a radiating
circle of feathers, forming the facial disc, which is bounded in some
by a ruff of close set feathers ; eyes large, directed forwards ; bill
short, usually covered by recumbent setae ; ears large ; feet usually
feathered to the toes ; outer-toe reversible, generally shorter than
the inner one.
SUB-FAMILY, Striginae.
Head very large, disc complete, occupying the whole face ; ear-
conch very large ; ears operculated ; wings long ; tail short ; tarsus
long, more or less plumed ; toes reticulated, with one or two scutse
at the root of the claws.
GENUS, Strix, Linnceus.
Bill rather long, straightish at base, curved at the tip, somewhat
shallow and feeble, with large nasal fossae, and long lunated
nostrils ; operculum somewhat tetragonal ; wings reaching beyond
the tail, which is short, and nearly even, or slightly rounded ;
second quill longest, first nearly equal to it, third only a little
shorter ; tarsi long and slender, rather scantily feathered ; toes
moderate, scutellate above, slender ; nails sub-equal, large, well
curved, middle one pectinated ; outer-toe shorter than the inner,
united to the middle one by a membrane, and reversible.
Strix javanica, Gm.
60. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 117; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol III, p. 449 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 375 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 101 ;
Strix indica, Blyth ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 342.
THE INDIAN SCREECH OWL.
Length, 13 to 15 ; expanse, 37 to 43 ; wing, 11 to 12 ; tail, 575
to 6'2 ; tarsus, 2'5 to 2'8 ; bill from gape, T5 to 175.
SYRNIINyE. 61
Above, pale yellow-buff, beautifully mottled with light grey,
each feather tipped with a white spot, edged darker ; quills and
tail darker and somewhat fulvous, with distinct mottled bands
and specks between them ; disc white, with a patch of rufous at
the inner corner of the eye ; ruff yellow and brown ; all beneath,
including the under wing-coverts, white in some, pale yellowish-
buff in others ; the feathers of the breast and abdomen with small
black specks and spots.
The tarsus is feathered to the feet, but the feathers become very
sparse and bristly towards the latter, and are little more than
bristles at the foot ; the toes are fleshy or dirty white, or light-
brown with a pinkish tinge, thinly covered on the whole upper
surface with whitish bristles ; the claws horny -brown, tinged only
with brown on the ridges ; bill slightly yellowish-white, faintly
tinged with pinkish towards the cere, which is fleshy ; irides brown,
sometimes almost black.
The Indian Screech Owl occurs throughout the region, but is
nowhere common, except perhaps in the Deccan.
It is a permanent resident, and breeds from February to June, in
holes of trees, rocks, and similar situations ; the eggs, three or four
in number are less spherical than those of Owls usually are,
measuring 175 inches in length by 1'3 in breadth ; they are white
with a creamy tinge.
SUB -FAMILY, Syrniinae.
Head not so large as in the last family and the disc incomplete
above ; no ear-tufts ; wings moderate, somewhat rounded ; the
first four or five quills emarginate ; tarsus short, stout, well
feathered ; mid- toe longer than the inner one ; claw dilated
internally, as are the toes also partially ; tail slightly lengthened,
and rounded or graduated.
Strix Candida, Tick.
61. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 118; Hume's Scrap
Book, p. 345.
THE GRASS OWL.
Length, 14 ; wing, 14 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, 3'5.
Bill horny ; irides very dark brown ; legs livid, above tawny yellow ;
the feathers brown, yellowish at base and with a terminal white
spot ; the quills fulvous-yellow, with distinct brown bars ; tail
pale yellow, with four dark brown bars, the terminal one mottled
at the ending ; disc fulvous-white, with a dark brown spot at the
inner angle of the eye ; ruff dark fulvous ; beneath yellowish-
white, with small brown specks ; tarsus and toes with a few
scattered bristles, scarcely plumed at the knee ; the wings reach
three inches beyond the tail ; the claws are blunter and less
curved than in the last.
Dr. Jerdon procured the Grass Owl in Central India, as did
62 SYRNIIN.E.
also Colonel Tickell. Neither Colonel Svvinhoe or myself met
with it there.
GENUS, Syrnium, Savigny.
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family.
Syrnium indranee, SyJces.
63. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 121 ; Butler, Decc an ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 375 ; Bulaca indranee, Sykes ;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 347.
THE BROWN WOOD OWL.
Length, 19 to 21 ; wing, 13 to 14 ; tail, 8 to 9 ; tarsus, 2'4.
Toes feathered for three-quarters of their length, and with strong
scutse beyond; the inner claw is the largest, the outer one
about equal to the hind-claw ; the wings reach nearly to the
end of the tail.
Above, hair-brown, darkest on the head and neck, the greater-
coverts, scapulars, and tertiaries banded with white, the outer
scapulars being almost white with brown bars ; rump and
upper tail-coverts also faintly barred with fulvous ; quills brown,
barred with pale fulvous on both webs and with narrow whitish
bars and a white tip ; disc, black round the eye, with a pale
whitish upper edge or supercilium, rufous externally ; ruff
brown with some white markings ; throat below the ruff white ;
body beneath pale rufous-white, narrowly and closely barred with
brown ; quills and tail beneath dusky -brown, with white iJars ;
bill pale greenish ; irides deep brown ; claws horny-reddish.
The Brown Wood Owl appears to be very uncommon, and is
confined to the Western Ghats and forests in the vicinity. It
has been procured at Ratnagiri and at Mahableshwar. Nothing
appears to be known in regard to its nidification ; in fact,
Mr. Hume and others seem somewhat to doubt the distinctness
of this and S. newarense, but as Jerdon points out the present is
a considerably smaller bird.
Syrnium occellatum, Less.
65. S. sinense, Lath. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 123 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 208 ; Deccan, Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 376 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 353.
THE MOTTLED WOOD OWL.
Length, 17'9 to 19'2; expanse, 45 to 50'5 ; wing, 13 to 15;
tail, 7 to 8'5 ; tarsus, 2 to 2*4 ; bill from gape, 1'6 to 17.
Bill black, paler, and greyish on lower mandible ; eyelids
orange ; irides brown, deep in some, lighter in others ; claws
sharp, slightly curved, middle claw dilated on inner edge.
General plumage : above, rich tawny-yellow, the feathers of the
head and nape spotted with black and white, each plume having a
blackish tip, and crossed by an interrupted white band ; feathers of
' V\
ASIONIN.E. 63
the back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and upper tail-coverts beautifully
mottled and speckled with dusky and white ; quills tawny at their
base, dusky at the tip, with pale mottled bands ; inner webs tawny,
with brown bands ; tail much the same, the mottled bars on both
webs of the centre tail-feathers, but on the outer web and tip only
of the others ; disc mottled white, brown, and fulvous ; the ruff
dark-brown, beneath the chin whitish ; the rest of the body
beautifully banded white and brown, each feather being white,
with numerous narrow bars of brown ; tarsal feathers the same ;
the toes clad nearly to the end. Some specimens are much
tinted with fulvous beneath.
The Mottled Wood Owl is not uncommon in the Deccan, and
it has been obtained in Guzerat. I procured it at Neemuch in
Central India, but it has not, as yet, been recorded from Sind.
It is a permanent resident where found, and breeds during
the month of March ; the eggs, two in number, are deposited in
a cavity in a tree, or in tne depression at the fork of two large
branches. There is no nest to speak of, except, perhaps, a few
dead leaves that appear to have fallen there by accident ; the
eggs are rather roundish ovals, white in color, occasionally with a
faint tinge of cream ; they measure 2 inches in length by
about 17 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Asioninse.
Head large, with two aigrettes, or plumes of lengthened feathers
on each side of the forehead ; orifice of the ears large, lunate,
operculate ; wings long, second quill longest, and third quill sub-
equal to it ; tail moderate, or longish, nearly even ; facial disc
nearly perfect ; bill short, strong, curved from the base ; upper
mandible sometimes festooned, well protected by bristles ; tarsus
stout, moderate, or short, feathered, as are the toes as far as the
scales in front of the nails, which are sub-equal.
GENUS, Asio, Stride.
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family.
Asio otus, Lin.
67. Otus vulgaris, Flem. Jerdon's Birds of India, Yol. I, p. 125 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 99 ; Hume's Scrap
Book, p. 361.
THE LONG-EARED OWL.
Length, 14 to 16 ; expanse, 36 to 40 ; wing, 11 to 12'5 ; tail,
5-5 to 6 ; tarsus, T4 to T6 ; bill, 11.
Bill blackish-brown or dark -horny ; cere fleshy ; claws blackish-
horny ; irides from bright yellow to orange.
Above : the forehead finely mottled, dusky and tawny ; the ear-
tufts, about 175 inches long, deep brown, edged with tawny ; the
disc pale tawny, with a narrow black stripe along the inner
side of the eye ; the ruff blackish ; the head, neck, and breast
64 BUBONINJE.
dark -brown ; the feathers edged tawny-yellow, broadly so on the
neck and upper part of the breast ; rest of the plumage above
brown, mottled whitish, the feathers tawny at the base ; the
quills tawny, with a few dark brown bars, changing to mottled
fulvous- white, and dusky towards the tip ; tail pale tawny with
brown bands, mottled at the tip ; beneath, from the breast, tawny
\vith dark brown dashes, and a few cross stripes ; vent and under
tail-coverts and tarsal feathers unmarked.
At present, within our district, this Owl has only been recorded
from Hyderabad, Sind, where it was obtained by Captain Butler,
Mr. Doig, and myself. It is by no means common.
Asio accipitrinus, Pall
68. Otus brachyotus, Gmel. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 126 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 449 ; Dec-
can, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 377 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 100 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 354.
THE SHOKT-EARED OWL.
#. Length, 14*5 to 15; expanse, 36'5 to 40; wing, 1175 to
12-5 ; tail, 6 to 6'8 ; tarsus, T4 to 18 ; bill from gape, 1 to T25.
?. Length, 15 to 16; expanse, 40 to 42 ; wing, 12 to 13'3 ;
tail, 6'25 to 7 ; tarsus, 1'4 to 1*8 ; bill from gape, 1 to 1*25.
Bill blackish ; irides yellowish.
Above : head and neck brown, the feathers broadly margined
with pale tawny ; wings and back the same, but more tawny on
the scapulars and back, and the brown more irregular, tending
to become narrow in parts, and to extend into bars in other
parts ; quills deep tawny, with broad brown bars ; tail light ful-
vous, also brown banded, and light tipped ; the disc pale fulvous,
much streaked blackish ; the ruff mottled tawny and brown,
beneath pale fulvous, with narrow long stripes, wider on the throat
and breast ; the ' under tail-coverts and the tarsal plumes
unspotted.
The Short-eared Owl occurs during the winter months, through-
out the region, but is nowhere very common.
SUB-FAMILY, Buboninae.
Head moderate, furnished with two long ear-tufts on the forehead ;
orifice of the ears rather small or moderate, without an operculum ;
wing moderate or longish ; tarsus short, usually feathered ; toes
and nails strong.
GENUS, Bubo, Auct.
Bill slightly lengthened, scarcely arched from the base, com-
.pressed, strong, black ; nostrils ovoid, transverse ; wings long, 3rd
quill longest aud 4th quill sub-equal to it ; tail rather long,
nearly even ; tarsi and toes feathered ; tarsi moderate, fairly
strong, and claws sub-equal.
BUBONIC. 65
t
Bubo bengalensis, Frankl.
. Urrua bengalensis, Franklin. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 128 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 450 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 376 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 93 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India;
Ibis, 1885, p. 58 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 366.
THE ROCK-HORNED OWL.
Ghugu, Hin.
Length, 20 to 23 ; expanse, 44 to 58-; wing, 14 to 16 ; tail 8 25
to 9 ; tarsus, 2'4 to 3'25 ; bill from gape, T5 to 175.
Bill horny black ; irides intense orange-yellow ; legs and feet
feathered.
Above : the feathers of the head and neck are tawny, fading into
white, each with a broad stripe of rich dark-brown; forehead
brown-black, with a few tawny and white spots ; aigrettes rich
black-brown, edged on the inner sides with fulvous ; back, shoul-
ders, and greater coverts are varying shades of dark-brown, with
pairs of mottled or freckled spots or incomplete bars of white, buff,
or whity-buff ; the tertiaries are similar, but have a lighter or more
rufous ground-color ; the primaries are a rich rufous-buff, tipped
dusky-brown, gradually diminishing in extent inwards ; the outer
webs of the first two are banded brown and rufous-buff, freckled
with brown, but in the succeeding ones the rufous-buff above
the tips is nearly pure, except for two or three narrow, irregular
spots, or incomplete bars ; the dusky tips are themselves a
good deal freckled and banded, more especially towards the
secondaries, which latter want the dusky tips, and have four
or five brown bars on the outer, and three or four much narrower
ones on the inner webs, the buff between the bars being freckled
with brown and dashed with white; the inner webs are
clear salmon color, inclining to white on the outer edges; the
wing-lining is pale buff, mottled with white, the lesser lower-
coverts being banded with faint, wavy, zigzag, brown lines or
bars ; the two centre tail-feathers resemble the outer webs of
the secondaries, aud the lateral ones their inner webs ; the lores
and sides of the upper mandibles are occupied with dense tufts of
white bristly feathers, having the webs much disunited, with the
extreme tips black and prolonged, and a broad band of similar
feathers, tinged with pale buffy-brown, bounded posteriorly by a
narrow dark brown band, from the base of the aigrettes, behind
and below the eye ; the under parts are rufous-buff (whitish on
the throat and neck), the breast with conspicuous dark-brown
stripes, and the abdomen, sides and lower tail-coverts with nu-
merous narrow, transverse, wavy, rufous-brown bars, darkest and
closest on the sides, and almost wanting on the vent'; the thigh-
coverts, tarsi, and toe-feathers are buffy or sullied white, unspotted.
The Rock-horned Owl is fairly common in all parts of the
presidency,
5
66 BUBONINJE.
It frequents, by preference, rocky hills, ravines, and river
banks, particularly if the latter are partially covered with
brushwood. As noticed by Jerdon, it may frequently be seen
in the early morning, seated on the ledge of a rock, looming
large against the sky. It breeds during February, March and
April, but eggs are occasionally found both earlier and later.
The eggs, three or four in number, are deposited on the bare
ground, either in a small cave or on a projecting edge of a cliff
generally near water. A favorite breeding place is the preci-
pitate bank of a river facirig westward, where the sun seldom or
never penetrates ; the eggs, though rarely, have been found on
the level ground. They are broad oval in shape, and white in
color, with a faint creamy tinge, fairly glossy, and average 2'1
inches in length by 1*73 in breadth.
Bubo coromandus, Lath.
70. Urrua coromanda Jerdon's Bird's of India, Vol. I, p.
130 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 450 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 94 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 58 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 37L
THE DUSKY-HORNED OWL.
Jangli Ghugu, Hin.
<? Length, 22 to 23*5 ; expanse, 54 to 57 ; wing, 1575 to
16'5 ; tail, 8 to 9 ; tarsus, 2*2 to 2-4 ; bill from gape, 1'9 to 1 7.
? . Length, 23 to 25 ; expanse, 56 to 60 ; wing, 17 to 17'5 ;
tail, 875 to 9-25 ; tarsus, 2*3 to 2-6 ; bill from gape, 1-6 to 17. _
Bill greyish at base, horny-yellow on culmen and tip ; irides
deep yellow ; feet sparsely feathered ; claws horny-brown.
Upper parts, except primaries and tail-feathers, earthy-brown .;
in some specimens greyer, in others more umber, often consir
derably darker on the head ; lesser scapulars, and interscapulary
region, and often many of the scapulars and lesser-coverts with
narrow, ill-defined, dark-brown shaft stripes ; all the feathers
more or less vermicellated very finely with excessively narrow,
irregular, imperfect wavy bars of a paler color, producing a
freckled appearance. This pale color is, in some, a dull fulvous-
white, in others grey, in others pale greyish-brown ; in some, this
marking is very conspicuous ; in others it is almost obsolete,
especially about the shoulders ; the long ear-tufts, which in
some specimens are fully 275 inches long, are of the same
dark-brown as the narrow, central shaft stripes, which brown
varies much in shade, in different specimens, being in some very
dark, almost black, in others a moderately dark hair-brown.
There are large white or pale yellowish white patches on the
outer webs of the exterior scapulars, and towards the tips
of most of the larger and median-coverts ; the tail is a dull
rufous-fawn, nearly pure white towards the tip, with four, and on-
BUBONINJS. 67
the central feathers, generally five, broad, transverse, umber-
brown bands, darker in some, lighter in others, and the pale inter-;
spaces on the central . tail-feathers are much freckled, and in
some cases entirely suffused with the same color ; this freckling,
occurs, though in a less degree, on the succeeding feathers, the
interspaces growing clearer and brighter as they recede from
the centre ; the primaries are similar to the tail-feathers, the
tips infuscated or freckled like the central ones, and the
interspaces clearer and brighter towards the bases.
The lower parts are greyish-white, with a faint yellow tinge
everywhere, expect on the middle of the throat, each feather
with a narrow dark shaft stripe, and with numerous very fine
wavy and freckled transverse greyish-brown bars, or vermicil-
lations ; the extent and depth of color of these delicate markings
vary much in different specimens, in some almost entirely
obscuring the ground color on the breast and abdomen.
Tibial and tarsal plumes yellowish or pate fulvous-white,
in some specimens with faint longitudinal, dark-brown streaks
and in others with narrow, clouded, imperfect, transverse bars
of the same color.
The Dusky-horned Owl is abundant in Central India, and
in parts of Rajpootana ; it is not uncommon in Sind, but occurs
more rarely in Guzerat, and has not yet been recorded from
the Deccan or South Mahratta country.
It greatly affects the clumps of trees and mango topes that occur
so abundantly in the vicinity of villages and along the banks
of rivers and canals. It breeds during the months of December
and January, and occasionally later. The nest composed of sticks
is often of enormous size, owing to its being used for several
successive seasons ; it is generally placed in a fork of a large
tree, but occasionally on a horizontal branch, or in the depres-
sion at the junction of three or four large branches. The eggs,
generally two in number, are coarse in texture, creamy-white
in color, and average about 2'33 inches in length by about 1*9
in breadth.
A fresh and an incubated egg will often be found in the same
nest, so that they must begin to sit as soon as the first egg is laid.
I think this habit is somewhat general amongst the Owls, as I
have noticed the same fact with Bubo betigalensis and Garine
brama.
GENUS, Ketupa, Lesson.
Bill large, strong, deep, moderately long, straight at base,
gradually curving beyond the cere, moderately compressed and
hooked ; nares elliptic, partially exposed ; large ear-tufts ; disc indis-
tinct ; ears moderate ; wings rather short, reaching not quite to end
of tail ; 4th quill longest ; tail moderate ; tarsus rather long, or
moderate, stout, naked, reticulate ; toes naked, finely reticulate,
-with three or four scales at the base of the nails, moderately long,
68 BUBONIN^E.
nervous, compressed ; the hind-toe rather large ; soles of the feet
aculeate ; talons subequal, compressed, cultrated below, (except the
middle one; sharp ; inner claw the largest.
Ketupa ceylonensis, Gmel.
72. Jerdon's Birds of India. Vol. I, p. 133 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 92 ; Butler, Deccan and South Mahratta
Country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 376 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 379.
THE BROWN FISH OWL.
Amrai ka Ghugu. Hin.
<. Length, 21 to 22 ; expanse, 54 to 56 ; wing, 15 to 15 '75 ;
tail, 7'6 to 8 ; tarsus, 2'8 to 31 ; bill from gape, 2.
? . Length, 22 to 23'5 ; expanse, 56 to 59 ; wing, 16'5 to 18 ;
tail, 7'8 to 8-5 ; tarsus, 2'8 to 3'25 ; bill from gape, 21.
Bill greenish-dingy ; point of upper mandible blackish -horny ;
of the lower mandible yellowish ; irides bright yellow ; cere
greenish -grey ; legs and feet partly feathered, bare parts dingy
greenish-grey, sometimes plumbeous ; claws bluish-grey at the
base, horny black at tip, mid-claw with two sharp edges developed
one on the inner side, and one beneath.
Lores with a huge patch of bristle-like feathers, with greatly
elongated bare black shafts, overhanging the commissure, and
meeting over the base of the cere, some of them almost, if not
quite, as long as the bill itself ; the whole of the forehead, top
and back of the head, are a somewhat pale pinkish-brown, each
feather centred darker ; the feathers above the ear-coverts on
each side, behind the eye, lengthened so as to form aigrettes or
ear-tufts, from an inch and a half to two inches in length ; the
feathers of the back of the neck are often of a somewhat darker
shade, more broadly shafted with a still darker brown, and most
of the feathers with a trace of wavy mottling, or obscure bars,
especially towards the tips on the lighter-brown portion ; upper
back and scapulars much the same hue, and dark, centred in
the same manner as the feathers of the back of the neck, but
most of the exterior feathers of the scapulars, where they over-
hang the lesser wing-coverts, with nearly the whole outer webs
white, and the lighter brown of the scapulars, and in a less degree
of the feathers of the upper back, very much mottled and
variegated with tiny wavy lines, and small irregular blotches of
fulvous-white ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts much
the same hue as the upper back, but with only a central line of
dark-brown, and very feebly mottled with fulvous-white ; all the
lesser wing-coverts, the same brown as the upper back, with
similar broad dark brown centres with a few spots of fulvous-
white on some of the longest ; the median-coverts mostly dark-
brown towards the shafts, and on the inner webs, with one or two
well-marked spots of white or fulvous- white on the latter and
BUBONIC. 69
the outer webs mostly white or fulvous- white, freckled or mottled
with paler brown ; the winglet and primary-coverts chiefly
dark-brown, with two or more imperfect transverse bars " of
fulvous-white or paler brown ; the greater-coverts of the
secondaries much the same as the preceding, but the
outer webs much tinged with pale fulvous-brown, and there is
more white and more mottling about them than the preced-
ing ; the primaries are dark- brown, tipped with fulvous-white,
and with four or five J to f-inch transverse bars of white, ful-
vous, or rufescent white, on the outer, and pale brown across
the inner webs ; the secondaries have much the same charac-
ter as the primaries, but the bars are closer and larger in pro-
portion, and are more conspicuously mottled, and as a whole
generally appear to have more white upon them than the pri-
maries ; the tertiaries and their coverts, like the greater-coverts
of the secondaries, are a paler and more fulvous-brown, and much
marked with imperfect bars or blotches of fulvous -white, mot-
tled with brown ; the tail-feathers are dark, somewhat umber-
brown, tipped with rufous or fulvous- white, and with three or
four comparatively narrow transverse bars of the same hue,
most of the bars showing marks of faint mottling with a darker
color; under the eyes and ear-coverts is a conspicuous patch
of elongated, bristle-like feathers, with elongated, bare, black,
pointed shafts, which curl up round, and are nearly as long as
the lower mandible ; the feathers of the rest of the chin, and
a patch on the throat immediately below it, pure white, with,
towards the tips, a dark-brown central streak, and three or four
narrow, wavy bars of reddish-brown ; the feathers on each side
of this patch on the sides and front of the neck, breast, abdomen
and flanks, a somewhat rufous or pinkish-brown, each feather
with a narrow well-defined central streak of very dark-brown,
and closely barred throughout its whole length on both webs,
with narrow, transverse, wavy bars of a somewhat darker-brown
than the ground color, though much lighter than the central
streaks ; -thigh-coverts and vent- feathers uniform fulvous,
streaked and barred like the body feathers ; the bars are closer
and more numerous on the breast, and the general tint is more
vivacious, and the reverse of this on the flanks and lower tail-
coverts ; the wing-lining somewhat similar to the body feathers,
but much less narrowly banded, and altogether lighter ; the
greater lower-coverts, however, of the primaries are pure white,
broadly tipped with blackish-brown ; lower surface of the quills
glossy-brown, darkest on the primaries, tipped with greyish
white and with three or four transverse bars of greyish-white,
growing yellower as they approach the bases, where the inner
webs are mostly yellowish-white.
The Brown Fish Owl is found throughout Sind, but has not
vet been recorded from Guzerat, neither did I meet with it in
Raj pu tana or Central India. It reappears in the Deccan and
70 BUBONIN.E.
South Mahratta Country, but is nowhere numerically common.
It is a permanent resident where found, breeding from December
'to March. It is by no means choice in the selection of a site
for a nest. A cavity in an old tree, a cleft in a rock overhang-
ing a stream, a broad shelf on the clayey cliff of some river, or
even an old nest of the Fishing Eagle, are all at times made
use of by this very accommodating bird. The nest is seldom
well made; a few sticks mingled with feathers, if on a cliff; or
merely a few dead leaves and feathers if in a hole of a tree ;
but, when they appropriate an old nest of a Fishing Eagle, they
generally line it carefully with grass, fine twigs, and feathers ;
the eggs, two in number, are broad perfect ovals in shape, and
are white in color ; the shell close grained and pitted all
over but still more or less glossy. They average 2 '3 inches in
length by about 1*88 in breadth.
GENUS, Scops, Savigny.
Of small size ; head rather large ; large ear-tufts ; orifice
of ears moderate ; bill moderate, lateral margin somewhat curv-
ed ; nostrils round on margin of the cere ; disc imperfect ;
wings long and pointed, third and fourth quills longest ; tail rather
short, even, or slightly rounded ; tarsus moderate, feathered ;
toes naked and scaled, inner toe nearly equal to the middle
one ; claws moderate.
Scops pennatus, Ilodgs.
74. Epliialtes pennatus, Hodgs. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 136 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 376 ;
Murray's Verebrate * Zoology of Sind, p. 95 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 59 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 386.
THE INDIAN SCOPS OWL.
Length, 7*5 to 8'25 ; expanse, 15'5 to 19 ; wing, 5 to 6 ; tail,
2 '5 to 3 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill from gape, 0*8.
Bill dusky-greenish, yellowish beneath ; irides pale yellow ;
legs and feet fleshy-grey or dingy fleshy.
Above ashy-grey, more or less tinged with rufous or rufous-
grey ; the feathers dark shafted, finely mottled with brown, and
with a white subterrcinal spot ; wings more rufescent, and
without the white spots, except on the outer scapulars, as usual
and on some of the greater-coverts ; quills rufescent, with
darkish double bars, the interval between the bars dusky or
mottled, and the light spaces, or ground color, on some of the
outer primaries rusty- white in some specimens ; or, it may be
said, that the quills are dusky-rufescent, mottled with pale
bands ; the tail rufescent, with double bars, in some mottled
almost throughout ; beneath the feathers streaked dark-brown
and banded with white, and mottled rufous-grey and brown,
mostly grey on the upper part, and white on the lower part of
BUBONINJS. 71
the abdomen ; tarsal feathers barred and mottled ; disc ashy-
white, with a few darker specks, and the shafts of the frontal
bristles white ; ruff marked with dull brown and rufous.
In the rufous phase, the upper parts are uniform bright
golden chesnut-red, with black shafts, inconspicuous on the
back, more distinct on the forehead, ear plumes, and shoulders
of the wings ; outer edges of scapulars whitish ; disc rufous with
some of the feathers white shafted ; ruff deep brown, with the
outer feathers black tipped or black ; beneath deeply tinged
with the hue of the back, but with more or less white on the
belly and under tail-coverts ; the breast and sides of the belly
with brownish central black streaks, the latter with transverse
pencillings ; four faint bars on the inner webs of the tail-fea-
thers, and the primaries also indistinctly barred with dusky, or
mottled brown. The young bird has all the feathers duller
red, more black shafted, and there is much white on
the lower surface, and the disc has a good deal of white ; the
scapulars are white externally, with black tips ; and the bars
on the quills and tail-feathers are more distinct, brown, and
mottled.
The Indian Scops Owl occurs sparingly throughout the dis-
trict, excepting, perhaps, Guzerat ; it is of retiring habits,
frequenting forests and well- wooded districts ; it is, I believe,
a permanent resident, but I am not aware of its eggs ever
having been taken anywhere within our limits.
Scops brucei, Hume.
74. Sept. Butler, Deccan and South Mahratta Country ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 376 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind,p. 95.
THE STRIATED SCOPS OWL.
Length, 9; expanse, 22; wing tj 4 ; tail, 3*25 ; tarsus, 1*45;
bill from gape, 73.
Bill dusky ; irides bright yellow ; legs and feet densely fea-
thered ; claws black, well curved, slender and very sharp.
Cheeks and feathers under the eye greyish-white, excessively
finely and indistinctly barred with brown ; the lores and a
stripe running up from them to the top of the eye creamy-
white ; the longer ones that meet over the base of the upper
mandible tinged brownish ; a few tiny dark-brown feathers on
the eyelids ; chin and throat creamy- white, with very narrow
central shaft stripes towards the tips, and excessively finely ver-
micellated with brown ; feathers of the ruff, (which is incon-
spicuous), very pale buff, narrowly edged with dark-brown ; the
whole of the forehead, crown, back of head, back and sides of
neck, back, scapulars, wing-coverts, rump and upper tail-coverts,
very pale buff or creamy- white, so minutely and closely pow-
dered with pale-brown that looked at from a very little distance
the feathers appear to be a uniform pale earthy-brown.
72 BUBONIN.E.
Every feather has a narrow central dark-brown stripe ; some of
the outer scapulars have inconspicuous patches of buff on their
outer webs, and the ground color of the feather on each side of
the crown, immediately above the eye, is slightly paler ; but,
beyond this, the whole of the upper plumage above described is
singularly uniform in tint and appearance, and is absolutely de-
void of those white spots and blackish-brown or buff dashes and
streaks so characteristic of the other Indian species ; the pri-
maries are pale dingy-buff, with broad transverse brown bars, which,
towards the tips, are with the ground color, mottled and freckled
over, the ground color with brown and the bars with dingy-ful-
vous ; nearer the base of the feather, the light bars are on the ex-
terior webs pure pale buff, while the dark bars continue freckled
as already described ; on the inner webs, the dark bars are nearly
uniform and unmottled, while the light bars are pure and unmot-
tled towards the edge of the webs, and suffused with brown towards
the shafts ; the tertiaries and the tips of the secondaries approxi-
mate closely to the plumage of the back and coverts ; of the breast
and abdomen, the ground color is similar to that of the
upper parts, but the brown powdering is coarser, so that more
of the ground coloring is seen, and the dark-brown central shaft
stripes are somewhat broader towards the vent ; on the flanks
and lower tail-coverts, the ground color becomes almost pure
white, and the brown powdering very sparse, while the shafts
stripes are reduced, as on the back and wing-coverts, to well
marked dark lines ; the short, dense tibial and tarsal plumes are
brownish-white, each little feather with its dark central shaft stripe ;
the axillaries and wing-lining are cream colored, or yellowish-
white, entirely unstreaked and unmottled.
Not much is known concerning the Striated Scops Owl. It was
named by Mr. Hume, after the Revd. H. Bruce, that gentleman
having procured the first specimen near Ahmednagar ; others
have since been procured in different parts of the Deccan. Messrs.
Blandford, Doig and myself procured it in Sind, the former at
Oomercote, Mr. Doig and myself at Hyderabad, where it frequents
dense plantations of young babool trees. I found it nesting on the
Khoja Amran mountains in South Afghanistan. It will doubtless
turn up both in Rajpootana and Guzerat.
Scops bakkamuna, Forst.
75ter. Butler, Sind ; Stray Feathers, Vol, VII, p. 175 ; Aboo,
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 450.
Length, 7'88 to 9 ; expanse, 20*5 to 21 '5 ; wing, 5'6 to 675 ; tail
from vent, 2'5 to 3'37 ; tarsus, 1'06 to 119 ; bill from gape, 0'88 to
0-94.
Toes and claws very pale greyish -brown, the latter darker at the
points, and not much curved ; soles creamy- white ; pads and
papillae much developed and soft, scutellation obscure ; three or
four transverse quasi-scales at the end of each toe ; interior ridge
73
of mid-claw slightly dilated ; irides, in some brownish-yellow, in
others, dark-brown ; in one nearly pure yellow ; bill, upper man-
dible, dark-brown, lower mandible paler, especially towards the
chin ; cere dusky-greyisk
A prominent tuft of disunited, webbed, bristly, white feathers
(with dark naked tips to the shafts, and traces on those nearest
the eye of dark cross bars), on each side of the upper mandible at
its base ; a faint tinge of buffy at the anterior angle of the eye ;
rest of lores, feathers below and behind eye, including ear-coverts,
loose, webbed, silky, greyish-white, with traces of faint minute
transverse brown bars ; chin white, the feathers of the extreme
tip somewhat bristly and curving upwards round lower mandible ;
across the throat and upwards immediately behind the ear orifice,
as far as the base of the aigrettes, a band of creamy or pale buff
feathers, with numerous minute, transverse, wavy brown pen-
cillings and bars ; those from the aigrettes to the sides of the
throat with conspicuous dark-brown tippings, which form the
defining line of the disc, and a few of those in the centre of the throat
with similarly colored spots at the tips ; forehead and a broad
superoilium running up the inside webs of the aigrette feathers,
and a curved band at the back of the head, extending from the
point of one aigrette, to the point of the other (when laid flat on
the head) a silvery-grey or greyish-white, the feathers with dark
brown shafts, and numerous minute, transverse pencillings of that
color, and some of them with terminal spots ; centre of forehead
and top of head, and a triangular space surrounded by this grey
band, a rich dark brown ; purest on the centre of the forehead,
with small twin spots or imperfect transverse bars and mottlings,
to a greater or lesser extent, of pale buff ; the outside webs of
the aigrettes are similar, as are the feathers of the band outside,
and contiguous to the curved grey band, which latter seems con-
tinuous with the dark line of the outer webs of the aigrette, while
the former seems to start immediately above the centre of the
eye ; below the dark band, at the base of the neck, is another
band of very similarly marked feathers, but whereas the dark
brown predominates in the former, the buff much predominates in
the latter ; the back, rump, upper tail-coverts, scapulars, wing-
coverts, (except the greater ones of the primaries) a mixture of
pale brownish-grey and pale buffy, with dark brown central
streaks, and numerous transverse, wavy brown pencillings and
mottlings.
In the outside line of the scapulars, the buff is very pure, and
in some positions conspicuous, and while the rump, upper tail and
lesser wing-coverts, are dingier and greyer, the centre of the upper
back and the median and secondary wing-coverts show more of a
pale buff ; the primary greater-coverts are very dark-brown, with
broad transverse buffy mottled bars ; the quills are darkish-brown,
with numerous broad transverse greyish, more or less dingy
white bars, much more conspicuous on the outer webs ; with the
74 BUBONIX.E.
exception of a few bars on the upper portion of the
webs of the earlier primaries, (which are unmottled and slightly
tinged with cream) ; all the rest of these bars are closely mottled
and pencilled with brown ; the second, third, and fourth primaries
are just perceptibly emarginate on the outer webs, and the first
to the fourth are conspicuously notched on the inner webs ; the
sides of the neck behind the dark line, the breast, sides, abdomen,
thigh-coverts, a sort of creamy-grey, very soft and silky ; the
feathers with narrow rich brown central streaks and numerous
minute, irregular, wavy, transverse pencillings ; greater portion of
wing-lining, vent-feathers, and lower tail-coverts, silky greyish-
white, the latter, some of them, with dark central streaks towards
the tips ; tarsus-feathers silky greyish-white, with a faint buffy
tinge towards the joint, and with several narrow, somewhat irregu-
lar, transverse, brown bars; tail-feathers greyish-brown, with
imperfect, transverse, mottled bars of very pale dingy-buff, and
with the interspaces, too, more or less mottled with the same
color.
Other specimens answer well to the above description, except
that in some specimens the whole of the colors are dingier, while
the white of the lower abdomen, vent, lower tail and thigh-coverts
is purer ; the tarsal plumes in some are entirely unbarred, and
generally the markings are less pronounced and clear than in the
first described specimen. In most birds the tarsal plumes are
entirely unbarred.
Only some specimens shew the silvery half collar on the neck
described above ; in most the deep brown of the top of the head is
continuous down to the broad buffy collar, at most a few feathers
on the nape being greyish towards the tips.
On the whole, however, the coloration of specimens from the
most distant localities differs but little. Hume's " Scrap Book,"
This Scops Owl is very rare, a single specimen was obtained at
Aboo, by Dr. King, and a pair nesting at Hyderabad by Captain
Butler ; these, I believe, are the only recorded instances of its
occurrence within our limits.
Scops malabaricus, Jerdon.
loquat. Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 377 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind. p. 97 ; Hume's Scrap
Book, p. 402.
THE MALABAR SCOPS OWL.
Length, 8 to 8'24 ; expanse, 10'5 ; wing, 5*95 ; tail, 275 ; exterior
tail-feathers, 025, shorter than the centrals; tarsus, I 1 05 to 1*08;
bill from gape, 0*8.
Bill yellowish horny, darker above ; irides dark yellow j feet
yellow.
The full description of 8. bakkamwna already given renders
any minute description unnecessary.
Generally it may be said that only the point of the forehead,
SURNIIN.E. 75
and a narrow streak over the eye, is white ; and these parts
instead of being silvery- white, as in bakkamwna, are fulvous ;
again, the chin, throat, ruff-feathers, abdomen, and breast,
instead of being white or creamy- white, as in bakkamuna,
are a rich buffy-fawn. Altogether the bird is a good deal
smaller, and the lower parts conspicuously more buffy than
in any specimen of S. bakkamuna.
The Malabar Scops Owl is said to be a permanent resident in
Ratnagiri, and it also occurs in Sind, but is uncommon in both
districts ; it has not been recorded from any other part of the
Presidency. It is often confounded with the preceding
S. bakkamuna.
SUB-FAMILY Surniinae, Kaup.
Ear orifice small, oval, no operculum ; disc incomplete, or nearly
obsolete ; no ear- tufts.
GENUS, Carine, Kaup.
Cere swollen ; first primary much lengthened ; fifth scolloped
on the outer web like the fourth ; hind tarsus plumed ; nostrils
pierced near the anterior margin of the cere ; bill short, curved
from the base, hooked ; lower mandible notched.
Carine brama, Tern.
76. Athene brama. Tern. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 142 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 450 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 377 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 99 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 59; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 404.
THE SPOTTED OWLET.
Length, 8 to 9*5 ; expanse, 20*05 to 22*5 ; wing, 615 to 6'65 ;
tail, 275 to 3'5 ; tarsus, 1 to 11 ; bill from gape, 078 to 0'84.
Bill horny-green ; cere dusky ; irides bright or golden pale-
yellow ; feet dingy-greenish.
Above earthy grey-brown, each feather with two white spots ;
beneath white, broadly barred, or with cordate brown bars ; tarsal
feathers not spotted ; wing with five or six white interrupted
bars, and tail with five ; disc white, edged externally with' brown ;
a dusky-brown patch outside the eye, and a small dark spot
at the inner can thus ; ear-coverts barred.
The Spotted Owlet is spread universally throughout India,
and is exceedingly common in all parts of the Bombay Presi-
dency, with the exception of the hills, which it does not ascend
to any great height, its place there being taken by one of the
next two species ; it is a permanent resident, and breeds
during March and April. Eggs are occasionally found in February,
but the majority of them are laid in March. It is not parti-
cular in its choice of a site for a nest ; an old decayed tree will
afford a lodging to several pairs ; in fact, holes in trees are their
76 SURNIIN.E.
most favorite to nesting places, and they may often be seen peep-
ing out of holes in trees during the daytime, but holes in walls
are not neglected.
If they can effect an entrance beneath the tiles of a bunga-
low, they do so, and there they will rear their families ; in such
cases ( by no means uncommon ) they become an almost
intolerable nuisance, as they are such noisy disagreeable birds ;
they are familiar and not easily driven away when once they
have made a lodgment, the only sure method is extermination ;
nothing less seems to have any effect ; if one of a pair be shot
the survivor obtains another mate in a very short time. I have
found the eggs in holes in hay stacks, and very frequently in
holes in the sides of wells. They do not make an elaborate
nest, a few dead leaves and feathers quite sufficing for their
requirements. The eggs, four or five in number, are frequently
found in different stages of incubation, owing to the bird com-
mencing to sit as soon as the first egg is laid. Another curious
fact in connection with this bird is, that three or four adults
are occasionally found sitting on one clutch of eggs.
The eggs are white in color, broad ovals in shape, and average
1*25 inches in length, by about one inch in breadth.
GENUS, Glaucidium, Bole.
he middle of a swollen cere
uiDiuar; wing short, first quill shorter than tne next tour,
emarginate, fourth and fifth quills about equal ; tarsus and
toes well developed ; plumage distinctly banded.
Glaucidium radiatum, Tick.
77. Athene radiata, Tickell. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 143; Butler, Mount Aboo ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p.
450 ; Hume's Scrap Book, p. 409.
THE JUNGLE OWLET.
Length, 8 to 8'5 ; expanse, 17'5 to 21 ; wing, 5; tail, 2'6 to
2'9 ; tarsus, 0'92 ; bill from gape, 07.
Bill yellowish-horny ; irides bright yellow ; feet yellow.
Above brown, uniformly barred with close rays of rufescent
whitish and dusky ; wings more rufous, especially the primaries,
and barred with dusky brown ; some of the greater-coverts
and scapulars with white spots ; beneath, throat white, the rest
of the body barred transversely with dusky and whitish ;
under tail-coverts white.
Within our limits, the Jungle Owlet, has only been recorded
from Mount Aboo, where it breeds during April and May.
Glaucidium malabaricum, Ely.
78. Athene malabarica, Blyth. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
AIT I, p. 144 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 377;
Hume's Scrap Book, p. 413.
v~f J-f-H W**J ^rf| *W V* V/A V4..L VtJUk* ^ * WV
Nostrils in the middle of a swollen cere, prolonged and
tubular; wing short, first quill shorter than the next four,
77
THE MALABAR OWLET:
Length, 7'6 to 8'25 ; expanse, 17'5 to 18 ; wing, 5 to 5'25 ; tail,
2'58 to 2'62 ; tarsus, 0'9 to 1 ; bill from gape, 07*
Irides bright yellow.
Head, neck, and interscapulars uniform lightish rufous, with
narrow close dusky rays ; wing the same, but the color deeper,
and the bands broader ; primaries deep rufous, the first three
barred throughout with dusky, the rest mostly unspotted, or
obscurely banded at the base, distinctly barred at the tip ; second-
aries with broad bands throughout of rufous and dusky ; the
tertiaries and scapulars barred rufescent-whitish and dusky ;
the outermost scapulars with large white spots ; the lower parts
are barred throughout with dusky, and white on the belly and
flanks, and with rufous and dusky on the breast ; the -vent and
lower tail-coverts pure white ; tail dusky, with eight or nine
whitish bars, somewhat broader than those of the last species.
The Malabar Owlet is common all along the Western Ghats, in
the adjacent forests and also at Ratnagiri, but does not occur on
the plains ; it is a permanent resident where found ; its call,
considering the size of the bird, is extraordinarily loud and
disagreeable.
GENUS, Ninox, Hodgson.
Head small ; disc obsolete ;"bill short ; cere large ; nostrils tumid
wings long, firm ; third quill longest, first and second moderately
graduated ; tail long, firm, nearly even ; tarsi rather short,
feathered ; toes long, thinly clad with bristles, and bordered
laterally by stiff bristles ; lateral toes equal.
Ninox lugubris, Tick.
81. (in part) Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 147 ; Butler,
Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 377 ; Hume's Scrap Book,
p. 420.
THE BKOWN HAWK OWL.
Length, 11 to 121 ; expanse, 27 to 29 ; wing, 8'6 to 9'25 ; tail,
51 to 5'4 ; bill from gape, 0'9 to 1.
Bill blackish, pale horny-yellow on culmen ; cere greenish;
irides bright yellow.
Legs and feet vary from yellow to reddish-yellow, and in young
birds greenish-grey.
Lores, forehead, and chin white ; the elongated bristle-like shafts
of some of the feathers blackish ; ear-coverts brown, ashy at the
base ; top of the head, back and sides of the neck ashy-brown- ;
throat and front of the neck slightly more rufous-brown, streaked
with fulvous ; in some specimens the fulvous greatly predominates,
and these parts may then be said to be light fulvous, streaked
with greyish-brown ; back, scapulars, lesser, median, and greater
secondary wing-coverts, tertiaries, and most of the secondaries,
rump, and upper tail-coverts brown, varying much in shade in
78
H1RUNDININ.E.
different individuals, some being a greyer and more dove-brown,
others more rufous, but always more rufous on the coverts, and
generally palest or clearest on the tertiaries ; the exterior
scapulars with larger or smaller pure white bars, sometimes on
both and sometimes upon one web only, in some specimens
conspicuous even when the bird is at rest, in others only visible
by lifting the feathers ; the tertiaries are barred on both webs
with white ; the tail is pale grey, greyish-brown, or pale brown,
white at the extreme tip, with five regular, transverse, brown
bars, darker or lighter in different individuals, the basal one of
which is more or less completely hidden by the upper tail-coverts,
and which average about 0*4 inches in breadth ; the primaries,
their greater-coverts, and the winglet are generally somewhat
darker-brown than the rest of the wing, but the former are paler
on the outer webs ; all the quills are banded paler, somewhat
obsoletely towards the tips and on the outer webs, but very
conspicuously on the inner webs above the tip; the breast,
abdomen, sides, flanks, vent and lower tail-coverts are pure white
the breast with broad, rufous-brown stripes, and the flanks and
abdomen with large, more or less heart-shaped, spots of the same
color towards the tips of the feathers ; the lower tail-coverts
sometimes spotless, and sometimes with traces of a few pale-brown
arrow-head, transverse bars ; tarsal and tibial plumes mottled
white, pale fulvous and brown, one or other of these colors, in
some specimens the white, in others the fulvous or the brown,
greatly predominating ; axillaries white, or pale fulvous, more or
less imperfectly but broadly barred with brown, or pale fulvous-
brown ; edge of the wing just above the base of the primaries
white ; wing-lining mingled white, brown, and pale fulvous.
The Brown Hawk Owl only occurs as an occasional straggler
in some parts of the Deccan. It may perhaps be rather more
common than is generally supposed, but owing to its very shy
nature it must often escape notice.
ORDER, Insessores, rigors.
Bill very varied in form ; feet either with three toes in front
and one behind, on the same plane, or with two before and two
behind ; in some few the hind-toe reversible, so that all four can be
brought to the front, and in a few cases one toe is wanting.
FAMILY, Hirundinidae.
Bill short, broad at the base, depressed, compressed at the tip,
more or less curved, not notched ; gape very wide ; wings long,
pointed; tarsi short ; feet feeble ; hind-toe short.
SUB-FAMILY, Hirundininse.
The bill is short, flat, nearly triangular, compressed at the tips,
with a slight emargination ; the culmen gently bent at the tip,
but not hooked ; the gape is large, without any jictal bristles-;
79
the wings are long and pointed ; the two first quills generally
equal, sometimes the first longest ; the primary quills are nine in
number, the secondaries moderate, covered at the base only by
short coverts ; the tail is various, even in some, or only slightly
emarginate, deeply forked in others ; the tarsi are short ; the
feet small ; the middle-toe lengthened, the lateral toes nearly
equal, and the claws short, slightly curved, acute and slender.
The tarsus is occasionally feathered, and in some the toes also ;
these last, like the Swifts, have a tendency to revert the posterior
toe ; their plumage is soft, dense, and glossy.
GENUS, Hirundo, Lin.
Bill rather large, very broad at the base, triangular, compressed
at the tip ; tail long and forked, or short and square, or sub-fur-
cate ; tarsus naked ; feet moderate.
Hirundo rustica, Lin.
82. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 157 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 451 ; Deccan and South Mahratta
Country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 377 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 102 ; Svvinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 59.
THE COMMON SWALLOW.
Length, 5'25 to 8'9 ; expanse, 13 to 14 ; wing, 4'3 to 5 ; tail,
275 to 4*5 ; the middle tail-feathers are only two inches in
length.
Bill dusky -black ; irides deep brown; legs dusky-black.
Male. Above glossy blue-black ; the chin, throat, and a narrow
band on the forehead deep ferruginous ; a slightly glossed black
pectoral band ; beneath, from the breast, rufescent- white ; tail
with all, except the mesial feathers, having a large white spot
on their inner web.
The female has the outer tail feathers shorter, and the under
.parts whiter. The young may be known by the pale ferruginous
hue of the throat, and by the dull color of the upper plumage,
as also by the shorter outer tail-feathers.
The European Swallow is a common cold weather visitant,
arriving early in August, and leaving towards the end of March,
but stragglers are occasionally seen, both earlier and later ; they
do not appear to breed anywhere within our limits, but in the Bolan
Pass, Quetta, Chaman, and Kandahar I found them breeding
freely.
Hirundo filifera, Steph.
84. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 159; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 451 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 377 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p.
59 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind) p. 102.
80 HIRUNDININ.E.
THE WIRE- TAILED SWALLOW.
Leishra, Hin.
Length, to end of middle tail-feathers, 475 ; outer tail-feathers,
5 inches longer; expanse, 12 ; wing, 4'12 to 47; tail, except the
outer two feathers, 1*5; tarsus, 0'5 ; bill at gape, 0'5; bill at
front, 0'25.
Bill black ; irides very dark brown ; legs and feet black.
Above, very glossy steel-blue ; top of head deep ferruginous ;
lores deep black ; beneath pure white, with white spots on all,
except the four central tail-feathers, the outermost prolonged
in the form of a thin wire ; the female differs in having the
outer tail-feathers much less developed.
The Wire-tailed Swallow occurs throughout the district, but
is nowhere numerically common ; it is a permanent resident,
and breeds from February to August, rearing at least two broods
in the year ; the nest is deep half saucer-shaped, and is com-
posed of pellets of mud, well lined with soft feathers, and is
usually placed in the immediate vicinity of water ; under the
cornices of bridges, arches of culverts, sides of wells, where there
are projections under which they can build, niches in buildings
overhanging water, or under projecting ledges of rock, it is
always placed against the side and a little below the roof or pro-
jection, just enough space being left for the ingress and egress of
the bird.
The eggs, generally three in number, are long, narrow ovals, in
shape a good deal pointed towards one end, are fine and delicate
in texture, and fairly glossy when fresh, but as incubation pro-
ceeds this disappears.
Their color is white, beautifully speckled, spotted, and blotched
with various shades of reddish-brown. When fresh and unblown, the
ground color is a delicate pink, owing to the yolk showing through.
They will not desert the nest, even if the eggs are taken. 1 have
obtained as many as nine eggs from a single nest, but never
more than three at any one time.
They vary a good deal in size, but average 072 in length by
0*52 in breadth.
Hirundo erythropygia, Sykes.
85. Hirundo aaurica, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 160 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 451 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 377 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoologv of Sind, p. 103 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 59.
THE RED-HUMPED SWALLOW.
Length, 6'5 to 7 ; expanse, 12'25 to 13 ; wing, 4'1 to 4'5 ; tail,
3 to 3'35 ; (the tail is forked to the extent of about 1'5 inches) ;
.tarsus, 0-46 ; bill from gape, 0'58 ; bill at front, 03.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
HIRUNDININiK. 81
Above, blue-black ; narrow supercilium ; sides of the head,
behind the ear-coverts, and rump ferruginous ; beneath rufescent-
white, with dusky streaks ; terminal half or third of under tail-
coverts abruptly black. Young more dull in its tints merely.
The Red-rumped Swallow occurs generally throughout onr
limits, but is more common in hilly districts (such as Mount
Aboo) than in open country ; most of them retire to the hills
to breed about April, but a few remain ; and nests are occasionally
found in the plains. The nest, constructed of pellets of mud
lined with feathers, is affixed to the under-surface of a ledge of
rock, the roof of a cave, the arch of a bridge, or some such simi-
lar place ; it is v retort-shaped, having a bulb-like chamber at one
end, with a tubular passage, sometimes seven or eight inches long
at the other ; they continue to lengthen this passage, eveii after
the eggs are laid. I have never myself found nests, of any other
type than this, but Mr. Blewitt remarks that " they are eccentric
to a degree in the selection of a suitable place for a nest, the
form and material of which mainly depends on the locality ; in
a hole, a simple collection of feathers answers, &c.," and is* dis-
posed to believe that these retort-shaped nests are merely intend-
ed for winter residences. I have many times watched the build-
ing of the nest and the rearing of the young in these same
retort-shaped nests.
The eggs, three in number, are pure white in color, long ovals
in shape, and average 078 in length by 0'55 in breadth.
Hirundo fluvicola,
86. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 161 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 378 ; Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol.
Ill, p. 432.
THE INDIAN CLIFF SWALLOW.
Length, 4'5 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 175.
Above, glossy black with some whitish edges to the dorsal
feathers ; crown dark-rufous ; rump brownish ; beneath white, with
black mesial streaks to the feathers of the throat and breast ;
the under-surface of the wings pale brown ; tail slightly furcate,
with a small whitish spot towards the tip of the inner weB of
each feather.
; The Indian Cliff Swallow is not uncommon in some parts of
the Deccan, but is very locally distributed. It occurs at Satara
and Sholapur in some numbers. Near Aboo and Deesa it is
very rare, but at Ahmedabad there are several large colonies. It
does not* occur in Sind. It is generally a permanent resident
where found, breeding against the faces of cliffs,. &c., from
February to April, and again in July and August ; the nests,
composed of mud, lined with feathers, are retort-shaped, and occur
in clusters of from 30 to 200, or even more ; the eggs, generally
three in number, are either wholly white, or white, streaked,
6
82 HIRUNDININJi:.
spotted, blotched, or capped with pale yellowish or reddish-brown.
They average 076 in length by 0*53 in "breadth.
GENUS, Cotyle, Soie.
Bill weak, depressed, very broad at base, smaller than in
Hirundo, barely hooked at tip ; wings somewhat longer, first quill
longest, longer than the tail ; tail, even or slightly notched ; tarsus
slightly longer ; toes weaker, outer toe proportionally longer ;
claws lengthened ; plumage sombre, and barely glossed.
Cotyle riparia, Lin.
87. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 1 63 ; Butler, Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 378 ; Guzerat, Vol. Ill, p. 432 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 103.
THE EUROPEAN SAND MARTIN.
Length, 475 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 2.
Bill black ; legs and feet horny ; tarsus feathered on the back,
down to the hind-toe.
Plumage above, and the breast, pale dusky greyish-brown ;
throat, belly, and under tail-coverts white ; the tail slightly
forked.
The European Sand Martin has been very doubtfully recorded
from almost every part of the district. I have myself never met
with it.
Cotyle sinensis, J. E. Or.
89. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 164 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 432 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 378 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 103 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 60.
THE INDIAN SAND MARTIN.
Length, 4 to 47 ; expanse, 9*8 to 1075 ; wing, 3;3 to 3'8 ; tail,
1-6 to 1-8 ; tarsus, 0'4 ; bill from gape, 0'42 to 0*47.
Bill black ; gape pale fleshy ; irides dark-brown ; feet brownish
or dusky fleshy.
Above earthy grey-brown, darker on the crown ; upper tail-
coverts somewhat albescent ; throat and breast pale-greyish ; crown,
wings and tail dusky-brown ; belly and lower tail-coverts white ;
tarsus not feathered, but with a small tuft.
The young birds have a more or less rufous tinge.
The Indian Sand Martin is common throughout the district,
and breeds in holes in banks of rivers, from November to Febru-
ary, and even later. The nest-holes vary from eighteen to thirty-
six inches in depth, according to the nature of the soil in which
they are excavated ; the nest is composed of fine grass, lined
with feathers ; the eggs, three in number, are pure white ovals,
measuring 0'68 inches in length by about 0'48 in breadth.
HIRUNDININyE. 83
Cotyle (Ptyonoprogne) concolor, Sykes.
90. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 165 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 453 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 378 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p 60.
THE DUSKY CRAG MARTIN.
Length, 4'6 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 2.
Smoky brown, slightly paler, and with a reddish tinge beneath ;
a round white spot on the inner webs of all the tail-feathers,
except the centre and outer pairs ; the tail is nearly square.
The Dusky Crag Martin, with the exception of Sind, occurs
more or less abundantly throughout our limits. It is somewhat
solitary in its habits, rarely more than a single pair nesting in the
same vicinity. They have apparently two broods in the year, and
lay at different seasons in different parts of the country, but from
January to March, and July to September, are perhaps the best
months to search for eggs. Its nest, affixed to projecting eaves
or ledges of rock, is very like that of H. filifera, but is smaller,
more cup-shaped, and pointed at the bottom, but, like it, is well
lined with feathers ; the eggs, three or four in number, are white
with numerous spots and specks of various shades of yellowish or
reddish-brown, but these markings are neither so bright, or so
bold, as those of the Wire-tailed Swallow ; they average 072
in length by 0'52 in breadth.
Cotyle (Ptyonoprogne) rupestris, Scop.
91. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 166 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. III. p. 456 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 378.
THE MOUNTAIN CRAG MARTIN.
Length, 5'25 ; expanse, 14*5 ; wing, 5*5 ; tail, 2*4 ; tail nearly
square.
Bill black ; legs light reddish-brown.
Above, pale ashy-brown, darker on the quills and tail ; throat
and breast rufous-white ; abdomen rufous-ashy ; under tail-coverts
ashy-brown ; a large white spot on the inner webs of all the tail
feathers, except the two outer and two centre ones.
The Mountain Crag Martin is a not uncommon winter visitant
to the more hilly districts, but it does not occur on the plains,
and has not as yet been recorded from Sind, where its place is
taken by the next species,
Cotyle (Ptyonoprogne) obsoleta, Cab.
9l6is. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 104 ; Hume,
Stray Feathers, Vol. I, p. 1.
Length, 5'25 to 5'6 ; expanse, I2'25 to 13 ; wing, 4'4 to 475 ;
tail, 1-8.
Bill black ; legs and feet horny-brown,
84
The whole upper surface a very pale greyish earthy -brown, very
much paler than the same parts in P. rupestris or G. sinensis ;
the quills only slightly darker, yet sufficiently so to contrast pretty
markedly with the scapulars, back, rump, and upper tail-coverts ;
the lateral tail-feathers, all but the external feather on each side,
with a large oval white spot on the inner web, as in rupestris, and
with dark shafts arid a darker tint on the web near the shaft, as
in that latter species ; lower surface as in rupestris, but much paler ;
the whole of the chin, throat, breast, and abdomen being white
with only a faint fulvous or rufous tinge, and the wing-lining
and lower tail coverts, which in rupestris are a decided dark-
brown, are in this species the same pale earthy grey-brown as the
upper surface.
Mr. Hume states that the Pallid Crag Martin occurs along
the streams that issue from the bare stony hills that divide Sind
from Kelat, and also that it is common off the rocky headland of
Manora, at the mouth of the Kurrachee Harbour. It is not
recorded from any other portion of the district.
GENUS, Chelidon.
Bill somewhat shorter than in Hirundo, but thicker ; first quill
longest ; tarsi and toes feathered ; tail very slightly forked.
Chelidon urbica, Lin.
92. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 166 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 378.
THE ENGLISH HOUSE MARTIN.
Length, 5 '5 ; expanse, 12 ; wing, 41 ; tail, 2*4 ; legs fleshy-
white.
Above glossy blue-black ; wing and tail dull black ; rump and
entire under parts pure white ; under parts of shoulders and
axillaries greyish-white.
The English House Martin only occurs as a somewhat rare
seasonal visitant to some parts of the Deccan.
GENUS, Chaetura, Steph.
Toes three in front, nearly equal ; the hallux shorter, op-
posable, but also reversible to the front ; tarsus covered with a
naked skin ; tail short, even, or wedged, the feathers with the
shafts ending in rigid spines.
Chaetura sylvatica, Tick.
95. Acanthylis sylvatica, Tickell. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 170.
THE WHITE-HUMPED SPINE-TAIL.
Length, 4'25 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 1 '5.
Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet livid.
CYPSELIN.E. 85
Above, the whole plumage glossy green-black, except the
rump, which is pure white, and the upper tail-coverts which are
also white, the outermost being tipped black ; the throat, cheeks,
and breast pale grey, gradually passing into black on the sides
of the body ; belly and under tail -coverts pure white.
Tickell was the first naturalist who observed this species, and he
states that, in Central India, " it haunts open cultivated grounds
in the midst of forest ; also the cleared patches on the sides
and summits of hills,"
SUB-FAMILY, Cypselinae.
Bill very small, much hooked ; wings excessively long and
pointed ; tail usually short, often feathers only; hind- toe directed
inward but reversible to the front.
GENUS, Cypsellus, Ittiger*
Wing, with the first quill equal to the second, or the second
longest ; tail emartrinate, or forked ; tarsus feathered, in front at
all events ; toes and claws nearly equal, short, robust ; hallux
directed inwards and forwards, not opposable.
Cypsellus melba, Lin.
98. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 175 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 379 ; Guzerat, Stray Feathers, VoL
III, p. 453 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 104.
THE ALPINE SWIFT.
Length, 9 ; expanse, 19*5 ; wing, 8'5 ; tail (moderately forked) 3..
Bill blackish ; irides deep-brown ; legs and toes livid-purple.
Above wood- brown, glossed with purple on the back ; wings
somewhat darker ; beneath the chin, throat, and abdomen white ;
a wide pectoral band brown ; sides of the rump, tarsal plumes,
and under tail -co verts also brown.
The Alpine Swift only occurs as a somewhat rare cold weather
visitant to most parts of the region, but is rather more common
in the more hilly districts.
Gypsellus apus, Lin.
99. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 177 ; Murray's Vertebrate-
Zoology of Sind, p. 105.
THE EUROPEAN SWIFT.
Length, 7; extent, 15'5; wing, 6'25 ; tail, 2*62.
The whole plumage, except the chin and throat, which are
white, glossy brown-black ; the tail is rather more forked than
in the last; and the wings extend two inches beyond the tail.
The European Swift only occurs as a cold weather visitant
to some parts of Sind. It has not been recorded from any other
portion of the district.
86 CYPSELINJ5.
Cypsellus affinis, J. E. Gr.
100. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 177; Butler, Deccan"'
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 379 ; Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol.
Ill, p. 454 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoo'ogy of Sind, p. 105 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 60.
THE COMMON INDIAN SWIFT.
Ababil, Hin.
Length, 55; extent, 12 ; winor, 5 ; tail, 1*75.
Bill black ; irides deep brown, feet dusky.
Above brown-black, darkest on the back, and glossed with
green ; head brownish, paler on the forehead ; cjnn^^^hroat,
anolrump white ; rest of body beneath brownish-black ; the tail
is~~nearly even, with the feathers not pointed.
The Common Indian Swift is abundant throughout the whole
district, and is a permanent resident ; it has at least two broods
in the 3 7 ear, and eggs may be taken, I believe, the whole year
through. They are very accommodating in the choice of nesting
sites, and I have found them in all the following places :
In holes in the faces of old walls, mosques, and forts ; in these
cases the nests are detached, unless the hole happens to be large
enough to contain more than one.
On the roofs of caves, they occur in large clusters, containing
over fifty or a hundred nests.
Under the eaves of houses, tombs, &c., several nests are found
together, with a few detached ones.
' {X*J^ In the doorways and roofs of stables, or between closely set
beams or rafters.
I never saw so many nests as at Hyderabad, Sind, where
the favorite nesting place seemed to be under the roofs of
the domed canopies that are built over the Mirs' tombs ;
almost every one of them had an immense cluster or congeries
of nests affixed round the central portion of the dome ; these
nests are composed of agglutinated saliva of the birds, mixed
with feathers and occasional straws ; they are of every conceiv-
able shape and size, so as to fit in with each other.
The eggs, two or three in number, are elongated ovals, and
glossless white in color; they vary considerably in size, but
average 0'87 by 0'57 inches.
Cypsellus leuconyx, Btyth.
101. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 179 ; Butler, Deccan
and South Mahratta Countrv; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 379.
THE WHITE-CLAWED SWIFT.
Length, 6'25 ; tail, 2'5 ; wing, 675.
Feet small ; claws white, or more or less so.
Very similar in color to the last ; above glossy blackish-brown,
darkest on the head ; the rump white ; beneath the chin and
CYPSELINJ:, 87
throat dirty white ; the rest of the body glossy brown ; the tips
of the feathers whitish ; the tail is forked, the outer feathers being
about one inch shorter than the central ones.
In the Ibis for 1871-72, Dr. Jerdon considerably modified the
above description. I cannot do better than reproduce the passage :
" Stolickza remarks that in some specimens there was no trace of
white on the claws, This character is indeed exceptional, and
the name is therefore unfortunate.'' Dr. S. also states that a slight
pale supercilium is generally traceable, and that the head and
neck are paler than the back.
Dr. Jerdon obtained a specimen in the western part of the
Deccan, and several in Malabar ; it does not appear to have been
procured by any other naturalist.
Cypsellus batassiensis, J, E. Gr.
102. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 180 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 379 ; Guzerat, Stray Feathers,
Vol. Ill, p. 454.
THE PALM SWIFT.
Tadi ababil, Hin.
Length, 4*92 to 5*25 ; expanse, 9 ! 50 ; wing, 4'5 ; tail, 2'35 ;
tarsus, 0*4 ; bill from gape, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides brown ; feet dusky-reddish.
Wholly glossy ashy-brown ; darker on the wings and tail, and
lighter and somewhat albescent beneath ; tail deeply forked.
The Palm Swift is a common and permanent resident in many
parts of the Deccan, wherever there are plenty of palm trees,
but where there are not, this bird is generally absent. Captain
Butler saw a pair at Mount Aboo, but it must be very rare there,
as no other observer has noticed it.
They nest twice in the year, in March and again in July ;
the nest, a tiny, watch-pocket-shaped cup, is made of saliva,
incorporated with fine feathers, the down of plants, and such like
kindred substances, and is fixed to the under surface of a bent
palm leaf ; the eggs, generally three in number, are miniatures
of those of 0. affinis, and average barely 071 in length by 0'46
in breadth.
GENUS, Collocalia, Gray.
Hind toe pointing backwards; second quill longest; tail moderate,
even, or slightly forked ; bill very small, much hooked ; feet very
small.
Collocalia unicolor, Jerd.
103. Collocalia nidifica, Latham. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 183; Butler, Deccan; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 380.
THE INDIAN EDIBLE-NEST SWIFTLET.
Length, 475 to 5 ; expanse, 11-5 ; wing, 4'5 to 475 ; tail, 2*25,
slightly forked and the feathers very broad.
88 CAPBIMULGIN^.
. >
Of a glossy cinereous-brown or mouse-brown color, darkest on.
the head, wings, and tail, and tinged with steel-blue or green,
paler beneath.
The Edible -nest Swiftlet is a hot weather visitant to the
Vingorla Rocks, where it breeds ; it has not been recorded from
any other part of our district.
GENUS, Dendrochelidon, Bole.
Hallux posterior, not reversible ; tarsus short, naked, or feather-
ed ; wings very long, the first two feathers sub-equal ; tail long,
forked ; head crested.
Dendrochelidon coronata, Tick.
/ 104. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 185; Butler, Deccan ;
vUfS Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 380 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
. India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 60.
^Ai/^K7 ^ HE I NDIAN CRESTED SWIFT.
7 Length, 9 to 10 ; expanse, 14 to 157; wing, 6 '05 to 6'35 ;
/ tail, 3-16 to 5-25 ; tarsus, 0'28 ; bill from gape, 07 to 0'8.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs blue-black ; soles of feet
reddish-white.
Above bluish-grey, somewhat darker on the head, clearer on
the back and rump, and glossed throughout with greenish ;
wings anteriorly with a slight purple gloss ; beneath pale
ashy, whitening on the middle of the belly and lower tail-
coverts ; ear-coverts ferruginous in the male, (connected
with the chin by a line of the same color), black in the female,
with a whitish line bordering the throat.
The Indian Crested Swift is common at and near Mhow in
Central India, and has also been obtained along the Sahyadri
range ; it has not been recorded from any other portion of the
region.
FAMILY, Caprimulgidae, Vigors.
Bill small or moderate, (large in a few), weak, curved ; gape, very
wide, extending below the eyes, generally with numerous and
strong bristles ; wings, and their coverts, long ; tail moderate, or
long, of ten feathers ; tarsus short, scutellate, often feathered in
front ; feet feeble ; hallux in some reversible ; head broad, flat ;
plumage soft, light, mottled ; eyes large ; of nocturnal habits.
SUB-FAMILY, Caprimulginae.
Bill small, weak, flexible ; nostrils tubular ; wings long, usually
the second quill longest ; tail usually long ; lateral toes short,
equal or nearly so ; middle toe long with the claw pectinated
on the inner margin ; hallux short, sometimes reversible.
GENUS, Oaprimulgus, Lin.
Bill * very short, flexible, broad at base, compressed and bent
CAPEIMULGIN^:. 89
at the tip ; rictal bristles very strong, numerous, directed for-
wards ; other characters as in the sub-family.
Caprimulgus indicus, Lath.
107. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 192; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 454 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 380.
THE JUNGLE NIGHT-JAR.
Length, 12 ; wing, 7'5 to 7'9 ; tail, 5'5 to 6.
v Prevalent hue light ashy, with dusky pencillings and black
streaks to the feathers of the middle of the head, back, scapu-
lars, rump, and upper tail-coverts, and fulvous blotches on the
wing-coverts ; the quills with dark rufous spots or interrupted
bars ; the tail cinerascent, more or less dark, and the outer
feathers more or less tinged with rufous, with narrow black
bars, and numerous dusky mottlings ; the lower parts rufescent-
ashy with dark bars and mottlings.
Some specimens are darker in their ground color than others,
and the rufescent markings are deeper.
The male has the cheek-stripe, throat band, the spots or -
interrupted bands on the first three primaries, and the tips of all
the outer feathers, white, the latter ended by a narrow dusky
tip ; the female has these marks more or less rufescent, or-
fulvescent, and wants the white terminations to the tail-feathers ;
the primaries are strongly mottled towards their tips ; the first
primary almost equals the fourth ; the tail is slightly rounded,
and the wings reach to about one inch from its end.
The Jungle Night-jar is not very common ; it affects forest and
hilly districts in the Deccan, and is fairly common at Mount
Aboo ; it is believed to be a permanent resident.
It does not occur in Sind.
Caprimulgus kelaarti, Sly.
108. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 193; Butler, Deccan;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 380.
THE NEILGHERRY NIGHT- JAR.
Length, 11*5; wing, 7'25 ; tail, 5'75 ; tarsus, 0*6.
Plumage generally light cinereous, much mottled with black
and dusky, and in parts tinged with light fawn and cream-color ;
ears black, edged with light rufous ; line below the ears extend-
ing along the gape and throat spot white ; small white marks
on the inner webs only of the first four quills ; all the tail-
feathers, except the four centre ones, tipped with white, with a
dusky margin ; the primaries are slightly mottled at their tip ;
the wings do not reach to the end of the tail.
The Neilgherry Night-jar is very rare, and has only been
recorded from the Konkan and the forest tract to the west of
90 CAPRIMULGIN.E.
Belgaum. It is only doubtfully distinct from C. indicus, and
might I think with advantage be suppressed.
Caprimulgus albonotatus, Tick.
109. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 194.
THE LARGE BENGAL NIGHT-JAR.
Length, 13 ; expanse, 25 ; wing, 9 ; tail, 7.
Crown and tertiaries cinerascent, minutely mottled and marked
with a stripe of black dashes along the middle of the crown ;
upper range of scapularies black, more developed in the male, and
bordered more broadly externally with rufescent white ; a broad
white patch in front of the neck, as in several allied species ; a
double spot, or interrupted band of white on both webs of the
first four primaries contracted and rufescent in the female ;
two outer tail feathers broadly tipped with white in the male,
tinged with fulvous, or rufescent, in the female ; rictorial bristles
white at the base, black tipped ; altogether the females are
usually paler, more brown, and less ashy than the males.
According to Tickell (quoted by Jerdon) the large Bengal
Night-jar is common in the jungles of Central India.
Caprimulgus atripennis, Jerd.
111. Jerdon's Birds of of India, Vol. I, p. 196 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 380.
THE GHAT NIGHT-JAR.
Length, 10'5 to 11; wing, 6'5 to 7'5 ; tail, 5'5 to 6.
Males have the crown and nape dark brownish-ashy, minutely
mottled with black dashes along the crown ; margins of the
scapulars and wings white ; breast and forepart of the abdomen
dark, contrasting strongly with the light buffy tint of the hind
part of the belly ; vent and lower tail-coverts, which last tend to
whitish in some ; nape, breast, and back suffused with a russet
tinge, not seen in the other species of the group ; quills pure
black, not mottled at the tip ; ear-coverts ferruginous.
In females the quills are mottled at the tips ; the Ghat Night-
jar has been obtained in the forest tract to the west of Belgaum,
but has not been recorded from any other portion of our limits.
Caprimulgus unwini, Hume.
111&2S. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 105.
UNWIN'S NIGHT-JAR.
Length, 975 to 10'37 ; expanse, 20 to 21'5 ; wing, 675 to
7-25 ; tail, 4*5 to 5 "25 ; bill at front, 0'25 to 0'43 ; bill at gape,
1-18 to 1-31.
Very similar to C. europceus, a description of which I give
below :
Caprimulgus europaus. Plumage above and that of the throat
ashy-grey, thickly streaked and spotted with brown, mostly of
91
a yellowish tinge ; head and neck with longitudinal blackish
streaks; a white stripe beneath the base of the lower mandilble
extends along each side of the lower part of the head, and there
is a central patch upon the throat ; primaries, secondaries, and
tertiaries dark-brown ; the outer webs blotched with reddish-
brown and the three exterior feathers \uth a large white patch near
the tips of the inner webs ; tail irregularly marked amd indistinctly
barred with blackish-grey and yellowish-brown ; the two external
feathers on each side white at their termination ; plumage of
under parts yellowish-brown ; tarsi paler ; female like the male,
the white spots on the quills and tail feathers absent.
The following is a description of G. unuini :
This species has the upper three-fourths of the tarsus feathered
in front.
In both sexes the two outer feathers on each side are tipped
with white, but the tippings are about 1 55 and TO broad in the
male on the outer and penultimate feathers respectively, and only
about 075 and 0*44 in the female, and in the latter sex the white
is less pure ; both sexes have a white spot on the inner webs of the
first three, and a corresponding one on the outer webs of the
second and third primaries ; but here again, while the spots on
the inner webs of the male are about one inch broad, those of the
female are about half the size.
Within our limits, this Night-jar has only been obtained in
Sind, where it is very common.
Caprimulgus asiaticus, Lath.
112. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 197 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 455 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 380; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind,
p. 106 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 60.
THE COMMON INDIAN NIGHT-JAR.
Length, 9 ; expanse, 18 ; wing, 5'5 to 6 ; tail, 4'5.
Pale rufescent-ashy, the feathers finely mottled with dusky;
the top of the head (as usual), marked narrowly with black ; a
distinct rufescent collar with black marks ; the black markings
on the scapulars not extended, but they are much edged
with buff, as are all the wing-coverts ; back not streaked with
black ; quills with a white spot on each of the first four feathers
and mottled at the tip ; the outermost feathers are tipped with
white, and there is a white spot on the neck ; the lower parts are
lightly mottled and barred.
The Indian Night-jar is common throughout the district
and is a permanent resident, breeding during April and May.
The eggs (there is no nest) are two in number, and are laid on
the bare ground ; they vary from a warm pinkish stone-color to
a deep salmon-pink, and are clouded, blotched, and streaked with
92 TROGONID.E.
different shades of pale reddish and purplish brown ; they
average 1'04 by 077 inches.
Caprimulgus mahrattensis, SyJces.
H3._Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 198; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 455 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 381 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 107.
SYKES' NIGHT-JAR.
Length, 875 to 9'5 ; wing, 675 to 7 ; tail, 4'5 to 5'5.
Pale ashy-grey, variegated and waved with brown and ferrugi-
nous ; the breast, the three outer quills in the centre, and the
two lateral tail feathers on each side marked with white.
This Night-jar occurs pretty well throughout the district, and
is a permanent resident at all events in Sind, where it breeds in
February and March, laying two eggs, upon the bare ground.
Caprimulgus monticolus, FranU.
114. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 198; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 455 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 381.
FRANKLIN'S NIGHT-JAR.
Length, 10 ; expanse, 24 ; wing, 8 ; tail, 4'25.
Pale ashy-brown, variegated with rufous and dusky ; the abdo-
men banded with rufous and black ; primaries brownish-black,
the four outer ones with a broad white band, the six middle tail-
feathers with slender black undulations, the two outer ones
on each side entirely white, tipped with brown.
The female has a rufous band on the first four primaries,
and the tail is all of one color without any white ; she is also
generally paler than the male.
The general hue of this species is more uniform than in any
of the others ; tarsus naked.
Franklin's Night-jar is not uncommon in well- wooded portions
of the Deccan and South Mahratta country, and it is also
common at Mount Aboo, Mhow and Neemuch, but has not been
recorded from Sind.
FAMILY, Trogonidae.
Bill short, stout, somewhat triangular, strong, curved from
the base ; tip, and sometimes the margin, toothed ; gape wide ;
nostrils and base of bill concealed by long tufts of bristles ;
wings moderate or sjjr.t ; tarsus short, partially feathered ;
toes short, feeble, two before and two behind, the inner toe being
turned backwards ; tail long and broad, of twelve feathers ;
plumage soft ; skin very thin.
GENUS, Harpactes, Swains.
Bill strong, broad and deep, conic much curved ; margins of
the mandibles smooth ; nostrils partially covered by tufts of
MEROPID.E. 03
hair-like feathers ; tarsus half feathered ; anterior toes of equal
length, barely joined at the base ; a naked skin round, the eyes.
Harpactes fasciatus, Forst.
115. Jerdon's Birds" of India, Vol. I, p. 201 ; Butler, Deccan
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 381.
THE MALABAR TROGON.
Length, 12 ; expanse, 16 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 6 ; bill at front, 0'5 ;
bill at gape, 1.
Bill deep blue ; orbital skin smalt-blue ; irides dark-brown ;
feet light lavender-blue.
Male, entire head and neck black ; the rest of the upper
plumage castaneous olive-brown; the lesser wing-coverts, ter-
tiaries, and some of the secondaries finely streaked with black
and white ; breast, belly and lower parts fine crimson red ; the
tail with the centre feathers the same color as the back but
more chesnut ; the lateral feathers black and white.
The female wants the black head and neck, which are con-
colorous with the body ; the tertiaries and coverts are finely
banded black and brown, and the lower plumage is ochreous-
yellow instead of red.
The Malabar Trogon occurs sp aringly in the forest tracts of
the Deccan and South Mahratta country, but does not occur in
any other portion of the district.
FAMILY, Meropidae.
Bill lengthened, rather slender, slightly curved throughout,
sharp pointed ; wings long and pointed ; tail generally even,
moderate or long, with the central-feathers frequently elongated.
GENUS, Merops, Lin.
Bill very long, slender, slightly curved, depressed at base,
somewhat compressed for the rest of its length; culmen keeled ;
tip entire, sharp, not bent down ; nostrils partially covered
by a tuft of bristles ; some small rictal bristles at the base of
the bill ; wings long and pointed ; first quill longest ; tips of the
lesser quills emarginate ; tail somewhat lengthened, nearly even,
the two centre feathers occasionally lengthened ; tarsus very
short ; feet short with the two lateral toes much syndactyle ;
outer-toe much longer than the inner one ; claws acute, strong,
well-curved.
Merops viridis, Lin.
117. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 205 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 455 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 381 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoo'.ogy of Sind, p. 107 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 60.
94 MEROPID.E.
THE COMMON INDIAN BEE-EATER.
Hurrt'al, Hin.
Length, including centre tail-feathers, 8'5 ; expanse, 10; wing,
3*5; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 0'36 ; bill at gape, 1'3 ; bill at front, 1 ; the
centre tail feathers exceed the others by 1'25 to 2 '5 inches.
Bill black ; irides blood-red; feet plumbeous,
Plumage, above bright grass-green ; the head, nape, and hind
neck burnished with golden ; a black eye-streak from the
base of the bill through the eye to the top of the ear-coverts ;
quills with a reddish tinge, especially on the inner w r eb, and all
tipped dusky ; tail duller green, the webs dusky at their inner
edge ; the two central tail-feathers elongated ; chin and throat
verdigris-green, and a black collar on the top of the breast ; the
rest of the lower parts bright green, mixed with verdigris, paler and
more coerulescent on the lower abdomen, and under tail-coverts.
The Common Indian Bee-eater occurs abundantly throughout the
district ; it is a permanent resident, breeding during April and May.
They usually excavate holes in sand banks or earthy cliffs,
but occasionally make them in leve 1 ground ; these holes vary
in depth from 1^ to 5 feet, according to the nature of the soil ;
the eggs, four or five in number (more rarely six), are spherical
in shape, white in color and are highly glossy when fresh, but as
incubation proceeds the gloss disappears and they become dead
white ; they measure 078 in length by about 07 in breadth.
Merops philippinus, Lin.
118. Merops philippensis, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 207 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 456 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 381 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 108.
THE BLUE-TAILED BEE-EATER.
Length, 12 to 12'5 ; wing 5'25 ; tail, 575 ; tarsus, 0'5 ; bill
at front, 1*6.
Bill black ; irides crimson ; feet plumbeous.
Head, neck, back, wing-coverts, and tertiaries dull grass-green,
with more or less rufous gloss; rump and upper tail-coverts
bright azure-blue ; a black eye-streak from the base of both
mandibles to the end of the ear-coverts, with a pale blue line
beneath ; quills dull green-rufous towards the edge of the inner
webs, and black tipped ; tail dull blue ; chin yellow- white ; throat
dark ferruginous, extending to the sides of the face and neck as
far as the end of the ear- coverts ; breast and upper abdomen
green, glossed with rufous ; lower abdomen and vent paler, and
with a blue tinge and the under tail-coverts pale blue ; the
tail is nearly even, with the centre pair of feathers elongate and
the pair next them slightly shorter.
The Blue-tailed Bee-eater occurs sparingly throughout the
greater portion of our district.
MEROPID.E. 05
Merops swinhoii, Hume.
. Merops quinticolor, Vieillot. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 208 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382;
THE CHESNUT-HEADED BEE -EATER.
Length, 8'5 ; wing, 4'3 ; tail, 3'25 ; bill at front, 1'3.
Bill black ; irides fine crimson-red ; legs and feet plumbeous.
Whole top of the head, nape, hind-neck, and upper part of
back rich chesnut ; wing-coverts, interscapulars, and tertiaries
bight green, the latter tinged with blue ; rump and upper
tail-coverts pale azure-blue ; quills dull green, tending to rufous
on the inner web, and black tipped ; tail, with the centre
feathers, blue on the outer web, all the rest dull green,
tipped dusky ; tail even, or slightly emarginate, with the centre
feathers not elongated ; beneath, the chin, throat, and sides of
the neck up to the ear-coverts, pale yellow, below which is a band
or collar of ferruginous, edged with black ; the breast bright
green ; abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts the same, tinged
with blue; wings within rufous-brown.
The Chesnut-headed Bee -eater occurs sparingly on the Western
Ghats and in the jungles adjoining.
Merops persicus, Pall.
120. Merops cegyptius, Vieill. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 209; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 456;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 1 08 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 61.
THE EGYPTIAN BEE-EATEK.
Length, 12 to 12'5; expanse, 18*5; wing, 6'21 ; tail to the
end of the central tail-feathers, 5*5 ; tarsus, 44 ; bill at gape,
2-34 ; bill at front, 1-6.
Bill black ; irides crimson ; feet dark-plumbeous.
Above, including wings and tail, green mixed with verdigris-
blue on the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts ; forehead with a
narrow line of yellowish- white, succeeded by a pale blue band,
which continues over the eyes ; a dark line through the eyes to
the ear-coverts, which are mixed greenish blue and dusky ; below
this from the gape is another narrow white line, edged with
pale blue ; chin yellow ; throat deep chesnut ; rest of the lower
parts blue-green ; tail even, with the two centre tail-feathers
elongated.
The Egyptian Bee-eater is a common seasonal visitant to all
parts of Sind, but occurs less commonly in Guzerat, Rajpootana
and Central India, and is extremely rare in the Deccan.
Merops apiaster, Lin.
121. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 210; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 108.
96 CORACIAD.E.
THE EUROPEAN BEE-EATER.
Length, 10 to 11 ; expanse, 17 to 18 ; wing, 5 '5 to 6 ; tail, 375
to 475 ; tarsus, 0'5 ; bill at front, T2.
Bill black ; irides red ; legs reddish-brown ; forehead pale
whitish-blue ; body above maroon-red, passing into rufous-yellow
on the rump ; a black eye-streak from the base of the bill, through
the eye, nearly meeting another black band which crosses the
lower part of the throat ; chin and throat rich yellow ; wings
blue-green, or greenish blue, with most of the coverts and the
secondaries chesnut, the latter black tipped, as are the primaries,
though faintly ; tertiaries blue-green ; tail dull green, the tips
of the centre feathers bluish ; lower parts verdigris-blue.
Mr. Murray, in his Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, states that the
European Bee-eater " occurs as a bird of passage in Sind, Kutch,
Kattiawar, Rajpootana, and the Deccan." I have myself never met
with the bird in India, but further north in Afghanistan, I found it
very common.
GENUS, Nycticornis, Swainson.
Bill moderately long, well curved, strong, compressed ; ridge
flattened towards the base, with a parallel groove on each side ;
nostrils concealed by setaceous feathers ; wings moderate, full,
rounded ; fourth quill longest ; tail longish, nearly even ; feet short,
much as in Merops ; plumage lax, soft and dense, with a plume
of long stiff pectoral feathers differently colored.
Nycticornis athertoni, Jard. & Selby.
122. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 211 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382.
THE BLUE-NECKED BEE-EATER.
Length, 14 ; expanse, 18 ; wings 5 '5 ; tail 6 ; bill at front, 17 ;
tarsus, 0*6.
Bill bluish-plumbeous, with black tip ; irides deep yellow ; legs
and feet dusky-greenish.
General color bright vernal-green, shaded on the belly and
vent with buff ; forehead blue ; gular hackles rich ultramarine-
blue, formed of a double series of long drooping plumes, ranged
opposite each other or either side of the median line ; lining of
wings, the wings internally, under tail-coverts, and lower surface
of the tail buff.
The Blue-necked Bee-eater was obtained by Mr. Laird in the
forests to the west of Belgaum. This seems to be the only re-
corded instance of its occurrence within the district.
FAMILY, Coraciadse.
Bill moderate or rather long, strong, broad at the base, com-
pressed towards the tip, which is hooked, and sometimes slightly
notched ; the gape is large, with or without rictal bristles ; tarsus
short, stout ; feet moderate ; toes free, or slightly syndactyle ;
CORACIANIN^J. 97
wings moderate or long, broad ; tail variable, sometimes short
and even, at other times with very elongated outer tail-feathers.
GENUS, Coracias, Lin.
Bill large, moderately thick, lengthened; straight, strong, some-
what broad at the base, compressed towards the tip ; culmen sloping,
hooked abruptly ; the nostrils basal, oblique, linear, apert ; gape very
wide, with strong rictal bristles ; wings tolerably lengthened, the
second quill longest, or the second and third sub-equal ; tail even
or slightly rounded, short ; tarsus stout, shorter than the middle-
toe ; outer-toe nearly free to the base, much longer than the
inner-toe ; hind-toe shorter than the inner-toe ; tarsus and toes
strongly scutate.
Coracias jndica, Lin.
123, Jerdon's Birds of India, ToTT, p. 214 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 456 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 382 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 109 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 61.
THE INDIAN ROLLER.
Nilkant, Hin.
Length, 12 to 13'5 ; expanse, 23'3 to 25 ; wing, 7'25 ; tail, 51 ;
tarsus, 0'98 ; bill at gape, 17 ; bill at front, 1*1.
Bill dusky-brown ; irides dark red-brown ; eyelids yellow ; legs
dusky orange-yellow.
Head above and nape dingy greenish-blue, the forehead
tinged with rufous ; hind-neck, scapulars, inter-scapulars and
tertiaries dull ashy-brown with a green gloss, and tinged with
vinous on the hind-neck ; back blue ; rump and upper tail-
coverts deep violet-blue ; lesser-coverts and shoulders deep co-
balt-blue ; the other coverts dingy greenish -blue ; the winglet,
greater coverts and quills pale sky-blue, with a broad band of
violet-blue on the middle of the wings, occupying the terminal
half of the secondaries and last two or three primaries ; the first
seven primaries tipped dark blue ; tail, with the two centre
feathers, dull green, the others dark violet-blue, with a broad
pale-blue band, occupying the greater part of the terminal half
of the tail, and widening exteriorly ; beneath, chin, throat, and
breast, light vinous-purple ; the feathers with pale fulvous shafts
passing into tawny-isabella, with light streaks on the abdomen ;
lower abdomen, flanks, vent, and under tail-coverts pale blue ;
wings beneath entirely pale blue, with a broad violet band.
The Roller, or as Europeans prefer to call it, the Blue Jay,
is generally distributed throughout the district ; it is a perma-
nent resident, but retires to the better-wooded portions of the
country to breed. At and near Hyderabad, Sind, I found many
nests and have several times taken them in Central India.
They breed during April, May and June, in holes in trees, old
7
98 HALCYONIN.E.
walls and roofs ; the size of the nest depends mainly on the
size of the hole, and is composed of grass, feathers, and bits of
rags, &c. ; the eggs, generally four in number, are broad oval in
shape, glossy china- white in color, and measure 1'3 in length by
1-06 in breadth.
Coracias garrula, Lin.
125. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 218 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 109.
THE EUROPEAN ROLLER.
Length, 13 ; wing, 775 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 0'98 ; bill at front,
1-37.
Bill blackish ; irides red-brown ; feet yellow-brown.
The whole head, neck, and lower parts pale blue, duller on
the head, brighter on the chin and throat, and streaked paler ;
back, scapulars and tertiaries chesnut-bay ; shoulders and lesser-
coverts violet-blue ; the greater-coverts pale blue ; quills deep
violet blue ; the lower part of the back violet-blue ; upper tail-
coverts light blue ; tail with the two centre tail-feathers dull
ashy-blue, the others pale azure, dull dark blue at their base,
which color increases in extent towards the centre ; the two outer
feathers are tipped with dark blue.
The European Roller occurs as an occasional seasonal visitant
to Sind ; but has not been recorded from any other portion of the
district.
FAMILY, Halcyonidse, Vigors.
Bill very long, stout, angular, straight pointed, broadish at
base, acute at tip ; gape wide ; rictus smooth ; wings moderate,
rounded ; tail usually short ; tarsus and toes very small, feeble, the
latter much syndactyle, especially the outer one to the middle ;
one toe sometimes wanting.
SUB-FAMILY, Halcyoninae.
Mostly of large size ; bill strong, thick, broad at the base,
straight ; culmen slightly inclining at the tip ; gape smooth ;
wings short, broad.
GENUS, Pelargopsis.
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family, but
the culmen is flattened.
Pelargopsis gurial, Pears.
127. Halcyon leucocephalus, Gmel. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 222 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 61.
THE BROWN-HEADED KINGFISHER.
Length, 16; expanse, 22 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill
at gape, 4 ; bill at front, 3 '4,
HALCYONINJE, 99
Bill dark blood-red, dusky at tip, lighter on gonys ; irides
brown ; legs and feet coral-red.
Head : lores, cheeks, and hind-neck in part light olive or fulvous-
brown ; the sides and lower part of the back of the neck buff;
lower part of hind-neck and scapulars dingy brownish-green ;
the wing-coverts, quills, the sides of the lower part of the back,
upper tail-coverts, and tail dull bluish-green ; the primary quills
tipped dusky -black and the inner webs of all dusky ; the back,
from the shoulders to the rump, light silky azure-blue ; chin
and throat pale yellowish-white, passing into the buff of the
' sides of the neck ; rest of the lower plumage orange-buff, deepest
on the flanks.
The young has the buff of the lower parts edged with brown,
and the colors generally duller.
The Brown-headed Kingfisher occurs as a somewhat rare
straggler in the Deccan. I met with it at Neemuch, and Colonel
S win hoe found it near Mhow, Central India. It has not been
recorded from Guzerat, neither does it occur in Sind.
GENUS, Halcyon, Swains.
Bill long, straight, deep, and broad, somewhat quadrangular ;
culmen, in some, inclining towards the tip, near which the
margin is slightly sinuated ; lower mandible angulated ; gonys
ascending towards the tip ; wing rather short, third quill longest,
fourth and fifth nearly equal ; tail short, rounded, or even ; feet with
the outer toe nearly as long as the middle one, syndactyle for
more than half its length ; scales of the tarsus obsolete.
Halcyon smyrnensis, Lin.
129. Halcyon fuscus, Bodd. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 224 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 456 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 110 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India;
Ibis, 1885, p. 61.
THE WHETE-BREASTED KINGFISHER.
Length, 10'5 to 1T5 ; expanse, 14*25 to 16'5 ; wing, 4 '5
to 5 ; tail, 3'2 to 37 ; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill at front, 2'25 ; bill at gape,
27 to 3.
Bill rich coral-red, dusky at tip ; irides brown ; feet vermilion-red.
Head : face^sides of neck and body, abdomen, and under tail-
coverts, deep rich brown-chcsnut ; scapulars and tertiaries dul-
greenish-blue ; back, rump^ancllipper tail-coverts bright ccerulean
blue ; wings, with the lesser-coverts, chesnut, median-coverts
black, and the greater-coverts and winglet dull blue ; quills blue,
with a broad black tip diminishing to the last primary ; and the
inner webs of all dusky black, with a broad oblique white bar
on the inner webs of the primaries, extending over nearly the
whole feather in the last primary, small in extent on the first ;
100 HALCYONIN^I.
chin, throat, middle of the back, breast and abdomen pure white ;
tail blue, the centre feathers slightly tinged with greenish.
The White-breasted Kingfisher is generally distributed through-
out the district ; it is a permanent resident and breeds from
March to the commencement of July and even later ; it pierces
a hole in the bank of a river, or side of a well or tank ; there is
no nest, and the eggs, five or six in number, are nearly spherical
in shape, pure white in color, highly glossy when freshly laid, but
becoming discolored and dull as incubation proceeds.
They measure 112 inches in length by T03 in breadth.
Halcyon pileata, Bodd.
130. Halcyon atricapillus, Gmel. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 226 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 382.
THE BLACK-CAPPED PURPLE KINGFISHER.
Length, 11*5 to 12*5 ; expanse, 18 to 19 ; wing, 5 to 5'3 ; tail,
3 25 to 375 ; bill from gape, 3.
Bill coral-red ; hides red-brown ; legs dusky brownish-red.
Head, lores, face, ear-coverts and nape black ; whole upper
parts rich violet purple, brighter on the back and rump ; wings
with the coverts, except those of the primaries, black ; quills
tipped black, with a white wing-bar on the inner webs, and the
inner webs of the rest black ; chin, neck, and throat all round
white, with a tinge of fulvous ; the middle of the breast and
abdomen also white ; rest of the lower parts, including the under
wing-coverts, rich rusty.
This beautiful Kingfisher was obtained by Mr. Vidal at
Ratnagiri, and is the only recorded instance of its occurrence
within the region.
Halcyon chloris, Bodd.
132. Todiramphus collaris, Scop. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 228 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 383.
THE WHITE-COLLARED KINGFISHER.
Length, 10'25 ; expanse, 14 to 15 ; wing, 4'25 to 4'5 ; tail, 2'8
to 3 ; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill from gape, 1*6 to 2*3.
Bill black, livid-reddish at base beneath ; irides reddish-brown ;
legs shining greenish-grey.
Head, ears and nape dull bluish-green, darker on the ear-
coverts and nape, forming a sort of collar, or coronet, slightly
separated from the cap by some white feathers mixed with the
others ; upper back and scapulars blue-green ; the lower back and
rump bright pale blue ; wings and tail blue, more dull on the
coverts, and slightly tinged greenish beneath, and a broad collar
all round the neck, white.
The White-collared Kingfisher has been obtained by Mr. Vidal
on two or three occasions at Ratnagiri ; it has not been observed
in any other portion of the district.
ALCEDINIM. 101
GENUS, Ceyx, Lacepede. , , , ,
Bill, as in Halcyon, large, wide, barely grooved'; -goriy'tf i-ncline'd
upwards; culmen flattish ; tail very short , feet with cr.ly three
toes, two in front, one behind, the inner-toe being> absent* ".' '. " "
Ceyx tridactylus, Pallas.
183. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 229 ; Butler, Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 383.
v THE THREE-TOED PURPLE KINGFISHER.
Length, 5 to 5'5 ; expanse, 8 ; wing, 2'25 ; tail, 075 ; bill at
front, 1'25.
Bill fine coral-red ; irides brown ; legs and feet red,
Head rufous, with a lilac gloss, a violet spot behind the ear,
and a white patch below that ; a small dark blue patch at the
base of the bill ; interscapulars and wings deep blue, the quills
black ; back dark blue, with some lustrous blue streaks ; lower
back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, rich rufous, with a lilac shine
on the middle; cheeks and lower parts ferruginous, paler on
lower belly ; chin and throat white.
The Three-toed Purple Kingfisher was observed by Major
Butler at Khandalla, and has been recorded from other parts of
the Deccan, but it is very rare, and only occurs along the banks of
the mountain streams that issue from the more densely- wooded
parts of the Sahyadri range.
SUB-FAMILY, Alcedininse.
Bill longer, more slender and compressed, acute, grooved near
the culmen for the greater part of its length ; gonys nearly
straight.
GENUS, Alcedo, Lin.
Bill long, slender, straight, compressed, tip acute ; culmen
sharp, carinated, not inclined ; commissure straight, second and
third quills sub-equal, third slightly the longest, first very little
shorter ; tail very short, even ; feet weak ; inner-toe very short,
equal to the hind-toe, both lateral toes syndactyle.
Alcedo bengalensis, Gm.
134. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 230 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 456 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 383 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. Ill ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 61.
THE COMMON INDIAN KINGFISHER.
Length, 6 to 6'5 ; expanse, 9'5 to 10 ; wing, 275 to 2*9 ; tail,
11 to 1*3 ; tarsus, 0*4 ; bill from gape, 1*9 ; bill at front, 1'4.
Bill blackish on culmen, orange beneath towards base ; irides
dark brown ; legs and feet orange-red.
102 ALCEDININ.E.
Head and hind -rieck dusky, the feathers edged with pale
blue a ifou- !){^ from the base of the nostrils to the end of
the ^ear-coverts^; 'below this a dark band, extending down the
Aides'. . 01 tK^'nec^ . followed by a white patch; scapulars dull
green;' 'back, rump, "and upper tail-coverts pale blue ; wings and
tail dull green-blue ; the wing-coverts speckled with pale blue ;
quills dusky on their inner edges ; chin and throat white, the
rest of the lower plumage bright ferruginous.
In young birds a bluish-green tinge is the prevalent tint ;
in adults a pure blue.
The Indian Kingfisher is commonly distributed throughout
the district, but it occurs more rarely in Sind, where it is
replaced by the next species ; with this exception it is a
permanent resident, breeding from March quite to the end of
May and occasionally later ; the nest-hole is pierced in the
bank of a stream, invariably according to my experience over
running water ; the eggs, five or six in number, are broadish
ovals, white and beautifully glossy. They measure 0'8 in length
by 0'68 in breadth.
Alcedo ispida, Lin.
134fo's. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 111.
THE EUROPEAN KINGFISHER.
Length, 6'8 to 7'5 ; expanse, 10 to 11 ; wing, 2*95 to 3' ; bill,
at front, 1'4 to I '6.
Bill above blackish-brown, at base and beneath reddish-
orange ; irides hazel ; legs orange-red.
A broad bright orange stripe from the bill to the ear-coverts
margined on the sides of the gape and crossed below the eye
by a narrow black streak ; sides of the neck with a white patch
commencing from behind the ear-coverts ; chin and throat white ;
head, nape, neck behind, a broad streak from the base of the
lower mandible and lesser wing-coverts, greenish-blue ; the
feathers edged with bright light blue, and forming narrow bars
or spots of that color ; scapulars and exterior webs of the
primaries greenish-blue, the inner webs of the latter dusky
brown ; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts rich azure-blue ; tail
deep blue ; breast and entire under surface of the body bright
orange.
The European Kingfisher occurs commonly in Sind, where
it takes the place of A. bengalensis ; the latter, however, is not
altogether absent, but only occurs as an occasional seasonal
visitant.
Its nesting arrangements are similar to those of its relative,
A. bengalensis.
Alcedo beavani, Wald.
Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 383.
ALCEDININJ?. 103
BEAVAN'S KINGFISHER.
Length, 6'25 to 6'5 ; expanse, 9'25 to 975 ; wing 2'55 to 2'62 ;
tail, 1-4 to 175 ; tarsus, 0'3 to 0'35 ; bill from gape, T9 to 2'05 ;
bill at front, 1-4 to 1'6'
Bill, (?, black, orange at gape ; ? , deep red, clouded with dusky.
Chin and throat creamy-white, washed faintly with rufous ;
remainder of under surface and the under tail-coverts deep
bright rufous, paler in some than in others ; feathers of the
head black, with a penultimate bright blue band, those of the
cheeks all bright blue ; back and upper tail-coverts bright blue ;
wing-coverts black, washed with blue, each feather tipped with,
bright blue ; scapulars and rectrices black, washed with blue.
Major Butler had a specimen in his possession that was shot in
the forests west of Belgaum; this is the only record I can
find of its occurrence within the region.
GENUS, Ceryle.
Bill long, straight, compressed, acute at tip ; culraen obtuse,
somewhat flattened, and margined on each side by an indented
groove ; tail slightly lengthened, rounded ; wings long, second and
third quills nearly equal ; inner- toe longer than the hinder one
which is very short.
Ceryle rudis, Lin.
136. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 232 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 456 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers'
Vol. IX, p. 383 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 112 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 61.
THE PIED KINGFISHER.
Length, 11 to 11 '5 ; expanse, 18*5 to 20; wing, 5*4 to 5'8 ;
tail, 3 ; tarsus, 0;5 to 07; bill at front, 2'3 ; bill from gape, 31.
Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet blackish-brown.
Head and ears black, white-streaked, with also a white
supercilium ; back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and wings black,
white-edged ; lower parts and the sides of the neck white,
with a streak of black down the sides of the neck from the
ear-coverts ; breast with a broad interrupted band of black in
both sexes, and below this another complete but narrow band
in the male only ; wings with a white band, formed by the
bases of some of the quills, and the greater-coverts ; primary-
coverts and winglet black; tail white at the base, broadly black
at the end, and tipped white.
The Pied Kingfisher is another very common species, generally
distributed throughout our limits.
It is a permanent resident and breeds from February to April,
in holes pierced in the banks of rivers ; the eggs, four to six in
number, are broad oval in shape, white in color, and are highly
glossy. They measure 115 in length by about 0'92 in breadth.
This Kingfisher never resorts to wells and tanks, as H. smyr-
1
104? BUCEROTIMI.
nensls and A. bengalensis do, but only occurs on rivers and the
larger lakes.
FAMILY, Bucerotidae.
Bill enormous, arched or curved, often with an appendage or
casque on the upper mandible ; nostrils small at the junction
of the casque with the bill, or near the culmen, when there is
no casque ; wings short, rounded ; tail long, of ten feathers ; tarsus
short, stout ; feet moderately large, syndactyle ; hind-toe short ;
claws short, thick, well curved.
GENUS, Dichoceros.
GENUS, Homraius.
Bill with a broad flat casque, extending backwards over the
head, for more than half the length of the bill, and descending
to meet the bill at a right angle, of large size ; plumage black
and white.
Dichoceros cavatus, Shaw.
14,0. Homraius bicornis, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 242 ; Butler, Deccan, &c. ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 383.
THE GKEAT HORNBILL.
<?. Length, 45 to 47 ; expanse, 63 to 66 ; tail, 15'5 to 1675 ;
wing, 18-25 to 19; tarsus, 273 to 3; bill from gape, 975 to
10'6.
? Length, 4175 to 44; expanse, 54 to 59'28; tail, 14'5
to 1775 ; wing, 17'25 to 18'25 ; tarsus, 2'45 to 275 ; bill from
gape, 8-25 to 9.
General color of bill and casque yellow, paler on the lower
mandible, but varying much in depth of color.
The upper mandible is more or less tinted with red at the tip
and with orange in the medial portion ; the sides of the casque
have generally an orange tinge, and the flat or rather curved
portion of the casque is generally tinged with orange, intermin-
gled with red.
In some specimens the coloration is very bright, in others the
whole bill and casque is duller and paler.
In the male, the posterior portion of the casque, a triangular
patch on each side of the casque in front, and the truncated por-
tion of the culmen from three to five inches downwards from the
anterior margin of the casque, are black.
In the female, the posterior portion of the casque is red ; there
is no patch on the side of the casque, and the truncated portion
of the culmen in front of the casque or more is red.
In the male the irides are blood-red ; in the female pearly-
white ; the orbital region dark fleshy-pink ; the eyelids black.
The legs and feet are dull greenish-plumbeous, or pale dingy
glaucous-green ; claws dark greenish-horny.
BUCEROTLTXE. 105
Head and base of bill all round, back, wings, and belly, black ;
neck, ends of upper tail-coverts, tail, thigh-coverts, vent, under
tail-coverts, and wing-spot, white, the latter formed by the edges
of the greater-coverts ; the base of the primaries, and the tips of
all the quills, also white ; tail with a broad black band towards
the terminal third ; the neck, and sometimes the wing-spot,
are often smeared yellow from the secretion of the uropygial
gland.
The Great Hornbill is a permanent resident in the forest-clad
portions of the Sahyadri range, where it is not uncommon.
It has not been recorded from any other portion of our limits.
GENUS, Hydrocissa, Bonap.
Bill with a long, sharp, acute casque, extending from the
of the bill over two-thirds of its length.
Hydrocissa coronata, Bodd.
141. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 245; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 383.
THE MALABAR PIED HORNBILL.
Length, 36 ; expanse, 39 ; wing, 11-25 to 13 ; tail, 12 to 14 ; bill
from gape, 6 to 7.
Bill and part of the casque yellowish-white ; base of both man-
dibles black, extending obliquely downwards and forwards, also
the hind margin of the casque (in the male only) ; a large patch of
the same color occupies the anterior three-fourths of the casque
in old specimens, but never reaches downwards to the upper
mandible, as in the next species ; casque very large and exceeding-
ly compressed, laterally protruding far backward over the crown
and its ridge terminating in an acute angle anteriorly, being
prolonged considerably beyond the junction of the casque with the
upper mandible ; irides crimson ; feet dark green.
The female has no black on the hind edge of the casque, and
both bill and casque are slightly smaller.
The young have at first no black on the incipient casque,
which appears and increases in quantity with the growth of the
latter.
Black beneath from the breast; tips of the primaries and
secondaries, and the three outer tail-feathers on each side, with
more or less of the next pair, pure white.
Permanent resident and not uncommon in the forests near
Belgaum and in the Kanara jungles. It also occurs along the
Sahyadri range.
It has not been recorded from any other portion of the district.
GENUS, Ocyceros.
Bill with a compressed sharp-pointed 'casque, size small ; plum-
age grey.
106 BUCEROTID.E.
Ocyceros birostris, Scop.
144. Meniceros bicornis, Scop. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 248 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 457 ; Dec-
can, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 384 ; Lophoceros birostris, Scop.
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 62.
THE COMMON GREY HORNBILL.
Length, 22 to 25 ; expanse, 25 to 32 ; wing, 7'5 to 87 ; tail, 10
to 12 ; tarsus, 1/7 ; bill from gape, 3'5 to 4'25.
Bill and casque dusky ; the tips and ridges of both mandibles
whitish ; casque low and compressed, the ridge prolonged anteri-
orly to a very acute angle, and the hind part concealed by the
feathers of the forehead (which bend down over it) and not
extending backward over the crown.
In the female the casque is lower, more depressed and the sharp
pointed horn is wanting ; irides red-brown ; feet dark plumbeous.
Plumage grey, paler below, and from the breast gradually albes-
cent ; ear-coverts darker cinereous, and a light streak over the
eye and ear-coverts ; primaries and secondaries dusky black, the
latter margined with grey, all except the two first tipped white,
with a brownish- white streak on the outer web ; tail black near
the end, tipped white.
In the female and in immature bird the first six or seven pri-
maries want the white tips entirely, while on all but the first two,
the whitish streaks are much more developed and conspicuous
than in the adult male.
The Common Grey Hornbill does not occur in Sind, and has
only been doubtfully recorded from the Deccan ; it is not uncom-
mon at Mount Aboo and forests at foot, and is very common at
and near Mhow and Neemuch ; indeed, generally speaking, it is
not uncommon in all the well- wooded portions of Rajpootana,
Guzerat, and Central India.
GENUS, Tockus, Lesson.
Bill without a casque, but with the ridge somewhat elevated
and much curved ; size small ; plumage grey.
Tockus griseus, Lath.
145. Tockus gingalensis, Shaw. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 250 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 384.
THE JUNGLE GREY HORNBILL.
Length, 22 ; expanse, 25 to 27 ; wing, 8'25 ; tail, 8*5 to 9'5 ;
tarsus, 1-6 ; bill from gape, 4'25.
Bill horny-yellow, suffused with a brownish-red tinge, except
towards the tips ; margin along commissure black ; tips paler ;
orbital skin black ; irides red ; tarsi and feet greenish.
Head above, and back, dark cinereous-brown, with a cast of
bluish grey ; the greater coverts, secondaries, and primaries, all
narrowly edged with whitish, and the latter broadly tipped with
BUCEROTID^E PSITTACID^. 107
white, and with an oblique white line on their outer edge ; a pale
line over the eyes, extending along the sides of the head; the two
centre tail feathers dusky bluish -grey, the rest dusky blackish-grey,
broadly tipped with white, except the pair next the centrals ;
beneath light dusky-grey, the feathers centred paler ; rufescent
on the lower abdomen, outer thigh-feathers, and under tail-
coverts.
A specimen in Mr. Hume's possession, obtained from Travancore
does not correspond over well with Dr. Jerdon's description. I
therefore quote Mr. Hume's description in full : " The forehead
is greyish- white ; a broad superciliary stripe from the nostrils
over the eyes extending some distance back, a slightly brownish-
white ; the feathers of the crown and occiput slaty-grey, the
latter conspicuously elongated and with greyish-white shaft-
stripes ; faint greyish- white tippings to most of the feathers of
the crown ; the ear-coverts dark brown paler shafted ; feathers
of the chin whitish ; entire throat and sides of the neck grey ;
the feathers pale, almost white shafted ; the whole of the
plumage of these parts is dull, as is also that of the lower parts,
but all the rest of the upper parts is well glossed ; the entire
back, rump, upper tail-coverts, scapulars, and wing-coverts, dark
greyish-dusky, with a faint greenish reflection on it ; the coverts
have mostly the faintest possible pale edges, and the shafts of
many of the feathers have in certain lights a scarcely perceptible
line on either side of them ; the quills and tail-feathers are black,
with a greenish lustre on them, very conspicuous on the secondaries
and tail-feathers except the central pair ; the third to the eighth
primary inclusive broadly tipped with pure white on both webs,
the ninth similarly tipped but on the inner web only.
All the tail-feathers but the central pair broadly tipped with
white ; breast, flanks, sides, and upper abdomen, greyish-white
to white ; vent and lower tail-coverts white, tinged with fulvous
or dingy pale rufescent.
The Jungle Grey Hornbill is a permanent resident and occurs
sparingly all along the Sahyadri range. It does not occur in
any other portion of our limits.
TRIBE, Scansores.
Toes in pairs ; bill, wings, and tail various.
FAMILY, Psittacidse.
Bill short, thick, strong ; upper mandible much curved and
hooked (sometimes toothed or notched), overhanging the lower
one, and with an acute tip ; lower mandible short, obtuse ; base
of bill covered with a cere, in which the round and small nostrils
are pierced near the culmen ; wings usually moderate or long,
the second quill generally the longest ; tail various ; tarsi short,
stout, covered with small tubercle-like scales ; toes in pairs ;
claws well curved.
108 PAL.EORNIN.E.
SUB-FAMILY, Palseorninse, Vigors.
Bill moderate ; upper mandible moderately hooked ; under
mandible short ; tail very long, wedge-shaped, the feathers
narrow and pointed ; tarsus moderate.
GENUS, Palseornis, Vigors.
Bill short ; culmen rounded, well curved, toothed, and with the
tip acute, not much deeper than it is long ; lower mandible short ;
wings long, with the second and third quills sub-equal and
longest ; tail very long, cuneate ; the feathers narrow, almost
linear, with their tips obtuse, and the two middle feathers in
general exceeding the others.
Palseornis eupatria, Lin.
147. Palceornis alexandri, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 256 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol . Ill, p. 457 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 62.
THE ALEXANDRINE PAROQUET.
Length, 21 ; wing, 8'25 ; tail, 11'5 ; bill at gape, 1-25.
Bill deep red, yellowish beneath ; irides pale yellow ; feet
plumbeous.
Adult male, green, brilliant emeraldine on the head and face,
duller on the back, paler beneath, inclining to dingy on the
breast and yellowish on the chin and lower tail-coverts ; quills
bluish ; the inner edge of the inner webs dusky ; tail with
the two centre feathers bright green at their base, pale
bluish-green for the remaining two-thirds, and tipped yellowish ;
the outer feathers light green on the outer webs, yellowish-
green internally ; a b lack stripe from the base of the lower
mandible crossing round behind the ears, and a demi-collar
of peach-rose color on the nape and sides of the neck ; in front of
this collar the feathers are glaucous ; a dark red spot on the
shoulders of the wings, and some of the feathers of the wing-
coverts and scapulars narrowly edged with dusky ; a narrow line
from the nostrils to the eye tinged with black.
The female wants the collar of the male, and is generally less
brightly colored.
The Alexandrine Paroquet is not uncommon on the Vindhian
range and the jungles adjacent ; and it also occurs not infrequent-
ly in the better wooded portions of Rajpootana and Central India ;
one was obtained at Mount Aboo by Captain Butler. It does not
occur either in the Deccan or in any part of Sind.
Palseornis torquatus, Eodd.
148. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 257 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 457 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 384 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 112 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 62.
109
THE ROSE-RINGED PAROQUET.
Tola, Hin.
Length, 16'5 ; wing, 6'5 to 7 ; tail, 9'5 ; bill from gape, 1.
Bill cherry-red ; irides pale yellow ; feet cinereous.
Adult male : head and face emerald-green ; a dark line from the
nostrils to the front of the eye, indistinct round the base of the
narrow cere ; hind-neck and nape glaucous or light-ashy, succeed-
ed on the sides of the neck by a black demi-collar meeting under
the chin and followed by another of a peach-rose color ; back,
scapulars, and tertiaries dull-green ; upper tail-coverts emerald-
green ; entire under-surface pale green, yellowish towards the
vent ; primaries, their coverts and secondaries, dark-green, their
inner webs and under-surface dusky ; tail-feathers dark-green,
their inner webs and under-surface yellowish, the two centre fea-
thers dark-green at their base, bluish for the remaining two-thirds
and tipped yellowish, all black shafted ; under wing-coverts
greenish-yellow.
The female wants the rose collar, but has a bright emeraldine
narrow green collar in its place.
The Rose-ringed Paroquet occurs in vast flocks, throughout the
district ; it is a permanent resident, breeding during February
and March, in holes in trees or stone walls, occasionally under
roof tiles ; when the nest hole is in a tree, it is often two or three
feet in extent.
There is no nest ; the eggs, four in number, are deposited on any
chips that may have accidentally fallen whilst the hole was being
enlarged ; they are oval in shape, pure glossless white in color,
and measure 1*2 in length by 0*95 in breadth.
The absurd attitude and affected manner of the female during
the courting season in the endeavour to attract the notice of her
mate is highly entertaining ; the male, on the other hand, seems
to take little notice of it, beyond rewarding her with an occasional
kiss.
Palaeornis purpureus, P. Z. S. Mull.
149. Palceornis rosa, Bodd. Jerdon's Birds of India, Yol. I, p.
259 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p, 457 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Yol. IX, p. 384 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 62.
THE ROSE-HEADED PAROQUET.
Tuia-tota, Hin.
Length, 14 to 15 ; wing, 5'25 ; tail, 8'5 ; bill from gape, 0'62
to 07.
Bill : upper mandible yellow,, under dusky ; irides, outer circle
yellowish- white, inner blue ; legs grey.
Adult male : the whole head and face pale roseate, tinged with
plum-bloom posteriorly and inferiorly ; a black spot from the base
of the lower mandible, uniting into a narrow complete collar, and
meeting its opposite one at the chin, which is thus broadly black ;
110 PAL.EORNIN^E.
behind the collar, the hind-neck verdigris-green ; the upper por-
tion of the back and scapulars yellow-green ; the lower back,
rump, and upper tail-coverts, pale blue-green ; the wings green ;
with a small red spot on the lesser-coverts ; shoulders bluish-
green ; the whole inner webs of most of the quills dusky ; tail,
with the two centre feathers, cobalt-blue, tipped white ; the next
pair blue towards the apical portion, also tipped white, the others
pale green on their out er webs, yellowish internally ; plumage
beneath bright siskin, or yellow green ; some are less brightly
colored, and more of an uniform green color, with less yellow ; and
the old males have the cap much brighter and deeper colored
than their juniors.
The female has the head plum-blue, and wants the black col-
lar, but has a yellow demi-collar in front and on the sides ; and
the breast is much tinged with oil yellow.
The young birds are green throughout ; but the centre tail-
feathers are always blue, and there is usually a faint indication of
the pale collar of the female.
With the exception of Sind, the Purple-headed Paroquet
is generally distributed throughout our limits, but is far
less common and is more locally distributed than P. tor-
quatus. It is a permanent resident, and breeds in holes
in trees about April.
The eggs are miniatures of those of P. torquatus ; they
measure 1 inch in length by 0*8 in breadth.
Palaeornis columboides, rigors.
151. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 261 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 384.
THE BLUE-WINGED PAROQUET.
Length, 15 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 875 ; bill from gape, 07.
Bill, above cherry-red, beneath dusky ; legs and feet greenish-
plumbeous.
Head : hind-neck, inter-scapularies, and the plumage beneath,
generally, pale dove-grey, purest on the head and cheeks ; a
verdigris-green patch on the forehead, lores, and below the eye ;
a black collar round the neck, meeting at the chin ; and in front
of this, there is a verdigris-green collar, which widens on the
upper part of the neck ; the lower part of the back, rump, and
upper tail-coverts, blue-green; wing-coverts and scapulars dark
blue-green ; the feathers edged pale ; the primary-coverts and
quills darkish blue, faintly edged with green externally, and
dusky on the inner webs ; tail, with the centre feathers blue,
tipped with yellowish-white ; the next pair blue on the outer
web, greenish near the base, and tipped yellow ; all the others
green externally, yellow internally ; lower abdomen, vent, and
under tail -coverts pale verdigris-green.
The female wants the collar, or has only a faint indication of
it, and the bill is black.
LORIIN^E PICIN.E. Ill
The Blue-winged Paroquet is common on the Ghats to the
west of Belgaum, and it also occurs on the Sahyadri range quite
as far north as Khandalla.
It does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
SUB-FAMILY, Loriinse.
Bill compressed, small or moderate, slightly curved ; the mar-
gin of the upper mandible sometimes sinuated, and the notch
obsolete ; the lower mandible slender, conic, much longer than
high.
GENUS, Loriculus, Blyih.
Bill rather small, gently curving from the base ; the upper
mandible lengthened, slightly sinuated at the margin, moderate-
ly hooked, and tapering to a fine point ; lower mandible small ;
wings nearly as long as the tail ; first and second quill longest ;
tail short, even, or barely rounded.
Loriculus vernalis, Sparrm.
153. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 265 ; Butler, Deccan and
South Mahratta country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 384.
THE INDIAN LORIQUET.
Length, 5'5 to 575 ; expanse, 875 to 10*25 ; wing, 3*4 to 375 ;
tail, 1-5 to 1'81 ; tarsus, 0'3 to 0'35 ; bill from gape, 0'45 to 0'5.
BilLdark yellow to plumbeous ; irides pale yellow ; legs and
feet leaden to plumbeous.
Above grass-green, darker on the wing-coverts and scapulars,
paler and yellowish beneath ; the wings and tail blue-green ;
rump and__imrj^r_ tail-coverts^ dull deep red ; wings and tail
beneath pale bluish ; chiETand throalTlirthe male, tinged with
verdigris-blue.
The Indian Lorikeet is a cold weather visitant to the forests
of the Sahyadri Range as far north at least as Khandalla, and it
has been observed at Ratnagiri, Dharwar and in the Goa forests,
but it is absent from all other portions of the district.
FAMILY, Picidse.
Bill moderate and long, straight, angular, wedge-like ; tongue
long, extensile ; wings moderate, or rather long ; tail of twelve
feathers, ten of them with shafts, thick and stiff, the outermost
pair minute ; feet with the toes in pairs, one toe sometimes
wanting.
SUB-FAMILY, Picinae, Gray.
Bill perfectly wedge-shaped, compressed ; culmen straight ; the
lateral ridge well marked, more or less median ; gonys long ; the
outer posterior toe longer than the anterior one ; wings rather
long.
112
GENUS, Picus, Lin.
Bill moderate, compressed, with the culmen straight and sharp ;
the lateral ridge distinct, midway between the culmen and
margin, and joining the margin about its middle ; gonys long,
barely angulated ; versatile toe longer than the anterior.
Picas sindianus, Gould.
158. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 273 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 113.
THE SIND PIED WOODPECKER.
$. Length, 8'5 to 8'6 ; expanse, 14'5 to 15 ; wing, 4'5 to 4'6 ;
tail, 31 to 3-2 ; bill, 1-25.
?. Length, 8 to 8'5 ; expanse, 13 to 15 ; wing, 4'4 to ,47 ;
tail, 3 to 3-2.
Bill blackish above, lighter beneath ; irides crimson ; legs dusky.
Adult male : forehead, lores, sides of the head, ear-coverts,
supercilia and breast white, tinged buffy on the forehead, or a
soiled white ; a very narrow dark line above the supercilia ; a
dark stripe from the lower mandible extending down each side
of the throat, projecting to the lower side of the breast, and
joining the back at the shoulder ; crown of the head mixed
crimson and black; back, rump, upper tail-coverts and centre
tail-feathers, glossy black with a dusky tinge ; scapulars, and the
adjacent wing-coverts, white, the remainder of the wing-coverts
black with a few white spots ; quills brownish-black, spotted with
white on both webs forming white wing-bars, of which there are
four on the primaries and three on the secondaries ; lateral tail-
feathers black, barred and tipped with white ; lower parts white,
with a few dusky streaks on the flanks and abdomen ; middle of
abdomen and lower tail-coverts crimson.
The female has the crown black.
This Woodpecker occurs pretty generally throughout Sind,
where it is a permanent resident, breeding during March and
April. It does not occur in any other portion of the district.
Picus mahrattensis, Lath.
160. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 274 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 458 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 385 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 114 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 62.
Length, 7'5Tb T7&7 expanse, 12'5 ; wing, 4 to 4'4 ; tail, 2'5 ;
bill at front, 1.
Bill slaty-plumbeous ; irides crimson ; legs cinereous.
Plumage above, wings, and tail, black, banded with white ;
forehead and top of head pale yellow ; occiput, bright criiso.n
in the male, yellow in the female ; loresTaround the eyes, ear-
coverts, sides of neck behind the throat, and middle of the neck
CAMPEPHILIN^. 113
and breast, white, a brown stripe commencing near the nape,
down the sides of the neck and breast ; breast and abdomen
brown, with pale edges to the feathers ; a patch of crimson on
the centre of the abdomen continued to the vent.
"TKe Yellow-fronted Woodpecker occurs sparingly in Sind,
but is common throughout the remaining portion of the district.
It is a permanent resident breeding about March ; it lays
three transparent white eggs, at the bottom of a hole, pierced
in a decayed branch of a tree ; there is no nest, except a few
chips that may have fallen in during the time the hole was being
excavated. They measure 0*87 inches in length, by 0'68 in
breadth.
GENUS, Yungipicus, Bonap.
Of small size ; plumage spotted, or banded black and white
above ; bill barely straight ; lateral ridge near the culmen ;
wings long ; tail, with the two central feathers, longest ; the
outer feathers soft and rounded.
Yungipicus nanus, rig.
164. Yungipicus hardwickii, Jerd. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol, I, p. 278 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p.
385 ; Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 458.
THE SOUTHERN PIGMY WOODPECKER.
Length, 5 to 5 '25 ; expanse, 9 '5 ; wing 3 ; tail, 1'5 ; tarsus, 0'4 ;
bill at front, 0'4.
Bill plumbeous ; orbital skin lake ; irides pale yellow ; legs
plumbeous.
Above brownish or sooty-brown, banded with white on the
back ; head pale rufescent or yellowish-brown, scarcely deepen-
ing posteriorly ; beneath white, sullied on the abdomen, and
with pale brown streaks throughout; a narrow white band
from above the eye down the side of the neck ; a pale brown
band from beneath the eye, below the white band, and another
faint line beginning on the sides of the neck and being gradu-
ally lost in the markings of the breast. The male has a
somewhat long and narrow orange streak, beginning consider-
ably behind the eye.
This Woodpecker occurs sparingly along the Sahyadri
Range as far north as Khandalla ; it also occurs in the forest to
the west of Belgaum, and at Mahableshwar, Savantvadi and
Ratnagiri. With the exception of a doubtful specimen from
Anadra near Mount Aboo, it has not been recorded from any
other portion of the district.
SUB-FAMILY, Campephilinse.
Bill strong, somewhat wide, nearly straight, or very slightly
curving; lateral ridge near the culmen sometimes wanting;
gonys short ; versatile toe about equal to the anterior, sometimes
8
CAMPEPHILIN.E.
longer ; hind-head generally with a full crest ; neck thin ; wings
and tail various.
GENUS, Hemicercus, Swainson.
Bill straight, considerably compressed, the lateral ridge slight
near the margin ; wings long, nearly reaching (when closed) to
the end of the tail; tail very short, broad; neck short, very
slender ; feet very large ; versatile toe always longer than the
anterior one.
Hemicercus cordatus, Jerd.
165. Hemicercws canente, Lesson. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 280 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p.
385.
THE HEART-SPOTTED WOODPECKER.
<?. Length, 6 ; expanse, 12 ; wing, 372 ; tail, T25 ; bill at front,
0-88.
?. Length, 575 ; expanse, 1075 ; wing, 3'6 ; tail, 1-36 ; bill at
front, 0-67.
Bill bluish-black ; irides brownish-red ; legs dusky-green.
Female, with the forehead and top of the head a narrow
line in the middle of the inter-scapular region, rump, shoulders,
lesser wing-coverts, and a stripe from the lower mandible
running below the ears of a light whitish-yellow ; the wing-
coverts and tertiaries with a black heart-shaped spot near the
tip of each feather ; face, cheeks, long occipital crest, nape,
scapulars, quills, upper tail-coverts, and tail, deep black ; terti-
aries greenish ; middle of back dull blackish-green ; beneath,
chin and throat, whitish-yellow ; from throat to vent dull black-
ish-green ; under tail-coverts black.
The male differs from the female in having the forehead and
head black, with minute whitish spots. On the centre of the
back is a brush of dark sap-green bristly feathers, smeared with
a viscid secretion from a gland beneath.
Jerdon (by a slip of the pen. probably) has described the
male as the female, and vied versa, but this has been rectified in
the text.
The Heart-spotted Woodpecker occurs sparingly in the forests
west of Belgaum and on the Sahyadri Kange. It has not been
recorded from elsewhere within our limits.
GENUS, Ohrysocolaptes, Slyth.
Bill much as in typical picus, almost quite straight, strong ;
the lateral ridg-e medial at first, afterwards parallel to, and
nearer the margin ; tail short, square ; the four central feathers
equal ; feet strong ; hind-toe longer than the anterior- toe.
Chrysocolaptes delesserti, Malh.
. Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p.. 885.
CAMPEPH1LIN,E. 115
THE SOUTHERN LARGE GOLDEN-BACKED WOODPECKER.
Length, 11-5 ; expanse, 1875 ; wing, 575 ; tail, 4 ; bill at
front, 17,
Bill slaty ; irides yellow ; legs slaty.
, Male :, top of the head and crest crimson ; upper back and
greater part of the wings externally golden-yellow ; lower part
of back shining carmine -red ; band from the eyes, surrounding
the forehead, ruddy-brown, passing through the eye, and chang-
ing into a wide black neck-stripe ; above this, between it and
the crest is a narrow white line ; the dorsal aspect of the neck
also white ; primaries wholly blackish, with three or four white
spots on the inner webs of all the feathers ; upper tail-coverts
and tail black ; beneath the neck is anteriorly white, with five
black gular stripes ; breast black, more or less brunnescent,
with large central drops of white ; the rest of the body, below,
and lining of the wings, white, transversely barred with black.
The female has the cap black, with a white drop on each
feather.
This Woodpecker only differs from Chrysocolaptes sultaneus,
Hodgs., in its smaller size.
It is a not uncommon permanent resident all along the Sahya-
dri Range, but has not been recorded from elsewhere within
our limits.
Chrysocolaptes festivus, Bodd.
167. Chrysocolaptes goensis, Gmel. Jerdon's Birds of India,
- Vol. I 3 p. 282 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p.
458 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 385 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 62.
THE BLACKJACKED WOODPECKER.
Length, 12'2 to 12'5 ; expanse, 19'5 to 20'5 ; wings, 6 to 6 25 ;
tail, 3'4 to 3-5 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, T9 to 2.
Bill dusky-blackish ; irides crimson ; legs and feet horny-plum-
beous.
Crown and occiput of the male splendid crimson ; forehead
mingled black and white ; lores white ; a white streak begins be-
hind the eye, and is continued to the nape, the entire hind-part
of the neck being wholly white, and extending down upon the
interscapulars ; the rest of the back, scapulars, rump, and tail,
are brownish-black, having a slight aureous cast on the scapulars;
wings, with their coverts and secondaries, bright golden-yellow ;
bend of the wing, winglet, and coverts of the primaries, as also the
primaries, dusky black, with distant, large, round whitish spots on
their inner webs, and similar dull spots on the outer webs ; a broad
black streak, down the sides of the neck, from the eye, beneath, the
throat white, with three black stripes ; the rest of the body, be-
neath, more or less streaked ; the feathers of the breast white, with
black lateral edges, which last gradually all but disappear on
the belly, vent and lower tail-coverts.
116 GECININJE.
The Black -backed Woodpecker is not common ; it has been
obtained near Aboo, at Mhow in Central India, aud at Ratnagiri ;
it does not occur in Sind.
GENUS, Thriponax.
Lateral ridge prominent near the culmen, which is sharp and
very slightly arched ; gonys hardly half the length of the^ under
mandible ; toes short ; anterior toe longer than the versatile one ;
claws very large ; neck long and slender ; head, with a short
compact crest ; wings and tail long, the latter cuneate.
Thriponax hodgsoni, Jerdon.
169. Mulleripicus hodgsoni, Jerd. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 284 ; Butler, Deccan; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 386.
THE GREAT BLACK WOODPECKER.
Length, 17 to 19 ; expanse, 24 to 26 ; wing, 8 to 9 ; tail, 7'5 ;
bill at front, 2 to 2*3.
Bill black ; irides crimson ; legs dark plumbeous.
Head, with short thick crest, and stripe running from the base
of the lower mandible, crimson ; lower part of back, rump and
middle of belly, white ; the rest of the plumage deep black.
The Great Black Woodpecker has been obtained at Kanara
and also in the forests west of Belgaum ; there is no other record
of its occurrence within the district.
SUB-FAMILY, Gecininae.
Bill widened, with the culmen more or less curved ; lateral
ridge very slight or absent altogether ; gon ys short ; feet small ;
hind-toe shorter than the anterior outer one ; the hind-toe, indeed,
is always very small, and absent in some.
GENUS, Gecinus, Boie.
Bill slightly widened in its whole length, compressed at the
tip ; upper mandible thickened at the base, with one or more
slightly elevated lines (representing the lateral ridge), close to
the culmen, which is very slightly arched ; gonys very short ;
wings moderate ; anterior and versatile toes nearly equal ; hind-
head with a narrow pointed crest ; neck thick ; tail rather long,
cuneate.
Gecinus striolatus, Etyth.
171. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 287 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 458 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 386.
THE SMALL GREEN WOODPECKER.
Length, 11-5 ; expanse, 17 ; wing, 5'25 ; tail, 375 ; bill at
front, 1'2; foot, 2'2.
Bill horny above, yellowish at base and beneath ; irides pink
with an outer circle of white ; feet greenish-slaty.
GECINESLE. 117
Above green, the rump and upper tail-coverts tinged with
yellowish ; forehead and lores whitish, mixed with black ; a small
white eye-brow, with a bkck line above it, which is lost on the hind-
head ; ear-coverts mixed black and white ; cheek-stripe inconspi-
cuous, with a white line above it ; entire under parts whitish,
streaked with dusky-green, more or less dark on the breast, and
always greenish-black on the belly ; on the throat and foreneck
the feathers have each a mesial dusky-black line, widening on the
breast, and dividing and becoming scale-like, lower on the abdo-
men ; caudal bars almost obsolete, except on the middle pair, and
on the exterior web of the outermost pair in some specimens ;
head crimson in the male, black in the female.
The Small Green Woodpecker has been observed in the forests
west of Belgaum, and is not uncommon in the jungles at the
foot of the Aravalli Range ; it has not been recorded from any
other part of the district.
GENUS, Chrysophlegma, Gould.
Bill similar to that of the last, wider at the base and
more compressed at the tip, slightly more curved, and shorter,
with the lateral ridge nearly obsolete, only existing close to
the base of the bill ; the culmen blunt ; tail long, cuneate ; feet
short ; the claws very strongly curved.
Chrysophlegma chlorigaster, Jerdon.
175. Chrysophlegma chlorophanes, Vieill. Jerdon's Birds of
India, Vol. I. p. 290 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 386.
THE SOUTHERN YELLOW-NAPED WOODPECKER.
Length, 9 ; wing, 475 ; tail, 3'9 ; bill at front, 0'9.
Bill slaty-greenish, yellow beneath ; irides reddish-brown ; legs
dull green.
J^Eale with the whole head and cheek-stripe red, a small
occipital crest of the same color, shortly terminated by bright
yellow; plumage above bright green ; ear-feathers and beneath
dull sap or brownish-green ; the feathers of the lower abdomen
banded and spotted with white ; wings greenish with an orange
tinge, and the outer web of most of the quill feathersH3eep
orange-red ; the inner webs dusky with white spots ; tail unspotted,
black.
Has several times been obtained in the forests west of Belgaum,
but hitherto has not been recorded from any other portion of
the district.
GENUS Micropternus, Slyth.
Bill broad at base ; culmen arched, the sides slightly rounded ;
lateral ridge wanting ; wing rather short ; tail short and broad ;
feet small ; versatile and anterior toes above equal ; inner hind-
toe and claw minute ; the plumage of a peculiar chesnut-bay
coloring.
Micropternus phaioceps, Blyth.
178. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I. p. 294
THE BENGAL RUFOUS WOODPECKER.
Length, 9'5 ; wing, 475 to 5; tail, 275; bill at front, 1.
Plumage dark chesnut bay, with black bands ; head brown above,
paling posteriorly, the feathers faintly streaked, and gradually
merged on the hind-neck in the bay color of the back ; chin,
cheek, and throat, pale, the feathers of this last concolorous with
the body, or nearly so, merely having lighter lateral margins ;
neck in front, breast and upper part of abdomen, bright chesnut-
bay ; from the middle of the abdomen the same but paler and
with dusky cross-bands.
According to Jerdon, the Bengal Rufous Woodpecker is found
in some of the forests of Central India.
Micropternus gularis, Jerd.
179. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 294 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 386.
THE MADRAS RUFOUS WOODPECKER.
Length, 7 to 9 ; wing, 4*8 ; tail, 2'5 to 3 ; bill at front, 0'9.
Bill blackish ; orbital skin slaty ; irides brown ; legs slaty.
Head dusky -brown ; the rest of body rufous-bay, with cross
bars of dusky black ; a crimson stripe in the male ; chin, throat,
lower sides of neck, dark olive-brown, the feathers edged with
white ; lower parts unspotted bay ; under tail-coverts faintly
barred with dusky.
The Madras Rufous Woodpecker is a permanent resident in
the forests of the Sahyadri Range, and occurs as far north as
Khandalla, where it is not very uncommon. It has not been
recorded from any other place within the district.
GENUS, Brachypternus, Strick.
Bill distinctly curved, moderately compressed and sloping on
the sides ; lateral ridge wanting ; nostrils apert, but the frontal
feathers produced to their base Tgonys short ; tail cuneate, the
two central feathers longest ; feet small, outer posterior and
mid-toe nearly equal ; hind-toe and claw minute.
Brachypternus aurantius, Lin.
ISO. Jerdon's Birds' of India, Vol. I, p. 295 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 458 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Smd, p. 114 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 62.
GECININ.E. 119
THE GOLDEN-BACKED WOODPECKER.
Length, 11 to 12; extent, 17 to 19; wing, 5'5 to 5'8 ; tail,
3-5 to 4 ; bill at front, T35 ; bill from gape, 1*5 to 17.
Bill slaty-black ; irides red-brown ; legs and feet dark green.
Male : head and crest bright crimson ; middle of neck, behind,
black ; upper back and scapulars rich golden-yellow ; middle
of the back black mixed with olive-yellow ; lower back, upper
tail-coverts, and tail, black ; wing-coverts black at the shoulder,
gradually changing to golden olive-yellow, each feather spotted
with fulvescent-white ; wings the same externally, except the
first quills which are black, as all are internally, and marked
with large white spots on their inner webs ; a stripe through
the eyes and ear-coverts mixed black and grey ; lores,
cheek and sides of neck forming a white stripe below the
dark eye-streak ; chin, throat, neck below, and breast black,
with white marks increasing in size on the breast, all the
feathers being edged or scaled with black, diminishing in extent
on the lower abdomen, which is almost white, and forming
cross-bands on the flanks and thigh-coverts.
The Golden-backed Woodpecker is very common throughout
the district, with the exception of the Deccan and South
Mahratta country, where it is replaced by the next species.
It is a permanent resident, breeding during March and April
and again in June and July ; the eggs, there is no nest, are
deposited at the bottom of a hole, pierced in a branch of a tree,
most frequently a mango ; they are three in number, of a polished
milk-white color, of an elongated oval shape and measure I'll
inches in length by 0'8 in breadth.
Brachypternus puncticollis, Malh.
181. Brachypternus chrysonotus, Less. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol, I, p. 296 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 386.
THE LESSER GOLDEN-BACKED WOODPECKER.
Length, 11 '5 ; expanse, 17 ; wing, 5'25 ; tail, 3'25 ; bill at
front, 1-12.
Bill dark slaty ; irides crimson ; legs plumbeous-green.
Very similar to the last, but smaller ; the frontal feathers are
more mixed with black in the male ; the black of the nape is
continued lower upon the shoulders, contrasting strongly with
the golden-orange of the back ; the wings are of a duller golden ;
the eye-streak is narrower, but darker and more strongly defined,
and it has the white spots smaller ; the white markings of the
throat and foreneck are also smaller, and consist of round oval
points, being edged on the sides of the neck by unspotted black ;
and, lastly, the white markings of the under parts are narrower,
giving a generally darker hue to the breast and abdomen.
The Lesser Golden-backed Woodpecker only occurs in the
120 YUNGIN^J.
Deccan, where it replaces R aumntiu, from which it is only
doubtfully distinct.
SUB-FAMILY, Yunginae.
Bill short, conical, somewhat round, straight, pointed ; nostrils
basal, approximate, near the culmen, narrow, pierced in the
membrane, apert ; wings moderate, pointed, second and third
quills subequal, but third the longest, first nearly as long, and
fourth only a little shorter ; tail moderate, flexible, broad, slightly
rounded, or nearly even, of twelve feathers, the two outer small,
as in the Woodpeckers ; tarsus short, with the toes in pairs ;
posterior (outer) toe long but equal to the anterior outer ; hind
and inner-toes short ; claws well curved and compressed.
GENUS, Yunx, (lynx.)
Similar to the sub-family, of which it is the only genus.
Yunx (lynx) torquilla, Lin.
188. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 303 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 459 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 386; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 115;
lynx torquilla, Jerd. ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 62.
THE COMMON WRYNECK.
Length, 7'5 ; expanse, 11'5 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus, 0*98 ;
bill at front, 0'5 ; bill from gape, 078.
Biil horny-brown ; irides crimson ; legs greenish-horny.
Above, a beautiful speckled grey, with a broad irregular line
from the crown to the middle of the back, dark brown, with
black stripes ; lores whitish, and sometimes the chin ; sides of
the throat, cheeks, and breast, pale buff-yellow, with narrow
transverse bars ; a brown stripe runs from each eye through the
ear-coverts, extending along the side of the neck, and another
darker and narrower from the base of the lower mandible down
the sides of the throat ; between these is a buff or isabella band,
finally becoming albescent ; breast and upper part of the belly
fulvous-white with narrow cross lines, pointed anteriorly, and
passing into small triangular black linear spots on the lower
abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts, which are whitish ; the
wings are fulvous-brown, minutely speckled, and with some
fulvous spots, and a black longitudinal band on the scapulars ;
lower part of belly fulvous 1 white, with narrow cross lines, pointed
anteriorly, passing into small triangular black linear spots ; the
quills are barred with deep brown and isabella ; rump and tail
speckled grey, the former with black longitudinal streaks, the
latter with three darker broad bands, and a fourth subterminal
one.
The Wryneck, though not common, occurs throughout our limits
as a cold weather visitant.
MEGALAIMHXE. 121
FAMILY, Megalaimidse.
Bill stout and somewhat conic, inflated at the sides, moderate
in length or short, wide at the base, more or less compressed
towards the tip ; base of upper mandible continued backward
to the gape, and usually furnished at the base with numerous
stiff bristles projecting forwards ; some have the mandibles denti-
culated, and grooved at the sides ; culmen generally blunt ; wings
and tail short, the latter even or nearly so ; with the feathers
soft, only ten in number ; toes in pairs, the hind-claws much
curved ; tongue of ordinary structure.
GENUS, Megalaima, Gray.
Bill moderate, about as long as the head, robust, conical, more
or less wide at the base and compressed at the tip ; culmen
tolerably arched ; upper mandible somewhat overlapping the
lower one ; gape wide ; nostrils somewhat exposed in a groove at
the side of the culmen ; wings moderate, rounded ; tail short,
nearly even ; feet truly zygodactyle ; conspicuous tufts of bristles
surrounding the bill, a series of them above each nostril, a tuft
at each angle of the gape, and another growing from the chin.
Megalaima caniceps, Frankl.
193. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 310 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 63.
THE COMMON GREEN BAEBET.
Length, 10'5 ; expame, 16; wing, 5; tail, 3'5 ; tarsus, 11;
bill at front, T37.
Bill pale orange-brown ; irides orange-brown ; orbitar skin
dull orange ; legs light yellowish-brown.
Above green ; paler on the flanks and lower belly ; vent and
lower tail-coverts yellowish; head, neck, breast, and upper
abdomen brownish ; throat dusky-brown ; the feathers of these
parts with narrow pale streaks, continued but gradually diminish-
ing upon the green of the back ; each wing-covert and tertiary
has a whitish speck on the tip ; forehead and neck almost
uniform brown, with pale mesial streaks.
Within our limits the Common Green Barbet has only been
recorded from the forests on the Vindhian Hills, near Mhow,
Central India, its place being taken elsewhere by the next
species, with which it is often confounded.
Megalaima inornat a, Wald.
1936is. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 459 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 387.
THE WESTERN GREEN BARBET.
Length, 10'5 ; expanse, 16'5 ; wing, 51 ; tail, 3'4 ; tarsus, T08 ;
bill at front, 1'35.
122 MEGALAIMID^E.
Very similar to M. caniceps, but the terminal spots to the
wincr-coverts and tertiaries are almost altogether wanting ; the
chin, throat, breast, and upper portion of the abdominal region
uniform pale-brown ; each feather has the shaft very faintly paler ;
the absence of the pale median streaks on the pectoral feathers
readily distinguishes this species.
The Western Green Barbet is common on the Aravelli Hills,
and in the jungles below ; it occurs on the Western Ghats and
all along the Sahyadri Range as far north at least as Khandalla.
It is a permanent resident, breeding during April and May.
The eggs, four in number, are of a dull white color, and are
deposited in a hole, pierced in the branch ot a tree, generally
at some distance from the ground ; there is no nest.
Megalaima viridis, Bodd.
194. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 311 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 387.
THE SMALL GREEN BARBET.
Length, 8 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 275 ; bill at front, O'iJ.
Bill pale horny-brown ; irides red-brown ; orbitar skin brown ;
legs plumbeons-brown.
Very similar to M. caniceps, but smaller, the brown of the
head and nape scarcely lineated, that of the under parts pale,
becoming whitish on the throat ; there are no pale specks on
the wing-coverts, nor any traces of pale streaks on the green
of the back.
The Small Green Barbet is common at Satara, Belgaum, and
on the Sahyadri Range as far north as Khandalla. It has not
been recorded from any other portion of our limits.
GENUS, Xantholaema, Bonap.
Bill still shorter, wider, and less compressed ; wing, with
second quill, long, sub-equal to the next three.
Xantholsema haemacephala, Mull
197. Xantholcema indica, Lath. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 315 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p.
460 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 387 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 116; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 63.
THE CRIMSON-BREASTED BARBET.
Length, 6'3 to 6 5 ; expanse, 1075 to 11 ; wing, 312 to 3'25 ;
tail, 1-4 to 1'5 ; bill at front, 07 ; tarsus, 075.
Bill black ; irides brown ; orbits dull crimson ; feet coral-red ;
claws black.
Green above, the feathers of the back and wing-coverts more
or less margined with yellowish ; beneath, yellowish or greenish-
white, streaked with green ; the whitish predominating on the
CUCULIN^E, , 123
middle of the belly, broad frontal space, and wide pectoral gorget,
glistening crimson ; throat and around the eye pale sulphur-
yellow ; below the crimson gorget is a narrow crescent of
golden-yellow ; a band across the crown, continued round to the
yellow throat, and a moustachial streak black ; a bluish tinge on
the occiput and sides of the neck, where the black passes
gradually into the green of the back, and also on the margins
of the scapulars and tail.
The Crimson-breasted Barbet is very common throughout the
- Deccan, and in most parts of Rajpootana and Central India ; it
is not uncommon in Guzerat, but in Sind it only occurs as a
somewhat rare visitant. In all other places within our limits
it is a permanent resident, breeding from February to the end
of May ; its eggs, three in number, (there is no nest) are de-
posited in a hole pierced in a branch of a tree, generally one
that is decayed and hollow in the centre ; the eggs are dull-
white in color, elongated ovals in shape, and measure 0*99 inches
in length by 0'69 in breadth.
During the breeding season its monotonous note (from which
it gets its name of coppersmith), toolc-took-took, which it utters
from the top of a tree, is heard incessantly from early mornin
till late at night.
Xantholaema malabarica, Blyih.
198. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 317 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 387.
THE CRIMSON-THROATED BARBET.
Length, 6'25 ; wing, 3'2 ; tail, 1'5 ; bill at front, 0'5; tarsus, 07.
Bill black ; irides red-brown ; legs red.
Above darkish-green, the feathers edged pale, light green
beneath ; forehead, arouiidjthe eyes, and chin and throat. crimsrm,
the last margined externally^ with golden-yellow,; occiput black
passing into dull blue, which is the" color of the cheeks, ear-
coverts and sides of the neck.
The Crimson-throated Barbet has been recorded from Savant-
wadi and from the forests west of Belgaum, but it is rare, and
has not been found in any other portion of the region.
FAMILY, Cuculidse.
Bill of moderate size, usually slender, moderately curved and
compressed ; nostrils exposed ; gape wide ; toes long, unequal ; the
outer toe versatile, usually turned back ; tail long and broad,
with ten feathers, eight only in one group.
SUB-FAMILY, Cuculinse.
Bill slender, somewhat broad at the base, convex above, gently
curved at the culmen ; nostrils round, membranous ; wings
pointed ; tail rounded, nearly square, sub-furcate in one group ;
tibial feathers lengthened ; tarsus very short, partly feathered ;
124 CUCULINJE.
feet small ; outer-toe capable of being directed either backwards
or sideways,
GENUS, Cuculus.
Bill rather small, broadish at the base, compressed moderately
beyond, gently curved, and the culmen convex ; tip obsoletely
notched ; nostrils basal, circular, with a raised tumid margin ;
wings long, pointed ; the third quill usually longest, second and
fourth nearly equal ; tail lengthened, rounded ; tarsus very short,
feathered posteriorly, with transverse scutse in front ; feet slender,
short ; feathers of the rump and upper tail-coverts long, thick
set and rigid.
Cuculus canorus, Lin.
199. -Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 322 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 199 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 387 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 116 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 63,
THE CUCKOO.
Length, 14 ; expanse, 26 ; wing, 875 to 9 ; tail, 7 ; tarsus, 0'8 ;
bill at front, 078.
Bill black, yellowish at base beneath, and at gape ; irides
yellow ; orbits deeper yellow ; legs yellow.
Adult : head and upper parts ashy ; throat, underside of neck,
and upper part of breast, pale ashy ; lower part of breast and
belly white, with narrow transverse, undulating black lines ;
quills dusky, with a faint gloss of green ; inner webs barred
with oval white spots or incomplete bars ; the two central
feathers of the tail blackish, dashed with ashy, and tipped white ;
the others black, with white spots on one or both webs, and
the tip white ; under tail-coverts white, with distinct arrow-
shaped markings.
The female has very generally a tawny-brown tinge on the
upper parts ; and the neck and breast of both sexes are often
mingled with rufous, having some dusky-bars.
The young bird is dusky-grey above with white or ferruginous
bars ; beneath white, with the bars close on the neck and breast,
distant and narrower on the abdomen ; irides blue-grey, after-
wards brown ; they vary considerably in this state of plumage.
The European Cuckoo is found throughout the district, but,
excepting the hills, it is nowhere common and only occurs
during the rains and cold weather.
Cuculus poliocephalus, Lath.
201. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 324 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 388.
THE SMALL CUCKOO.
Length, 10 to 10*5 ; wing, 5*85 ; tail, 512 ; tarsus, 0'62 ; bill
at front, 07.
CUCULIN^I. 125
Male : upper plumage ashy, slightly glossed with green on
the back and upper tail-coverts ; quills brown, also with a green
gloss, and numerous close large white spots ; tail deep ashy,
almost black, with large white spots on the middle of each
feather on the edge of the inner webs, and at the tip ; beneath
the chin and throat are pale ashy, with some rusty about the,
breast ; the lower parts white, with rather narrow distant bars ;
under tail-coverts spotless.
Many adults have the upper parts fine rufous-bay, spotless on
the forehead, sides of neck, and rump, but elegantly barred with
dusky across the scapulars, wings and tail, and faintly on the
crown, hind-neck, and interscapulars ; throat, foreneck, and
breast, whitish along the middle, stained with rufous laterally,
and with dark bars more or less distinct ; the rest of the lower
parts broadly barred, as also are the tail-coverts.
The Small Cuckoo has been obtained in various parts of the
Deccan, but is rare ; it has not been recorded from elsewhere
within our district.
Cuculus sonnerati, Lath.
202. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 325 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 388.
THE BANDED BAY CCJCKOO.
Length, 10 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill at front, 07.
Above greenish-dusky, numerously crossed barred with rufous
(which color, indeed, may be said to predominate), except on
the coverts of the primaries; quills dusky-rufous on the
edge of the outer web, pale internally ; tail rufous, with a
broad dusky bar near the end ; the outer webs nearly dusky,
and the tip white, and the inner webs with narrow bars ; the
whole under-parts, from the throat, white, very faintly tinged
with fulvous on the flanks, and marked with numerous narrow
dusky cross bars ; sides of head and neck also white, similarly
barred ; but the ear-coverts are colored like the back, and the
frontal feathers are white at the base, showing conspicuously
just over the bill.
The young are more coarsely barred than adults, with pale
rufescent on a blackish ground, and the breast is white, banded
with dusky, and aged individuals have the back and wings
very faintly barred, the tail with the central feathers nearly all
black, the edges scolloped with rufous, and the outer feathers with
dusky.
The Banded Bay Cuckoo occurs sparingly in various parts of
the Deccan and South Mahratta country, but only as a seasonal
visitant. It does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
Cuculus micropterus, Gould.
203. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 326 ; Butler, Deecan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 388.
12G CUCULIN.E,
*
THE INDIAN CUCKOO.
Length, 12 to 12'5 ; expanse, 23 ; wing, 7'5 ; tail, 575 ; tarsus,
075 ; bill at front, 0'96.
Bill blackish, yellow at the base beneath, and at the gape ; irides
pale dusky, or yellowish-brown ; orbits light wax-yellow ; legs
yellow.
Upper parts darkish-ashy, pure on the head ; throat and breast
grey ; abdomen white, with - broad and tolerably distant dark-
brown bars ; quills brown, the inner webs with wider bars or
spots than those of C. canorus ; tail concolorous with the body,
or brownish-ashy j a broad dark band at the end, narrowly tipped
with white ; in some with a few white spots, successively more
developed on the outer tail-feathers.
In old birds the color above is deep-ashy ; but in those only
once moulted the hue is a bronzed ash-brown, with the head and
neck grey, and some slight traces of rufous on the sides of the
neck and wings. The young are much mottled with blackish and
white, especially on the head, neck, and back ; the quills and tail
have rufous bars and tips ; but they have much less rufous than
the young of 0. canorus, and are much less barred.
The Indian Cuckoo is common along the Sahyadri range and
adjacent forests ; it has been obtained from other parts of the
Deccan and South Mahratta country, and is not uncommon in the
jungles on the Vindhian Range, but Major Butler did not meet
with it in Northern Guzerat, nor has it been recorded from
Sind,
GENUS, Hierococcyx, Muller.
Bill stouter, deeper and wider, than in cuculu s ; wing shorter ;
the fourth quill longest, and the fifth about equal to the second ;
tail nearly even, broad, with distinct dark bars.
Hierococcyx varius, Vahl.
205. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 329 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 205 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 388 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 63.
THE COMMON HAWK CUCKOO.
Length, 13 '4 f expanse, 22*1 ; wing, 7 '5~; tail, 7 ; tarsus, 0'8 ;
ill at front, 0'83 ; bill from gape, 1/2.
Bill black on the culmen and tip, yellow beneath ; orbits
orange-yellow ; irides dull gamboge-yellow ; legs and feet yellow.
Upper parts uniform ash-grey ; the winglet and coverts of the
primaries darker ; foreneck and breast pale rufous, each feather
light grey in the centre ; belly and flanks white, barred with ad-
joining lines of grey and rufous, the white hardly visible exterior-
ly, from the overlapping of the feathers ; thighs, vent, and lower-
coverts, pure white, the first a little barred ; throat grey, and some
white at the base of the bill and sides of the throat ; tail grey,
CUCULINJE. 127
tipped with faint rufous, and finally whitish, having a broad dusky
subterminal band, and five other narrower and undulating zigzag
bands (one near the base) composed of a dusky bar, then a whit-
ish one adjoining, with some traces of rufous ; quills barred
with white on their inner webs for the basal two-thirds of
their length.
The young bird has the upper plumage browner and rufous-
barred ; and the lower parts are whitish, tinged with rusty, and
with longitudinal brown drops. In older birds the spots are longi-
tudinal on the neck and breast, transverse and arrow-shaped on
the abdomen.
With the exception of Sind, the Hawk Cuckoo is generally
spread throughout the district ; but there are parts of the Deccan
where it is absent or only occurs as a somewhat rare straggler.
GENUS, Cacomantis, Mailer.
Of small size ; plumage variable, grey or dusky above ; lower
plumage not barred in the normal adult state ; the tarsi less
plumed externally than in cuculus.
Cacomantis passerinus, Vahl
208. Polyphasia nigra, apud Blyth. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 333; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 461 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 388.
THE INDIAN PLAINTIVE CUCKOO.
Length, 9 ; expanse, 14 ; wing, 4'5 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill
at front, O6.
Bill blackish, red at base and gape ; irides rusty-red ; feet red-
dish-yellow.
Adult, uniform dark -ashy above, with more or less of a green
gloss ; beneath pale ashy ; vent and under tail-coverts pure
white ; quills dusky, with a broad white band on the inner web of
each feather ; tail blackish ; the inner webs banded with white
(except the middle pair), and all tipped white.
A common phase of this species in South India is dusky-cine-
reous, almost blackish above, with a greenish gloss beneath the
same, but less glossed ; tail as in the last, but darker and with
fewer white spots.
The younger state of this phase is glossy dark-cinereous only
on the back and wings, the head and rump being ashy ; chin
and throat cinereous ; breast darker cinereous, banded with rufous
and white ; belly pale cinereous, faintly marked with pale rufous
and white ; under tail-coverts white ; tail as in the last.
In some states of plumage all the upper parts are - bright
rufous, with dusky bars ; the primaries dusky brown with rufous
edges ; the tail rufous, all the outer feathers having dark bars
and a broader subterminal one, with a white spot at the tip ;
throat, neck and breast, pale rufous, with dusky bars ; and the
128 CUCULIN.E.
belly, flanks, and tail-coverts white, also with dusky cross bars
tibial feathers rufous barred.
In a more advanced state of the same plumage the bars on
the head and rump disappear, and those that remain have a
green gloss upon them.
Not uncommon during the rains in many parts of the Deccan,
and at Mount Aboo ; it probably also occurs at and near Mfrbw ;
it has never been recorded from Sind, Cutch, Kattiawar, or Jodh-
pore.
GENUS, Surniculus, Lesson.
Tail even or forked, with the two outermost feathers short, the
penultimate being slightly the longest, and each lateral half
of the tail curling outward towards the tip as in the -Drongos ;
otherwise as in the last ; plumage black.
Surniculus lugubris, Horsf.
210. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 336.
THE DRONGO OR FORK-TAILED CUCKOO.
Length, 10 ; wing, 5'5 ; tail 375 ; outermost tail feathers, T25
inches less than the penultimate, which is the longest ; middle
pair 05 inch shorter.
Bill black ; palate red ; irides red brown ; legs and feet dusky
reddish.
Black, with a changeable blue and green gloss, brightest above ;
the head sub-crested, and generally two or three white feathers
in the centre of the occiput ; tibial and tarsal feathers partially
white ; some white specks on the wing-coverts, and on the upper
tail-coverts occasionally ; lower tail-coverts marked with white ;
outermost primary with a round white spot, and all the others
with an oblique white mark, causing an oblique streak of white
on the inner surface of the wings ; outermost tail-feathers
obliquely barred or spotted with white.
The young birds are spotted with white on the head, wing-
coverts, and lower surface ; and the tail has also more white
spots.
According to Jerdon, the Drongo or Tork-tailed Cuckoo occurs
sparingly in Central India.
GENUS, Chrysococcyx, Boie.
Bill as in cuculus, but a little more depressed at the base,
and quite entire at tip ; wings pointed ; second quill longer than
the fourth; third nearly as long; the feathers of the rump and
upper tail-coverts soft ; and tarsi very short and much plumed.
Chrysococcyx maculatus, Gm.
211. C. hodgsoni, Moore. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p.
338.
CUCULIN^.
g THE EMEEALD CUCKOO.
Length, 6'5 to 7; wing, 4'25 ; tail, 3; tarsus, 0*5; bill at
front, 0'6.
Bill yellow, tipped dusky ; irides red brown ; feet reddish
cinereous.
Above brilliant emerald-green with a rich golden gloss; beneath
white with cross bars of shining green ; tail, with the outer
feathers barred with white externally.
Jerdon in his " Birds of India " states that this lovely Cuckoo
. has been procured rarely in Central India.
GENUS, Coccystes, Goger.
Head crested ; bill slender and cuculine, but more compressed,
slightly curving at first, suddenly bent down at the tip which
is entire; nostrils basal, lengthened and ovate, close to edge of
mandible ; wings moderate, slightly rounded ; third and fourth
quills sub-equal, or fourth quill longest; tail long graduated*
tarsus longer than in cucwlus, not feathered ; feathers of the
r ump soft.
Coccystes jacobinus, Bodd.
212. Coecystes melanoleucos, Gmel. Jerdon's Birds of India,,
Vol. I, p. 339 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 461; Peccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 388 ; Murray's
i Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 117 ; Swinhoe and Barnes,
Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 63.
THE PIED-CRESTED CUCKOO.
Popiya, Hin.
6 Length,. 13 ; expanse, 17*5 ^ wing, 575 ; tail, 7 ; tarsus, 0'98 ;
bill at front, 075 ; bill at gape, I'l.
Bill black ; irides red-brown ; legs leaden-blue.
Above, uniform black, with a greenish shine ; bases of the
primaries white, forming a conspicuous wing-spot ; all the tail-
feathers tipped white, broadly, except the central pair, which
are very narrowly tipped ; under -parts dull white ; in some,
especially the females, slightly tinged with fulvescent.
The nestling plumage is dull black above, and fulvous be-
neath.
The Pied-crested Cuckoo occurs as a monsoon visitant through-
out the .district, but is much more common in some places
than others ; for instance, at Mhow it literally swarms during
the rains, while at Neemuch it only occurs. as a straggler.
Its eggs resemble somewhat those of 0. caudata, in whose
nests, as well as in those of M. terricolor and malcolmi, they
are generally deposited, but may be distinguished from the
former by their somewhat larger size and rounder shape, and
from those of the latter by being slightly smaller as well as
rounder.
130 CUCULIN.E.
They are deep sky-blue in color, and measure 0'94 inches
in length by 073 in breadth.
Coccystes coromandus, Lin.
213. -Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 341 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 389.
THE RED-WINGED CHESTED CUCKOO.
Length, 14'5 to 15'5 ; expanse, 18 to 19 ; wing, 6'25 to 6*5 ;
tail, 8-5 to 9-8 ; tarsus, 0'8 to T08 ; bill at front, 1 ; bill from
gape, 1-3.
Bill black; inside of mouth fleshy; irides hazel to red-
brown ; feet leaden or plumbeous.
Upper parts with the tertiaries black, glossed with green,
paler on the tertiaries, and less glossed on the head ; a con-
spicuous half collar of white encircles the nape ; wings deep
ferruginous, with the tips of the primaries and secondaries
dusky ; under parts white, a little tinged with fulvous, except
the lower tail-coverts, which are green-black, and the throat
and foreneck, which are deep ochreous fulvous in some ; in
others, light fulvous.
Mr. Vidal obtained a specimen at Savantwadi ; this is the
only recorded instance of its occurrence within our limits.
GENUS, Eudynamis, Vig. & Horsf.
Bill strong, thick, vertically deep, much curved at tip, and
hooked ; the lower mandible nearly straight ; gonys slightly
undulated upwards ; nostrils long, oval ; wings with the fourth
quill longest ; tail lengthened, rounded ; rump and upper tail-
feathers soft ; tarsus strong, not feathered below . the joint,
flattened in front.
Eudynamis honorata, Lin.
214. Eudynamis orientalis, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 342 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
*i "?>1 P- 461 J Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 389 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 117 ; Swinhoe and Barnes,
Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 63.
THE INDIAN KOEL. THE BLACK CUCKOO.
Rod, Hin.
<?. Length, 15'5 ; expanse, 23; wing, 7'5 ; tail, 7*5; tarsus,
1-12; bill at front, 1.
5. Length, 17'5 ; wing, 8; tail, 8.
Bill pale greenish ; inside of mouth reddish ; irides crimson ;
legs slaty-blue.
Male, glossy greenish-black throughout.
Female, glossy dusky-green, spotted with white above ; wings
and tail banded white ; beneath white, with black spots, longi-
, tudinal on the throat and neck, somewhat heart-shaped
PHCENICOPHAINJS. 131
or arrow-shaped on the breast, and transverse on the abdomen,
thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts.
The young female has the white spots and marks much tinged
with rufous ; and the young male has a good deal of white on
his plumage.
The Indian Koel is very common throughout the district,
excepting Sind, where it appears to be somewhat rare. Some
of them at least are permanent residents, but during the breed-
ing season they are everywhere more common; at this season,
too, they are excessively noisy, so much so as to become a
positive nuisance. They lay their eggs in nests of the common
crow, sometimes a single egg only, but as often as not two
will be found, and I have on two occasions found three Koel
eggs in a single nest. I much doubt whether the Koel de-
stroys the crow eggs before depositing her own, as I have always
found them intact ; they may do so in other districts, but my
experience is a wide one, extending through Guzerat, Raj-
pootana, Central India, Sind, and the Deccan.
The eggs vary surprisingly in color ; pale sea-green, dingy
stone-color, and olive-green and brown, are all met with; the
markings also are diversified ; specks, spots, streaks and clouds
of olive and reddish-brown and dull purple are all represented.
The eggs measure about 1*19 inches in length by 0'92 in
breadth. The bird has not inaptly been named the Brain Fever
Bird by some waggish godfather.
SUB-FAMILY, Phoenicophainss.
Bill moderate or longish, ridge curved ; orbital region gene-
rally naked ; wings short ; tail long, graduated.
GENUS, Rhopodytes.
( Zanclostomus).
Bill much compressed throughout, curved both at^the culmen
and lower mandible: nostrils basal, oval, pierced in a slight
depression in the horny substance ; wing short, rounded, with
the fourth, fifth and sixth quills nearly equal and longest ; tail
much lengthened, graduated ; tarsus moderate or longish ; hallux
very short ; claws well curved, sharp.
Rhopodytes viridirostris, Jerd.
216. Zanclostomus viridirostris. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 346; Butler, Deccan; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 389.
THE SMALL GREEN-BILLED MALKOHA.
Length, 15 ; wings, 5 '2 5 ; tail, 10 ; tarsus, T3 ; bill at front, 1.
Bill bright apple green ; naked skin around the eyes cobalt-
blue ; irides blood-red ; legs blackish green.
Above, dusky cinereous, with a tinge of glossy green ; wings
132 CENTROPODIN.E.
and tail glossy green-black, the latter tipped with white p
beneath light greyish, with a tinge of fawn color mixed with
blackish on the chin and throat.
. The Small Green-billed Malkoha is not uncommon .at Belgaum
and Ratnagiri, where it is a permanent resident I know of
no record of its occurrence elsewhere within our limits.
SUB-FAMILY, Centropodinse.
Bill strong, deep, compressed; wings rather short, rounded;
tarsus long; feet fitted for walking; hallux lengthened in some,
and with the nail straight, in others short and more curved.
GENUS, Centropus, Illiger.
Bill strong, of moderate length, well curved, high at the
base, entire at the tip ; nostrils lateral, basal half covered with
a scale ; wings rounded ; tail elongate, graduate, very broad ;
tarsus long ; feet larger ; hallux long ; claws of the hallux
generally lengthened, somewhat straight.
Centropus rufipennis, Illiger.
217. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 349; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. 11^, p. 461; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 389 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 64.
THE CROW 'PHEASANT.
THE COMMON COUCAL.
Mahoka, Hin.
Length, 19 ; extent, 23 ; wing, 7'25 ; tail, 10 ; tarsus, 2 ; bill
at front, 1'3.
Bill black ; iyides crimson ; legs black.
Whole head, neck, lower back, upper tail-coverts and all the
under parts, richly empurpled black ; tail glossed with green ;
upper part of the back and wings bright deep rufous bay. ;
The young vary very much ; some (females) are barred through-
out with rufous and blackish above, and with dusky and whitish
.beneath; tail barred with pale grey bands; wings also prettily
banded.
Others (young males) resemble the adult, but the colors
are more dull.
With the exception of . Sind, the Crow Pheasant is common
throughout our limits. It- is a permanent resident, breeding
during the monsoon. They build large, globular-shaped, domed
nests, in the centre of thick, thorny bushes or trees ; the
eggs, three in number, are broadish regular ovals, coarse and
chalky in texture, of a dull white color, and average 1'44 in
'length by 116 in breadth.
They are subject to great variation in size ; eggs of the same
clutch even differ. -
CENTROPODIN^E, 133
Centropus maximus, Hume.
2l7quint. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 118.
THE LARGE CROW PHEASANT.
Length, 19 to 20; wing, 9 to 10; tail, 10 to 10'5 ; bill at
front, 1-25.
Bill black ; irides crimson ; legs black.
Head, neck, lower back, upper tail-coverts and entire under
parts richly empurpled black, duller towards the vent ; feathers
of the forehead bristly, and those on the neck and breast with
spiny shafts ; tail dusky-black, with a greenish gloss ; wings deep
rufous-bay or dark red.
Only found within our limits, in the Sind district ; its habits
are similar to those of G. rufipennis.
Centropus bengalensis, Gm.
218. G. viridis, Scop.- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 350.
THE LESSER INDIAN COUCAL.
Length, 15 ; wing, 6*5 ; tail, 8 ; tarsus, T5 ; bill at front, 1.
Bill black ; irides red ; legs plumbeous,
Adult. Head, hind-neck, upper tail-coverts, tail, and beneath,
glossy green black ; wings and back rufous, or chesnut, infus-*
cated at the tips of the wings, and often more or less so on the
back, scapulars and tertiaries ; tail-coverts much elongated.
Young birds are pale rufous above with broadish black bands,
the rufous forming narrow bands on the upper tail-coverts and
tail, and the black, narrow bands on the back and wings ; the
head and neck are streaked longitudinally, the feathers being
dusky with a pale rufous centre ; under-parts flavescent whitish,
with only a few dusky specks and rays ; bill pale yellow-horny.
In another state, in the adult female, the general color is
light rufous, more or less infuscated above, dingy yellowish-white
below ; the spinous shafts to the feathers of , the head, neck,
wing-coverts, and breast yellowish-white and showing conspi-
cuously, being set off with blackish, which brings out the
contrasts, and the feathers are more or less barred transversely/-
expecially the scapulars, back, and the long upper tail-coverts.
In a further stage the feathers are black with yellowish-white'
shafts on the head, back, wing-coverts and breast, to a greater
or lesser extent ; and to this the fully adult plumage appears
to succeed.
Dr. Jerdon remarks that " the Small Indian Ooucal is a ;
somewhat rare bird, but spreads more or less through most parts
of India," and that he has had it from Central India,
GENUS, Taccocua, Lesson.
Bill short or of a moderate length, much compressed, the
culmen regularly arching ; commissure and gonys straight or
CENTROPODIN^I.
slightly concave ; nostrils basal, in a slight depression near the
gape, with a tuft of bristly feathers bordering their upper
edge ; wings rounded ; third and fourth quills nearly equal and
longest; tail long, graduated; tarsus high; feet adapted for
walking, of moderate size ; the hallux short ; claws short and
moderately curved.
Taccocua leschenaulti, Less.
219. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 352 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 389 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 64.
THE SOUTHERN SIRKEEH.
Jungli Totah, Hin.
Length, 15 to 15'5 ; wing, 5-5 to 575 ; tail, 8.
Bill cherry-red, yellowish at the tip ; irides reddish-brown ; feet
plumbeous.
Above, pale earthy-brown ; head inclining to ashy ; throat
^\ \ whitish ; foreneck and breast ashy, tinged with ferruginous ; belly
i^i dark ferruginous, there being a marked distinction between the
two colors ; feathers of the head, neck, and breast, with the shafts,
black and glistening ; upper tail-coverts long ; lateral tail-feathers
dark brown, broadly tipped with white.
The Southern Sirkeer occurs sparingly in the Deccan, and at
Mhow, Central India, and again in Neemuch, R-ajpootana ; its
place in other portions of our district being occupied by T. sirkee.
It is a permanent resident and breeds in a similar manner to
C. rufipennis.
Taccocua sirkee, Gray.
220. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 353 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 461 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 118.
THE BENGAL SIRKEER.
Length, 17 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 9'5.
Above, pale satin-brown ; beneath ashy-brown on the foreneck
and breast, tinged with ferruginous, and passing gradually into
the ferruginous of the belly, flanks and tibia! plumes ; this hue is
darker here than in the last, and browner about the vent and
under tail-coverts ; feathers of the head and neck also black
shafted.
The Bengal Sirkeer is not uncommon in Northern Guzerat and
Sind } its habits much resemble those of the last.
TRIBE, Tenuirostris.
Bill, in most, slender and long, often curved ; in a few short and
thick ; wings moderate or long.
FAMILY, Nectarinidse.
Bill of various length, generally long, more or less curved, gene-
NECTARININ^E. 135
rally entire ; nostrils basal, usually nearly covered by a scale ;
wings moderate, more or less rounded ; nine or ten primaries, third
and fourth longest ; wing-coverts short ; tarsus moderate ; hind^
claw equal to, or scarcely longer than, that of the middle-toe,
SUBFAMILY, Nectarininse.
Bill curved, base broad; nostril small; tail long; outer-toe
longer than inner.
GENUS, Arachnothera, Tern.
Bill very long, moderately curved ; base broad, and somewhat
three-sided ; tip entire ; nostrils small, oval, completely covered by
a membrane, which only opens by a lateral slit ; wings long ; third
and fourth quill longest ; tail short, broad, even ; legs large and
strong ; lateral toes slightly unequal ; hind-toe and claw large.
Arachnothera longirostra, Lath.
224. A pmilla, Blyth. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 361 ;
Butler, Deccan; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 389.
THE LITTLE SPIDER-HUNTER,
Length, 575; wing, 2'5 ; tail, T5; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill at front,
1'5.
Bill dusky ; irides brown ; legs plumbeous-brown.
Above, olive-green, more or less fulvescent ; the crown darker,
with scale-like feathers, merely green-edged ; a dark streak from
the base of the upper mandible ; chin and throat white ; rest of
the under parts dull greenish-albescent, passing into bright palQ
yellow on the belly ; tail-feathers slightly tipped with whitish,
chiefly on their inner webs, forming a spot most distinct out*
wardly.
The Little Spider-hunter is very rare ; it has been obtained in
the forests west of Belgaum, but does not occur elsewhere within
our limits.
GENUS, JEthopyga, Cabanis,
Bill of moderate length and curvature ; tail graduated, with
the central tail-feathers much elongated.
.ffithopyga vigorsi, Sylces.
226. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 363 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 390.
THE VIOLET-EARED BED HONEY SUCKER.
Male. Length, 5'5 ; tail, 2*5.
Female. Length, 5 ; tail, 1.
Bill black ; irides brown.
Head metallic green ; nape, neck above, shoulders, and scapu-
lars, deep sanguineous ; lower part of back sulphur-yellow ; upper
tail-coverts, middle tail-feathers, and outer webs of all the others
136 NECTARININ^.
(except the outermost pair), metallic-green ; throat, neck, and
breast, scarlet ; a stripe on each side from the chin to the breast,
shining violet ; ear-spot also violet ; wings, lateral tail-feathers,
sides of the lower part of the back, and a band below the breast,
dusky ; abdomen grey.
The female is greenish-olive above; wings and tail darker,
lighter beneath.
The Violet-eared Red Honey Sucker only occurs within our
limits on the Sahyadri Range and in the adjacent forests as far
north as Khandalla, where it is a not uncommon permanent
resident.
GENUS, Leptocoma (CINNYRIS) Cabanis.
Tail square or nearly so ; bill moderately curved, most of
small size.
Cinnyris zeylonica, Lin.
232. Leptocoma zeylonica, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 368 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 390.
THE AMETHYST-BUMPED HONEY SUCKER.
Length, 4'5 ; wing, 2'2 ; tail, 1'5 ; bill in front, 0'63.
Irides bright ruby-red ; bill and legs black.
Head above and angle of the wing jbright metallic glossy-green ;
back, scapulars and wing-coverts, deep maroon-red ; wings dusky-
brown, the quill edged with cinnamon-brown ; tail black ; throat,
neck, rump, and upper tail-coverts fine metallic amethystine -pur-
ple ; the rest of the body beneath yellow, divided from the
amethyst of the neck by a narrow maroon bar.
The female is dull green above, with a slight tinge of rufous ;
the quills edged with pale brown ; the tail dusky-black ; under
parts pale yellow, albescent on throat and foreneck.
Young males resemble the females, but have the throat more
yellow.
The Amethyst-rumped Honey Sucker is a permanent resident
in the Deccan, where it is not uncommon ; it does not occur else-
where within our region.
Cinnyris minima, SyJses.
233. Leptocoma minima, Sykes. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 369 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 380.
THE TINY HONEY SUCKER.
Length, 3*5 to 3'75 ; expanse, 5'25 to 575 ; wing, 1-8 ; tail, 1 to
1-2 ; tarsus, 0'5 ; bill at front, 0'65.
Head and nape fine metallic-green ; back, scapulars, and wing-
coverts, rich bright sanguine-red ; rump the same, but with a fine
violet or amethystine gloss ; wings and tail dusky-brown ; throat
'and neck fine amethystine ; the rest of the lower parts yellow.
The female is olive brown above, with a red rump, and pale
beneath, - -
NEOTARININ.E. 137
'Major Butler says : " Permanent resident on the Ghats. Com-
mon, as a rule, all along the Sahyadri Range from Goa to Khandalla,
extending often to the adjacent forests." He also obtained a
specimen or two at Belgaum, where, however, it is only a rare
seasonal visitant.
It has not been recorded from elsewhere within our limits,
Cinnyris asiatica, Lath.
234. Arachnechthra asiatica, Lath. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 370 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 390 ;
Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 462 ; Murray's Vertebrate *
Zoology of Sind, p. 119 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 64.
THE PURPLE HONEY SUCKER.
Length, 4'5 ; wing, 2'3 ; tail, To ; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill at front,
075.
Bill and legs black ; irides red-brown. In summer, breeding
plumage this species has the whole head, neck, throat, breast, and
back glossy green-purple ; the abdomen purplish-black ; wings
and tail dull black, the latter faintly white-tipped; a tuft of
crimson and yellow feathers at the axillse of the wings.
After breeding, the fine purple garb is doffed, all except a long
stripe from the chin to the vent.
The young bird has the upper parts dull olive-green ; beneath
bright yellow ; shoulders and central stripe beneath brilliant
glossy-violet ; wings and tail dusky or black.
< The female is greenish brown-grey above, greenish-yellow
beneath, deepest on the throat and breast, and lighter on the vent
and under tail-coverts ; quills dusky ; tail black*
The Purple Honey Sucker is very common throughout the region
and is a permanent resident.
It breeds from March to September, but most nests are found
in April and May ; the nest is pendant, and resembles a florence-
flask in shape ; it is attached to a twig, and all sorts of material
are made use of in its construction, fine grass, lichens, cobwebs,
pieces of straw, dead flowers, and leaves, &c. The entrance is
high up on one side, and has a projection or canopy over it to
keep out the rain,
The eggs, two or three in number, are dingy little ovals, of a
whitish ground color, thickly speckled with brown and greyish-
brown. They measure 0'64 in length by about 0'46 in breadth.
Cinnyrisjotenja, Lin.
205. Arachnecthra lotenia, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
: p. 372 ; Butler, Deccan Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 390.
THE^ LARGE PURPLE HONEY SUCKER.
Length, 5'^ffwmg, 2 '3 ; tail, 1'6 ; tarsus, 0*6 ; bill at front, 1.
Bill and legs black ; irides dark brown.
138
Above, brilliantly glossed with metallic green and purple;
abdomen dull brownish-black ; axillary tuft yellow and red ; wings
and tail black, the latter slightly glossed purple ; throat and breast
rich purple ; a narrow bright maroon collar separates the purple of
the breast from the back of the abdomen.
Within our limits, the Large Purple Honey Sucker only occurs
on the Western Ghats and in the adjacent forests, also in the
forests west of Belgaum and perhaps in the Konkan, but it is no-
where common.
SUB-FAMILY, Dicseinaa.
Bill short, usually depressed at the base, thick in some ; tail
short ; wings rather long, of very small size.
GENUS, Dicseum, Cuvier.
Bill short, broad at the base, suddenly compressed beyond, tip
entire, culmen curved ; nostrils triangular ; wings lengthened, with
nine primaries, the first three are about equal, the second slightly
the longest ; tail short, even ; feet with the lateral toes unequal,
the outer-toe a good deal syndactyle.
Dicseum erythrorhynchus, Lath.
238. D. minimum, Tickel. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 374 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 390.
TICKELL'S FLOWER-PECKER.
Length, 3'12 ; wing, 175 ; tail, 88 ; tarsus, 0'66 ; bill at front,
0-38.
Bill pale-fleshy ; tip dusky ; irides brown ; legs leaden-brown.
Above ashy-olive, paler and fulvescent beneath ; wings and
tail darker.
Tickell's Flower-pecker is locally common in many parts of
the Deccan. At Belgaum, where it is very common, it breeds in the
hot weather. It occurs along the Sahyadri Kange as far north as
Mahableshwar and has been procured at Ratnagiri. It has not
been recorded from any other portion of our limits.
Dicseum concolor, Jerdon.
239. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 375 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 391.
THE NEILGHERRY FLOWER-PECKER.
Length, 4'2 ; wing, 21 ; tail, 1*1 ; tarsus, 0*5 ; bill at front,
0-4.
Bill dusky-brown ; irides dark brown ; legs cinereous-brown.
Above brownish-olive ; beneath greenish-white ; wings and
tail brown ; sexes alike.
Occurs in the same localities as the last, but is somewhat
rare.
CERTHIJLE. 139
GENUS, Piprisomse, Blyth.
Bill short and sub-conical, acutely triangular as viewed from
above ; ridge of the upper mandible angulated, and that of the
lower slightly so ; both of them curved, the lower one perhaps
most ; tip of the upper over-hanging the lower mandible ; nostrils
almost closed by the nasal membrane ; gape unarmed ; feet rather
small ; tarsus equal to the middle-toe ; outer-toe syndactyle ;
claws moderately hooked ; wings long, reaching to the end of
tail ; tail short, even.
Piprisoma agile, TicMl.
240. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 376 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 391.
THE THICK-BILLED FLOWER-PECKER.
Length, 4 ; wing, 2'25 ; tail, 1'2 ; tarsus, 0'5.
Bill and legs leaden ; irides orange-yellow.
Above dull olive-ashy, greenish on the rump and upper tail-
coverts ; wing and tail brownish, the former edged green and
the tail slightly edged at tip with whitish, which forms a terminal
spot on the inner web of the outermost feathers; beneath
dirty greenish-white, with a few faint strise on the throat, fore-
neck, and flanks.
Occurs in the same localities as the last, but as a rule is not
very common.
SUB-FAMILY, Certhinse.
Bill generally curved, of moderate length, or rather long,
slender; wings moderate or long, ample, rounded, of ten
primaries, the first short; wing-coverts short; tail longish in
most and with the feathers often stiff and pointed, short in some ;
toes long and slender, outer-toe longer than the inner, much
syndactile ; inner-toe slightly so ; hind-toe very long, and its
claw longer than the middle one^; claws long, compressed, and
curved and all the toes very mobile.
GENUS, Salpornis, Oray.
Bill long, curved, broadish at base, much compressed beyond
the nostrils ; wings reaching to the end of the short tail, pointed ;
first primary very short, second nearly as long as third and fourth,
which are equal and longest ; tail short, even, soft and flexible.
Salpornis spilonota, Franklin.
246. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 382; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 462.
THE SPOTTED-GREY CREEPER.
Length, 575 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 17 ; tarsus, T6 ; bill at front, 1.
Above fuscous-grey, white-spotted, with narrow white streaks
140 SITTING.
on the head ; throat and abdomen whitish, the latter barred with
.dusky ; tail banded and fuscous.
The Spotted-grey Creeper has been obtained at Mount Aboo,;
it has not been recorded from any other portion of our limits,
SUB-FAMILY, Sittinae.
Bill of moderate length, nearly straight, stout, compressed at
the tip ; wings moderate ; tail short, even ; toes long and slender ;
outer- toe longest, syndactyle.
GENUS, Sitta, Lin.
Bill moderate, straight, wedge-shaped; tip entire, -barely ; de r
flexed ; nostrils basal, rounded, covered by setaceous tufts ; wings
rather long, first quill short, fourth and fifth equal and longest ;
tail short, ev^n, soft ; feet short, strong ; the inner-toe very
short ; outer nearly equal to the middle one, all 'cleft to the
base ; hind-toe long, equal to the tarsus ; claws strong, broad and
well curved.
Sitta castaneiventris, Franklin.
250. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 386.
THE CHESNUT-BELLIED NUTHATCH.
Length, 5'5 ; wing, 3'1 ; tail, 17 ; bill at front, 0'68.
Bill horny-black ; irides brown ; legs plumbeous.
Above greyish-plumbeous, lightest on the head and nape ;
stripe from the gape, through the eyes, to the nape, black ;
quills, with the inner webs of the feathers, black ; throat and
face white; breast and under tail-coverts, with the abdomen,
deep chesnut bay in the male, dark cinnamon color in the
female; the tail has the two central feathers grey, the rest
blackish; the outermost three on each side with large white
spots on the inner webs near the tip ; the outermost of all has
also a spot on the outer web near the base ; the two next the
uropygials are grey at the tip and on the outer web.
The Chesnut-bellied Nuthatch occurs in most of the jungles of
Central India ; it is much more common on the Yindhian Range.
GENUS, Dendrophila, Swainson.
General structure of Sitta ; nostrils large, oval, open, nearly
<naked, with a very few incumbent hairs ; base of bill widened ;
tip -of the culmen slightly inclined downwards ; tha foot typical,
with the hind-toe, if anything, larger.
Dendrophila frontalis, Horsf.
253. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 388; Butler, Beccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 391.
THE VELVET-FRONTED BLUE NUTHATCH.
Length, 5 ; extent, 8'5 ; wing, 3 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; tail, T5.
UPUPIN.E. 141
Bill bright coral-red ; orbitar skin lemon -yellow ; hides light
straw-yellow ; legs sienna-yellow.
Above fine coerulean-blue, with a tinge of lilac on the head ;
forehead deep velvety-black ; quills and lateral feathers blackish,
the former more or less edged with blue, the latter tipped with
white ; beneath, delicate lilac-brownish, darkest on the vent
and under tail-coverts, and reddish on the flanks ; chin and
throat white. The male, even in nestling plumage, is distin-
guished by having a black sincipital streak.
The Velvet-fronted Nuthatch occurs on the Sahyadri Range
and in the adjacent forests ; it has been found in the jungles
west of Belgaum, Savantwadi, and along the Goa frontier ; it is
very rare, and has not been obtained in any other portion of our
limits.
FAMILY, Upupidse.
Bill long and slender, slightly curved throughout ; the tip
acute and entire ; nostrils small ; wings rounded ; tail moderate
or long, even or rounded ; tarsi short and stout ; outer toe syndac-
tyle at the base ; toes and claws strong.
SUB-FAMILY, Upupinse.
Tail with ten feathers ; wings long ; bill keeled at the base ;
head with a large erectile crest.
GENUS, Upupa, Lin.
Bill very long, moderately curved, compressed ; gape wide ;
head with a large crest ; nostrils round, slightly removed from
'the base, destitute of any membrane; wings long, with fourth
quill longest ; tail even, broad, of ten feathers ; tarsus moderate,
with transverse scutse in front, reticulate posteriorly ; claws short,
that of hallux longer, somewhat straight.
Upupa epops, Lin.
254. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 390 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 462 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, VoL
IX, p. 391; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 120;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 64.
T^ EUROPEAN HOOPOE.
Length, 12 to 12'5 ; wing, 5'5 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 0*8 ; bill at front,
175 to 2.
Bill black, reddish at base ; irides red-brown ; legs brownish-
black.
Head, with the feathers of the crest, pale cinnamon-rufous,
tipped with black, and with a white space between the black
and rufous on the median and posterior feathers ; hind-neck,
Asides of neck, interscapulars, and shoulders of the wings, pale
fawn, passing into brownish-ashy ; the middle of the back banded
white and black ; the upper tail-eoverts white at the base, ended
142 LANIAN.E.
with black ; wings black ; the coverts black, with two large
white bars ; the primary quills with a white spot or bar near the
tip, on the first on the inner web only, on the others upon both
webs ; the secondaries and tertiaries with three, and finally four,
white bands ; tail with a broad white oblique band, about the
middle ; beneath the chin whitish ; the throat and breast pale
rufous-fawn, ashy on the sides of the breast ; abdomen white,
with black streaks and dashes ; under tail-coverts white.
The European Hoopoe is a common cold weather visitant,
throughout our limits.
Upupa ceylonensis, Reich.
255. Upupa nigripennis, Gould. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 392 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Fathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 462 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 391.
THE INDIAN HOOPOE.
Length, 10'5 ; expanse, 18 ; wing, 5 to 5 '5 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 0'87 ;
bill at front, T8.
Bill blackish, paler at base ; irides brown ; legs dusky-plum-
beous.
Very similar to the last, but smaller, and distinguished by
the generally darker hue of the rufous of the head and crest,
and there is no white on the crest, the white wing-bands being
also smaller and less conspicuous ; the hind-neck and inter-
scapulars are deeper rufous, inclining to brown and less to ashy ;
the rump is dusky-black, with a downy- white ending to the fea-
thers ; the chin is rufous, and this color extends along the abdomen
to the vent with only a few dusky streaks on the lower abdomen ;
vent and under tail-coverts white.
With the exception of Sind, the Indian Hoopoe is a not
uncommon permanent resident throughout the district.
They nest from February to May, in holes in trees, banks, or
walls under the rafters of houses, and such like places ; the eggs
are five or six in number, and are of a pale greyish-blue color, some-
times olive-brown or dingy olive-green and intermediate shades ;
in shape, they are lengthened ovals, occasionally pointed at both
'ends. They measure 0'97 inches in length by 0*66 in breadth,
FAMILY, Laniadse.
Bill strong or of moderate length, notched or toothed at the
tip ; gape rather wide with rictal bristles ; tarsus short, strong,
usually with large scutse in front and on the toes.
SUB-FAMILY, Lanianae.
Bill strong, deep, more or less abruptly hooked, and the tip
strongly notched; wings moderate; tail moderate or long;
tarsus rather short, stout ; feet short, strong ; lateral toes nearly
equal; middle-toe short; claws sharp.
LANIAN^S. 143
GENUS, Lanius, Lin. (in part)
Bill short, strongly hooked and toothed, much compressed 5
rictal bristles numerous, rather weak ; wings moderate ; third and
fourth quills about equal and longest ; tail somewhat long,
graduated ; tarsus short ; feet short, but strong.
Lanius lahtora, Sykes.
256. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 400 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 462 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 39 1 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 120 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 64.
THE INDIAN GREY SHRIKE.
Dudeya Latora and Sufaid Latora, Hin.
Length, 9'5 to 10 ; wing, 4'25 ; tarsus, M2 ; bill at front, 0'62.
Bill black ; irides hazel-brown ; legs brown-black.
Pale blue-grey ; a very narrow frontal streak, continued
through the eyes to the nape ; the wings and middle tail-feathers
black ; a large band on the wings, formed by a broad band
occupying two-thirds of all the primaries, and the outer webs and
tips of the secondaries ; the margins of the scapulars, the two
external tail-feathers on each side, and the tips of the two follow-
ing white ; also all the lower plumage.
The Indian Grey Shrike is generally distributed throughout the
province, but is less common perhaps in the more hilly districts.
It is a permanent resident and breeds from February to July,
but most nests are found in March, April and May. The nest
is large, compact and cup-shaped, and is composed of twigs, coarse
grass, pieces of rag, &c., lined with finer grass roots. It is general-
ly placed in the centre of a dense thorny bush or small tree.
The eggs, generally four in number, occasionally five, are broad
ovals, pointed at one end, of a delicate greenish-white color, spot-
ted and blotched with yellowish, reddish, or purplish brown. The
markings are more numerous at the larger end, sometimes form-
ing a zone or cap* They measure about an inch in length by
079 in breadth.
Lanius erythronotus. Via.
257. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 402 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 463 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 392 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 121 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis 1885, p. 64.
THE RUFOUS-BACKED SHRIKE.
Mattiya Latora, Hin.
Length, 10 ; wing, 3'5 to 375 ; tail, 4'5 to 5 ; tarsus, 112.
Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs black.
Head above, and nape, and upper part of back, pure ashy ; narrow
frontaPstreak, continued through the eyes to the end 01 the ear-
coverts, black ; scapulars, lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts
144 LANIAN.E.
ferruginous ; wing black ; edge of the wing, and a small spot
near the base of the primaries, white ; tail, with the four
central feathers, black, the outer feathers reddish-cineraceous,
edged and tipped paler or whitish ; beneath white, ferruginous
on the flanks and under tail-coverts.
The Rufous-backed Shrike is common throughout the district,
and is a permanent resident, breeding from May to August, but
occasionally nests are found much earlier; they are generally
built in babool trees, and are compact, deep, cup-shaped
structures, composed of the same materials as the last.
The eggs, from four to six in number, are miniatures of
those of L. lahtora. They measure 0'92 inches in length by
071 in breadth.
Lanius nigriceps, Franklin.
259. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 404.
THE BLACK-HEADED SHRIKE.
Length, 9'2 to 1 "3 ; expanse, 11 to 12; wing, 3 '6 to 375 ;
tail, 475 to 5*25 ; tarsus, 1/16 ; bill from gape, 1 ; bill at front,
0-65.
Bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs brown-black.
Head above, nape, wings and tail, black ; upper part of back
ashy ; lower back, scapulars, rump and upper tail-coverts, rufous ;
beneath the throat, breast and middle of the abdomen white ;
sides of abdomen, vent, and lower tail-coverts, rufous.
Jerdon in his Birds of India states : " I have seen it in Goomsoor
but not further south ; and from this it ranges in land into the nor-
thern part of Central India."
Lanius vittatus, Palenc.
260. Lanius hardivicJdi, Vigors. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 405; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 463;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 392 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 121 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India;
Ibis, 1885, p. 65.
THE BAY-BACKED SHRIKE.
Length, 7'25 to 8 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 8'25 ; tail, 3 '2 5 to 4 ;
tarsus, 07to 0'8 ; bill at front, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides hazel-brown ; legs black.
The whote forehead, with eye-stripe, continued to the nape,
black ; top of the head white ; back of head, nape and the
lower part of the back, whitish-grey, paler and almost white on
the upper tail-coverts ; middle of the back and scapulars deep
chesnutor bay ; wings and tail black, the former with a wing-spot
on the primaries, and the latter with the two outermost tail-
feathers on each side and base, and tips of the others (except the
four central) white ; body beneath, white, tinged with fulvescent
ou the breast, and the sides of the abdomen dark ferruginous.
LANIAN.E.
The female sometimes wants the black forehead and stripe
over the eyes.
The Bay-backed Shrike is generally spread throughout the
district, frequenting low thorny jungle, groves of young babool
trees, gardens, hedges, &c.
It is a permanent resident, breeding from April to September,
but June and July are the months in which most nests are to be-
found ; they . are generally built in forks of small trees, and are
firm, compact, deep, well-woven cups, composed of fine twigs,
grass roots, wool, rags, &c.
The eggs, four in number, are miniatures of the preceding,
but the markings are perhaps paler.
They measure 0*82 inches in length by 36 in breadth.
Lanius collurio, Lin.
260&W. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 463.
THE EUROPEAN EED-BACKED SHRIKE.
Length, 7'5 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 3'5 ; tarsus, 0'96 ; bill at front,
0'56 ; bill from gape, 0'81.
Bill black, paler at base of lower mandible ; irides dark brown ;
legs black.
A conspicuous black streak from the nostrils, widening so as to
include the whole of the lores, eyes and ear-coverts ; the fore-
head and the whole top and back of the head, between the
black stripes, pale grey, darkening on the occiput and nape ;
scapulars and interscapulary region brownish-chesnut ; lower
back duller and more rusty ; rump and upper tail-coverts light
grey, the feathers just perceptibly darker shafted ; wings hair-
brown ; primaries and their coverts very narrowly, and secondaries
and tertiaries very broadly margined with dull pale and
bright rusty-chesnut respectively ; the tail black, all but the
central tail-feathers white at their bases, and the external
feathers on each side 0'4 shorter than the others, narrowly
tipped white and with nearly the whole of their outer webs
white; the entire under parts white, but the breast, abdomen,
sides, and flanks with a rich vinaceous tinge.
There is a small white spot at the base of the fourth long
primary on the outer web, only visible, however, when the larger-
coverts are somewhat deranged.
The European Red-backed Shrike was discovered by Major
Butler in the neighbourhood of Deesa, during the latter part of
the rains in September, 1874.
This is the only instance on record of the occurrence of the bird
within the Indian Empire.
Lanius cristatus, Lin.
261. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 406 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 464 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
10
146 MALACONOTIN2E.
IX, p. 392 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 122 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 66.
THE BROWN SHRIKE.
Length, 7'6 to 81 ; expanse, 9*5 to 11 ; wing, 3'25 to 3*5 ; tail,
3'4 to 3'9 ; bill from gape, 0'84 to 0'86 ; bill from front, 0'5 to
0-58.
Bill blackish-horny, beneath fleshy ; irides brown ; legs leaden-
blue.
Above rufous-brown with the head, tail and upper tail-coverts,
more rufous ; streak over the eye, sometimes faintly and nar-
rowly extending over the forehead, white ; throat white ; the
rest of the lower parts whitish, with a fulvous tinge ; lores and
ear-coverts forming a broad band through the eye, dull brown-
black. Female and young much edged with brown bands, and
the eye-spot paler and brown.
The Brown Shrike occurs more or less commonly as a cold
weather visitant throughout the district.
Lanius isabellinus, Hemp. Sf Ehr.
262. Lanius arenarius, Ely. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 407 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 464 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 122.
THE PALE BROWN SHRIKE.
Length, 775 ; wing, 375 ; tail, 3'5.
The race differs from cristatus by its much paler hue, being
light ashy-brown, barely tinged with rufous on the rump only ;
lores and superciliary streak pale ; ear-coverts dark above, pale
beneath ; wings pale brown ; the primaries narrowly edged, and
the coverts and secondaries broadly with rufescent ; the central
tail-feathers brown ; the rest pale rufous-brown ; beneath white,
smeared all over, but especially on tlie breast and flanks, with fawn
or fulvescent ; under tail-coverts white.
The Pale Brown Shrike is a common winter visitant to Sind and
Guzerat. It does not occur in the Deccan, nor has it as yet been
recorded from Central India.
SUB-FAMILY, Malaconotinsa.
Bill more lengthened and less compressed than in the true
Shrikes ; wings longer, and tail shorter ; tarsus short ; feet small.
GENUS, Tephrodornis, Swainson.
Bill lengthened, widish at the base, compressed, strong,
moderately hooked at the tip, and notched ; base of bill and
nostrils partially covered with procumbent setaceous feathers ;
a few moderately long rictal bristles ; wings moderate or long,
slightly rounded ; tail rather short, even, or slightly emarginate ;
tarsus and toes short ; lateral toes unequal ; outer-toe the longest,
slightly syndactyle.
MALACONOTIN.E. 147
Tephrodornis sylvicola, Jerdon.
264.- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 409 ; Butler, Deccan
and South Mahratta country ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 392.
THE MALABAR WOOD SHRIKE.
Length, 8*5 ; expanse, 14 ; wing, 4*5 ; tail, 3*25 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill
at front, 07.
Bill blackish ; irides wax-yellow ; legs plumbeous.
Above slaty-cinereous ; rump white ; wings, tail, and some of the
upper-coverts, dusky-brown ; a broad eye streak from the nostrils,
through the eye, to beyond the ear-coverts, black ; beneath white,
reddish-cinereous on the neck, breast, and flanks.
The Malabar Wood Shrike is not common, and has only been
recorded from the jungles west of Belgaum.
Tephrodornis pondicerianus, Gm.
265. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p, 410 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 464 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 392 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 123 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 65.
THE COMMON WOOD SHRIKE.
Length, 6'5 to 7 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus,
075 ; bill at front, 0'62.
Bill dusky-horny ; irides greenish-yellow ; legs plumbeous-brown.
Above ashy-brownish ; the feathers of the rump edged with
white, and the upper tail-coverts deep brown ; beneath, chin and
throat white, the rest whitish, with a tinge of reddish grey ; under
tail-coverts white ; superciliary streak reddish-white ; wings and
tail dusky-brown, and with the two outer feathers on each side
white at the base and also at the tip ; a dark brown band from the
nostrils through the eye to the ear-coverts.
The Common Wood Shrike is found in all the principal portions
of our limits, but is much more numerous in some places than in
others. It is a permanent resident, breeding generally in March
and April. The nest, composed of fine roots and grass, and lined
with wool and vegetable fibres, is a neat, well made, compact,
shallow cup, coated on the exterior with cobwebs, and is built in
the fork of a tree. The eggs, three in number, are broadish oval
in shape, delicate greenish-white in color, spotted and blotched
with different shades of yellowish and reddish-brown. They
measure 075 in length by 0'61 in breadth.
GENUS, Hemipus, Hodgson.
Much as in Tephrodornis, but the bill more flat, depressed
and wider at the base ; rictal bristles small ; nostrils concealed ;
wing moderate, third quill almost equal to fourth ; tail narrow,
graduated ; logs and feet small
148 CAMPErHAGIN.E.
Hemipus picatus, Sykes.
267. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 412 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 393.
THE LITTLE PIED SHKIKE.
Length, 5*5 ; expanse, 7'6 ; wing, 2'3 to 2'5 ; tail, 23 to 2'5 ;
tarsus, 0'5 ; bill at front, 04 ; bill from gape, 0'7.
Bill black ; irides hazel ; legs plumbeous-brown.
Male, above black glossed, less so on the back and scapulars,
with a white nuchal collar and white rump ; band on the wings
white ; tail with the lateral feathers tipped with white, more
broadly so on the outermost feathers ; beneath white, tinged with
reddish-ashy, purer white on the throat, vent, and under tail-
coverts.
The female differs in having the upper parts dull sooty brown-
black.
Within our limits the Little Pied Shrike only occurs in various
parts of the Deccan and South Mahratta country. I cannot do
better than reproduce, in extenso, what Major Butler has written
concerning its distribution. He says :
" Locally not uncommon along the Sahyadri Kange. Mr.
Fairbank obtained it at Nagar ; Mr. Laird in the jungles south-
west of Belgaum ; Mr. Crawford at Savantwadi ; and Mr. Vidal
mentions it from the south of Ratnagiri ; outside of the forests
tracts it probably does not occur/'
SUB-FAMILY, Campephaginae.
Bill of moderate length, or rather short, rather deep vertically,
broadish at base ; culmen arched or curved ; rictal bristles few,
feeble ; nostrils basal, in a fossa, partially covered by short plu-
mules ; wings of moderate length ; third and fourth or fourth and
fifth quills sub-equal and longest ; tail rather long, rounded, or
graduated ; feathers of the back and rump often rigid ; tarsus
short ; feet weak or moderate.
GENUS, Volvocivora, Hodgson.
Bill rather short, broadish at base, compressed at tip, where
bent down and notched ; culmen scarcely keeled ; rictal bristles
almost wanting ; nostrils basal, oval, partly concealed by tufts ;
wings rather long ; third and fourth quills equal and longest ; tail
moderate or long, rounded ; upper tail-coverts long ; tarsus short ;
feet short ; outer-toe slightly longer than the inner ; claws small,
slightly curved.
Volvocivora sykesi, Strich.
268. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 414 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 464 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, , p. 393 ; Lalage sykesi, Strick. ; Swiuhoc and Barnes,
Central India ; Ibis, 1885., p. 65.
THE BLACK-HEADED CUCKOO-SHRIKE.
Length, 7'5 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill at front, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides dark red-brown ; feet black.
Head, neck, and breast deep black ; whole upper plumage pale
grey ; tail black, the outer feathers broadly tipped with white ;
lower breast and abdomen pale grey, passing gradually to white
on the lower abdomen and lower tail-^coverts.
The young bird has the head grey like the back ; the throat
and entire under parts whitish, with dusky cross rays ; and the
rump more or less distinctly rayed.
The Black-headed Cuckoo-Shrike is a not uncommon visitant
to most parts of the district, but it has not as yet been recorded
from Sind.
Volvocivora melaschista, Hodgson.
269. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 415 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 393.
"CgE DARK-GREY CUCKOO-SHRIKE.
Length, 9'5 to 10 ; expanse, 15; wing, 46 ; tail, 5*25 ; tarsus,
0-88 ; bill at front, 0'62.
Bill black ; irides hazel-brown ; legs black.
Plumage iron-grey, darker and almost black on the quills and
tail, the latter tipped white on all but the central feathers, paler
grey beneath.
Young birds are dusky-grey above, paler beneath, with dark
bands ; albescent on the under tail-coverts.
The Dark-grey Cuckoo-Shrike has been obtained at Savant-
vadi, but there is no other record of its occurrence within our
limits.
GENUS, Hypocolius, Bp.
Bill hooked at tip, and notched ; third quill longest ; feet scute! *
lated ; tail long, subcuneate.
Hypocolius ampelinus, Bp.
%69quak Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 123.
Length, 10'25 ; wing, 4'2 ; tail, 475 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill from gape
09.
Bill horny, dusky at tip ; legs flesh-colored.
Upper parts generally ashy-grey, with a slight rufous tinge on
the head, which is more marked on the frontal portion where the
feathers are rather lighter and more isabelline in tint ; feathers
above the nostrils, lower part of the lores, all round the eyes, and
a band round the nape, black, so that there is a black ring all
round the head, except in the centre of the forehead ; ear-coverts
dark silver-grey, looking black in some lights in the preserved
skin ; primary quills black, with rather long white tips, the tip
on the first long primary being wholly, and on the second partially
dusky ; outer secondaries black with grey edges, the black dimi-
150 CAMPEPHAGINJ3.
nishing in amount, until it disappears completely on the feathers
near the body ; tail-feathers all the same color as the back, with
black tips about three-quarters of an inch long ; chin and throat
isabelline ; breast grey, like the back ; abdomen and lower tail-
coverts pinkish-isabelline ; under wing-coverts light grey.
A. single specimen was obtained in Sind, by Mr. Blanford, on
the lower hills of the Kirthur Range, which forms the boundary
between Sind and Khelat.
It has not been procured elsewhere within our range.
GENUS, Graucalus, Cuvier.
Bill strong, deep, of moderate length, wide at the base ;
culmen tolerably curved and hooked, slightly toothed ; a few
weak rictal bristles ; wings rather long, pointed ; tail moderate,
slightly rounded, or nearly even, with the two outer feathers
shorter ; tarsus and toes moderate ; claws well curved, of rather
large size.
Graucalus macii, Less.
270. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 417 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 464 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 393 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 126 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 65.
THE LARGE CUCKOO-SHRIKE.
Length, 12 ; wing, 6 '5 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 0'87.
Bill blackish ; hides rich-lake ; legs plumbeous.
Whole upper plumage light plumbeous-grey, paling on the
rump and upper tail-coverts ; tail with the two central feathers
grey, the rest dusky-black, the two outer ones on each side tipped
white, and the outermost also edged with white ; beneath, neck
and breast, light grey, slightly tinged with reddish-ash on the
breast ; abdomen greyish-white, with numerous narrow cross
stripes, white on the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts.
Mr. Hume remarks that " Dr. Jerdon does not point out the
difference that exists between the adults of the two sexes in all
the races of this species. In the young of both sexes, the whole of
the lower parts, except the vent and lower tail-coverts, are more
or less regularly transversely barred : as the bird grows older, the
bars disappear in both sexes from the chin, throat and breast,
the whole of which parts become pale grey ; more or less barring
remains for a time on the abdomen in both sexes, and indeed
always remains in the female even in the most perfect plumage.
In the male, as time goes on, the chin, throat and breast become
a darker grey, and the markings disappear entirely from the
abdomen, the upper portions of which become tinged with
grey.
Moreover, the black eye-streak becomes much more strongly
marked in the male than it ever is in the female, and the points
of the forehead, which always remain grey in the female, become
CAMPEPHAGIN.E. 151
quite black, presenting the appearance of a narrow black fron-
tal band.
The Large Cuckoo-Shrike is more or less common throughout
the district, and is said to be a resident at Ratnagiri and other
localities. It is, however, somewhat uncommon in Sind.
GENUS, Pericrocotus, Bole.
Bill shorter than the head, moderately broad at the base
rather high ; culmen slightly curved ; nostrils partially concealed
by the frontal plumes ; rictal bristles few and feeble ; wings
moderate, fourth and fifth quills sub-equal and longest ; tail long,
with three outer feathers on each side graduated, and the four
middle ones nearly equal ; tarsi and feet short, rather feeble ;
claws well curved.
Pericrocotus speciosus, Lath.
271. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 419.
THE LAEGE MINIVET.
Length, 9 ; expanse, 12'5 ; wing, 4'25 ; tail, 4'25 ; tarsus, - 9 ;
bill at front, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs black.
Male. Head, whole neck, upper back, wings and two central
tail-feathers, shiny blue-black!; lower back broad band on the
wing, formed by a large spot on all of the quills and some of the
lower-coverts also, some spots on the secondaries, the lateral
tail-feathers and beneath from the breast, rich vermilion-red.
Female. Head, neck, upper back, and central tail-feathers,
light ashy-grey, with a tinge of green ; forehead, rump and upper
tail-coverts greenish yellow ; the quills dusky-black, with a deep
yellow spot ; tail with the four central feathers dusky, the outer
pair tipped yellow ; the whole of the others deep yellow, with
some blackish at the base crossing each feather obliquely ; the
whole of the lower parts deep king's-yellow.
The two central tail-feathers have sometimes the outer web
red for a great part of their length, and the yellow on the fore-
head of the young male has an orange tinge ; otherwise it resem-
bles the adult female.
Jerdon states in his Birds of India that "this splendidly
colored bird extends from the Himalayas to Central India and
Goomsoor, where I obtained it, but it does not appear to go fur-
ther south,"
Pericrocotus flammeus, Forst.
272. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 420 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 393.
THE OEANGE MINIVET.
Length, 8'25 ; wing, 8'8 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 0'62 ; bill at front, 05.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs brown-black,
1
152 CAMPEPHAGIN.E.
Male, with the whole head and neck, upper back, scapulars
and wings, glossy blue-black ; wings with a broad orange-red
band, formed by all the quills having the central portion red,
and the edges of the lesser wing-coverts also ; tail with the two
central feathers black, the next pair black, tipped red, and all the
others blackish at the base, and orange-red for nearly half their
terminal length.
The female has the head, neck, back and wing-coverts ashy ;
the forehead narrowly tinged with yellow ; the lower back, rump
and upper tail-coverts, greenish-yellow ; the quills and tail dusky-
black, the former with a yellow wing spot, and the latter with
the lateral tail-feathers yellow.
The Orange Minivet is a permanent resident and is not
uncommon all along the Sahyadri Range from Goa to Khandalla.
It has not been recorded from any other portion of our pro-
vince.
Pericrocotus brevirostris, Vig.
273. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 421 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 465 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 126.
THE SHORT-BILLED MINIVET.
Length, 7*5 to 8 ; expanse, 11 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, nearly 4 ; tar-
sus, 0-6 ; bill at front, 0'37.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs brown-black.
Male. Head, neck, nape, upper back, wings, and middle tail-
feathers, shining blue-black ; body beneath, lower back, rump,
upper tail-coverts, wing spot, and tips of some of the coverts,
and the lateral tail-feathers, fine deep crimson ; the latter black
at their bases.
The female has the head and back grey ; the forehead tinged
with yellow ; beneath, spots on the wings, rump, and lateral
tail-feathers, yellow ; wings and tail dusky ; the pair next the
middle feathers slightly edged with yellow.
The Short-billed Minivet is rare ; it has been obtained on Mount
Aboo and on the Vindhian Hills near Mhow. It also occurs
during the summer months in Sind.
Pericrocotus peregrinus, Lin.
276. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 423 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 465 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 394 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 125 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 65.
THE SMALL MINIVET.
Length, 6'4 ; wing, 27 ; expanse, 8'5 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill
at front, 0'3.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Male. Head, nape, and back, ashy ; lores, chin, throat, and
ears, blackish ; wings and tail dusky-black, the former with an
DICRURIN/E. 153
orange stripe formed by a central band on all the primaries
(except the first three), and the secondaries orange on the outer,
yellow on the inner web ; tail, with the four outer feathers on
each side, widely tipped with orange ; breast, upper part of abdo-
men, flanks, and rump, rich scarlet or aurora-red, fading to
yellow on the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts, and whitish
on the vent.
The female differs in having the eyestreak, sides of forehead,
chin, throat, and lower parts whitish, tinged with yellow on the
breast, abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts ; the wings and
tail are dingier black, and the wing-spot is yellow ; the under
tail-coverts of the wing are yellow in both sexes ; tail as in the
male, but the colors are not quite so bright.
The Small Minivet is a common permanent resident throughout
the region.
It breeds during the months of June, July and August.
The nest is placed high up, in a fork in a tree, generally a mango ;
it is a well made, compact, deepish cup-shaped nest, composed
of fine twigs, grass roots, lichens, dead leaves and pieces of bark,
which assimilate in color with the bark of the tree, and make it
an exceedingly hard nest to find. The eggs are of a rather broad
oval shape, pale greenish- white in color, more or less spotted
and blotched with brownish-red. They measure 0'67 inches in
length by 0'53 in breadth.
Pericrocotus erythropygius, Jerd.
277. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 424 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 465 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 394 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 66.
THE WHITE-BELLIED MINIVET.
Length, 6'5 ; wing, 27 ; tail, 3*5 ; tarsus, 0'5 ; bill at front, 0'3.
Bill black ; irides brownish-yellow ; legs black.
Male. Plumage above (except rump), cheeks, and chin, of a
glossy blue-black ; beneath longitudinal stripe on wings, outer
edges and tips of the lateral tail-feathers, white ; breast and rump
of a fine orange or aurora-red, darkest on the rump.
The female has the parts that are black in the male smoky ^
ash color (except the tail, which is deep black) ; the forehead
whitish; rump and beneath white, tinged with ashy on the
breast.
With the exception of Sind, the White-bellied Minivet is
spread throughout the region, but is everywhere rare.
SUB-FAMILY, Dicrurinse.
Bill rather large, wide at the base, thick, more or less curved
and keeled at the culmen, and notched at the tip; numerous
moderately strong rictal bristles ; nostrils basal, rounded, concealed
by short plumes ; wings lengthened ; fourth and fifth quills usually
<\
154 DICRURIN^E.
the longest ; legs short ; feet small ; tail usually long, forked ; the
outer feathers occasionally much lengthened ; of ten feathers
only.
GENUS, Buchanga, Eodgson.
Bill moderate or rather long, stout, depressed at the base,
moderately hooked, and the culmen more or less keeled, and
distinctly notched at the tip ; nostrils small, partially covered by
short feathers and bristles ; rictal bristles strong ; ^ wings
lengthened ; first quill short, second shorter than sixth ; tail long,
deeply forked ; tarsus moderate, strongly scaled in front ; outer-toe
slightly the longest ; claws sharp.
Buchanga atra, Herm.
278.Dicrurus macrocercus, Vieill. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 427 ; B. albmctus, Hodgs. ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 465 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 394 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 126 ; S win-
hoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 66.
THE COMMON DKONGO-SHKIKE.
THE KING CROW.
Kolsa, Hin.
Length, 11*5 to 1375 ; expanse, 17 to 1875 ; wing, 5'50 to
575 ; tail, 6 to 7'25 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill from gape, 1 to 1-25 ; bill
at front, 075.
Bill black ; irides maroon-red ; legs black.
Glossy black, with a small white spot at the gape (not always
present), somewhat duller black on the quills and tail, which are
brownish-black beneath.
Young with whitish lunules on the abdominal plumage.
The King Crow is a common permanent resident throughout
the region, breeding during May, June and July, a few breed-
ing earlier or later according to locality.
The nest is usually built in a fork of a tree, at some height
from the ground, and is composed of grass roots and stems neatly
woven together, and is of a shallow saucer-shape. The regular
number of eggs is four, but occasionally five are found ; they are
of two very distinct types. The first is a pure white, without
markings ; the other a pale salmon color, marked with rich
red-brown.
Between these types every variety occurs, but all the eggs out
of the same nest strongly resemble each other.
They measure T01 inches in length by 075 in breadth.
Buchanga longicauda, Hay.
28Q.Dicrurus longicaudatus, Hay. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 395 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 394 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p, 66,
155
THE LONG-TAILED DRONGO-SHRIKE.
Length, 10'8 to 11 '8 ; expanse, 16 ; wing, 5 2 to 55 ; tail, 6 to
7 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill from gape, 1'15.
Bill black ; irides brownish-red ; legs black.
Above glossy bluish-black ; beneath dusky blackish, with a tinge
of blue ; wings and tail brownish-black, also with a blue gloss.
The young bird has some white mixed with the black of the
abdomen and under tail-coverts.
The Long-tailed Drongo is common on the Western Ghats and
in the adjoining forests, also on the Sahyadri Range as far north
as Khandalla. Major Butler notes that it is common in Belgaum
in the cold weather, but it is a permanent resident in the other
places mentioned. Colonel Swinhoe procured it near Mhow, and
I have occasionally met with it at and near Neemuch. It does
not occur in Sind ; neither did Major Butler or myself obtain it
in Guzerat.
Buchanga coerulescens, Lin.
281. Dicrurus coerulescens, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 432 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 465 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 394 ; Swinhoe and Barnes,
Central India ; Ibis, p. 66.
THE WHITE-BELLIED DRONGO.
Length, 9*5 ; wing, 475 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill at front,
07.
Bill black ; irides lake ; legs black.
Upper plumage, wings, and tail, black, with a blue gloss ;
chin, throat, and breast, iron-grey ; abdomen and lower tail-
coverts white.
With the exception of Sind, the White -bellied Drongo occurs
sparingly throughout the region.
GENUS, Chaptia, Hodgson.
Bill much more depressed and feeble, muscipeta-like, wide;
the culmen very gently arching, and feebly hooked and toothed ;
first quill very short, fourth longest, third and sixth equal;
tail moderately forked ; legs and feet very feeble.
Chaptia senea, Vieill.
282. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 433 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 394.
THE BRONZED DRONGO.
Length, 9 to 9'5 ; wing, 475 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill at
front, 075.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs black.
Plumage throughout richly glossy, bronzed blue-black ; quills
156 DICRURINjE.
and tail black, with a faint gloss ; abdomen, vent, and under tail-
coverts, dull grey-black.
The Bronzed Drongo is not uncommon on the Sahyadri Range*
as far north as Khandalla. It does not occur elsewhere within
our limits.
GENUS, Dissemurus, Olog.
Bill lengthened, strong, moderately depressed at the base, com-
pressed towards the tip ; the culmen well curved and hooked,
and distinctly notched, and the ridge well developed; rictal
bristles long, rather weak ; a few short frontal plumes cresting
the nostrils, but they mostly rise up and fall back over the fore-
head, forming a fine crest ; tail forked ; the outermost pair have
the inner webs gradually thinning off, and the shaft is bare for
some distance, terminating in a web, long and broadish on the
outer side, with a narrow and short web on the inner side.
Dissemurus grandis, Gould.
284. Edolius paradiseus, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 435.
THE LARGE RACKET-TAILED DRONGO.
Length, to end of ordinary tail, 14 ; wing, 675 ; tail to
middle, 6 - 5 ; outer tail-feathers, 12 or 13 inches more ; the
shaft having the terminal end, for about 3' 5 inches barbed
externally, but towards the tip only on the inner side, and turning
inwards, so that the underside becomes uppermost ; bill at
front, 1*4 to 1*5 ; tarsus, 1.
Plumage uniformly black, with a steel-blue gloss ; feathers
of the crown slightly hackled, those of the nape strongly so, on
breast slightly ; plumage generally loose and puffy ; frontal
crest falling backwards over the nape, varying from 1 5 to 2*25
inches in length.
According to Jerdon, the Large Racket-tailed Drongo occurs
in Central India.
Dissemurus paradiseus, Lin.
285. Edolius malabaricus, Scop. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 437 ; Butler, Deccan, Vol. IX, p. 395.
THE MALABAR RACKET-TAILED DRONGO.
Bhimraj, Hin.
Length, 13 ; wing, 575 to 6*25 ; tail, 6 f 5 ; outer tail-feathers,
12 inches more ; bill at front, 075.
Plumage uniformly black, with a steel-blue gloss ; feathers
of crown slightly hackled, those of the nape strongly so, on
breast slightly ; plumage generally loose and puffy ; frontal crest
falling backwards over the nape, varying from 075 inches to 1*25
in length.
The Bhimraj is a permanent resident all along the Sahyadri
ARTAM1N.E. 157
Range, as far north as Khandalla, extending to the forests below.
It is very partial to bamboo jungles.
It does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
GENUS, Chibia, Hodgson.
Bill lengthened, compressed, curved both on the culmen and
commissure, more slender than in others of the family, slightly
hooked at the tip, and obsoletely notched ; rictal bristles short
and feeble ; nostrils denuded ; a crest of hair arising from the
forehead and falling back over neck ; tail forked ; outer tail-
feathers slightly lengthened, turned up into a sort of scoop ;
plumage of the head and neck highly lanceolate, especially on
the sides of neck.
Chibia hottentota, Lin.
286. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 439 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 395.
THE HAIR-CRESTED DRONGO.
Length, 11 '9 ; wing, 6*5 ; tail, 5 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 1'4.
Bill black ; irides red-brown ; legs black.
Deep black, with purple and blue reflections on the hind-neck
and breast ; wings deep glossy bronze-green ; tail the same ;
abdomen deep black.
The Hair- crested Drongo is very rare ; it was obtained in
Savantvadi by Mr. Vidal, but this is the only record of its
occurrence within our limits.
SUB-FAMILY, Artaminae.
Bill short or moderate, wide at the base, deep, slightly curved ;
culmen rounded ; commissure gently curved, barely hooked at
the tip, and entire ; nostrils basal, impended by a minute tuft
at their base only ; a few inconspicuous rictal bristles ; tarsus
and toes short, strong ; claws well curved, acute ; wings long ;
first quill minute, second longest ; tail short or moderate, even or
slightly emarginate ; lateral toes nearly equal.
GENUS, Artamus, Vieill.
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family.
Artamus fuscus, Vieill.
287. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 441 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 395.
THE ASHY SWALLOW-SHRIKE.
Length, 7 ; expanse, 15 ; wing, 5*25 ; tail, 2'2 ; tarsus, 0'6 ;
bill at front, 06.
158 MYI AGEING.
Bill pale-bluish, dusky at tip ; irides dark brown ; legs
slaty.
Lores black ; general hue cinereous, or ashy-grey, purest on
the head, and with a tinge of rufous on the back and scapulars ;
breast, abdomen, under wing-coverts, and under tail-coverts, ashy-
white, with a tinge of rufous on the belly ; quills and tail black-
ish ashy-grey, the latter tipped narrowly with pale ashy ; upper
tail-coverts white beneath, showing a white border next the dark
tail.
This is another bird that within our limits has only been
obtained by Mr. Vidal. He remarks : " Has been found in the
cocoanut gardens round Yingorla."
FAMILY, Muscicapidae.
Bill rather wide, depressed, shallow ; the culmen straight,
distinctly hooked and notched at the tip ; rictal bristles (typically)
numerous and strong ; wings moderate ; tail generally rather
short or moderate ; tarsus short, weak ; feet moderately small,
feeble.
SUB-FAMILY, Myiagrinae, Bonap.
Bill broad at base, much depressed, straight, considerably
hooked at the tip, and notched ; rictal bristles numerous and long ;
wings rather lengthened ; tail moderate or somewhat long, in
one genus with the central tail-feathers greatly elongated in
the male sex ; feet and legs short and feeble.
GENUS, Muscipeta, Cuv.
Bill lengthened, wide, depressed at base, tolerably stout
and deep, narrowing suddenly at the tip, which is moder-
ately hooked and notched ; the ridge of the culmen raised ;
nostrils somewhat in front, protected by a few stout nareal bristles,
and plumed at their base ; gape wide ; rictal bristles numerous,
long, and stout ; wings rather long, somewhat pointed ; the first
four quills unequally graduated, fourth and fifth sub-equal and
longest ; tail rather long, cuneate, with the two central feathers
greatly elongated in the male ; feet and legs short and feeble ;
head crested.
Muscipeta paradisi, Lin.
5288. Tchitrea paradisi, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p.
445 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 466 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 395 ; Tersiphoni paradisi, Lin. ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 127 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1835, p. 66.
THE PARADISE FLY-CATCHER.
Dood-raj and Shah Bulbul, Hin. The white
Sultana Bulbul, Hin. The red bird.
159
Dimensions.
Sex.
Plumage.
Length.
Expanse.
Wing.
Tail from
vent.
Tarsus.
Bill from
gape.
Bill at
front.
?
Chesnut
8-2
10-2
341
3-7
062
1
058
>i
8-6
106
3-66
6-4
0-62
098
05
u
8-56
10-58
3-66
6-1
0-6
1-04
0-C6
n
8-58
10-25
3-44
4-98
0-66
104
064
g
i
18-12
10-8
3-8
13-5
0-62
1-18
068
1
17-78
11 1
3-81
135
062
1-08
0-62
19-1
10-5
355
14-6
0-62
1-06
0'64
V
White
2175
1125
375
17
066
1-2
0-7
fj
)t
10-42
10-7
36
5-8
0-6
11
0-64
M
1375
10-8
368
9-1
062
1-06
066
195
112
3-81
1525
066
1-16
0-66
H
H
19
1025
37
14-6
0'64
1
0-64
Bill cobalt-blue ; irides deep brown ; eyelids cobalt-blue ; legs
pale lavender-blue.
Adult male. Whole head with the full crest, neck and throat,
glossy green-black, the rest of the plumage white, the feathers
more or less black shafted ; primaries and secondaries black, with
the outer webs white, and also the edge of inner webs of the
innermost quills ; head with a full crest of elongated feathers ;
two central tail-feathers greatly elongated.
The adult female is similar to the male ; its middle tail-feathers
are only slightly elongated.
The^ younger male has the head, neck, and throat, glossy black,
the abdomen white, and the rest of the plumage light chesnut.
The young female has the same, without the long tail.
In a still younger state, the throat, breast, upper part of abdo-
men, and the flanks are ashy.
The Paradise Fly-catcher is probably a permanent resident
throughout the district, but is very locally distributed. It is some-
what rare in Sind. I found it breeding near Neemuch in Central
India.
GENUS, Myiagra (Hypoihymis) Vigors.
Bill of moderate length, broad, triangular, suddenly narrowed,
straight; tip well hooked and distinctly notched ; rictal bristles
long, slender, numerous ; nostrils small, basal, plumed at the base
and overhung by a few fine hairs ; wings moderate, broad, fourth
and fifth quills about equal and longest ; tail rather long, even or
slightly rounded ; tarsus rather short ; feet very small ; outer-toe
much longer than inner one, much syndactyle.
Hypothymis azurea, Bodd.
290. Myiagra azurea, Bodd. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I.
p. 450; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 395.
THE BLACK-NAPED BLUE FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 6 to 6'5 ; expanse, 8'5 ; wing, 275 to 2'85 ; tail, 275
160 AIYIAGRINNE.
to 3 ; tarsus, 0'6 to 075; bill from gape, 071 to 0'8; bill at
front, 0-4.
Bill dark cobalt-blue, edges and tip black, edges of eyelids blue ;
eyelids plumbeous ; irides deep brown ; legs ranging from cobalt-
blue to plumbeous.
Above pale lazuline-blue, with the head and neck paler but
brighter blue ; a large occipital spot of short erectile feathers, and
a slender jugular one, silky-black ; throat, neck, and breast, pale
blue ; abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts, bluish-white.
The female is bluish-ashy above ; the head and neck pale blue,
and the abdomen white ; and it has neither the occipital crestlet
nor jugular black streak.
The Black-napped Blue Fly-catcher within our limits is confined
to the Ghats region. It has been recorded from Belgaum, Nagar,
and Ratnagiri. It oceurs sparingly all along the Sahyadri Range
as far north as Khandalla.
GENUS, Leucocerca, Swains.
Bill rather long, depressed, wide throughout, except at tip,
which is slightly hooked and notched ; nostrils apert, but over-
hung by some long nareal bristles ; rictal bristles very long,
slender ; wings with the first four quills unequally graduated ;
fourth and fifth quills sub-equal and longest ; tail lengthened,
wide, rounded or graduated ; tarsus moderate, strong ; feet
moderate ; lateral toes unequal,
Leucocerca albicollis, Vieill.
291. Leucocerca fuscoventris, Frankl. Jerdon's Birds of India*
Vol. I, p. 451 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 395.
THE WHITE THROATED FANTAIL.
Length, 7*5 ; expanse, 9'25 ; wing, 313 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, 075 ;
bill at front, 0'3.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs black.
Sooty brown-black throughout, tinged with ashy in the
abdomen and back, and dusky-brownish on the wings and outer
tail-feathers, the three outermost of which are tipped with
dirty- white ; a very short supercilium ; chin and throat white.
The occurrence of the White-throated Fantail within our limits
is doubtful.
Franklin is said to have procured it in Central India. Adams,
who evidently mistook it for L. aureola, says it is common
at Poona. Colonel Sykes includes it in the Birds of the
Decuan.
Leucocerca aureola, Vieill.
292. Leucocerca albofrontata, Frankl. Jerdon's Birds of India,
_ Vol. I, p. 452 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
cM
MYIAGRIN^E. 161
p. 466 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 396 ; Rhipidura
albofrontata, Frankl. ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p.
129 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 66.
THE WHITE-BROWED FANTAIL.
Length, 7'5 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 33 ; tail, 375 ; tarsus, 07 ; bill
at front, 0'3. ,
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs black.
Above the head and neck deep-black ; a. broad frontal band,
extending over the eyes to the nape, pure white ; back ashy-black ;
wings and tail dusky-black, the wing-coverts with some white
spots ; the tips of all the tail-feathers, except the central ones,
broadly white ; beneath, the chin and throat black, more or less
spotted and lined with white ; the breast and abdomen white.
The White-browed Fantail Fly-catcher is common throughout
the region, excepting, perhaps, the hilly and more wooded tracts,
where it is replaced by the next species. It is a permanent
resident and breeds from February to August, but March and
July are the months in which most nests are to be found. They
have at least two broods in the year, and if undisturbed use
the same nest for the second brood. The nest is generally
placed on the upper surface of a horizontal bough, and is difficult
to find, as it appears to be a mere excrescence on the branch,
with which it assimilates in color. In shape it is a rather deep
cup, about If inches in diameter, and rather more than an inch
in depth ; it is rarely more than one-quarter of an inch thick.
It is generally composed of fine grass or vegetable fibres, coated
on the outside with cobwebs.
After their eggs are laid, these little birds become very fussy
and courageous, darting out and attacking any bird that
approaches the nest, no matter how large. The eggs, three in
number, are broad ovals in shape, and vary from white to dingy
creamy-white or pale yellowish-brown in color, with a belt of
greyish-brown and faint inky-purple specks and spots round the
larger end. They average 0'66 in length by about 0*5 in breadth.
Leucocerca leucogaster, Cav.
293. Leucocerca pectoralis, Jerd. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 453 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 293 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 396.
THE WHITE-SPOTTED FANTAIL.
Length, 7 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 0'38 ; bill at front, 0'3.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs black.
Above, the whole head black, with a narrow white supercilium ;
the rest of the upper plumage brownish-dusky ; wings dusky ; the
coverts very slightly tipped with albescent ; tail dusky, all but the
middle feathers passing gradually into dirty-whitish towards
their extremity ; beneath, the throat and belly white ; the under
tail-coverts edged with rufous ; the sides of the throat, and the
11
162 MUSCICAPIN/E.
whole breast, black, the middle of the latter marked with oval
white spots.
The White-spotted Fantail Fly-catcher is found in various
parts of the Deccan ; it is also common at Mount Aboo ; it is a
permanent resident, and breeds during March and April. The
nest is placed in a fork of some low thick bush, generally a
cowranda bush, and is a neat, well-made cup, composed of grass
stems, and coated on the exterior with cobwebs ; the sides are
nowhere more than a quarter of an inch in thickness, but the
bottom is often continued to a point. The eggs, three in
number, are broad ovals in shape, of a buffy- white color, with a
zone of lavender and brownish spots towards the larger end.
They measure 0*67 inches in length by about O52 in breadth.
GENUS, Culicicapa.
Bill short, broad, suddenly compressed at tip, and much deflect-
ed, barely notched ; nareal bristles long and strong ; rictal bristles
a little shorter ; wings, with the first quill shorter, and the third
longer, the fourth and fifth very little longer ; tail moderate, almost
even ; tarsus short ; feet very feeble.
Culicicapa ceylonensis, Swains.
295. Cryptolopha cinereocapilla, Vieill. Jerdon's Birds of
India, Vol. I, p. 455 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 396 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 66.
THE GEEY-HEADED FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 4'5 to 475 ; wing, 2'4 ; tail, 212 ; tarsus, 0'5.
Bill blackish above, horny-reddish beneath ; irides deep-brown ;
feet dingy-red.
Above, the head, nape, and ear-coverts, dark-ashy; back,
wings, and tail light-yellow green ; quills and tail-feathers dusky
internally ; rump and upper tail-coverts tinged yellow ; beneath,
the chin, throat, neck, and breast, pale-ashy ; the rest of the
lower plumage dingy-yellow, greenish on the flanks.
The Grey-headed Fly-catcher is a not uncommon cold weather
visitant to Satara, and has been recorded from the Ahmednagar
district. It is fairly common in Central India, but does not occur
elsewhere within our limits.
SUB-FAMILY, Muscicapinse.
Bill depressed, moderately wide, slightly hooked and notched
at the tip ; rictal bristles moderate ; wings moderate ; tarsus short
or slightly lengthened, moderately strong ; feet small or moderate,
chiefly of small size.
GENUS, Alseonax.
Bill much depressed and very shallow, wide at the base, slender
and suddenly narrowed at the tip, and faintly hooked and
MUSCICAPIN^E. 163r
notched ; rictal bristles moderate ; wing longish, the third and
fourth quills equal and longest.
Alseonax latirostris, Raffles.
297, Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p, 459 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 396.
THE SOUTHERN BROWN FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 5'5 ; wing, 275 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 0'53 ; bill at front, 0'3.
Bill dusky-yellow at gape and beneath, and dusky at tip ;
Hides deep-brown ; legs brown.
Above light brownish-grey, beneath white, tinged with very
pale-ashy on the breast, sides of throat, and flanks ; eyelids
conspicuously white.
The Southern Brown Fly-catcher occurs sparingly throughout
the Deccan, but is rather more common at Belgaum and "Ratnagiri.
It has not been recorded from either Sind or Guzerat.
Butalis grisola, Lin.
299bis. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 467 ;
Muscicapa grisola, Lin. ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind,
p. 127.
THE SPOTTED-GREY FLY-CATCHER.
THE CHERRY CHOPPER.
Length, 6 to 6 '3 ; expanse, 10 to 10*5; wing, 3'25 to 3'45 ; tail
from vent, 2 '7 5 to 3 ; tarsus, 0'6.
Bill black, dark fleshy at base of lower mandible ; irides deep-
brown ; legs and feet blackish-brown.
The lores and feathers immediately above the nostrils dingy
fulvous-white ; head, nape, cheeks, ear-coverts, back and scapulars,
pale-earthy or greyish-brown ; the feathers of the head with
darker brown central streaks not extending to the tips, and those
of the forehead tinged with the fulvous color of the lores ; the
rump in some uniform with the back, in others slightly darker ;
wings and tail brown, paler and greyer on the tertials and laterals ;
all the feathers margined with brownish- white, the greater
secondary-coverts and tertials most broadly so ; the tail-feathers,
except the exterior lateral ones, very inconspicuously so ; lower
parts white, tinged with fawn-color towards the vent, and with
narrrow inconspicuous grey-brown streaks on the breast ; axillaries
and wing-lining very pale rufous-fawn ; sides and flanks tinged
faintly with the same color and dull fulvous.
The Cherry Chopper only occurs as a very rare visitant, during
August and September, to parts of Sind and Guzerat. It has
not been recorded from the Deccan.
GENUS, Stoporala, Slyth.
Bill short, depressed, perfectly triangular, short, much hooked
at tip ; rictal and nareal bristles moderate ; wings rather long ;
164 MUSCICAPIN.E.
third, fourth, and fifth quills subequal ; tail moderate, even ; tarsus
short, stout ; lateral toes nearly equal.
Stoporala melanops, Vig.
301. Eumyias melanops, Vig. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 463 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p 467 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 396 ; Swinhoe and Barnes,
Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 66.
THE VERDITER FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 6 ; wing, 3'3 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0'6.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs black.
Plumage generally verditer-blue, brightest on the forehead,
sides of head, chin, throat and breast, also on the rump and
upper tail-coverts ; dull on the back of the neck and interscapu-
lars ; lores black ; quills dusky internally, dull-blue externally ;
tail greenish-blue.
With the exception of Sind, the Verditer Fly-catcher occurs as
a cold weather visitant throughout the region, but is nowhere
very common.
GENUS, Cyornis, Bly.
Bill feeble, somewhat lengthened, not very wide at the base,
tapering, suddenly narrowing and well hooked at tip ;rictal bristles
moderate, feeble ; nareal bristles rather long ; wings moderate ;
third quill a little shorter ; fourth and fifth quills sub-equal and
longest ; tail moderate, nearly even ; tarsus moderate, slender ;
lateral toes nearly equal ; middle-toe long.
Cyornis rubeculoides, Vig.
304. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 466 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 397.
THE BLUE-THROATED RED-BREAST.
Length, 575 ; expanse, 9 ; wing, 2'9 ; tarsus, 07 ; bill at front,
0-33.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs brown.
Male. The head, neck, body above, dark-blue ; forehead and
shoulder of the wing bright pale-blue ; lores, ear-coverts, and
frontal plumes, black ; inner webs of quills, and of the tail-
feathers (and the whole under surface of these), dusky-black ;
throat dark-blue ; neck and breast bright-rufous ; abdomen
white.
The female is olive-brown above, with a rufous breast and
white belly.
The Blue-throated Red-breast is a very rare cold weather
visitant to parts of the Deccan, but does not occur elsewhere
within our range.
Cyornis tickelli, Bly.
305 c?. Cyornis banyumas, Horsfield.
MUSCICAPIN^:. 165
306 $ . Cyornis tickellice, Blyth. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
pp. 466 and 467 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 468; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 397; Siphia
tickellce, Bly. ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 66.
TICKELL'S BLUE RED-BREAST.
Length, 575 to 6 ; expanse, 9 ; wing, 275 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus,
075 ; bill at front, 0'3.
. Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs brownish.
' Male. Above rather dark-blue ; forehead, and streak over eye,
pale bright-blue ; lores and ear-coverts black ; beneath, the chin,
throat, and breast, yellow-ferruginous, passing to white on the
middle of the abdomen, and the under tail-coverts pure white ;
flanks slightly fulvescent.
Female. Above dull greyish-blue, brighter on the forehead,
shoulders of the wings, and upper tail-coverts ; chin white, tinged
with fulvescent ; throat and breast light ferruginous ; belly
albescent ; under tail-coverts pure white ; bill blackish ; legs
pale.
Tickell's Blue Red-breast does not occur in Sind, but it has
been recorded as more or less rare from all other portions of our
district. It is probably a permanent resident in the hilly and
forest districts, but elsewhere appears to be a seasonal visitant
only.
Jerdon in his Birds of India has described the male and female
as different species.
Cyornis ruficaudus, Swains.
307. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 468 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 469 ; Guzerat, Stray Feathers,
Vol. Ill, p. 397.
THE RUFOUS-TAILED FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 5*5 ; wing, 2'8 ; tail, 2'25 ; tarsus, 0'6.
Bill dusky ; irides deep-brown.
Above, olivaceous-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts ferru-
ginous, and the tail bright dark-ferruginous, the middle pair
suffused with dusky, and the outer webs of the other also sullied
with fuscous ; beneath, the chin whitish, the rest of the plumage
below pale greyish-brown, passing to white on the abdomen and
under tail-coverts, which last are faintly tinged with ferruginous.
The Rufous-tailed Fly-catcher has been recorded as a very rare
cold weather visitant both from Ahmednagar and Sholapur, and
also from Mount Aboo. These are the only instances of its occur-
rence within our limits.
Cyornis pallipes, Jerd.
309. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 469 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 397.
166 MUSCICAPIN^E.
THE WHITE-BELLIED BLUE FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 6'5 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2'5 ; bill at front,
from edge of feathers, 0'5 ; tarsus, 073.
Bill black ; irides brown ; feet and claws vary from pale whity-
brown to pale leaden-grey.
Entirely of a deep indigo-blue, except on the belly and under
tail-coverts which are white ; wings and tail dusky on their inner
webs.
The above is Dr. Jerdon's description which is very brief and
not altogether satisfactory. I therefore subjoin Mr. Hume's
description :
The lores and an excessively narrow line across the forehead at
the base of the bill black ; above this the forehead and two long
superciliary stripes are of a perceptibly paler and brighter blue
than the rest of the plumage ; the belly, abdomen, vent, and
lower tail-coverts, and greater portion of wing-lining, pure white ;
sides and flanks greyish ; chin blackish ; inner webs of the quills,
greater-coverts, and tail-feathers, hair-brown ; the rest of the
plumage dull blue, indigo in some specimens.
The White-bellied Blue Fly-catcher is probably a rare cold
weather visitant to the Ghat range only. It has been obtained
on the Goa frontier and on the Ghats west of Belgaum.
GENUS, Muscicapulse, Blyih.
Bill feeble, depressed, moderately wide at the base, gradually
narrowing and triangular, very slightly hooked and notched at the
tip ; nareal and rictal bristles rather short ; wing moderate ;
third and fourth quills sub-equal, fifth very little shorter ; tail
moderate ; tarsus slender, slightly lengthened ; toes unequal, middle-
toe somewhat lengthened.
Muscicapula superciliaris, Jerd.
310. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 470 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 397.
THE WHITE-BROWED BLUE FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 4 '2 5 ; wing, 2 ; tail, 1/8 ; tarsus, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs brown.
Above, and the sides of the head, full prussian blue, some of
the feathers of the rump with the shaft, and a bar in the middle
of the feather, white ; wing and tail black, edged with blue ;
the base of the tail-feathers except the centrals, white ; a broad
superciliary stripe extending to some distance behind the eyes,
and the plumage beneath snowy-white ; a band of blue extend-
ing from the sides of the neck more or less across the sides of the
breast.
The White-browed Blue Fly-catcher is an extremely rare cold
weather visitant to the Deccan, it having been obtained at
Nagar by Mr. Fairbank, but this is the only record of its occur-
rence within our limits.
MUSCICAPIN.E. 167
GENUS, Erythrosterna, Bon.
Bill moderately wide at the base, depressed, slightly hooked and
notched at the tip ; rictal and nareal bristles moderate ; wings
moderate, or rather long, third quill nearly as long as the fourth ;
tail moderate, even, or emarginate ; tarsus slighly lengthened ;
feet moderate,
Erythrosterna albicilla, Pall.
323. Erythrosterna leucura, Gmel. Jerdon's Birds of India,
: Vol. I, p. 481.
THE WHITE-TAILED ROBIN FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 5 ; wings, 2'6 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 07.
Bill dusky-brown ; irides dark-brown ; legs pale-brown.
Above greyish olive-brown ; wings brown ; tail blackish-brown ;
the four outer tail-feathers on each side white for the greater
part of their length, broadly tipped with brown ; beneath white,
tinged with ashy-brown on the breast and flanks.
In spring, by the end of March or the beginning of April, the
male by a partial moult assumes a bright orange-rufous chin and
throat, and the lores, cheeks, and sides of the neck become
tolerably pure ashy. This livery is again cast at the autumnal
moult.
The occurrence of the White-tailed Robin Fly-catcher within
our limits is very doubtful.
Erythrosterna parva, Beclist.
3236s. Jerdon's Birds of India, Supplementary List ; Ibis,
1872 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol, III, p. 469 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 397 ; Muscicapa parva,
Bechst ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 128 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 67.
The EUROPEAN WHITE-TAILED FLY-CATCHER differs only
from the last in having the ferruginous coloring spread down the
breast, instead of being confined to the neck and throat. It is
doubtful if the male ever assumes the garb of the female. It is
spread generally throughout the district, but only as a rather
common cold weather visitant
Erythrosterna maculata, Tickdl.
326. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 483.
THE LITTLE PIED FLY-CATCHER.
Length, 4'5 ; expanse, 7'5 ; wing, 2'4 ; tail, 1'85 ; tarsus, 0'9.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs red- brown.
Above, with the lores, cheeks, and sides of neck black ; a broad
white eyebrow extending to the nape ; large spot on the wings
formed by the greater-coverts, and the edges of the secondaries
white, and all the tail-feathers, except the central ones, white for
two-thirds of their length ; beneath pure white.
168 MYIOTHERIN.E.
The Little Pied Fly-catcher is stated by Tickell to be rare in
Central India, and Jerdon surmises that it occurs only during the
cold weather.
FAMILY, Merulids9.
Bill typically moderate, compressed, nearly straight, with the
culmen gently curved, and slightly notched or entire ; in a few
larger and curved, in some thick and deep ; tarsus moderate or
long ; feet strong, fit for progression on the ground.
SUB-FAMILY, Myiotherinse, Swains.
Bill slender, straight, or slightly curved, stout in a few ; wings
typically short ; feet and legs long and strong ; tail short in
most.
GENUS, Myiophonus, Temm.
Bill large, strong, compressed, of moderate length, nearly
straight, strongly hooked at tip, and slightly notched ; rictal
bristles almost wanting ; nares round, with some frontal plumes
and hairs at their base ; wing long, rather pointed ; fourth and
fifth quills nearly equal ; fifth longest ; tail moderate, even, or
slightly rounded ; tarsus long, stout, entire ; feet strong ; middle-toe
long ; laterals short, nearly equal ; claws strong, well curved.
Myiophonus horsfieldi, Vig.
342. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 499 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 342 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 398.
THE MALABAK WHISTLING THRUSH.
Length, 11 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 475 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill at front,
1-25.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs brown-black.
General plumage black, more or less tinged with deep-blue ; a
band on the forehead, not extending to the base of the bill, and
shoulders fine, shining cobalt or smalt-blue ; some of the feathers
of the breast and abdomen edged with the same.
The Malabar Whistling Thrush is a not uncommon permanent
resident along the whole of the Sahyadri range ; it occurs also
at Mount Aboo. The nest, a large structure composed of roots,
moss, &c., is placed under the shelf of a rock, or in some such simi-
lar situation. The eggs, three or four in number, are broadish
ovals, salmon-pink or whitish-pink in color, speckled and spotted
with brownish-pink. They measure 1*22 in length by about 0*96
inches in breadth. It breeds during March and April.
GENUS, Pitta, Vieill.
Bill moderate ; tip slightly forked ; wings moderate ; the second
and third, or third and fourth quills being the longest ; first a little
shorter than the fourth.
TURBINE. 169
Pitta brachyura, Lin.
345. Pitta bengatensis, Gmel. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 503 ; P. coronata, Mull ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers,
Vol. Ill, p. 470 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 398.
THE YELLOW-BREASTED GROUND THRUSH.
Nourang, Hin.
Length, 7 ; wing, 4'25 ; tail, 1'7 ; tarsus, 1-5 ; bill at front, 0'6.
Bill black ; irides hazel-brown ; legs yellowish-pink.
Head olivaceous- fulvous, with a median black stripe from the
base of bill to the back of the neck, meeting another black band
that passes through the ears ; a white superciliary line extending
also to the nape, but not quite meeting its fellow ; the whole back,
rump, scapulars and wing-coverts, dull blue-green ; the lengthened
upper tail-coverts pale-blue ; a pale azure-blue patch on the
shoulder of the wing ; quills black, with a white bar on the first six
primaries, and the tip of all white or albescent ; secondaries blue-
green on the outer margin, increasing in extent inwardly ; tail
black, tipped with dull-blue ; beneath, the chin, throat, and the
sides of the neck below the ears, white ; the rest of the lower
parts isabelline or fulvescent, with the middle of the lower part of
the abdomen, the vent, and the under tail-coverts, scarlet.
The Yellow-breasted Ground Thrush is not uncommon in the
Deccan, during the seasons of migration, viz., April and May, and
again in September and October ; it also occurs at Mount Aboo,
about the same time, and has not unfrequently been obtained at
and near Deesa.
It has not been recorded from Sind.
SUB-FAMILY, Turdinae.
Bill of moderate length, as long as head ; nostrils in a groovf
apert ; wings long and broad, somewhat pointed ; first quill ver}
short ; third and fourth longest, sub-equal ; tail moderate ; outer-
toe longer than inner, and united to middle at base.
GENUS, Monticola.
Bill moderate or long, mod erately hooked at tip ; nostrils apert ;
rictal bristles numerous ; wings long ; third quill longest ; tarsus
scutellate.
Monticola cyaneus, Lin.
351. Petrocossyphus cyaneus, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 511 ; Cyanocincla cyana, Lm.; Butler, Guzerat; Stray
Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 470 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 398 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 129 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 67.
THE BLUE ROCK THRUSH.
Length, 8-5 to 9 ; expanse, 13 to 14'5 ; wing, 4'5 to 5 ; tail, 3'1
to 3-8 ; bill at front, 07 to 0'9 ; bill from gape, 1'25.
170 TURDIN^E.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Male throughout of a dull indigo-blue, more or less marked with
dusky, and the feathers of the abdomen, vent, and under tail-
coverts, pale tipped, in some specimens with a tinge of deep
ferruginous on the feathers of these parts.
The female is dingy greyish-brown, with a faint blue or ashy
tinge, greyish on the tail; some of the feathers edged with
whitish, and the under parts fulvescent-greyish, with dusky cross
bands, some being rufescent on the lower parts, especially on the
vent and under tail-coverts.
The Blue Rock Thrush is a common winter visitant throughout
the region, arriving during October and leaving about April ; it is
very solitary in its habits, and appears to frequent the same loca-
lity, not only throughout the season, but for several successive
ones Jerdon records that " it is supposed to be the sparrow of
our English version of the Scriptures that sitteth alone on the
house tops."
Monticola cinclorhynchus, Fig.
353. Orocetes cinclorhynchus, Vig. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 515 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p.
470 ; Petrophila cinclorhynchus, Vig. ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 398 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 130 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 67.
THE BLUE-HEADED CHAT THEUSH.
Length, 7'5 ; expanse, 11'5; wing, 3'8 to 42; tail, 2*8; tarsus,
0'85 ; bill at front, 0*6 ; bill from gape, 1-1.
Bill brownish-black ; irides hazel-brown ; legs plumbeous.
Male. Head, nape, and shoulders of the wings, pale-blue ; lores,
ear-coverts, back and wings, black, tinged with dusky-blue on
the back, and on some of the wing-coverts and quills ; a white
wing spot, formed by a white bar on the outer webs of the
secondaries ; rump and upper tail-coverts ferruginous ; tail black,
edged with blue ; chin pale-blue ; breast, abdomen, and under tail-
coverts ferruginous.
Female. Brownish-olive above, yellowish- white beneath, tinged
with rufous on the breast, and barred crosswise with olive-brown.
During the cold weather the Blue-headed Chat Thrush is
generally distributed throughout the region, but occurs much more
rarely in Sind. It is solitary in its habits.
GENUS, Geocichla, Kuhl.
Bill moderate, stout, compressed, straight ; culmen gently arched
throughout, tolerably hooked at the tip, and slightly notched ;
nostrils lengthened ; a small nude spot behind the eye ; wings and
tail moderate, or rather short ; tarsus slightly lengthened ; lateral
toes short, nearly equal.
TURBINE. 171
Geocichla cyanotis, Jard and Selby.
354. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 517 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 398.
THE WHITE-WINGED GROUND THRUSH.
Length, 7'5 to 8'5 ; expanse, 12'25 to 14 ; wing, 4'2 to 4'5 ; tail,
275 to 3 ; tarsus, T25 to 1-5 ; bill at front, 07 ; bill from gape, 1.
Bill blackish ; irides dark-brown ; legs fleshy-brown.
Head, nape, hind-neck, and sides of neck, ferruginous ; the rest
of the plumage above dull-cyaneous or leaden ; wings and tail
dusky, the former with a white spot on the median wing-coverts,
and the outer feathers of the tail also tipped with white ; lores
white ; ear-coverts white in the centre, continued down the sides of
the neck, and with a brown spot above and below the latter passing
into ferruginous, and bordering the white of the ears ; beneath,
the chin, throat, and neck, white ; the breast, abdomen, and flanks,
bright- ferruginous ; and the vent and under tail-coverts white.
The colors of the female are less pure than those of the male.
The White-winged Ground Thrush only occurs within our limits
on the Sahyadri Kange and in the adjoining forests, as far north
at least as Khandalla.
It is a permanent resident, but owing to the bird's crepuscular
habits, it often escapes observation.
Geocichla citrina, Lath.
355. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 517 ; Butler, Deccan ; V T **
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 398.
THE ORANGE-HEADED GROUND THRUSH.
Length, 812 to 9; expanse, 1375 to 15 ; tail, 275 to 3'25 ;
wing, 4-4 to 4'82 ; tarsus, 1'2 to 1'35 ; bill from gape, 1'05 to 1*2.
Bill horny-black, fleshy-white at base beneath ; irides dark-
brown ; nude patch behind eye, flesh-colored ; legs fleshy-white.
The whole head, neck, and lower plumage, pale brownish-orange ;
the chin and throat paling and albescent ; the rest of the upper
plumage blue-grey ; a small white wing spot on the median-
coverts, and the primary-coverts tipped black ; lower part of abdo-
men paling towards the vent, which, with the lower tail-coverts,
is white.
The female differs slightly, being tinged with olivaceous on the
back, wings and tail.
The occurrence of the Orange-headed Ground Thrush within
our limits is very doubtful ; if it occurs at all, it can only be
as a very rare winter visitant.
Geocichla unicolor, TicMl.
356. -.Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 519 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 470 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 399 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 131.
172 TURDIN^E.
THE DUSKY GROUND THRUSH.
Length, 9 ; expanse, 14'5;wing, 4'5 ; tail, 313; tarsus, 1 '12 ;
bill at front, 07.
Bill dusky-yellow ; eyelids and gape yellow ; irides brown ;
legs yellowish-brown.
Male above uniform dusky slaty ash-color ; chin nearly white ;
throat pale-ashy; breast ashy; abdomen and lower tail-coverts
white ; under wing-coverts and flanks of abdomen ferruginous.
The female is olive-brown above, ashy about the rump ; ear-
coverts ashy-brown, with light shafts ; beneath the chin and throat
albescent or very pale-ashy, bordered by a dark stripe from the base
of the lower mandible, and the feathers of the throat and neck
streaked with dusky-brown ; the breast and sides ashy-brown,
tinged with fulvous, or olive-brown on the flanks ; belly, vent,
and lower tail-coverts, white.
Occurs throughout the district as a rather rare cold weather
visitant.
GENUS, Turdulus, Hodgson.
Bill rather short, something like that of Geocichla, generally
yellow ; tarsus rather short. Males colored black, and white ;
females dingy-olive or brown. Otherwise as in Merula.
Turdulus wardi, Jerd.
357. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 520 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 399.
WARD'S PIED BLACKBIRD.
Length, 8*5 to 9 ; wing, 4*6 ; tail, 3*4; tarsus, 1*2; bill at front,
075.
Bill yellow ; irides brown ; legs yellow.
Male, above with the whole . head and neck, black ; eye-streak,
a patch on the shoulders of the wings, tips of all the coverts,
especially the medial -co verts white ; tertiaries and secondaries
also tipped white, the latter slightly, and the primaries narrowly
edged with the same ; upper tail-coverts also tipped ; tail with
the central tail-feathers slightly white tipped, the rest of the
feathers successively more broadly so, but chiefly on the inner
webs, and increasing in amount to the outermost, which has
the inner web white for two-thirds of its length ; the web black
nearly to the tip.
The female is pale-brownish above ; the eye-streak, tips of the
wing-coverts and of the tertiaries, fulvous-white ; upper tail-
coverts and tips of the tail-feathers, whitish ; beneath fulvous-
white, variegated with dusky ; under tail-coverts pure white ;
the feathers of the throat, breast and flanks, with dusky spots ;
axillaries pure white.
The occurrence of Ward's Blackbird within our limits is very
doubtful.
Major Lloyd includes it in his list of the Birds of the Concan.
TURBINE. 173
GENUS, Merula, Leach.
Bill slightly lengthened, compressed at the tip, and notched ;
nostrils feathered at the base ; rictal bristles short and strong ;
tarsus of moderate length ; feet strong ; wings long, second quill
shorter than the fifth, which is nearly as long as the third and
fourth ; tail square or nearly so.
Merula nigropilea, Lafr.
359. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 523; Butler , Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 470 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Yol,
IX, p. 399.
THE BLACK-CAPPED BLACKBIRD.
Length, 9*5 ; wing, 4'9 ; tail, 3'5 ; tarsus, T2 ; bill at front, 0*8.
Bill orange-yellow, as also are the gape and eyelids ; legs
brownish-yellow.
Male. Head, with the lores, cheeks and nape, deep black ; back,
rump, wings and tail, dark-blackish, tinged with brown on the
interscapulars ; chin blackish ; neck, all round to the nape (con-
trasting there strongly with the black of the crown) and the
lower parts brownish-ashy, paler on the belly, and passing to
white on the vent ; under tail-coverts mingled white and ashy.
The Black-capped Blackbird is a permanent resident and
occurs on the Sahyadri Range as far north as Khandalla, and
is also common at Mount Aboo, where it is particularly abundant
during the rains at which season it breeds, but its nest does not
appear to have been taken.
Merula atrogularis, Tern.
365. Planesticus atrogularis, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. I. p. 529 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 131.
THE BLACK-THROATED THRUSH.
Length, 10'5 ; expanse, 17 ; wing, 575 ; tail, 4'4 ; bill at front,
0-6.
Bill yellow, dusky at tip; orbits yellow; irides dark-brown;
legs horny-yellowish-brown.
Male. Above pale cinereous-brown ; wings and tail darker ;
tail occasionally tinged with rufous ; beneath the throat albescent-
brownish with some undefined dark markings, the centre of each
feather being dark, and lower down these coalesce and form a
broad dark-brown, or blackish pectoral gorget ; the rest, beneath,
pale cinereous-white, a few of the feathers next the breast centred
or barred with dusky ; under wing-coverts rusty ; lower tail-
coverts indistinctly barred with brown and rusty.
The female wants the pectoral gorget, but has the breast
buff, mixed with dusky, and some brown striae on the sides of
the throat and breast ; the abdomen, too, is whiter than in the
male, and the lower tail-coverts are bufty-white.
1 74 SIMALIN.E.
The Black-throated Thrush only occurs as a cold weather visi-
tant to Northern Sind. I found it very common between
Kandahar and Q uetta during the time of its migration.
SUB-FAMILY, Simalinae.
Legs and feet stout and large ; bill various in form and length,
almost always compressed, usually notched ; wings short and
rounded ; tail largish, graduated ; plumage often lax.
GENUS, Pyctorhis, Gmelin.
Bill rather short, strong, deep, arched, entire ; rictus strongly
bristled ; orbits nude ; wings rather short and feeble, fourth and
fifth quills longest ; tail long, graduated ; legs and feet stout and
large ; claws large, moderately curved.
Pyctorhis sinensis, Gmelin.
385. Jerdon's Birds of India, VoL II, p. 15 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. III. p. 471 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 399 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 132 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 67.
THE YELLOW-EYED BABBLER,
Length, 6'5 ; expanse, 7 to 7 '8 ; wing, 2'4 to 2'8 ; tail, 3 to 3'5 ;
bill at front, 0'45 ; tarsus, 09 to I'l.
Bill black, with the nostrils deep yellow ; irides dark brown,
with an outer circle of buff ; orbits bright orange ; legs yellow.
Above clear red-brown, rufous or cinnamon color on the wings,
and the tail obsoletely banded with dusky ; lores and all the,
lower plumage white; lower surface of wings and tail dusky-
cinereous.
The Yellow-eyed Babbler is a common permanent resident
throughout the district, breeding from June to August ; the nest
is beautifully made, of a deep cup-shape, and is placed in a slender
fork of a bush or small tree ; sometimes it is suspended between
stalks of growing corn or reeds ; it is composed of grass, inter-
laced with vegetable fibre and lined with fine grass ; the eggs,
four or five in number, vary much in shape, size and color but
they are generally rather broad ovals, averaging 073 in length by
about 0*59 inches in breadth.
Some eggs have a pinkish-white ground, thickly mottled and
speckled with bright deep brick-dust red ; others have the pinkish-
white ground, but are boldly, though sparingly, blotched with
patches and streaks of blood or bright brick-red, interspersed with
a few inky-purple spots or clouds ; between these two types every
variety is met with ; the eggs are in general finely glossed.
Pyctorhis griseigularis, Hume.
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 132.
SIMALIN.E. 175
THE GREY-THROATED BABBLER.
Length, 5*5 ; wing, 2'5 ; tail,3'4 ; tarsus, 1.
Bill horny or fleshy-brown ; legs pale fleshy-brown.
Forehead, upper part of lores and streak over the eyes deep
reddish-brown, each feather streaked with ashy-grey ; crown and
occiput deep ferruginous ; cheeks and ear-coverts paler ferruginous ;
sides of neck yellowish-rusty ; nape, back, scapulars, rump, and
upper tail-coverts, bright rusty-ferruginous, in some lights slightly
brownish and most rusty on upper tail-coverts, almost entire
visible portion of closed wing bright ferruginous-chesuut, rest of
feathers hair-brown ; tail moderately dark-brown, feathers margined
strongly on outer webs with ferruginous and most broadly so to-
wards their bases ; chin, throat, and upper breast pale brownish-
grey or ashy, rest of lower parts dull rusty, browner and lighter
on lower breast, brighter and more ferruginous on flanks and lower
tail-coverts.
The Grey-throated Babbler is a rather doubtful species.
Within our limits it has only been procured in Sind, where
doubtless it is a permanent resident.
GENUS, Alcippe, Blyth.
Bill short, moderately stout and compressed ; culmen slightly
curved, hooked and notched ; nostrils slightly impended by some
setae ; rictal bristles moderate ; wings moderate, rounded, fourth
and fifth quills equal ; tail moderate or rather short, very slightly
rounded ; tarsus stout, moderate ; lateral toes unequal ; claws
tolerably curved.
Alcippe poiocephala, Jerdon.
380. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 18 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 399.
THE NEILGHERRY QUAKER THRUSH.
Length, 5'9 ; wing, 2'8 ; tail, 23 ; tarsus, 0'88 ; bill at front, 0'45.
Bill horny, yellow at gape and edges ; irides greenish-white ;
legs pale fleshy.
Head and nape dusky-cinereous ; back and ramp greenish-olive,
inclining to rufous on the rump, darker and more ferruginous on
the wings and tail ; beneath pale rufescent or fulvous, lightest and
albescent on the chin and throat.
The Neilgherry Quaker Thrush is a permanent resident on the
Sahyadri Range, but has not been recorded from any other por-
tion of our limits.
Alcippe atriceps, Jerdon.
390. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 19 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 399.
THE BLACK-HEADED WREN BABBLER.
Length, 5'5 ; expanse, 7 ; wing, 2 3 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill at
front, 0-4.
176 SIMALIN^E.
Bill horny-brown ; irides pale orange'or buff ; legs plumbeous.
Head, cheeks, and nape, black ; wings, tail and under tail-
coverts, brownish-olive, darkest on the tail and wings ; beneath
white, with a tinge of orange-brown on the sides and towards the
vent.
The Black-hoaded Wren Babbler has been obtained in the forest
west of Belgaum ; it has not been recorded from elsewhere within
the region.
GENUS, Mixornis, Hodgson.
Bill rather long, compressed, with a tendency to arch ; tip blunt,
barely notched ; nostrils ovoid, advanced ; wings moderate, rounded,
the first four quills graduated, fifth and sixth sub-equal and
longest ; tail moderate or rather short, laterals very unequal ; hind-
toe large, nails well curved.
Mixornis rubicapillus, Tickell.
395. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 23.
THE YELLOW-BREASTED WEEN BABBLER.
Length, 575 ; wing, 2'38 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill at front, 0'6.
Bill horny ; irides reddish-hazel ; legs pale horny-brown.
Above dull olive-green, inclining to rufescent or brown ; wings
and tail rufescent-brown ; part of the forehead, supercilium, ears,
and sides of the neck, yellowish-green, with some dusky streaks ;
crown of the head dull ferruginous ; beneath pale yellow,
fading to whitish on the lower abdomen and olivaceous on the
flanks and vent ; the throat and upper part of the breast with
some blackish streaks.
The Yellow-breasted Wren Babbler has been doubtfully record-
ed from Central India.
GENUS, Dumetia, Blyih.
Bill moderate, or rather short, compressed, pointed ; culmen
slightly curving from the base, and the commissure also slightly
curved ; a few small rictal bristles ; wings short, rounded, fourth,
fifth, and sixth quills nearly equal ; tail moderate, rounded ; tarsus
stout ; middle-toe not elongate, lateral toes about equal, hind-toe
and claw moderately large.
Dumetia hyperythra, Franklin.
397. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 26 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 399 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 67.
THE RUFOUS-BELLIED BABBLER.
Length, 5'25 ; wing, 21 ; tail, 3'2 ; tarsus, 0'8.
Bill horny ; irides pale yellow-brown ; legs fleshy-yellow.
Above brownish-olive, the tail obsoletely barred with dusky ;
forehead and whole body beneath rufous.
SIMALIN.E. 177
The Rufous-bellied Babbler is a permanent resident in parts
of the Deccan, and occurs also in the vicinity of Mhow.
It breeds from June to August ; the nest is globular in shape,
composed of coarse grass blades, sparingly lined with fine grass.
It is frequently placed on the ground amongst coarse grass or
dead leaves, with which it is frequently incorporated, but
sometimes in low scrub-bushes, only a foot or so from the ground.
The eggs, four in number, are broad oval in shape, white in color,
spotted, freckled, streaked, and blotched with brownish-red and
"reddish-purple ; the markings are sometimes clearly defined,
at others they are smudgy ; in others again they are speckly.
They measure 0'67 inches in length by about 0*53 in breadth.
Dumetia albogularis, Blyth.
398. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 26 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 471 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 400.
THE WHITE-THROATED WREN BABBLER.
Length, 5'62 ; expanse, 6*2 ; wing, 2-12 ; tail, 2'25 ; tarsus,
075 ; bill at front, 0'4 ; bill at gape, 0'57.
Like the last, but the chin and throat pure white.
The White-throated Babbler is another species that only
occurs within our limits, on the Sahyadri Range and forests
adjacent, but turns up again at Mount Aboo. It is probably
a permanent resident.
GENUS, Pellorneum, Swainson.
Bill moderate, straight, compressed, very gently curving
throughout, slightly hooked at tip, and notched ; rictal bristles
feeble ; wings much rounded, fifth, sixth and seventh quills nearly
equal ; tail moderate, rounded ; tarsus moderate ; feet large ; mid-
dle-toe lengthened ; laterals barely unequal ; hind- toe long ; claws
tolerably curved.
Pellorneum ruficeps, Swainson.
399. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 27 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 400.
THE SPOTTED WREN BABBLER.
Length, 7 ; expanse, 9 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at
front, 07.
Bill horny above, yellowish-fleshy beneath ; irides brick-red ;
legs fleshy-yellow.
Above olive-brown ; crown and nape deep rusty colored, with
a more or less marked white eyebrow from the forehead to the
nape ; ears dusky- white, or mixed brown and white, or entirely
brown ; beneath white or fulvous- white, with spots of dark olive on
the sides of the breast and belly, olivaceous on the flanks and
under tail -co verts.
12
178 SIMALINJE.
The Spotted Wren Babbler only occurs within our limits, on
the Sahyadri Range, as far north as Mahableshwar.
GENUS, Pomatorhinus, Horsfield.
Bill long, compressed, pointed, much curved throughout, entire
at the tip ; nostrils barely apert, lengthened ; a few very small
rictal bristles ; wings short, rounded ; fifth and sixth quills longest ;
tail long or moderate, rounded ; tarsi and feet long and stout ;
anterior toes not much elongated ; hind-toe large ; claws large,
moderately curved, somewhat blunt.
Pomatorhinus horsfieldi, Sykes.
404. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 31 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 400.
THE SOUTHERN SCIMITAR BABBLER.
Length, 9'5 ; wing, 3'8; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 1*3 ; bill at front, 1.
Bill yellow, dusky above ; irides dark-red ; legs dusky-green.
Above deep olive-brown ; a white superciliary stripe ; neck in
front, breast, and middle of abdomen, white ; the flanks, vent,
and under tail-coverts olive-brown.
The Southern Scimitar Babbler has the same range as the
preceding, but is much more common and is a permanent resident.
Pomatorhinus obscurus, Hume.
404ter. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 471.
HUME'S SCIMITAR BABBLER.
Length, 9'5 to 10 12 ; expanse, 11 ; wing, 3'5 to 415 ; tail, 4 ;
bill at front, T32 to 135 ; bill at gape, T4.
Bill ivory-yellow, horny at base of upper mandible or dirty-
yellow, blackish on the ridge at base of upper mandible ; irides
dark red or reddish-brown ; legs and feet dark, slightly greenish-
plumbeous, or olivaceous-slate.
Chin, throat, breast and centre of abdomen, and a long super-
ciliary stripe from forehead to nape, pure white ; the whole of
the rest of the plumage a dull smoky earth-brown, rather
a purer brown on quills and tail, which are very faintly
rufescent ; the tail obsoletely barred ; the lores dark-brown ;
the ear-coverts slightly darker-brown than the rest of the body.
Hume's Scimitar Babbler is common at Aboo, and must occur
on the hills in the vicinity of Mhow.
GENUS, Malacocercus, Swainson.
Bill short or moderate, much compressed, rather deep, curving
from the base, barely hooked at the tip, entire ; commissure
slightly curved ; gonys ascending ; nostrils apert ; a few short pale
rictal setae ; wings short, much rounded, fourth, fifth and sixth
quills nearly equal and longest ; tail moderately long, broad ; tarsus
stout, scutellate ; feet rather large ; claws moderately curved.
SIMALIN.E. 179
Malacocereus terricolor, Hodgson.
432. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 59 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 472 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p, 133 ; Svvinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885,
p. 67.
THE BENGAL BABBLER.
Sat bhai, Hin.
Length, 9 to 10 ; extent, 13 ; wing, 412 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus,
:1 '5 ; bill at front, 075.
Bill horny-brown ; irides pale yellow ; legs dingy-yellow.
Above brownish-ashy, paler and somewhat cinereous on the
head and neck, browner on the back, where the feathers are
faintly pale shafted ; quills brown, with outer webs paler, and
narrowly bordered with ashy ; tail reddish-brown, faintly barred,
and the outer feathers tipped with pale whity-brown ; beneath
pale ashy-brown on the throat and breast, the feathers very faintly
edged and shafted lighter ; abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts,
pale fulvescent.
With the exception of the Deccan, the Bengal Babbler is
common throughout our limits ; it is a permanent resident and
breeds from March to July.
The nests are often found in gardens, in fruit trees, vineries,
thick hedges, and in fact almost anywhere ; they are of a deep
cup-shape, generally loosely constructed, but occasionally they
are more neatly made ; they are composed of grass stems and
roots.
The eggs, three or four in number, are variable both in shape
and color, but are typically broad oval in shape and deep blue
in color.
They average one inch in length by about 078 in breadth.
They are in general highly glossy.
Malacocereus griseus, Latham,
433. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 60 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 400.
THE WHITE-HEADED BABBLER.
Length, 9 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, T25 ; bill at front, 0'55.
Bill yellowish ; irides yellowish- white ; legs fleshy-yellow.
Head, lores and nape, fulvescent or dirty-whitish ; plumage
above darker brown than the last, the feathers with pale
shafts ; quills not barred ; tail brown, very faintly barred, and
the outer feathers tipped pale ; beneath the chin and throat
are mixed brown and ashy, conspicuously darker than the
neighbouring parts, each feather being ashy at the base,
and with a dark band, tipped paler ; as the pale tip gets worn
away, the dark tinge becomes more apparent ; from the breast
the rest of the lower parts are pale fulvescent, inclining to
rufescent.
180 SIMALIN-ffl.
The White-headed Babbler is common at and near Belgaum,
where it is a permanent resident, breeding from April to July.
Malacocercus malabaricus, Jerdon.
434 Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 62 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 400.
THE JUNGLE BABBLER.
Length, 9 ; wing, 4'1 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, T2 ; bill at front, 075.
Bill and gape dark yellow ; orbits yellow ; irides pale-yellow ;
legs dirty-yellow, with a fleshy tinge.
Very like M. terricolor, but somewhat darker in color, with
broader and more distinct pale mesial streaks on the feathers
of the back, and especially of the breast ; the tertiaries are but
very obscurely striated, but the tail is distinctly so.
The Jungle Babbler is rather irregular in its breeding habits,
nests having been taken from April to October ; it is generally
placed in the centre of a thorny bush. The eggs, three or four
in number, are similar to those of M. terricolor.
They average 0'97 inches in length by about 077 in breadth.
The occurrence of the Jungle Babbler within our limit is rather
doubtful. Jerdon implies that it occurs along the Malabar coast,
and Major Lloyd includes it in his list of Konkan species.
Malacocercus somervillii, Sykes.
435. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 63 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 400.
THE RUFOUS-TAILED BABBLER.
Length, 9'5; wing, 4'25; tail, 4; tarsus, 1*13; bill at
front, 075.
Bill horny-yellow ; irides pale-yellow ; legs dirty-yellow.
Above ashy-brown, the feathers of the back barely lighter
shafted, passing into rufescent on the rump and upper tail-
coverts ; quills dark-brown on both webs ; tail rufous-brown,
obsoletely banded ; beneath, the chin and throat are mixed
dark-brown and ashy as in griseus ; the upper part of the breast
pale whity -brown, the feathers dark at their base ; the lower
breast, belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, rufescent.
The Rufous-tailed Babbler is a common permanent resident
on the Sahyadri Range and the country adjacent. Mr. Hume
says it is confined to a belt of country about 60 miles
north and south of Bombay. In its breeding habits it resembles,
its congeners.
Malacocercus malcolmi, Sykes.
436. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 64 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 472 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 401 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 133 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 67.
SIMALIN^E. 181
THE LARGE GREY BABBLER.
Length, 11 ; wing, 4'6 ; tail, 575; tarsus, 1'3 ; bill at front
0-9.
Bill horny ; irides light-yellow ; legs dirty-yellow.
Above of a pale brownish-grey, lighter and more cinereous
on the rump ; quills and middle rectrices darker, the latter with
some faint cross bands, and the lateral feathers whitish ; fore-
head pale-bluish, the feathers with white shafts ; the first three
quills with the outer webs pale-yellowish ; beneath uniform
: whitish-grey, with a tinge of fulvescent, or rufescent, most
distinct on the breast and upper part of the abdomen.
The Large Grey Babbler is a permanent resident throughout
the district, but is much less common in Sind than elsewhere.
It breeds nearly the whole year round, as I have taken eggs
from January to the end of October. A small babool tree is-
generally selected as the site of the nest, and on a low branch,,
not more than 5 or 10 feet from the ground, it constructs a rather
loosely woven, but neat cup-shaped, nest. The materials of
which it is composed are generally dried grass, and roots inter-
mixed with fine twigs. The eggs, generally four in number, are
indistinguishable from those of Malococercus terricolor.
GENUS, Layardia, Blyth.
Similar to Malacocercus, but of more decided colors ; the bill
shorter and deeper ; the wings shorter and rounded ; the frontal
plumes hispid, but of open texture, and monticolus in its
habits.
Layardia subrufa, Jerdon.
437. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 66 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 401.
THE RUFOUS BABBLER.
Length, 9'5 ; wing, 37 ; tail, 4'25 ; tarsus, 1'3; bill at front,
07.
Above darkish olive-brown ; forehead pale bluish-ash, the
frontal feathers somewhat rigid ; beneath deep-rufous, paler on
the chin.
The Rufous Babbler occurs in various parts of the Deccan ; it
has not been recorded from any other portion of our limits.
GENUS, Chatarrhcea, Blyth.
Bill longer than in Malacocercus, more slender, and very
gently curved, both in the commissure and culmen ; tail long,
narrow ; lateral toes about equal ; hind-toe very long ; claws
slightly curved.
Chatarrhcea caudata, Dumeril.
438. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 67 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 472 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
182 SIMALIN.E.
IX, p. 401 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 133 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 68.
THE STRIATED BUSH BABBLER.
Length, 9 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 0'6.
Bill pale brownish -horny ; hides red-brown ; legs dull -yellow.
Above pale ashy-brown, with numerous dusky striae, each
feather being centred brown ; tail pale olive-brown, obsoletely
barred with dusky ; beneath the chin white, the rest of the
plumage rufescent-ashy, darkest on the flanks.
The Striated Bush Babbler is very common throughout the
region ; it is a permanent resident, and breeds almost the whole '
year through. I have personally taken eggs in every month
except December. The nests are generally placed in thorny
bushes, two or three feet from the ground ; they are fairly well
made, deep, cup-shaped nests, composed of grass stems and roots,
occasionally lined with finer grass. The eggs, three or four in
number, are of a moderately elongated oval shape, but spheriform
varieties are not uncommon. They are of a glossy spotless
pale-blue color, and average 0*82 inches in length by about
0'64 in breadth.
Eggs of Goccystes jacobinus are often found in these nests,
and are distinguished by their more globular shape.
Chatarrhcea earlii, Blyth.
439. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 68 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 134.
THE STRIATED REED BABBLER.
Length, 99 ; expanse, 11 ; wing, 35 ; tail, 55 ; tarsus, T38 ;
bill at front, 075.
Bill pale greenish-yellow, dusky above and at the tip ; irides
bright-yellow ; legs dirty greenish-horn.
Above pale ashy-brown, with dark brown streaks on the head
and back, fading on the upper tail-coverts ; tail concolorous with
the back, still paler perhaps, and with no trace of strise ; chin,
throat, and upper part of the breast dull reddish-fulvous, edged
paler, and with faint dark central lines ; the rest of the under
parts dingy-fulvous or albescent-brown.
Within our limits, the Striated Reed Babbler only occurs in
Sind, where it is a permanent resident, breeding from March to
September.
They build a neat but rather massive cup-shaped nest, either
in close growing reeds or small bushes. The eggs, three or four
in number, closely resemble those of G. caudata, but are larger,
averaging 0'96 by 073.
GENUS, Chaetornis, Grey.
Bill very short, strong, high, compressed, curved on the cul-
men, strongly hooked at the tip, and notched ; five remarkably
SIMALINJC. 183
strong bristles between the gape and the eyes, forming an almost
vertical range curved stiffly outwards ; wing somewhat long ; third
quill longest ; fourth and fifth nearly equal to it ; second equal to
the seventh ; feet and legs strong ; tarsus moderately long, the
middle -toe elongate ; laterals unequal ; inner-toe very versatile ;
hind-toe long ; all the claws slightly curved.
Chaetornis striatus, Jerd.
441. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 72 ; Butler, Aboo and
: Northern Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 209.
THE GRASS BABBLER.
Length, 7 to 8-25 ; expanse, 11; wing, 3 to 3'5 ; tail, 375;
tarsus, 1*1 ; bill at front, 0'48.
Bill dusky-brown above, fleshy brown beneath ; irides yellow-
brown or dull grey in some ; legs brownish-fleshy.
Above olive or yellowish-brown, the feathers all centred with
deep brown; tail brownish, banded with dusky externally, and
dusky along the centre of each feather, which is tipped fulvous-
white, and the outer feathers have further a dark brown sub-
terminal band ; beneath the color is white, tinged with earthy-
brown on the breast, and with a few dark specks.
The Grass Babbler occurs in Central India, and is not uncommon
in the neighbourhood of Deesa.
It breeds during the rains, constructing a roundish nest of dry
grass, with the entrance on one side near the top, which it places
on the ground in the centre of a low bush. The eggs, four in
number, are white in color, speckled all over with reddish-brown
and pale lavender, more profusely at the large end. They
strongly recall eggs of FranJdinia buchanani, but are much
larger, equalling those of Chatarrhosa caudata.
GENUS, Schcenicola, Blyth,
Bill moderate, rather deep, much compressed, slightly curved
on the culmen ; a few strong rictal bristles ; wings moderate,
slightly rounded ; fourth quill longest ; third quill equal to fifth ;
tail moderate, very broad, soft ; tarsus long ; toes grasping ; plu-
mage somewhat lax.
Schoenicola platyurus, Jerdon.
442. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 73 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 401.
THE BROAD-TAILED REED BIRD.
Length, 575 ; expanse, 8 ; wing, 2'5 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus, 0'88 ;
bill at front, 0'4.
Bill horny-yellow ; irides yellowish-brown ; legs fleshy-yellow.
Above dark olive-brown ; the feathers of the tail obsoletely
barred ; beneath ochrey-yellowish.
The Broad-tailed Reed Bird is very rare. Major Butler found
184 PYCNONOTIN2E.
it breeding at Belgaum amongst long grass in September. It
is probably only a seasonal visitant.
GENUS, Laticilla^ Blyth.
Bill of moderate length, compressed, slender, nearly straight :
culmen gently curved, barely hooked at tip; a few distant, short
rictal setae ; wings short, rounded ; fourth and fifth quills
longest ; tail long, graduated ; the feathers very broad and soft ;
tarsus long ; middle-toe elongated ; lateral toes unequal ; hind-
toe rather short.
Laticilla burnesii, Blyih.
443. Eurycercus burnesii. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 74 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 134.
THE LONG-TAILED REED BIRD.
Length, 6'25 ; wing, 2'13 ; tail, 375 ; tusus, 0'8 ; bill at front,
04.
Bill horny above, yellowish beneath ; irides brownish-yellow ;
legs yellow-brown.
Above brownish-grey, with dark central streaks, mostly on
the scapulars and back ; tail faintly barred ; under parts
whitish, tinged with fulvescent on the flanks, and a shade of the
same on the side of the neck, where also a few mesial streaks
are distinct ; under tail-coverts ferruginous.
Within our limits, the Long-tailed Reed Bird has only been
recorded from Sind, where in certain localities it is by no means
uncommon, especially in reed and tamarisk thickets.
It breeds from March to September ; the nest is placed hf the
centre of a tussock of grassland is composed of coarse grass, lined
with finer grass. The eggs-, three or four in number, are of a
pale-greenish ground color, covered with irregular blotches of
purplisb -brown, but they vary a good deal. The eggs in my pos-
session average 072 inches in length by 0*53 in breadth.
FAMILY, Brachypodidae.
Legs and feet very short, only suited for perching; wings
moderate or rather long ; bill various, long and Thrush-like in
some, short and somewhat depressed in others.
SUB-FAMILY, Pycnonotinee.
Bill generally short, straight and depressed; rictal bristles
well developed ; nostrils exposed.
GENUS, Hypsipetes, Vigors.
Bill moderately strong, lengthened, nearly straight ; culmen
very slightly arched ; nostrils long, with some short tufts and a
few hairs at their base ; wings long, fourth and fifth* quills longest,
third nearly as long ; tail rather long, square or emarginate ; feet
PYCNONOTINJE 185
and legs very short. The head is sub-crested, the feathers being
lanceolate, and the rictal bristles are very few and weak.
Hypsipetes Ganesa, Sykes.
446. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 78 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Yol. IX, p. 401.
THE GHAT BLACK BULBUL.
Length, 9'6 to 1075 ; expanse, 14 to 15'5 ; wing, 4'5 to 5 ;
t$il, 4'3 to 4'9 ; tarsus, 6 to 7'5 ; bill from gape, 1 '3.
Bill deep coral-red; irides deep-brown; legs deep coral-red.
Above grey-brown, paler beneath ; wings and tail brown ; head
si ightly crested, metallic-black.
The Ghat Black Bulbul is a rare but permanent resident in
the more hilly portions of the Deccan. It occurs on the Sahyadri
Range as far north as Mahableshwar.
GENUS, Criniger, TemmincL
Bill of moderate length, strong and deep ; the culmen well
curved ; rictal bristles distinct, long ; tail nearly even, with the
outermost feathers distinctly shorter ; head more or less crested.
Criniger ictericus, Strickland.
450. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 82 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 402,
THE YELLOW-BROWED BULBUL.
Length, 8 ; wing, 37; tail, 3'5; tarsus, 0'8; bill at front, 0*6.
Bill black ; irides blood-red; legs dark -plumbeous.
Plumage above bright olive-green ; superciliary streak extend-
ing to the forehead, and the whole plumage beneath bright-
yellow ; quills dusky on their inner webs ; the shafts of the tail-
feathers beneath yellow.
The Yellow-browed Bulbul has a similar distribution to the
last, but is locally not uncommon.
GENUS, Ixus, TemmincL
Bill rather short, slightly arching on the culmen, the tip
bent over, distinctly notched ; commissure nearly straight ; a few
rictal bristles, mixed with some smaller tufts ; hairs on the
nape distinct, and some of the feathers of the throat
bristle-ended ; lateral toes nearly equal ; hind-toe shorter than
middle-toe ; fourth, fifth and sixth quills sub-equal and longest ;
seventh barely shorter ; tail slightly rounded in some, almost even
in others, with the outer feathers slightly shorter.
Ixus luteolus, Less.
452. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 84; Butler, Deccau;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 402,
186 PYCNONOTINJE.
THE WHITE-BROWED BUSH BULBUL.
Length, 7'5 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 3'5 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill at front 0'6.
Bill blackish ; irides blood-red ; legs dark-plumbeous.
Above dull-brownish olive-green, palest on the head, where it is
slightly ashy, and yellowish on the rump; quills and coverts
edged with brighter green ; over the eye to the ear-coverts, and
from the base of the upper mandible extending below the eye,
obscure white ; chin, and base of lower mandible, pale clear
yellow ; lower parts whitish-ashy, tinged with pale-yellow ; the
breast dashed with brownish-grey, and the vent and under tail-
coverts pale -yellow.
The White-browed Bush Bulbul is a permanent resident in
some portions of the Deccan, but is very local, and appears to
avoid the Ghat Kange.
GENUS, Rubigula, Blyth.
Bill rather short, moderately stout ; rictal bristles small or
moderate ; tail slightly rounded, or almost even ; head black,
more or less crested ; the feathers of the back loose and decom-
posed ; irides yellow.
Rubigula gularis, Gould.
455. Jerdon's BMs of India, Vol. II, p. 87 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 402.
THE RUBY-THROATED BULBUL.
Length, 6'5 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0*55 j bill at front,
0-4.
Bill black ; irides light-yellow ; legs greenish-dusky.
Head and cheeks pure glossy-black ; plumage above yellow-
ish olive-green ; a small chin spot black ; throat beautiful shin-
ng ruby-red, the feathers much divided and somewhat bristly ;
the rest of the plumage beneath bright-yellow ; quills with a
tinge of dusky on the inner webs.
The Ruby-throated Bulbul is very rare. Mr. Laird procured
it in the forests west of Belgaum, but this is the only record of
its occurrence within our limits.
GENUS, Brachypodius, Blyth.
Bill somewhat as in Rwbigula, short, rather deep at the base
but the rictal bristles more feeble ; tail more or less rounded.
Brachypodius poiocephalus, Jerdon.
457. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 89 ; Butler, Deccan j
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 402.
THE GREY-HEADED BULBUL.
Length, 7 j expanse, 9 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2'8 ; tarsus, 0'25 ; bill at
front, 0-46.
Bill greenish -horny ; irides bluish-white ; legs reddish-yellow.
PYCNONOTINJE. 187
Crown of head, occiput and throat, bluish-grey; forehead
siskin-green ; back, wings, and plumage beneath, oil-green, lighter
towards the vent ; feathers of the rump light yellowish-green,
broadly streaked with black ; tail with the centre feathers green-
ish, broadly edged with grey ; lateral feathers black, also grey-
edged ; under tail-coverts light-grey.
The Grey-headed Bulbul is not uncommon in the forests south-
west of Belgaum. It has not been recorded from any other
portion of the region.
It is a permanent resident in the locality indicated.
GENUS, Otocompsa, Cabanis.
Bill short or moderate, slightly curved ; rictus bristled ; the
head black, with an erectile pointed crest ; the upper plumage
brown, and the under tail-coverts yellow or red.
Otocompsa leucotis, Gould.
459. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 91 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 473 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 135.
THE WHITE-EARED CRESTED BULBUL.
Length, 7 ; wing, 3*5; tail, 3'25; tarsus, 075; bill at front,
045.
Whole head and neck black, passing into rich brown on the
neck ; ear-coverts, and a patch below them, white, edged black ;
upper plumage earthy-brown ; tail brown at the base, the
terminal half blackish-brown, with the edges white, most broadly
so on the outer feathers ; beneath, from the breast, whity-brown ;
the under tail-coverts rich saffron yellow.
The White-eared Crested Bulbul is a very common permanent
resident in Sind, and is far from being uncommon in Guzerat ;
it does not occur in the Deccan. They breed from May to
August ; the nests are usually built in dense tamarisk thickets,
(occasionally in babool trees), four or five feet from the ground.
The nests are composed of fine twigs and roots, scantily lined
with fine grass. They are cup-shaped, slenderly, but compactly
built. The eggs, three or four in number, are longish ovals
pointed at one end, reddish- white in color, spotted, streaked,
and blotched with brownish purplish-red.
They measure 0'82 inches in length by 0'64 in breadth. * J*jfa*L
Otocompsa fuscicaudata, Gould.
460fris. Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 473;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 402.
THE SOUTHERN RED-WHISKERED BULBUL.
Length, 8; expanse, 11; wing, 375; tail, 3'9 ; tarsus, 0'9 ;
bill at front, 0'5.
Head, with crest, black ; ear-coverts white, with a tuft of glossy
188 PYCNONOTIN.E.
hair-like crimson feathers over the ears, and reaching beyond them ;
a narrow line of black borders the ear-coverts beneath ; plumage
above light hair-brown, darker on the quills and on the tail,
especially towards the tip ; beneath from the chin white, the
sides of the breast dark-brown, forming an interrupted gorget.
The Southern Red-whiskered Bulbul is common on the Sahyadri
Range and adjacent forests ; it is also very common at Aboo.
It is a permanent resident and breeds from March to May.
The nests are neatly made, and are of a deep cup-shape, composed
of grass roots, with a quantity of dead leaves or dried ferns
worked into the bottom and lined with fine grass. The eggs,
two or three in number, are reddish-white in color, thickly mot-
tled, freckled, and streaked with rich blood-red, with a few
scarcely visible spots of pale inky-purple.
They measure 0'9 inches in length, by 0'66 in breadth.
GENUS, Pycnonotus, Kuhl.
Bill moderately long, strong, moderately curved, with strongish
rictal bristles ; legs and feet stout ; tail barely rounded, almost
square ; under tail-coverts red.
Pycnonotus (Molpastes) pygaeus, Hodgs.
461. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 93.
THE COMMON BENGAL BULBUL.
Length, 875 ; expanse, 12'5 ; wing, 3'85 ; tail, 3*25 ; tarsus,
0-88; bill at front, 062.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs dark-brown.
Head, nape, hind-neck, chin, throat, and breast, glossy black ;
ear-coverts glossy hair-brown ; from the hind-neck dark smoky
brown, edged with ashy, which is the color of the rump ; the
upper tail-coverts white ; tail brownish-black, tipped with white,
except the central pair ; wings as the back ; the shoulders and
wing-coverts edged with whitish ; below, from the breast, dark
brown, edged with ashy, passing to ashy on the lower abdomen ;
vent and under tail- coverts rich crimson.
According to Jerdon, the Bengal Bulbul is found in the jungles
of Central India, north of the Nerbudda river.
Pycnonotus hsemorrhous, Gmelin.
462. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 94 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 473; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 4Q2 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 135 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 68.
THE COMMON MADRAS BULBUL.
Length, 8 ; expanse, 11 ; wing, 3 '6 ; tail, 3 3 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill
at front, 0'52.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs greenish-slaty.
Head, chin, and throat, black ; nape and back smoky-brown
PH YLLORN ITHIN.E . 189
more or less edged paler, and the pale edging often extends to
the darker feathers of the hind-head and nape, giving it a speckled
appearance ; rump somewhat cinerascent ; upper tail-coverts
white ; beneath, from the top of the breast, brown, edged with
ash, paling posteriorly, and becoming albescent on the lower
abdomen and vent ; under tail-coverts crimson ; wings smoky-
brown ; tail brownish-black, tipped with white, except the cen-
tral pair.
The Common Madras Bulbul is very abundant throughout the
region, except in Upper Sind, where it is very rare ; it is a per-
manent resident and breeds from April to October, rearing at
least two broods in the year. The nest is generally built on a
low bush or fruit tree, rarely at any great height from the ground.
It is neatly but lightly made, cup-shaped, and is composed of
grass stems, lined with finer grass, and occasionally with hair.
The eggs, three or four in number, are rather longish ovals in
shape, pinkish-white in color, speckled, blotched, streaked and
clouded with red and purplish-red. They average 09 inches in
length by 0'68 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Phyllornithinse.
Bill slightly lengthened, more or less curved, of variable
strength ; wings moderate ; tail short ; tarsus and feet short,
stout. Of a beautiful grass-green color, more or less adorned
with various glistening blue patches on the throat and shoulders
of the wings.
GENUS, Phyllornis, Sole.
Bill moderate or rather long ; culmen keeled, and more or less
curved ; tip bent down and notched ; nostrils basal, lengthened ;
wings moderately long, with the fourth and fifth quills sub-equal, or
the fourth longest ; tail moderate, or rather short, even ; tarsus
short, smooth.
Phyllornis jerdoni, Slyth.
463. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 97 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 403. 21 A*-*-*i
THE COMMON GREEN BULBUL.
Length, 7*25 ; wing, 3 5 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 078 ; bill at front,
0-69.
Bill dusky ; irides light-brown ; legs plumbeous.
Male, pale grass-green ; shoulder-patch pale shining-blue ; quills f
dusky internally ; chin, throat and gorget, deep-black, surrounded [/ (A I
by a greenish-yellow band, which extends through the eyes to
the forehead ; maxillary streak hyacinth -blue, short.
The female has the parts that are black in the male light bluish- ,
green, surrounded by the yellowish band, and the maxillary streak $ I S" ^
light-azure.
190 PHYLLORNITHINJE.
The Common Green Bulbul is a not uncommon permanent
resident on the Sahyadri Kange, occurring as far north as Khan-
dalla.
Phyllornis malabaricus, Gmelin.
jyr 464. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 98 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 403.
THE MALABAR GREEN BULBUL.
Length, 7'9 ; expanse, 11 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 3 ; bill at front,
075 ; tarsus, 07.
Bill dusky-blackish ; irides light yellowish-brown ; legs plum-
beous.
Male, bright grass-green ; forehead golden-yellow ; chin and
throat black, with a small blue moustachial streak ; flexure of
wing verdigris-blue.
The female wants the golden forehead of the male, and has
the black gorget and blue maxillary streak somewhat smaller.
The Malabar Green Bulbul is a permanent resident on the
Sahyadri Kange, from Goa to Khandalla.
GENUS, (.ZEgithina) lora, Horsfield.
Bill moderate, or rather long, somewhat compressed, very
slightly curving ; culmen rounded, slightly hooked at tip, and
notched ; rictal bristles almost wanting ; nostrils apert ; wings
rather short, with fourth, fifth and sixth quills sub-equal and long-
est ; secondaries long, nearly equal to the primaries ; tail even,
short ; tarsus rather short with scales divided ; toes short ; middle-
toe very little longer than the outer, which is slightly syndactyle ;
claws slightly curved ; hind-toe shorter than the middle one.
lora (ZEgithina) tiphia, Lin.
468. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 103 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 473 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 403 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 168.
THE WHITE-WINGED IORA.
Length, 5'3 ; expanse, 7*5 ; wing, 2'5 ; tail, 20 ; tarsus, 075 ;
bill at front 0'5 ; bill from gape, 07.
Bill reddish, dusky on culmen ; irides dark-brown ; legs
fleshy-yellow.
Male, above olive-green, beneath yellow; wings black, faintly
edged with yellow ; greater-coverts broadly tipped with white ;
scapulars also partly white ; tail black.
The female has the tail concolorous with the body, but slightly
infuscated, and the wings paler than in the male.
^ Mr. Hume unites 467 lora zeylonica with tiphia. I therefore
give Jerdon's description of zeylonica :
Male in full plumage, with the head, back, wings, and tail
PHYLLORNITHIN^. 191
deep black, the former with two white bars, caused by the tips
of the greater-coverts ; scapulars also partly white ; the tail
tipped with yellowish- white ; beneath bright-yellow ; abdomen and
lower tail-coverts pale-yellow ; the flanks have a tuft of white
silky feathers, and the bases of the clothing feathers are mostly
white.
In non-breeding plumage, and in males not fully adult, the
black of the upper plumage is less in extent, and more
mixed with green ; the white of the quills are faintly edged with
pile-yellow externally, and the innermost ones are white
internally near the tip ; and the pale tips to the tail-feathers are
more distinct.
The female is entirely grass-green above, pale-yellow beneath ;
the wings blackish, with whitish bars and yellow edges ; and the
tail green pale tipped.
Mr. Hume has gone fully into this question in Stray Feathers,
Vol. Y, p. 428, et seq.
The White-winged Green Bulbul is a permanent resident in the
Deccan ; it is also common in parts of Rajpootana and at Mhow,
Central India ; it does not occur in Sind, and in the plains of
Northern Guzerat it is replaced by the next species.
They breed from May to September. The nest is generally
placed on the upper surface of a horizontal bough, and is very
neatly made, deeply cup-shaped, and is composed of grass and
fibres, coated outside with spider's webs.
The eggs, two or three in number, are moderately broad oval
in shape, slightly pointed towards one end. The ground-color
is greyish- white (but occasionally with a creamy tinge), with long
streaky blotches of pale-brown or brownish-red. They measure
0'68 in length by 0'54 in breadth. /]
loraJJBgithina) nigrolutea, Marshall.
46 Sbis. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 220. 3, q k
THE WESTERN IORA.
In breeding plumage the male has the forehead, crown, occiput
and nape, glossy black, the black terminating in a well defined
curved line ; the chin, throat, cheeks, ear-coverts, breast, sides
of neck, and a broad half-collar occupying the base of the back
of the neck and the upper back, intense gamboge-yellow. Rarely
this collar is entirely uniform, generally a few of the central
.feathers are narrowly fringed at the tips with black, occasionally
most of the feathers are so fringed. Mid-back glossy-black,
rarely unbroken, generally with a little of the yellow (or towards
the rump, greenish ), bases of the feathers showing through ;
in one specimen with a great deal of this ; rump pale-greenish,
the white bases of the feathers often showing through a good
deal ; upper tail-coverts and tail black, the former with a
bluish gloss, the latter with all the feathers tipped white, the
white not unfrequently running some distance up the margin of *^
192 IRENIN.E.
the inner, and in a few cases of the outer webs also ; coverts
and tertiaries black ; both median and greater-coverts broadly
tipped with white. In many specimens the tertiaries and the
latest secondaries are broadly margined at the tips with white,
but in some this is less conspicuous, and in some towards the
close of the breeding season it is almost entirely wanting on the
tertiaries. The primaries and secondaries hair-brown, more or
less of the outer webs towards their bases blackish, and margined
on their outer webs very narrowly, in some more, in others less
conspicuously with white.
The abdomen is like the breast, but paler ; in some with a
greenish tinge towards the sides, and on its lower half, and in
the other case looking (in skins) nearly white owing to the
intermixture of the long silky- white feathers of the flank tufts.
Wing-lining and axillaries, and more or less of the inner margins
of the quills, satiny- white ; a slight primrose tinge at the bend
of the wing.
The females and males in non-breeding plumage have the
entire under parts a pale mealy-yellow, slightly shaded with
olive-green. The head is similar, but not quite so light ; the nape
and entire back similar, but much more strongly overlaid with
olive-green.
The wings and tail are as in the breeding season, except that
the wings have tire margins, specially of the tertiaries, very
conspicuous, and much tinged with pale-yellow ; that the greater-
coverts often have pale-yellow margins besides the white tips ;
and that the central tail-feathers are almost entirely greyish-
white, tipped purer white, and with the outer webs in many
specimens more or less shaded with ashy or occasionally olivace-
ous ashy. (Hurne).
The Western lora is found on the plains at the foot of Mount
Aboo, and extends through Northern Guzerat. On A boo itself the
common species alone occurs.
SUB-FAMILY, Ireninse.
Bill stout, of moderate length, somewhat widened at the bases ;
culmen elevated, and slightly arching from the base ; the tip not
much hooked, but distinctly toothed ; nostrils partially concealed
by short plumes ; rictus with short but distinct bristles ; wings
moderate or rather long ; fourth quill longest, third nearly as long ;
tail moderate, even ; feet with the tarsus very short ; lateral toes
very slightly unequal ; claws short, well curved.
GENUS, Irena, Horsfield.
The characters are similar to those of the sub-family.
Irena puella, Latham.
469. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 105 ; Butler, Deccan :
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 403.
193
THE FAIRY BLUE-BIRD.
Length, 10; wing, 5'25 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides ruby-red ; legs black.
Male, the whole upper parts, with the lower tail-coverts, ^rillianji
glistening cobalt-blue ; wings, tail, and lower plumage, deep
velvet-black.
The female is of a dull, slightly mottled, Antwerp-blue through-
out.
The Fairy Blue-bird occurs at Savantvadi, where it is probably
& permanent resident, and it has also been procured in the forests
southwest of Belgaum.
It does not occur elsewhere within the region,
SUB-FAMILY, Oriolinse.
Bill Thrush-like, rather long, strong, moderately broad at the
base, slightly curving, tolerably hooked, and the tip distinctly
notched ; wings long, third or fourth quill longest ; tail rather
short, nearly even ; tarsus short ; feet small ; lateral toes unequal,
and the outer one syndactyle ; claws well curved.
GENUS, OriolllS, Linnaeus.
Bill long, slightly broad at the base, somewhat curved at the
culmen, which is keeled, slightly hooked at tip, distinctly notched ;
nostrils basal and lateral, longitudinal, pierced in membrane,
nearly apert ; wings lengthened, first quill very short, second a
little shorter than the third which is longest ; tail sub-even, with
long coverts ; tarsus short ; feet moderately strong ; anterior scales
of tarsus divided ; claws moderate, well curved.
Oriolus kundop, Sykes.
470. Jerdon's Birds of India, VoTll, p. 107 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 474 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 403 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 137 ; /
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p, 68.
THE INDIAN ORIOLE.
Length, 9'5 to 10 ; expanse, 15 to 16 ; wing, 5'5 to 5 - 7 ; tail,
3'5 to 375; tarsus, 0'8 to 0'9 ; bill at front, TO; bill at
gape, 1'25.
Bill deep lake-red ; irides rich blood-red ; legs plumbeous.
Male, bright-yellow ; a black stripe from the base of the bill
through the eyes for a short distance beyond ; wings black, with a
yellow bar formed by the primary coverts and the tips and outer
edges of the quills ; tail with the central feathers black ; the next
pair black with a broad yellow tip, and the others black at the
base, and yellow for the greater part of their terminal length.
The adult female differs from the male in a slightly greenish
tint above.
The young bird is yellowish-green above ; the rump, vent, the
inner webs of the tail-feathers at their tips, arid the sides of the
13
194 ORIOLIX.E.
abdomen, bright-yellow ; wings olive-brown ; body beneath whitish,
with brown stripes ; bill black.
The Indian Oriole occurs generally throughout the district,
but is less common in Sind than elsewhere. On the higher
ranges it is replaced by 0. melanocephalus.
It is a permanent resident and breeds during May and June.
It seems to have a preference for neem trees, as most of the
nests I have seen have been built on these. It chooses a fork at
the extremity of a slender bough, and between the twigs forming
the fork it constructs a purse-like nest, composed of grass stems
and roots, vegetable fibre, pieces of rag, &c., all firmly bound at
its upper edges to the fork between which it is suspended. The
eggs, usually three in number, are moderately long ovals, pure
glossy china-white in colour with dark-claret or nearly black
specks, spots or blotches, chiefly at the larger end. They vary
greatly both in size and shape, but the average is 1 '1 inch in
length by 0'8 in breadth.
As soon as the eggs are laid, the nest is easy to find, owing to
the habit the bird has of attacking any bird, no matter how
large, that ventures near the nest.
The nestlings are easily reared by placing them in a cage,
accessible to the parent birds, as although naturally shy yet they
will attend to, and feed them until long after they are able to
fend for themselves.
Oriolus galbula, Lin.
4s7Qbis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 136.
THE GOLDEN ORIOLE.
Length, 10; wings, 5'9 ; tail, 3'6; tarsus, 0'85 ; bill at
front, 0'95.
Bill dull-reddish ; irides blood-red ; legs lead-grey.
Adult male : Entire plumage, except the wings and tail, rich
golden-yellow ; a broad stripe from the base of the bill to the eye,
covering the lores, deep-black ; wings jet-black ; the quills tipped
and externally narrowly margined with yellowish-white or
sulphur-yellow ; edge of the wing and under wing-coverts rich
yellow, the primary coverts being broadly terminated with the
same color ; tail black, broadly terminated with yellow ; the
outer rectrices being more broadly, and the inner ones less marked
with this color, the central-rectrices black, only narrowly tipped
with yellow.
Adult female : Differs considerably from the male ; upper
parts (excepting the wings) greenish-yellow or apple -green ; the
patch in front of the eye dull brownish-black ; wings as in the
male, but duller and browner, the edgings being pale sulphur-
yellow ; secondaries and wing-coverts washed with dull greenish-
yellow ; tail as in the male, except that the yellow markings are
only on the inn.er webs, the outer webs of the feathers being
ORIOLIN.E. 195
blackish ; under parts white, on the lower throat, breast, and
flanks washed with bright-yellow, the vent and under tail-coverts
being entirely yellow ; throat, breast, and flanks, more or less
distinctly streaked with blackish-brown.
Young male : Closely resembles the female, but is only a little
more yellow in tinge of plumage. Dresser.
Occurs in Sind as a somewhat rare visitor during October and
November.
I Oriolus indicus, Jerdon.
471. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. -II, p. 109 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 403 ; Swinhoe and Barries, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 69.
THE BLACK-NAPED INDIAN ORIOLE.
Length, 10 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 3'5 ; tarsus, 0'87 ; bill at front, 1*12.
Bill pinky-red ; irides rich blood-red ; legs plumbeous.
Bright yellow, greenish on the back and^co verts; a black horse-
shoe mark extending from the base of the bill through the eyes
to the nape ; tail black ; the central feathers barely tipped yellow,
the others tipped broadly, the outermost feathers for 1J inches
or so ; wings black, the secondaries broadly margined with pale
yellow, the tertiaries with the whole outer web, and part of the
inner webs, greenish yellow ; primaries also tipped with the same ;
a bright yellow wing-spot formed by the tips of the coverts of the
primaries.
Females differ in being slightly greenish above, and in the
yellow generally being not quite so vivid.
The young are yellowish-green above, with little or no trace of
the occipital crescent ; whitish beneath, with dark central lines ;
bill infuscated.
In a further stage the under-parts are a weaker yellow, with
black shafts to the breast-feathers more or less developed.
The Black-naped Indian Oriole is very rare. It has only been
procured at Savantvadi and Ratnagiri. Colonel Swinhoe saw it at
Manpore, Central India.
Oriolus melanocephalus, Lin.
472. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 110 ; Butler, Guzorat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 474 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers Vol
IX, p. 403. * /
THE BENGAL BLACK-HEADED ORIOLE.
Length, 9'5 ; expanse, 16 ; wing, 5'5 ; tail, 3'5 ; tarsus, 0'88 ;
bill at front, 1. / *
Bill pale lake-red ; irides rich-red ; legs plumbeous.
Whole head, neck and breast in front, deep-black ; rest of the
plumage rich dark-yellow above, slightly paler beneath, on the
lower abdomen and under tail-coverts ; wings black, with a small
yellow band formed by the primary-coverts ; tertiaries with the
196 SAXTCOLIN.E
tips and outer webs pale-yellow ; the secondaries also broadly tip-
ped with yellow, gradually diminishing in extent to the last
primaries, some of which are tipped and edged with yellow; tail,
pale-yellow, the two central-feathers with a broad black band
about half an inch tipped with yellow, the next pair with barely
one inch of black, and the yellow tip nearly half an inch ; the
next pair with a narrow and sometimes interrupted black band
about the terminal third, and the three outer pairs on each side
nearly wholly yellow ; the outer pair with an occasional smear
of black on the outer margin ; all the tail-feathers with black
shafts diminishing in intensity towards the outermost feathers.
The young bird has the forehead yellow, the head more or less
blackish, the neck white with blackish streaks, the belly yellow
with longitudinally dark streaks, and the yellow duller in tint.
The Bengal Black-headed Oriole is not very common ; it occurs
only on the higher ranges, where it replaces Oriolus indicus. It
is not uncommon on the Sahyadri Range, and again on the
Aravellies near Aboo.
Oriolus ceylonensis, Bonap.
473. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. Ill ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 403.
THE SOUTHERN BLACK-HEADED ORIOLE.
Length, 9; expanse, 15 - 3 ; wing, 4*9; tail, 3 '3 ; tarsus, 0'87 ;
bill at front, O9.
Bill pale lake-red ; irides rich-red ; legs plumbeous.
Head and neck deep-black ; rest of the plumage deep-yellow ;
wings black ; the wing spot formed by the tips of the primary -
coverts smaller than in the last; the tertiaries only tipped
with yellow ; and the black on the tail of greater extent,
especially on the central feathers.
The Southern Black-headed Oriole is very doubtfully distinct
from 0. melanocephala. It occurs in the same localities as
the last.
FAMILY, Sylviadae.
Of small size mostly ; bill slender ; wings usually somewhat
lengthened, and tail moderate or short ; tarsus long ; feet
moderate.
SUB-FAMILY, Saxicolinae.
Bill stouter, more depressed at the base than in the other
sub-families ; wings moderate, or somewhat long ; tail moderate
in most, short in some, long in a very few ; tarsus moderately
long, stout ; feet moderate, fitted for terrestrial habits ; claws
slightly curved.
GENUS, Copsychus, Wagler.
Bill moderately long and strong, straight ; tip slightly bent,
distinctly notched ; rictal bristles almost absent ; nostrils large
SAXICOLIN/E. 197
exposed basal ; wings moderate, fourth and fifth quills longest,
third nearly equal to them ; tail rather long, graduated, or with
the six central feathers equal, the outer ones graduated ; tarsus
moderately long, stout, nearly entire ; feet moderate ; middle-toe
long ; hind-toe and claw moderate ; claws slightly curved.
Copsychus saularis, Lin.
475. -Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 115; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 474 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 404 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 137 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 124.
THE MAGPIE ROBIN.
Length, 775 to 8*5 ; expanse, 11 '5 ; wing, 3'8 to 4 ; tail, 3'25 ;
tarsus, 1-12 ; bill at front, 68.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Head, neck, breast, body above, and wings, black, glossed blue
on all parts except the wings ; abdomen, vent and under tail-
coverts, white ; the four outer tail-feathers on each side white.
The female is duller black than the males and somewhat
ashy on the breast.
The young birds have the breast dusky with ruddy spots,
the upper surface olive-brown turning to slaty.
The Magpie Robin is distributed generally throughout the
district, common in parts of the Deccan, very common in
Western Raj pu tana, and not uncommon in Guzerat. In Sind
it occurs but rarely.
I do not think that any remain to breed in Guzerat, but at
Poona, at Mhow, and again in Neemuch, I found them breeding
plentifully during May, June and July. The nest is generally
in a hole in a tree sometimes at a considerable height from the
ground, but generally not more than eight or ten feet.
The nest is saucer-shaped, sometimes only a mere pad, and
is composed of grass roots, fibres, feathers, &c. The eggs, four
or five in number, are typically oval in shape ; the ground color
is subject to considerable variation.
In some it is greenish or pale-greenish blue, in others greenish-
white, or even pale sea-green, streaked and blotched with different
shades of reddish-brown, most densely so at the larger end.
They average 0'87 inches in length by 0'66 in breadth.
GENUS, Kittaeincla, Gould.
(Cercotrichas.)
Bill more slender than in the last ; tail very long, graduated ;
wings slightly more rounded ; tarsus slender, pale ; lateral toes
very short.
Kittacincla (Cercotrichas) macroura, Gmelin.
476. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 116 ; Butler, Deccan;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 404.
198 SAXICOLIX.E.
THE SHAMA.
Shama, Hin.
Length, 12 ; wing, 375 ; tail, 7'9 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 075.
Head, neck, back, wing-coverts, breast, and tail, glossy-black ;
rump white ; wings dull-black, outer tail-feathers broadly tipped
with white ; breast, belly, and under tail-coverts deep chesnut.
The female has the colors less pure and duller than the male.
This splendid songster is only found within our limits on the
Sahyadri Range, and in the adjoining forests as far north as
Khandalla. It is a permanent resident.
GENUS, Thamnobia, Swainson.
Bill slender, very slightly widened at the base; the sides
compressed, slightly arched throughout ; tip deflected, not notched ;
gape smooth ; wings short, rounded, the fourth and fifth quills long-
est ; the primaries hardly exceeding the tertiaries and secondaries,
which are broad ; tail moderate, broad, much rounded ; tarsus long ;
the feet moderate ; inner-toe much shorter than the outer ; hind-
toe short ; all the claws slightly curved.
Thamnobia fulicata, Linn.
479._Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 121 ; Butler, Deccan
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 404.
THE INDIAN BLACK ROBIN.
Length, 6 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 1*1 ; bill at front, 0*5.
Bill black ; irides dark brown ; legs blackish.
Male, shining deep black, with a white wing-patch; the
middle of the abdomen and the under tail-coverts deep^ chesnut.
Female dull sooty-brown, darker on the wings "anH" tail; the
under tail-coverts chesnut.
The Indian Black Robin is very common in the Deccan, where
it is a permanent resident, breeding during April, May and
June. The nest, usually a mere pad, is composed of grass roots,
vegetable fibre, hair and such like substances. It is generally
found in a hole in a wall or tree. The eggs, three in number,
are greenish-white in color, spotted and speckled with yellowish-
white. They average 072 inches in length by about 0'55 in
breadth.
Thamnobia cambaiensis, Lath.
430. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 122 ; Butler, Guzerat J
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 474 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 138 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, p. 124.
THE BROWN-BACKED INDIAN ROBIN.
Kalchuri, Hin.
Length, 6 ; wing, 2*9 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs blackish.
The male has the back, wings, and upper tail-coverts dusky
SAXICOLIN^E. 199
olive-brown ; the wings and tail black ; the lores, ear-coverts,
and lower plumage also black ; a white wing-spot, as in the
last ; the vent and centre of belly deep chesnut.
The female is sooty-brown throughout, except the chesnut
beneath.
The Brown-backed or Northern Indian Robin is a common
permanent resident throughout the district, excepting the Deccan,
where it is replaced by Thamnobia fulicata.
Its breeding habits are much like the last, but the eggs are
larger, averaging 079 in length by 0*59 in breadth.
GENUS, Pratincola, Koch.
Bill short, straight, somewhat wide at base, strongly curving
at tip, which is faintly notched ; nostrils concealed by tufts of
hairs and plumes ; strong rictal bristles ; wings moderate ; fourth,
fifth and sixth quills nearly equal and longest ; tail moderate,
nearly even ; tarsus moderate, longish ; feet moderate ; claws
slightly curved, slender.
Pratincola caprata, Linn.
481. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 123; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 474 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 404 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 141 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, p. 124.
THE WHITE-WINGED BLACK ROBIN.
Length, 5 ; wing, 275 ; tail, 2'2 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill at front, 0'38.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs brown-black.
Male, black ; a longitudinal band on the wings, the rump
and the upper tail-coverts, and the middle of the lower part of
the abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts, white. When
newly moulted, the black is fringed with brown edgings, which
gradually get worn away.
Female, dusky-brown, the feathers edged paler with a rufous
rump and upper tail-coverts ; beneath pale reddish-brown, albes-
cent on the throat and vent ; abdomen slightly streaked ; vent
and under tail-coverts tinged with rufous.
The White-winged Black Robin is a common permanent
resident throughout the district ; it, however, almost disappears
from some parts during the breeding season, which is from
March to May. They build flat saucer-shaped or pad-like nests
in holes in the sides of wells or banks, occasionally in a bush,
but even then the nest rests actually on the ground. The nest
is composed of grass, fine roots, vegetable fibres, &c., and usually
contains four eggs, but three incubated ones are often found
and at times as many as five.
They are moderately broad ovals in shape, of a greenish-white
or greenish-blue color, densely but finely speckled with brownish-
red. They differ greatly in size, but average 0'67 inches ip.
length by about 0'55 in breadth.
200 SAXICOLINJC.
Pratincola indica, Blyth.
483. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 124 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 475 ; P. maura, Pall. : Deccan, Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 404 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, p. 124.
THE INDIAN BUSHCHAT.
Length, 5'25; wing, 275 ; tail, 175; tarsus, (>& ; bill at front,
0-38.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown; legs black.
The male in summer plumage has the whole head and neck,
back, wings, and tail black, the back and wings edged with
pale rufous ; wing-spot, rump, and upper tail-coverts^ white ;
breast and lower parts bright ferruginous, deep on the breast,
paler on the flanks and belly and albescent on the vent and
under tail-coverts ; a demi T collar of white almost meets on the
nape, dividing the back of the head and neck.
In winter plumage the black is almost replaced by earthy
brown ; the rump and tail-coverts are ferruginous-brown ; the
lores, ear-coverts, and chin, however, are alw r ays more or less
black ; the white wing-spot is less prominent ; the whole lower
parts are dull ferruginous, albescent on the under tail-coverts,
and the demi-collar is deficient or rusty.
The female resembles the male in winter dress, being brown
above, margined with paler brown, and rufescent towards the
the tail ; but the chin and throat are white, and there is a
white supercilium. The wing-spot too is a little sullied.
The Indian Bush or Whinchat is a common winter visitant
to all parts of the district, appearing about the commencement
of September.
Pratincola leucurus, Blyth.
484. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 126 ; Murray's Ver-
tebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 140.
THE WHITE-TAILED BUSHCHAT.
Length, 5 ; wing, 2 -5 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill at front, 0'45.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Male. Above black, with the usual white wing-patch ; the
breast bright rufous in the centre ; sides of neck, breast, and
lower parts pure white ; the four outer tail-feathers wholly
white on their inner webs, except the tip of the two outermost ;
and the pair next the centrals ( which are wholly black) have
the greater portion of the inner web also white.
The female is brown above, the feathers edged paler, with a
smaller white wing-spot, but no white on the tail ; beneath
earthy-white, tinged rufous on the breast.
In winter the dorsal feathers are more or less edged with
brown.
The White-tailed Bushchat is a winter visitant to Sind ; it
does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
SAXICOLIN.E. 201
Pratincola macrorliyncha, Stol.
s. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 138.
STOLICKZA'S BUSHCHAT.
Length, 6 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 212 ; tarsus, 0'93 ; bill at front, 07.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Adult male : a broad stripe over the eyes and over the greater
portion of the ear-coverts white, with a slight buffy tinge ;
lower parts of the lores dusky ; chin, throat, and entire lower
parts, including lower tail-coverts and tibial plumes, white with
a yellowish tinge and a very feeble rufescent tinge on breast
and flanks ; wing-lining and axillaries pure white, the former
slightly mottled with dusky; forehead, crown, occiput, nape,
back and scapulars light sandy-buff, striated longitudinally
with hair-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts white, most of
the feathers tinged towards their tip with pale rusty-buff;
primaries and secondaries hair-brown, margined on the outer
webs with light buff and tipped with yellowish-white, the
primaries more narrowly, the secondaries more broadly ; tertiary
greater-coverts, or perhaps they should be called lower-scapulars,
white ; tertiaries and greater and median secondary-coverts deep
brown, broadly margined with pale, more or less refuscent buff ;
entire visible portion of lesser-coverts pale sandy-buff; edge
of wing and outer webs of earlier greater primary-coverts pure
white ; tail hair-brown, all the feathers margined on the outer
webs with sandy-buff or light yellowish-brown ; the outer web
of the outermost feather almost entirely of this color ; all the
feathers, except the central pair, with almost the entire inner
webs, white, the outermost pair have an irregular subterminal
brown band from 0'2 to 0'3 inch wide on this web, but the rest
have only a small patch of brown near the shaft close to the tip,
the pair next the centre have the patch rather larger; there
are traces of a dark streak from the base of the lower mandible
down either sides of the throat, expanding on the sides of the
breast ; doubtless in breeding plumage this streak and patch
are black or blackish.
The female is rather smaller and shows the dark streak and
patch much less.
Occurs in Sind, but is not common.
GENUS, Saxicola, Bechst.
Bill moderate, straight and compressed, slender, very slightly
inflected, with a blunt notch ; nostrils apert ; rictal bristles feeble
or wanting ; wing moderately long, pointed ; the first short, second
half an inch shorter than the third, fourth and fifth, which are
equal and longest ; tail moderate, even, or very slightly rounded ;
tarsus long and strong \ feet moderate.
Saxicola opistholeuca, Stride.
488. Suxicolaleiicoroides, Guerin. Jerdon's Birds of India, VoL
202 SAXICOLINJS.
II, p. 130; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 475 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 144 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India; Ibis, p. 125.
THE INDIAN WHITE-TAILED STONECHAT.
Length, 6*5 ; expanse, 1075 ; wing, 375 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0'9 ;
bill at front, 0*5 ; bill at gape, 075.
Bill black ; hides dark-brown ; legs black.
Sooty-black ; the thigh-coverts, lower abdomen, vent, and
under tail-coverts white, and the greater part of the tail also
white ; the lateral feathers tipped with black for not quite half
an inch, the middle feathers for about half an inch.
The female is said to be of a duller and browner hue.
The White-tailed Stonechat occurs sparingly in Sind and
Northern Guzerat, more commonly near Mhow in Central India,
and at Neemuch in Western Rajpootana. It is a winter visitant
only. It is doubtful whether the bird has been found in the
Deccan.
Saxicola picatus, Blyth.
489. -Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 131 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 475 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 142.
THE PIED STONECHAT.
Length, 6'5 ; expanse, 11*25; wing, 375 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus,
0'9 ; bill at front, O'o ; bill at gape, 075.
Bill black ; hides dark-brown ; legs black.
Whole head, neck, and upper breast, back, and wings, black ;
the rump, upper tail-coverts, and all the lower parts from the
breast white ; tail white, except the terminal two-thirds of the
two central feathers, and the tips of the others, which are
black.
The Pied Stonechat is a common winter visitant to Sind
and Guzerat, but it is much less common at Mhow and Neemuch,
and has not been recorded from the Deccan.
I found it breeding in the vicinity of Chaman, South
Afghanistan.
Saxicola alboniger, Hume.
4S96is. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. J 42.
HUME'S PIED STONECHAT.
Length, 6'5 to 775 ; wing, 3'8 to 4'25 ; tail, 275 to 3 ; tarsus,
1 to 11 ; bill at front, 0'56 to 0'65.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs black.
Head, neck, upper back, and throat black ; quills dark brown ;
under wing-coverts and axillaries black ; tail white, with a broad
terminal band of dark-brown, broader on the two central feathers ;
lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, breast, belly and under
tail-coverts white.
SAXICOLIN.E. 203
Hume's Pied Stonechat is a winter visitant to Sind, but
occurs nowhere else within our limits.
Saxicola morio, Hemp 8f Ehr.
490. Saxicola leucomela, Pallas. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 181 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 143.
THE WHITE-HEADED STONECHAT.
Length, 6'5 ; wing, 3'6 to 3'9 ; tail, 2'25 to 275 ; tarsus, 0'85
to 1 ; bill at front, 0'6 to 07.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs black.
Crown on the head greyish- white ; the rump and upper tail-
coverts, and all the lower parts, from the top of the breast,
white ; rest of the upper parts, neck, and breast, black ; tail
black, with the base of the central feathers, and all the lateral
ones, white ; the outermost tipped with black, and part of the
outer web also black.
Young birds have the white cap more or less tinged with dingy
greyish-brown.
The White-headed Stonechat is a winter visitant to Sind ; it
does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
Saxicola monachus, Rupp.
4906is. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 143.
THE HOODED STONECHAT.
Length, 7 to 7'25 ; wing, 4 to 4'42 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0'9 ;
bill at front, 0'62.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
General color black ; quills dark-brown, paler on under sur-
face ; head, nape, upper and lower tail-coverts, belly, and flanks,
white ; tail white, except the terminal half of the two central
feathers, and the tips of the others, which are very dark-brown.
The female is similar to the male but browner, and the white
parts are tinged with buff.
The Hooded Stonechat occurs as a winter visitant to Sind.
It has not been recorded from any other portion of the region.
Saxicola isabellina, Rupp.
491. Saxicola cenantke, Linn. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 132 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 475 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 404 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 146 ; Swinhoe and Barnes,
Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 125.
THE WHEATEAK.
Length, 6*5 to 7 ; expanse, 11 to 12 ; wing, 375 to 4 ; tail,
2-5 to 2-75 ; tarsus, 11 ; bill at front, 0'45 to 0'5 ; bill at gape
075 to 0-8.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Male, above ashy with a brown tinge ; the rump and upper
204 SAXICOLIN.E.
tail-coverts white, and a white supercilium ; lores and eye-streak
black ; wings dusky, edged with brown ; tail with the two central
feathers black for the terminal two-thirds, the rest white, the
outer feathers black tipped ; under surface pale rusty-brown,
albescent on the belly and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts
blackish with white edgings.
The female is ashy-brown above, wings dusky-brown, tail
black-tipped.
In winter the feathers are broadly edged with rufous, most
conspicuous on the wing-coverts and tertiaries.
The Wheatear is a common winter visitant to Sind, Guzerat,
and Rajputana, but is very rare in the Deccan.
Saxicola tringi, Hume.
ASllis. Saxicola chrysopygia, De Fil. Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 145; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers,
Vol. Ill, p. 476.
THE BED-TAILED WHEATEAR,
Length, 6'2 to 6'5 ; expanse, 10 to 11/3 ; wing, 37 to 4'4 ;
tail, 2'2 to 2-4 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 0'55 to 0'6.
Bill black ; hides dark-brown ; legs black.
A dark grey line from the gape to and under the eye ; a broad,
slightly greyish-white line from the nostrils over the eye, much
more conspicuous in some specimens than in others ; ear-coverts
silky rufescent-brown ; forehead greyish-brown ; crown, occiput,
nape, back and scapulars, nearly uniform grey earthy-brown, as
a rule only very slightly tinged with rufescent towards the rump ;
but in some specimens more strongly so ; rump and upper tail-
coverts bright rufous-fawn, in some specimens pale rufous-buff ;
tail-feathers bright, in some pale ferruginous, with a sub-terminal
blackish-brown band extending over both webs, and a narrow
tipping of rufous-white jets in at the shafts for about the tenth
of an inch ; occasionally on the lateral feathers, the black bar is
more or less imperfect, the dark band is from 1*1 to 1'4 broad on
the central feathers, by about 0'6 or 0'8 on the feathers next the
centre, and 0'4 to 0'6 on the external ones. The tertiaries and
most of the coverts are hair-brown, broadly margined with pale
rufescent ; the winglet, primaries, and secondaries, and primary
greater-coverts are slightly darker hair-brown, very narrowly
tipped with white, and some of them, the secondaries especially,
very narrowly margined with pale rufescent ; the chin and upper
throat white, with a faint creamy tinge ; the sides of the neck,
behind and below the ear-coverts, grey, greyish-white and greyish-
brown, blending on the one side into the color of the throat, and
on the other into that of the back of the neck ; the breast and
upper abdomen are a very pale rufescent-brown, all the tips of
the feathers being paler ; the centre of the abdomen and vent
slightly rufescent- white ; flanks rufescent-fawn ; lower tail-coverts
a somewhat pale buff ; wing-lining and -axillaries pure white.
SAXICOLINiE. 205
The Red-tailed Wheatear occurs sparingly as a winter visitant
to Sind, and has also been recorded from the base of Mount Aboo
Saxicola deserti, Ruppell.
492. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 132 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 476 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 405 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 144 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 125.
THE BLACK-THROATED WHEATEAR.
: Length, 6'5 to 7 ; expanse, 10'5 to 11 ; wing, 3 75 ; tail, 2*5 ;
tarsus, 0'85 to 1 ; bill at gape, 075 ; bill at front, 0'48.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Above pale isabelline, greyish on the crown and nape, and a
whitish eyebrow; rump and upper tail-coverts buffy- white ; tail
white at base, the rest black ; chin, throat, lores, and ears, pure
black, extending down the sides of the neck to the shoulder ;
wing black, with a white patch on the bend of the wing ; beneath
pale isabelline, the lower tail-coverts buffy-white.
The Black -throated Wheatear occurs in the same localities as
S. isabellinus, but is perhaps rather more common.
.ZEion familiaris, Mene.
492er. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 476 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 163 ; (Sylvia fami-
liaris).
THE GREY-BACKED WARBLER.
Length, 6'5 to 7'5 ; expanse, 975 to 1075 ; wing, 3'3 to 3'5 ;
tail, 2'62 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, O'S ; bill from gape, 0*9 to
0-95.
Bill, upper mandible and tip of lower a somewhat fleshy but
dusky-brown ; rest of lower mandible and base yellowish-fleshy ;
irides dark brown ; legs and feet dusky or livid-fleshy.
A broad superciliary stripe, from the nostrils, over the eye&
and some little distance behind the eyes, dull white or yellowish-
white ; a brown stripe from the nostrils to the anterior angle of
the eye, continued backwards, though not conspicuous, for some
distance from the posterior angle ; forehead, crown, occiput, sides
of neck, entire back and wings dull earthy-brown, paler and more
drabby in some ; quills and coverts margined and narrowly
tipped with dull yellowish or brownish-white, with usually a
slight rufescent tinge on the margins of the primaries ; rump
brownish-chesnut ; upper tail-coverts and tail chesnut ; central
tail-feathers more or less brown on one or both webs ; all the
other tail-feathers, with a conspicuous subterminal dark-brown
band (which in the outer feathers runs some distance down the
outer web), and tipped, the two pairs next the centre narrowly
with rufescent, and the other three successively more and more
broadly with pure white ; chin and throat sordid- white with an
206 SAXICOLIN^E.
indication of a darker line at the angle of the gape ; ear-coverts
and the rest of the lower parts similar, but tinged with a faint
brownish shade usually ; wing-lining and axillaries with a
very faint yellowish-salmon tint ; inner margins of inner \vebs
of quills, on the lower surface, with a decided buffy-tinge.
This is a very uncommon species, and only occurs as an
exceptionally rare winter visitant to Sind and Northern
Guzerat.
GENUS, Cercomela, Bon.
Bill moderate, slender, straight, tolerably curving at the tip
and barely notched ; rictal bristles small but distinct ; wings as
in Saxicola ; second quill a trifle longer ; tail somewhat lengthened ;
feet stout ; middle-toe not elongated ; hind-toe rather long.
Cercomela melanura, Rupp.
493. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 133.
THE BLACK-TAILED ROCKCHAT.
Length, 6; wing, 3*12; tail, 2'35 ; tarsus, 0'88.
Bill blackish ; legs black.
Of an uniform ashy-brown tint above, paler on the throat and
breast, and passing to whitish below ; under tail-coverts white ;
the tail and upper coverts black.
It is extremely uncertain whether this bird occurs in India or
not, but Jerdon says, that " among the drawings of Sir A. Burnes
is one of a saxicoline bird, procured in Sind, which Mr. Blyth
identifies with Ruppell's bird, which is a native of N. E. Africa
and Arabia."
As no other observer has since procured it from thence, it must
have been an isolated straggler, that had wandered far from its
usual haunts.
Cercomela fusca, Blyth.
494. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 134 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, VoL III, p. 477 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, p. 125.
THE BROWN ROCKCHAT.
Length, 6*5; expanse, 10*5 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 1 ;
bill at gape, 0'8 ; bill at front, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs black.
Above light fuscous-brown or rufous-olive, tinged with fawn
color on the back ; tail dark sepia-brown, oboletely banded,
as seen in a strong light ; beneath rufescent-fawn or dull fer-
ruginous.
The Brown Rockchat is very common at Mount Aboo, but
does not occur in the plains below ; it is also very common
at Neemuch, and in the surrounding districts.
It is a permanent resident breeding from March to July or
even later, rearing at least two broods in the season. The nest
RUTICILLIN/E. 207
is usually built in holes in rocks, buildings, walls, wells, and banks.
Should the site selected not be suitable, they make an embank-
ment of small stones, pellets of dry mud, &c., extending several
inches beyond the nest.
The eggs, generally three or four in number, are moderately
broad oval in shape, of a pale blue-color, more or less spotted
with reddish-brown ; these spots occasionally form a nimbus
round the large end. They measure 0'82 in length by 0'62 in
breadth.
During the time of incubation, and while rearing their young,
they are extremely pugnacious, attacking any small bird, squirrel,
or lizard that ventures near.
SUB-FAMILY, Ruticillinse.
Bill, slender with tip entire ; rictal bristles fairly developed ;
wings and tail various ; tarsi long, slender.
GENUS, Ruticilla, Brehm.
Bill rather short, straight, slender, slightly notched ; rictus
nearly smooth ; wings moderately long, pointed ; first primary
about one-third the length of the fourth, fifth and sixth equal and
longest ; tail moderate, even or slightly rounded ; lateral toes
nearly equal, hind-toe not much lengthened; claws slender,
moderately curved.
Ruticilla rufiventris, Vieill.
497. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 137 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 478 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 405 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 146 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885.
THE INDIAN KEDSTART.
Length, 6 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 2' 5 5 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill
from gape, 0'6 ; bill at front, 0'4.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Crown dark ashy-grey ; lores, ear-coverts, neck, throat, breast,
back and upper wing-coverts, black with greyish edges to the
feathers ; wings dusky-brown ; the primaries margined with pale
rufous, the secondaries with dull grey, forming an inconspicuous
patch ; under wing-coverts, flanks, belly, rump, upper and lower
tail-coverts and tail (except half the inner and a little of the
outer webs of the two middle tail feathers near the tip, which
are brown), bright cinnamon-rufous.
The female is brown above, with the edges of the wings, the
abdomen, and under tail-coverts, pale rufous ; below, dusky on
the throat and breast, changing to clear light rufous on the abdo-
men and under tail-coverts ; rump and tail as in the male.
Mr. Hume, Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 36, describes six toler-
ably distinct stages of plumage, viz :
I. Winter plumage. Black of upper surface entirely veiled
208 RUTICILLIN^E.
by ashy, rufous-ashy, or brownish-rufous, tips to the feathers.
Black of breast more or less ditto.
II. Early spring stage. Tippings of the feathers disappear-
ing first from the breast, next from back, and lastly from the
head.
III. Ante-nuptial stage. Whole head, neck, breast and upper
breast pure black.
IV. Nuptial stage. Black duller; a greyish- white band
across the forehead (dividing off the black of the base of the
forehead as a black frontal band), with a grey shade extending
backwards on to the crown.
V. Early autumn stage. Broad conspicuous black frontal
band ; throat, breast, sides of neck, pure black.
Front of head pale blue-grey, growing duller on occiput. Back
more or less veiled with grey or rufous-ash tippings.
VI. Late autumn stage. Frontal band not showing out con-
spicuously ; crown and back unicolorous.
Black of breast, &c., more or less veiled with grey or rufous-
ashy tippings.
The Indian Redstart is a very common winter visitant to all
parts of the district, appearing about the end of September,
and leaving towards the end of March, or commencement of
April.
GENUS, Larvivora, Ilodgs.
Bill rather slender, straight, more or less compressed, very
feebly notched at the tip, slightly deflected, with the ridge of the
upper mandible very slightly elevated between the nostrils, and
the gape very feebly bristled ; wings moderate, strong ; first quill
short ; third, fourth and fifth quills about equal and longest ; tail
rather short, and the feathers slightly mucronate at the tip, even,
or nearly so ; tarsus long, slender, nearly smooth ; toes long, slender ;
claws long, moderately curved, much compressed.
Larvivora superciliaris, Jerd.
507. Larvivora cyana, Hodgs. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 145 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 405.
THE BLUE WOODCHAT.
Length, 6.; expanse, 10; wing, 3; tail, 2; tarsus, 116; bill at
front, 0'5.
Bill dusky ; irides brown ; legs pale fleshy.
Above dusky indigo-blue, with a white superciliary streak ;
lores and ears black ; beneath bright rufous (the feathers all
dusky-blue at their bases), albescent towards the vent and under
tail-coverts ; thigh-coverts cross barred with blue and white.
The female is brown above, white beneath; cheeks, .breast
and flanks rusty.
The Blue Woodchat is a cold weather visitant to several parts
of the Deccan. It is nowhere common.
RUTICILLINJ). 209
GENUS, Calliope, Gould.
Bill of moderate length and strength; wings moderate, first
quill very short, second equal to the seventh ; tail very slightly
rounded; the outer feathers being a little shorter than the
penultimate pair ; tarsus moderately long, stout ; the feet large ;
hind-toe long ; claws long, not much curved.
Calliope camtschatkensis, Gm.
512. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 150.
THE COMMON RUBY-THROAT.
Length, 6 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2*5 ; tarsus, 112 ; bill at front, 0'5.
Bill horny-brown ; irides dark-brown ; legs livid or purplish.
Above olive-brown, beneath dull whitish ; a band above and
below the eyes whitish ; intermediate space black ; feathers of
the throat somewhat scaly and stiff, light scarlet or ruby-red,
with silvery edges, more or less surrounded with black ; the breast
ashy, flanks bright olive-brown, and belly whitish ; axillaries
slightly rufescent.
The female has in general no trace of the ruby-throat,
which is whitish, and the lores brown ; but some old females
have a tinge of the ruby color.
Jerdon states that " once on boardship, a little south of Bom-
bay, one took refuge in the month of November." This is
the only record of the occurrence of the Common Ruby-throat
within our limits.
GENUS, Cyanecula, Brehm.
Bill rather short, slightly conic, straight ; wings moderate ;
third and fourth quills equal and longest ; fifth a little shorter ;
second equal to sixth ; tail rather short, nearly even ; tarsus
moderately long ; claws very slightly curved.
Cyanecula suecica, Lin.
514. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 152 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 478; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 405 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 147 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 125.
THE INDIAN BLUE-THROAT.
Length, 6'2 ; expanse, 9'25 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2'25 ; tarsus, 1 ;
bill at front, 07.
Bill dusky-horn ; gape yellow ; irides dark-brown ; legs
brownish.
Above pale olive-brown, the feathers of the crown slightly
centred darker, and with a whitish supercilium ; lower parts
whitish ; the under tail-coverts more or less tinged with rufes-
cent ; throat and breast bright shiny azure -blue, the former
generally mingled with whitish along the middle, and having a
large ferruginous spot in front of the neck ; below, and border-
14
210 CALAMOHERPIN.E.
ing the azure of the breast, is a narrow blackish band, then a
narrow whitish band, and below this again a broad ferruginous
band ; the upper tail-coverts are brown, mingled with ferrugi-
nous ; tail rufous, the two centre feathers, and the tips of all the
others, dark-brown.
Young males have much less blue on the throat, which is
often confined to a moustachial streak on each side and a com-
paratively narrow gorget ; they have scarcely any tinge of
ferruginous on the throat and breast, the former being chiefly of
a dull white.
The females have commonly the throat and foreneck dull
white, encircled with dusky spots, which are more developed in
old females, and these have sometimes a tolerably broad dusky
gorget, mingled with a little blue.
The Indian Blue-throat is a fairly common cold weather
visitant to all portions of the district, particularly affecting
swampy ground.
SUB-FAMILY, Calamoherpinse.
Bill rather large, depressed and broad at the base ; rictal
bristles moderately developed ; tail rounded ; winglet minute.
GENUS, Acrocephalus.
Wing moderately long ; third and fourth quills longest ; rictal
bristles short, a- few only ; claws long ; hind-claw curved.
Acrocephalus stentorius, Hemp & Ehr.
515. Acrocephalus brunnescens, Jerd. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 154; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p.
478 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 405 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 148 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Cen-
tral India; Ibis, 1885, p. 125.
THE LARGE REED WARBLER.
Length, 8'5 ; expanse, 10*6 ; wing, 3'62 ; tail, 3'25 ; tarsus,
1*2 ; bill at front, 07.
Bill dark-brown, fleshy at base beneath ; irides dull greenish-
yellow ; legs horny-brown.
Above light olive-brown, darkest on the wings and tail, and
lightest on the rump ; beneath, and eye-brow, with a tinge of
olive-yellow ; the chin pure white ; wings and tail beneath cine-
reous ; plumage soft and silky.
The Large Reed Warbler is a cold weather visitant to the
Deccan, Guzerat and Rajputana portions of our limits, but in
Sind it would appear to be a permanent resident, breeding about
August.
Acrocephalus dumetorum, Sly.
516. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II; p. 155 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
C AL AMOHERPIM. 211
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 479 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 405 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 148.
THE LESSER REED WARBLER.
Length, 6 ; wing, 2'4 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill at front, 0'4.
Bill dusky, fleshy at base beneath ; irides yellow-brown ; legs
red-brown.
Above olive-brown, with a pale supercilium ; beneath whitish-
tinged with pale earthy-brown.
The Lesser Reed Warbler occurs during the winter months
in many parts of the district ; it is not common, and appears to
be locally distributed.
Acrocephalus agricolus, Jerdon.
517. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 156 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 406 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 149.
THE PADDY FIELD WARBLER.
Length, 5'25 ; wing, 2*25 ; tail, 2'25 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill at
front, 0-4.
Bill brown, paler beneath ; irides yellow-brown ; legs brown.
Above pale rufous-brown, brightest on the rump ; wings brown,
edged with rufous ; tail dull brown ; beneath whitish, tinged with
fulvous, and brownish on the flanks.
The Paddy Field Warbler occurs as a cold weather visitant
to Sind ; it is also not uncommon at the same season near
Belgaum.
Lusciniola melanopogon, Tem.
518&is. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 149.
THE MOUSTACHED GRASS WARBLER.
Length, 575 ; expanse, 7'4 ; wing, 2*45 ; tail, 21 ; tarsus, 0'85 ;
bill at front, 0'45.
Bill dark-brown, almost black, paler on lower mandible ; irides
brown to pale-brown ; legs dusky-brown, soles pale-yellowish.
A broad conspicuous white stripe from the nostrils over the
eyes and ear-coverts ; a dark-brown stripe from in front of under
and through the eyes, enveloping the upper portion of the ear-
coverts, darker in the males than the females ; the chin, throat,
and lower parts, including the lower tail-coverts, white, faintly
tinged rufescent on the breast, more strongly so on the flanks
about the vent, and, in some specimens, the lower tail-coverts
also ; the sides, both of the neck and body, tinged with greyish,
or in some olivaceous-brown ; the forehead, crown, occiput, and
nape, very dark-brown, the feathers tipped and margined with a
paler yellowish olive-brown ; in some specimens, these tippings
entirely obscure the bases, except on a narrow line immediately
above the white eye-streak ; in others, these parts appear to be
very dark-brown, regularly striated with the paler olive-brown,
212 CALAMOHERPIN.E.
while in some the tippings are almost entirely wanting ; the
back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts, the same yellowish
olive-brown, becoming more rufescent on the lower back, rump
and upper tail-coverts ; the feathers of the centre of the back
with more or less conspicuous dark central shaft streaks.
In some birds the whole back seems regularly striated with
dark lines, in others only a few faint darker streaks are visible
in the very centre of the back ; in some, again, the lower back
is much more decidedly rufous. The wings are hair-brown ; the
primaries very narrowly margined, and tipped on the outer webs,
paler ; the secondaries and tertiaries and most of the coverts
more distinctly margined with a sort of rufescent-olive ; the
wing-lining and axillaries pure, or nearly pure white ; tail
feathers somewhat pale hair-brown, obscurely margined with
rufescent-olive ; the shafts dull white below.
The Moustached Grass Warbler is a cold weather visitant to
Sind ; it does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
Lusciniola neglectus, Hume.
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 150.
HUME'S GRASS WARBLER.
Length, 4 to 4'2 ; expanse, 6 '25 to 6'4 ; tail from vent, 1*4 to
1-6 ; wing, barely 2 to 215 ; bill at front, 0'27 to 0'3 ; tarsus, 0'68
to 071.
Bill black, paler or horny-greenish in some at base of lower
mandible ; irides brown ; legs and feet black.
The lores are brownish-white ; a comparatively pure and very
narrow white streak from the nostrils over the lores and eyes, but
not beyond.
The whole upper surface is dull earthy-brown, with, in some,
a faintly olivaceous-rufescent tinge on the back, most con-
spicuous on the rump ; the quills and tail are a moderately dark
hair-brown, narrowly margined on the outer webs with pale
olivaceous-brown, much the same color as the upper parts ; the
secondaries are very narrowly margined at the tips with albescent,
tinged with very pale fulvous-fawn, or earthy- brown, more
strongly so in some specimens than in others ; the sides and flanks
are pale earthy-brown ; the wing-lining and axillaries are white,
with at times the faintest possible fulvous or brownish tinge.
Hume's Grass Warbler, according to Murray, is a winter visitant
to Sind, chiefly affecting acacia groves.
GENUS, Cettia, Bon.
Tail rounded, lateral tail feathers short ; tarsi robust, scutellated
in front.
Cettia cetti, Marm.
. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 151.
CALAMOHERPIN.E. 213
CETTI'S BUSH WARBLER.
Length, 5'8 to 6'5 ; expanse, 7'5 to 8*4 ; wing, 2*5 to 2*8 ; tail,
2'4 to 3 ; tarsus, 0*8 ; bill at front, 0'4 to 0'5.
Bill dark horny-brown, but paler on lower mandible ; irides
brown ; legs and feet pale brown or fleshy-brown.
A spot in front of the eyes dusky ; a streak from the nostrils over
the eye and a circle round the eye fulvous-white ; the forehead,
crown, and whole upper surface, a warm rufous or ferruginous-
brown, more rufous on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; the
' quills and tail hair-brown, margined with rufescent-olive ; ear-
coverts, sides of neck, body, flanks and vent-feathers, a pale dull
greyish or earthy-brown ; chin, throat, breast, and abdomen white ;
lower tail- co verts slighly rufous-brown (webs very lax and much
disunited), narrowly tipped with white ; axillaries and wing-lining
slightly greyish white ; the edge of the wing just above the base of
the primaries is white ; in some few specimens the eye-streak ex-
tends beyond the eye, above more than half of the ear-coverts, but
in most it ceases just beyond the posterior angle of the eye.
Cetti's Bush Warbler was discovered by Mr. Hume in the
mangrove swamps in the Kurrachee Harbour. I am not aware
of its having been found anywhere else within our limits.
GENUS, Locustella, Gould.
Bill of moderate length, slender, straight, compresssd, barely
deflected at the tip, which is slightly notched ; wings long, with
the first quill minute ; second nearly equal to the third, which is
longest ; tail moderate, rounded, or graduated ; hind-claw very
long, much curved.
Locustella hendersoni, Cass.
520. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 159 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 479 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 406.
THE STREAKED HEED WARBLER.
Length, 5*5 ; wing, 2'25 ;tail, 212.
Bill dusky above, paler beneath ; irides, hazel ; legs fleshy-
brown.
Above pale olive-brown, all the feathers centred dark-brown ;
tail uniform brown, tipped pale, especially as seen from below ;
beneath white, tinged with earthy-brown on the neck, breast, and
flanks; lower tail-coverts fulvescent- white, with narrow longi-
tudinal striae. In the spring moult the lower plumage is at
first a somewhat rich yellow.
The Streaked Wren Warbler occurs sparingly as a seasonal
visitant in the neighbourhood of Belgaum, Deesa and Mhow, and
must occur in other suitable localities.
It has not been recorded from Sind.
214 DRYMOICIN.E.
SUB-FAMILY, Drymoicinse.
Bill moderately long and compressed ; wings short, rounded ;
tail long, more or less graduated ; legs and feet moderately strong.
GENUS, OrthotOttlUS, Horsfield.
Bill long, slender, rather wide at the base, nearly entire >
straight, very slightly deflexed at the tip ; a few weak rictal
bristles ; wing short, feeble, much rounded ; fifth and sixth quills
equal and longest; tail narrow, feeble, typically short and
rounded or graduated, the two centre feathers elongated in some ;
tarsus moderately long, stout ; feet short ; hind- toe short ; claws
moderately curved, compressed.
Orthotomus sutorius, Forst.
530. Orthotomus longicauda, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 165 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 479 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 406; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 151 ; Sutoria sutoria, Forst. ;
Svvinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 126.
THE INDIAN TAILOR BIRD.
Phutki, Hin.
Length, J, 6*5 ; ? , 5 ; expanse, 5 to 6 ; wing, 1*9 ; tail, J 3'5,
? 2 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill at front, 0'5 ; bill at gape, 0'65.
Bill dark horny above, pale-fleshy beneath ; irides reddish-
yellow or amber ; legs fleshy.
Crown rufous ; nape somewhat cinereous, with a tinge of rufous ;
back, scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts, yellowish olive-
green ; wings brown, edged with green ; tail narrow, light brown
with a green tinge, and the outer feathers on each side with a
narrow white tip ; beneath white, with a concealed black spot on
each side of the throat, formed by the bases of some of the
feathers, and only seen at times.
There are four dark-brown hairs arising from the nape, two
on each side.
The Tailor Bird is a common permanent resident throughout
the district, breeding from the end of June to August. The
nests are rather hard to find, although during the time the hen
is sitting on the eggs, the cock keeps up a pleasant " tweet"
" tweet" on a neighbouring bough, and though one knows that
a nest is somewhere near at hand, it requires a careful and per-
severing search to find it.
When the bird chooses a leaf sufficiently large, it sews the
opposite edges together, and in the cavity thus formed, it
makes a soft nest of cotton, with a few hairs, just enough
to keep it in shape ; at times two or more leaves are incorpo-
rated into the nest. They lay three (occasionally four) eggs of
a rather elongated oval shape, pointed at one end, reddish-white
in color, or, I should say, white, suffused with a reddish tinge,
DRYMOICIN.E. 215
blotched, streaked or spotted with red-brown ; these markings
sometimes form a zone at the large end. Occasionally the
eggs are of a greenish-white colour ; they measure 0'64 inches
in length, by 0'45 in breadth.
GENUS, Prinia, Horsfield.
Bill moderately long, very slender, straight, entire ; rictal
bristles distinct; tail much graduated, rather long, of ten or
v twelve feathers ; feet much as in Orthotomus.
Prinia flaviventris, Deless.
532. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 169 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 152.
THE YELLOW-BELLIED WREN WARBLER.
Length, 5*25 ; expanse, 6*3 ; wing, 1*87 ; tail, 2'9 ; tarsus, 075 ;
bill at front, 0'5.
Bill black, fleshy at base beneath ; hides reddish -ye How ; legs
deep yellow.
Head, with lores and ear-coverts, dark ashy ; back, wings, and
tail, dull olive-green ; the quills dusky-brown ; chin, throat, and
breast, white ; the abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts, bright
canary-yellow.
The Yellow-bellied Wren Warbler is a permanent resident
In Sind, where it breeds from June to September. The nest is
tailor-bird like, but the eggs are bright brick-red without
spots.
It has not been recorded from any other portion of the
district.
Pririia adamsi, Jerdon.
533.- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 170 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 406.
THE WHITE-BELLIED WREN WARBLER.
Bill black ; legs yellow.
Above greenish, the tail tipped with white ; cheeks, throat,
and breast, whitish-yellow ; belly and vent white, tinged with
yellow ; tail long, graduated ; legs long.
The White-bellied Wren Warbler is not, I believe, a good
species. Dr. Adams stated that he found it at Poona in the
corn-fields. No one else seems ever to have met with it.
Prinia social is, SyJces.
534. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 170 ; Butler, Guzerat ,
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 479 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers;
Vol. IX, p. 406.
THE DARK-ASHY WREN WARBLER.
Length, 5*25 ; expanse, 6 ; wings, 2 ; tail, 2'8 ; tarsus, 0*8 ; bill
at front, 0'45 ; bill at gape, 0'5.
216 DRYMOICINyE.
Bill black ; irides orange-buff ; legs deep yellow.
Head and back dark ashy ; quills and tail reddish-brown, the
latter with a dusky band near the tip, and the outer feathers
with a small white tip ; beneath rufescent-whitish, the flanks
rufous.
With the exception of Sind, the Dark-ashy Wren Warbler
is a common permanent resident throughout the region, breeding
during the monsoons ; its nest is very similar to that of the true
tailor-bird. The eggs, generally four in number, are bright
brick-red in color, generally a shade darker at the larger end.
They measure 0'64 inches in length by about 0'47 in breadth.
Prinia stewarti, Slyth.
535. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 171 ; Burnesia socialis
stewarti, Sykes. Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 126.
STEWART'S WREN WARBLER.
Length, 5 '2 ; expanse, 5'5 ; wing, T8 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 075 ;
bill at front, 0'45.
Bill black ; irides buff; legs deep-yellow.
Above dark-ashy, brown on the wings and rufescent on the tail,
with a faint subterminal dark band (as seen from above) ; throat
white ; the rest of the body beneath pale rufescent, darker on
the flanks, and rusty on the vent and under tail- coverts.
Stewart's Wren Warbler only occurs within our limits in the
Mhow Division (which includes Neemuch), it being replaced
elsewhere by the closely allied, even if distinct, P. socialis,
Both forms occur at Neemuch.
It is a permanent resident breeding from the commencement
of July to the end of August, and even later. The nest is
similar to that of the tailor-bird, but is not quite so neatly
made, grass and fibres being used in addition to hair and cotton.
The eggs are usually four in number, oval in shape, and of
a bright brick-red or chesnut color, with sometimes a darker
shade at the larger end, forming an ill-defined cap or zone.
They are highly glossy, and measure about 0'62 inches in
length by about 0'46 in breadth.
Prinia gracilis, Franklin.
536. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 173 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 480; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 406.
FRANKLIN'S WREN WARBLER.
Length, 4'5 ; expanse, 575 ; wing, 1'87 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 075 ;
bill at front, 0'3 ; bill from gape, 0'58.
Bill black ; irides deep amber ; legs fleshy-yellow.
Slightly rufescent-olive above, tinged greyer on the head
and neck; the wing-feathers dusky, edged externally with
DRYMOICIN^E. 217
rufous-brown ; under parts silky- white, tinged with yellowish-
fulvous on the flanks, and faintly on the sides of the neck ;
tail brown, albescent-greyish beneath, with a subterminal dark
band and whitish tips, most conspicuous on the under sur-
face.
Franklin's Wren Warbler is a common permanent resident all
along the Sahyadri Range and in the forests adjoining ; it also
occurs sparingly on Mount Aboo, and is not uncommon on the
Vindhian hills near Mhow. It does not occur in the Sind
District.
Prinia hodgsoni, Blyth.
538. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 173 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 480 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 406.
THE MALABAR WREN WARBLER.
Length, 4 ; wing, 1-8 ; tail, T87 ; tarsus, 07 ; bill at front, 0'4.
Bill black ; irides buff ; legs yellow.
Above dark ashy-grey, brownish on the wings and tail, the
latter with a subterminal dark band, tipped white on the outer
feathers ; beneath white, slightly tinged with fulvescent, greyish
on the edge of the neck and breast.
The Malabar Wren Warbler is only doubtfully distinct from
P. gracilis ; it is thought to be the latter in breeding plumage.
If distinct it occurs in precisely the same localities.
GENUS, Cisticola, Lesson.
Bill rather short, slender, gently curving from the middle,
entire at tip ; wings short, ample ; first quill small, third, fourth and
fifth equal and longest, second equal to seventh, shorter than the
sixth ; tail of twelve feathers, somewhat rounded, short ; tarsus
long ; feet rather large with the lateral toes nearly equal and the
hind-toe long; the claws lengthened, especially the hind one
only slightly curved.
Cisticola cursitans, Frankl
539. Cisticola schoenicola, Bonaparte. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 174; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 481 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 407 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 1 52.
THE RUFOUS GRASS WARBLER.
Length, 4'5 ; wing, 212 ; tail, T86 ; tarsus, 075.
Bill dusky-brown above, fleshy beneath ; irides pale olive-
brown.
Above rufous-brown, all the feathers broadly centred dark-
brown ; rump plain rufous ; quills dusky, narrowly edged with
brown ; tail with the two central feathers pale brown, darker
in the middle, and pale tipped ; the others all dark-brown, deeper
218 DRYMOICIN.E.
towards the end, and with a broad whitish tip ; plumage beneath
rufescent-white, nearly pure white on the chin and throat,
and more rufescent on the flanks ; tail beneath cinereous at
the base, then pale rufous, with a black bar, and a broad white
tip, in some uniform dusky-cinereous.
The Rufous Grass Warbler is a common permanent resident
in most portions of our limits, and breeds during the monsoon.
It makes a long tubular nest, composed of soft white vegetable
down, in the centre of a clump of grass, a short distance only
from the ground. The eggs, usually five in number, are oval
in shape, white or greenish- white in color, thickly speckled with
tiny spots of reddish-brown. These spots often show a tendency
to form a zone around the larger end.
They measure 0*58 in length by 0*46 in breadth.
GENUS, Drymoipus, Bonap.
(Drynweca.)
Bill short or of moderate length, nearly entire, rather deep at
the base ; culmen moderately curving ; rictus bristled ; wings
very short and rounded ; the first three quills nearly equal,
graduated, fourth and fifth longest ; tail graduated, long, of ten
feathers, the feathers obtuse ; tarsus long ; feet moderate ; claws
moderately curved.
Drymoipus inornata, Sykes.
(Drynwsca.)
543. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 178 ; 543bis.D.
terricolor, Hume ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 481 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 407 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 153 ; Prinia inornata, Sykes ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 126.
THE COMMON WREN WARBLER.
Length, 5 to 5'5 ; wing, 175 to 1-8 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0'8,
bill at front, 0'4.
Bill dusky-brown above, yellowish or fleshy at the base beneath ;
irides brownish-yellow ; legs fleshy -yellow.
Head and back greyish-brown, with an olivaceous tinge on the
head and hind-neck ; wings brown, edged pale rufous ; tail rufous
or brownish, with a terminal dark spot, and the centre tail-
feathers obsoletely banded; a whitish supercilium and whitish
lores and chin ; beneath whitish, with a faint fulvescent tinge ;
thighs pale fulvescent-brown.
It is now generally admitted by ornithologists that the birds
described by Dr. Jerdon under Nos. 543 and 544, viz., D.
inornata and D. longicaudatus are the same in different phases
of plumage, the principal difference being the longer tail of
the latter.
The Common or Earth-brown Wren Warbler is a permanent
DRYMOICINvE. 219
resident throughout the distrit, breeding during July and August ;
it usually constructs a rather pretty nest, composed of fine strips
torn from blades of green grass which are plaited together like
those of the Baya, but the strips are much finer and the nest
altogether neater ; it is usually fastened to the thorny twigs of
acacia bushes, at no great height from the ground, and the shape
depends largely on the position of these twigs. According to my
experience the nest is never lined.
v Another type of nest is composed of the same material, but
is much coarser, and more loosely woven.
Nests of this latter description are built in clumps of
sarpat, guinea, or other rank-growing grass, or even in stand-
ing corn ; they are purse-shaped, with the entrance on one side,
the opposite side being prolonged and projecting over, so
as to form a canopy. The eggs, four or five in number, are
moderately long ovals, of a glossy pale greenish-blue color,
boldly spotted and blotched with chocolate and reddish-brown,
with a delicate tracery of interlaced hair-like lines at the larger
end, but occasionally these lines are absent, the small end being
usually spotless. The ground color is also subject to variation,
eggs having been taken of a dull olive-green tint, and still more
rarely of a clear reddish- white. They measure 0'61 inches in
length by 0*45 in breadth. D. inornate also equals D. tern-
color.
Drymoipus rufescens, Hume.
544to. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 484 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 407.
THE GKEAT KUFOUS WEEN WARBLER.
Length, 6'45 to 7'2 ; expanse, 71 to 8 ; tail, 3'3 to 3'9 ; wing,
2-3 ; tarsus, 0'9 to 0'95 ; bill at front, 0'5 to 0*53.
Bill blackish-horny, fleshy at base of lower mandible ; irides
from brown to deep yellow ; legs fleshy to reddish-brown.
Whole upper surface, including tail, and greater median-
coverts, tertiaries, and outer webs of primaries and secondaries,
rich rufous-brown in full' plumage, dull, or earthy-brown, more or
less tinged or overlaid with rufous in young birds ; tail very
distinctly and finely, but obsoletely barred, much less distinctly
however in some specimens than in others ; all the feathers, except
the central ones, narrowly tipped with fulvous- white, with a more
or less distinct penultimate dusky bar ; the young birds with a
good deal of white on the inner webs of the lateral feathers,
which is entirely wanting in adults.
In some of the adults, the dark subterminal bar becomes
almost obsolete ; lores and a stripe over the eye fulvous white ;
ear-coverts, sides of neck, and breast, and sometimes some
of the lesser wing-coverts about the carpal joint, a greenish
or greyish-brown ; the ear-coverts at times more or less mottled
with ful vous- white ; lower parts pale fulvous, or buffy, albescent on
220 DRYMOICINjE.
the chin and throat and middle of abdomen, tinged at times on
the breast with grey, more purely buff on lower tail-coverts and
wing-lining, and more rufescent on tibial plumes ; inner webs of
primaries and secondaries hair-brown. The young birds are much
paler and more albescent on the lower surface.
The Great Rufous Wren Warbler occurs at Mahableshwar,
Ratnagiri, and probably all along the Sahyadri Range ; it is not
uncommon at Aboo and Deesa. It has not been recorded from
any other portion of our limits. Drymoipus rufescens equals
D. insignis in winter plumage.
Drymoipus sylvaticus, Jerdon.
545. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 181.
THE JUNGLE WEEN WARBLER.
Length, 6 ; wing, 2*4 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 1.
Bill black ; irides orange buff; legs dark fleshy-yellow.
Above olive-brown; superciliary streak and beneath white, tinged
throughout with yellowish ; tail obsoletely barred, with a narrow
subterminal dark band, tipped with white, except on the central
tail-feathers.
The Jungle Wren Warbler occurs in Central India and Khan-
deish ; it has not been recorded from either the Deccan, Guzerat,
or Sind. I found it breeding near Neemuch in July ; the nest was
purse-shaped, composed of rough grass, and contained three fresh
eggs, pale greenish-white in color, thickly spotted with rusty-red,
the spots much more dense at the larger end. Mr. Davidson found
them to be far from uncommon in Khandeish, and he informs me
that the number of eggs is usually four and occasionally five.
Drymoipus neglectus, Jerdon.
546. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 182 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 407.
THE ALLIED WREN WARBLER.
Length, 6; wing, 2*4 ; tail, 2*5 to 3; bill at front, 0'4 ;
tarsus, 0*9.
Bill dusky, fleshy beneath ; irides amber ; legs dingy-fleshy.
Plumage greenish ashy-brown, but with a decided tinge of
rufous throughout ; beneath whitish, strongly tinged with olive -
rufous ; tail very faintly barred.
A single specimen was obtained in Ratnagiri, but Jerdon states
it to be common at and near JMhow. I did not meet with it.
D. neglectus probably equals D. sylvaticus.
GENUS, Blandfordius, Hume.
Tail of 12 feathers ; wings, with the fifth, sixth, and seventh
quills, equal and longest ; fourth equal to eighth ; third nearly equal
to ninth.
DRYMOICIN.E. 221
Blandfordius striatulus, Hume.
54<9quint Stray Feathers, Vol. I, p. 300; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 153.
Length, 6 ; wing, 1-9 ; tail, 275 ; bill at front, 0'45 ; tarsus, 07.
Bill brown, pale fleshy on lower mandible ; legs pale fleshy.
An obscure rufous-white streak from the nostrils to the upper
part of the eye ; the whole upper parts dull greyish olive-
brown (the grey preponderating on the head) ; all the feathers,
except those of the upper tail-coverts, conspicuously centred
with dark-brown; wings pale hair-brown, all the feathers
margined with rufescent-olive ; tail-feathers a sort of olive-
brown ; the feathers with conspicuously darker, very stiff looking
and glistening shafts ; all the feathers obsoletely transversely
rayed, the central ones most strongly so ; all but the central
ones narrowly tipped with fulvous- white, and with an obscure
subterminal dark band ; on the under surface the shafts are
white ; the ear-coverts mingled fulvous and pale rufous-brown,
the sides of the neck streaked like the back ; on either side of the
throat descends from the gape for about half an inch a band
of tiny feathers, white, with minute dark centres, so as to pro-
duce the appearance of two or three irregular rows of little
spots on each side of the throat ; the chin and the centre of
the throat, breast, and abdomen, white, tinged buffy on the
two latter, and with all the feathers of the throat and breast
very faintly and narrowly tipped with brown, so as to produce
the appearance of a number of narrow faint transverse bars ;
the flanks, sides, vent, and lower tail-coverts are tinged with
dull olive-brown, mingled with fulvous-buff; the tibial plumes
are fulvous-buff; the wing-lining is buffy-white, and so are the
inner margins of the inner webs of the quills as seen from
below.
The specimen, of which the above is a description, was shot by
Mr. Blandford at Kurrachee.
Burnesia gracilis, Rupp,
550. Burnesia lepida, Blyth. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 185; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 485;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 154.
THE STREAKED WREN WARBLER.
Length, 5'25 ; wing, 175; expanse, 5'5 ; tail, 0'6 ; bill at
front, 0*4.
Bill plumbeous, fleshy beneath ; irides light yellowish-brown ;
legs pale fleshy-yellow.
General color light olive-grey above, each feather having a
medial dusky streak, broader on those of the crown and back ;
wings light dusky-brown ; the feathers margined with olive-
grey, and the tail throughout distinctly, but obsoletely, banded
above with narrow transverse duskyish lines ; below pale, with
222 DRYMOICIN^E.
whitish tips and a subterminal dusky band, or rather spot, on
the inner web of each feather ; the under parts throughout are
greyish-white ; the lores, and a slight supercilium, of the same
hue.
The Streaked Wren Warbler is a common permanent resi-
dent in Sind, frequenting the dense tamarisk thickets that
occur so commonly on the dhunds ; it is somewhat rare in Guzerat,
and does not occur at all in the Deccan. It breeds from
May to September ; the nest, built in low dense tamarisk bushes,
is of an oval shape with the entrance at one side near the top,
and is composed of small dry tamarisk twigs and fine grass,
well lined with vegetable down. The eggs, three in number,
are greenish-white in color, profusely streaked, speckled, and
spotted with bright brownish-red. The spots are usually more
dense at the large end where they not infrequently form au
imperfect zone. In shape they are broad ovals, pointed at one
end, and measure 0'55 inches in length by about 0'42 in breadth.
Scotocerca inquieta, Rupp.
550bis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 154.
THE STREAKED SCRUB WARBLER.
Length, 4'5 to 4*75 ; expanse, 6'25 ; wing, 1/9 to 2 ; tail, 2 to
2*25 ; tarsus, 075 to 0*8 ; bill at front, 35 ; bill at gape,
0-46.
Bill dark brown, dull brownish-orange at base beneath ; irides
brownish ; legs yellowish-brown.
Above, light brownish-grey, streaked on the head as far as the
shoulders, with dark brown narrow-streaks ; a pale rufous-brown
broad supercilium ; the cheeks and ear-coverts are also of this
color, which extends down the sides of the neck and breast,
becoming very pale and diluted under the wings and on the
flanks; wings light brown, the edges of quills and coverts
greyish ; tail a very much darker or rather blackish-brown ;
the outer feather on each side is rather lighter, and is tipped
with white ; the tail-feathers are cross rayed, particularly the
outer ones ; lower surface of body, except sides of neck, breast
and flanks, white, with narrow brown streaks from chin to
upper breast ; lining of wing, and ridge of the same, reddish-
white.
Within our limits the Striated Scrub Warbler has only been
procured on the hills that divide Sind from Khelat. It is pro-
bable that they are permanent residents, as they breed freely
in Southern Afghanistan, commencing about the end of March.
The nest is globular in shape, not unlike that of F. buchanani,
but is somewhat larger ; it is usually built in stunted bushes,
not more than two feet from the ground. It is well lined with
feathers and fine grass, the outer portion being composed of fibres
and coarse grass. The maximum number of eggs is six, but
PHYLLOSCOPIN.E. 223
five incubated ones are occasionally met with ; they are oval in
shape, white, with a pinkish tinge when fresh, very minutely
spotted and freckled with bright red.
These spots areusually more dense at the large end, but frequently
they are speckled equally over the whole surface.
They average 0'64 inches in length by about 0*49 in
breadth.
GENUS ; Franklinia, Blyth.
Bill stout, compressed, deep ; culmen moderately curved
towards the tip ; wings short ; tail broad, moderately lengthened
and graduated, of twelve feathers, white tipped ; tarsi and feet
stout.
Franklinia buchanani, Blyth.
551. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 186 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 486 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 407 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 155 ;
Cisticola buchanani, Blyth; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 126.
THE RUFOUS-FRONTED WREN WARBLER.
Length, 5'25 ; expanse, 67 ; wing, 2'2 ; tail, 2'2 ; tarsus, 0*9 ;
bill at front, 0'4.
Bill brown, yellowish beneath ; irides pale orange-buff ; legs
fleshy.
Forehead and head pale rufous ; plumage above greenish-
ashy, beneath white ; tail brown, all the feathers, except the
two central ones, broadly terminated by white, more broadly so
on the outermost feathers.
The Rufous-fronted Wren Warbler is a common permanent
resident in Sind and Guzerat, and is not uncommon in Raj pu tana,
but with the exception of Nuggur appears to be altogether absent
from the Deccan. It breeds from June to August, building a
rather loose, ragged, purse-shaped nest, composed of grass, lined
with vegetable down, and is usually placed in a low thorny bush,
generally ber or scrub. The eggs, four or five in number, are of
a slightly elongated oval shape, and are white in color, thickly
spotted and speckled with dingy or purplish-red. In most of the
eggs the markings are densest at the large end, and they occa-
sionally form a more or less well defined zone or cap. They
average 0'62 inches in length by about 0'48 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Phylloscopinae.
Mostly of small size ; plumage more or less green above, bill in
some slightly widened and depressed ; wings moderate, or rather
long ; tail moderate or short ; tarsus moderate ; feet arboreal.
GENUS, Hypolais, Brehm.
Bill slender, wide basally ; rictal bristles few ; wings mode-
224 PHYLLOSCOPIN.E.
rate ; bastard primary extending beyond or shorter than the
primary coverts ; third and fourth quills longest ; tail even or
rounded.
Hypolais rama, Syke-s.
553. Phyllopneuste rama, Sykes. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 189 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 486 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 407 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 157 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India;
Ibis, 1885, p. 126.
SYKES' TREE WARBLER.
Length, 5 ; expanse, 7'5 ; wing, 2'5 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill
at front, 0'4.
Bill dusky, fleshy at base below ; irides dark-brown ; legs
light brown.
Above, uniform light greyish-brown ; below pale or albescent,
passing into white on the chin, middle of belly, and vent ; lores
continued as a slight streak passing over the eye, and the orbital
feathers pale.
Sykes' Tree Warbler occurs more or less commonly in all parts
of the Presidency. In Sind it is a permanent resident, breeding
from March to July. The nest is placed in the centre of a dense
stunted tamarisk or other bush, and is composed externally of
coarse grass, lined with soft sedges and finer grass. The eggs, four
in number, are broadish ovals, white, with brown spots and hair-
like lines twined around the large end. They average 0'61 inches
in length by 0'49 in breadth.
Hypolais caligata, Eversm.
553bis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 158 ; Butler,
Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 407.
THE BOOTED TREE WARBLER.
Length, 4'5 to 5 ; expanse, 6'5 to 7 ; wing, 2*22 to 2*32 ; tail,
1-9 to 21 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill at front, 0'35 to 0'39 ; bill from gape
0-55 to 0-62.
Bill, upper mandible dark-brown, with the edges light ; lower
mandible flesh-colored, rather dusky towards the tip ; irides
hazel-brown ; legs and feet fleshy-grey, in some tinged yellowish,
expecially on the soles, in some glaucous.
Feathers of the head, nape, back, and scapulars, lax hair-brown,
tinged towards the margins with a paler, slightly rufous or
fulvous-brown (the whole in some specimens with a faint shade of
olive) ; rump paler and rather more rufous in tone ; upper
tail-coverts hair-brown, with lighter fulvous-brown edges ; tail
dark-brown, all but the two outermost rectrices very narrow-
ly margined with pale fulvous or greyish- white ; outermost
feather on each side, with the whole of the outer web, dull or
greyish -white ; tips and internal margin also greyish- white ; rec-
PHYLLOSCOPIN/E. 225
trices next to the outermost similar, but with less white on the
outer webs and more on the tips.
A conspicuous superciliary streak from the nostril extending
over the eye to the ear-coverts of a pale buff, or rich cream-color ;
lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts the same as the crown of the head, but
of a lighter shade ; the lower parts buffy, varying in shade and in
warmth of tone in different specimens, but always palest, and in
some almost white on the chin, the middle of the abdomen, the vent
and lower tail-coverts ; sides and flanks slightly infuscated ; axil-
laries, wing-lining and edge of wing from carpal -joint, cream-colored
varying in warmth of tinge in different specimens ; lower surface
of remiges and rectrices brownish-grey.
The wings hair-brown, as dark as the tail ; the primaries and
secondaries very narrowly, and the coverts and tertiaries broadly,
margined with rufous or fulvous-brown of the same tone as
the rufous of the back.
The Booted Tree Warbler occurs as a cold weather visitant
both in Sind and in the Deccan.
Hypolais pallida, Hemp, fy Ehr.
QoSte?. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 158 ; Stray
Feathers, Vol. VII, p. 398.
THE PALE TREE WARBLER.
Length, 5 ; wing, 2'63 ; tail, 2 -2 ; tarsus, 0'83 ; culinen, 0'62..
Bill horn-brown, dull yellowish at base beneath ; irided dark-
brown ; legs pale horn-brown.
Upper parts pale dull olive-brown, clearer on the back in color,
and rather lighter on the rump ; from the base of the bill over
the eye a rather indistinct yellowish stripe ; WIIK T ark-brown ;
the inner secondaries lighter in color, all the feathers having
lighter margins ; tail dark-brown, very narrowly edged with
lighter brown ; under parts buffy- white ; the throat and the
centre of the abdomen almost pure white ; flanks washed with
pale brownish.
The Pale Tree Warbler only occurs in Sind as a cold weather
visitant.
Hypolais languida, Hemp, 8f Ehr.
553quat Stray Feathers, Vol. VII, p. 398.
Length, 5 '25 ; wing, 31 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; culmen, 075.
Soft parts as in H. pallida.
In general coloration of plumage similar to H. pallida, but a
trifle greyer ; bill narrower and more slender ; first primary
much shorter and narrower. First primary scarcely as long as
the primary-coverts, T8 shorter than the second, second 0*2
shorter than the third, third and fourth about equal.
This Tree Warbler has been found in Beluchistan, and is
somewhat doubtfully recorded from Sind. It occurs in the winter
season only.
15
226 PHYLLOSCOPINJEL
Hypolais obsoleta, Severfz.
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 158.
THE DESEKT TREE WARBLER.
Wing, 2-4 ; tail, 2; culmen, Q'8.
The general color of the upper parts is a sandy-brown or pale
Isabelline-brown ; in other respects the coloration is that of
the two or three preceding species or sub-species ; third and fourth
primaries nearly equal and longest ; second primary, in a skin
from Turkestan, intermediate in length between the sixth and
seventh, and in one from Sind between the seventh and eighth ;
the bastard primary exceeds the primary-coverts by 0'35 inches
in both skins.
This Warbler has been procured in Sind, but is very rare.
The following key, originally published in YoL V, Cat. Br.
Mus., may prove useful in discriminating the foregoing :
A. General color of the upper parts brown or grey ; under
parts white or pale brown ; outside tail-feathers 015
to 0'2 inches shorter than the longest.
(a) Second primary intermediate between the fifth and
sixth ; bastard primary falling short of the primary-
covert by 01 inches, or extending O'Oo J^eyond
them. Lengths of wing, 2'8 to 3 '05 inches.
H. LANGUIDA.
B. Bastard primary exceeding the primary coverts by at least
01 inch.
(a) General color of the upper parts sandy or isabelline-
brown.
H. OBSOLETA.
C. General color of the upper parts darkish rufous-brown
or grey.
(a) Second primary generally intermediate between the
fifth and sixth ; bastard primary exceeding the pri-
mary coverts from 01 to 0*3 inches. Length of
wing, 275 to 2'5 inches.
H. PALLIDA.
(b) Second primary generally intermediate between the
seventh and eighth, or eighth and ninth ; bastard
primary exceeding the primary-coverts from 0*2 to
0*4 inches. Length of wing, 2*53 to 2*3 inches ;
culmen, 0'6 to 0'53.
H. RAMA.
(c) Second primary generally intermediate between the
sixth and seventh; bastard primary exceeding the
primaryco verts 015 to 0'26. Length of wing, 2'38 to
2'28 inches ; culmen, 0'51 to 0'5.
H. CALIGATA.
GENUS, Phylloscopus, Bodd.
Bill very slender, small, straight, shallow, barely deflected afc
PHYLLOSCOPIN.E. 227
the tip, entire ; a few small but distinct rictal bristles ; wings
as in the last, but the first primary more developed, and the
wing somewhat shorter ; tail moderate, even, or slightly emar-
ginate in some ; tarsus and feet moderate ; claws slender.
Phylloscopus tristis, Ely.
554. Jerdon's Birds of India, VoL II, p. 190 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 486 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
. IX, p. 408; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 159.
THE BROWN TREE WARBLER.
Length, 5 ; expanse, 7'25 ; wing, 2'45 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 075 ;
bill at front, 0'37.
Bill blackish, yellow beneath and at gape ; irides brown ; legs
brownish-black.
Above uniform dull brown, below albescent, with a faint tinge
of ruddy on the pale supercilia ; sides of neck, breast, and flanks,
axillaries, and fore part of the wing underneath, pure light-
yellow.
The Brown Tree Warbler is generally distributed throughout
the Presidency, but only as a seasonal visitant.
Phylloscopus neglectus, Hume.
S54&&. Stray Feathers, Vol. I, p. 195.
HUME'S TREE WARBLER.
Length, 4 to 4'2 ; expanse, 6 '2 5 to 6'4 ; tail, 1'4 to 1'6 ; wing,
2 to 215 ; tarsus, 0'68 to 071 ; bill at front, 0'27 to 0'3.
Bill black, in some paler or greenish-horny at base beneath ;
irides brown ; legs and feet black.
Lores brownish-white ; a comparatively pure and very narrow
white streak runs from the nostrils over the lores and eyes, but
not beyond ; the whole upper surface is dull earthy-brown,
with in some a faintly olivaceous-rufescent tinge on the back,
most conspicuous on the rump ; the quills and tail are a
moderately dark hair-brown, narrowly margined on the outer
webs with pale olivaceous-brown, much the same color as the
upper parts ; the secondaries are very narrowly margined at the
tips with albescent ; the whole lower surface is albescent, tinged
with very pale fulvous-fawn, or earthy-brown, more strongly
so in some specimens than in others ; the sides and flanks more
strongly so in all ; in some specimens the sides and flanks
are pale earthy-brown ; the wing-lining and axillaries are
white, with at times the faintest possible fulvous or brownish
tinge.
Mr. Hume, the discoverer of this species, says : " This tiny Leaf
Hunter, the smallest of the whole group, is not uncommon along
the banks of the Indus and throughout Upper Sind; wherever
thick clumps of babool are met with."
228 PHTLLOSCOPINJB.
Phylloscopus magnirostris, Jilt/.
556. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 191 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 408.
THE LARGE-BILLED TREE WARBLER.
Length, 5 to 5'25 ; expanse, 8'25 ; wing, 2'6 to 275 ; tail, 2*12 ;
tarsus, 075 ; bill at front, 0'5.
Bill dusky-plumbeous, fleshy at base beneath ; irides dusky ;
legs pale plumbeous.
Above dusky olive-green, with a faint tinge of tawny on the
wings and tail ; medial wing-coverts tipped with greenish- white ;
a pale yellow supercilium and the lower ear-coverts partly
yellow ; beneath pale, the breast tinged with ashy, mingled with
faint yellowish, and the rest of the lower parts more or less pure
yellowish-white.
The Large-billed Tree Warbler is a very rare visitant to parts
of the Deccan in the cold season ; it has not been recorded from
any other portion of our limits.
Phylloscopus lugubris, Ely.
558. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 192 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 408.
THE DULL-GREEN TREE WARBLER.
Length, 475 ; expanse, 7'5 ; wing, 2'5 ; tail, T85 ; tarsus, 075 ;
bill at front, 0'4.
Bill dusky, beneath amber ; irides dusky-brown ; legs greenish-
dusky.
Above dusky olive-green, with a pale yellowish supercilium,
and yellowish tips to the medial wing-coverts ; beneath albescent,
faintly tinged with yellow medially, and the flanks greenish-
yellow.
This is another very rare winter visitant to parts of the
Deccan.
Phylloscopus nitidus, Lath.
559. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 193 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 408 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 159.
THE BRIGHT-GREEN TREE WARBLER.
Length, 475 ; expanse, 7'25 ; wing, 2 25 to 2*5 ; tail, 175 to 2 ;
tarsus, 07 ; bill at front, 0'4.
Above lively green, below unsullied pale yellowish, brightest
about the breast ; a pale wing-band formed by the tips of the
larger coverts of the secondaries.
This Tree Warbler is common during the cold weather in the
Deccan and occurs again in Sind ; it has not been recorded from
Guzerat, where probably it has been overlooked.
PHYLLOSCOPIN.E.
Phylloscopus viridanus, Blyth.
560. Jcrdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 193 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 408.
THE GREENISH TREE WARBLER.
Length, 475 to 5 ; expanse, 7*5 ; wing, 2 ! 25 to 2*5 ; tail, 175
to 2 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill at front, 0'4.
Above light dull olive-green, beneath greenish-albescent, darker
on the flanks ; a pale yellow supercilium, and an indication of a
sjight whitish bar on the wings, the coverts being tipped
pale.
Merely a cold weather visitant to the Deccan.
Phylloscopus affinis, Tickell.
561. Jerdon'-s Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 194; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 408.
TICKELL'S TREE WARBLER.
Length, 475 ; expanse, 7 ; wing, 2'38 ; tail, 1 '9 ; tarsus, 074 ;
bill at front, 0'36.
Bill dusky, amber beneath ; legs pale brownish-dusky, tinged
with yellowish.
Above fuscous olive-green, with an extremely faint tawny
tinge ; no pale tips to the medial wing-coverts ; supercilia,
cheeks, and under parts, pale sullied greenish or oil-yellow,
brightest on the middle of the belly, with a slight tawny tinge
in some, and the breast and flanks a little infuscated.
Within our limits this Warbler has only been recorded as a
rare cold weather visitant to parts of the Deccan.
Phylloscopus indicus, Jerdon.
562 Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 1 93; Butler, Guzerat;
. Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 486 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 408 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 126.
THE OLIVACEOUS TREE WARBLER.
Length, 5'25 ; expanse, 7'25 ; wing, 2'25 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus,
075 ; bill at front, 0'4.
Bill dusky, yellowish beneath ; irides dark-brown ; legs green-
ish-brown, yellow on the soles.
Above uniform olive-grey, beneath olivaceous-yellow, purest
on the middle of the belly ; a clear pale yellow supercilium.
Merely a cold weather visitant to the Deccan.
Phylloscopus sindianus, Brooks.
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 160.
THE SIND TREE WARBLER.
Length, 4'2 to 47 ; wing, 2'05 to 2'4 ; tail, 175 to 2'09 ; bill at
front, 0-3 to 0'35.
230 PHYLLOSCOPIN.E.
Bill brown, yellow beneath.
Above uniform dull brown, below albescent, with a ruddy
tinge on the pale supercilia, sides of face, neck, breast and
flanks ; axillaries, and edge of wing, yellowish-white, sometimes
almost quite white.
This Tree Warbler has only been obtained in Sind.
GENUS, Reguloides, BlytTi.
Bill much as in Phylloscopus, or a trifle shorter compara-
tively ; wings moderately long and more pointed, the second
primary being very little shorter than the fourth ; tarsus and
feet rather small.
Reguloides occipitalis, Jerdon.
563. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 196 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 409 ; Murray's- Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 160.
THE LARGE CROWNED WARBLER.
Length, 475 ; wing, 2'61 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 07 ; bill at front,
0-4.
Bill dusky, yellow beneath ; hides hazel ; legs pale-brownish.
Above mingled green and ashy, the latter prevailing on the
back, the former on the rump, wings, and tail ; crown dusky,
\vith whitish supercilia, and a conspicuous pale mesial line,
broader and tinged with yellow at the occiput ; a very pale yel-
lowish wing band ; the forepart of the wing brightish-green and
its margin and the axillaries pure light yellow ; lower parts
albescent, mingled with yellowish, and very faintly tinged with
ruddy ; inner webs of the three outer tail-feathers, on each side,
narrowly bordered with white.
This, the largest of the group, is a somewhat rare cold wea-
ther visitant to both the Deccan and Sind.
Reguloides superciliosus, Pallas.
565. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 197 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 409.
THE CROWNED TREE WARBLER.
Length, 4'25 ; expanse, 6 '5 ; wing, 2 '2 5 ; tail, 17 ; tarsus, 07 ;
bill at front, 0'3.
Bill dusky, yellow beneath ; irides dark-brown ; legs pale
brown.
Above olive-green, brightest on the rump, wings, and tail ;
crown dusky, with a pale mesial line, not always very distinct ;
two conspicuous yellowish-white wing-bars, the hind one the
broader of the two, and behind this is a dark patch ; tertiaries
conspicuously margined with whitish ; secondaries and some
of the primaries slightly tipped with the same ; axillaries with
231
the forepart of the wing underneath pale yellow; supercilia
and plumage beneath greenish albescent.
This is another winter visitant to the Deccan*
Reguloides humei, Brooks.
S656k Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 409.
THE BROWN-HEADED WILLOW WARBLER.
Like R. superciliosus, but has the supercilium pale brown*
Isji-buff to brownish-white, as in P. tristis ; cheeks strongly tinged
with pale ruddy -buff, and seldom having an admixture of yellow ;
they are mottled as in the affined species with dark-brown ; top of
head brown, rather inclined to olive ; coronal streak very faint,
often not visible ; color of top of head at all times blended
Into color of back ; back, wings, and tail as in superciliosus,
but of less bright green, and yellow tips to the wing-coverts
not so pure ; in other respects the plumage much resembles
that of supewitiosus.
Has been procured in the vicinity of Belgaum.
GENUS, Abrornis, Hodgson.
Bill wider than in Phylloscopus or Reguloides, depressed,
moderately deflected, and distinctly notched ; nostrils conceal*
ed ; a few fine rictal setae ; otherwise as in Phylloscopus.
Abrornis cantator, Tickell.
570. Culicipeta cantator, Tickell. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 200.
THE LESSER BLACK-BROWED WARBLER.
Length, 4'25 ; expanse, 6'25 ; wing, 2'25 ; tail, 175 ; tarsus,
0-6.
Bill light dusky above, amber beneath; irides hazel; legs
fleshy-yellow.
Bright olive-green above, yellow on the wings and tail ;
throat, cheeks, supercilia, lower tail -coverts, and margin of the
wing, bright yellow ; belly and flanks greyish-white ; a very
narrow yellow bar on the wing ; on each side of the crown a
broad black band, and an intermediate and narrower greenish
one, becoming yellower on the occiput ; upper tertiaries slightly
margined at the tips with yellowish-white, and the tail feathers
have a very narrow-yellowish white internal border.
Central India is one of the localities mentioned by Jerdon
as frequented by this pretty little warbler.
SUB-FAMILY, Sylviinse.
These are a small series of birds, with mostly grey plumage,
and frequently marked with black on the head or throat ; bill
moderately slender ; wings rather lengthened ; tarsus and feet
short, but strong, and with moderately curved claws.
'1\}'2 SYLVIIN^E.
GENUS, Sylvia, Latham.
Bill moderate or slightly lengthened and slender, with the
rictal bristles almost obsolete ; wings lengthened and in some
pointed ; fi r st quill minute, second a little shorter than the
third and fourth, which are about equal ; secondaries broad ;
tail slightly rounded ; tarsus moderate or short, stout, and scu-
tate ; feet strong, short ; lateral toes unequal ; hind-toe moderate ;
claws moderately curved.
Sylvia jerdoni, Blyth.
581. Sylvia orphea, Tern. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 208 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 487 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 409 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 161 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 126.
THE LARGE BLACK-CAPPED WARBLER.
Length, 7 ; expanse, 9'25 ; wing, 3'2 ; tail, 75 ; tarsus, 0'9 ;
bill at front, 0'6.
Bill blackish-horny, greyish at base beneath ; irides pale
whitish-yellow ; legs greenish-grey.
Above brownish-ashy, tolerably pure ashy on the nape and
rump ; cap, lores, and ear-coverts black in the male, dusky or
blackish-grey in the female ; beneath whitish, pure white on
the throat and middle of the belly, tinged albescent on the
breast ; tail blackish, the outer feathers externally white, for the
basal two-thirds, and the next four successively less broadly tipped
white ; quills dusky -brown with pale edgings.
The Black -capped Warbler is a not uncommon cold weather
visitant to all parts of the district.
Sylvia affinis, Blyth.
582. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 209 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 487 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 409 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 161 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 126.
THE ALLIED GREY WARBLER.
Length, 6 ; wing, 2'65 ; tail, 2'25 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill at front, 0'45.
Bill brown ; irides brownish-yellow ; legs brown.
Head and neck cinereous ; ears dusky ; the rest of the plumage
above reddish cinereous ; wing and tail brownish ; outer tail
feathers nearly all white, the others only tipped with white ;
throat white ; rest of the plumage beneath white with a tinge of
reddish.
The Allied Grey Warbler is generally distributed throughout
the district during the cold weather.
Sylvia minuscula, Hume.
5326k Murray's Vetebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 161.
SYLYIIN/E. 233
HUME'S LESSER WHITE-THROAT.
Length, 5'3 ; wing 2'3 to 2'4 ; bill at front, 0'3.
Bill brownish ; irides brownish-yellow ; legs brown.
Forehead and crown pale bluish-grey ; back, rump, and upper
tail-coverts isabelline fawn, or pale sandy brown ; chin, throat,
and under surface, white ; second primary equal to the seventh,
in some intermediate between seventh and eighth.
Hume's Lesser White-throat is a not uncommon cold weather
visitant to Sind and parts of Guzerat and Rajputana.
Sylvia althea, Hume.
582te;\ Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 162.
THE HIMALAYAN LESSER WHITE-THROAT.
Upper surface darkish grey, slightly tinged with brown on the
back.
Under surface white ; second primary intermediate in length
between or equal to sixth and seventh, or seventh and eighth ;
wing, 27 to 2'8 ; culmen, 0'5 1 to 0'56 ; tarsus, 075 to 0'8.
This species, or race as it may perhaps more properly be called,
is a somewhat rare cold weather visitant to most parts of the
Presidency.
Sylvia rufa, Bodd.
582<7?ml Butler, Guzerat ; (8. cinerea), Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 488 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind (S. cinerea)
p. 162.
THE GREY WARBLER OR WHITE-THROAT.
Length, 6 to 6'25 ; expanse, 8'5 ; wing, 2-85 to 2'87 ; tail, 2'32
to 3 ; bill at front, 0'44 ; bill from gape, 0'62.
Bill dusky, fleshy at base below ; irides yellowish-brown ; legs
and feet yellowish-brown.
The entire upper surface is a moderately dark, somewhat
reddish sooty, or reddish ashy brown, more cinereous on the head,
and with the tertials and their greater coverts rather broadly
margined with pale dull ferruginous ; the lores are albescent
or greyish- white, with traces of a greyer line through them ;
chin, upper throat, and eyelid feathers pure white ; ear-coverts
silky brown ; lower throat, breast and middle of abdomen, white,
tinged with pale vinaceous buff; sides and flanks tinged with
brown ; first primary very minute, second primary longest, or
second and third equal and longest ; tail a good deal rounded ;
exterior feather 0'4 shorter than longest, a paler brown than the
rest and margined with white ; next feather tipped with brownish-
white ; quills and greater coverts and tail-feathers all paler
margined; axillaries greyish- white ; tibial plumes buffy-white ;
tarsi stout, 0'87 in length.
The Grey Warbler occurs during the cold season both in Sind
and Guzerat.
234 MOTACILLINJE.
Sylvia nana, Hemp, fy Ehr.
5836is. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 163.
THE DESERT WARBLER.
Length, 4r8 to 4'9 ; expanse, 7 to 7*2 ; wing, 2 to 2*2 ; tail, 1'8
to 2 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill at front, 0'33.
Bill pale yellow, dusky on culmen and at tip ; irides orange-
yellow ; legs and feet pale yellow.
The lores are greyish-white ; from the nostril to the upper
margin of the eye runs a very narrow yellowish-streak, whiter
and less grey than the lores ; this line ceases to be visible in
nine out of ten skins, but is sufficiently apparent in the freshly
killed bird ; a circle of yellowish-white feathers surrounds the
eye ; forehead, crown, occiput, nape, back, and scapulars, pale
fawn-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts pale rufous ; central
tail-feathers pale rufous, with dark shafts ; external lateral fea-
thers wholly white, next pair white on the outer webs, and
with a moderately broad white tip to both webs ; the rest of the
inner webs dark hair-brown ; the rest of the feathers dark hair-
brown, margined on the outer webs with pale rufous ; the whole
of the lower parts white, with, in the freshly killed birds, a just
perceptible rufous tinge ; wing-lining and axillaries pure white ;
wing pale-brown, narrowly margined and tipped with rufescent-
white ; the tertiaries pale dingy-rufescent with brown shafts.
Within our limits this Warbler only occurs in the more desert-
like portion of Sind and in the Runn of Kutch. It is appa-
rently a permanent resident as Mr. Doig found them breeding in
October.
SUB-FAMILY, Motacillinae.
Bill generally of moderate length, slender, straight, barely
deflected at the tip, and indistinctly notched ; rictal vibrissae
minute or wanting ; wings typically long or pointed, and the
tertiaries lengthened ; tail long ; tarsus moderately long and
slender ; toes moderate ; claws slightly curved ; the hind-claw
often long and straight.
GENUS, Motacilla, Lin.
Bill moderate, straight, slender, compressed at the tip, which
is very slightly notched ; nostrils apert ; rictus almost smooth ;
wings long, pointed, with nine primary quills, the first two sub-
equal and longest ; tertiaries lengthened, equal to the primaries ;
tail longr, slender, nearly even ; tarsus moderately long, slender,
obscurely scutellate ; feet moderate ; hind-toe short ; claws slightly
curved ; hind-claw small, more curved.
Motacilla maderaspatensis, Gm.
589. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 217 ; M. maderaspa-
tana, Briss. ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 489 ;
MOTACILLIN.E. 235
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 410 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 164 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885; p. 126.
THE PIED WAGTAIL.
Length, 8'5 to 9 ; expanse, 12 ; wing, 375 to 4; tail, 4; tarsus,
1 ; bill at front, 0'6 ; bill from gape, 072.
Bill blackish ; irides dark-brown ; legs blackish.
Upper plumage, with the chin, throat, and breast black, with
a broad white supercilium and a large white wing-spot, formed
by the median and greater-coverts, and the edges of some of the
primaries ; the greater part of the two outermost tail-feathers
white, also the edges of the upper tail-coverts ; beneath, from
the breast, white.
The female has the black less pure. In winter the chin, upper
part of the throat, and some feathers just below the eye, are
white.
The Pied "Wagtail is very generally distributed throughout
the Presidency ; it is a permanent resident, breeding nearly the
whole year through. They have several broods during the season ;
one pair that frequented a small tank adjoining my compound
at Poona had a nest with two young ones and an addled egg on
the 3rd March. On the 23rd April I took three incubated eggs
from the same nest ; they had another nest, built about a yard
away from the first one, which contained two eggs on the 9th
May. In July, I noticed them feeding a pair of young birds, and
towards the end of August they were making preparations for
another brood. So that this pair had at least five clutches of
eggs in one season. They were the only Wagtails on the tank,
and were very pugnacious, and would allow no other bird to
remain on the tank ; their own young ones, as soon as they
were able to forage for themselves, were even driven away.
The nest which is a mere pad, composed of grass fibres, &c., is
always near water, and is built upon something solid, such as the
ledge of a rock, a niche in a stone bridge, a hole in a bank, or
some such similar place.
The eggs, three or four in number, vary much both in size and
shape, but are always more or less pointed at one end. The
general color is greenish or earthy-white, spotted, speckled,
streaked, clouded or smudged with olive, purplish, or earthy-
brown.
They average 0*9 inches in length by about 0'65 in breadth.
Motacilla leucopsis, Gould.
590. Motacilla luzoniensis, Scop. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 218.
THE WHITE-FACED WAGTAIL.
Length, 7'9 ; extent, 1T25 ; wing, 3'6 ; tail, 375 ; tarsus,
0'6 ; bill at front, 0'6.
236 MOTACILLINiE.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
In summer plumage, the occiput, nape, and upper parts
generally deep black, also a large patch on the breast ; a broad
frontal band, sides of head (including the eye) and neck ? large
wing-patch, the two outermost tail-feathers on each side, and the
lower parts, white.
In winter plumage, the back, shoulder, and rump are ashy-grey,
the occiput, nape, and breast-band alone being black.
The female is a trifle smaller than the male, and the black
perhaps is not quite so deep.
The White-faced Wagtail is, I believe, not uncommon at and
near Mhow. It is of course a cold weather visitant only.
Motacilla personata, Gould.
591. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 218 ; (M. dukhunensis,
Sykes) ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 411 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 165 ;Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 127.
THE BLACK-FACED WAGTAIL.
Length, 7'5 to 8 ; wing, 3'6 to 37 ; tail, 4*5 to 475 ; bill at
front, 075.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
In summer plumage, the back and scapulars, pale grey ;
occiput, nape, wings, and tail, black ; a supercilium, wing-patch,
and outermost tail-feathers, white ; beneath, the throat, neck,
and breast, black, the rest white ; primaries are dusky, edged with
white, and the upper tail-coverts ashy, edged with black.
In winter dress, the chin, throat, and beneath the eye, are white,
leaving only a small patch of black on the breast ; the occiput
and nape are also grey, the white wing-patch smaller ; the coverts
and secondaries also grey, edged paler.
With the exception perhaps of Guzerat, the Black-faced
Wagtail is generally distributed throughout the district during
the cold weather.
Motacilla dukhunensis, SyTces.
5916k Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 489 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 410.
SYKES' GREY AND BLACK WAGTAIL.
Length, 7'5 to 8 ; wing, 3'6 to 37 ; tail, 4'5 to 475 ; bill at
front, 075.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Mr. Hume points out, Stray Feathers, Vol. I, p. 30, that " the
only ready and unfailing diagnosis of the two species," ie,
personata and dukhunensis, " is that, in both sexes, and at all
seasons, the ear-coverts' and whole aural region are in personata
black, blackish or dark-grey ; in dukhunensis, pure white or
greyish or sordid-white." This marked difference, coupled with
the conspicuously greater amount of white on the wings of
MOTACILLIN.E. 237
per sonata, as compared with those ofdukkunensis, ought to render
the separation of any specimens of the two species comparatively
easy.
This Wagtail is common during the cold season in both the
Doccan and Guzerat. It also occurs at Neemuch in Raj pu tana.
Motacilla alba, Lin.
59Iter. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 166 ; Swinho e
and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 127.
THE EUROPEAN WHITE-FACED WAGTAIL.
Length, 7'5 to 8 ; wing, 375 ; tail, 475.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs black.
Front of the head, lores, all round the eye, ear-coverts, cheeks,
and a broad stripe down the sides of the neck, white, as also the
belly, vent and under tail-coverts ; back of the head and nape,
chin, throat and breast, black ; back and scapulars darker-grey
than in personata ; upper tail-coverts dark-brown, a few feathers
margined white ; primaries dusky-brown, the outer webs darker,
with a very faint whitish edge ; secondaries, . tertiaries, and inner
webs of the median greater-coverts, dark brown, nearly black,
all broadly edged white on their outer webs, and except the
primaries, tipped with white ; the inner webs of the primaries
and secondaries margined for their basal half with white ; lesser
wing-coverts concolorous with the back ; tail black, the two outer-
most feathers white, except a dark brown margin for nearly
three-fourths their length on their inner webs, and in some speci-
mens on the outer web near the shaft ; under wing and thigh-
coverts white, the latter with some dark streaks.
The European White-faced Wagtail is a common cold weather
visitant to Sind. It is by many considered identical with dukhu-
nensis.
GENUS, Calobates, Kan p.
Bill more slender than in motacilla ; wings slightly shorter,
and tertials less elongated ; tarsus shorter and pale colored ; hind-
toe short, with the claw a little longer and moderately curved ;
otherwise as in motacilla.
Calobates melanope, Pall
592. G. sulphurea, Bech. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 220 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 489 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 592 ; (0. boarula, Penn.)
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 166 ; Motacilla mela-
nope, Pall. ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 127.
THE GREY AND YELLOW WAGTAIL.
Length, 7'5 ; wing, 2'25 ; tail, 3*5 ; tarsus, 0*8 ; bill at front,
0-45.
238 MOTACILLIN.E.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs pale-brown.
Plumage above pale-grey, with a wash of olivaceous ; upper tail-
coverts pale-yellow, also the edges of the tertiaries ; supercilium,
chin and throat, white ; rest of the lower parts pale-yellow, greenish
on the middle, and laterally pure yellow ; a white- wing band ; wings
and tail brownish-black ; the three outer tail-feathers on each side
white on the inner web, the outermost wholly so.
In summer the chin and throat become black with a whitish
border, and the yellow of the lower parts is darker.
During the cold season, the Grey and Yellow Wagtail is very
common throughout the country.
GENUS, Budytes, Cuvier.
The characters are the same as those of motacilla, but the
tertials barely so long ; the tail shorter ; tarsus longer and stouter ;
hind-toe and claw lengthened, the latter very much so, and but
slightly curved.
Budytes cinereocapilla, Savi.
593. B. viridis, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 222 ;
Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 410 ; Motacilla
cinereocapilla, Savi., Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 127.
THE SLATY-HEADED FIELD WAGTAIL.
Length, 6 '5 ; expanse, 9 '5 ; wing, 3'13 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0'8 ;
bill at front, 0'45.
Bill black ; irides dusky-brown ; legs black.
The usual plumage of adult birds in winter is olive-green
above, with a white or occasionally yellow superciliary mark ;
beneath, the chin and throat whitish, the rest yellow, more or
less pure ; wings dusky, with two dull whitish-yellow cross
bands, formed by the tips of the coverts, and the tertials broadly
margined with yellowish ; tail black, slightly margined with
greenish, and the two outermost feathers on each side chiefly
white.
At the spring moult, the whole cap, lores and ear-coverts change
to a bluish ash-grey, with or without a white or yellow super-
cilium, which, however, is not always present, and disappears
eventually by the change of color which takes place in the fea-
thers themselves at a later period. The lower parts, too, become
more pure and bright yellow ; the chin is white, and the throat
yellow, with its lateral border white.
A little later in the season, the lores and ear-coverts become
darker by a change in the feathers themselves, and finally change
to a deep black ; and in full breeding plumage, the whole cap,
lores, and ear-coverts, are deep black.
Young birds of the year are light brownish-grey, purer on the
nape and rump ; wings and tail dusky, the former with two
MOTACILLIN.E. 239
whitish cross bands ; the tail darker than the wings, with the
two outermost feathers on each side nearly white ; beneath white,
sometimes with a yellowish tinge, and a few brown marks on the
breast ; a white supercilium always present.
The Slaty-headed Field Wagtail is common in the Deccan
and in parts of Rajputana. Of course it only occurs in the cold
season.
Budytes melanocephala, Licht.
5936is. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 490 ; Dec-
can, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 410 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 168.
THE BLACK-CAP FIELD WAGTAIL.
Length, 6 ; to 6'5 ; wing, 31 to 3'25 ; tail, 275 ; bill at front,
0-43.
Bill dark-brown ; irides brownish ; legs dark-brown.
Head, nape, lores, sides of the face and ear-coverts black ; back,
scapulars, rump, and upper tail-coverts, yellowish-green, the latter
lighter, and the feathers edged with yellowish ; chin white or
buffy-white ; rest of under surface pure yellow ; primaries and
secondaries dull brown, lighter and whitish on the margins at
the base of their inner webs ; tertiaries dark-brown, edged on
lesser wing-coverts yellowish-olive, subterminally dark-brown,
and tipped yellowish ; median and greater-coverts dark-brown,
tipped yellowish, forming two conspicuous wing-bands ; tail black
margined with greenish ; the two outermost feathers on each
side white, except a broad dark-brown margin on their inner
webs.
During the cold season the Black-capped Field Wagtail is
commonly distributed throughout the district.
Budytes flava, Lin.
593ter. Butler, Deccan; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 411 ; Mur-
ray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 168.
THE GREY-HEADED FIELD WAGTAIL.
Length, 6 to 6'5 ; wing, 3*25 ; tail, 2'95 ; bill at front, 0'6.
Bill dark-brown ; irides dusky-brown ; legs dark-brown.
Forehead, crown, nape, and sides of the face, bluish-grey ; a
dark streak from the base of the bill through the eye, a white,
supercilium, and another short white stripe below from under
the eye ; below the bluish-grey of the face an albescent streak to
the chin, which is white ; throat, breast, and rest of under
surface bright-yellow ; neck behind, and back, yellowish-green,
tinged brownish ; greater and lesser wing-coverts dusky-brown,
margined with yellowish- white ; primaries, secondaries, and
tertiaries, dusky-brown, margined with yellowish- white ; tail
dark-brown, edged with greenish-yellow, the two outermost
feathers white, with a dark-brown margin on their inner webs,
240 MOTA.CILLIN.E.
broader on the second, and extending over part of the outer web ;
the next narrowly edged with white; upper tail-coverts like the back.
The female has a white superciliura; the head and crown
duller, mixed somewhat with greenish later in the year ; the chin
is white, and the throat a yellowish or buffy-wliite ; breast and
under parts pale-yellow ; back greyish-brown.
The Grey-headed Field Wagtail occurs both in the Deccan
and in Sind. It has apparently been overlooked in Guzerat and
Raj pu tana.
They are difficult birds to deal with, and Jerdon did not discri-
minate the two last species.
The following key by Mr. Brooks will assist greatly in helping
collectors to discriminate the three species :
B. /lava. Grey head, broad white supercilium, grey and white
cheeks.
B. cinereocapilla. Dark-grey head, supercilium absent or else
very narrow and white ; often only half a supercilium
behind the eye ; cheeks a dark slate color or almost
black. This dark cheek is the well marked peculiarity of
the species.
B. melanocephala. Pure black head, with very rarely indeed
a supercilium, and then very narrow, like a thin white
thread.
The black head is a good distinction.
Budytes calcarata, Hodgs.
594. B. citreola, Pallas. Jerdon 's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 225 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 169.
THE YELLOW-HEADED WAGTAIL.
Length, 6'5 to 7 ; extent, 10 ; 5 ; wing, 3'25 to 3'5 ; tail, 3'5 ; bill
at front, 0'48.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs black.
Entire head, chin, throat, breast, and under surface, bright
yellow ; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts dark-brown, nearly
black ; lesser wing-coverts dark -grey ; median and greater wing-
coverts dark-brown, margined and tipped with white ; the ter-
tiaries broadly margined with white ; primaries and secondaries
on their outer webs, dusky on their inner, and with whitish
margins ; tail dark-brown or black ; the feathers very narrowly
edged with greenish ; the four outermost white, except a dusky-
brown margin on the inner web for three-fourths their length.
In winter the adult is light ashy-grey above, the nape and
sides of the breast darker ; head and under surface yellow, oli-
vaceous on the flanks ; primaries dusky, edged with greyish-white
on their outer webs ; secondaries dusky ; tertiaries darker, broadly
margined with white ; wing-coverts brown, broadly tipped with
white, forming two, conspicuous wing-bands ; lower tail-coverts
albescent or very pale-yellow; tail as in the breeding plumage.
MOTACILLINJE. 241
, The Yellow-headed Wagtail is very common during the cold
season in Sind, affecting paddy fields, edges of marshes, and banks
of rivers and canals,
Budytes citreola, Pall.
5946is. Butler, Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 411; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 169 ; Motacilla citreola, Pall, ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p, 127,
THE GREY-BACKED YELLOW WAGTAIL.
% Length, 7'1 ; wing, 3' 18 ; tail, 275 ; bill at front, 0'4,
Bill pale-brown ; irides brown ; legs pale brown.
Forehead, crown of head, sides of the face, ear-coverts, chin,
throat, breast, and entire under parts bright yellow, paler on
the vent, and nearly white on the under tail-coverts ; nape, and
upper back, black ; lower back and scapulars dark-grey ; rump
and upper tail-coverts pale or dark-brown or yellowish-green,
the feathers edged with greenish ; primaries and secondaries
dusky ; tertiaries dark brown ; the primaries and secondaries
faintly edged and tipped with white, and the tertiaries broadly so,
all basally white on their inner webs ; lesser wing-coverts like the
back and tipped brown ; median and greater-coverts brown,
edged with white, and forming two conspicuous white or yellowish-
white bands ; the second band oblique in the closed wing, being
formed by the white of the greater coverts, and that of the inner-
most tertiaries, the longest of which is nearly equal in length with
the fourth primary ; under wing-coverts white ; tail black, the
feathers with a faint tinge of whitish on their outer webs; the
two outermost tail-feathers on each side white, with a broad
margin on their inner webs, to about half an inch from the tip ;
the next black, with the edge of the outer web and tip white.
The Grey-backed Yellow Wagtail is a common cold weather
visitant to the Deccan, Kajputana, and also in a lesser degree to
Sind.
GENUS, Limonidromus.
Similar characters to Budytes, but with the short hind-claw of
MotaciUa.
Limonidromus indicus, Gm.
595. Nemoricola indica, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 226 ; Butler, Deccan; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 411.
THE BLACK-BREASTED WAGTAIL.
Length, 6*25; expanse, 10; wing, 3'12; tail, 2 '6 ; tarsus, 0'9;
bill at front, 0'48.
Bill dusky, beneath whitish ; legs whitish, tinged with purplish-
brown.
Plumage above greenish olive-brown, beneath yellowish ;
supercilium white ; a double black band on the breast, the lower
one not complete in the centre, which unites laterally with the
16
242 MOTACILLISLE.
upper one ; wings blackish, with two broad white bands, and a
third at the base of the primaries, a fourth near the tips of the
secondaries, continued along the edge of the longest tertiary ;
tail with the middle feathers brown, the next dusky, the outer-
most white, with generally a brown outer margin and blackish
base, the penultimate with white only on its terminal half.
The Black-breasted Wagtail occurs sparingly in the forest
tracts of the Deccan during the cold season ; it has not been
recorded from elsewhere within our limits.
GENUS, Anthus, Bechst.
Bill straight, short, and stouter than in Budytes ; wings, first
to third quills longest ; plumage spotted ; hind-claw short and
curved.
Anthus maculatus, Hodgs.
596. Pipastes agilis, Sykes. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 228; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 491.
THE INDIAN TREE PIPIT.
Length, 6'5 ; expanse, 11 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill
from gape, 07.
Bill dusky, fleshy beneath ; irides dark-brown ; legs pale fleshy-
brown.
In winter plumage above fine greenish-olive, with strongly
marked dusky streaks on the crown, and some slight dark
centres to the dorsal feathers ; beneath white, with a faint
fulvous tinge, with large dark spots on the throat, breast, and
flanks ; wing-coverts dark-brown ; the median with yellowish-
white tips ; the greater-coverts broadly edged with olive ; the
quills brown, edged with olive ; tail with the outermost feathers
white terminally, and for the greater part of both webs ; the
penultimate with a white tip ; central feathers olive-brown ;
the intermediate ones brown, with olive edgings.
In summer plumage the upper parts are more brown and less
olive, more broadly streaked with dusky centres, and the under
p irts always pale fulvescent, passing to white on the abdomen
and lower tail-coverts.
During the cold season the Indian Tree Pipit is very common
in Guzerat and Rajputana; its occurrence in the Deccan has
only doubtfully been recorded.
Anthus trivialis, Lin.
597. Pipastes arbor em, Bech. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 230; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 490;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 412 ; Anthus arboreus,
Bechst; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 170 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 127.
THE EUROPEAN TREE PIPIT.
Length, 6'5 ; wing, 3*5 ; tail, 2'5; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill at front, 0*43
MOTACILLIN^. 243
Bill dusky, yellowish at base beneath ; irides dark-brown ; legs
pale-brown.
This Pipit is very similar to the last, and a detailed description
is therefore unnecessary. The chief points of difference are : the
tone of color less deep, less distinctly striated on the body ; it
is also more tinged with fulvescent on the throat, breast, and
under parts generally ; and the hind-claw is slightly more curved.
The European Tree Pipit is generally distributed throughout
the Presidency during the cold weather,
Anthus spinoletta, Lin.
605fer. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p, 491 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 170.
THE WATER PIPIT.
Length, 6'37 to 7'25 ; expanse, 9'5 to 1T25 ; wing, 315 to 3'6 ;
tail, 275 ; bill at front, 0'45 to 0'53.
Bill dark horny-brown ; irides brown ; legs and feet brown
or dark -brown.
In the winter plumage the upper surface is a sort of olive-
brown, with more or less of a faintly rufous tinge ; the rump
unstriated ; the head and back with dark hair-brown centres to
the feathers ; there is a well marked dull white stripe from the
nostril over the eye ; the coverts and the quills are mostly hair-
brown, the former broadly margined with brownish or olivaceous-
white, purer just at the tips of the coverts, and the latter narrow-
ly margined ; the first few primaries with greyish- white, the rest
with a sort of greenish or olivaceous-white ; the tippings of the
coverts form two tolerably well marked wing-bars ; the ter-
tiaries, which are somewhat paler than the rest of the quills,
are broadly margined with brownish-white ; the central tail-
feathers, which are the shortest, are a comparatively pale-brown,
margined all round with brownish- white ; the next pair on either
side are very dark-brown, very narrowly margined with pale
olivaceous, and the fourth with a tiny whitish spot at the extreme
tip ; the exterior tail-feathers of all have the whole outer webs
white, slightly brownish towards the tip, the whole inner web
white for nearly half an inch from the tip, beyond which for
another three-quarters of an inch the white occupies (next the
shaft) a gradually diminishing portion of the inner web, the rest
of the feather being brown ; the lower surface is a dull white,
in many specimens with a faint vinaceous tinge, in parts with a
row of small brown spots down the sides of the neck, with simi-
lar spots on the breast, and longer strise along the sides and
flanks.
In the summer plumage the whole upper surface becomes greatly
overlaid with an earthy or greyish-brown shade, the striations
of the back and head almost disappear, though the edges of the
feathers are still somewhat paler than the centres, and the whole
244 MOTACILLIN.E.
lower parts become a nearly uniform pale vinaceous color,
without a single spot or streak ; in some specimens, which
are somewhat less advanced, a few spots still remain on the
breast, and one or two streaks on the flanks. In all stages of
plumage the axillaries are white ; and the greater portion of the
wing-lining, and the lower surface of the quills, pale satin-
grey.
Within our limits the Water Pipit occurs as a not uncommon
winter visitant to Sind, and more rarely to Mount Aboo, but
has not been recorded from any other portion of Guzerat.
Anthus blackistoni, Swinh.
GQoquat. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 171.
BLAKISTON'S PIPIT.
Length, 6 '3 ; wing, 3'37 ; tail, 27 ; tarsus, 0'S5 ; bill at front,
0-45.
Bill light brown, darker on culmen and tip ; irides brown ; legs
brown, paler on tarsi.
Upper parts light yellowish-brown, grey on the nape ; crown
and back with the centres of the feathers deep-brown ; lores,
eyebrow, and chin, cream-white ; under parts cream-white,
spotted on the breast, and streaked on the flanks with brown ;
axillaries pure white ; wings brown, feathers edged paler ; coverts
and tertiaries broadly edged, and tipped with cream-white,
forming a double bar across the wing ; tail brown, the central
feathers yellowish-brown , edged paler ; the outer tail-feathers
white on the entire outer web, and great part of inner near the
apex ; penultimate feather edged exteriorly and largely tipped
with white.
Within our limits, this Pipit only occurs as a cold weather
visitant to Sind. It much affects the large swamps and marshes
that are so frequently met with there.
GENUS, Corydalla, Vigors.
Bill stout ; rictal vibrissae occasionally present ; tarsi moderately
long.
Corydalla rufula, Vieill.
600. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 232 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 490 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 412 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 172 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 127.
THE INDIAN TITLARK.
Length, 6'5 to 7 ; wing, 3 to 375 ; tail, 2'25 to 2'5 ; tarsus, 1 ;
bill at front, 0'4.
Bill dusky, yellowish at base beneath ; irides brown ; legs yel-
lowish-brown.
Plumage above pale olive-brown, the feathers centred with
dusky-brown ; beneath earthy or fulvous white, the fulvous most
MOTACILLINJE. 245
developed on the breast ; chin white ; breast and sides of throat
marked with dusky-brown striae ; supercilium fulvous-white ; outer-
most tail-feathers almost all white ; the penultimate white on
the whole outer web, and also a considerable portion obliquely
of the inner web.
The Indian Titlark is a common and permanent resident
throughout the Presidency, breeding during May and June. The
nest, which is a mere pad, is composed of fine roots and fibres,
and is usually placed on the ground, under small tufts of grass,
which only partially conceal it.
The eggs, three or four in number, are oval in shape, brownish-
white in color, profusely speckled with reddish and umber-brown.
These spots are more dense at the large end.
They measure 8 inches in length by about 0*6 in breadth,
Corydalla striolata, Ely.
601. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 233.
THE LARGE TITLARK.
Length, 7'5 ; expanse, 12; tail, 3'25 ; wing, 376; tarsus,
T05 ; hind-claw, 0'5 ; bill from gape, 0'8.
Very similar to G. rufula, but larger, the markings more dis-
tinct, and the breast much more spotted, the general tinge at the
same time being more fulvous.
Jerdon gives Central India as one of the localities frequented by
the large Titlark.
GENUS, Agrodroma, Swainson.
Hind-claw comparatively short ; bill moderately strong ; plum-
age more uniform and less streaked.
Agrodroma campestris, Lin
602. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 234; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 491 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 412 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 173 ; S win-
hoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 127.
THE STONE PIPIT.
Length, 7 to 7 25 ; expanse, 1075 ; wing, 3'6 ; tail, 275 to 3 ;
tarsus, 0'95 ; bill at front, 0*5.
Bill horny, yellowish beneath ; irides brown ; legs yellowish,
with a tinge of fleshy.
General tone of plumage pale rufous-grey, some of the feathers,
especially of the head, centred with dusky, those on the back
scarcely so at all ; beneath, and superciliary stripe, pale fawn-
color, whitening on the throat and vent; breast very faintly
marked with brown streaks ; a brown stripe from the gape below
the ears, and another from the lower edge of the under mandible
down the throat on each side ; wing-coverts brown, broadly edged
with pale fawn-color ; the two centre feathers of the tail brown,
246 MOTACILLIN^E.
edged with fawn, the outermost nearly all of that color, the
penultimate tipped and edged only, and the remainder deep-
brown.
During the cold season the Stone Pipit is not uncommon in
suitable localities throughout the district. It only occurs in open ;
stony, and barren places.
Agrodroma similis, Jerd.
603. A cinnamomea, Rupp. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 235 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 412.
THE RUFOUS ROCK PIPIT.
Length, 8 '2 5 ; wing, 3'8 ; tarsus, I'l.
Bill dusky, paler at base beneath ; irides brown ; legs fleshy.
Upper parts dusky olive-brown, the .feathers more or less
edged with pale ferruginous, deepest on the margins of the wing-
feathers ; beneath and superciliary stripe ferruginous, with nar-
row brown streaks on the foreneck and breast ; chin and throat
dull white ; tail with its outermost feathers dark, obliquely
tipped for its terminal third with ruddy- whitish, which extends
up the narrow outer web to near its base ; and the penultimate
feather is tipped for about one-quarter of an inch only with the
same.
The occurrence of this Pipit within our limits is doubtful, a
single specimen only being recorded from the neighbourhood of
Ahmednagar.
Agrodroma sordida, Rupp.
604. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 236 ; A. jerdoni,
Finsch ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 491 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 412; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind y p. 173 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 188 5, p. 127.
THE BROWN ROCK PIPIT.
Length, 7'5 to 8 ; expanse, 12 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 3*5 ; tarsus, 1*25 ;
bill at front, 07.
Bill dusky, yellowish beneath, except at tip ; irides brown ; legs
yellowish.
Very similar to the last ; colors duller, and not so rufous, being
of a dull earthy-brown, darker on the wings and tail, the feathers
edged paler ; a fawn colored superciliary stripe, and a faint brown
mandibular stripe ; beneath, the chin and throat whitish, and
the rest of the body rufescent-vinous or fawn color, with a few
indistinct brown blotches; central tail-feathers dark brown;
outer ditto rufescent.
During the cold season the Brown Rock Pipit occurs sparingly
throughout the province. It is much addicted to frequenting
stony ravines and sandy plains, especially when covered with low
stunted bushes, upon which they often alight when disturbed
LEIOTRICHIN-E PARING. 247
FAMILY, Ampelidae.
Tarsus short or moderate ; feet fitted for perching, in some
groups strong and scansorial ; wings moderate ; tail short or moder^
ate ; bill various, usually strong, somewhat conic ; often of bright,
showy, and variegated plumage.
SUB-FAMILY, Leiotrichinse.
Bill usually short, more or less wide at the base, lengthened
and slightly curved in a few, entire in some, notched in others ;
tail short or moderate, even or slightly rounded ; tarsi short, stout ;
feet strong ; claws moderately curved, sharp.
GENUS, Zosterops.
Bill slightly notched, curved ; eyes with a circle of white
feathers ; nostrils exposed ; third and fourth primaries longest.
Zosterops palpebrosa, Tern.
631. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 265 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 491 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 413 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 174 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 127.
THE WHITE-EYED TIT.
Length, 4'5 ; expanse, 6'5 ; wing, 2'33 ; tail, 17 ; tarsus, 0'75 ; bill
at front, 0'33 to 0'4.
Bill blackish, horny at base beneath ; irides light yellow-brown ,-
legs reddish-horny.
Above light siskin-green, with a circle of close white feathers
round the eyes ; throat and upper breast canary yellow ; belly
bluish-white ; leg feathers, lower tail-coverts, and some of the
feathers on the abdomen, tinged with pale-yellow.
The White-eyed Tit is a common permanent resident in the
Deccan, breeding from April to September ; the nest is a soft,
delicate, little cup, suspended between two twigs, occasionally in
a fork, and is composed of fine grass, roots, &c., attached to the
twigs from which it is suspended by cobwebs or vegetable fibres.
The eggs, two or three in number, are of a moderately length-
ened oval shape, pointed at one end, of a pale blue color, quite un-
spotted. They average 0'62 inches in length by about 0'47 in
breadth.
In other parts of the Presidency it only occurs, I believe, as a
cold weather visitant ; it is extremely rare in Sind.
SUB-FAMILY, Parinae.
Bill typically rather short, conic, stout, entire, the nares tufted ;
wings moderate, somewhat rounded ; tail short or moderate, long
in a few ; tarsus and feet short, stout ; hind-toe long ; claws well
curved.
248 PARING.
GENUS, Parus, Lin.
Head uncrested ; bill usually stout and moderately short ; tail
rather short.
Parus nipalensis, Hodgs.
645. P cinereus, Vieill. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. IL
p. 278 ; P. ccesius, Tick. ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol.
Ill, p. 491 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 413 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, p. 127.
THE INDIAN GREY TIT.
Length, 5'95 ; wing, 2'8 ; tail, 2'6 ; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill at front, 7.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs blackish.
Head, chin, throat, and breast, and a line along the abdomen,
black ; large cheek-spot white ; plumage above bluish-cinereous ;
greater-coverts white tipped, forming a conspicuous wing-band ;
quills dusky-black, edged with pale blue, and the secondaries and
tertiaries edged white ; beneath albescent, with a tinge of rufes-
cent-ashy, purer white on the under tail-coverts.
The Grey Tit occurs sparingly on Mount Aboo, but does not
descend to the plains beneath. It does not occur in Bind, but is
common in Southern Afghanistan. It is a common permanent
resident in the Deccan, breeding from May to August ; the nest
(a mere pad composed of 'moss, hair, fur and feathers), is placed
in a hole in a tree, bank, or wall.
The eggs, five or six in number, are slightly elongated ovals,
pointed towards one end. The ground color is white, (pinkish
before they are blown), blotched, spotted, and streaked, more
especially towards the large end, with red or occasionally pale-
purple.
They average about 071 inches by about 54.
Parus nuchalis, Jerdon.
646. -Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 279 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 492.
THE WHITE-WINGED BLACK TIT.
Length, 5 ; wing, 2'8 ; tail, 2; tarsus, 07 ; l>ill at front, ! 4.
Bill black ; irides red-brown ; legs plumbeous.
Above black, with a white nuchal mark ; a white band across
the wing, and the tertiaries broadly margined and tipped with
white ; tail with the outer feathers nearly white, the next with
the outer web only, and the third with the outer web white only
at its base and tip ; cheeks, sides of neck, sides of breast, belly,
and under tail-coverts, white, with a black mesial stripe, from the
throat to the vent.
The White-winged Black Tit has been obtained from Cutch
and the vicinity of Deesa. It appear^ to be very locally
distributed.
PARING. 249
GENUS, Machlolophus, Calanis.
Head crested ; plumage much mixed with yellow and green.
Machlolophus xanthogenys, Vigors.
647. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 279 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 125, p. 127.
THE YELLOW-CHEEKED TIT.
Length, 5 '2 5 ; wing, 275; tail, 212; tarsus, 0'6 ; bill at
front, 0'33.
Bill black ; irides light-brown ; legs plumbeous.
Head (fully crested), wings and tail black, the latter tipped
white, and the tertiaries laterally edged throughout with white ;
nape, posterior part of crest, and a small superciliary stripe,
bright yellow ; back, scapulars, and rump, light olive-green, the
scapulars with a few black marks ; wing-coverts tipped with
pale-yellow ; the outer primaries white-edged, and with a white
bar near their base, the others bluish externally ; tail dusky -grey,
white tipped ; cheeks, sides of neck, sides of breast and abdomen,
and under tail-coverts yellow, passing to greenish on the flanks
and under tail-coverts ; lores, a stripe on each side of the neck
from the eye, chin, throat, and middle of breast, black.
The Yellow-cheeked Tit occurs on the slopes of the Vindhian
hills, near Mhow, and in the woods at their base. It has not
been recorded from elsewhere within our limits.
Machlolophus aplonotus, Bly.
648. M. jerdoni, Bly th. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 280 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 492 j
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 413.
THE SOUTHEKN YELLOW TIT.
Length, 6 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus, 07 ; bill at
front, 0'35.
Bill black ; irides light-brown ; legs plumbeous.
Very similar to the last, but conspicuously larger ; has the
back less tinged with yellow, being dull green with a slaty tinge ;
the yellow portion of the plumage not so intense in hue, and
the yellow sincipital streak short, and not continued forward
over the eye.
This Tit is a permanent resident on the Sahyadri Range, and in
the well wooded tracts adjoining; it also occurs on Mount Aboo ;
it is unknown in Sind.
Jerdon states that he found it common on the Vindhian
Range, near Mhow, but a bird that I procured from thence
proved to belong to the preceding species.
TRIBE, Conirostres.
Bill usually entire at the tip, thick, more or less conic, with
the lower mandible deeper than in most of the preceding tribe ;
250 CORVINE.
wings more generally lengthened ; tail usually moderate or short,
even or emarginate, rounded in a few ; feet fitted for walking on
the ground, as well as for perching.
FAMILY, Corvidse.
Bill strong, more or less compressed, usually entire, rarely
notched at the tip ; nostrils thickly clad with stiff incumbent
bristles ; tarsus short ; feet strong, and claws well curved ; of
large size mostly.
SUB-FAMILY, Corvinse.
Bill very stout, long, straight, with the ridge more or less
curved ; wings long, somewhat pointed ; tail variable ; tarsus
stout, strongly scutate ; claws well curved.
GENUS, Corvus, Lin.
Bill long, very strong and thick, straight ; the culmen more or
less elevated ; nares protected by very long and rigid bristles ;
wing long and pointed, first quill short ; second a little shorter
than the third and fourth, and the fifth usually subeqttal to
them ; tail moderate, even, or somewhat rounded ; tarsus very
stout, of moderate length, with strong scutae ; feet moderate ;
lateral toes about equal ; claws sharp, and strongly curved.
Corvus lawrencei, Hume.
6 57bis.~- Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 1 75.
THE INDIAN RAVEN.
Length, 2375 to 2475 ; wing, 1 6'3 to 17'4 ; tail very much
rounded ; the outer tail-feathers being always two, and generally
2 '5 inches shorter than the central ones ; bill at front, 2 '8.
Bill black ; irides dark or grey-brown ; legs black.
Uniform blue-black throughout, with a purplish tinge on the
throat and upper breast ; feathers of the chin and throat lanceo-
late ; incumbent bristles in front, extend to beyond more than
half of the length of the bill, which is much arched.
Within our limits the Indian Raven only occurs in Upper
Sind.
Corvus macrorhynchus, Wagl.
660. C. culminatus, Sykes. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 295 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 493 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 413 ; Corone macror-
hyncha, Wagl. ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 128.
THE INDIAN CORBY.
Length, 21 ; wing, 13'5 ; tail, 775 ; tarsus, 2'5 ; bill at front,
2-4.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs black.
CORVINE.
Above glossy black, dull black beneath ; tail slightly rounded ;
wings reach nearly to the end of the tail \ bill straight at the
base and high ; culmen raised, curving strongly towards the tip.
With the exception of Sind, the Corby is a common and per-
manent resident, breeding during March and April and building
the usual Corvine stick nest. The eggs, four in number, are
moderately broad ovals, somewhat pointed at one end, and are
dull sap-green in color, much blotched, streaked, and dashed with
brown ; but they vary very much both in size and color.
They average about 171 inches in length by 1*18 in breadth.
Corvus umbrinus, Hedenl.
QQObis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p, 1 75,
THE BROWN-NECKED RAVEN.
Length, 21-5 to 23 ; wing, 15 to 16'4 ; tail, 8*6 to 9 ; tarsus,
2-9 ; bill at front, 3.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs black.
Head and neck glossy umber-brown, also the ear-coverts, sides
of the face and sides of the neck, the latter scarcely glossed ;
lores, incumbent nasal bristles, feathers round the eye, and at
base of bill at the gape, black ; back, scapulars, wing, wing-
coverts, upper tail-coverts, and tail, glossy black with a violet-
blue gloss ; chin, throat, and breast, dark glossy umber-brown ;
rest of under surface brown, glossed with purple on the breast,
flanks, abdomen and vent ; under tail-coverts glossy purplish-
black ; axillaries and under wing-coverts purplish-black.
The Brown-necked Raven is a not uncommon winter visitant
to Upper Sind, but does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
Corvus splendens, Vieill.
663. Jerdon's Birds of India, Yol. II, p. 298 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 493 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 413 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 176 ;
Cor one splendens, Vieill. ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 128.
THE COMMON INDIAN CROW.
Kowa, Hin. Kagra, Sindi.
Length, 15 to 18 ; wing, 10 75 to 1T25 ; tail, 7 ; tarsus, 1*85 ;
bill at front, 2'12.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs black.
Forehead, sinciput, and lores, glossy black ; occiput, nape, hind-
neck, and sides of neck, purplish-ashy ; back, wings, and tail,
black, with rich purple and steel-blue reflections ; breast ashy,
tinged dark ; middle of abdomen dull black, slightly tinged with
steel-blue.
The Common Crow is numerous throughout the district, except
on the hills, where it is replaced by macrorhynchus. It is a
252 DENnROCITTWJE.
permanent resident, breeding during May and June, making the
usual stick nest. The eggs, four or five in number, are broadish
oval in shape, pointed at one end, but vary much in color ; they
are generally greenish-blue or dingy-green, speckled, spotted and
dashed with umber-brown.
They measure 1*44 by 1'06. The eggs of the Koel are almost
exclusively deposited in the nest of this crow.
SUB -FAMILY, Dendrocittinae.
Bill short, with the culmen much elevated and curved, quite
entire at the tip ; gonys straight ; commissure curved ; nares pro-
tected by dense, velvety short feathers ; wings short, rounded ;
tail long, graduated ; tarsus short, stout ; feet arboreal with the
lateral toes slightly unequal.
GENUS, Dendrocitta, Gould.
Bill short or moderate, compressed, well curved from the base ;
nostrils small, basal, concealed by short incumbent feathers ;
wings short, rounded ; fifth and sixth quills longest, fourth sub-
equal ; secondaries nearly as long as the primaries ; tail elongate,
wedge-shaped, with the two central feathers produced ; feet mode-
rate or short, arboreal ; middle-toe short ; lateral toes unequal ;
hind-toe and claw rather large.
Dendrocitta rufa, -Scop.
674. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 314 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 494 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 413 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 177 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, p. 128.
THE COMMON INDIAN MAGPIE.
Length, 16 to 18 ; expanse, 17 to 19 ; wing, 5'8 to 6'5 ; tail,
8 to 10-5; tarsus, 11 to 12 ; bill at gape, 1 '2 ; bill at front,
11.
Bill black ; irides blood-red ; legs dark-slaty.
Whole head, neck, and breast, sooty-brown or blackish, deepest
on the forehead, chin, and throat, and passing into dusky-cinere-
, ous ; scapulars, back, and upper tail-coverts, dark ferruginous ;
u**J wing-coverts, and the outer web of the secondaries, light grey,
^ almost whitish in some ; rest of the quills black ; tail ashy-grey,
the feathers all broadly tipped with black, least so on the centre
feathers ; beneath, from the breast, ferruginous or fulvous.
This Tree Pie is, I believe, a permanent resident throughout
the district, but I have only been able to procure eggs in Sind.
During part of the hot weather they become very scarce, if not
^\ altogether absent, and are then probably engaged in breeding in
some near but more suitable locality.
In Sind they breed during May and June, almost always choos-
ing babool trees, placing the nest in a stoutish fork near the top ;
STURNIN^E. 253
they are composed at the bottom of thorny twigs, which form
a sort of foundation upon which the true nest is built ; the latter
consists of fine twigs, lined with grass roots ; the nest is fre-
quently of large size. The eggs, four (more rarely five) in
number, vary most astonishingly in both ground-color and in the
character of the markings. Typically they are longish ovals,
a good deal pointed at one end. A common type is a pale sal-
mon or pale greenish-white, thickly splashed and marked with
bright or brownish-red ; the other type is greenish-white or pale
sto.ny color, and the markings are olive and pale purplish-brown,
others are intermediate between these two types ; some of these
eggs are exact counterparts, except in size, of eggs of Lanius lahto-
ra. In length they measure from 1*0 to 1'3 inches, and in
breadth from 078 to 0'95, but the average is about T17 inches in
length by 0'87 in breadth.
FAMILY, Sturnidae,
Bill straight, or very slightly curved, longish, compressed, subu-
late, often angulated at the base, slightly notched at the tip or
entire ; wings long, rather pointed ; tail moderate or stout ; tarsi
short, moderate ; lateral toes about equal.
SUB-FAMILY, Sturninse.
Bill moderately long, compressed, straight or slightly curved,
entire in most ; commissure usually angulated, or bent down
towards the base ; frontal plumes soft, dense, covering the base
of the bill, which is prolonged backwards between the plumes ;
wings with the second primary usually longest ; the tail short,
even or slightly rounded ; tarsus moderately long, stout.
GENUS, Sturnus, Linnceus.
Bill long, straight, subulate, slightly depressed at the base ;
the culmen convex ; tip obtuse, barely deflected ; nostrils basal,
partly closed by a vaulted membrane ; wing with first quill
minute ; tail even, short ; tarsus moderately long ; lateral toes
nearly equal ; hind-toe long.
Sturnus vulgaris, Lin.
681. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 320; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 494 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 1 78 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 128.
THE COMMON STABLING.
Length, 9 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 1*6 ; bill at front, 1*25.
Bill at first brown, but eventually becoming rich yellow ; irides
brown ; legs yellow.
Glossy black, with a pale whitish or brownish tip to each
feather, giving the bird a pretty speckled appearance ; all the
clothing feathers long and lanceolate, becoming longer and more
pointed at each moult. In very old birds the specks are said to
disappear altogether, or nearly so*
The young bird is dull brown.
The Common Starling of Europe is a not uncommon winter
visitant to Sind, Gu&erat, and parts of Raj pu tana. It associates
with the Common and Bank Mynas. It does not occur in the
Deccan,
Sturnus minor, Hume.
6816/s. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 178.
THE LESSER STARLING.
Wing, 4^3 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 1,
Bill yellow ; irides brown ; legs yellow.
General character of plumage like that of the Common Starling ;
but in the first place, the Common Starling has the reflections
of the head purple, and of the back green, but in the present
species the reflections of the head are green and the back
purple.
Secondly the wing is decidedly shorter.
The bills of both are about equal in length, but those of minor
are more pointed, have a more decided culmen ridge, and are
less broad at the base.
The Lesser Starling is a permanent resident in parts of Sind,
breeding from March to June. The eggs are similar to those
of the Common Starling, but are smaller.
GENUS, Acridotheres, Vieill.
Bill rather short, stout, compressed ; culmen gently curving
and deflected ; gonys slightly sloping upwards ; nostrils almost
concealed by the frontal plumes which extend above them their
whole length ; tail rounded ; tarsus stout ; feet strong ; toes
lengthened ; the laterals nearly equal ; claws moderately curved.
The head is more or less crested, and some of them have a
naked space behind and under the eye.
Acridotheres tristis, Lin.
684. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 325 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 494 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 413 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 178 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 128.
THE COMMON MYNA.
Length, 10 ; wing, 5'25 ; tail, 3'5 ; tarsus, 1*4 ; bill at front,
0-85.
Bill yellow ; irides red-brown with white specks ; legs dull-
yellow ; orbits deep-yellow.
The whole head, with moderate occipital crest, neck and breast,
glossy black ; the rest of the plumage quaker or snuff-brown,
255
darkest on the back and wing-coverts, and lightest beneath ;
primaries black, with a white spot at their base, forming a con-
spicuous wing-spot ; tail black with a white tip, successively
broader from the centre pair ; lower abdomen, vent, and under
tail-coverts white.
This Myna is a common permanent resident throughout the
district, breeding from June to August. They nest indifferently,
in holes, in trees or walls, in deserted crow nests, under the
eaves of verandahs, and occasionally, but very rarely, they build
a rup-shaped nest in a fork of a tree. The eggs, four or five in
number, are rather longish ovals in shape, of a glossy blue-green
color, and average 119 inches in length by about 0'86 in breadth.
Acridotheres ginginianus, Lath.
685. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 326 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 494 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 179 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 128.
THE BANK MYNA.
Length, 8'5 ; wing, 5; tail, 3'25 ; tarsus, 1-25 ; bill at front,
0-85.
Bill red, yellow at tip ; nude eye -spot reddish ; irides brown ;
legs yellow.
Head with rather short occipital crest ; lores, ear-coverts, and
nape, glossy black ; the rest of the plumage dull cinereous
or inky-black, paling beneath ; wing black, with the wing-spot
ferruginous ; tail black, tipped dull ferruginous ; middle of abdo-
men, of vent, and the under tail-coverts, pale ferruginous ; the
frontal feathers are slightly erectile, and those on the side of
the head are directed towards the median line.
The Bank Myna is very common throughout Sind and Guze-
rat ; it also occurs in Central India and Rajputana, but is
very locally distributed. It does not appear ever to have been
noticed in the Deccan. It is a permanent resident wherever
found, breeding in holes in river banks, or wells, during June
and July ; these holes are excavated by the birds themselves.
The eggs, four or five in number, are broadish ovals in shape,
and glossy greenish-blue in color.
They average T05 inches in length by about 0'81 in breadth.
Acridotheres mahrattensis, Sylces.
6866k Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 412.
THE SOUTHERN DUSKY MYNA.
Length, 9'5 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 1*4 ; bill at front, 07.
Bill orange-yellow; irides pale blue ; legs yellow.
The whole head, small frontal crest, and ear-coverts, glossy
black ; the upper plumage fuscous black, or blackish-brown, with
a vinous tinge ; primaries black, with a white spot near their
256 STURNIXyE.
base ; tail also black, white-tipped, most broadly on the outer
feathers ; beneath, the throat and breast dull cinereous-blackish ;
abdomen reddish-cinereous, paling in the centre, whitish on the
vent, and the under tail-coverts pure white ; the secondaries are
glossed with bronze towards their end.
This Myna is a permanent resident in the more hilly districts
of the Deccan. The only difference between maJiraMensia and
fuscus is that the irides of the former are pale-blue, while those
of the latter are yellow.
GENUS, Sturnia, Lesson.
Bill short, compressed, less stout than in Acridotheres, bare,
deflected at the tip, often parti-colored ; wings moderate, first and
second primaries sub-equal ; tail nearly even ; tarsus short ;
lateral toes slightly unequal ; claws more curved ; head usually
^crestecj,
Sturnia pagodarum, Gm.
687. Temenuchus pagodarum, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 329 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 494 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 414 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 179 ; Swinhoe and Barnes,
Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 128.
THE BLACK-HEADED MYNA.
Brahmani Myna, Hin. ; Powi, Hin.
Length, 7'5 to 8*5 ; expanse, 12'5 ; wing, 4 to 4'25 ; tail, 2'5
to 3 ; tarsus, 1 to 1'2 ; bill at front, 0'6 ; bill from gape, 0'9.
Bill greenish -yellow at tip, blue at base ; irides greenish-
white ; legs bright-yellow.
Head and long pendent crest black ; body above grey ; beneath
and ear-coverts bright fulvous-buff, with some mesial pale streaks ;
wings blackish, with a white edge near the shoulder ; tail dull
black.
The Black-headed Myna occurs throughout the district, but is
somewhat locally distributed; it is somewhat rare in Sind. It is
a permanent resident, breeding from June to August, in holes in
trees. The eggs, four or five in number, are oval in shape, pale
bluish-white in color, and average 0*97 in length by about 075
in breadth.
Sturnia malabarica, Gm.
688. Temenuchus malabaricus, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 330 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill,
p. 494 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 414.
THE GKEY-HEADED MYNA.
Powi, Hin.
Length, 7'5 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 0'6.
Bill greenish-yellow ^i^^._bhiisJLa.tJbase ; irides greyish-white ;
legs dulTyellow.
STURNINJ!. 257
Upper parts grey ; the forehead and throat whitish, the feathers
being centred white, and the former occasionally pure white ;
entire under parts, from the foreneck, ferruginous- buff (some of
the feathers of the breast also centred with whitish), deep-colored
in old males, faint in young and in females ; quills black, the
inner Web deep-brown, the primaries slightly glossed and faintly
tipped with grey, the rest dusky, successively more broadly
tipped with deep ferruginous. The colors fade much by abrasion,
and become more nearly uniform.
The young birds are nearly all grey, lighter beneath and with
rufous tips to the outer tail-feathers.
The Grey-headed Myna occurs during the cold weather in
the Deccan. It has also been recorded from Mount Aboo.
Sturnia blythi, Jerdon.
689. TemenucJius blythi, Jerd. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 331 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 414.
THE WHITE-HEADED MYNA.
Length, 8-5 ; wing, 4'2 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 07.
Bill greenish, yellow at tip, bluish at base ; irides greyish-
white ; legs reddish-yellow.
Whole head with long crest, neck, throat and breast, silky-
white ; back and scapulars grey ; belly and under tail-coverts
deep rufous ; wing-coverts and outer web of most of the quills
and all the tertiaries also grey ; quills black, grey tipped ; central
tail-feathers dark-grey, blackish at the base, the outer feathers
deep ferruginous-brown, dusky towards the base.
The White-headed Myna is common about Belgaum during
the rains.
GENUS, Pastor, Temm.
Bill short, compressed, curving from the base, very slightly
hooked at the tip ; gonys straight ; nostrils partially concealed by
fine frontal plumes ; wings long, pointed ; first quill longest,
second sub-equal, third a little shorter ; tail nearly even ; tarsus
rather short ; lateral toes slightly unequal ; head adorned with a
long pendent occipital crest
Pastor roseus, Lin.
690. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 333 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 495; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 414; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 180;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 128.
THE ROSE-COLORED STARLING.
Length, 9 to 9'5 ; expanse, 14 ; wing, 4'5 to 5*25 ; tail, 2*75 to 3 ;
tarsus, 1*2 ; bill at front, 07 ; bill from gape, 112.
Bill pinkish, brown at tip, orange-yellow at base ; irides deep
brown ; legs dusky-reddish.
17
258 LAMPROTORNIN.E.
Whole head, with crest, neck, and breast, fine glossy-black,
with purple reflections; wings and tail black with a green
gloss ; rest of the plumage pale-salmon or light rose-color.
Young birds have the salmon or rose-color much dashed with
pale-brown and fuscous, and the head not so glossy ; and the
young of the year are more or less earthy-brown, paler beneath
and without a crest.
The Rose-colored Pastor is a common cold weather visitant
to all parts of the district. The majority of the birds met with
are young birds in imperfect plumage.
SUB-FAMILY, Lamprotorninae.
Bill somewhat stout, the ridge more or less curved and hooked,
and the tip notched ; nostrils more or less hidden by the close-
set frontal plumes ; wings long or moderate, and pointed ; tarsus
short and stout.
GENUS, Eulabes, Cuvier.
Bill short or moderate, stout, compressed ; culmen gradually
curved ; tip notched ; nostrils basal, lateral, placed in a plumed
fossa ; under mandible with the base broad and dilated ; frontal
feathers short, velvety, advancing on base of bill ; head with
naked wattles ; wings long, fourth quill longest, first short ; tail
short, even ; feet strong ; tarsus equal to the middle-toe ; outer-toe
slightly longer than inner one ; claws well curved ; hind-toe and
claw large.
Eulabes religiosa, Lin.
692. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 337 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 414.
THE SOUTHERN HILL MYNA.
Length, 10 ; expanse, 18'5 ; wing, 5'6 ; tail, 2'8 ; tarsus, 1/2 ;
bill at front, 1.
Bill orange ; wattles deep-yellow ; irides dark-brown ; legs
deep-yellow.
General plumage glossy purplish-black, with green reflections
on the lower back and upper tail-coverts ; beneath less brightly
glossed ; wings and tail coal-black without reflections ; a white
spot on the seven primaries, forming a conspicuous wing-spot.
The wattles on the head commenced below each .eye are cross-
ed at the lower posterior angle of the eye, by a triangular patch
of minute feathers, passed beyond the ear, where they form a
rather large loose flap, or lappet, and then return in a narrow
stripe to the top of the head. There is also a small nude patch
below the eye.
Is only found in the Deccan (on the Ghats), and is somewhat
rare.
FAMILY, Fringillidse.
'Bill short, thick, conic ; wings usually long, pointed ; tail moder-
PLOCEIISLE. 259
ate, even, forked in most ; tarsus moderate or short ; feet suited
both for perching and terrestrial habits ; of small size.
SUB-FAMILY, Ploceinse.
Bill strong, conic, slightly lengthened; the culmen arched,
and the ridge continued back upon the forehead ; wings some-
what rounded, first primary very minute ; tail short in most ; legs
and toes very strong and robust, the latter lengthened, specially
the hind-toe, and the claws well developed.
GENUS, Ploceus, Cuv.
Bill thick at the base, laterally compressed, pointed at the tip ;
culmen smooth, broad, rounded, and produced backwards on the
forehead to a point ; commissure nearly straight ; nostrils basal,
partly concealed ; wings moderate or somewhat short, with the
first quill small, about one-third of the next four or five, second a
little shorter than the third, which is usually longest ; tail short,
even, or very slightly rounded ; feet large ; hind-toe and claw
strong, all the claws lengthened.
Ploceus philippinus, Lin.
694. P. baya, Blyth. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 343 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 495 ; Deccan, Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 415 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind,
p. 180 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 128.
THE COMMON WEAVER-BIKD.
Length, 6 ; expanse, 9'5 ; wing, 2'8 ; tail, T9 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill
at front, 0'6.
Bill from pale horny-brown to black ; irides dusky-brown ; legs
brownish-fleshy.
Old males, in breeding plumage, have the crown of the head
bright yellow, the rest of the upper plumage with the wings
and tail dull brown, edged with pale fulvous-brown, some of the
feathers in the middle of the back edged yellow ; rump and
upper tail-coverts pale rufous-brown ; primaries with a narrow
edging of pale-yellow ; lores, ear-coverts, chin and throat, blackish-
brown ; breast bright yellow ; belly and lower tail-coverts dull
white ; the flanks, under wing-eoverts, and thigh-coverts, pale
rusty or buff.
Young males, in the breeding plumage, have the breast pale
rusty instead of yellow, and the yellow edging of the inter-scapu-
lars is wanting.
The females and males in winter dress totally want the yellow
head, the crown being brown with dark streaks, have pale-rufous
supercilia, and the chin and throat are whitish.
The Common Weaver-Bird is generally distributed through-
out our limits, but is more abundant in well- wooded districts. It
is a permanent resident, breeding towards the end of the rains.
260 PLOCEIN.E.
The nest, retort-shaped, is a marvel of skill and ingenuity ; it is
composed of strips torn from broad-leaved grasses, which are
obtained in the following manner ; the bird first notches a blade
of grass to the required depth, and then after making a similar
nip higher up, catches the grass firmly at the lower notch and
flies off, taking the strip with it. In Bombay, the nests are gene-
rally suspended from the tips of acacia trees, often overhanging a
river, tank, or well.
I have never seen a nest composed of any other material than
grass, but Jerdon speaks of strips of plantain leaves and strips
torn from leaves of cocoanut and date palms being used. After
the eggs are laid, and the female has commenced to sit, the male
often continues to prolong the tubular entrance, and I have seen
nests, having it at least eighteen inches in length. I cannot under-
stand how Jerdon and Hume conclude that two is the normal
number of eggs, as I have examined some scores of nests and have
never found less than four incubated eggs, and have frequently
found five or six. The eggs vary both in size and shape, but are
typically longish ovals, pointed at one end, and are dead glossless
white in color ; they average about 0'82 inches in length by 0'59
in breadth.
Ploceus manyar, Horsf.
695. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 348 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 495 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 415 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 181 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 128.
THE STRIATED WEAVER BIED.
Length, 5'8 ; expanse, 9; wing, 275 ; tail, 175 ; tarsus, 075 ;
bill at front, 0'9.
Bill black during the breeding season, at other times pale
horny-fleshy ; irides light brown ; legs fleshy.
The male in full breeding dress has the crown of the head
intense yellow ; lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, chin, throat, and neck,
brownish-black ; back, wings, and tail, brown ; the feathers of the
back with a mesial dark streak, those of the primaries and tail
edged with yellowish ; rump streaked like the back ; upper tail-
coverts rufescent ; beneath from the throat whitish, tinged with
fulvous, and streaked on the breast and flanks with dusky-black.
The male in winter dress is clad like the female, and has the
head brown, streaked like the back, a pale yellow supercilium,
and a small yellow spot behind the ear-coverts ; the chin and
throat are whitish, and the streaks on the lower surface less
developed.
The Striated Weaver-Bird occurs in suitable localities through-
out the Presidency. It is a permanent resident, but only breeds
in the vicinity of large tanks or rivers, whose banks are fringed
with reeds or rushes, to the tops of which the nests are attached.
ESTRELDIN.E. 261
They are very similar to those of P. philippensis, but are
square at the top instead of tapering to a point.
The normal number of eggs, according to my experience, is
three, but four are often found ; they are exact counterparts of
those of philippensis, except that they are slightly smaller,
averaging 079 inches in length by about 0'58 in breadth.
Ploceus bengalensis, Lin.
696. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 349 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 210 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 181 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p, 128.
THE BLACK-THROATED WEAVER BIRD.
Length, 5'5 ; expanse, 9'25 ; wing, 375 ; tail, 175.
Bill pearly- white ; irides light brown ; legs dusky carneous.
The male, in breeding plumage, has the crown brilliant golden-
yellow, with, in some instances, a slight inclination to flame
color ; back dusky brown ; rump dingy grey-brown ; wings and
tail dark brown, the former with very slight pale margins to
some of the feathers ; the throat white ; the cheeks, ear-
coverts, and sides of the neck, white, more or less suffused with
dusky on the ear-coverts and throat ; a broad, brownish -black
pectoral band ; the rest of the lower plumage sullied or fulvous-
white, brownish on the flanks.
In some the pectoral band is broad and entire, in others
narrower, and divided along the middle.
The female has the head streakless dusky-brown, the feathers
of the back edged with pale rufous-brown ; a pale-yellow
supercilium, and a spot of the same color behind the ear ; also
a narrow moustachial stripe ; throat white, yellowish in some,
and usually separated from the yellow moustache by a narrow
black line ; pectoral band less developed.
Males after the autumn moult resemble the females, but the
breast and flanks are more rufescent ; the pectoral band is
frequently wanting, or rather concealed, by pale-fulvous deciduary
edgings.
With the exception of the Deccan, the Black-throated Weaver
Bird occurs throughout the province, but is very locally distri-
buted.
SUB-FAMILY, Estreldinse.
Of small size ; bills large in many and bulged, more slender
in others; wings short, rounded; feet large; tail rounded or
cuneiform.
GENUS, Amadina. (Munia.)
Bill very thick and at the base as deep as long, compressed at
the tip ; culmen arched, flattened, prolonged backward to a point
of the forehead ; gape strongly angulated ; nares round, sunk and
262 ESTKELDIN.E.
free; wings short; first primary minute, the three next nearly equal ;
tail moderate or short, rounded or wedged ; tarsus stout, moderate ;
toes long, slender ; claws long.
Aniadina malacca, Lin.
(597. Munia malacca, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 352 ; Butler, Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 415.
THE BLACK-HEADED MUNIA.
Length, 4'5 ; wing, 2'6 ; tail, T5.
Bill bluish, yellowish at tip ; hides dark-brown ; legs plum-
beous.
Whole head, neck, and breast, rich black ; back, wings, and
tail, pure rich cinnamon-red ; upper tail-coverts brighter tinged,
and with a glistening lustre ; beneath, from the breast, white,
with the middle of the abdomen and vent black.
Young birds of the year have the upper parts plain rufescent-
brown, and the lower parts pale-buff, the chin and throat being
albescent, and the lores dusky.
The Black-headed Munia is a common seasonal visitant about
Belgaum, breeding abundantly during the rains, in the sugar-
cane fields. The eggs are not distinguishable from those of A.
malabarica.
Amadina rubronigra, Hodgson.
698. Munia rubronigra, Hodgs. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 353 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 415.
THE CHESNUT- BELLIED MUNIA.
Length, 4'5; wings, 2' 12 ; tail, To ; tarsus, 0'5 ; bill at front,
0-5.
Bill plumbeous ; irides dark-brown ; legs plumbeous.
Head, neck, and breast, black ; rest of the plumage deep chesnut
or cinnamon, passing to glistening marone on the upper tail-coverts,
and tinged with fulvous on the tail ; a stripe down the middle of
the belly, vent, and under tail-coverts, black.
The Chesnut-bellied Munia is a very rare straggler to parts of
the Deccan.
Amadina punctulata, Lin.
699. Munia undulata, Lath. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 354 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 495 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 415.
THE SPOTTED MUNIA.
Length, 4'5 ; wing, 2'2 ; tail, 1'5 ; tarsus, 0'75 ; bill at front, 0'4.
Bill plumbeous ; irides brown ; legs plumbeous.
Above ruddy-brown, deeper on the head and neck, inclining
to whitish on the rump, and the upper tail-coverts and margins of the
lateral tail-feathers, glistening fulvous ; quills, chesnut externally,
dusky within ; beneath, the chin and throat, with the face and ear-
ESTRELDIN.E. 263
coverts, rich chesntft ; breast and flanks white, with numerous
zig-zag cross bars of black ; lower abdomen, vent and under tail-
coverts, whitish unmarked.
With the exception of Sind, the Spotted or Barred Munia
occurs throughout our limits, but is very locally distributed.
It is a permanent resident, breeding during July and August
The eggs, five to eight in number, are of the usual glossless, dead-
white color. They measure 0*65 in length by about 0'46 in
breadth.
Amadina pectoralis, Jerdon.
700. Munia pectoralis, Jerd. Jerdon's Birds of India, Yol. II,
p. 355 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 415.
THE RUFOUS-BELLIED MUNIA.
Length, 4'5 ; wing, 2 '2 ; tail, 17 ; tarsus, 0'6.
Head, neck, and back, brown ; the shafts of the feathers pale ;
upper tail-coverts dark-brown, the feathers tipped with glistening
yellow ; wings and tail dark-brown ; face, forehead, throat, and
breast, dark brown, strongly contrasting with the sides of the
neck ; lower parts from the breast reddish-fawn color ; under
tail-coverts dark-brown with pale shafts.
The Rufous-bellied Munia has been procured but very rarely in
the jungles west of Belgaum.
Amadina striata, Lin.
701. Munia striata, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 356 ; Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 416.
THE WHITE-BACKED MUNIA.
Length, 4'5 ; wing, 2*1 ; tail, 1*6.
Bill bluish ; irides brown ; legs dark slaty.
Plumage above rich dark brown, deepest on the head, and the
feathers white-shafted ; rump white ; tail almost black ; beneath
from chin to breast uniform deep blackish-brown ; belly, flanks,
and vent white ; under tail-coverts and thigh-coverts brown.
The middle tail-feathers exceed the outermost by nearly half
an inch.
The White-backed Munia is a common permanent resident all
along the Sahyadri Range, and in the adjoining forest, but seems
to be confined to the Ghats region.
Amadina malabarica, Lin.
703. Munia malabarica, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 357 ; Butler, Guzerat, Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 496 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 416 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 182 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE PLAIN BROWN MUNIA.
Length, 5 ; wing, 212 ; tail, 2.
264 ESTRELDINJE.
Bill plumbeous ; irides deep-brown ; legs livid-carneous.
Upper plumage pale earthy -brown, slightly rufescent on the
head, and darker towards the forehead ; wings and tail blackish ;
the tertiaries slightly bordered with whitish at their truncated
tips ; upper tail-coverts white, edged with black externally ;
cheeks and lower parts white, tinged with pale earthy-brown on
the flanks, which sometimes have some faint cross rays.
The central tail-feathers are much elongated, being three-quarters
of an inch longer than the out e -most pair.
The Plain Brown Munia is very common throughout the
district. It is a permanent resident, and seems to breed the whole
year through. The nest is a rather large, loosely constructed
sphere, made of grass, lined with fine grass stems. The eggs,
from four to ten in number, are rather broad ovals, and are of
the usual dead, glossless, white color. They measure 0'6 by about
0;47 inches.
GENUS, Estrelda, Swainson.
Bill much more slender than Amadina ; the culmen less
arched and flattened at the base, more compressed throughout,
deep red in color ; tail soft and graduated ; feet moderate. Of
still smaller size, and more delicate conformation.
Estrelda amandava, Lin.
704. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 359 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 496 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 416 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 182 ; Swin-
hoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE RED WAXBILL.
Lai, Hin.
Length, 4 to 4'25 ; expanse, 575 ; wing, T8 ; tail, 15 ; tarsus,
0-5 ; bill at front, 0'28.
Bill deep red, culmen blackish ; irides crimson ; legs fleshy.
The male, in full summer plumage, is more or less crimson,
darkest on the throat, breast, supercilia, cheeks, and upper tail-
coverts ; tail black, the outer feathers more or less white tipped ;
wings brown ; a range of minute white feathers beneath the
eye, and the wings, flanks and sides of breast with numerous
round white spots, and a few smaller specks on the back ; abdo-
minal region infuscated ; lower tail-coverts black.
The female is olive-brown above, with the lores blackish,
bounded by a whitish semi-circle below the eye ; a few white
specks occasionally on the back ; rump and upper tail-coverts
tinged with crimson ; beneath paler brown, the abdomen
strongly tinged with fulvous-yellow ; the lower tail-coverts dull
white.
After breeding the males assume, by moulting, a plumage
similar to that of the female.
PASSERINE. 265
The young bird is brown above, paler beneath, whitish on the
throat and belly ; tail blackish, and a few small white specks
on the wings.
The Red Waxbill occurs throughout the Presidency, but is
locally distributed ; it is somewhat rare in the Deccan. It is a
permanent resident and breeds during September and October,
building a rather large globular nest of grass. The eggs, five or six
in number, are dead, glossless, white ovals, measuring 0'55 in
length by about 0'43 in breadth.
Estrelda formosa, Lath.
705. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 361 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 496 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 416; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis,
1885, p. 129.
THE GREEN WAXBILL.
Harri Lai, Hin.
Length, 4 ; wing, 175 ; tail, 1'4.
Bill waxy-red ; irides pale-brown ; feet plumbeons-brown.
Above light olive-green ; quills and tail dusky, the former
edged with green ; beneath very pale-yellow, somewhat darker
on the lo\ver belly and under tail-coverts, and with broad trans-
verse dashes of dusky on the flanks and sides of the abdomen.
The Green Waxbill is common on the Vindhian hills near
Mhow, also on the Aravalli Range ; it occurs but rarely in the
Deccan, and has not been recorded from Sind.
It is a permanent resident ; both nest and eggs resemble those
of E. amandava, but are somewhat larger.
SUB-FAMILY, Passerinae.
Bill stout and strong, somewhat turned, slightly compressed
towards the tip ; the culmen broad, convex ; commissure straight ;
wings moderate ; the first three primaries about equal, the fourth
nearly as long ; tail moderate, nearly square, or very slightly
forked ; tarsus moderate ; feet formed both for hopping on the
ground and perching ; lateral toes about equal.
GENUS, Passer, Brisson.
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family.
Passer domesticus, Lin.
706. P. indicus, Jard. and Selby. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 362 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 496 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 416 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 183 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE HOUSE SPARROW.
Length, 5^5 to 6 ; expanse, 9 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2'25.
266 PASSERINE.
Bill horny-brown ; irides light-brown ; legs dusky.
Male, head above and nape dark grey ; a deep chesnut patch
behind the eye, widening on the nape ; wing- coverts, scapu-
lars, and mantle, dark chesnut, the scapulars and back with
brown stripes or dashes ; a white band on the tip of the
lesser-coverts ; quills dusky, with their outer edges rufous, more
broad on the secondaries, and tipped pale ; rump and upper
tail-coverts ashy-brown ; tail dusky, light edged ; lores, round the
eyes and base of the bill, black ; chin, throat, and breast, black ;
ear-coverts and sides of the neck white ; lower parts whitish, ashy
on the sides of the breast and flanks.
The female is light-brown above, back and scapulars edged
with pale-rufous ; a pale eye-streak, and the lower parts sullied
white ; slightly smaller than the male.
The House Sparrow is a common permanent resident through-
out the region.
Passer hispaniolensis, Tern.
707. Passer salicicolus, Vieill. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 364 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 183.
THE WILLOW SPARROW.
Length, 575 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 2.
Male, head and back of neck dark chesnut, the feathers edged
paler ; the mantle blackish, with creamy-white edgings to the
feathers ; rump and upper tail-coverts pale brown ; shoulder of
wing chesnut, with white borders to the lesser-coverts ; the rest
of the wing dusky, with broad pale rufous-brown edgings, and a
whitish bar, formed by the tips of the greater-coverts ; secondaries
edged and tipped whitish ; tail dusky with pale edgings ; lores,
cheeks, and a narrow supercilium, white, passing into ashy-brown
on the ear-coverts ; beneath the chin, throat and breast, black,
some of the feathers edged whitish ; rest of the lower parts sullied
white ; the flanks and under tail-coverts with dusky longitudinal
streaks.
The female resembles that of the Common Sparrow, but the
striation of the dorsal feathers is less strongly marked.
This Sparrow very closely resembles the last, chiefly differing
in the back of the male more resembling that of the female of the
Common Sparrow, and in the black of the breast being less defined,
and passing into dashes on the flanks.
The Willow Sparrow, within our limits, only occurs in the
more northern parts of Sind.
Passer pyrrhonotus, Blyth.
709. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 365 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 1 84.
THE RUFOUS-BACKED SPARROW.
Length, 4'62 to 5'37 ; expanse, 7'5 to 8'5 ; wing, 2'43 to 2'68 ;
PASSERINE. 267
tail, 1*87 to 2-25 ; tarsus, 0'62 to 0'68 ; bill at front, 0'37 ; bill from
0-43 to 0-5.
l dusky to dusky-brown, black in the breeding plumage ;
irides light-brown ; eyelids leaden-slaty ; legs pale to dusky fleshy-
brown.
Male above : head and ear-coverts grey, with a chesnut stripe
from the eye to the nape ; the rest of the plumage maroon, the
feathers of the back centred dark ; wings and tail dusky, the
feathers pale edged ; beneath sullied brownish-white ; throat
black.
The females, except that they are everywhere paler, a purer
white beneath, a lighter and greyer- brown above, with a slightly
redder tinge on the lesser wing-coverts and on the lower back,
and a rather more conspicuous white upper wing-bar, formed
by the tip of the medial wing-coverts ; there is really nothing
tangible, except their very much smaller dimensions, by which
they can be separated from those of the Common Sparrow.
In the case of the males, in the winter plumage, not only
the small size and paler tints and the narrowness of the black
throat stripe not descending on to the breast, enable one to
separate them from those of the Common Sparrow, but though
the chesnut has almost disappeared from the mantle and rump,
a trace of it lingers on the lower back, and the patch behind
the ear-coverts remains a prill light chesnut instead of a maroon
as in the common species. Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 444.
The Rufous-backed Sparrow only occurs in Sind, where it is
a permanent resident. It had been lost sight of for years, but
has recently been rediscovered by Mr. Doig, who also obtained
nests and eggs.
He states that the nests were similar to those of P. domes-
ticus but smaller, and were situated in the top of acacia trees,
growing in water.
Passer flavicollis, Franklin.
711. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 368; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p 497; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 416 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 184 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE YELLOW-THROATED SPARROW.
Length, 5*5 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 3'4 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 07.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs cinereous-brown.
Above ashy-brown ; beneath dirty or brownish- white, more
albescent on the vent and under tail-coverts, and white on the
chin ; a yellow spot on the middle of the throat ; shoulders and
lesser-coverts chesnut ; wing with some white marks on the
tertiaries, and two white bands formed by the tips of the coverts.
The female merely differs in the yellow neck-spot, and the
chesnut on the wings being paler than in the male.
The Yellow-throated Sparrow is a common permanent resident
268
throughout the region, breeding during the hot season, in holes
in trees, &c. The eggs, three or four in number, are greenish- white
in color, but so much spotted, smudged, streaked, and clouded
with dark sepia-brown as to leave little of the ground-color
visible. They measure 074 by 0'55.
SUB -FAMILY, Emberizinse.
Bill with the upper mandible typically smaller and more com-
pressed than the lower, which is broader, equal in a few ; a
palatal protuberance in many ; commissure usually sinuate ; tail
moderate, even or emarginate.
GENUS, Emberiza.
Bill of varied strength and the mandibles more or less unequal,
usually somewhat lengthened ; wings moderate or rather long,
with the first quill a little shorter than the second and third,
which are longest ; tail of moderate length ; the outermost
feathers more or less marked with white.
Emberiza buchanani, Ely.
716. E. huttoni, Blyth. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 373 ;
Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 497; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 416 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
' of Sind, p. 185.
THE GREY-NECKED BUNTING.
Length, 575 to 6 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 75.
Bill reddish ; irides brown ; feet fleshy-brown.
Head, neck, nape, and sides of the neck, grey ; from the
the lower corner of the under mandible on each side a short
streak of buffy, between which and the chin, which is also buff,
is a streak of greyish, meeting the grey of the sides of the
neck ; orbital feathers whitish ; back grey, with a slight
rufescent tinge, the feathers faintly striated ; rump and upper
tail-coverts greyish-brown or ferruginous, paler on the abdomen
and vent, and nearly buff on the under tail-coverts ; lesser-co-
verts ferruginous ; median and greater-coverts brown, edged
with ferruginous ; primaries dull brown, margined narrowly on
their outer, and broadly on their inner web with pale-white or
rufescent-white ; secondaries the same, but the feathers also
tipped with pale-rufous ; edge of the wing fulvous ; tail black-
ish-brown, the outer web of the outermost feather, except at
the extreme base, and half of the inner web, white ; the next
outermost, blackish-brown on the outer web, and for nearly
two-thirds its length on the inner web, blackish-brown ; the rest
white on their inner web only ; centre tail-feathers edged with
pale-rufous.
The Grey-necked Bunting is a not uncommon winter visitant
to all parts of the district ; it is much addicted to frequenting
stony hills.
269
Emberiza stewarti, Blyth.
718. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 374 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 185.
THE WHITE-CAPPED BUNTING.
Length, 6 ; wing, 312 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 07.
Bill fleshy-brown ; irides brown ; legs fleshy-brown.
Male, crown greyish- white ; lores, a broad line passing over
the eye to the nape, and the throat, black ; cheeks and ear-
cov v erts white ; back, scapularies, rump, and upper tail-coverts,
deep reddish-chesnut ; wing- coverts dark-brown, edged with
buffy-brown ; wings brown, narrowly edged with greyish-white ;
the central tail-feathers blackish-brown ; the two outer on each
side blackish-brown at the base, and white for the remainder of
their length, with the exception of their outer web, which is
brown ; the whole under surface creamy-white, crossed on the
chest by a broad band of lively chesnut-red.
The female has the whole upper surface, wings, and tail, pale
olive-brown, with a streak of dark-brown down the centre of
each feather ; a slight tinge of rufous on the upper tail-coverts ;
under surface pale buffy-brown, streaked with dark-brown.
The White-capped Bunting is a seasonal visitant to Sind
only.
Emberiza fucata, Pall.
719. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 375.
THE GREY-HEADED BUNTING.
Length, 675 ; expanse, 10'3 ; wing, 3*5 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus,
075 ; bill at front, 0'4.
Bill reddish, dusky on culmen ; irides dark-brown ; feet,
fleshy-orange.
Above, head and neck darkish-grey, with some darker mesial
streaks ; scapulars, back and rump deep rufous or rufescent-
brown, also streaked with black, except on the rump and upper
tail-coverts ; ear-coverts deep-rufous ; a whitish supercilium ;
wings and tail dark-brown, broadly edged with reddish-fawn
color ; and the outer feathers of the tail partly white on their
inner webs ; throat, fore -neck, and breast, greyish- white ; a
narrow black streak from each corner of the gape, widening as
it descends, and forming a gorget with the opposite one ; below
this white ; then an inte rrupted pectoral band of rufous ; and
the belly whitish, tinged with rufous on the flanks and sides
of vent.
The Grey-headed Bunting is not uncommon during the
winter months, on the stony hills in the vicinity of Neemuch.
It is also recorded by Jerdon from Mhow, Central India.
Emberiza striolata, Licht.
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vo 1 , III, p. 497;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 186.
270 EMBERIZINJ5.
THE STRIOLATED BUNTING.
Length, 5'5 to 5 '97 ; expanse, 9 to 975 ; wing, 2'87 to 31 ; tail,
2-2 to 275 ; bill at front, 0'35 to 0'39.
Bill, upper mandible brown to blackish-brown, lower waxy,
fleshy or dingy-yellow ; irides brown ; legs pale waxy, dingy or
fleshy-yellow, the feet more or less tinged brownish.
The male has the forehead, top of the head, and nape grey-
ish-white, grey or white in different specimens, each feather
with a conspicuous linear, median, black streak ; a narrow pure
white superciliary stripe starting from the base of the bill and
extending behind the eye over the ear-coverts ; the lores, and
a moderately broad stripe directly behind the eye (and immedi-
ately under the white stripe), involving the upper portions of
the ear-coverts ; below this, starting from the base of the lower
mandible, a black stripe ; below this, from the angle of the
lower mandible, a greyish-white stripe, which again is divided
from the greyish-white of the chin by a narrow inconspicuous
dark streak.
" In the fresh bird in breeding plumage, which I am describ-
ing, all these streaks and stripes are as clearly and sharply
defined as if painted ; but at other seasons, and in stuffed speci-
mens, they are not so clear ; the whole of the back, scapulars,
and tertials are hair-brown, the former two very broadly, the
latter more narrowly, margined with pale, more or less sandy or
even rufous brown ; in many specimens the darker median streaks
of the back feathers are reduced to mere lines, and in some the
rufous tinge on the upper back is well marked ; the primaries and
secondaries and their coverts are a mixture of hair-brown and
rich rufous (recalling in color the wings of Mirafra erythroptera),
the extent of each varying in different specimens, but the brown
predominating in the earlier primaries and everywhere at the
tips, and decreasing in extent in the hinder part of the wing and
towards the bases of the feathers ; the second primary, for in-
stance, will be all brown, except a narrow rufous edging for the
basal two- thirds of the outer web and a broad rufous stripe on
the margin of the inner web for the same distance, while one
of the later secondaries will be all rufous except a narrow brown
stripe running down the shaft till within one-third of the end
of the feather, whence it gradually widens so as to occupy
at the tip the whole of both webs; the rump and upper
tail-coverts are much the same as the back, but in some speci-
mens slightly more rufous than the lower back ; and the longest
of the coverts are in some specimens very narrowly tipped with
very pale rufous- white ; the tail is hair-brown, darker than
the brown portion of the quills ; all the feathers externally very
narrowly margined with pale-rufous, except the external feather
or^ each side which has the whole outer web of that color ; the
throat and upper breast are greyish white or grey, with more or
less numerous and conspicuous black median stripes on the
EMBERIZINJE. 271
feathers. Specimens differ widely in this respect ; in some the
greyish-white is a mere edging to dusky black feathers ; in
others only a few black spots and streaks peep out of an almost
unbroken grey, and this among specimens killed at the same time,
and of apparently the same age ; the lower breast and the whole
lower parts of the body are pale greyish-rufous, all the bases of
the feathers (only seen if their tips are lifted), being a sort of
bluish-dusky ; the axillaries, wing-lining, and, in fact, the whole
lower surface of the wings, except the points of the quills, a
pate delicate salmon-rufous.
" The female only differs in being generally somewhat smaller,
in having the white, grey, and black of the head, neck, throat
and breast much duller (and in many specimens overcast with
a sandy or pale-rufous shade), in the various stripes being less
well marked, and in having the dark spots and streaks of the
throat almost obsolete." Hume, " Ibis," 1869.
The Striolated Bunting occurs as a winter visitant to Sind,
Bajputana, Kutch and Guzerat. It does not occur in the
Deccan.
GENUS, Euspiza, Bonap.
Bill strong, sub-conic, with the mandibles about equal, and
scarcely a trace of a palatal knob ; wings and tail rather long,
firm.
Euspiza melanocephala, Scop.
721. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 378; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 497 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 417 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 188 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE BLACK-HEADED BUNTING.
Length, 7'5 to 8 ; wing, 3'8 to 4 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill at
front, 0-5.
Bill yellowish-brown ; irides light-brown ; legs yellowish-brown.
Whole head, including the ear-coverts, black, the feathers
generally (i.e., winter) edged light-brown, this disappearing
towards spring ; back and scapulars rich chesnut, passing to
yellowish on the rump and upper tail-coverts, the feathers being
edged with bright-yellow, passing behind the ear-coverts to the
nape ; the side of breast chesnut, continuous with the color of
the back.
The Black-headed Bunting is a rather common cold weather
visitant to all parts of the region. It is very destructive in the
corn fields, when jowaree, bajri, and other cereals are ripening.
Euspiza luteola, Sparr.
722. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 378 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 498 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
272 EMBERIZINJE.
IX, p. 417 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 188 j
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE RED-HEADED BUNTING.
Length, 675 to 7 ; wing, 3'5 ; tail, 3 ; bill at front, 0'5.
Bill pale fleshy-yellow ; irides brown ; legs brown,
The whole head, neck, and breast, rich chesnut ; back and
scapulars yellowish or greenish-yellow, with dark-brown striae ;
rump and upper tail-coverts deep-yellow, faintly streaked ; quills
and tail brown ; the coverts and secondaries broadly edged with
pale whity brown ; quills and rectrices narrowly edged with the
same ; beneath, from the breast, including the sides of the neck,
rich yellow.
The Red-headed Bunting is a not uncommon cold weather
visitant to all suitable portions of the Presidency. It is much
addicted to frequenting cultivated lands.
GENUS, Melophus, Sws.
Bill compressed, with the upper mandible slightly notched
near the tip ; wings rather short ; tail even ; hind -claw slightly
lengthened ; head with an erectile frontal crest ; otherwise as in
Euspiza.
Melophus melanicterus, Gm.
724. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 381 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 498 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 417 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 189 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE CRESTED BLACK BUNTING.
Length, 6'5 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 3'25 ; tail, 275 ; bill at
front, 0-5.
Bill fleshy-brown ; irides dark-brown ; legs red-brown.
Male. The whole body, with crest, glossy blue-black ; wings
and tail dark cinnamon, with dusky tips ; tail-coverts at their
base, black and cinnamon.
The female is dusky-brown above, the feathers edged light olive-
brownish ; beneath rufescent- white, or pale brownish-fulvescent
with dusky streaks ; quills and tail dull arid paler cinnamon than
in the male, dusky internally, and on the central tail-feathers.
She is a little smaller, and the crest is not so highly developed.
The Crested Black Bunting occurs more or less in suitable
localities throughout the region ; in many it is a permanent
resident breeding during the rains, in banks, under clumps of
ferns and grasses. The eggs, three in number, are rather broad
ovals in shape, and are of a dull whitish-grey color, with a sprink-
ling of light-brown spots ; the markings are always most dense at
the larger end, and sometimes the markings are so closely set
as to leave little of the ground-color visible.
They average 79 inches in length by nearly 0'63 in breadth.
FRINGILLIN^. 273
SUB-FAMILY, Fringillinae.
Bill varied in size and form, more or less conical and thick,
short and bulged in some, slender and more elongate in others ;
wing moderate or long ; first primary wanting.
GENUS, Carpodacus, Kaup.
Bill distinctly turned and compressed at the tip ; commissure
sinuated, or with a notch near its base ; wings, with the first
thr.ee primaries, sub-equal and longest ; tail distinctly furcate ;
feet robust ; claws well curved.
Bucanetes githagineus, Licht.
7326is. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 190.
THE DESERT BULLFINCH.
Length, 57 to 6 ; expanse, 10 to 11 ; wings, 3 '2 to 3 6 ; tail,
2 to 3 ; tarsus, 0'67 to 077 ; bill at front, 0'35 to (HI.
Bill orange-yellow, pale-yellow in some, brownish on culmen ;
irides brown ; legs fleshy-brown.
In the male the head is pale bluish-grey, the. feathers tipped
brown ; the chin, throat, breast, cheeks, and ear-coverts a sort of
blue-grey, the feathers faintly tinged, most conspicuously so round
the base of the lower mandible, with pale rosy ; the abdomen,
vent, and lower tail-coverts, very pale rosy-white, the longest of
the latter with dark shafts ; the back and scapulars dull earthy-
brown, with, when fresh, a faint rosy tinge, which disappears in
the dried skin, and somewhat greyer towards the nape ; rump
pale-brown, more decidedly tinged with rosy ; the visible portion
of the upper tail-coverts rosy-white, more strongly tinged with
rosy at the margins, the centres and bases of the longest being
pale-brown ; these, however, are not seen till the feathers are lifted ;
tail-feathers dark-brown, conspicuously, though narrowly, margined
with rosy- white, most rosy towards the bases of the lateral
feathers ; the wings hair-brown, conspicuously margined and
tipped with pale rose-color, or rosy-white ; the coverts, second-
aries, and tertiaries most broadly so. There is a very narrow,
inconspicuous, pale rosy frontal band. The wing-lining and
axillaries are pure white ; the winglet alone is dark-brown,
unmargiried with rosy.
The female has the whole upper surface and the sides of the head
and body a dull pale earthy-brown, with only a faint rosy tinge upon
the rump and upper tail-coverts ; the lower parts a still paler
earthy-brown with the faintest possible roseate tinge on the breast,
and becoming albescent on the vent, lower tail-coverts and tibial
plumes ; the wings and tail are as in the male ; but the margins
are narrower and less conspicuous, and are pale brownish instead
of rosy-white.
The Desert Bullfinch is a winter visitant to Kutch and Sind ;
it does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
18
274 A LAUDING.
Carpodacus erythrinus, Pallas.
738. -Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 398 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 498 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 417 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 189 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE COMMON HOSE FINCH.
Length, 5'5 ; wing, 3'25 ; tail, 2'25.
Bill yellowish-brown ; irides light-brown ; feet horny-brown.
Male, in winter plumage, has the head, throat, breast, mous-
tachial stripe, rump, and flanks of abdomen, roseate color,
deepest upon the crown, throat, and breast, and paling on the
flanks; upper plumage generally brown, more or less ruddy,
brightening towards the rump and on the upper tail-coverts ; the
Aving-coverts tipped with ruddy-brown, forming two pale bars
on the wing ; tertiaries margined with pale-brown ; quills and
tail-feathers with ruddy edgings. In summer the crown, throat,
breast, and rump become brilliant crimson.
The female is pale olive-brown with dark streaks, the tips of
the greater and lesser wing-coverts whitish, forming two con-
spicuous bands on the wings ; below paler brown, albescent on the
throat, the middle of the belly and the under tail-coverts, and
darker and somewhat streaked on the breast and flanks.
The Rose Finch is found during the winter in all suitable
localities in the district. It is partial to hilly forest tracts.
SUB-FAMILY, Alaudinse.
Bill rather long and slender, short and thick in many ; wings
broad ; tertiaries elongated, pointed ; claws slightly curved ; hind-
toe and claw typically long ; plumage brown, more or less
striated.
GENUS, Mirafra, Horsf.
Bill stout, thick, compressed ; the culmen curved and convex ;
the tip slightly deflected ; commissure gently curving ; wings
rather short ; first quill short, second shorter than third ; fourth,
fifth, and sixth, which are nearly equal ; tail very short, even ; legs
rather long ; hind-claw moderately long.
Mirafra erythroptera, Jerdon.
756. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 418 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 499 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 418 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 192 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE RED-WINGED BUSH LARK.
Length, 5'5 ; wing, 3'2 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 0'92 ; bill at front,
0-4.
Bill fleshy-horny, dusky on culmen ; irides dark-brown ; legs
fleshy.
ALAUDIN.E. 275
Upper parts streaked, the centres of the feathers being dusky-
brown, and the edges fulvous-brown, rufescent on the head ;
coronal feathers lengthened ; a whitish eye-streak ; ear-feathers
rufescent-brown ; beneath, the throat is pure white, and the rest
of the plumage pale fulvescent- whitish ; the breast marked with
large oval blackish spots ; primaries and secondaries ferruginous
on both webs, except towards the tip, the dusky portion gradually
increasing to the outermost feathers ; tail blackish, the four middle
feathers brown, and the outermost only whitish on its outer
web.
The Red-winged Bush Lark is a common permanent resident
in all parts of the Presidency ; it is, however, somewhat locally
distributed.
It breeds during March and April and again in August and
September; the nest, generally domed, is composed of grass
stems. The eggs, usually three in number, (occasionally four), are
oval in shape, and greenish, brownish or yellowish-white in color,
profusely spotted with brownish-red, inky-purple or olive-brown.
They average 076 inches in length by 0'59 in breadth.
Mirafra cantillans, Jerd.
757. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 420 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 499 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 129.
THE SINGING BUSH LARK.
Length, 5'5 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 2'9 ; tail, 2 ; bill at front, 0*5.
Bill dusky-horny, fleshy beneath ; hides dark-brown ; legs fleshy-
brown.
Above dusky-brown, the feathers laterally margined with rufes-
cent-brown ; wings and their coverts strongly margined with
rufescent-brown ; a pale eye-streak ; throat and below the ear-
coverts white, and the rest of the under parts pale rufescent,
darker on the breast, with a few indistinct small breast spots ;
outer tail-feathers nearly all white, the penultimate white on the
outer web only.
The Singing Bush Lark occurs in Guzerat, near Mhow, in
Central India, and in the vicinity of Neemuch, Rajputana, but
is very locally distributed.
It is a permanent resident, breeding from March to July ; the
nest, a domed one, is generally placed on the ground in 'a tuft
of coarse grass.
The eggs, three or four in number, are scarcely distinguishable
from those of M. erythroptera.
GENUS, Ammomanes, Cabanis.
Bill short, thick, compressed, arched at culmeu, acute at the
tip, which is slightly bent over ; gonys ascending ; wings long,
straight, first quill minute, second not so long as the third and
276 ALAUDIN.E.
fourth, which are the longest, fifth is nearly equal ; tertiaries
not elongated beyond the secondaries ; tail rather long, slightly
tfinarginate ; tarsus and feet moderate ; hind-claw large.
Ammomanes phcenicura, Franklin.
758. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 421 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 499 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 418 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 129.
THE EUFOUS-TAILED FINCH LARK.
Length, 6'5 ; wing, 4'2 ; tail, 2*4.
Bill horny-brown, fleshy at base beneath ; irides brown ; legs
fleshy.
Plumage above ashy-brown, with a rufescent tinge ; rump, base
of tail, the inner webs of the quills, and the tail-feathers, dark
rufous or dull ferruginous ; the quills and tip of the tail dark-
brown, lower parts of the same ferruginous hue, but paler on
the throat and lower tail-coverts, and with a few dusky streaks
on the breast ; extremity of the lower tail-coverts with a dusky
spot.
With the exception of Sind, the Rufous-tailed Finch Lark is
a common permanent resident throughout the region, breeding
during April and May. The nests are placed in deep cavities,
formed by clods of earth on ploughed or broken ground, and
are mere pads formed of soft grass, occasionally lined with hairs.
The eggs, usually four in number (I once found five), are moder-
ately broadish ovals in shape, and vary much in color, but the
usual type is yellowish- white, thickly freckled and spotted with
reddish or yellowish-brown, with pale underlying spots of inky
purple. They average 0*85 inches in length by 0'62 in breadth.
Ammomanes deserti, Liclu.
759. A. lusitanica, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 422 ; A. lusitania, Gm. ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind,
p. 192.
THE PALE RUFOUS FINCH LARK.
Length, 6 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 0'9.
Bill dusky, yellowish beneath ; irides brown ; feet pale yellow-
brown.
Affined to A. phoenicura, but the general hue is less rufescent ;
upper parts dull sandy grey-brown ; the wing-coverts dark shafted ;
the under parts fulvous-grey, or isabelline, albescent on the
throat, and with a few faint dusky striaB on the breast ; tail brown,
faintly rufescent at its extreme base, and on the outer web of
the outermost feathers ; broad margins to the inner webs of the
primaries and secondaries with the axillaries also pale rufescent.
The Pale Rufous Finch Lark is very common in Sind, fre-
quenting bare stony hills and plains.
ALAUDIN^E. 277
GENUS, Pyrrhulauda, A. Smith.
Bill very short, very stout, sides compressed ; tip entire ; cul-
men strongly arched ; commissure straight ; wings moderately
long, broad and well developed, and the tertiaries lengthened,
first quill very small, the four next equal and longest ; tail moder-
ate, slightly forked ; tarsus short ; toes small ; hind-claw slightly
lengthened and curved.
Pyrrhulauda grisea, Scop.
760. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 424 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 499 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 418; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 193 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE BLACK-BELLIED FINCH LARK.
Dabbak Churi, Hin.
Length, 5 ; expanse, 10 ; wing, 3 ; tail, T95 ; bill at front, 0'36.
Bill pale horny ; irides dark-brown ; legs fleshy.
Male : above pale brownish-grey, the feathers slightly cen-
tred darker, somewhat rufescent on the back ; forehead and
cheeks whitish ; wings and tail brown, the feathers all pale
edged, and a deep brown or black band from the base of bill
through the eyes, continued to the occiput ; chin and throat, sides
of neck (extending at right angles behind the ear-coverts and
thus taking the form of a cross), breast and lower parts deep
chocolate-brown or black ; sides of breast, of abdomen, and the
flanks, whitish, bordering the dark color.
The female wants the black on the lower parts ; the plumage
is darker, and more rufescent above ; the breast faintly streaked
with brown, and earthy on the flanks, sides of breast, and neck.
She is a rather smaller bird measuring only 4 75 inches in
length.
The Black-bellied Finch Lark is a common permanent resident
throughout the region, breeding the whole year through.
The nest, which is a mere pad of grass, is placed in a depression
on the ground. The eggs, two in number, rarely three, are mode-
rately elongated ovals in shape, of a greenish or yellowish- white
color, densely speckled and spotted with various shades of
yellowish and earthy-brown. They measure 073 by 0'55.
Pyrrhulauda melanauchen, Cab.
7606k Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 193.
THE BLACK-NECKED FINCH LARK.
Length, 5'4 to 61 ; expanse, 9'6 to lO'l; wing, 3'02 to 3'2 ; tail,
2-0 to 2-2 ; tarsus, 0'6 to 07 ; bill at gape, 0'47 to 0'5.
Bill pearly-white to whity-brown ; irides brown ; legs pale
whity-brown to pale fleshy-brown.
" The male has a broad frontal band, cheeks, ear-coverts, and
a band from these round the base of the occiput and a large
278 ALAUDIN.E.
patch on either side of the breast, white ; in the case of the two
latter often tinged brownish.
The base of the lower mandible, chin, throat, central portion
of breast, abdomen, vent, and lower tail-coverts, axillaries and
wing-lining (except lower primary greater- coverts, which are
pale grey-brown like the lower surface of the quills) intensely
deep, at times somewhat sooty, at times almost chocolate-bro^n ;
the crown and upper part of occiput are deep-brown, never
quite so intense as the lower parts, often considerably lighter, and
more purely brown ; the anterior portion of the side of the neck be-
hind the lower half of the ear-coverts is always like the breast, some-
times the deep color of these parts extends behind the whole of the
ear-coverts, and right round the back of the neck forming a collar
immediately behind the white basal occipital band already noticed,
sometimes there is not the faintest trace of this, and some-
times again the collar is only represented by a smaller or larger
nuchal patch.
" This is perhaps the most common form, and hence the name
melanauchen.
" The interscapulary region is a pale earthy-brown, sometimes
with a sandy tinge ; the wings rather darker, but all the feathers
margined with a pale whity-brown ; inner webs of quills darker,
a sort of pale hair-brown ; central tail-feathers slightly paler
than tertiaries ; rest of tail-feathers deep-brown, but the outer
web of the exterior feather white or nearly so, and the inner
half or more of the inner web pale whity-brown; rump and
upper tail-coverts pale earthy or sandy-brown, noticeably paler
than the interscapulary region ; flanks much the same color
as the rump.
" The female has the chin, throat, abdomen, vent, and lower
tail-coverts white, with more or less traces of a very faint tawny
tinge ; a broad ill-defined pale tawny band, which is sometimes
feebly striated darker, covers the breast; the axillaries and
lesser lower-coverts about the ulna are deep-brown, sometimes
almost as deep as the breast of the male.
" The female also wants the white frontal band and patch on the
sides of the head, the white occipital band, the dark crown and dark
sides of the neck, and of course the dark collar or dark nuchal patch
so common in the males ; the whole top of the head is uni-
colorous or nearly so with the interscapulary region, though
the feathers are generally feebly darker centred. The rest of
the upper surface is much as in the male, but as a rule sandier,
and less earthy in tinge. The males are distinguished at once
from those of grisea, by their dark crowns. Both sexes are
distinguished by their somewhat larger size."
Bill short, sub
LCIX sumevvuctu ictigur size.
GENUS, Calandrella, Kaup.
b-conic, moderately compressed ; wing long,
imary minute, the next three primaries about
-Bill snort, sub-conic, moderately compressed ; wing
straight ; first primary minute, the next three primaries
ALAUDIN.E. 279
equal ; tertiaries elongated ; feet small, with shortish toes, and
moderately short, but straight hind-claw.
Calandrella brachydactyla, Leisl.
761. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 426 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. Ill, p. 500 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 418 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 198;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE SOCIAL LAKK.
Length, 6'25 ; wing, 4 ; tail, 2'25 ; tarsus, 0'8.
Bill whitish-horny, dusky on culmen ; irides dark-brown ; legs
brownish.
Upper parts pale rufescent-sandy, streaked with dusky, a
stripe over the eye, and the whole under parts fulvous-white,
tinged with earthy-brown on the breast, which is spotless in
some, in a few slightly spotted ; wings dusky-brown, with ful-
vous edgings, broader and deeper colored on the tertiaries, and
on the tips of the coverts, and with a whitish edge to the first
developed primary ; tail dusky, the penultimate feather having
the outer web wholly white to near the base, and also some of
the inner web. In old or worn plumage the dusky tinge pre-
vails on the back ; the breast has some narrow dusky streaks,
and a patch of the same appears on each side of the lower part
of the foreneck ; this is also slightly observable in newly-moulted
specimens.
The Social Lark is excessively common during the cold
weather, in every portion of the region.
GENUS, Melanocorypha, Boie.
Bill thick and convex ; tertiaries not elongated ; hind-claw
moderate, straight.
Melanocorypha bimaculata, Menet.
76Iter. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 195.
Length, 7 to 8 ; expanse, 13 to 15'25 ; wing, 4'2 to 4*8 ; tail,
212 to 2-4 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 0'6 to 07 ; bill at gape,
q-7 to 0-9.
Bill horny-brown, beneath yellowish ; irides brown ; legs yel-
lowish-fleshy.
" Adult male in summer plumage. Above fulvous-brown, the
centres of the plumes much darker-brown, giving a somewhat
mottled appearance, all the feathers being edged with fulvous,
especially on the hinder part of the neck and the centre of the
back; wing-coverts colored like the back, but a little more
rufous, plainly edged with fulvous, less distinct on the greater-
coverts ; quills brown with a slight shade of ash-grey on the
outer webs ; all the feathers more or less narrowly-edged with
fulvous, but none of the feathers tipped white ; tail dark-brown,
280 ALAUDIN.E.
with conspicuous white tips to all the feathers except the two
central ones ; all the rectrices edged more or less broadly with
fulvous ; lores and a distinct eyebrow whitish ; cheeks fulvous-
white with a slight mottling with rufous ; ear-coverts entirely
rufous ; throat, breast, and flanks, rufous ; a black pectoral gor-
get extending right across the lower part of the throat ; on the
upper part of the breast are a few indistinct mottled lines below
the black gorget ; under tail-coverts whitish ; undo* 1 wing-coverts
entirely greyish-brown,
" Obs. Some specimens are much greyer than others ; others
again are more rufous ; some are more white on the belly, and
have the breast much obscured, so that the pectoral gorget is
scarcely discernible. This last dress seems to be the winter
plumage.
" Young. Similar to the adult, but more rufous in the centre ;
gorget, more obscure, and the stripes on the upper breast more
indistinct." Sharpe and Dresser, Birds of Europe.
This fine Lark occurs in Upper Sind, and in the desert east
of Oomercot.
GENUS, Alaudula, Blyth.
Bill more lengthened and slender than in the preceding
genera, but still rather short and thick, and slightly curved ;
wings moderate, with no rudimentary first primary, and the
first three quills longest ; tail even ; feet very small ; hind-claw
about the length of the toe, nearly straight, of small size.
Alaudula raytal, Blyth.
762. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 428 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE INDIAN SAND LAEK.
Eetal, Hin.
Length, 5*25 ; expanse, 8 ; wing, 3 ; tail, 175 to 2 ; tarsus, 07 ;
bill at front, 0'38.
Bill pale horny ; irides brown ; legs fleshy-yellowish.
General hue of the upper parts light brownish-ashy, with nar-
row dark centres to the feathers ; lower parts white, faintly
tinged with fulvous on the breast, where obscurely marked with
small spots ; wing-co\ erts and tertiaries margined with pale-
rufescent or whitish ; the outermost feathers white, except the
inner half of the inner web, and the next one is white along
the marginal half of its outer web only ; a whitish line through
the eyes.
The Indian Sand Lark is not uncommon in the neighbourhood
of Neemuch, Rajputana, in the cold weather.
Alaudula adamsi, Hume.
. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 196.
ALAUDIN.E. 281
THE LITTLE SAND LARK.
Length, <?, 5'9 to 6, $ , 5*6 to 57 ; expanse, #, 10'4 to 11, ? ,
10 to 10-5 ; wing, <?, 3'3 to 3'5, $ ,3'05 to 3'2 ; tail, # & ? , 2-2 ;
bill at front, <?, 0'35 to 0'3S, ? , 0*32 to 0'38.
Bill greyish -slate, brownish on culmen and at tip, yellow at
base beneath ; irides pale-brown ; legs fleshy -brown, dusky at
joints.
In the winter the whole upper surface is very pale-grey or
whity-brown, all the feathers narrowly centred with grey-brown,
so as to produce a striated appearance. There is in many speci-
mens a more or less perceptible, but still very faint, rufous tinge
on the back ; the wings are pale-brown, the outer webs of the
first primaries nearly entirely cream-color, the other primaries
narrowly tipped and margined white ; secondaries more broadly ;
tertiaries and coverts still more broadly margined with fulvous
or slightly greyish-white ; the central tail-feathers brown, some-
what conspicuously margined with brownish or fulvous-white ;
the exterior tail-feathers on either side wholly white, except a
dark-brown stripe down the inner margin of the inner web ; the
next feather with the whole exterior web pure white ; interior
web dark-brown ; other tail-feathers dark-brown, very narrowly
margined with dull white ; the lores and a stripe over and under
the eye white or rufescent- white ; a very narrow grey line through
the centre of the lores only noticeable in very good specimens or
in the fresh bird ; ear-coverts mingled grey-brown and fulvous-
white, and usually exhibiting a somewhat darker spot just behind
and below the posterior angle of the eye ; the wh ole lower parts
white, with, in some, a very faint rufescent tinge on the breast,
sides, and flanks, and with numerous narrow or linear darkish-
brown spots on the breast, very strongly marked, conspicuous in
some specimens, reduced almost to speckles in other birds ; the
flanks and sides are faintly tinged with brown, or in some pale
rufescent.
The Little Sand Lark is a permanent resident in Sind. It does
not occur elsewhere within our limits.
GENUS, Spizalauda, Blyth.
Bill as in Alauda, i.e., with the nostrils protected by bristles,
but thicker and Mirafra-like in its form ; wings long, with the
first quill minute, the next four about equal and longest, as in
the true Larks ; tertiaries lengthened ; hind-toe and claw mode-
rately developed ; claws longer than in Mirafra ; coronal feathers
lengthened, and forming a pointed crest.
Spizalauda deva, Sykes.
765. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 432 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 418 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
282 ALAUDTNJE.
THE SMALL CROWN CREST LARK.
Length, 5 '5 to 575 ; wing, 3'4 ; tail, 2 ; bill at front, 0'5 ;
tarsus, 075.
Bill horny-brown, yellowish beneath ; irides dark-brown ; feet
fleshy-brown.
Upper part, including the crest, isabelline or rufous-brown,
with black mesial streaks ; upper tail -co verts rufescent without
streaks ; the first long primary broadly edged with rufescent,
and the outermost tail-feathers and most of the penultimate of
the same hue, with a few dusky striae on the breast, and paling
on the throat.
The Small Crown Crest Lark is a common permanent resident
in the Deccan, and is also common at Mhow and Neemuch,
Central India.
It breeds from July to September, making a small cup-shaped
nest on the ground, in a slight depression, under a tuft of grass.
The eggs, two or three in number, are moderately broad ovals
in shape, of a dull white color, profusely spotted, speckled, and
blotched with dull yellowish-brown and dingy inky-purple.
They measure 0'87 inches in length and about 0*65 in breadth.
Spizalauda malabarica, Scop.
765fo's. Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 1 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 418 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE LARGE CROWN CREST LARK.
Differs from deva in being darker in plumage, more rufous
above, and whiter beneath, and has larger and more numerous
breast spots.
This Lark is not uncommon in parts of the Deccan and Nor-
thern Guzerat.
GENUS, Alauda, Lin.
Bill moderate, nearly straight, conical or subulate, slender ;
wings long, the first primary exceedingly minute, and the next
four sub-equal, the fifth in some decidedly shorter ; tips of the
lesser quills ernarginated ; tail short or moderate, forked ; tarsus
somewhat lengthened ; feet large ; hind-claw very long ; coronal
feathers elongated and forming a full cresE
Alauda gulgula, Franklin.
767. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 434 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 2 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 419 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 197 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE INDIAN SKY LARK.
Length, 6 to 6'5 ; wing, 3'25 to 375 ; tail, 2 to 2'25 ; tarsus, 1 :
bill at front, 0'5.
ALAUDIN^E. 283
Bill horny-brown, pale beneath ; irides dark-brown ; legs fleshy-
brown.
Above the feathers are dark-brown, with fulvous margins ;
beneath fulvescent- white, deeper on the breast, and spotted or
streaked with dusky ; ear- coverts spotted and tipped dusky ; a
pale eye-streak ; the erectile feathers of the head moderately
elongated. Some specimens have a rufous tinge on the upper
tail-coverts, and also margining the large quills, more especially
the secondaries, while the coverts are edged with grey ; the tail
has the outermost feather almost wholly fulvescent white, and
the penultimate one has its outer web, and sometimes the tip of
the inner web of the same tint.
The Indian Sky Lark occurs in suitable places throughout the
region. It is a permanent resident, breeding about the commence-
ment of May ; the nest, a shallow cup, composed of grass stems,
is placed in a depression, scratched by the birds under the shelter
of a clod of earth or tuft of grass.
The eggs, four or five in number, are moderately elongated or
broadish ovals ; they vary much in coloring, but are mostly of two
types ; the first or commonest has a creamy- white ground, pro-
fusely speckled and freckled with excessively fine specks and spots
of dull purplish-grey and pale brownish-yellow ; in the second
type the color is white, and the markings are much darker in
shade. They measure 0'8 inches in length by 0'61 in breadth.
GENUS, Galerida, Bole.
Bill lengthened, slightly curved ; wings with the first primary,
moderately developed, the next four sub-equal, the second slightly
shorter ; toes and hind-claws less elongated than in Alauda ; an
erectile, lengthened and pointed crest on the^top the head.
Galerida cristata, Lin.
769. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 436 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Yol. IV, p. 2 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 198.
THE LARGE CRESTED LARK.
Length, 7'25 to 7'5 ; wing, 4 to 4'25 ; tail, 2'5 to 2'75 ; tarsus, 1 ;
bill at front, 075.
Bill yellowish ; irides dark-brown ; legs pale-brown.
Pale earthy or sandy-brown, rufescent on the feathers of the
upper parts, with pale dusky mesial streaks ; the feathers of the
crest alone, with dark-brown centres ; wings somewhat rufescent ;
upper tail-coverts the same as are the lower surfaces of the wings
and tail ; outermost tail-feathers rufescent white, the next with
a border on its outer web, the four middle ones colored like the
back, and the rest of the tail blackish ; supercilia and lower parts
sullied white, with a few brown streaks on the breast.
The Large Crested Lark is a common permanent resident
284 ALAUDIN.E.
in Sind, and is not uncommon in Northern Guzerat. It breeds
during April and May, in much the same way as the other larks.
The eggs measure 0'87 inches in length by about 0'65 in breadth.
GENUS, Certhilauda, Swain son.
Bill slender, lengthened, more or less curved ; wings very long ;
nostrils round and naked ; wings very long, the first quill short, the
second a little shorter than the next three, which are nearly
equal ; tail moderate or rather long, even ; tarsus lengthened ;
toes short ; hinder claw variable, typically short and straight.
Certhilauda desertorum, Stan.
770. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 438 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 199.
THE DESERT LARK.
Length, 9 ; wing, 5'25 ; tail, 212 ; tarsus, 1'38.
Bill horny, darker on culmen, and yellowish-white at base
beneath ; irides brown ; le^s sullied china- white.
Light isabella-grey above, more fulvescent on the scapulars,
tertiaries, and two middle feathers, which are shaded with pale
dusky along the middle ; lores, superciliary stripe, throat and
belly white ; the breast feathers dusky, with broad whitish mar-
gins concealing the dark color within ; ear-coverts blackish
at the tips ; wings deep dusky-black ; primaries and secondaries
pure white at base ; the shorter primaries are also white tipped,
and the small wing-coverts margined with pale rufescent ; tail,
except the two middle feathers, deep dusky black, the outermost
feathers having their narrow outer web almost wholly white, and
the penultimate with a narrow white edge on the outer web.
The colors of the female are duller.
The Desert Lark is found in desert and sandy tracts in Sind
ORDER, Gemitores.
Bill moderate or short, straight, compressed ; the basal portion
weak, and covered with a soft fleshy skin or membrane in which
the nostrils are situated ; the apical portion arched or vaulted,
and more or less curved down at the tip ; wings generally long,
pointed ; tail variable, usually of 12 or 14 feathers ; tarsi short
and stout ; legs feathered to the joint ; toes moderately long;
hind- toe on the same plane as the anterior ones.
FAMILY, Treronidae.
Bill varied, short and thick in some, slender in others, the
tip strong and vaulted ; wings long, firm ; the tail short or moder-
ate in most, always of 14 feathers ; tarsus short, more or less
feathered, the bare portion reticulated ; inner-toe a little shorter
than the outer, which is slightly united at the base to the middle-
toe ; claws short, well curved.
TRERONIN^E. 285
SUB-FAMILY, Treroninse.
Bill stronger and thicker than in the other two sub-families ;
tail typically short ; tarsi and feet stout, soft, with very broad
soles.
GENUS, Crocopus, Bonap.
Bill tolerably short and stout, with the soft basal portion
occupying about half the length of the bill ; the inner web of the
third primary distinctly sinuated ; feet yellow.
Crocopus phcenicopterus, Lath.
772. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 447 ; Butler, Guzerat ; r i /
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 2.
THE BENGAL GREEN PIGEON.
Length, 12*5 ; expanse, 22 ; wing, 7'5 ; tail, 5 ; bill at front, 0'8.
Bill whitish ; irides carmine, with an outer ring of smalt-blue ;
feet deep-yellow.
Top of the head, and sides of the base of the neck, (forming a
demi-collar) ash-grey, contrasting with the yellow-green of the
back of the neck ; a green tinge on the forehead ; the rest of the
plumage green ; shoulders of the wing lilac in the male, and with
a trace of the same in the female ; the greater-coverts margined
with pale-yellow, forming an oblique bar across the wing ; the
terminal two-fifths of the tail ash-grey above, deeply tinged
with green, albescent beneath, with the medial portion blackish ;
beneath, the neck and breast are bright yellow-green, with a
shade of fulvous, and the abdominal region ash-grey ; the lower
belly generally more or less mixed with green, but bright yellow in
the middle, as are the tibial feathers ; vent mingled white and
green ; under tail- coverts dull vinous-maroon, with white tips,
inclining to greenish in the female.
The Bengal Green Pigeon has only doubtfully been recorded
from Mount Aboo. It does not occur elsewhere within our limits. ,
Crocopus chlorigaster, Blyth.
773. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 448 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 2 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, 7 r
Vol. IX, p. 419 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 200 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE SOUTHERN GREEN PIGEON.
Harriot, Hin.
Length, 13; expanse, 22; wing, 7; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, 0'8 ;
bill at front, 0'8 ; bill from gape, 1.
Bill whitish, tinted blue at base and beneath ; irides carmine ;
legs waxy-yellow.
This species differs from the last in having the whole top of
the head ashy, devoid in adults, of the slightest tinge of green
on the forehead, and the whole under parts are green ; the neck
286 CARPOPHAGIN^E.
and breast, too, are less tinged with yellow, and shade gradually
into the green of the belly ; there is no trace of green upon the
tail, except at its extreme base, which is uniformly ash above.
The Southern Green Pigeon occurs in suitable localities in all
parts of the Presidency, but it is very rare in Sind, having
only been obtained near the frontier at Jacobabad. It is a per-
manent resident, making the usual dove-like nest. The eggs,
two in number, are oval in shape, and glossy pure white in color.
They measure T25 inches in length by 0'95 in breadth.
GENUS, Osmotreron, Bonap.
Bill as in Grocopus, but more slender ; legs always red ; sexes
differ conspicuously in plumage ; of small size.
Osmotreron malabarica, Jerdon.
775. Jerdon's Birds of India, Yol. II, p. 450 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 419.
THE GREY-FRONTED GREEN PIGEON.
\PlJ^7 length, 10'5 ; expanse, 18 ; wing, 575 ; tail, 4.
/ Bill glaucous-green ; irides red, with an outer circle of blue ;
/ legs pinky-red.
Male : forehead pale ashy, or whitish-grey ; mantle and wing-
coverts maroon ; the rest of the upper parts, with thirldres,~~eye-
brow, face, and 1 ear-coverts, green ; wing-coverts broadly edged
with bright yellow, and wing feathers more or less edged with the
same ; tail green at the base, broadly tipped with ashy-white,
and with a medial dark band, and the outermost feathers more
or less marked with deep ashy on the inner webs ; beneath green,
yellowish on the throat and neck, and mixed with pale-yellow on
the vent and thigh-coverts ; under tail-coverts cinnamon.
The female differs in wanting the maroon color, and in the
under tail-coverts being mingled ashy arid white.
The Grey-fronted Green Pigeon occurs sparingly all along the
Sahyadri Range as far north as Khandalla, extending also to the
well- wooded tracts of Ratnagari.
SUB-FAMILY, Carpophaginae.
Bill lengthened and slender, tolerably depressed at the base,
with the terminal third or less of the upper mandible corneous ;
wings long ; tail even, or slightly rounded, longer than in the
Treronince ; feet strong, with broad soles ; tarsus well feathered.
GENUS, Carpophaga, Selfy.
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family ;
plumage glossy metallic-green, or coppery-brown above ; of large
size.
PALUMBINJE. 287
Carpophaga aenea, Lin.
780. 0. sylvatica, TicE^-Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 455.
THE GREEN IMPERIAL PIGEON.
Length, 18 to 19 ; expanse, 30 ; wing, 8 to 9 ; tail, 6.
Bill slaty, red at the base above, and bluish-white at the tip ; jo
irides and the nude orbits crimson ; legs lake-red, pale on the
soles.
*Head, neck, and whole under parts, pearl-grey, purer on the
crown and breast, and tinged elsewhere, and sometimes on the
crown, with ruddy-vinaceous ; back, rump, wings, and tail, shining
coppery-green, brightest on the tail, and the quills slaty-grey
without, dark blackish-grey within ; under tail-coverts deep
chesnut, with which some of the feathers of the vent and flanks
are also sprinkled ; chin, orbital feathers and round the base of
the bill, white ; axillaries buff.
Jerdon states in his " Birds of India" that the Green Imperial
Pigeon is abundant in Central India, and that he found it breed-
ing there in April and May. I have myself never met with it.
FAMILY, Columbidae.
Bill horny at the apex only ; tail, in almost all, of twelve
feathers ; tarsus lengthened ; feet more fitted for walking on the
ground.
SUB-FAMILY, Palumbinae.
Feet fitted for perching, the tarsus being somewhat shorter, and
the feet more arboreal than in the succeeding groups ; tail some-
what longer and more rounded.
GENUS, Palumbus, Eaup.
Sides of neck adorned with a patch of light-colored feathers.
Palumbus casiotis, Bonap.
784. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 464 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 201.
THE HIMALAYAN CUSHAT.
Length, 17 ; expanse, 30 ; wing, 10'25 ; tail, 7 ; bill at front,
075.
Bill orange, whitish at base ; irides yellow ; feet red.
Above brownish-grey ; the head, cheeks, rump, and upper
tail-coverts, pure ashy ; nape, sides of neck, and shoulders
glossed with changeable green and purple ; on each side
of the neck a large patch of fulvous or clayey-cream
color ; edge of the wing, and a white longitudinal bar, formed
by the outer edges of the primaries, white ; winglet and primary-
coverts blackish ; tail grey at the base, blackish at the tip ;
beneath, the throat is pure ashy, the foreneck and breast
288 PALUMBIN.E.
vinaceous-ruddy, paling on the belly, and albescent towards the
vent ; lower tail-coverts ashy ; tail with a broad pale band.
Within our limits, the Himalayan Cushat only occurs on the
frontier near Jacobabad, and is very rare. I found it very com-
mon in Southern Afghanistan where it breeds.
Palumbus elphinstonii, Sykes.
786. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 465 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 419.
THE NEILGHERRY WOOD PIGEON.
Length, 15 to 16 ; expanse, 25 ; wing, 8 to 8'25 ; tail, 575
to 6.
Bill and orbits deep red, the former with a yellow tip ; irides
ochre-yellow ; legs and feet dull-red.
Above, the head and neck ashy ; nuchal patch black, with small
white tips ; back of neck beyond this, and interscapulars,
cupreous-ruddy, with some green reflections ; rest of the upper
plumage ruddy-brown, becoming dark-ashy on the rump and
upper tail-coverts ; the wings dusky, the lesser-coverts mostly
ruddy-cupreous, and the other coverts and quills, which are dusky-
black, more or less edged with the same, and the outer primaries
conspicuously pale edged ; tail dull black ; beneath ashy,
albescent on the throat ; the neck and breast glossed with green,
and the lower abdomen and vent albescent.
The Neilgherry Wood Pigeon is found on parts of the
Sahyadri Range ; it is not common anywhere, but appears to be
well known at Mahableshwar.
GENUS, Palumbaena, Bonap.
Feet fitted as much for perching as for walking on the ground.
In form, coloring, habits, and nidification intermediate between
Palumbus and Columba.
Palumbaena eversmanni, Bonap.
787. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 467 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 201.
THE INDIAN STOCK PIGEON.
Length, 11 '5 ; expanse, 24 ; wing, 8 ; tail, 4.
^Bill yellowish; skin round the eye yellowish; irides buff; legs
with a yellowish tinge.
^ Dark-ashy, with a whitish-grey rump ; crown and breast tinged
with vinaceous ; two or three black spots on the wings, forming the
rudiments of bands, and the end of the tail black, its outermost
feather white for the basal two-thirds of its exterior web, and
showing a black, and then a narrow grey band towards its
tip ; beneath the wings whitish, where dark-ashy in the
European bird.
PALUMBIN.E. 289
The Indian Stock Pigeon occurs in Sind, towards the frontier ;
it lias not been recorded from any other portion of our limits,
GENUS, Columba, Lin.
Feet fitted for walking on the ground, the tarsus being some-
what lengthened ; nestle in holes of rocks, buildings, or wells ;
capable of domestication.
Columba intermedia, Strick.
788. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 469 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 3 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. 24 -
IX, p. 419; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 202;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE BLUE ROCK PIGEON.
Length, 12 to 13 ; expanse, 23 ; wing, 875 to 9 ; tail, 5 ;
bill, 075.
Bill black, mealy at base above ; irides dull orange ; legs dull
reddish-pink.
Color slaty-grey, darker on the head, throat, and breast,
also on the upper and lower tail-coverts and tail, which
last has a blackish terminal band ; nuchal-feathers divergent
at their tip, and brightly glossed with changeable green and
amethystine ; two black bars on the wings, formed by the
greater-coverts, and the secondaries being tipped with black
on the outer web only ; and the outermost tail-feather, with its
external web, gradually more albescent to the base.
The Blue Rock Pigeon is a very common permanent resident
throughout the district, breeding from November to May; a
favourite nesting place is a hole or a ledge in a well.
Columba livia, Bp.
788&W. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 202.
THE ROCK DOVE,
Length, 15 ; wing, 9 ; tail, 7'2 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill at front, 075.
Bill blackish ; irides orange to dark-brown ; legs dull reddish-
pink.
Differs from Columba intermedia in having a pure white
instead of an ash-colored rump.
The Rock Dove occurs on the frontiers of Sind,
SUB-FAMILY, Turturinse.
Feet fitted for walking on the ground ; tail somewhat
lengthened (typically), rounded or graduate, and with pale tips
to the outer feathers ; of delicate make, with small heads ; neck
usually without the iridescent play of the Columbince, but fre-
quently adorned with neck spots, as in the Palumbince, or with
rings.
19
290 PALUMBIN^E.
GENUS, Turtur.
Bill slender, the tip very slightly arched ; the two first quills
graduated, second and third longest ; tail somewhat long, usually
rounded ; toes long and slender ; the claws slightly curved.
Turtur pulchratus, Hodgs.
792. Turtwr rupicolus, Pallas. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 476 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 92 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 420.
THE ASHY TURTLE DOVE.
Length, 12 to 13 ; expanse, 20*5 ; wing, 7 to 8 ; tail, 5 to 5 '5 ;
tarsus, 075 ; bill at front, 07.
Bill blackish-horny ; irides light orange ; legs dull purplish.
Head bluish-ashy, with the, occiput and nape rufescent ; back
and rump ashy -brown, more ashy on the latter ; wings dusky ;
the coverts widely margined with dark rufous ; tail bluish-black,
with a broad white tip ; beneath brown, becoming whitish
towards the vent ; lower tail-coverts white, with a faint tinge of
ashy ; neck spot black.
The Ashy Turtle Dove is common during the cold weather in
many parts of the Deccan ; it is also common at Mhow ; a single
specimen has been recorded from Aboo, but in Sind it does not
occur at all.
Turtur meena, Sykes.
793. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 476 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 420 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE RUFOUS TURTLE DOVE.
Length, 11*5 to 12'5 ; wing, 7 ; tail, 4'5.
Bill blackish, tinged lake-red ; irides orange ; legs dull purple.
General color vinaceous-brown, asliy on the forehead and crown,
and whitish towards the base of the bill, and more or less mixed
with ashy and dusky above ; rump and upper tail-coverts deep
grey ; wing-coverts and scapulars dusky, broadly margined with
rufous; secondary-coverts usually ashy; winglet and primaries,
witn their coverts dusky, the latter edged with whitish ; tail dusky >
ash, the outer feathers successively more broadly tipped with
deep grey, paling on the outermost feather ; beneath the chin
and throat whitish ; the rest of the plumage pale vinaceous-
brown, deepest on the breast, and becoming albescent on the
lower abdomen ; vent and lower tail-coverts light grey ; the
neck-patch black, with grey tips, narrower than in the preceding
species.
The Rufous Turtle Dove is affined very closely to the last,
the principal difference being the color of the under tail-coVerts.
It is found in the cold weather in parts of the Deccan,
PALUMBINJE. 291
Turtur senegalensis, Lin.
794. T. cambayensis, Gm.- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 478; Batter, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 3;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 420 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 203; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India;
Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE LITTLE BROWN DOVE.
Length, 10 to 10'5 ; expanse, 14 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 4'5.
Bill blackish ; irides dark-brown ; legs lake-red.
Above brown, the head and upper part of the neck pinkish-
vinaceous ; wing-coverts, except towards the scapulars, pure light-
grey ; winglet, primaries, and their coverts dusky ; the seconda-
ries tinged with grey ; tail with the middle feathers brown ; the
others black at the base, white for nearly their terminal half ;
beneath the neck and breast pinkish-vinaceous, paling below, and
passing to white on the belly and lower tail-coverts ; the sides of
the neck with a patch on each side, nearly meeting at the base,
rufous tipped ; the black hardly apparent, except when the neck is
stretched.
The Little Brown Dove is exceedingly common throughout the
whole region, both on the hills and plains. It is a permanent <.
resident.
Gm.
795. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 479 ; Butler, Guzerat ; 1*7
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p 3 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, /
p. 420 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 203 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE SPOTTED DOVE.
Length, 12; expanse, 16 5 ; wing, 575 ; tail, 5'5.
Bill dull leaden-black ; irides dark hazel ; legs dark purplish-
red.
Head pale-vinaceous, greyish on the forehead; upper parts
g 3tierally dusky, each feather with two pale rufou^-isa-hel line ter-,
minal spots, enlarging and spreading up each side of the feather
upoiTthe wing-coverts ; the blackish contracting to a central streak '
having broad pale vinaceous lateral borders ; edge of the wing,
with some of the nearest coverts, light grey ; tail with the central
feathers brpwn, the outermost ones black at the base, white for
the terminal half, and the others intermediate in their coloring;
lower parts pale vinaceous, more or less albescent on the throat
and passing to white on the vent and lower tail-coverts.
The Spotted Dove occurs more or less abundantly throughout
the district. It is a permanent resident, but appears much more
commoner at some times than at others.
Turtur risorius, Lin.
796. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 481 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
292 PALUMBIN^.
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 3 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 420 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 204 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 130.
THE COMMON RING DOVE.
Length, 12'5 to 13 ; expanse, 20 ; wing, 6*5 ; tail, 5.
Bill blackish ; irides crimson ; feet dark pink-red.
Head delicate pale vinous- grey, more or less whitish on the
forehead ; nape pale vinaceous ; a narrow black collar on the nape
get off with whitish above, and slightly so below ; upper plumage
uniform light grey-brown ; edge of the wing pure ashy ; primaries
dusky with slight whitish margins bordering their tips ; middle
tail-feathers uniform with the back above ; the lateral feathers
marked with black about the middle, passing to greyish on the
basal half, and to white on the terminal, and these successively
more pronounced externally ; beneath very pale vinaceous, whitish
on the throat, passing to light-greyish towards the vent, and
the lower tail-coverts pure ashy ; wings underneath greyish-
white.
The Common Ring Dove occurs abundantly throughout the
region, and is a permanent resident.
Turtur tranquebaricus, Serm.
797. Jerdon's~Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 482 ; T. Jiumilis, Tern.,
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 3 ; Deccan, Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 421 ; T. humilis, Tern., Murray's Verte-
brate Zooloey of Sind, p. 204 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE RUDDY RING DOVE.
Length, 9'25 ; expanse, 15; wing, 5'3; tail, 3'3 ; tarsus, 07;
bill at front, 0'5.
Bill black ; irides dark-brown ; legs purplish-red.
Male, head ashy-grey, paler towards the forehead, a black half
collar, well set off by whitish above ; general color above fine
vinous or brick-red ; the rump and upper tail-coverts dusky-
ash ; winglet, primaries and their coverts, and the secondaries,
blackish ; tail, with the middle feathe-rs, ash-brown, the rest
blackish at the base, and broadly tipped with white, successively
more broadly from the centre, and spreading up the whole exte-
rior web of the outermost feather ; beneath the chin whitish,
rest of the lower parts pale vinous-red ; vent and lower tail-
coverts white, tinged with ashy ; wing beneath light-ashy.
The female is a trifle smaller, and of a dull earthy-brown
paler below.
The Ruddy Ring Dove is very locally distributed, but is found
in all portions of the region with which I am dealing. It is a
permanent resident, building the usual frail stick nest, and lay-
ing the inevitable two white eggs.
PHAPINJE.
293
SUB-FAMILY, Phapinse.
Tarsus much lengthened, not feathered; tail consisting of
twelve, fourteen, or sixteen feathers.
GENUS, Chalcophaps, Gould.
Bill slender ; wings moderately long ; second and third quills
nearly equal and longest ; tail rather short, rounded ; tarsus
moderately long, not feathered , toes long ; hind-toe lengthened ;
claws moderately curved.
Chalcophaps indica. Lin.
798. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 484 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 421.
THE BRONZE-WINGED DOVE.
Length, 10'5 ; expanse, 17'5 ; wing, 5*5 ; tail, 375.
BiUbright coral-red, dusky at base ; orbits livid-fleshy ; irides
daTk-bfown ; feet dull purple-red.
Male, forehead white, continued as a supercilium over the eye ;
crown of -the head and the middle of the neck ash-grey ; back
and wings shining dark emerald-green, slightly glossed with
golden ; the feathers of the back distinct and scale-like ; two
broad dusky bars, alternating with two greyish- white ones on the
lower back and rump ; the feathers with the basal and middle
portion of the shaft very broad and flattened ; tail dusky, the
two outer feathers on each side whitish-grey, with a black sub-
terminal band ; primaries dusky, and a white bar at the shoulder
of the wing ; beneath, the whole neck, breast, and lower parts,,
vinaceous red-brown, paler on the lower abdomen ; the lower tail-
coverts ashy, the longest being blackish; wing beneath dark
reddish-brown.
The female has the forehead greyish-white, and the superci-
lium narrower ; the head rufescent, tKe loweF parts browner, and
the under tail-coverts more or less ferruginous ; she also wants
the white shoulder spot.
The young are more dusky above, with little green, and barred
below.
The Bronze-winged Dove is sparingly distributed along the-
Sahyadri Range ; it frequents dense forests.
ORDER, Rasores.
Bill short, vaulted, more or less bent down at the tip ; nostrils
pierced in a membrane covering the base of the bill, and pro-
tected by a cartilaginous scale ; wings usually short and rounded,, j
but ample ; tail very variable, both in length and form, of from j
twelve to eighteen feathers ; legs and feet strong, feathered to I
the tarsus, which is frequently spurred in the male ; three toes- 1
before and one behind ; the posterior one typically short, and f
I
294
articulated above the plane of the anterior toes, wanting in a
few ; nails strong, blunt, and but slightly curved.
FAMILY, Pteroclidae
Bill somewhat slender and compressed ; wings lengthened and
pointed ; tarsus short, more or less plumed ; feet short ; hind-toe
rudimentary or wanting ; tail of sixteen feathers.
GENUS, Pterocles, Temm.
Bill small, slightly arched, the sides compressed ; nostrils basal
almost concealed by the frontal plumes ; wings long and pointed ;
the first and second quills longest ; tail moderate, wedge-shaped
or rcunded ; the central feathers often lengthened ; tarsi feathered
in front, reticulated posteriorly ; the anterior toes bare, united at
their base by membrane ; hind-toe minute, raised ; the claws
short, stout, very slightly curved.
Pterocles arenarius, Pall.
799. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 496 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 4 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 209 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 47 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE LAKGE SAND GROUSE.
Length, 13'25 to 1475 ; expanse, 27 to 30 ; wing, 9 to 10 ; tail,
4 to 5 ; tarsus, 1 to 1*25 ; bill from gape, 0'6 to 07 ; weight, 15 oz.
to 1J Ibs.
Bill pale bluish-grey to dark plumbeous ; irides brown ; feet
earthy -grey to dark greyish plumbeous.
Male, crown and middle of the nape brownish-grey with a
pinkish tinge ; rest of the upper parts mingled ashy and fulvous,
each feather being bluish-ashy in the middle, edged with fulvous,
giving a mottled appearance ; greater wing-coverts plain ochreous
or orange-buff, and the median-coverts also broadly edged with
the same ; quills and primary -coverts dark slaty, with black
shafts ; tail as the back, fulvous with black ashy bands ;
all the lateral tail-feathers tipped with white ; beneath, the
chin is deep chesnut, passing as a band under the ear-coverts
to the nape, and below this, on the middle of the throat, is
a small triangular patch of black ; the breast and sides of
the neck dull ashy, tinged with fulvous, with a narrow band
of black on the breast ; abdomen and vent deep black ; under tail-
coverts black, with white margins to the feathers ; tarsal plumes
pale yellowish.
The female differs in having the whole "head and upper parts
with the breast fulvous, banded with brown ; the pectoral band
is narrower, and between that and the black of the abdomen is
unspotted ; the chin is fulvous,, with a narrow black edging and a
few black specks ; the under tail- coverts pale fulvous.
PTEROCLIM:. 295
The Large or Black-bellied Sand Grouse is found during the
winter months, in Sind, Guzerat, and Rajputana. They frequent
open sandy plains, and are, if they have been much worried, very
difficult to shoot. They go regularly to drink every morning,
and native shikaries, taking advantage of this, lie in ambush
and often succeed in slaughtering great numbers of them.
They do not breed in India, but at Chaman, Southern
Afghanistan, I found them breeding freely during May and June.
They lay in slight depressions in the soil, and the eggs, three in
number, are similar to those of P. exustus, but are of course
much larger. They average 1'8 inches in length by about
1'25 in breadth.
Pterocles fasciatus, Scop.
800. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 498 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 4 ; Deccan, Stray Fpathers, Vol IX,
p. 421 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 59 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE PAINTED SAND GROUSE.
Length, 10 to 11-25 ; expanse, 19'5 to 22'5 ; wing, 6'4to 7 ; tail,
3*25 to 375 ; tarsus, 0'8 to 1 ; bill from gape, 0'55 to 07 ; weight,
6 to 7J oz.
Bill brown to dark orange-red ; irides brown ; feet dirty-yellow
to pale orange-brown.
Male, general ground color bright fulvous-yellow, the sides of
the head, neck and breast, and shoulder of the wings plain and
unspotted ; the back, scapulars, tertiaries and tail, banded with
deep brown ; a narrow white band on the forehead, then a broadish
black band, succeeded by another narrow white one, and then a
narrow black band, widening behind the eye, and ending in a
white spot ; the occiput and nape with black streaks ; quills
brown-black, with narrow pale edgings ; the median and greater-
coverts of the wings and some of the secondaries broadly banded
with inkyrblack, edged with white ; a triple band separates the
fulvous of the breast from the abdomen, the first maroon, the
second crearny-white, and the third unspotted chocolate-brown,
which is the ground color of the abdominal region, vent, and
under tail-coverts, each feather being tipped with white.
The female differs in wanting the black and white bands on the
head, the pectoral band, and the inky-black and white bars on the
wings, the whole upper surface, the sides of the neck, breast, wings,
and tail, being fulvous mixed with rufous, and finely barred
with black ; the chin, throat, ear-coverts, and some of the greater
wing-coverts are unspotted fulvous ; the lower part of the breast,
and the whole abdominal region, very finely barred with choco-
laJte-black and creamy-white.
-With the exception of Sind, the Painted Sand Grouse occurs
throughout the region, but is very locally distributed ; it is a
permanent resident, breeding usually in April and May ; they
296 PTEROCLID^E,
make no nest to speak of, but merely scrape a slight depression
in the,vground, at a spot, sheltered by a tuft of grass or bush.
The eggs, two or three in number, (usually three) are of a cylin-
drical shape, delicate pale salmon- pink in color, with specks and
tiny streaks of brownish-red, with a good many spots or clouds
of pale inky-purple intermingled.
They measure 1*4 inches in length by 0'98 in breadth.
Pterocles lichtensteini, Tem.
SOObis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 212; Game
Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 65.
THE CLOSE-BARRED SAND GROUSE.
Length, 10'25 to 1075 ; expanse, 20 to 21 ; wing, 6'5 to 675 ;
tail, 3'25 ; tarsus, T05 ; bill from gape, 0'65 ; weight, 8 oz.
Bill fleshy-brown ; irides brown ; legs orange-yellow.
Frontal zone white, or buffy- white ; a broad black semi-circu-
lar band behind it extending from the exterior angle of the
eye on each side ; behind this another white or buffy- white
band, interrupted on the crown, the feathers of which are buffy
white and mesially dark brown ; a buff spot above the hinder
angle of each eye ; chin and throat pale buff, their sides the
same, with minute black spots; upper breast, hind-neck, and
back, pale or fulvous white, with regular and close barrings
of black ; scapulars, wing-coverts and tertiaries the same, the
black transverse bars rather broader and deeper in color, the
tips of the feathers broadly yellowish-buff; upper tail-coverts
fulvous-white, the black bars more distant and as wide as the
fulvous interspaces ; primaries and their coverts hair-brown, the
outer web of the first margined with dull white, more conspi-
cuous basally, and some of the inner ones with white margins
to the tips ; secondaries dark brown ; lower breast yellowish-
buff, with a narrow black band crossing it in the middle and
another on the lower part of the breast, formed by the dark
termination of the lowest breast feathers ; below this the abdo-
men, flanks, vent and under tail-coverts are white, with trans-
verse brown bars ; tarsal plumes buffy-white ; tail barred buff
and black, the terminal black bar broadest, with a streak run-
ning up the shafts of the feathers and partially dividing the
broad buffy tips.
The female wants the frontal patch and the semi-circular
band behind it, also the buff breast and band crossing it in
the middle ; the chin and throat are pale buffy, minutely spotted
with dark brown ; the upper surface of the body finely, closely,
and narrowly barred with pale fulvous and dark brown ; the
lower surface the same, but the fulvous interspaces are broader
and the dark bars narrower.
The Close-barred Sand Grouse is a cold weather visitant to
the trans-indus portion of Sind.
PTEROCLID^. 297
Pterocles alchata, Lin.
801. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 500 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 210 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. I,
p. 77.
THE LARGE PIN-TAILED SAND GROUSE.
Length, 13'5 to 15'5 ; expanse, 24 to 26 ; wings, 7'5 to 8'5 ;
tail, # 5 to 7, ? 375 to 6 ; tarsus, 1 ; weight, 8J to 12 ounces.
Bill dusky-green to slate color ; irides brown ; feet dirty or
dusky-green.
Forehead and supercilia rusty-fulvous, with a black stripe
behind the eye ; top of the head and nape fulvous with black
bands ; the general hue above, including the scapulars and shoul-
ders of the wings, is fulvous or greyish-olive, shaded with fuscous ;
the scapulars with a few black spots ; rump and upper tail-
coverts bright pale fulvous with narrow black bars ; lesser and
median wing-coverts maroon, white tipped; secondary-coverts
fulvous with black lunules ; greater-coverts and primaries slaty-
blue on their outer webs, brown internally ; tail banded yellow
and black ; the median pair blackish on their attenuated portion ;
the outer feathers greyish white, tipped and edged ; beneath,
the chin and throat are black, edged with rusty ; lores and
face rufous-yellow, with a blackish space round the eyes ; breast
pale fulvous, with a double black band, each of them narrow ;
abdomen, vent, and lower tail-coverts white, the latter slightly
black barred ; tarsal plumes whitish.
The female differs in having the upper plumage barred with
black and fulvous, with some dusky-ashy spots on the back and
scapulars ; the lesser and median wing-coverts ashy, with oblique
rufous and black lunules ; the throat white ; a broad blackish
demi-collar on the neck, followed by an ashy band tinged with
rufous ; the median tail-feathers are nearly as long as in the
male bird.
It is only in the trans-indus portion of Sind that the Pin-
tailed Grouse occurs in any numbers, although stragglers are
occasionally procured much further south.
It is only a cold weather visitant.
Pterocles senegalus, Lin.
801 bis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 207 ; Butler,
Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 4 ; Game Birds of India,
Vol. I, p. 53. "
THE SPOTTED SAND GROUSE.
Length, 12'4 to 147 ; expanse, 22 to 24 ; wing, 7'3 to 8 ; tail,
<?, 5-3 to 6, ? , 4 to 4-6 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 0'4 to 0'47 ;
weight, 8 to 12 oz.
Bill pale plumbeous or bluish-white ; irides brown ; feet pale
plumbeous or bluish- white.
The male has the whole chin and throat with a patch extending
298 PTEROCLID^E.
upwards from the throat, towards, but not quite, meeting on
the back of the neck, bright buffy-yellow or orange-buff ; lores,
forehead, a broad stripe over the eye continued round the nape
and the back of the neck, pale blue-grey, dull and tinged fawny
in some specimens ; crown, occiput, and nape, a sort of dove-
color or pale, slightly rufous-fawn ; back and rump a somewhat
similar, but more sandy color, in many specimens more tinged
with fawn ; the upper tail-coverts buffy-yellow, all but the
longest obscurely tipped with a somewhat pinkish-mouse color.
They are more or less pale dove-color at their bases, which color
however is not seen till the feathers are lifted The central tail-
leathers have the pointed tips black, in many specimens more or
less tinged horny-buffy, and the rest of the visible portion
yellowish-buff, but the bases, as may be seen on lifting the
feathers, are greyish ; the lateral tail-feathers are a greyish-brown
at base, * dark shafted, with conspicuous white tips, and broad
blackish-brown subterminal bands ; the primaries are pale
isabelline, the shafts conspicuous and black ; they have broad
ill -defined subterminal brown bands, beyond which there is a
narrow paler tipping, and they are pretty conspicuously margined
on their inner webs towards the tips with still paler isabelline ;
the first primary has the outer web browner, the others have the
outer webs, especially towards the bases, a brighter isabelline.
The whole visible portions of the lesser-coverts and of the
primary greater-coverts are yellowish-fawn, or isabelline, varying
much in shade in different specimens ; these greater-coverts are
dark shafted, and with a brownish tinge next the shafts on the
inner webs ; the scapulars bluish-grey at the bases, tipped broadly,
but chiefly on the outer webs, with buffy-yellow, and the lesser
ones tinged immediately above the yellow with a somewhat
brownish-purple, or dull greyish- vinaceous ; the secondary,
median, and greater-coverts like the lesser scapulars, but showing
more of the vinaceous hue. The secondaries are brown, lighter
towards their bases, the lower part of the neck in front
and breast are nearly the same blue-grey or greyish-fawn as
the back of the neck; the lower breast, abdomen, sides,
flanks, axillaries, and wing-lining isabelline or desert color, the
upper abdomen often with a faint orange-buffy tinge ; a broad
deep irregular brown patch runs down the centre of the abdomen
to the vent ; the lower tail-coverts are greyish-brown at their
bases, but are broadly tipped with white v often tinged buffy or
isabelline) which is the only color visible until the feathers are
lifted ; the lower surfaces of the quill shafts are white.
The female has the yellow chin and throat patch like the male,
but paler ; the lores and feathers immediately encircling the eye
pale isabelline white ; the whole upper parts and the neck all
round pure isabelline, tinged slightly rufous on the occiput,
nape, and back, and conspicuously spotted with dull, somewhat
greyish-black ; the spots on the forehead and front part of the
PTEKOCLID^E. 299
head are small and irregular ; on the nape and occiput they are
more or less arranged in rows (so as to produce more of a striat-
ed appearance) and in a band running from behind the eye
round the nape, they are very much more densely set ; on the
upper tail-coverts they are much larger, while on the scapulars
they take the form of double spots or irregular bars ; the
primaries and their greater coverts are much as in the male, but
paler ; the central tail-feathers are isabelline dark shafted ; the
points greyish black, and the rest of the feathers with narrow,
transverse, irregular bars of the same color on both webs ; the
lateral tail-feathers are much as in the male, but have the basal
portions more tinged with isabelline, and more or less imperfectly
barred ; the breast, abdomen, and wing lining are as in the
male, bnt somewhat purer and paler ; the abdominal patch is
narrower and perhaps also somewhat paler.
Within our limits, the Spotted Sand Grouse is only common in
Sind, but stragglers occasionally find their way into portions of
Guzerat and even Raj pu tana.
A few apparently remain to breed in Sind, but most of them
are mere cold weather visitants.
Pterocles coronatus, >Licht.
SQlter. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 206 ; Game
Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 57.
THE CORONETTED SAND GROUSE.
Length, 10 to 1175 ; wing, 7 to 7'5 ; expanse, 22 ; tarsus, 0'9 ;
bill at front, 0'45 ; bill at gape, 0'65.
Bill pale slaty ; irides brown ; legs clayey-slate, with china-
white scutse.
A line on each side of the forehead from the nostrils to above
the eye black, and a pale fulvous one between these from the
point of the forehead ; crown of the head pale chestnut, vinous
or rufescent fawn ; a pearly grey band fro^n the anterior angle of
the eye, continued as a supercilium and extending round to the
nape ; lores and a narrow band edging the black chin and throat-
stripe, white ; sides of the face, ear-coverts, and the neck all
round orange-buff; base of the neck and upper back isabelline,
the feathers edged dusky grey ; inter scapulars the same, with
median buffy spots at the tips ; rump and upper tail-coverts a
dark or dirty grey, mixed with the fulvous of the base of the
feathers ; tail with median rectrices of a pale vinous color, dark
shafted, with a subterminal dark spot, and very narrowly tipped
with white ; lateral feathers deeper vinous with also a subterminal
dark bar, and broadly tipped with white ; all the feathers with
a few dusky sprinkles behind the dark band ; primaries and their
coverts dull grey or dusky brown ; all the primaries, except the
first three, broadly margined with fulvous- white obliquely to-
wards the tips on their inner webs, and also tipped the same ;
300 PTEROCLID^.
secondaries hair-brown ; tertiaries vinous on their inner webs and
edged on the outer with buffish ; scapulars vinous at the base,
dark shafted with a subterminal dark band, and mesially tipped
with a nearly oval buff spot ; median wing-coverts the same,
the greater series greyish-buff or buffy-isabelline ; abdomen,
flanks, under wing-coverts, vent, and lower tail-coverts, white,
slightly soiled on the middle of the abdomen, and in some speci-
mens a pale isabelline ; tarsal plumes white.
The female has the throat and sides of the neck orange-buff ;
the chin paler and nearly albescent ; the crown very pale
cinnamon ; entire upper-surface buff, with, in some specimens,
a vinous tinge and barred with numerous crescentic and broken
bands of dark brown ; breast and under parts paler buff, also with
crescentic bands ; the flanks albescent ; scapulars largely blotched
with dusky and with buff tips ; primaries and secondaries as in the
male, but very pale, or hair-brown.
It is only on the confines of Sind that the Coronetted Sand
Grouse has been procured and that but rarely. It is of course
only a cold weather visitant, but further north in Southern
Afghanistan I was so fortunate as to procure two batches of
eggs. They measured 1'63 inches in length by 1*07 in
breadth.
Pterocles exustus, Tem.
802. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 502 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 4 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 421; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 210; Game
Birds of India, Vol I, p. 69 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India;
Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE COMMON SAND GROUSE.
Length, 11 to 1375 ; expanse, 21 to 22'5 ; wing, 6'5 to 7*5;
tail, 4 to 5'9 ; tarsus, 0'8 to 1 ; bill from gape, 0'6 to 07 ; weight,
7J to 10 oz.
Bill pale slaty-grey to pale plumbeous or lavender-blue ; irides
dark brown ; feet same as bill.
Male, general colour fulvous-isabelline, brighter and more
yellow about the lores, face, and chin, and mixed with dusky-
greenish on the back, wing and upper tail-coverts ; primaries
black, the tips of all, except the first three, white, broader on
the inner web ; a longitudinal median line on the wing, formed
by some of the coverts and secondaries being brighter buff;
tail with the central pair of feathers elongated and highly
attenuated, isabelline-yellow, the lateral feathers deep brown ;
edged and tipped with pale fulvous ; a narrow black band on the
breast ; abdomen deep chocolate brown (burnt or singed
color, hence exustus), paling on the vent, as are the tarsal
plumes.
The female has the whole upper plumage, including the tail
feathers (except a plain bar on the wing^ formed by the greater-
PTEROCLID.E.
301
coverts) fulvous, closely barred with deep brown, also the
space between the pectoral band and the abdomen ; neck and
breast unspotted dingy isabelline ; abdomen as in the male ; the
central rectrices are not elongated.
The Common Sand Grouse occurs abundantly throughout the
region. It does not affect hilly or rocky districts, nor is it found in
forest or swampy places. It is very partial to fallow or ploughed land.
It is a permanent resident, breeding pretty near all the year through.
The eggs, three in number, are deposited in a slight depression
on, the ground; they are of the usual shape peculiar to Grouse, long
and cylindrical, equally blunt at both ends ; in color they are greyish
or greenish- white or even light olive-brown, thickly streaked,
blotched and spotted equally over the whole surface with darker
or lighter shades of olive-brown and with pale underlying clouds
of very pale inky-purple.
They average T45 inches in length by about T03 in breadth.
The following key, published in Stray Feathers, Vol. VII,
p. 159, may prove useful :
Key to the Indian species of PTEROCLES.
A. Without pectoral band.
a. Stripe on each side of forehead from
nostril to above the eye, chin and
centre of throat, black ...
b. Lores and band encircling back of head
pearly-grey ; cheeks, ear-coverts and
throat orange-yellow ; centre of abdo-
men black ...
B. With pectoral band.
a. Without black bar on the forehead.
a ' Median rectrices not lengthened much
beyond the rest ; upper part of
throat and sides of neck rufous ;
lower portion of throat black ; band
on lower part of breast; abdomen
and flanks black ... ... P. arenarius.
b ' Median rectrices greatly lengthened
beyond the rest.
a 2 Throat yellow; black band
across breast ; abdomen and flanks
chesnut ... ... P. exustus.
6* Throat and stripe behind the
eye black ; sides of throat rufous ;
centre of breast chestnut, border-
ed above and below with black ;
rest of under parts white ... P. alchata.
b With black across forehead.
a ' Breast uniform greenish-buff.
a a Lower part of breast bordered
with a chesnut band, succeeded
1. P. coronatus.
2. P. senegalus.
302 PAVOtfIN.fi.
by a white one ; rest of under
parts yellowish white, barred
narrowly with black ; wing-coverts
with two black bands, margined
on the upper side only with white P. fasciatus.
b ' Throat pale buff; upper part of breast
buff, crossed with numerous narrow
black bars ; middle of breast uniform
buff, crossed in centre by a narrow
black bar, and another of the same
hue on its lower edge ; rest of under
parts yellowish- white, barred nar-
rowly with black ... ... P. lichtensteini.
FAMILY, Phasianidse.
Bill moderate, strong, vaulted; the tip of the upper mandible
produced over that of the lower ; sides more or less compressed ;
nostrils apert ; wings moderate or short, rounded ; tail (typically)
lengthened and broad, of from twelve to eighteen feathers ; tarsus
moderate or long, usually spurred in the males ; toes long, an-
terior ones united by a short membrane at the base ; the hind-toe
raised, short, sometimes resting on the ground by its point.
SUB-FAMILY, Pavoninae.
Plumage more or less ocellated.
GENUS, Pavo, Lin.
Bill lengthened, slender ; the nareal portion large ; nostrils
linear ; head ornamented with an erect crest of feathers of a
peculiar structure ; orbitar region naked ; tail moderate, long,
of eighteen feathers ; feathers of the back and upper tail-
coverts of great length, surpassing the tail and beautifully ocellated ;
tarsi rather long, spurred in the male.
Pavo cristatus, Lin.
803. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 506 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 5 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 421 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 212 ; Game
Birds of India, Vol. I, p, 81 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE COMMON PEACOCK.
Length, to the end of the true tail, 40 to 48 ; the long train
sometimes measures 50 inches or even more ; wings, 18 ; tail, 24.
Bill horny-brown ; naked orbits whitish ; irides dark-brown ;
legs horny-brown.
Male, head, neck, and breast rich purple with gold and green
reflections ; back green, the feathers scale-like, with coppery
edges ; the wings with the inner coverts, including the shoulder,
CALLING. 303
white, ^ striated with black ; the middle-coverts deep blue ; the
primaries and tail chesnut ; abdomen and vent black, the train
chiefly green, beautifully ocellated ; the thigh-coverts yellowish-
grey ; head, with a crest of about twenty-four feathers only,
webbed at the tip, and green with blue and gold reflections.
The Peahen is chestnut brown about the head and nape ; the
neck greenish, edged with pale whity-brown ; the upper plumage
light hair-brown, with faint wavings, increased on the upper tail-
coverts ; quills brown, some of the wing-coverts mottled dusky
and whitish ; tail deep brown with whitish tips ; chin and throat
W 7 hite ; breast as in the neck ; abdomen white, with the lower
parts and under tail-coverts brown. Length, 38 to 40 ; wing,
16 ; tail, 14. The crest is shorter and duller in its tints.
The Peacock is not indigenous to Sind, but has been intro-
duced, and appears to be in some portions of the country fairly
naturalized. In all other places within our limits the Peacock
is fairly common or would be if it was not so persecuted by
shikariea.
It is a permanent resident breeding during the rains; the
hen scratches a depression in the soil which she lines with a few
leaves, generally under cover. The eggs, six or eight in number,
are broad oval in shape, creamy white or pale pinkish cafe-au-
lait color. They are closely pitted over their whole surface
with minute pores. They measure 274 inches in length by 2'05
in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Gallinse.
Head sometimes furnished with fleshy crest and wattles, or
crested, or sub-crested ; tail usually of fourteen feathers, com-
pressed, and more or less divaricate, held demi-erect ; the upper
tail-coverts in the males are (typically) elongated and pendent.
GENUS, Gallus, Lin.
Head furnished with a crest of skin ; the face nude and also with
a loose lappet or wattle ; tarsus of the male strongly spurred ;
the spur long and strongly curved ; tail of fourteen feathers, com-
pressed, divaricated, with the median feathers lengthened, curved
and drooping, held semi-erect ; the backs of the feathers facing
each other ; the upper tail-coverts lengthened and curved ;
feathers of the neck hackled, lanceolate.
Gallup Gm.
812. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p 537 ; Game Birds of
India, Vol. I, p. 217.
THE RED JUNGLE FOWL. Yy >
(?. Length, 25'0 to 28'2 ; expanse, 27 to 29'5 ; wing, 812 to / Y&6
9'5 ; tail, 11-25 to 14'3 ; tarsus, 3 to 312 ; bill from gape, 119 to I/
1-37 ; weight, 1| Ibs. to 2J Ibs.
J-*]
/
)IL^
304 GALLING.
? . Length, 16'5 to 18'25 ; expanse, 23 to 25 ; wing, 71 to 7'5 ;
tail, 5-5 to 6'5; tarsus, 2 '3 to 2'55 ; bill from gape, 1'9 to T02 ;
weight, 1 T V Ibs. to 1-HJ Ibs.
Bill slaty-brown ; irides orange-red ; face, comb, and wattles
red ; legs slaty-black.
Male, rich golden hackles on the head, neck, throat and breast,
paler on the sides of the neck and posteriorly ; ear-coverts white ;
back purplish-brown in the middle, rich orange-Thrown on the
sides ; upper tail-coverts lengthened, also bright orange ; wings
with the lesser and greater-coverts black, glossed with green ;
median-coverts rich dull maroon ; primaries dusky, with pale
edges; secondaries chestnut externally, dusky within ;tertiaries
glossy black ; tail with the central feathers rich glossy green-black,
the gloss diminishing on the lateral feathers ; beneath from the
breast unglossed black ; thigh-coverts the same.
The Jungle Hen has the general color yellowish-brown,
minutely mottled with dark brown ; and some of the feathers,
especially of the upper back and wing-coverts, having conspi-
cuously pale shafts ; the head dusky above, passing into short
hackles of dark brown, edged with bright yellow on the neck
and sides of the breast ; quills and tail dark brown ; the central
rectrices edged with mottled-brown ; ear-coverts yellowish ; a line
down the throat deep bright red-brown, ending in a point below
and passing up in a line behind the ears to join a small super-
cilium of the same hue ; breast pale rufous-brown, with central
pale streaks, lighter on the middle of the belly and becoming
dull brown on the flanks, vent, thigh-coverts, and under tail-
coverts.
I have been assured by a well known sportsman that the Red
Jungle Fowl occurs in Central India, but it must be very rare as
no one else seems ever to have met with it.
Gallus sonnerati, Tern.
813. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 539 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 5 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 421 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 231 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE GREY JUNGLE FOWL.
Jangli Murghi, Hin.
#. Length, 28 to 32 ; expanse, 27 to 31 ; wing, 9'35 to 9'65 ;
tail, 14 to 16 ; tarsus, 2'85 to 3; bill from gape, 1'3; weight,
1-f g to 2J Ibs.
? . Length, 18 to 20 ; expanse, 26 to 27 ; wing, 7'8 to 8'3 ;
tail, 6 to 7 ; tarsus, 2'2 to 2'5 ; bill from gape, 1'2 ; weight, 1 T ^
to If Ibs.
Bill yellowish-horny ; comb, face, and wattles red ; irides
orange-brown ; legs and feet horny -yellowish.
Whole head and neck, with the hackles, blackish-grey, with
GALLING. 305
yellow spots, each feather being blackish with the shaft white
and two spots, the terminal one of somewhat square form, as
if a drop of yellow sealing wax ; the other whitish, passing on
the wing-coverts into oblong spots of glistening wood-brown ;
ear- co verts pale rufous ; the rest of the plumage above and below
blackish-grey, the feathers white shafted, and those on the
flanks broadly centred and tipped with wood-brown ; outermost
primaries dusky, with the shaft and narrow edge pale ; the
others black, faintly glossed ; upper tail-coverts glossy purple ;
cerilral tail-feathers glossy-green, the gloss diminishing on the
lateral feathers ; vent dirty- brownish ; under tail-coverts glossy
black with white shafts.
The hen is mottled brown above, with pale shafts on the
wing-coverts ; beneath blackish-brown, the feathers broadly
centred with pure white, passing into plain dull brown on the
flanks, thigh- co verts, vent, and under tail-coverts ; head and neck
rufous- brown, paler on the chin and throat, and somewhat
yellowish ; primaries dark brown, the secondaries mottled brown ;
tail blackish-brown, edged with mottled-brown.
The Grey Jungle Fowl is a common permanent resident all
along the Sahyadri Range, and in the adjoining forests, includ-
ing the hilly parts of Ratnagiri and Belgaum ; it is also common
on Mount Aboo, and indeed all along the Aravelli Range at all
events as far as Erinpoora, where I have myself obtained it. It
breeds during May and June, the eggs being deposited on the
ground under a bush ; there is not much nest to speak of, only
a few dry leaves. I have never found more than six eggs in a
nest ; they are oval in shape, pointed at one end, coarse in texture
and closely pitted all over like the eggs of guinea fowl. They
are creamy or of a rich cafe-au-lait color, most of them spotted
or speckled with brownish red. They measure 1'84 inches in
length by T38 in breadth.
GENUS, Galloperdix, Blyth.
Bill somewhat lengthened ; orbits nude ; tail moderately long,
broad, of fourteen feathers, held erect and folded as in fowls ;
tarsus of the male with two or more spurs ; females also with
one or more spurs, of small size. Sexes differ much in color.
Galloperdix spadiceus, Gmelin.
814. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 541 ; Butler, Guzerat; u / j
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 5 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. I/^J
IX, p. 422 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 247 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE RED SPUR FOWL.
Length, 13 to 15 ; expanse, 17 to 20 ; wing, 5*62 to 675 ; tail,
4'5 to 6 ; tarsus, T6 to 175 ; bill from gape, 1 to T2 ; weight,
.9 to 14 oz.
20
306 GALLING.
Bill dusky-red, horny at tip ; irides from dull yellow to dusky-
brown ; legs and feet always red but vary in shade, from vermi-
lion-red to dull pink.
Male, head and nape dusky olive-brown ; the forehead and
round the eye pale whity-brown, somewhat buff in some indi-
viduals ; chin, throat, and sides of neck, pale brown ; the rest
of the body, both above and below, rich brown-chesnut or bay,
each feather pale edged ; primaries brown ; the secondaries
and tertiaries more or less minutely mottled ; tail with the
central feathers chesnut, the others dark brown, more or less
mottled, this disappearing with age ; lower abdomen, vent, and
under tail-coverts, olivaceous.
The female has the crown dusky-blackish, the neck olive-brown,
and the rest of the upper plumage pale rufous-brown, each
feather with two or three blackish bands, and minutely speckled,
and the tip pale ; the rump and upper tail-coverts are minutely
freckled; the tail mostly blackish, with mottled rufous bars,
tending to become obsolete ; primaries, their coverts, and the
winglet, spotless dusky-brown ; throat albescent ; neck olive-brown,
the feathers becoming rufous in the centre, and tipped with
black ; breast and flanks bright ferruginous, with narrow black
tips ; belly dusky -brown ; under tail-coverts freckled rufous-brown.
The male bird has usually two spurs on each leg, sometimes
three on one, and occasionally two on one leg and one on another,
usually long and sharp. The hen-bird generally has one on each
leg, sometimes absent on one leg ; and occasionally two on one
leg and one on the other.
The Red Spur Fowl is a permanent resident on the Sahyadri
Range, and in the forests adjoining ; it is also very common at
Aboo.
Since the above was written I found it very abundant at
Baroli near Neemuch, extending at least as far as Erinpoora,
where I have myself obtained it. It breeds during thp hot season,
making a slight nest of leaves and grass on the ground, almost
exclusively in dense bamboo clumps. The eggs, six to eight in
number, vary in shape, but are typically the same shape as those
of the common hen.
They also vary in color from pinkish-buff to creamy-white.
They measure 1*65 inches by 1*21.
Galloperdix lunulatus, Valenc.
815.- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 543 ; Butler, Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 422 ; Game Birds of India, Vol.
I, p. 255.
THE PAINTED SPUR FOWL.
Length, 12 to 13'6 ; expanse, 17'5 to 18'5 ; wing, 575 to 6'2 ;
tail, 4-3 to 5 ; bill from gape, 0'8 to 0'9 ; weight, 8 to 10 oz.
Bill blackish-horny, paler beneath ; irides dark -brown ; legs and
feet plumbeous.
PERDICIN.E. 307
Male, head, face, and neck variegated black and white, the
feathers being black with white streaks and triangular spots,
the head mostly black ; the upper plumage and wings rich ches-
nut, with spots on the back, sides of neck, shoulders and wing-
coverts ; primaries earthy-brown ; tail dark sepia-brown, glossed
with green in old birds ; beneath the throat and neck are
variegated black and white, changing on the breast to ochreous-
buff, with small triangular black marks, which disappear on the
abdomen ; the flanks, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts dull
chcsnut.
The female has the top of the head dusky, with the forehead
over the eye, and the nape, tinged with chesnut ; a pale ruff and
moustachial line ; the rest of the plumage dull olive-brown,
changing to ochreous-olive on the breast and abdomen.
Young males have the general plumage of female, with the
tertiaries and tail chesnut brown, with black bands.
Young females have blackish lunulations on part of their
plumage.
The male has from one to three spurs on each leg, generally
two on each, occasionally three on one and two on the other.
The female has usually at least one spur on each leg,
occasionally two, very rarely none at all.
The Painted Spur Fowl is rare in the Deccan ; indeed it has
only, I believe, been procured once, about 40 miles north-east
of Belgaum ; one was shot by General Nuttal about 35 miles
from Neemuch, Central India, the skin of which is now in my
possession, but the Red Spur Fowl is much the commonest of the
two species.
FAMILY, Setraonidae.
Bill generally short, stout, and thick ; nostrils in many plumed
at the base ; wings rounded in most, pointed in a few ; longer than
in the Phasianidce ; tail short or moderate, even or very slightly
rounded, forked and lengthened in a few ; tarsus rather short and
stout ; face feathered entirely, or with a small patch of nude
skin over or round the eye. Plumage of the sexes in general
differing but very slightly, sometimes not at all.
SUB-FAMILY, Perdicinse.
Tarsus not feathered ; orbits generally plumed, or wanting the
nude eyebrow of the grouse ; tarsus often spurred.
GENUS, Franeolinus, Stephens.
Bill moderate or somewhat long, stout, slightly curved at the
tip ; tail of 14 feathers, somewhat lengthened, even, or very
slightly rounded ; tarsi of the male wfth strong but blunt spurs.
Francolinus vulgaris, Step.
818. Jerdbn's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 558 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
308 PERDICIN.E.
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 5 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 213 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 9.
THE BLACK PARTRIDGE.
Kola Titar, Hin.
Length, 12*25 to 14*8; expanse, 18'5 to 21*5 ; wing, 57 to
67 ; tail, 3'38 to 4'4 ; tarsus, T5 to 2 ; bill from gape, 0'9 to 1'25 ;
weight, 8 to 20 oz.
Bill, $ , black, .? , horny-brown, the tips of both paler ; irides
deep brown ; legs yellowish or reddish-brown.
Head, cheeks, and throat, deep black ; the top of the head
and nape edged with rufous, and with some white spots on the
sides of the occiput, forming a pale line ; ear- coverts pure white ;
a broad collar of fine chesnut-red passes round the whole neck ;
upper part of the back black, feathers edged with rufous and
white tipped ; the middle and lower back, rump, and upper tail-
coverts finely barred black, and whitish, or grey ; wings with the
coverts black, with broad bay or rufous edges, and the quills
barred with rufous and black ; tail black, the middle feathers
barred with black and grey on the upper parts, the lateral
feathers being similarly barred at their base only ; plumage
beneath, from the rufous collar, deep black, more or less banded
on the lower part of the abdomen with white, and the flanks of
the breast and abdomen spotted with white ; thigh-coverts and
under tail-coverts chesnut.
The female differs in wanting the black head and neck of the
male, which is more or less rufous mixed with brown, the throat
and sides of the neck being white, and a dusky band surrounds
the white portion of the ear-coverts ; the back and wings are
dusky, with pale rufous edges, whitish on the wing ; the back,
rump, and upper tail-coverts are barred pale rufous and dark
brown ; the tail feathers blackish, with pale bands ; the medial
pair brown banded ; beneath, from the throat, the plumage is
white with black spots, longitudinal and arrow-shaped in front,
becoming more transverse on the flanks and lower abdomen.
The Black Partridge is very rare in Northern Guzerat ; further
north it is more frequently met with, and in Sind it is a common
permanent resident, breeding during June and July.
The nest, composed of grass, grass roots, &c., is usually
untidily put together, but occasionally is more neater. The eggs,
six to ten in number, vary greatly in size, but average 1*56
inches in length to about 1*28 in breadth. In color they vary
from slightly greenish or brownish-fawn to stone color.
Francolinus pictus, Jard. & Selb.
819. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 561 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 6 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 422 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 19 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
PERDICINJ3. 309
THE PAINTED PARTRIDGE;
Length, 11 to 13 ; expanse, 17 to 19 '5 ; wing, 5 '3 to 5 '8 ; tail,
2'6 to 3'55 ; tarsus, T5 to 175 ; bill from gape, 1 to 113 ;
weight, 8-rV to 12 T ^ oz.
Bill blackish, paler at base beneath ; irides deep brown ; legs
reddish or yellowish -red.
Neither sex have spurs.
Forehead, lores, face, broad superciliura, and ear-coverts ferrugi-
nous-chesnut ; the top of the head dark brown with pale edgings,
the- neck all round pale ferruginous ; the upper part of the back
and scapulars deep brown ; the feathers edged laterally with creamy
white, and this gradually passing into the markings of the wings,
which are chesnut with black bands ; the lower back, rump, and
upper tail-coverts, are beautifully marked with undulating lines of
black and white ; tail deep brown, the feathers finely cross-barred at
their base ; beneath, the throat is white, with longitudinal dark lines ;
the whole of the rest of the lower surface variegated black and
white, each feather being white with two dark cross-bands, and the
shaft and tip black ; these dark bands gradually narrow towards
the vent ; under tail-coverts chesnut ; feathers of the flanks and
sides of the rump are tinged with pale ferruginous.
The female differs in having a somewhat ferruginous tinge
beneath, and in the throat being more or less rufous.
With the exception of Sind, the Painted Partridge occurs in all
suitable localities throughout our limits. It is a permanent resi-
dent, breeding towards the middle of the rains. The eggs, six or
eight in number, are somewhat peg-top shape, and are smoky-
white in color. They measure 1*4 inches in length by 118 in
breadth.
GENUS, Oaccabis, Kaup.
Bill somewhat lengthened, stout, red ; tarsi of male with a
blunt spur, red ; tail of 12 or 14 feathers not quite concealed by
the upper-coverts ; a small nude patch behind the eye ; plumage
not mottled.
Caccabis chukar, J. E. Gr.
320. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 564 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 213 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 33.
THE GHUKOR PARTRIDGE.
Chukor, Hin.
<J. Length, 14'25 to 1575 ; expanse, 21'5 to 23'25 ; wing, 6'25
to 6'8 ; tail, 4 to 4'9 ; tarsus, T6 to T9 ; bill from gape, 0'94 to
1-2 ; weight, 19 to 27 oz.
o . Length, 13'0 to 14'4 ; expanse, 20 to 21'3 ; wing, 5'9 to 6'5 ;
taiC 3'3 to 4>1 J tarsus, T55 to 175 ; bill from gape, 0'94 to 11 ;
weight, 13 to 19 oz.
Bill crimson to deep coral-red, occasionally dusky on the cul-
310 PERDICIN^E.
men ; irides yellowish or reddish-brown ; legs and feet pale
reddish.
Plumage above pale-bluish or olive-ashy, washed with a rufous
tinge ; lores black, and a white band behind the eye ; ear-coverts
rufous ; wings reddish-ashy, the coverts tipped with buff, and the
primaries narrowly edged with the same ; tail ashy on the central
feathers, the laterals tinged with rufous ; face, chin, and throat,
fulvous or rufous, surrounded by a black band which begins at the
eye, and forms a sort of necklace round the throat ; below this
the neck and breast are ashy, changing to buff on the abdomen
and under tail-coverts ; the flanks of the breast and belly beauti-
fully banded, each feather being ashy at the base, with two large
black bands, the terminal one tipped with fine maroon, and the
space between the bands creamy-white.
The female closely resembles the male, but is slightly smaller,
and wants the spurs.
"Within our limits the Chukor only occurs on the rocky hills that
divide Sind from Khelat. It is very common both in the Bolan
Pass and on the Khoja Amran Range of mountains in Southern
Afghanistan.
I found them breeding near Chaman, about the end of March
or early in April. There was no nest ; the eggs were deposited on
the ground, in a depression under a bush. I never found more
than eight eggs, but the Afghans asserted that they frequently lay
twenty, and I have seen a hen with quite that number of chicks ;
whether they were all her own or not, I cannot say. The eggs are
somewhat peg-topped shape, of a pale stony color, speckled and
blotched with lavender-brown. They average 1*61 inches in
length by 1*4 in breadth.
GENUS, Ammoperdix.
Of small-size ; bill somewhat lengthened, red ; wings lon ;
tarsus wholly devoid of a spur or even of a knob, otherwise as in
Caccabis.
Ammoperdix bonhami, Gray.
821. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 567; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 214 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 45.
THE SEESEE PARTRIDGE.
Sisi, Hin.
<J. Length, 9'5 to 11 ; expanse, 16 to 1675 ; wing, 4'9 to 575 ;
tail, 2 to 2-5; tarsus, 11 to 1'2 ; bill from gaape, 0'67 to 077 ;
weight 7 to 8 oz.
? . Length, 9 to 975 ; expanse, 15 to 16'25 ; wing, 4'9 to 51 ;
tail, 2 to 2-5 ; tarsus, 11 to 1'2 ; bill from gape, 0'62 to 071 ;
weight, 5} to 8 oz.
Bill orange or brownish orange-red, inclined to be dusky on
culmen ; irides from bright yellow to orange-brown.
PERDICIN.E. 311
Male, above pale Isabella-brownish, finely freckled with dusky ;
the crown of the head and cheeks grey ; forehead and a narrow
line over the eye black ; lores and ear-coverts silky-white, rufous
posteriorly ; beneath this a narrow black line ; rump and upper
tail-coverts much speckled with black ; primaries dusky within,
isabella-brown on the outer webs, with dusky pencillings, and all
but the first barred on their outer webs with whitish ; tail
chesnut-brown, paler at the tip, and freckled with black ;
beneath, the throat is greyish-white, the breast delicate grey,
and the sides of the neck grey with numerous white spots,
ana a few black specks ; breast pale rufous isabelline or
vinaceous ; the feathers of the flanks whitish, tinged with vinace-
ous, and dashed with rufous and dark-brown; lower tail-
coverts pale chesnut.
The female wants the ashy crown of male, and is minutely
mottled all over, both above and beneath.
The Seesee is not uncommon in precisely the same localities
as those frequented by C. chukar.
It breeds at the same time, and in a similar manner to that bird.
The eggs are not unlike those of 0. pondiceriana, but are slightly
paler in color. They measure T36 inches in length by 11 in
breadth.
GENUS, Ortygornis, Reich.
Bill lengthened, tip well turned over ; legs red, with one strong
and sharp spur, occasionally two ; tail rather short, of twelve
feathers ; wings moderate.
Ortygornis pondicerianus, Gm.
822. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 569 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 6 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 422 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 214 ; Game
Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 51 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE GREY PARTRIDGE.
Titar, Hin.
<?. Length, 11'6 to 13'4 ; expanse, 17'4 to 20 ; wing, 5'3 to 6 ;
tail, 3 : 35 to 4 ; tarsus, 1'4 to 17 ; bill from gape, 0'87 to 0'96 ;
weight, 9oz. to 12oz.
$ . Length, 10'2 to 1T9 ; expanse, 16'5 to 18*3 ; wing, 5 to 5'68 ;
tail, 3'2 to 375 ; tarsus, 1-37 to T58 ; bill from gape, 075 to
0'89 ; weight, 7 oz. to 1 1 oz.
Bill dusky-brown or blackish, beneath paler ; irides dark-
brown ; legs bright red.
Head above olive-brown, rufous on the forehead over the eyes,
and on the nape ; lores and face also rufous, with black specks ;
ear-coverts silky hair-brown ; upper plumage, including the wing-
coverts, upper tail-coverts, and central tail-feathers, speckled
brown, each feather being rich red-brown with three bars of
312 PEKDICIN^E.
creamy-yellow, and paler and somewhat olive-brown at the tip ;
primaries pale brown ; outer tail-feathers rich chesnut-brown,
with a dusky-brown terminal band, pale tipped ; beneath, the
chin and throat are whitish with small dark-brown spots, forming
a triangular mark ; the rest of the lower plumage ochreous-
white or creamy, most pronounced on the breast, and with
numerous minute cross-bars of brown, somewhat broader on the
breast and sides of the neck, where it mingles with the upper
plumage ; lower tail -co verts ferruginous.
The Grey Partridge is common throughout the district, breed-
ing during March, April, and May. Some few birds lay again
later in the season, but these are probably birds that have had
their previous eggs taken or destroyed.
The eggs are generally six in number, occasionally seven, but
I have taken five fully incubated ; they are white, more or less
tinted with cafe-au-lait, and measure 1*3 inches in length by
1-03 in breadth.
GENUS, Perdicula, Hodgs.
Bill short, thick, well curved ; tarsus with a blunt tubercle ;
wings firm, much rounded, outer web of most of the primaries
sinuated and moderately firm ; tail short, of twelve feathers ; of
very small size ; sexes differ in plumage.
Perdicula asiatica, Lath.
826. P. cambayensis, Lath. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 581 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 6 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 422 ; Game Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 109 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 131.
THE JUNGLE BUSH QUAIL.
Length, 6'3 to 72 ; expanse, 10 to 1M ; wing, 3'0 to 3'5 ;
tail, 1-5 to 178 ; tarsus, 0'94 to TO ; bill from gape, 0'5 to 0'6 ;
weight, 2 oz. to 2'85 oz.
Bill bluish-black ; irides light to reddish-brown ; legs and feet
light waxy-orange to yellowish-red.
Male, above rich dark reddish-brown, mottled with dull rufous,
a long yellowish or rufous-white supercilium, narrowly edged with
black, and an indistinct pale line from the gape ; between this
and the supercilium rufous-brown ; the shafts of the feathers of
the back of the neck and the back white ; many of the feathers
of the back with black markings ; and the scapulars and wing-
coverts richly marked on their inner webs with pale creamy- white
and black ; primaries red-brown, with fulvous or tawny spots or
bars ; tail with a few black bars ; beneath, the chin is rich,
chesnut, and the rest of the under surface white, tinged with
rufescent on the lower abdomen, flanks, vent, and lower tail-
coverts, with numerous cross bars of black, small on the throat
and sides of the neck, increasing in size on the breast and abdo-
men, and disappearing towards the vent.
PERDICIN.E. 313
The female has the lower plumage rufous, with whitish shafts
in some specimens, and the black markings of the upper plumage
less distinct ; the throat is generally darker rufous than the rest
of the lower plumage. In some specimens the rufous tinge is
more distinct above, and in others less so, and the brown has
more of a greenish tinge.
With the exception of Sind, the Jungle Bush Quail occurs in
all suitable localities throughout our limits ; it is essentially a
jungle bird, and does not occur in bare open places like argoondah.
It is a permanent resident, breeding on the hills during the
rains, the eggs being very similar to those of the next species.
Perdicula argoondah, Sykes.
827. P. asiatica, Lath. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p.
588; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 7;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 423 ; Game Birds of India,
Vol. II, p. 117 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885,
p. 131.
THE ROCK BUSH QUAIL.
Lowa, Hin.
Length, 67 to 7'25 ; expanse, 10 to 1T2 ; wing, 31 to 3'5 ;
tail, 1-5 to 1-9; tarsus, 075 to 1; bill from gape, 0'5 to '67 ;
weight, 2i to 3 oz.
Bill black, beneath paler ; irides vary from brown to light red ;
feet also vary from dull-red to bright-orange.
Male, upper plumage brownish-rufous, the feathers minutely
freckled and lineolated with black and tawny ; the feathers of
the head and neck tipped with black, and some of the sca-
pulars and wing-coverts with irregular black blotches ; primaries
dark-brown, with tawny bars on the outer webs ; tail with the
lateral feathers also barred ; a narrow white line passes over the
eye from the base of the bill, bordered by dusky and another
short line below this from the gape ; the rest of the face, chin
and throat bright rufous ; the whole lower parts, including the
sides of the neck, being white with numerous cross-bars of black
and tinged with rufous on the flanks, lower belly and thigh-
coverts.
The female differs in having the upper surface more uniform
rufous-brown, and the whole of the lesser parts pale rufous,
albescent on the vent ; supercilia barely perceptible. Some
specimens of males are more uniformly rufous than in the above
description, and want the black markings ; these are probably
young birds.
The Rock Bush Quail is, with the exception of Sind, gene-
rally distributed throughout our limits, never ascending the
hills to any great height. It frequents rocky and open ground,
whether cultivated or not, more especially if it is studded with
low bushes, wherein it can take refuge if disturbed. It is a
314 PERDICIN^E;
permanent resident and breeds from August to November,
making a loose nest, generally in a slight depression on the ground
sheltered by a low bush or tuft of coarse grass. The eggs, six or
seven in number, are moderately broad ovals in shape, pointed
towards one end ; they are white, tinged with excessively pale cafe-
au-lait color. They measure 1'02 inches in length by about 0*84
inches in breadth.
The following remarks by Mr. Hume will aid in discriminating
this species from the preceding:
" The adults of both sexes (and, I believe, most of the young
also) may be distinguished at a glance by two characters.
" The bright chesnut hue of the chin and throat of the Jungle
Bush Quail, which contrasts equally strongly with the white,
black-barred, lower surface of the male, and the dull rufous of the
same parts in the female. In the Rock Bush Quail, the chin
and throat are dull rufous, the chin often being, especially in the
females, whitish, and in these latter the throat is unicolorous with
the breast.
" The long well marked yellowish-white superciliary stripe
which, in the Jungle Bush Quail, begins in males at the
nostrils, and in females a little further back, and in both
runs over the eyes and ear-coverts right down to the nape,
averaging in males T15, and in females 0'9 in length. In the
Kock Bush Quail the supercilium is by no means well marked,
very narrow, and just extends to the ear-coverts ; in many speci-
mens it is scarcely traceable. Moreover, the supercilium, such
as it is, in the Rock Bush Quail, is immediately above the eye
and ear-coverts ; whereas in the Jungle Bush Quail, the long
supercilium is separated from both eyes and ear-coverts by a
narrow band of the same rich chesnut as the throat."
GENUS, Microperdix, Gould.
Bill red and more slender than in Perdicula, and the male
wants the tarsal tubercle, otherwise as in Perdicula.
Microperdix erythrorhynchus, Sykes.
828. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 584 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 423 ; Game Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 123.
THE PAINTED BUSH QUAIL.
Length, 6'6 to 7'5; expanse, 10 to 11 '3 ; wing, 3 to 3*5 ; tail,
1-5 to 2 ; tarsus, 0'97 to 11 ; bill from gape, 0'6 to 07 ; weight,
2 to 3 T ] 6 oz.
Bill red; irides brown or yellowish-brown; legs and feet
red.
Male, forehead, lores and crown of head, black ; a white frontal
band continued as a supercilium over each eye ; upper plumage
rich olive-brown, with black lunules ; scapulars, wing-coverts and
secondaries with large patches of black ; the shaft pale yellow,
COTURNICIN.E. 315
and some faint cross lines of the same ; primaries brown, the
outer webs barred with dark rufous ; tail brown with black spots,
and barred with narrow pale yellow lines ; beneath, the chin
is pure white, bordered by black ; the rest of the lower parts are
rufous, passing into olive-brown on the sides of the neck, and
with a few spots of black on the breast, increasing in size on the
sides of the neck and breast ; feathers of the flanks with large spots
of deep black tipped with white.
The female differs in having the chin, supercilium, forehead,
and face rufous in place of white, and the head is brown instead
of being black.
The Painted Bush Quail is a common and permanent resident
all along the Sahyadri Range, and several other portions of the
Deccaii ; it does not occur in Sind, Guzerat, or Rajputana.
Its mode of nidification does not differ from that of the other
Bush Quails.
SUB-FAMILY, Coturnicinse.
Wings pointed, long ; bill moderate ; tarsi not spurred ; of
small size. Sexes differ somewhat in coloration.
GENUS, Coturnix, Brisson.
Bill somewhat slender, straight or slightly curved ; tarsi with-
out spurs ; tail very short, rounded and soft, concealed by the
upper tail -co verts ; wings lengthened and pointed, the first and
second quills longest.
Coturnix communis, Bonn.
829. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. 11, p. 586; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 7 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 423; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 215; /
Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 133 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, '
Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 131.
THE LARGE GREY QUAIL.
Length, 7'1 to 8-82 ; expanse, 13'0 to 147; wing, 4 -0 to 4'55;
tail, 1-6 to 2-25; tarsus, 0'9 to T15; bill from gape, 0'6 to 073;
weight, 3'2 to 4*62 oz.
Bill very variable, in color blackish, dusky horny-brown, dull
pale bluish, &c. ; irides brown ; legs and feet pale fleshy.
Male, head brown, with pale edgings to the feathers, and a
central pale line ; eye-brows, cheeks, and lores whitish, with the
ear-coverts partially brown ; the upper plumage brown, each
feather of the back, scapulars, rump and tail having on one side
of the pale yellow shaft, a fine black patch, and some pale cross
striae ; wing-coverts greyish-brown, with narrow streaks and
bars of the pale yellowish, black bordered ; primaries dark-brown,
with pale rufous spots and bars on the outer webs; beneath,
the chin is dull white ; the throat rufous-brown with a double
blackish or brown band or collar, separated by some yellowisn-
316 COTURNICIN^E,
white and a few blackish spots on the breast and sides of the
neck ; the rest of the lower plumage pale rufous, deepest on the
lower neck and breast, and becoming earthy on the flanks and
vent ; the long feathers of the flanks pale chocolate color, with a
broad central stripe and some black blotches.
The female chiefly differs in wanting the rufous-brown patches
on the throat and breast, which is much spotted with brown ;
she is larger than the male.
The Grey Quail is a common winter visitant to all portions of
our limits. It is much more common in some years than in
others. A few pairs do occasionally remain to breed, but these
are probably sickly or injured birds.
Coturnix coromandelica, Gm.
830. Jerdon's Birds of India, Yol. II, p. 588 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 7 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 423 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind,
p. 215 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 151 ; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 132.
THE BLACK-BREASTED QUAIL.
Length, 6'5 to 7'25 ; expanse, 7'83 to 1212 ; wing, 3'43 to
37 ; tail, 1-2 to T56 ; tarsus, 0'9 to TO ; bill from gape, 0*5 to
0'6 ; weight, 2'2 to 3 oz.
Bill blackish, paler at base beneath ; irides brown ; legs and
feet pale fleshy.
Male, upper surface closely resembles that of the Grey Quail,
but is somewhat brighter, and the colors more pronounced, the
yellow stripes being in greater number ; chin and throat pure
white ; two narrow cross bands of black on the throat, the upper
one joined by a longitudinal stripe on each side from the base
of the lower mandible ; below these the breast is black, breaking
up into black blotches on the abdomen, extending along the
flanks as far as the vent ; lower belly white, tinged with rufous
on the flanks and lower tail-coverts ; primaries plain unbarred
brown.
The female wants the black breast and cross bars, and has the
neck and breast spotted dark-brown.
Young males have less of the black on the breast, which is
broken up into spots and blotches. During the breeding season,
the black breast is more marked, the bill also is darker, and the
legs redder.
The Rain Quail is generally distributed throughout the district,
and is in most places a permanent resident ; in Sind it occurs
as a seasonal visitant. It breeds during August, September and
October, making a slight nest in a depression on the ground.
The eggs, eight or nine in number, are usually broad oval in shape,
and vary in color from pale yellowish to rich cafe-au-lait.
The markings are of three types :
TURNICIN^. 317
" First fine specklings and spottings thickly spread over the
whole surface of the egg ; second bold blotchings and frecklings ;
third marblings.
" In color the markings equally vary, blackish, purplish, olive,
and burnt sienna, all occur." Game Birds of India.
They measure 1*1 inches in length by nearly 0'84 in breadth.
FAMILY, Tinamidse.
Bill moderate, slender, straight, or slightly curved at tip ;
wings moderate or short ; tail short, occasionally none ; the upper
tail-coverts lengthened and concealing the tail in many ; tarsi
unarmed ; lateral toes short, hallux small and elevated, or
wanting altogether ; claws short and blunt.
SUB-FAMILY, Turnicinae.
Of diminutive size. Three toes in one genus ; the hind-toe
present in another.
GENUS, Turnix.
Bill slender, of moderate length, straight, much compressed,
slightly curved at the tip ; nostrils linear ; wings of moderate
length, with the first quill longest in some, or the first three
gently graduated ; tail feeble, short, concealed by the upper-
coverts, of ten or twelve narrow feathers ; tarsus moderate or rather
short, separated at the base ; no hind-toe.
Turnix taigoor, SyJces.
832. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 595; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 7 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 424; Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 169 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 132.
THE INDIAN BUSTARD QUAIL.
Length, 5'44 to 6'6 ; expanse, 1075 to 12'5 ; wing, 2'85 to
3'45 ; tail, 0'9 to 1*38 ; tarsus, 0'9 to T2 ; bill from gape, 0'6 to
078 ; weight, 1 to 2 oz.
Bill dark slaty ; irides pale yellow to straw- white ; legs and
feet light slaty to plumbeous.
The females are, as a rule, much the largest.
The female is rufous above, with transverse black lines on each
feather of the back, scapulars and rump, these having also
yellowish-white lateral margins, internally edged with black ;
the crown of the head rufous, with a series of black and white
feathers appearing as white spots, set off with black, along the
median line ; another and broader series over each eye ; a third
bordering the throat, which, with the middle of the foreneck to
the commencement of the breast (together with the more
conspicuous feathers of the wings), is fulvous-white, with toler-
ably broad black cross-bars ; below the breast, light but bright
ferruginous.
318 TUENICIN^B.
The male bird differs in wanting the black on the throat and
neck, the chin and throat being whitish ; the markings on the
head are whitish-yellow without black specks ; the throat and
breast are faintly banded ; and the whole tone of plumage is
lighter and less pronounced than in the female.
The Indian or Black-breasted Bustard Quail is not common,
but, with the exception of Sind, occurs more or less in all parts
of the district. It breeds during June, July and August, the
nest, if it is worthy of the name, being placed in a depression,
sheltered by a tuft of sarpat-grass or stunted bush, and is com-
posed of a few short pieces of grass. The eggs, four in number,
are peg-top shape, of a dirty stone color, densely freckled brown
and yellow, with a few well denned black blotches, scattered over
the shell, and having also a few underlying patches of inky-
purple.
They average 0'93 inches in length by about 079 in breadth.
Turnix joudera, Hodgs.
834. T. dussumieri, Tern. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 599 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 8 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 424 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 216 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 187 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, p. 132.
THE LARGE BUTTON QUAIL.
Length, 5'87 to 612 ; expanse, lO'O to ll'O ; wings, 3'0 to
3'25 ; tail, 112 to 1'5 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill from gape, 0'62 to 0'69 ;
weight, 1-% to I T *J oz.
Bill yellow, dusky on culmen and at tip ; irides yellowish-white ;
legs deep yellow.
Crown light brown, with blackish margins to the feathers ;
a central stripe on the crown ; the supercilia and ear-coverts
light fulvescent ; nape bright ferruginous ; back ashy- brown,
tending to rufous, the feathers with dark cross bars, most marked
on the lower back and rump ; scapulars and some of the nearest
dorsal plumes with edgings of creamy-yellow ; wing-coverts
light sandy-brown, with a small black spot near the tip which is
margined with pale yellowish ; quills earthy-brown, the primaries
narrowly edged with yellowish-white ; chin and upper part of
throat white ; the rest of the lower parts ferruginous, deepest
on the breast and upper part of the abdomen.
The Large Button Quail is uncommon, but occurs in Sind,
Guzerat, Rajputana, Kutch, and portions of the Deccan ; it is,
however, very rare in the latter. It breeds during July and
August ; the nest, composed of blades of grass, being partially
dome-shaped, and is placed at the foot of a tuft of coarse grass,
(I have occasionally found the nest unsheltered). The eggs, four
in number, are peg-top shape, yellowish-white in color, thickly
speckled, spotted, and blotched with brownish-black, and occasional
OTIDID.E. 319
markings of inky-purple and dingy-yellow, the whole tending
to form a cap or zone at the larger end.
They measure 0'87 inches in length by 075 in breadth.
I
Turnix dussumierii, Tern.
835. I 7 , syksii, A. Smith. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 600 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 9 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 424 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 217 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 193 ; Swinhoe
afid Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 132.
THE SMALL BUTTON QUAIL.
Length, 5'2 to 57 ; expanse, 9'2 to 107 ; wing, 276 to 3'0 ;
tail, 1'25 to 1'5 ; bill from gape, 0'5 to 0'56 ; tarsus, 07 to 075 ;
weight, 1 T ' 6 oz. to 1J oz.
Bill from leaden-white to plumbeous ; irides light yellow to
straw-white ; legs and feet pale fleshy-white.
Head brown, black barred, with a pale supercilium and central
stripe ; upper parts chesnut-brown, e&ch feather finely barred
with black, and edged with yellowish-white, conspicuously on
the scapulars and part of the back and on the wing-coverts so
broadly as to appear entirely yellowish-white with chesnut, black-
edged spots ; quills dusky-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts
dark-brown, closely barred with black, and with faint whitish
edges to the feathers ; throat whitish, with a few blackish specks
on the sides ; breast pale ferruginous, with the sides of the neck
and breast with dark-brown drops and lunules ; abdomen whitish.
The Lesser Button Quail is more or less common throughout
our limits. It does not appear to ascend the hills to any great
height.
ORDER, Grallatores.
Lower part of the tibia bare ] tarsus more or less elongated ;
feet of most, with the hind-toe imperfect and raised, or absent ;
in a few long, and on the same plane, as the front toes ; bill very
varied ; tail usually short ; wings lengthened.
TRIBE, Pressirostris.
Tarsi elongated ; hind-toe small or absent ; bill moderate or
short, thick ; moderately depressed at the base, compressed on the
side.
FAMILY, Otididse.
Bill rather short, stout, broad at the base, somewhat compressed
towards the tip ; upper mandible convex and slightly curved ;
nostrils in a large membranous groove ; legs long, rather stout ;
tarsi reticulated ; three short toes united at the base by a small
membrane ; hind-toe always absent ; claws short and blunt ; wings
ample, more or less pointed ; plumage mottled and game -like.
320 OTIDID.E.
GENUS, Eupodotis, Lesson.
Bill long, pointed, nearly straight ; legs long and strong ;
wings lengthened and very ample ; male provided with a
pouch ; sexes alike in plumage or nearly so, but the female about
a third smaller ; no spring moult ; of very large size.
Eupodotis edwardsi, J. E. Gr.
836. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 607 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. I V, p. 9 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 424 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 217; Game
Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 7.
THE INDIAN BUSTARD.
$. Length, 45 to 50 ; expanse, 86 to 96 ; wings, 24'5 to 29 ; tail,
13; tarsus, 7'5 to 8'37 ; bill from gape, 4'0 to 475 ; weight, 17
to 22 Ibs.
? . Length, 36 to 38 ; expanse, 72 to 76 ; wings, 20 to 22 ;
tarsus, 5-5 to 6'8 ; weight, 8 to 10 Ibs.
Bill greyish-brown, dusky at tip ; irides vary from pale to
bright yellow ; legs and feet yellowish-creamy.
Male, top of the head with crest black ; face, nape, and the
whole neck, white, the feathers somewhat lengthened and hackled
in front ; the back and upper plumage, including the shoulders
of the wings and the inner wing-coverts, pale olive-brown or
buff, beautifully mottled and variegated with minute lines
of black ; outer wing-coverts black, white tipped ; greater-
coverts slaty-grey, also tipped with white, as in the winglet ;
primaries dark slaty, more dusky on their outer edges, and white
tipped ; tail as the back, with a dark subterminal band not
always very distinct on the central feathers ; a blackish-brown
band across the breast ; lower parts, with the thigh -co verts,
white ; the flanks dark olive-brown ; vent and lower tail-coverts
the same but lighter.
The female is one-third less at least, the white of the neck is
less pure, generally, indeed, mottled with olive-brown, and with
some rufous about the face and eyes ; the pectoral band is
incomplete, and consists of broken spots ; the abdomen is less
pure white, and the flanks paler brown and more spotted.
Young males resemble the females, and it is only the largest
old males that have the neck pure white, as described above,
in most there being a few brown specks on the neck. In the
old male, too, the neck appears very thick, the feathers being
well puffed out and full.
The Indian Bustard is fairly common in the more wilder and
barren portions of the Deccan, Rajputana, Kutch and Central
India. It is also not uncommon in the Thur and Parker districts
in Sind.
The Indian Bustard In the true sense of the word is not
migratory, yet it wanders much in search of food ; at one season
OTIDIM:. 321
of the year it is common in one part of the country, moving to
another as the breeding season commences. Most eggs are found
in July and August, but occasionally they are to be obtained as
early as March and as late as the middle of September.
The egg (there is only one) is placed on the ground, at the
base of a tussock of grass or bush, in a small depression.
The eggs vary much in size, shape, and color. They are all more
or less oval, some are moderately broad ovals, pointed at one end ;
others are longish ovals, similar at both ends ; others again are
long and cylindrical.
They vary from 275 to 3'42 inches in length, and in breadth
from 2-05 to 2'45. The average is 3'll.by 2'24.
The shells are thick and strong, and very commonly exhibit
pimples at the large end. In color, they vary from a sort of drab to
dingy olive-green. Earthy- brown, pale olive brown, pale reddish-
brown, and more rarely pale leaden-blue varieties all occur. The
markings also vary in like manner, both in extent and intensity :
blotches, clouds, and streaks of a deep reddish -brown, occasionally
clearly defined, but more often so faint as to be mere mottlings, are
the usual characters ; not uncommonly the markings form an irre-
gular cap at the large eod, occasionally they are altogether
wanting. Some eggs are brilliantly glossy- white, others are dull,
and have little or no gloss.
GENUS, Houbara, Bonap.
Legs rather short ; neck of the male furnished with a ruff,
and occasionally crested ; bill rather lengthened, much depressed
at the base.
Houbara macqueeni, J. E. Gr.
837. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 612; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 9 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 218 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 17.
THE HOUBAKA BUSTAKD.
Oobarra, Hin.
Tiloor, Sindi.
<$. Length, 28 to 30'25 ; expanse, 51 '5 to 5775 ; wing, 15 to
16 ; tail, 8'5 to 10'25 ; tarsus, 3'5 to 4 ; bill from gape, 2'3 to 2'6 ;
weight, 4 to 5J Ibs.
?. Length, 25 to 27*5; expanse, 47 to 51; wing, 14'25 to
15-25 ; tail, 775 to 9'25 ; tarsus, 315 to 3'6 ; bill from gape, 2 to
2'5 ; weight, 2f to 3J Ibs.
Bill blackish, paler beneath ; irides pale to bright yellow ; legs
and feet pale dingy-yellow.
Head beautifully crested ; the crest consisting of a series of
lengthened slender feathers in the centre of the crown, white,
with a black tip in front, wholly white behind ; upper plumage,
including the neck, pale buff, somewhat albescent on the wing-
coverts and deeper on the back ; upper tail-coverts and tail all
21
322 OTTDID.E,
delicately and minutely pencilled with black, and each feather
with a subterminal black band visible externally, and another at
the base of the feathers ; upper tail-coverts with the black bands
narrower, distant, and more or less ashy ; tail banded with bluish-
ashy, and all the lateral feathers broadly tipped with creamy-
white ; greater wing-coverts tipped with white ; primaries white
at their base, black for the terminal half, and most so on the
outer web ; lesser wing-coverts and scapulars more or less spotted
with black, not barred ; the shorter quills and the winglet black,
the former tipped with white ; the cheeks are white, with black
shafts and tips ; the throat white ; neck fulvous-ashy ; belly
and lower parts, including the lower surface of the wings, white ;
under tail-coverts slightly barred ; the neck ruff in its full inte-
grity during the breeding season begins from the ear-coverts ;
the feathers are moderately long, about two inches, and entirely
black and silky ; on the sides of the neck they are at least six
inches long, white at the base and with black tips ; and where
they terminate are still longer, wholly white, varying in texture,
and with more or less disunited webs, very fine and curving down-
wards below.
The sexes, except as regards length of ruff and crest, are near-
ly alike in plumage, but the female is lighter in color, and is
always considerably smaller.
During the cold weather the Houbara is very common in Sind.
It occurs at the same season, but much more rarely in Guzerat
and Rajputana.
It does not breed in India, but is supposed to do so in Afghan-
istan.
GENUS, Sypheotides, Lesson.
Bill moderately long and broadish ; legs lengthened, with a
large portion of the tibia bare ; in nuptial plumage the male
with more or less white wings, and mostly black plumage, highly
crested or with ear-tufts, and, in some, the breast plumes greatly
developed.
Females larger than the males.
Sypheotides aurita, Latham.
839. Jerdon's Birds ^oTlndiarVol. II, p. 619 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 10 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 424 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 220 ;
Game Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 33; Swinhoe and Barnes,
C}\ --Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 132.
THE LESSER FLORICAN.
Likh, Hin.
Kermoor, Hin.
<?. Length, 17'25 to 19 ; expanse, 27*5 to 32 ; wing, 7'3 to 7'9 ;
tail, 4-1 to 4-5 ; tarsus, 3'65 to 3'9 ; bill from gape, 2 to 2'1 ;
weight, 14 oz. to 1 Ib.
CURSOKID.E. 323
? . Length, 18 to 21'3 ; expanse, 29 to 36 ; wing, 9 to 975 ;
tail, 47 to 5 ; tarsus, 3'9 to 4'4 ; bill from gape, 2'28 to 2'3 ;
weight, 1 T \ to 1-il Ibs.
Bill pale yellow, fleshy towards gape ; irides dull yellow to
brownish ; legs pale fleshy-yellow.
Male, in full breeding plumage, with the head, neck, ear-tufts,
medial wing-coverts, and the whole lower plumage, deep black,
the chin alone being white ; lower part of the hind-neck and a
large patch on the wing, white, the rest of the plumage fulvous,
beautifully and closely mottled with dark-brown ; the first three
primaries plain dusky-brown, the remainder both barred and
mottled with brown. The down at the base of all the feathers
is a beautiful pale dull rose-color, and the quills, when freshly
moulted, have a beautiful bloom, mingled pink and green, which
however soon fades. The ear-tufts are about four inches long,
and have usually three feathers on each side ; with the shaft
bare, and a small oval web at the tip, curving upwards. The
primaries are much acuminated, sometimes ending in a point
almost as fine as a needle.
The female has the prevalent tone of her plumage pale
fulvous-yellow ; the feathers of the head, back, wings, and tail,
clouded and barred with deep brovvn, those on the head mostly
brown, the foreneck with two irregular interrupted streaks
increasing on the lower neck and breast, the lower plumage
thence being unspotted and albescent; the hind-neck is finely
speckled with brown ; the chin and throat white ; the first three
primaries, as in the male, unspotted brown ; wing-coverts with
only a few bars ; axillaries brown.
In both sexes, but it is more marked in the male, the earlier
primaries are very sharply pointed, and have the terminal one-
third greatly narrowed by a sudden emargination.
The Lesser Florican is generally distributed throughout our
limits, but with the exception perhaps of the Deccan only as a
seasonal visitant. It appears to be getting scarcer every suc-
ceeding year, owing to the merciless manner in which it is shot by
sportsmen and others during the breeding season, which lasts
from the end of August to the commencement of November,
most of the eggs being laid towards the end of September. The
eggs, four in number, are placed in a depression sheltered by a
tussock of grass or stunted bush (there is no nest to speak of) ;
they are broadish oval in shape, pointed somewhat at one end,
of a dark olive-green color, spotted and clouded with light brown.
Dark olive-brown, clear, almost sap-green, drab, and stone-colored
varieties occur, and the markings vary from brown to reddish
or olive-brown ; they measure 1'87 inches by 1*6.
FAMILY, Cursoridae
Tarsi elevated ; bill somewhat slender ; three toes only ; plum-
age brown and rufous.
\ 1
324? CURSORID.E,
GENUS, Oursorius, Latham.
Bill moderately long, slender, slightly arched throughout and
bent at the tip ; nostrils oval, not placed in a groove ; wings
moderate; the first and second quills longest ; tail short, even, of
twelve feathers ; tarsi long and slender, scutellated ; lateral toes
short, divided to the base ; nails small.
Cursorius coromandelicus, Gm.
840. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 626 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 10 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 425 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 221 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 132.
THE INDIAN COURIER PLOVER.
Length, 9 to 10 ; expanse, 19 to 20 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 2'4 ; tarsus,
2-2 ; bill at front, 0'8.
Bill black ; legs creamy or opaque-white ; irides deep brown.
Top of head bright ferruginous ; lores, continued through the
eyes to the nape, black, and a white eyebrow ; upper plumage
pale ashy or isabella-brown ; quills and primary-coverts black ;
chin white ; neck and breast pale isabella-rufous, deepening on
the abdomen to chesnut, and terminating in a black bar on the
^middle of the belly ; lower abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts
white.
The Indian Courier Plover occurs more or less commonly
throughout the region, excepting, of course, the more hilly tracts.
It is in most places a permanent resident, breeding during
April. The eggs (there is no nest), two or three in number, are
spherical in shape, of a buff or cream-color, clouded, blotched or
smeared with patches of very pale inky-grey, and above this are
lines, scratches, and streaks of blackish-brown.
These markings are generally small and closely set, with an
occasional inky-black smudge or smear intermingled. They
measure about 119 inches in length by about 0'97 in breadth.
Cursorius gallicus, Gm.
840fo's. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, Appendix, p. 874 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 11 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 221.
THE CREAM-COLORED COURSER.
Length, 10 ; wing, 6'5 ; tail, 2*5 ; tarsus, 2'2 ; bill at front, 0'85,
Bill black ; legs yellowish-white.
Forehead and upper plumage generally pale isabelline or sandy-
yellow ; top of the head pale grey ; a broad superciliary white
band from the eye to the occiput, with a narrower black line
beneath it ; both widen out at the occiput, which is sub-crested,
mixed black and white ; quills black ; tail concolorous with the upper
plumage, with a broad dark-brown terminal band, broadly tipped
with white on all, except the central feathers ; beneath, as above
GLAREOLIDX 325
but paler, and albescent towards the vent and under tail-coverts ;
lower wing-coverts deep brown.
The Cream-colored Courser is a not uncommon cold weather
visitant to Northern Guzerat ; it does not occur in the Deccan.
In Sind it is a permanent resident, breeding during May and
June.
The eggs are barely distinguishable from those of the preceding
species,
FAMILY, Glareolidae.
Bill short, arched ; gape very large ; wings long ; tail even or
forked ; tarsus rather short, reticulated ; hind-toe present, but
small.
GENUS, Glareola, Brisson.
Bill short, convex, arched from the middle ; gape very deeply
cleft ; nostrils basal, oblique, semi-tubular ; wings narrow, very
long and pointed, with the first quill longest ; tail short and even,
or long and forked ; tarsi moderate, reticulated, slender ; four
toes ; outer-toe united at the base to the middle one by a short
web ; middle-claw pectinated ; hind-toe not touching the ground ;
nails pointed,
Glareola orientalis, Leach.
842. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 631 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 425 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 222.
THE LARGE SWALLOW PLOVER.
Length, 10 ; expanse, 24 ; wing, 7'5 ; tail, 4'5; tarsus, T25;
bill at gape, O98.
Bill black ; gape red ; irides dark-brown ; feet dusky-black.
Upper plumage, including the head, pale hair-brown ; orbits
white beneath, feathered ; quills blackish, the shaft of first
primary white externally ; upper tail-coverts white ; tail with the
feathers white at their base, broadly tipped with blackish-brown ;
beneath, the chin and throat rufous, surrounded by a black line
from the gape ; below this the breast and abdomen are rufous-
earthy, passing into white on the lower abdomen, vent, and under
tail-coverts ; axillaries and posterior portion of the under wing-
coverts chesnut.
The Large Swallow Plover is rare in the Deccan, but is common
in Sind. It breeds in the latter district during April and May.
The eggs, two or three in number, are deposited on the ground,
in a depression, and are broad oval or nearly spherical in shape ;
they are of a light dirty-green color, or even drab, covered with
dark purple blotches and spots, occasionally forming a zone at the
large end.
They measure T26 inches in length by O95 in width.
326 GLAREOLID^E.
Glareola pratincola, Linn.
8425{s. Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 425 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 223.
THE COLLARED PRATINCOLE.
Length, 9 ; wing, 675 to 7.
Bill black ; gape red ; irides red-brown.
Head, nape, back, scapulars and wing-coverts greyish-brown ;
throat and front of the neck white, slightly tinged ferruginous, en-
circled by a narrow black band from the base of the bill ; lores black ;
breast whitish-brown ; under wing-coverts chesnut ; lower surface
of the body white, tinged with reddish ; upper and under tail-
coverts white ; tail forked, basally white, tipped with dark-brown.
The Collared Pratincole is not uncommon in Sind, where it
breeds, at the same time, place, and in a similar manner to the
preceding species. In fact they have been found breeding in
company.
A single specimen only has been recorded from Ratnagiri.
Glareola lactea, Tern.
843. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 632 ; Butler, Deccan;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 425 ; Barnes, Sind, Stray Feathers,
Vol. X, p. 166 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 223.
THE SMALL SWALLOW PLOVER.
Length, 6'5 ; expanse, 16'5 ; wing, 575; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 0'8 ; bill
from gape, 0'56.
Bill black, gape red ; irides deep brown ; legs dusky-green.
Upper plumage pale brownish-isabella color ; upper tail-coverts
white ; tail white, tipped with dark-brown for about one inch on
the centre feathers, diminishing to about one -quarter of an inch on
the outer ones; primaries brown, the first four conspicuously
white shafted ; the inner web white on the last four or five ;
secondaries all white, tipped with brown ; winglet dark-brown ;
chin, throat, and breast, pale Isabella color; belly and under
tail-coverts white -, axillaries and lower wing-coverts deep brown ;
feathered orbits white.
The Small Swallow Plover has been recorded from Sholapur
by Mr. Davidson, who procured it on the banks of the Bhima.
It is not uncommon on the Indus, where I found a colony
breeding in April,
The eggs are deposited in slight depressions on sand banks ;
they are usually four in number, are broadish oval in shape,
greenish-white or fawn in color, spotted, streaked and blotched
with various shades of olive and reddish-brown, with pale under-
lying clouds of dull purple. They measure T05 inches in length
by 0-82 in breadth.
FAMILY, Charadridae.
Bill straight, stout, and moderately thick in some, slender in
CHARADBIN^E. 327
a few, more or less raised and swollen at the tip ; noj?trils,.jplaced
in a long groove.; wings moderately long, and pointed ; tail usuaL-
ly~shorf ; tarsi long, reticulated in most, or scutellate near the
feet only ; toes usually short, connected at the base by a
membrane ; hind-toe minute or wanting.
SUB-FAMILY, Charadrinae.
Bill short, somewhat weak, slightly enlarged above at the tip ;
tarsi shorter than in the next two families and more reticulated ;
wings ' long and much pointed ; first quill usually longest ; tail
short, nearly even ; hind-toe generally wanting. 3
GENUS, Squatarola, Cuvier.
Bill enlarged at the tip, both above and below ; nasal groove
short ; a very minute hind-toe present, provided with a rudimen-
tary claw ; otherwise as in Gharadrius.
Squatarola helvetica, Lin.
844. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 635 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 11 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p, 425 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 224.
THE GREY PLOVER.
Length, 12; wing, 8; tail, 3'25 ; tarsus, 2; bill at front,
1-25.
Bill black ; irides dusky-brown ; feet blackish-grey.
In winter plumage, forehead and chin white ; streak over the
eyes, forepart of the neck, sides of the breast and flanks, white,
variegated with spots of brown and ash color ; head and all the
upper parts of the body dusky-brown, the feathers edged and
tipped with greyish-white ; belly, abdomen, thighs and upper
tail-coverts, pure white ; beneath the wing some long black
feathers arising from the axillae ; tail white, towards the tip reddish,
with transverse brown bars which become paler and less numerous
on the lateral feathers.
In summer plumage the forehead, lores, throat, and whole
lower surface become deep black, edged white on the forehead
and sides of the neck, and the upper plumage is brown, more or
less barred with black and white.
The young birds differ from the winter plumage only in having
the spots on the breast and flanks larger and paler, and the
upper parts greyish with white spots.
The Grey Plover is a cold weather visitant all along the sea-
coast, and is particularly abundant about the Kurrachee Harbour.
GENUS, Charadrius, Lin.
Bill straight, short, compressed, swollen at the tip ; legs
moderate ; wings long, pointed, first quill longest ; tail short.
32.8 CHARADRIN.E.
Charadrius fulvus, Om.
845. 0. longipes, Tern. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p.
636 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 11 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 425 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 224 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 132.
THE ASIATIC GOLDEN PLOVER.
Length, 10; expanse, 20 ; wings, 675 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 175;
bill at front, 0'85.
Bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet dark plum-
beous.
In winter plumage the general color above is dull blackish-grey,
the edges of all the feathers with triangular spots of gamboge-
yellow ; the primaries blackish ; tail feathers banded whitish
-and dull black ; the chin white, front of neck and breast white,'
tinged with dusky and spotted with dull yellow ; the rest of
the lower plumage dull whitish ; the flanks somewhat spotted
with ashy and yellowish.
In summer plumage the upper plumage becomes darker, the
ground color being somewhat deeper, and the yellow spots
diminished in extent ; the forehead is white ; the cheeks, throat,
neck, and middle of breast and abdomen, deep black, edged with
white on the sides of the neck, breast and flanks of the abdo-
men ; lower tail-coverts white ; primaries black, the stem of
the first white towards the tip, and the secondaries tipped with
white, as are the median-coverts ; tail brown, banded with
black ; bill and feet deeper black than in winter.
The young have the colors somewhat as in winter plumage,
but the yellow spots above are less marked, the breast is more
dusky-grey, and they do not become so black the first summer
as they subsequently do.
The Eastern Golden Plover is a cold weather visitant to
most portions of the region, but occurs much more commonly
in some places than in others.
Charadrius pluvialis, Lin.
845&IS. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 225.
THE EUROPEAN GOLDEN PLOVER.
Length, 10'5toir5; wing, 7'5.
Bill black ; irides deep brown.
Forehead yellowish-white, streaked and spotted with pale
brown and grey ; head on the sides greyish-brown ; the crown,
back of neck and nape, greyish-brown with purple reflections
and yellow angular spots on the edges and tips of the feathers ;
chin and throat whitish; breast dusky greyish-white, tinged
yellow, and spotted ^with darker grey ; axillary plumes white ;
greater and lesser wing-coverts greyish-black, the spots .paler
329
and the feathers of the greater-coverts tipped with white ; the
tail is deep brown, and barred obliquely with yellowish or
yellowish-white ; upper tail-coverts like the back.
Pluvialis is at once distinguished by its pure white axillary
plumes, which in fulvus are brownish or smoke-grey.
The European Golden Plover has been recorded from Sind ;
but it is a very rare cold weather visitant.
GENUS, JEgialitis, Bole.
Bill much as in Charadrius, but more slender; wings long
of small size.
^Sgialitis asiatica, Pall.
84<5quat. Butler, Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 426.
THE CASPIAN SAND PLOVEE.
Length, 7'5 ; wing, 5'5 ; tarsus, 1/5 ; bill at front, - 8.
Bill black ; legs and feet greenish-yellow.
Crown, nape, the whole of the back and wings above hair,
brown ; forehead, eyebrows, eyelids, sides of the face and throat
pure white ; across the breast a broad rufous band, the lowest
feathers of which, in some specimens, are terminated by dark
umber-brown ; thence to the extremities of the under tail-
coverts, pure white ; primaries brownish-black ; the shafts of all
mesially white ; secondaries long, extending nearly to the end of
the primaries ; axillaries white ; tail moderately long ; the outer
feathers on each side smoke-grey, the others darker in color,
as they approach the middle.
The Caspian Sand Plover was obtained by Mr. Vidal in
Ratnagiri. It is an exceedingly rare cold weather visitant.
This is the first authentic instance of its occurrence within
Indian limits.
.ffigialitis geoffroyi, Wagler.
846.- Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 638 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 12 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 426 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 226.
THE LAKGE SAND PLOVER.
Length, 8*5 ; expanse, 17'5 ; wing, 5'5 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 1*5 ; bill
at front, 1.
Bill blackish ; irides dark-brown ; orbits blackish ; legs grey-
ish-green.
Winter plumage ; greyish-brown on the upper parts, ear-coverts,
and beneath the eyes, and sides of the breast ; the rest of the
under parts, with the feathers immediately above the bill, and
a streak over the eye, white ; primaries darker, and the secon-
daries partly white on their outer web.
In summer dress, the forehead, lores, ear-coverts and beneath
the eye, are black, having a white mark on each side of the
.forehead ; the neck and breast are bright rufous, contrasting
330 CHARADRIN.E.
with the pure white throat ; the head is more or less deeply
tinged with rufous, and the back, and especially the scapularies,
arepartially banded with the same.
The Large Sand Plover is a more or less common cold weather
visitant to all parts of the coast.
.ffigialitis mongola, Pall.
847. 0. pyrrhothorax, Tern. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 639; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 12;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 426 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 226.
THE LESSER SAND PLOVER. C-tA -
Length, 7*25 ; expanse, 1575 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 1'9 ; tarsus, 1'25 ;
bill at front, 075.
Similar to the last, both in winter and summer plumage,
only differing in size, being considerably smaller, and the bill
differs slightly in shape.
The Lesser Sand Plover occurs as a cold weather visitant all
along the sea coast, ascending the rivers also, for a short dis-
tance. ]
JEgialitis cantiaua, Latham.
848. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 640 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 12; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 426 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 226 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 132.
THE KENTISH RINGED PLOVER.
Length, 675 ; expanse, 13 to 14; wing, 4'3 ; tail, 2; tarsus,
11 ; bill at front, 0'6.
Bill black ; irides brown ; feet dusky-grey to blackish.
Crown of the head and nape light brownish-red, the rest of
the upper parts ashy-brown ; primaries brown, the shafts white ;
tail with the central feathers as the back, the two outermost
white, and the next partially white ; forehead, a broad streak
over the eye, and a ring round the neck, white ; lores and ear-
coverts black, and a black stripe on the forehead ; lower parts
white, with a large patch of black on each side of the breast.
The Kentish Ringed Plover is a common cold weather visi-
tant all along the coast, and occurs inland on the banks of all
the larger rivers and lakes.
-ffigialitis dubia,, Scop.
849.^. philippensis, Scop. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 640 ; jE. curonicus, Gmel. ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Fea-
thers, Vol. IV, p. 12 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 426 ;
jE. philippensis, Lath. ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind'
p. 227 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, ,1885, p. 132]
CHARADR1N.E. 331
THE INDIAN RINGED PLOVER.
Length, 7*25 ; expanse, 13'5 ; wing, 4'5 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus, 1 ;
bill at front, 0'56.
Bill black, yellowish at the base ; irides deep brown ; orbits
yellow ; legs yellow.
Frontal zone white, followed by a black band edged with
white, which passes over the eyes as a superciliary mark ; lores
black, passing under the eyes through the ear-coverts ; chin,
throat, and lower face, passing as a collar round the hind-neck,
white, succeeded by .a broadish black zone or ring which
borders the white ring, gradually narrowing behind; upper
plumage "cinereous brown ; quills brown ; tail, with the central
feathers ashy-brown, tipped dark-brown, the outermost feathers
nearly all white, with a brown spot on the inner web, gradually
increasing in extent and becoming ashy at the base ; lower
plumage and under wing-coverts white.
The Indian Ringed Plover is a common permanent resident
throughout the region. It breeds during March and April ; the
eggs are deposited in a depression, scraped in the sand, near the
waters' edge ; they are usually four in number, and are moder-
ately elongated ovals, pinched at the small end ; the shell is
fine and compact, but without gloss. They are of a fawn or
buffy-stone color, spotted and marked with lines and figures of
blackish-brown, with a few underlying markings of pale inky-
purple.
They measure 1*14 inches in length by 0'84 in breadth.
JEgialitis minuta, Pall
850. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 641 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 426 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 132.
THE LESSER RINGED PLOVER.
Length, 675 ; expanse, 12'25 ; wing, 4'08 ; tail, 2'1 ; tarsus.
0'92 ; bill from gape, 0'56.
Bill blackish, intense yellow at base beneath and gape ; irides
dark-brown ; legs bluish-grey ; eyelids yellow.
Very similar to the last but smaller altogether, and with
proportionally much smaller legs and feet. The upper plumage
is of a somewhat darker shade ; the quills are also blacker ; the
lateral tail-feathers have more white ; the base of the lower
mandible is more yellow (this at once serves to distinguish
the two), and the tertiaries are less lengthened.
The distinctness of this species from the last is disputed by
many, but Mr. Hume has in " Stray Feathers," at various times,
clearly pointed out the differences. It has not been recorded
from Sind. Its mode of modification resembles that of the
preceding species in all respects.
332 VANELLINJE.
SUB-FAMILY, Vanellinae.
Of moderate or largish size ; legs lengthened ; bill moderately
strong ; a short hind-toe frequently present.
GENUS, Vanellus, Lin.
Bill moderate, straight, compressed at the base ; nostrils
linear in a cleft occupying two-thirds of the upper mandible ;
wing pointed, fourth and fifth quills longest ; shoulder of wing
with a tubercle ; tail nearly even ; a very short hind-toe ; head
crested.
Vanellus vulgaris, Bechst.
851. V. cristatus, Mey. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 643 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 228.
THE CRESTED LAPWING.
Length, 12 ; wing, 9 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 2.
Bill black ; irides hazel-brown ; legs orange-brown.
Head with lengthened slender crest black ; behind the eye,
ear-coverts, nape, and sides of neck, white ; upper plumage
green, glossed with purple and coppery, becoming golden-green
on the lower back and rump, and with a golden fulvous tinge
on the scapulars ; primaries black, the first three greyish- white
at the tip ; tail white at the base with a broad black terminal
band, broadest on the medial feathers ; lores, chin, throat, and
breast glossy blue-black ; lower breast, abdomen, and vent
white ; lower tail-coverts chesnut.
In winter, the chin and throat are white.
The female only differs in having a shorter crest than the
male.
The Peewit is a cold weather visitant to Northern Sind ; it
does not occur elsewhere within our limits.
GENUS, Chettusia, Bonap.
Bill stronger than in restricted Vanellus ; head not crested ;
plumage ashy ; tarsi moderately long, otherwise as in Vanel-
lus.
Chettusia gregaria, Pall.
852. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p, 644 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 12 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 426 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 229.
THE BLACK-SIDED LAPWING.
Length, 13 ; wing, 8'5 ; tail, 3'5 ; tarsus, 2'3 ; bill at front,
1-2.
Bill black ; irides dark- brown ; legs dull black.
Forehead and superciliary band passing round to the occiput
white ; top of the head black ; back of neck and upper plumage
generally of an olivaceous-brown, tinged with grey ; primaries
VANELLIN.E. 333
black ; secondaries white ; tail white with a subterminal black
band, wanting in the outermost feathers ; a narrow band from
the lores through the eyes, black ; sides of head and neck, both
in front and on the sides above, pale rufous, passing to brownish
on the lower part of the neck, and to brownish-ashy on the
breast ; middle of the abdomen deep black, bordered posteriorly
by deep chesnut ; lower belly, vent, and under tail-coverts
white.
The Slack-sided Lapwing occurs as a cold weather visitant
more or less commonly throughout the region.
Chettusia villotcei, And.
853. G. leucura, Licht. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 646 ; C. flavipes, Sav. ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers,
Vol. IV, p. 13 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 229 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 132.
THE WHITE-TAILED LAPWING.
Length, 11 ; expanse, 23 ; wing, 7 ; tail, 275 ; tarsus, 2 6 ;
bill at front, 1.
Bill black ; irides brownish-red ; legs bright yellow.
General color above brownish -grey, with a reddish-purple gloss on
the mantle, extending over the tertiaries ; head and neck browner
and glossless ; the throat and around the bill white ; breast more
ashy ; the feathers margined paler ; rest of the under parts, with the
tail and its upper-coverts, white ; the belly and flanks conspicuous-
ly tinged with dull rosy, or a roseate-cream hue ; primaries and
their coverts black ; the secondaries and their coverts largely
tipped with white, and having a black bar above the white ; rest
of the wing-coverts like the back.
With the exception of the Deccan, the White-tailed Lapwing
is a not uncommon winter visitant throughout the region.
It is by no means so rare as Jerdon states.
Chettusia cinerea, Bly.
854 0. inornata, T. and Schleg. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 646 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 132.
THE GEEY-HEADED LAPWING.
Length, 14 to 15 ; expanse, 30'5 to 32*5 ; wing, 9*5 to 10 ; tail,
4'5 to 5 ; tarsus, 3 to 3'3 ; bill at front, T5 ; bill at gape, T5.
Bill bright yellow, terminal one-third deep black ; irides light
crimson ; eyelids plumbeous ; edges of eyelids and lores bright
yellow ; legs and feet yellow.
General color of the upper parts pale greyish-brown ; the
head, neck, and breast, pure light grey, passing into black on the
lower part of the breast, and terminating abruptly, contrasting
with the white belly ; primaries, their coverts, and the winglet,
black ; the secondaries and their coverts chiefly white, and the
334 VANELL1NJB.
tertiaries concolorous with the back ; upper tail-coverts white,
slightly tinged with brownish ; and tail pure white, having a
black subterminal band, broad on its medial feathers, nearly
obsolete on the penultimates, and quite so on the outermost.
The Grey-headed Lapwing is very rare. A single specimen
was obtained by Colonel Swinhoe at the Depalpore Lake in
January 1882. This appears to be the only recorded instance
of its occurrence within our limits.
GENUS, Lobivanellus, Strickland.
Bill moderately long and stout, the horny tip not much elevated ;
a lappet of nude skin at the base of the bill in front of the
eye ; shoulder of the wing furnished with a tubercle which in
some becomes developed at the breeding season into a short-
horny spur ; tail even ; wings long ; a very small hind-toe and
rudimentary claw.
Lobivanellus indicus, Bodd.
855. L. goensis, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 648 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 14 ; Deccan, Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 427 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 229 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 133.
THE RED-WATTLED LAPWING.
Tituri, Hin.
Length, 12'8 ; expanse, 30 ; wing, 9*5 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus, 3 ; bill
at front, 1*4.
Bill red, tipped black ; eyelids and wattles lake-red ; irides red-
brown ; legs bright yellow.
Head, back of neck, face, chin, throat, and breast, glossy
black ; ear-coverts white, continued in a stripe down the sides
of the neck and round to the nape ; back, scapulars, wing-coverts,
and tertiaries, pale brownish-green, the wing-coverts glossed with
purple ; a white band on the wing formed by the greater-coverts
and partly by the secondaries ; primaries and most of the second-
aries black ; winglet black ; tail white with a black band near
the tip, the central feathers tipped brown ; beneath from the
breast white.
The Red-wattled Lapwing is a common permanent resident
throughout the~regiOD.
It breeds from March to August, but April, May, and June
are the favorite months. The eggs are laid in a small depres-
sion on the ground, are always four in number, and are of the
typical Plover type, broad at one end, and much pointed
towards the other. The ground color varies from a pale olive-
green to a reddish-buff; the markings are deep brown or black,
and there are spots, clouds and blotches, distributed more or
less thickly over the whole surface, and besides this, there are
often underlying clouds and spots of pale inky-purple.
They average T64 inches in length by about 1*2 in breadth.
VANELLIN.E 335
GENUS, Lobipluvia.
Wattles yellow ; bill rather slender ; hind-toe absent.
Lobipluvia malabarica, Bodd.
856. SarctopJwrus bilobus, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 649 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 14 ;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 427 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 230 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, JT85, p. 133.
THE YELLOW-WATTLED LAPWING.
Length, 1175; expanse, 27; wing, 8*25; tail, 3'25 ; tarsus,
2'5 ; bill at front, 1.
Bill yellow, black at tip ; lappet pale-yellow ; irides pale-yellow ;
legs yellow.
Head and nape black ; rest of the upper plumage, including
wing-coverts and tertiaries, chin, throat, and upper part of
breast, pale ashy-brown ; a white streak from behind the eye
bordering the black head all round ; winglet and primaries
black ; secondaries white at their base, brownish-black for the
greater part of their length, the white increasing in extent to-
wards the last, and with the tips of the greater wing-coverts
forming a not very conspicuous white wing-band ; upper tail-
coverts white ; tail white with a broad blackish subterminal
band, evanescent on the outer feathers ; beneath, from the breast,
pure white.
Tim Yellow-wattled Lapwing is a more or less common
permanent resident throughout our limits. It affects dry
uplands and sandy plains, and does not evince that partiality
for damp localities shown by the other members of this group.
The eggs, four in number, are deposited in a depression scratched
in the bare ground, without any attempt at concealment. They
are similar in shape to those of L. indicus, but are consider-
ably smaller, averaging T45 in length by 1'07 in width. The
ground color varies from buffy to olive-green, and they are
thickly blotched, spotted and streaked with pale olive-brown
and dingy inky-purple.
GENUS, Hoplopterus, Bona.
Wings furnished with a long and stout, slightly curved horny
spur, present at all seasons ; no hind-toe ; otherwise as in
Vanellus.
Hoplopterus ventralis, Cuv.
857. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 650 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 231 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 133.
THE SPUE-WINGED LAPWING.
Length, 1 2 ; expanse, 25 ; wing, 8 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 2'5 ; bill
at front, 1'12.
336 ESACIN2E.
Bill black ; irides deep-brown ; legs reddish-black.
Head, including the long crest, face as far as the middle of
the eye, and a broad band from the base of the lower mandible
down the chin and throat, glossy black; a white line from
behind the eye, bordering the black and meeting its fellow behind ;
sides of the back and neck pale-ashy, gradually passing into the
brownish-ashy of the back, scapulars and wing -co verts, and
forming a pectoral band, between which and the black throat
is a broad white space ; quills black, white at their base, the white
increasing in extent to the last secondary, which is merely black-
tipped ; primary and secondary-coverts white ; the shoulder black ;
winglet white ; tail-feathers white, with a broad black tip ;
upper tail-coverts white ; abdomen white, with an interrupted
black band in the centre.
The occurrence of the Spur- wing Lapwing within our limits
is doubtful ; a specimen is recorded from Upper Sind.
SUB-FAMILY, Esacinae.
Of large size ; bill very strong and thick, dilated both above
and below, and compressed ; gonys more or less strongly angu-
lated ; no hind-toe ; legs long.
GENUS, Esacus, Less.
Bill long, sub-recurved, strong, convex above, considerably
compressed ; the base thick and rounded ; edges sharp, notched
towards the tip ; nares broad, linear, advanced, in a wide groove
that extends from the base to the tip of the culmen ; otherwise
as in (Edicnemus.
Esacus recurvirostris, Cuv.
858. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 652; Butler, Guzerat ;
. Stray Feathers, Vol. IY, p. 1 4 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 427; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 231;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 133.
THE LARGE STONE PLOVER.
Length, 19 to 20; expanse, 36; wing, 11; tail, 4 -5 ; tarsus,
3-25 ; bill at front, 275 ; bill from gape, 3'5.
Bill greenish-yellow, black at tip ; irides bright pale-yellow ;
legs yellow.
General color above brownish sky-grey ; forehead white ; eye-
brow, ear-coverts, and moustaches blackish ; shoulders, winglet,
some of the outermost wing-coverts, quills, and tip of tail,
blackish; wings and tail irregularly but broadly banded with
white ; beneath, with the lower surface of wings and tail, white.
^ The Large Stone Plover is a common permanent resident in
Sind ; it occurs much more rarely in the other portions of our
district. It breeds about March. The eggs, two in number, are
deposited in a depression in the sand in river beds ; they are
ESACIN^E. 337
broad oval in shape, very slightly pointed towards one end, and
the ground color varies from an earthy-drab color to a pale
olive-brown. The markings consist of blotches, streaks, lines,
spots, &c., of various shades of olive and umber-brown, in some
becoming almost black.
They measure 215 inches in length by about 1'6 in breadth.
GENUS, (Edicnemus, Cuv.
Bill vsry stout, thick, straight, compressed ; culmen raised, the
tip inflated both above and below ; lower mandible with a
strongly marked angular gonys ; nostrils long, median, in a groove
about half the length of the bill ; wings moderately long, second
quill longest ; tail of twelve feathers, somewhat lengthened,
much rounded ; tarsus long, reticulated ; three toes only, united
at the base by a short membrane ; nail of the middle-toe dilated,
trenchant, hollowed out beneath.
(Edicnemus scolopax, S. G. Gm.
859. (E. crepitans, Tern. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p.
654 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 427 ; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 232 ; Swinhoe and Barnes,
Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 133.
THE STONE PLOVER.
Length, 16 to 17 ; wing, 9 ; tail, 4*5 ; tarsus, 3 - 4 ; bill at
front, 1*5.
Bill yellow, black at tip ; irides and orbits yellow ; legs and
feet yellow.
Upper parts reddish-ashy with a longitudinal dusky stripe
down the middle of each feather ; a pale bar on the wing formed
by the tips of the coverts ; quills black, the first with a large and
conspicuous white spot near the middle, the second with one
somewhat smaller ; tail with all the feathers, except the central
ones, tipped with black ; lores, cheeks, throat, belly, and thigh-
coverts, white ; the neck and breast tinged with reddish-earthy,
and marked with fine longitudinal streaks ; under tail-coverts
reddish-ashy.
The Stone Plover is not uncommon in suitable localities through-
out our limits ; it is a permanent resident, breeding from February
to June, but the majority lay in April. The nest is a mere hollow
scraped out by the birds, unlined, or with at most a few blades of
grass or dead leaves. The eggs, two in number, occasionally three,
are broadish oval in shape, the ground color, varying from
yellowish-white to pale buffy-brown, and the markings from olive to
blackish-brown, and consists of spots, specks, streaks, blotches, and
clouds, thickly or thinly spread over the whole surface.
They measure T9 inches in length by 1'39 in breadth.
FAMILY, Hsematopodidse, Bonap.
Feet with three toes, and with a small hind-toe raised above
22
338 STREPSILIN.E DROMADIN^.
the others ; plumage variegated ; bill varied, stout ; legs long or
moderate.
SUB-FAMILY, Strepsilinse.
Bill short, conical, with the culmen flattened, the tip com-
pressed and truncated ; upper mandible slightly turned upwards ;
nostrils basal ; wings long, very pointed ; the first primary
longest ; tail rounded, of twelve feathers ; tarsus short ; tibia
barely denuded ; toes divided to the base ; a moderate hind-toe ;
claws short and pointed.
GENUS, Strepsilas, Lin.
The characters are those of the family, of which it is the sole
genus.
Strepsilas interpres, Lin.
860. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 656 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 233.
THE TURNSTONE.
Length, 8'25 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 075.
Bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs orange -yellow.
Head and neck white ; the crown of the head with some black
stripes ; a narrow black frontal band, continued behind the eye
and meeting another narrow stripe of the same color from the
base of the lower mandible ; shortly beyond these unite into
an incomplete collar, extending back along the sides of the neck,
and in front expanding and forming a broad gorget covering the
breast, and which, at its termination below, sends up another
incomplete band towards the shoulder of the wing ; mantle
and wings chesnut-brown mixed with black, especially on the
scapulars ; coverts edged with grey and whitish ; primaries
black, stem of the first white ; secondaries tipped greyish ; back,
rump, and upper tail-coverts white, crossed on the rump by a
black band ; tail white, with a broad subterminal . band of
black ; lower parts white.
The female differs in having the colors not so distinct, and the
white on the head and neck less pure.
In winter plumage the colors are not so pure and rich in tint
as in summer.
The young have the upper plumage andjsides of the neck and
throat dark ashy-brown, the feathers edged paler and the lower
parts white.
The Turnstone is a cold weather visitant to the sea-coast. It is
common about the Kurrachee Harbour, but is somewhat rare
lower down the coast.
SUB-FAMILY, Dromadinse.
Bill lengthened, compressed, smooth, barely grooved, very
strong, with the culmen gently arching towards the tip,, which is
H/EMATOPODIN^E. 339
pointed ; _ lower mandible strongly angulated ; gonys long,
commencing near the chin ; bill slightly descending at first from
the chin ; nostrils oval, lateral, near the base, pervious ; wings
long, equal to the tail, first primary longest ; tail even or barely
rounded ; tarsus very long, as also the bare portion of the tibia ;
feet much webbed, especially the outer and middle toes.
GENUS, Dromas, PayL
The characters are the same as those of the sub-family.
Dromas ardeola, PayL
861. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 658 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 234.
THE CRAB PLOVER.
Length, 15 ; wing, 875 ; tail, 2'95 ; tarsus, 3'6 ; bill, 2'5.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs plumbeous.
Whole head, neck, wing-coverts, lengthened tertiaries, scapulars
and lower parts, white ; mantle, interscapular region, greater
wing-coverts and primaries, black ; some of the tertiaries and
the tail reddish-ashy, paling on the inner webs.
The Crab Plover is not uncommon on the sea-coast near
Kurrachee and at Mandavee.
It is only of late years that any authentic information in
regard to its nidification has been obtained. It has now been
ascertained beyond any possibility of doubt, incredible as it may
appear, that they burrow in sandhills (on small islands in the
Persian Gulf), to the depth of about four feet or so, and lay a
single white egg, similar to a duck egg, measuring 2*54 inches in
length and 177 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Haematopodinae.
Bill lengthened, strong, and truncated ; tarsus short ; plumage
black or pied.
GENUS, Haematopus, Lin.
Bill straight or slightly bent upwards, very long, robust,
compressed, ending in a truncated point ; nostrils in the
middle of a long and deep oblique cleft ; wings moderate
or long, nearly reaching the end of the tail, pointed; first
quill longest ; tail moderate, nearly even, of twelve feathers ;
tarsi short, strong, reticulated ; hind-toe wanting ; anterior toes
short, thick, edged with callosities ; the outer-toe joined at the
base to the middle one by a web.
Haematopus ostralegus, Lin.
862. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 659 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 212; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 427; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 234.
340 GRUID.E.
THE OYSTER CATCHER.
Length, 16 to 17 ; wing, 10 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 2 ; bill at front, 4.
Bill orange -yellow, dusky on culmen ; irides crimson- red ; eye-
lids orange, with a small space of the lower eyelid plumed and
white.
Whole head and neck, upper back, wings and tail, black ;
lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and lower plumage from the
breast, white ; a broad wing-band formed by the greater-coverts
also white.
Young birds are less pure black, with pale edges to the
feathers, and after the first moult they are said to have a white
collar all round the neck.
The Oyster Catcher is a cold weather visitant, and occurs
all along the coast, but is not found inland.
FAMILY, Gruidse.
Bill short, stout, straight, slightly cleft, somewhat like that of
the Bustards ; legs scutellated ; wings ample ; of large size, with
pale grey or white plumage, and with a long neck.
GENUS, Grus, Lin.
Bill moderately long, straight, somewhat thick ; mandibles nearly
equal, compressed, with the tip subulate ; nostrils apert, placed
near the middle of the bill in a broad and deep groove closed
posteriorly by membrane ; wings long, ample ; third quill longest ;
tail short ; tibia much denuded ; tarsi lengthened, scutellated in
front ; toes short, strong ; nails blunt ; hallux short, raised.
Grus antigone, Lin.
863. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 662 ; Butler, Guzerat,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 14 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 235 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. Ill, p. 1 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis ; 1885, p. 133.
THE SARUS.
Length, 52; expanse, 96 ; wing, 26 ; tail, 9'25 ; tarsus, 12 to
13 ; bill at front, 6'25 ; weight, 17 to ISlbs.
Bill pale sea-green, brownish at tip ; irides orange-red ; legs and
feet pale rosy-red.
Head and neck naked and covered for three or four inches with
numerous crimson papillae, clad with a few scant black hairs,
which accumulate into a broad ring on the neck and form a sort
of mane down the nape of the neck ; ear-coverts white ; below
this the neck is whitish-grey, which gradually passes into the
pale blue or French-grey, which is the color of the whole plu-
mage, the quills and inner webs of the tail-feathers being
slaty.
At the breeding season they assume a pure white collar, imme-
diately below the crimson papillose skin of the neck, which also
DRUIDS
becomes brighter in color; and in old birds, the tertiaries and
some of the scapulars become white and more lengthened, hang-
ing over gracefully and exceeding the tail.
The young have the head and neck dull ferruginous.
The Sarus is a common permanent resident throughout'
"Rajputana and Guzerat, but is very rare in Sind and does not,
occur at all in the Deccan.
They brjeed towards the middle of the rains ; the nest, a huge
heap of rushes and straw, is placed generally on some spot sur-
rounded by water ; occasionally it is commenced in the water
itself, in which case the egg cavity is about 8 or 10 inches above
the surface of the water. The eggs, two in number, are elongat-
ed ovals, a good deal pointed towards one end ; the shell is hard
and strong, pitted with small pores, is generally somewhat glossy,
arid frequently exhibit creases or wrinkles. The ground color
varies from pure white to pale sea-green and pinky-cream color ;
occasionally they are spotless and quite devoid of markings, but
generally they are more or less blotched and clouded with pale
yellowish-brown and purplish-pink.
The eggs vary greatly in size ; in length from 3*6 to 4'48, and
in breadth from 2'35 to 275. They average 3'96 in length by
2 '5 6 in breadth.
The Sarus occasionally breeds in the cold weather, as on the
5th February 1885, while shooting with General Nuttall at
Gangrar about 60 miles from Neemuch, I found a nest containing
two fresh eggs, and again on the 30th March at Jeerun I found
two incubated eggs.
Grus leucogeranus, Pall
864. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 663 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 236 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. Ill,
p. 11.
THE SNOW WKEATH or SIBERIAN CRANE.
Length, 48 to 56 ; expanse, 83 to 99'5 ; wing, 22*5 to 26 ; tail,
775 to 9'5 ; tarsus, 10'5 to 12 ; bill from gape, 675 to 8 ; weight,
12J to 19 Ibs.
Bill umber-brown ; membrane of nasal groove, skin of forehead,
lores and cheeks, red, duller colored in less mature birds ; irides
bright but very pale-yellow ; legs and feet dull pale reddish-pink.
Plumage wholly white ; quills black ; tertiaries lengthened.
The Snow Wreath is a very rare cold weather visitant to the
northern portion of Sind*
Grus communis, BecJist.
865. G. cinerea Bechts. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 664 ;
Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 15 ; Deccan, Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 427 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p, 237; Game Birds of India, Vol. Ill, p. 21,
342 GKUID.E,
THE COMMON CRANE.
Kullum or Kulang, Hin.
Length, 43 to 48 ; expanse, 79 to 91 ; wing, 20'5 to 24 ; tail,
7'0 to 9-12 ; tarsus, 8 25 to 9'9 ; bill from gape, 4'3 to 4'8 ; weight,
9 T V to 13 Ibs.
Bill dingy horny-green, yellowish at tip ; irides deep reddish or
dingy-orange ; legs and feet black.
Forehead and cheeks nude, with black bristly hairs ; crown
nude, dull orange-red ; occiput, throat, and fore part of the neck,
of a deep blackish-grey ; between the eyes, sides of the head and
upper part of the neck, white ; as is the greater part of the back
of the neck, but the color impure and with a reddish . tinge. All
the upper part of the body and the lower plumage dark ashy-
blue ; quills and greater- coverts dull black ; secondaries and
tertiaries grey, black tipped, the latter narrowing to a point with
the barbs of the uppermost feathers disunited, and all arching
down and forming an elegant tuft of floating plumes, which it is
able to erect at pleasure.
The Common Crane occurs abundantly in suitable localities,
(wherever there are large tanks) throughout the region, but only
during the cold season. The Kulung or Kullum is one of the
finest game birds in India, as it is one of the wariest. It is almost
impossible to stalk them while feeding, as they leave some of their
number as sentinels, and on the slightest symptom of danger they
give the alarm, and the whole flock rises, and is soon out of
danger.
GENUS, Anthropoides, VieilL
Bill shorter than Grus, depressed at the base, and slightly
swollen at the tip ; tarsus lengthened ; head and neck densely
feathered ; the feathers of the neck and breast lanceolate and
hackled. Of smaller size, and the neck less lengthened than
in the previous species.
Anthropoides virgo, Lin.
866. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p, 666 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 15 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 427 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 237 ; Game
Birds of India, Vol. Ill, p. 31.
THE DEMOISELLE CRANE.
Karonch or Karka/rra, Hin.
Length, 31 to 35'5 ; expanse, 66 to 73 ; wing, 18 to 21 ; tail,
6 to 7'5 ; tarsus, 6'25 to 7'5 ; bill from gape, 27 to 3'5 ; weight, 5
to 6| Ibs.
Bill greenish, reddish at tip ; irides rich red ; legs and feet
black.
Forehead, face, sides of head, neck, and the lengthened breast
plumes, black ; a tuft of white decomposed feathers extending
SCOLOPACIN.E. 343
backwards and outwards from the eye ; the general plumage fine
purplish-grey ; quills black ; the greatly elongated tertiaries and
scapulars dusky- slaty, drooping.
Young birds have no black and want the white ear-tuft.
The Demoiselle Crane is a common cold weather visitant to all
suitable portions of the region. It is perhaps more sought after
by shikaries than even the preceding.
TRIBE, Longirostris.
Bill more or less lengthened, slender, and feeble ; wings usually
long and pointed ; tail short ; tarsus moderately long ; toes moder- s
ate, the exterior one generally joined to the middle-toe by a short JL+
web, and the hallux short and raised, absent in a very few.
FAMILY, Scolopacidse.
Bill typically long, slender, in many somewhat soft towards the
tip, in others hard throughout ; wings lengthened, as are the
tertials ; tail ?hort ; tarsus moderately long ; toes slightly united
by a very short web ; plumage brown, of various shades, above
white, more or less tinged brown or ashy beneath.
SUB-FAMILY, Scolopacinse.
Bill long, straight, rather soft, swollen at the tip, which is
gently bent over the lower mandible ; tarsus rather short ; tail
varying in the number of feathers.
GENUS, Scolopax, Lin.
Bill long, thin, more or less rounded, of soft texture, swollen at
the tip, and obtuse ; upper mandible channelled for the greater
part of its length, slightly bent downwards at the tips ; lower
mandible channelled only in the middle ; nostrils basal, longitudinal;
wings moderately long, very pointed ; first quill longest ; tail short,
of twelve soft uniform feathers; tibia plumed to the joint ; toes
free to the base ; tarsus short, stout ; hind-toe short.
Scolopax rusticola, Lin.
867. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 670 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Yol. IX, p. 428 ; Murray's Yertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 238 ; Game Birds of India, Yol. Ill, p. 309.
THE WOODCOCK.
Length, 13'0 to 15*0 ; expanse, 23'0 to 25'5 ; wing, 7'2 to 8'0 ;
tail, 3-0 to 3-85 ; tarsus, T35 to T57 ; bill from gape, 2'8 to 3'3 ;
weight, 7 to 12^ oz.
Bill fleshy-grey, dusky at tip ; irides dark-brown ; legs fleshy-
plumbeous.
Forehead and crown ashy-grey, tinged rufous ; a dusky streak
from gape to eyes ; occiput, with four broad transverse bars of
blackish-brown ; the rest of the upper part variegated with ches-
SGOLOPACIN.E.
nut brown, x>chre-yello\v and ash-grey, with zigzag lines and
irregular spots of black ; throat white ; rest of the underparts
yellowish white, passing into rufous on the breast and forepart of
neck with cross wavy bars of dusky-brown ; quills barred ferru-
ginous and black ; tail black ; the outer webs edged rufous ; tips
ash-grey above, silvery-white beneath.
The Woodcock only occurs within our limits as a rare cold
weather visitant.
GENUS, Gallinago, Stephens.
Tibia bare for a small space above the joint ; tail with 16 to 28
feathers, the outer ones often narrowed ; otherwise as in Scolopax.
Gallinago nemoricola, Bodgs.
868. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 672 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Yol. IX, p. 428 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. Ill,
p. 325.
THE WOOD SNIPE.
Length, ll'O to 12'5 ; expanse, 18'0 to 1975 ; wing, 5'4 to 57 ;
tail, 2*5 to 2-9 ; tarsus, 1'41 to T49 ; bill from gape, 4'9 to 61.
Bill varies from drab to reddish-fleshy, tipped blackish-brown ;
irides hazel to deep brown ; legs bluish-grey to greenish.
Top of the head black, with rufous-yellow longish markings ;
upper part of back black, the feathers margined with pale rufous-
yellow, and often smeared bluish ; scapulars the same, some of
them with zigzag markings ; long dorsal plumes black with zigzag
markings of rufous-grey, as are most of the wing-coverts ; winglet
and primary-coverts dusky -black, faintly edged whitish ; quills
dusky; lower back and upper tail-coverts barred reddish and
dusky ; tail with the central feathers black at the base, chesnut
with dusky bars towards the tip ; laterals dusky with whitish-bars ;
beneath, the chin white, the sides of the neck ashy, smeared with
buff and blackish ; breast ashy, smeared with buff and obscurely
barred ; the rest of the lower plumage, with the thigh-coverts,
whitish, with numerous dusky bars ; lower tail-coverts rufescent,
with dusky marks, and the under wing-coverts barred black and
whitish.
The Wood Snipe is an extremely rare cold weather visitant to
parts of the Deccan.
Gallinago sthenura, Kuhl.
870. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 674 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 212 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 428 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 239 ; Game
Birds of India, Vol. Ill, p, 339 ; S. stenura, Kuhl. ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 133.
THE PIN-TAILED SNIPE.
$. Length, 975 to 10'9 ; expanse, 15'5 to 17'4 ; wing, 4'95
SCOLOPACIN^!. 345
to 5'42 ; tail, 2'0 to 2'57 ; tarsus, 119 to 1'27 ; bill from gape, 212
to 2'25 ; bill at front, 2'2 to 2'6 ; weight, 3'3 oz. to 475 oz. ; average,
3'91 oz.
?. Length, lO'O to 1117; expanse, 161tol8'25; wing, 5 '0
to 5'58 ; tail, 2'0 to 2'67 ; tarsus, 1'2 to 1'35 ; bill from gape, 2'38
to 2-62; bill at front, 2'45 to 27 ; Weight, 375 oz. to 51 oz. ;
average, 4'2 oz. ; average of both sexes, 4'06 oz.
Bill blackish-horny at tip ; deep brown in the centre, greenish-
horny at base ; irides deep brown ; legs and feet leaden-greenish.
Very similar to the Common Snipe in color ; but the under
wing-coverts and axillaries richly barred with dusky and white.
Such is Dr. Jerdon's description, which is very meagre. Mr.
Hume in the " Game Birds of India" has fully discussed the
differences.
1st The bill of the Fantail is more or less spatulate, that of
the Pintail never so.
2nd. In the Pintail the axillaries and the entire wing-
lining, except the lower greater-coverts, are invariably strongly
and distinctly barred with blackish-brown. This is never the
case with Common Snipe ; the median secondary lower-coverts
are always unbarred, forming a white unbarred patch in the centre
of the upper portion of the lower surface of the closed wing.
3rd. In the Common Snipe, the tail consists of fourteen
ordinary shaped soft feathers, occasionally sixteen, rarely twelve.
In the Pintail there are only ten such feathers, but on either side
of these are from five to nine very narrow, rather rigid, feathers,
making up a total of twenty to twenty-eight feathers.
There ought not to be the slightest difficulty in discriminating
this species from the next, but sportsmen and others constantly
overlook the differences, hence the difficulty in ascertaining even
approximately the relative proportions they bear to each other in
any one given district.
The Pintail Snipe is of course only a cold weather visitant,
and occurs throughout the region. In Sind the Fantails are much
the commonest, in fact, I ought to say that the Pintail is
decidedly uncommon ; further south, they occur in greater
numbers, until at Bombay they are just as common as the
Fantails.
Gallinago gallinaria, 6m.
871. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 614 ; (G. scolopacinus,
Bon.) ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Yol. IY, p. 15 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Yol. IX, p. 428 ; Murray's Yertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 240 ; G. ccelestis, Fren. ; Game Birds of India,
Yol. Ill, p. 359 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis,
1885, p. 133.
THE COMMON OR FANTAIL SNIPE.
CTiaha, Hin.
J. Length, 9'0 to 1T3; expanse, 15'0 to 17'5 ; wing, 4'9 to
346 SCOLOPACIN^J.
5-9; tail, 2'5 to 2'9 ; tarsus, 1'2 to 1'34 ; bill from gape, 2'39 to
27 ; bill at front, 2-43 to 275 ; weight, 3 "3 to 51 oz. ; average,
415 oz.
?. Length, 9'2 to 12'5 ; expanse, 16'0 to IS'25 ; wing, 4'87 to
571 ; tail, 2'3 to 3'0 ; tarsus, 1'25 to 1*33 ; bill from gape, 2'5 to
2*9 ; bill at front, 2'62 to 3'0 ; weight, 31 oz, to 5'5 oz. ; average,
4*27 oz. ; average of both sexes, 4'2 oz.
Bill horny-brown, tip blackish, brownish-green at base ; irides
deep blackish-brown ; legs and feet greenish.
Crown black, divided longitudinally by a yellowish-white line ;
a dusky brown eyestreak, and a yellowish superciliary one ; back
and scapulars velvet- black, crossed with chesnut-brown bars, and
with longitudinal streaks of ochre-yellow ; wing-coverts dusky-
brown, edged with reddish-white ; quills blackish ; chin and
throat white ; cheeks, neck and breast above mottled black and
ferruginous ; flanks barred white and dusky ; the lower part of
the breast and abdomen pure white ; tail black with the terminal
third red- brown, barred black and tipped whitish ; lower wing-
coverts white, very faintly barred.
The Fantail Snipe is a common cold weather visitant through-
out the region.
Gallinago gallinula, Lin.
872. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 676 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 15 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 428 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 241 ; Game
Birds of India, Vol. Ill, p. 373 ; Swinhoe and Barne-s, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 133.
THE JACK SNIPE.
Length, 775 to 9'0; expanse, 13'25 to 14'89 ; wing, 41 to
4-67; tail, 1*87 to 2'5 ; tarsus, 0'89 to 0'95 ; bill from gape, 1-5
to 17 ; bill from front, T54 to 174 ; weight, T53 oz. to 2'48 oz.
Bill blackish-brown at tip, paling towards base ; irides deep
brown ; legs and feet pale-greenish.
Crown divided by a black band slightly edged with reddish-
brown, extending from the forehead to the nape ; beneath this
and parallel to it are two streaks of yellowish-white, separated
by another of black ; a dusky line between the gape and the eye ;
back and scapulars black, glossed with green, and with purple
reflections ; the scapulars with the outer webs creamy-yellow,
forming two conspicuous longitudinal bands extending from the
shoulder to the tail ; quills dusky ; wing-coverts black, edged with
pale brown and white ; throat white ; neck in front and upper
breast pale yellow-brown tinged with ashy, and with dark
longitudinal spots ; lower breast and belly pure white ; tail dusky,
edged with pale ferruginous.
The Jack Snipe is generally distributed throughout the region
during the cold weather. It is, however, much less common than
either of the other two, arriving later, and departing earlier
SCOLOPACINJ:. 347
than they do. It is much addicted to remaining in one spot,
generally a corner, and if often disturbed or even shot at, returns
to the same spot. In some seasons considerable numbers are
met with ; at others they occur more rarely.
GENUS, Rhynchcea, Cuvier.
Bill shorter than in Gallinago, slightly curved downwards at
the tip ; wings rather short, broad, slightly rounded, beautifully
ocellated ; second quill longest, first and third sub-equal ; tail of
14 or 16 feathers, slightly rounded, short ; tarsus long ; tibia much
denuded.
Rhynchcea bengalensis, Lin.
873. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 677 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 15 ; Decca-n, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 428 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 242 ; Game
Birds of India, Vol. Ill, p. 381 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 133.
THE PAINTED SNIPE.
CD . Length, 9'25 to lO'O ; expanse, 16'8 to 18'0 ; wing, 4'9 to
5-2 ; tail, 1-5 to T8 ; tarsus, T65 to 1*83 ; bill at front, 1'65 to
1-85 ; weight, 3'5 to 4'9 oz.
$ . Length, 975 to 10'89 ; expanse, 18*0 to 19'25 ; wing, 5'25
to 5'6 ; tail, 1/6 to 2 ; tarsus, 175 to T96 ; bill at front, T8 to
2-05 ; weight, 4'4 to 6'42 oz.
The bill is very variable, typically it is a pale fleshy-brown,
darker or purer brown towards the tip and with a greenish tinge
towards the base ; irides vary from hazel to deep brown ; legs
and feet usually greenish, but are also subject to variation.
Upper plumage more or less olivaceous, the feathers finally
marked with zigzag dark lines, and the scapulars and inner
wing-coverts with broad bars of black, edged with white ; a
median pale buff line on the head, and another behind, and
round the eye ; scapulars with a pale buff stripe as in the snipe ;
wing-coverts mottled and barred with pale olive and buff; quills
olivaceous-grey, with dark narrow cross lines, blackish towards
base on the outer web, and with a series of five or more buff
ocelli on the outer web ; the inner web with white cross bands
alternating with the ocelli, and gradually changing to buff on the
tertials ; tail olivaceous-grey, with four or five rows of buff ocelli
on both webs and tipped with buff; chin whitish ; neck, throat,
and breast olivaceous-brown, with whitish spots or bars ; the lower
parts from the breast white, passing on the sides of the breast
towards the shoulder, and becoming continuous with the pale
scapulary stripe.
The female is darker and plainer colored above ; the wing-
coverts and tertials dark olive with narrow black cross lines, the
outermost tertiaries white, forming a conspicuous white stripe ;
M>
348 LIMOSINJE,
lores, sides of face, and whole neck, deep ferruginous chesnut,
gradually changing on the breast into dark olive, almost black
beneath ; this is bordered on the sides (as in the male) by a pure
white line passing up to the scapular region ; lower part white,
a dark band on the flanks bordering the white ascending line
posteriorly.
The Painted Snipe is a fairly common permanent resident in
suitable localities throughout the region, but they necessarily
vary their quarters a good deal, as the tanks and jheels dry up or
otherwise. They appear to breed at various periods throughout
the year, but the majority lay during the middle of the rains. The
nest is a more or less compact pad of sedge or grass, usually
sheltered by a tussock of grass, but occasionally it is quite exposed.
The eggs, four in number, are moderately broad ovals, pointed or
pinched in at one end. They are hard in texture, faintly glossy.
The ground color is a pale buff or warm cafe-au-lait color,
thickly and boldly blotched and streaked with rich brown almost
black.
They measure 1'4 inches in length by about 1 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Limosinae.
Bill much lengthened, soft at the tip, straight or slightly
turned upwards ; mostly of somewhat large size ; a distinct web
between the outer toes.
GENUS, Limosa, Brisson.
Bill very long, slender, soft, straight or slightly sub-recurved at
the tip, cylindrical at the base, obtuse at the point ; nostrils
basal ; wings moderately long, the first quill longest ; tail short,
even ; tibia bare for a considerable extent ; tarsus long, slender,
scutellate in front ; feet with the middle-toe very long ; a web
between the outer and middle-toes ; hind-toe short ; nail of
middle-toe dilated internally, with a cutting or finely toothed
edge.
Limosa segocephala, Lin.
875. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 681 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 16 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 243; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885,
p. 133.
THE BLACK-TAILED GODWIT.
<$. Length, 16'0 to 181; expanse, 25'0 to 29'8 ; wing, 7'5 to
8-81; tail, 312 to 3'5; tarsus, 2'85 to 3'35 ; bill, 3'65 to 4'5 ;
weight, 7 to 12 oz.
o . Length, 18'3 to 20'2 ; expanse, 28'0 to 31'3 ; wing, 8'4 to
9-25 ; tail, 3'25 to 3'94 ; tarsus, 3'3 to 37 ; bill, 4'5 to 51 ;
weight, 9 to 15 oz.
Bill livid-fleshy, gradually passing to blackish-brown at tip ;
irides dark-brown ; legs and feet blackish-green to dull greyish-
brown.
^
LIMOSIN^. 349
Winter plumage ; all the upper parts uniform ashy-brown, with
the shafts of the feathers of a somewhat deeper tint ; superciliary
stripe and rump white ; quills dusky ; the basal part of some
of the primaries white ; greater wing-coverts ashy-grey, broadly
edged with white ; tail white at the base, the terminal two-thirds
black ; the two middle feathers tipped with white ; beneath, the
throat, neck, breast, and flanks greyish-white ; the abdomen and
under tail-coverts white.
In summer the head becomes black, the back and scapulars
black, edged and tipped with ferruginous, and the lower parts
bright ferruginous, the middle of the abdomen alone being white.
Young birds have the feathers edged with reddish, and the
tail tipped with white.
The Black-tailed Godwit is a common cold weather visitant to
Sind and Northern Guzerat ; it occurs also in Central India. I
have myself shot it near Mhow, and Mr. Hume obtained it at
the Kunkrowli Lake, Oodeypore, tut it is not common there.
It does not appear to have been recorded from the Deccan. They
are excellent birds for the table at all times, but when fat and in
good condition, they are simply delicious.
Limosa laponica, Lin.
S75bis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 244.
THE BAR-TAILED GODWIT.
. Length, 14'5 to 14'8; expanse, 27'0 to 27'5 ; tail, 27 to
3'3 ; wing, 7 '8 to 8'4 ; tarsus, 2 ; bill, 2'8 to 31 ; weight, 81 oz.
?. Length, 1575 /expanse, 28'0 ; wing, 8'4 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus,
2 ; bill, 3'65 ; weight, 9 oz.
Bill pinkish for about the basal half, rest black or dusky;
irides brown ; legs and feet black, in some dusky-plumbeous.
In the winter plumage there is a broad indistinct white super-
ciliary band, and the feathers immediately below the eye are also
white ; the chin and throat are pure white ; the forehead, the whole
top, back and sides of the head, and neck all round brownish-white,
closely streaked with darker brown, the streaks very minute on the
sides of the head, somewhat larger on the front of the neck, and
darker and stronger on the head and back of the neck, where
but little of the white remains visible. The upper back pale
earthy-brown, each feather with a narrow dark-brown central
shaft-stripe, and mostly margined somewhat paler.
The breast pale greyish-brown, more or less obscured by the
albescent tippings to the feathers, and some of the feathers, with,
inconspicuous darker shafts ; the feathers of the central portion
of the breast, if raised, will be found to be not merely tipped
whitish, but to be also obscurely barred with white ; the abdomen,
vent, and lower tail-coverts are pure white, as are also the axil-
laries and wing-lining ; the rump is white with a few cuneiform
or heart-shaped blackish-brown spots ; upper tail -coverts white,
with narrow irregular arrow-head bars ; tail feathers grey-brown,
350
with dark shafts tipped white, and mottled with white on the
inner webs of the exterior ones, in some with traces of darker
transverse bars ; the primaries and their greater-coverts black ;
the shafts of the first two or three white, subsequent ones brown-
ish-white ; scapulars and tertiaries pale brown, darker shafted,
margined paler, and many of them more or less tinged with ashy ;
the lesser and median-coverts like the scapulars, but margined
whitish ; secondaries brown, paler on their inner webs, and
margined on both webs and on the tips with white, as indeed
are also, so far as the tips are concerned, the later primaries,
though less conspicuously so ; the greater secondary-coverts are
more ashy-brown, narrowly margined with white. In one speci-
men, which appears to be further advanced, the lateral tail-
feathers are distinctly barred brown and white ; the cuneiform
barrings on the rump and upper tail-coverts are -more marked ;
the axillaiies are all strongly barred ; the feathers of the sides
and flanks, and also the lower tail-coverts, exhibit numerous
arrow-head bars ; and one or two rufous or chesnut feathers
with black bars have begun to show themselves on the breast.
The summer plumage is thus described by Temminck :
Male. Upper parts of the head and occiput blackish- brown,
mixed with streaks of reddish-yellow ; a band of the latter color
over the eyes ; lores blackish-brown ; cheeks and throat of a
yellowish-red ; all the lower parts of the body, including the under
tail-coverts, pale ) T ello wish-red ; upper part of the back and
scapulars blackish-brown, marbled with reddish-yellow and
whitish-grey ; lower part of the back and rump white, marked
with longitudinal yellowish-red spots ; the tail marked with brown
and white bars, those of the latter tint irregularly distributed
and disposed more or less longitudinally ; quills black from their
tip, the remaining part towards the bases blackish-brown, with
their inner webs whitish-grey, marbled with pale brown ; the
secondaries grey, with the shafts and margins white.
Female. The head and lores, as in the male ; the throat white,
marked with reddish-grey ; cheeks and neck very light reddish,
with numerous brown streaks, which become broader, and form
small transverse brown and white bars on the sides of the breast ;
the latter and the belly marbled with white and very pale red-
dish ; the abdominal part white ; the lower tail-coverts reddish-
white with light brown bars. Hume, Stray Feathers, Vol. I, p.
236.
The Bar-tailed Godwit is a not uncommon cold weather visitant
to Kurrachee Harbour, and also occurs further east at the mouths
of the Indus.
GENUS, Terekia, Bona.
Bill very long, slender, recurved ; tarsus rather short ; feet with
the front toes joined by a web, narrow and short between the
inner and mid-toes, of small size.
NUMENINJB. 351
Terekia cinerea, Gm.
876. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 682 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Yol. IV, p. 16 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 246.
THE AVOCET SAND-PIPEK.
Length, 8"9 ; expanse, 16'25 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 2; tarsus, 1-1 ; bill
at front, 1*8.
Bill orange-yellow at the base, dusky at tip ; irides brown ; legs
pale orange.
Upper plumage bluish-ashy, the stems of the feathers dark,
with some broadish dark streaks ; forehead and cheeks white,
with ashy striae ; shoulder of wing, edge of wing, and quills
blackish-brown, the first primary with a white stem ; secondaries
tipped with white ; throat whitish ; neck in front and top of
breast pale-ashy, with streaks of reddish-brown ; lower breast,
belly, and under tail-coverts white.
The Avocet Sand-piper is a not uncommon cold weather visitant
to Sind, Kutch, and Northern Guzerat. It does not occur in the
Deccan.
SUB-FAMILY, Numeninae.
Bill very long, curved downwards.
GENUS, Numenius, Lin.
Bill very long, moderately slender, curved, almost round ; upper
mandible channelled, the tip hard, obtuse, slightly produced
beyond the lower ; nostrils basal, linear, apert ; wings moderately
long, the first quill longest ; tail short, even, or slightly rounded ;
tarsus moderately long, scutate inferiorly; anterior toes short,
basally connected by web, and bordered by a narrow membrane ;
hind-toe short, with the nail rudimentary.
Numenius lineatus, Gab.
877. N. arquata, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 683 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 16 ; Deccan, Stray
Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 429; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 247 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 134.
THE CUKLEW.
Length, 21 to 26 ; expanse, 34 to 38 ; wing, 11*0 to 12'25 ; tail,
4-5 ; tarsus, 3 25 ; bill at front, 4'0 to 6'25.
Bill dusky-brown, beneath fleshy ; irides dark-brown ; legs and
feet pale bluish-grey.
Head, neck, and breast, pale ashy, tinged with rufous, the shafts
and middle of the feathers dusky ; upper back and scapulars
blackish-brown, the feathers broadly edged with rufous-brown ;
lower back white, with dusky spots ; tail yellowish-white, with
transverse brown bars ; abdomen white, with dusky spots.
352 TRINGIN^J.
The Curlew is a not uncommon cold weather visitant to suit-
able localities throughout the region ; it is much more common on
the sea-coast than it is inland, where it only affects the larger
j heels.
Numenius phseopus, Lin.
878. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 684 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 16; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 429; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 247.
THE WHIMBREL.
Length, 16 to 18 ; expanse, 29 ; wing, 9'5 to 10; tail, 375 ;
bill at front, 3'0 to 3' 5.
Bill dusky, reddish at base ; irides brown ; legs dark bluish-
grey.
Forehead and crown cinereous-brown, the latter divided by a
longitudinal pale streak ; over each eye a broad streak of white
mixed with brown ; sides of the head, neck, and breast, pale-ashy
with brown streaks ; upper back, scapulars, and wing-coverts deep
brown, the feathers with pale edgings ; lower back white : rump
white, barred with ashy-brown ; tail cinereous brown with dark
oblique bars ; abdomen and under tail-coverts white, the flanks
barred with brown.
The Whimbrel is common all along the sea-coast during the
cold season ; it is much more rare inland.
SUB-FAMILY, Tringinse.
Bill short or moderate, soft, and somewhat flexible, occasionally
dilated or curved ; wings long ; tail short ; legs moderate, short ;
the toes usually divided to the base, or with a very rudimentary
web.
GENUS, PhilomachllS, Mceliring.
Bill, wings, and tail, as in Tringa ; tarsus somewhat more
lengthened ; the outer- toe joined to the middle one by a short
web.
Philomachus pugnax, Lin.
880. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 687; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 17; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 429 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 248 ;
Machetes pugnax, Lin. ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 134.
THE RUFF.
Length, 12 to' 13 ; wing, 7'25 ; expanse, 22'5 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus,
2 ; bill at front, T3 ; weight, 6 oz.
In winter plumage, the male has the upper plumage variable,
generally rich brown, with black central spots, and reddish or
whitish edges, the head and neck usually somewhat paler ; the
TRINGINJE. 353
greater-coverts barred black and reddish-brown ; primaries dusky ;
tail with the middle feathers barred black and reddish -brown ; the
throat, forepart of the neck, and the lower parts pure white, some-
times mottled with blackish ; the breast reddish or ashy-brown,
with or without darker spots.
The female is much smaller, has more of an ashy tint through-
out, and the feathers more or less dark centred.
Length, 9 5 to 10'5 ; wing, 6; tail, 2'2 ; tarsus, T6 ; weight,
3*5 to 4 oz.
The Buff is a very common cold weather visitant to Guzerat,
Kutch, and Jodhpore ; it is rather less common in Sind, and in
the Deccan it is rare. It is one of the earliest of our winter visi-
tants. It is excellent eating when in good condition.
GENUS, Tringa, Lin.
Bill moderate or short, soft, flexible, straight, or bent down at
the tip, which is depressed and obtuse, channelled through almost
to the tip^ i wings long with the first quill longest ; tail short,
even ; tarsus rather short, scutellate anteriorly ; toes free, or
barely united by a small web.
Tringa crassirostris, Tern. & Schleg.
SSIbis. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 249.
TEMMINCK'S KNOT.
Length, 11*35 to 12 ; expanse, 23'5 to 24 ; wing, 71 to 7'3 ;
tail, 27 to 2-8 ; tarsus, T4 to T55 ; bill at front, 1'6 to 1*85.
Bill black, occasionally paler at base beneath ; legs and feet
vary from dusky to pale plumbeous.
In the winter plumage the upper surface reminds one not a little
of that of Tot anus stagnatilis. The whole lower parts are
white, but the base of the neck in front, and the sides, are marked
with numerous small brown striae, and the upper breast, besides
more or less of these striations, is mottled with larger pale brown
spots, here and there interspersed with conspicuous heart-shaped
blackish-brown spots, which are the first traces of the coming
summer plumage.
Lores, top, back, and sides of the head and neck very pale
greyish-brown, all the feathers narrowly streaked along the shaft
with dark-brown ; the upper back and whole mantle is a mixture
of pale brown and ashy, most of the feathers with blackish shafts,
more or less darkly centred, and all conspicuously, though narrow-
ly, margined and tipped with white ; lower back and rump brown,
the feathers narrowly and regularly margined with white ; upper
tail-coverts similar, but the white margins much broader and the
brown more or less obsolete on many of them ; tail feathers
greyish-brown, greyer and somewhat darker on the central one,
and paler and browner on the external ones, all are excessively
narrowly, in fact -almost obsolete ly, bordered with white ; the
23
354 TRINGIX^E.
primaries and their greater-coverts are hair-brown, most of the
latter tipped white ; the secondaries and their greater-coverts are
a pale somewhat greyish-brown, all of them narrowly, but the
coverts less narrowly of the two, margined with white ; the
wing-lining (except just at the margin of the wing which is
mottled with brown), pure white ; the axillaries white with
traces of irregular, wavy, pale brown bars ; there are a few
elongated triangular pale brown dashes on the flanks, and
in some specimens one or two larger blackish-brown spots pertain-
ing to the summer plumage.
According to Schlegel, the summer plumage is as follows :
Feathers of the head and neck, each with a large dark-brown
longitudinal streak or spot on an albescent ground, which is
tinged with brownish-rufous on the nape. Feathers of the breast
and nape, brownish-black, each with a whitish transverse band
about the middle, often tinged with brownish-red towards the
middle. The rest of the lower parts and the rump pure white,
spotted, except towards the middle of the abdomen, with broader
or narrower dark brown-spots.
Back and wings brownish-black, lighter on the wing-coverts ;
all the feathers spotted and bordered with a bright brownish -
rufous, gradually disappearing towards the edge of the wing.
Lower wing-coverts white, becoming black at the base. Hume,
Stray Feathers, Vol. 1, p. 240.
This species was found by Mr. Hume to be not uncommon in
the Kurrachee Harbour during the cold season.
Tringa subarquata, Gm.
882. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 689 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 429 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 250.
THE CURLEW STINT.
Length, 8 ; wing, 5 ; tail, 175 ; tarsus, 116 ; bill at front, 1'6.
Bill black ; irides brown ; legs dusky-grey.
In winter plumage, the face and supercilium white ; a brown
streak from the gape to the eye ; upper part of head, back,
scapulars, and wing-coverts, ashy-brown, the shafts of the feathers
somewhat darker ; feathers of the nape streaked with brown,
and edged whitish ; upper tail-coverts white ; tail ashy-grey,
edged with white ; throat and beneath pure white ; the feathers
of the neck in front and of the breast streaked with pale
brown.
The Curlew Stint is common during the cold weather along
the sea coast, but does not seem to penetrate far inland. It has
been procured at Sholapore.
Tringa alpina, Lin.
883. T. cindus, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p, 690 ;
Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 251.
TRINGINJS. 355
THE DUNLIN.
Length, 7'5 ; wing, 4'5 ; tail, T9 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 1'25.
Bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs greenish- dusky.
In winter plumage, above, with the lores and cheeks ashy-
brown, the shafts of the feathers dark, and those of the upper
parts edged paler ; supercilia and sides of the forehead whitish-
ashy ; lesser and median-coverts brown, edged with ashy ; quills
deep brown, with a pale edging ; middle tail-feathers dark-brown,
the laterals ashy and edged with white ; throat white ; breast
whitish-ashy with a few brown streaks ; abdomen and under tail-
coverts pure white.
In summer the head is black, the upper plumage much mixed
with ferruginous and brown ; the abdomen pure black ; and the
breast white and spotted.
The Dunlin occurs as a fairly common cold weather visitant to
the Kurrachee Harbour.
Tringa minuta, Leisl
884. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 690 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 17; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 429 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 251 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 134.
THE LITTLE STINT.
Length, 6 ; wing, 3*8 ; tail, 1'5 ; tarsus, 0'9 ; bill at front, 0'7.
Bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs black.
All the upper parts ashy-brown, the shafts dusky ; a broad
streak from the gape to the eye, and a whitish supercilium ; the
two central tail-feathers brown, the outer ones ashy-brown, edged
with whitish ; throat, foreneck, middle of the breast, and all the
under parts pure white ; the sides of the breast ashy- brown.
In summer, the head, and upper parts, with the two central
tail-feathers become black, broadly edged and tipped with rufous
brown ; and the cheeks, sides of neck, and breast reddish.
The Little Stint is more or less common in suitable localities
throughout the district. It only occurs as a cold weather
visitant.
Tringa temmincki, Leisl.
885. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 691 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 17 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 429 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 251.
THE WHITE-TAILED STINT.
Length, 6 to 6'25 ; wing, 3'8 ; tail, T9 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill at
front, 07.
Bill black, irides deep brown ; legs blackish.
In winter plumage, all the upper parts brown, with dusky
streaks in the centres of the feathers, the four central tail-feathers
ashy-brown, the others whitish, and the two outermost ones
356 TRINGIN^E.
pure white ; throat white ; front of neck and breast ashy brown,
belly and under tail-coverts pure white.
The White-tailed Stint is somewhat rare in the Deccan, but is
not uncommon in the remaining portion of our limits. Of course
it only occurs as a cold weather visitant.
GENUS, Limicola, Kaup.
Bill broad and depressed.
Limicola platyrhyncha, Tern.
886. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 692 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 252.
THE BROAD-BILLED STINT.
Length, 6'25 ; wing, 3'9 ; tail, 175 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill at front,
1-1.
Bill blackish ; hides deep brown ; legs dusky.
In winter plumage, above ashy-brown, with a rufous tint ;
cheeks white, spotted with brown ; quills brown ; tail brown,
edged with pale reddish-ashy ; neck white with brown spots :
the rest of the lower parts white, tinged with rufous on the sides
of the breast, the flanks, and under tail-coverts.
The bill is rather long, broad, and flattened, and slightly bent
down at the tip.
In summer the upper plumage is more or less black, edged
with rufous and buffy-white, the quills with black shafts ; the
breast whitish with black spots and tinged with rufous ; the rest
of the lower surface white.
The Broad-billed Stint occurs not uncommonly in the Kurra-
chee Harbour and along the adjacent coast during the cold
season.
GENUS, Calidris, Cuvier.
Hind-toe wanting, otherwise as in Tringa ; the web at the base
of the toes very small.
Calidris arenaria, Tern.
888. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 694 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 429 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 252.
THE SANDERLING.
Length, 8 ; wing, 475 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 0*9 ; bill at front, 1.
Bill black ; irides deep brown ; legs black.
In winter plumage, all the upper parts cinereous, with the
shafts of the feathers blackish-brown ; forehead and cheeks
pure white ; head and edge of the wing blackish-grey ; wing-
coverts broadly edged white ; primaries dusky, with the edges
and tips brownish ; tail deep grey, the feathers edged with white,
the two middle ones the darkest, all the lower parts pure white.
PHALAROPIN^E TOTANIN^. 357
The Sanderling is more or less common along the coast
during winter.
SUB-FAMILY, Phalaropinae.
Feet with toes bordered by a free membrane cut into lobes as
in the Coots ; otherwise much as in Tringa.
GENUS, Lobipes.
Bill slender and pointed ; the feet lobed ; otherwise as in
Tringa.
Lobipes hyperboreus, Lin.
890. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 696 ; Murray's Verte-
brate Zoology of Sind, p. 253.
THE RED-NECKED PHALAEOPE.
Length, 6'5 ; wing, 4*4 ; tail, 2'25 ; tarsus, 075 ; bill, 075.
Bill dusky ; irides brown ; feet yellowish-green.
Forehead white ; crown, occiput, and nape dusky-brown ;
the back, scapulars, and two middle tail-feathers the same, but
the feathers broadly edged with whitish ; all the lower parts
white, passing into pale-ashy on the sides of the breast and
flanks.
In summer plumage the back and scapulars are deep black,
with reddish edges ; the wing-coverts black with a white band
and the neck ferruginous.
The Coot-footed Stint or Red-necked Phalarope occurs in the
cold weather in the Kurrachee Harbour and adjacent sea-
coast.
I met with it at Chaman, South Afghanistan, where it must
have been migrating.
SUB-FAMILY, Totaninse.
Bill moderately long, slender, with the tip hard and pointed,
slightly ascending in some ; tarsi slender, rather long ; feet
elongate ; outer-toe joined by web to the middle one.
GENUS, Actitis.
Bill moderate or rather long, slender, straight, compressed, and
acuminate, with the tip hard ; the groove of the bill extending
quite .to the tip ; wings moderately long, with first quill longest ;
tail slightly lengthened ; tarsus rather short or moderate ; toes,
rather long.
Actitis (Rhyacophilus) glareola, Om.
891. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 697; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 17 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 429 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 253 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 134.
358 TOTANIN.E.
THE SPOTTED SAND-PIPEK.
Length, 8*5 to 9'0 ; wing, 5 ; expanse, 16'5 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus,
1-5 ; bill at front, 1'2.
Bill greenish, dusky-black at tip ; hides deep brown ; legs
pale-greenish.
In winter, the plumage is deep brown on the forehead, crown,
back, and wings, with white and greyish spots on the back,
a dusky streak between the gape and the eye, and a white super-
cilium ; cheeks and nape dirty- white with ashy-brown spots ;
upper tail-coverts pure white, tail narrowly barred black and
white, the two outer feathers on each side entirely white ; throat
white ; foreneck and breast dirty white, with spots and streaks
of ashy-brown ; flanks barred with the same ; abdomen and
under tail-coverts pure white.
In summer the feathers of the crown and nape are distinctly
streaked brown and white ; the feathers of the back have a large
black spot as well as the white spots, and the white of the lower
parts is purer.
The Spotted Sand-piper is a common cold weather visitant
to all parts of the region ; it is perhaps less common in Sind
than elsewhere.
GENUS, Totanus, JBech.
ed at tip, groove half the le
tarsi with narrow scales in front ; otherwise as in Actitis.
Bill slightly curved at tip, groove half the length of the bill ;
i with narr
Totanus ochropus, Lin.
892. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 698 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 18; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 430 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 254 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 134.
THE GREEN SAND-PIPER.
Length, 975 to 10*5 ; expanse, 18 to 19 ; wing, 5*5 to 6 ; tail,
3 ; tarsus, 1*5 ; bill at front, T4.
Bill dusky green, blackish at tip ; irides brown ; legs dingy-
green.
. Crown, nape, and upper parts ashy-brown, tinged with olive-
green ; all the feathers of the back, scapulars and wing-coverts
with an edging of small white spots ; quills deep brown ; upper
tail-coverts pure white ; tail with the basal third white ; the
rest white with brown bars, the two outermost feathers entirely
white ; a brown streak from the gape to the eye, and a white
supercilium ; all beneath pure white, a few of the feathers on
the neck and breast with dusky streaks.
In summer, the upper parts are darker, greener, and more
spotted, and the streaks on the neck more distinct.
The Green Sand-piper is a very common cold weather visitant
to all parts of the Presidency.
TOTANIN-ffi. , 359
It is one of the earliest of our winter visitors, arriving soon
after the commencement of the rains.
Lin.
893. Jerclon's birds of India, Vol. II, p. 699 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 18; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 430 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 254 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 134.
THE COMMON SAND-PIPER. ^
Length", 775 to 8-25 ; expanse, 13 5 ; wings, 4'25 to 4'5 ; tail,
2 "4 ; tarsus, 1 ; bill at front, 1 .
Bill dusky ; irides brown ; legs pale green.
All the upper parts ashy-brown, glossed with green, and the
shafts darker ; back and wing-coverts with fine transverse brown
lines ; a white supercilium ; quills brown with a large white spot
on the inner webs of all except the first two ; the four central
tail-feathers like the back ; the two next tipped with white, the
outer one tipped with white, and barred on the outer web with
brown and white ; beneath pure white, streaked with brown on
the neck and breast.
This Sand-piper is more or less common during the cold season
throughout the whole region.
Totanus glottis, Lin.
894. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 700 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 18 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 430 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 255 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE GREEN SHANKS.
Length, 14 to 15 ; expanse, 25 ; wing, 8 ; tail, 375 ; tarsus,
275 ; bill at front, 2'2.
Bill dusky greenish ; irides brown ; legs yellowish green.
In winter plumage, the head, cheeks, sides and back of neck,
cinereous-white with brown streaks ; upper back, scapulars, and
wing-coverts, dusky brown, the feathers edged with yellowish-
white ; the lower back and upper tail-coverts pure white ; quills
dusky, some of them spotted with white on their inner webs ; tail
white with cross bars of brown, the outer feathers entirely white
with the exception of a narrow streak on the outer web ; throat,
foreneck, middle of the breast, and lower parts pure white ; the
sides of the breast streaked with brown, and somewhat ashy.
The Green Shanks is more or less common throughout the
region during the cold season.
Totanus stagnatilis, Bech.
895. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 701 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 18 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 430 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 225 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 134.
360 TOTANIN.E.
THE LITTLE GKEEN SHANKS.
Length, 10'5 ; wing, 5'5 ; tail, 2 ; tarsus, 2'25 ; bill at front,
1-6.
Bill dusky-green ; hides brown ; legs pale green.
Above pale ashy-brown, the nape streaked with dark -brown ; the
top of the head and neck, and the scapulars edged with whitish ;
eye brows and cheeks white, spotted with brown ; greater wing-
coverts pale ashy, edged whitish ; the lesser-coverts ashy-brown,
with paler edges, and the stem black ; quills brown black, the shafts
white ; lower back white ; tail white, with brown bands ; beneath
pure white ; the sides of the neck, of the breast, and the flanks
spotted with brown.
The Lesser Green Shanks is not uncommon during the cold
weather in all parts of the region.
Totanus fuscus, Lin.
896. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 702 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 18 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 255; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885,
p. 134.
THE SPOTTED RED SHANKS.
Length, 13 ; expanse, 22 '5 ; wing, 675 ; tail, 2*5 ; tarsus, 2 '8 ;
bill at front, 2*4.
Bill blackish, orange at base beneath; irides brown; legs
orange-red.
In winter plumage, the crown, nape, and back ashy-grey,
with fine dusky streaks ; a blackish patch between the bill and
the eyes, and a white streak above ; cheeks and neck variegated
white and ashy ; wing-coverts and scapulars grey, edged with
white ; rump pure white ; central tail-feathers uniform ash-grey,
narrowly edged with white ; rump pure white ; outer tail-feathers
with white and brown bars ; throat, breast, abdomen, and under
tail-coverts pure white.
In summer, the head, neck and under parts become dusky or
blackish-grey, and the vent and lower tail-coverts are barred
white and brown.
During the cold season the Spotted Red Shanks is common in
Sind, occurs sparingly in Guzerat and Rajputana, but has not
been recorded from any part of the Deccan.
Totanus calidris, Lin.
897. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 702 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 18 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 430 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 256 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 134.
THE RED SHANKS.
Length, 10'5 to 11'5 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 2'4 ; tarsus, T8 ; bill, 11.
Bill dusky, reddish at base ; irides brown ; legs pale red.
HIMANTOPID^E. 361
In winter, the crown, lores, back of neck, upper back, scapulars,
and wing-coverts, cinereous-brown, darker on the shafts ; super-
cilium white ; sides of the head greyish-white ; lower back white ;
primaries and their coverts dusky brown ; the secondaries white
for the greater portion of their length ; upper tail- coverts and
tail barred with white and dark-brown ; throat white ; foreneck and
breast greyish-white ; abdomen and lower tail-coverts white.
During the cold season the Red Shank occurs more or less
commonly throughout the whole region.
FAMILY, Himantopidae.
Of black and white plumage, not changing in summer ; the
legs very much lengthened ; bill long and very thin, and in one
genus recurved.
GENUS, Himantopus, Erisson.
Bill long, twice the length of the head, very slender, somewhat
rounded, pointed, channeled on the sides as far as the middle ;
tip of the upper mandible very slightly bent over the under one ;
nostrils linear ; wings long, pointed, first quill longest, tail short,
even, of twelve feathers ; tibia bare for the greater part of its
length ; legs very long, thin reticulated ; toes short ; outer-toe
joined to the middle one by a broad web ; inner one with a very
small web ; nails short, flat ; hind-toe wanting.
Himantopus candidus, ona.
898. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. ^04 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 18 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 430 ; H. intermedius, Blyth. ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 258 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 134,
THE STILT.
Gaj-paun, Hin.
Length, 14*5 to 15'5 ; expanse, 26 to 30; wing, 8*5 to 9 ; tail,
3 ; tarsus, 4'5 to 5'5 ; bill at front, 275.
Bill black, reddish at base ; irides blood-red ; feet lake-red.
Back of the head black or dusky, more or less mixed with
whitish, in some nearly all white, in others with only the nape
black ; back and sides of neck grey ; interscapulars and wings
glossy green-black ; tail pale ash-grey ; rest of the plumage,
including the back and rump, pure white, sometimes tinged with
rosy on the breast.
The Stilt or Long-legs is common throughout the whole region,
but only occurs during the cold weather in Guzerat and the
Deccan. In Sind it appears to be a permanent resident,
breeding freely in the Narra District during June. The eggs,
four in number, are deposited on the bare ground ; they are
oval in shape, pinched in at one end ; the ground color varies
from olive-brown to greenish stone, and the markings consist of
362 PARKING.
spots, streaks, and blotches of black, blackish-brown and rich
umber-brown. They measure 1*64 inches in length by about
1-21 in breadth.
GENUS, Recurvirostra, Lin.
Bill very long, thin, flexible, Jburned up towards the tip, which
is very thin and pointed, channeled both above and below ; nos-
trils long linear ; wings long, pointed ; tail somewhat wedged ;
tarsi moderately long, and slender ; front toes united by a web,
which is notched in the middle ; hind- toe very minute ; nails
short, curved.
Recurvirostra avocetta. Lin.
899. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 786 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 18 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind p. 258 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 134.
THE AVOCET.
Length, 18 ; wing, 8'5 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 3'25 ; bill at front,
Bill black ; irides red-brown ; legs pale bluish-grey.
Crown of the head, nape, most of the hind-neck, scapulars,
lesser wing-coverts, and primary quills, deep black ; all the rest
of the plumage pure white.
The Avocet is common during the winter in Sind, rare in
Guzerat, and does not occur at all in the Deccan. I have myself
seen it at Gungrar, near Neemuch, but it is very rare,
TRIBE, Latitores.
Feet very long ; antSBoTtoes 'usually free to the base, edged
by a web in a few ; hind-toe large ; beak usually short or moder-
ate, stout, compressed ; wing short or moderate, generally
armed with spurs or tubercles near the flexure ; tail generally
short.
FAMILY, Parrida.
JFeet enormous ; claws much lengthened ; bill moderate, com-
pressed ; wings spurred or tubercled.
SUB-FAMILY, Parrinse.
Of small or moderate size ; feet and claws enormously long,
thin.
GENUS, Parra (METOPODIUS.)
Bill moderate, stout, compressed, thick at the base ; culmen
curved at the tip ; forehead with a lappet of skin ; tail short ;
nostrils small, ovate, in the middle of the bill ; wings moderate or
short, second and third quills longest, first sub-equal, spurred at
the shoulder ; tarsus long ; feet enormous, the toes long and
thin, and the claws very long and pointed ; hind-claw especially
long.
PARRIN.E. 363
Parra indica, Lath.
900. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 708 ; Butler, Guzerat ; f] f
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 19 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, _.. t' 1
Vol. IX, p. 430 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, V
1885, p. 134.
THE BRONZE-WINGED JACANA.
Length, <j, 10, ?, 12 ; expanse, <?, 20'5, ?, 24 ; wing, <j, 6,
?, 7'5 ; tail, <?, 1'6, ?, 175 ; tarsus, g, 2'4, ?, 3; bill, <?, 1'12,
? . 1'25 ; middle-toe, $ , 3'6, 9,4; hind-toe, <j , 3'25 ; claw alone, 2'5.
Bill greenish-yellow, tinged red at base ; frontal lappet livid ;
irides brown ; legs dull green.
Head, neck, and all the under parts rich dark green, glossed on
the head, neck, and breast, and with purple reflections on the
back of the neck and upper back ; a broad white supercilium
beginning just over the eye ; interscapulars, wing-coverts, (except
the primary), scapulars, and tertiaries, pale shining bronze ; the
lower back maroon, with a beautiful purple gloss ; tail dark
cinereous, the lateral feathers bordered with black, tipped white,
and with a white shaft ; primary-coverts and quills black, faintly
glossed with green; lower abdomen and thigh-coverts dull
blackish-green ; under tail-coverts deep chesnut.
The joung bird has the crownche-snut, withji pale eyebrow ;
the^kce white ; back of the head~and"hmd neck purple, with a
lake and coppery gloss ; the back cupreous olive -green ; the
upper tail-coverts and tail dull coppery ; quills and primary-
coverts black ; tertials as the back, partly edged with white ;
throat white ; neck and breast pale buff with a median white
stripe, and the belly white^with the flanks blackish ; thigh-coverts
mixed black and whiteT
Bill yellowish-green, darker on the upper mandible ; the front
lappet is also wanting.
With the exception of Sind, the Bronze-winged Jacana occurs
in suitable localities throughout our limits, but is nowhere com-
mon ; in fact it is only found on the larger reed-grown tanks, and
never on rivers or the smaller tanks, which are generally free
from weeds. It is a permanent resident, breeding at the com-
mencement of the rains, or about July.
The nest is composed of rushes and weeds, and is a rather
large circular pad, with a depression in the centre ; it is placed
generally on a bed of lotus leaves, surrounded more or less by
rushes. The eggs, four in number, are moderately broad ovals, a
good deal pointed at one end ; they are highly glossy, of a rich
warm stone or cafe-au-lait color, the whole surface of the egg
being covered with a mass of finer or coarser brownish-black or
almost black lines, intermingled and entangled in inextricable
confusion ; sometimes these markings are paled down here and
there to a rich red brown, with an occasional large spot or blotch
of the same color as the markings.
364 PARKING.
They measure 1*47 inches in length by about T03 in breadth.
GENUS, Hydrophasianus, Wag.
Bill more slender than in Metopodius ; forehead without a
lappet ; tail very long, the four central feathers especially greatly
lengthened at the breeding season ; wings long, with the first and
second quills equal, and longer than the third ; first and fourth
primaries with a lancet-shaped portion of web, as it were, appended
to the tip ; hind-claw not so long as in Metopodius, otherwise
similar to that genus.
Hydrophasianus chirurgus, Scop.
901. Jerdon'sTTCrds of India, Vol. II, p. 709 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 20; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 431 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 258 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 134.
THE PHEASANT-TAILED JACANA.
Length, <j, 18, ?,20; expanse, $, 24, ?, 30; wing, <?, 8,
$,9'5; tail, <?, 10, ? , 11 ; tarsus, j, 212, ?, 2'4 ; bill at front,
<?, 112, '?, 1-25.
Bill pale leaden-blue, greenish at tip ; irides dark brown ; legs
pale bluish-green.
In summer plumage, the forehead, top of the head, face, chin,
throat, and neck white, a broad black mark on the top of the
head ; hind neck pale shining yellow, edged by a dark line ;
upper plumage, including the scapulars and tertiaries, shining
dark olive-brown with purple reflections ; wings with the coverts
white, first primary black, the second nearly so, and the third
black on the outer webs and a broad tip ; the rest white, all tipped
with black, as are the greater wing-coverts ; upper tail-coverts
bronzed-black ; tail black ; beneath from the breast deep brown-
ish-black, dull on the thigh-coverts ; the under tail-coverts deep
chesnut.
In winter plumage, the upper parts, including the lesser wing-
coverts and tertiaries, are pale hair-brown, the former more or less
barred with white, and the greater-coverts pure white ; the top
of the head and back of the neck brown, with a white superci-
lium, and the feathers of the forehead white spotted ; a pale
golden-yellow line from behind the eye down the sides of the
neck, bordered by the black line from the gape, which crosses the
lower part of the breast, forming a more or less broad pectoral
gorget ; first primary (only) with an appendage, fourth attenuated
and prolonged ; tail with the central feathers as the back, pale
brown, slightly lengthened.
Length, 12 to 13 ; tail, 3 to 4.
In young birds the superciliary line is ferruginous, passing into
a less marked yellow neck-stripe, and the brown band is also
less distinct.
GALLINULIN^E. 365
The Pheasant-tailed Jacana occurs commonly throughout the
district. It is a permanent resident, breeding about the middle
of the rains, or a little later.
The nest is a heap of weeds, placed in the water in the midst
of grass or rushes. The eggs, invariably four in number, are
peg-top shape ; the shell is compact and hard and is highly glossy ;
the ground color varies from greenish-bronze to rufous-brown
bronze ; they are unspotted.
They measure 1'46 in length by 112 in breadth.
FAMILY, Rallidse.
Bill more or less compressed, short, pointed, and wedge-shaped ;
nostrils median, in a short groove, pervious ; legs stout ; tarsus
short, or moderately long ; feet large ; wings moderate or short,
and rounded, usually with a tubercle or small spur on the
flexure ; tail short or almost wanting.
SUB-FAMILY, Gallinulinae.
Bill with the keel advancing on the forehead, where there is
usually a casque ; toes long and slender or bordered by a scol-
loped web ; wings short and rounded ; hind-toe long.
GENUS, Porphyrio, Srisson.
Bill very strong, thick, conic, depressed ; base prolonged into a
thick horny casque covering the forehead and the top of the
head ; upper mandible very thick, curving from the base, point-
ed ; lower mandible less thick ; gonys ascending ; gape gently
curving ; nares apert, oval in the middle of the bill ; wings mode-
rate, ample ; tail short ; tarsus lengthened, strong ; toes very^
long, free, bordered by a narrow web; claws long, very slightly
curved.
Porphyrio poliocephalus, Zatham.
902. Jerdon*s Birds of India, Vol. II/p. 713 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 20 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 431 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 260 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE PUEPLE COOT.
Keim, Hin.
Length, 18 to 19 ; expanse, 30 to 32; wing, 10; tail, 4 ; tarsus,
3-5.
Bill red, culmen darker, a blood-red spot at base of each mandi-
ble ; casque cherry-red ^ irides dull red ; legs dull pale brick-red.
Lores, round tiie eyes, cheeks, head, and nape, purple tinged
with grey on the sides, and gradually passing into the purer purple
of the hind-neck, back, and upper tail-coverts ; wing-coverts pale
blue ; the quills dull Antwerp-blue, dusky on their inner webs ;
tail black, the feathers slightly edged dull blue ; beneath, the
366 GALLINU LINJE.
lower parts of the cheeks, chin, and throat, pale coerulean-blue,
more or less edged with purplish-grey, and passing into the purer
blue of the lower neck and breast ; abdomen, sides of the body
and vent abruptly deep purple; the thigh-coverts dull blue;
under tail-coverts pure white ; lower wing-coverts dull pale blue ;
quills and tail beneath glossy blackish.
The Purple Coot occurs abundantly in all suitable localities,
throughout the region. It is a permanent resident, breeding from
July to September ; the nest is composed of grass and weeds,
heaped together, with a central depression ; it is generally float-
ing, but occasionally it is found on the ground, in a dense patch
of grass or reeds.
The eggs, eight or ten in number, are oval in shape, but they
vary somewhat. The ground color of the egg, when fresh, is
a pure salmon or pinkish-stone color, but they rapidly fade.
The markings consist of spots, streaks, and blotches of rich red
color, with underlying clouds of pale purple. They have no
gloss.
They measure 1*93 inches in length by about T39 in breadth.
GENUS, Fulica, Lin.
Bill moderate or short, thick ; the upper mandible gradually
deflected, compressed, extending backwards into a horny shield on
the forehead ; nostrils small, placed in the middle of the bill ; wings
short, concave, with a tubercle at the flexure ; second and third
quils longest ; tail very short ; tarsus moderate, compressed ;
toes very long, bordered by a wide lobed membrane ; claws short,
curved and sharp.
Plumage dense, soft, but open in texture.
Fulica atra, Lin.
903. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 715 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 20 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 431 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 261 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE BALD COOT.
Length, 15 to 16 ; wing, 775 ; tail, 2 ; bill at gape, T4.
Bill dead white in winter, tinged slightly with rosy in the
breeding season ; frontal disc white ; irides blood -red ; feet dull
green, with a garter of yellow green and red above the joint in
summer.
Head and neck deep black ; upper plumage greyish -black ; below
the same, with an ashy tinge.
The Common Coot occurs abundantly throughout the region.
It is a permanent resident, making a large nest of reeds
and rushes, in water a foot or so deep ; the nest is based upon
the ground, but rises several inches above the water level.
Occasionally they are built upon the ground close to the waters
GALLINULINJE. 367
edge, and occasionally they are more or less floating. The
eggs, seven to ten in number, are broadish ovals, slightly com-
pressed towards one end ; they have no gloss and are of a pale
buffy-stone- color, closely and evenly stippled with black or
blackish-brown specks with an occasional spot of somewhat
larger size scattered sparingly about the surface.
The eggs average T98 in length by 1'4 in breadth.
GENUS, Gallicrex, Blyth.
Bill much as in Gallinula, but with the base (in the male)
prolonged over the forehead and rising into a fleshy carbuncle
or horn on the top of the head, which is only developed at
the time of breeding ; feet large ; hind-toe with the claw short,
more curved than the others ; otherwise as in Gallinula.
Gallicrex cinereus, Gm.
904. G. cristatus, Latham. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II.
p. 716; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 261.
THE WATER- COCK.
(J. Length, 16 to 17 ; expanse, 23 ; wing, 8'5 ; tail, 3'5 ; tar-
sus, 3 ; bill from gape ; 1 "23.
? . Length, 14 ; expanse, 22 ; wing, 7 ; tail, 2 '5 ; tarsus 2'5 ;
bill from gape, T25.
Bill greenish-yellow, red at the base; irides, <J, red, $ brown;
legs, $ , dull red, ? , dull green.
Male in breeding plumage dull black ; the feathers of the back,
wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail- coverts, more or less edged
with pale brown ; tertials dark-brown, edged with pale whity-
brown ; edge of the wing white ; quills dusky, the shaft of the
first quill thick, white ; tail blackish-brown, the outer feathers
edged pale brown ; lower wing-coverts dusky, with whitish
edges.
The female has the crown of the head and a pale streak
over the eye unspotted brown ; the rest of the body above
dark brown; all the feathers edged with pale fulvous, most
broadly so on the back, scapulars, and wing- coverts ; edge of
the wing and outer web of first quill white ; quills dusky-
brown ; lores, cheeks, and sides of neck fulvous-brown ; the
chin and throat whitish ; the rest of the lower part brownish-
fulvous ; the feathers barred transversely with brown, darkest
on the flanks, outer thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts, and
whitish on the belly ; wings beneath dark cinereous.
Within our limits the Kora or Water-Cock has only been;
recorded from Sind.
GENUS, Gallinula, Brisson.
Bill moderate, compressed, rather thick at the base, slightly
curved at tip, expanding into a small shield on the forehead ;
368 GALLINULINJ:.
nostrils longitudinal, in a groove in the middle of the bill ; wings
moderate, second, third, and fourth quills sub- equal, with a small
sharp tubercle or spur ; tail short ; tarsus moderately long,
narrow, edged by a very narrow membrane.
Gallinula chloropus, Lin.
905. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 718 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 20 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 431 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind,
p. 262 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 135,
THE WATER HEN.
Length, 12 to 13 ; expanse, 20 ; wing, 675 ; tail, 2'95 ; tarsus,
1*8 ; bill from gape, I'l.
Bill red, yellow at tip ; irides red ; legs pale olive -green, with
an orange garter above the knee.
Head dusky-grey ; the upper plumage deep olive ; the wing
dusky ; edge of the wing white ; throat, neck, and breast, dusky-
grey, the rest of the under parts deep bluish -grey ; the feathers
edged with whitish, and the flanks with large streaks of white ;
under tail-coverts pure white, with a few black feathers intermixed.
The young has the head and under parts olivaceous-brown ;
the throat, neck in front, and a spot beneath the eye whitish ;
breast and beneath pale grey.
The Water Hen is a common permanent resident throughout
the district, breeding from July to September. The nest varies
much according to the situation in which it is placed ; when
built in low bushes (always overhanging water), the nest is neat
and carefully made, but when placed among reeds and flags, it
is a much less pretentious affair. The eggs, seven to nine in
number, are moderately broad ovals in shape, and in color they
are pale stone or drab, more or less thickly sprinkled with spots,
streaks and blotches of red, or reddish-brown. The larger
markings are frequently surrounded by a reddish halo.
They measure 1'62 inches in length by 1*21 inches in breadth.
GENUS, Erythra.
Intermediate between Gallinula and Porzana.
Erythra phoenicura, Penn.
907. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p." 720 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 21 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 43 1 ; Gallinula phcenicura, Penn, ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 263.
THE WHITE-BREASTED WATER HEN.
Length, 12'75 ; expanse, 21 ; wing, 6'5 ; tail, 2'5 ; tarsus,
2-5 ; bill at front, 1'5.
Bill greenish-yellow ; culmen orange ; irides blood-red ; legs
greenish.
RALLINJE. 369
Above black with greenish reflections, especially on the wing-
coverts ; chin, throat, and breast, pure white ; lower abdomen,
vent, and "under tail-coverts, deep chesniit.
The White-breasted Water Hen occurs in suitable localities
throughout our limits ; it is a permanent resident, breeding
about August, The rest is placed in a variety of situations.
In bamboo clumps, amongst reeds and rushes, upon the ground,
and even upon trees. The eggs, four or five in number, are oval
in shape, pointed somewhat at one end ; in color they are pale
pinkish-stone, more or less profusely streaked and blotched with
pale reddish-purple. They measure 1/6 inches in length by about
1-18 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Rallinae.
Base of the bill not prolonged over the forehead ; beak much
compressed; feet somewhat shorter than in Gallinula; body
still more compressed.
GENUS Porzana, Fieill.
Bill about the length of the head, compressed throughout,
moderately slender, very slightly deeper at the base, and somewhat
narrowed in the middle ; wings moderate, rounded ; tail very
short ; tarsus moderate ; toes rather long, slender, smooth ; claws
compressed, sharp.
Porzana akool, Sykes.
90S. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 722 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 21 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 431; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 135.
THE BROWN AND ASHY CRAKE.
THE BROWN RAIL.
Length, <?, 10'87 to 12'0, ?, lO'O to lr3 ; expanse, <j, 1575
to 17-0, ?, 15-0 to 15-82; wing, , 4'9 to 5'3, 9, 4'4 to
4-9 ; tail, 6 s , 2'4 to 2'8, ?, 2'3 to 2'62 ; tarsus, <j, 1-9 to 21,
?, 17 to 1-8; bill from gape, <?, 1/3 to 1-68, ?, T2 to 1/4 ;
weight, <y, 4 to 6 ozs., $, 37 to 4'9 oz.
Bill green, dusky on culmen ; lower mandible tipped lavender
blue ; irides vary from reddish-brown to crimson ; legs and
feet dull lake-red in adults in breeding season, darker in cold
season ; young birds reddish-brown.
Above olive-brown, ashy-brown on~rump ; wings and tail dusky ;
wing-coverts deep brown ; chin white ; throat, breast, and belly
ash-brown ; flanks olive- brown ; lower tail-coverts deep brown.
The Brown and Ashy Crake is a common permanent resident in
Guzerat and parts of Raj put ana ; it does not occur in Sind, and
is decidedly rare in the Deccan. They breed twice during the
rains, once in July and again in September. The nest is similar
to, but smaller than, that of the Water Hen. The eggs vary from
24
370 BALLING.
four to eight in number ; they are oval in shape, slightly com-
pressed at one end ; the texture of the shell is fine, but they have
scarcely any gloss ; the ground color is white, with a scarcely
noticeable tinge of salmon-pink, which is very evanescent ; the
markings consist of streaks and spots of purplish or brownish-
red, with occasional underlying blotches of pale purple. They
measure 1'49 inches in length by T09 in breadth.
Porzana maruetta, Leach.
909. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 722 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 215 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 432 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 264.
THE SPOTTED CRAKE.
Length, 87 to 9'2 ; expanse, 14'5 to 157 j wing, 4'3 to 4'8 ;
tail, 1-85 to 2-1 ; tarsus, 1*21 to 1'43; bill from gape, 077 to 09;
weight, 3 to 4 oz.
The tip of the lower and the greater part of the upper mandi-
ble dusky olive-green ; the basal two-thirds of lower mandible
and a band at base of the upper one wax-yellow with an orange
tinge on culmen, and a red spot at the base of the maxilla on
either side ; irides reddish-brown ; legs and feet generally bright
olive-green. This is Mr. Hume's description of the soft parts.
Jerdon's is much shorter, as follows : Bill greenish-yellow, orange,
at the base ; irides red-brown ; legs and feet bright yellowish-
green.
Crown, back, scapulars, and rump, olive-brown, blotched with
dusky, and all the feathers, except those of the head, elegantly
spotted and streaked with white ; forehead and eyestreak ash-
grey, the latter speckled with white ; nape thickly spotted with
black and white ; cheeks cinereous, speckled with black ; wing-
coverts olive-brown, sparingly spotted with white ; quills brown ;
throat ash-grey ; forepart of the neck and breast pale olivaceous,
tinged with ashy-grey and spotted with white ; belly and vent
ashy- white ; flanks with transverse bars of white, black, and
olivaceous-brown.
The Spotted Crake occurs as a more or less common cold wea-
ther visitant to all parts of the district.
Porzana bailloni, Fieill.
910. P. pygmcea, Naum. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 723; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 215;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 432 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 264 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
BAILLON'S CRAKE.
Length, 6'62 to 775 ; expanse, 10 to 1175 ; wing, 3'12 to 37 ;
tail, 1 75 to 2-2 ; tarsus, 1'05 to 1'25 ; bill from gape, 0'68 to 078 ;
weight, 1*1 to 1-8 oz.
BALLING. 371
Bill green ; culmen and tip dusky ; irides vary from red to car-
mine, in some, probably young birds, they are reddish-brown ; legs
and feet brownish-olive.
Crown and neck above wood-brown ; back, scapulars, and wing-
coverts, yellow-brown, tinged with olive and with numerous white,
black-edged, irregular- spots ; cheeks, throat, and neck, and under
parts, bluish-grey ; the sides of the abdomen and under tail-
coverts black with white cross bars.
The following remarks by Mr. Hume in his " Game Birds of
India" may prove useful :
" This species and the Little Crake are so much alike that it
may be well to point out how they may be distinguished.
" Baillon's Crake may be recognized by its smaller size, shorter,
and in proportion, deeper bill, and by having the back, scapulars,
and greater wing-coverts, all more or less profusely variegated,
with a somewhat bluish- white ; whereas in the Little Crake the
corresponding markings, which are rather coarser and of a purer
white, are confined, as a rule, to the centre of the back, though
occasionally there is a trace of these on some of the longer
scapulars. In Baillon's Crake the outer web of the first primary
is nearly entirely white or yellowish- white ; in the Little Crake
it is brown, only slightly yellower and paler than the inner web.
Moreover, in the Little Crake there is much less barring on the
flanks and under tail-coverts.
" Again, though possible, this is only seasonal (on this point I
cannot speak with certainty) ; the Little Crake has the base
of the bill bright red. Lastly the adult females of the Little
Crake have the entire breast and jfepper abdomen uniform fulvous-
fawn, while those of Baillon's Crake have these parts an albescent-
grey, often only very slightly intermingled or fringed on the
breast with brownish- fawn."
Baillon's Crake appears to be a not uncommon bird in most
parts of the district, but appears to be very locally distributed,
and most of the birds we meet with are merely seasonal visitants.
Some few, however, remain to breed, notably so at Milana, near
Deesa. The nest is not unlike that of the Water Hen. The eggs,
five or six in number, are oval in shape, slightly pointed at one
end ; the ground color is a pale stone or slight greenish-drab, with
faint dusky clouds and streaks, mostly at the larger end. They
measure about 1*2 inches in length by 0'87 in breadth.
Porzana parva, Scop.
91 Obis. P. minuta, Pall. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind,
p. 265.
THE LITTLE KAIL.
Length, 7 to 8 ; wing, 3;8 ; tail, 1'5 to 175 ; bill, 07.
Bill yellowish-green ; irides red ; feet and legs yellowish-green.
Crown of the head deep brown ; sides of the head, both above
and below the eye, ash or slate color ; cheeks and throat dull or
372 RALLIN^.
greyish- white, the forepart of the neck pale ^ash ; under parts
ashy or grey-blue in the males, light rufous buff in female ; lower
abdomen and vent deep or olive-brown, spotted with white ; neck
behind and shoulder of the wing olive-brown ; back deep olive-
brown, the feathers with broad dark mesial stripes, their inner
margins pale with some white linear spots and streaks ; primaries
and secondaries deep brown with paler edges ; lesser wing-coverts
plain dull olive-brown ; tail dusky olive-brown ; under tail-
coverts slaty-grey with spots and bars of white.
Within our limits the Little Rail only occurs in Sind.
Porzana fusca, Lin.
911. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 724.
THE RUDDY RAIL.
Length, 8'4 to 87 ; expanse, 1 3'25 to 14'5 ; wing, 375 to 4'25 ;
tail, 2-2 ; tarsus, 1'4 to T55 ; bill at front, 0'8 to 0'9 ; bill at gape,
0-9 to 1.
Bill blackish-horny to greenish-brown ; irides red ; legs red,
dusky at joints and on toes.
Forehead, cheeks, and sides of the head, neck, throat, breast,
and abdomen, vinous chesnut, albescent on the chin and throat ;
upper plumage dull olive-brown, darker on the wings and tail ;
lower abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts, darker olivaceous
with white bars.
The young want the rufous tint and have the entire chin and
throat white, and the the rest of the lower surface dull earthy
olive-brown, mottled or imperfectly barred with brownish- white.
According to Jerdon the Ruddy Rail is found throughout
India. I cannot find any record of its occurrence within our
limits, but probably owing to its skulking habits, it has been
overlooked.
GENUS, Hypotaenidia, Reich.
Bill somewhat lengthened, straight, or slightly turned down
at the tip, slender, grooved for two-thirds of its length ; nostrils
linear ; wings with the first quill much shorter than the second
or third, and a small spur on the shoulder ; tarsus and toes as in
Porzana. The feathers of the forehead somewhat spiny.
913. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 726, Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Feathers, Vol IX, p. 432.
THE BLUE-BKEASTED BANDED RAIL.
Length, 9*8 ^to iFFJ expanse, 14*25 to 17*5 ; wing, 4'5 to
5-0 ; tail, 1-5 to 2'25 ; tarsus, T35 to T62 ; bill from gape, T35 to
1-82 ; weight, 3'6 to 5 oz.
The colors of the soft parts are extremely variable.
Top of head and hind-neck dark chesnut; upper plumage
CICONID^E. 373
(including the quills and tail) olivaceous throughout, with nar-
row white, black-edged bars ; beneath, the chin and throat
whitish ; the neck, breast, and upper abdomen, bluish-grey ; the
lower abdomen, vent, under tail-coverts, and thigh-coverts, dull
olivaceous, with white bands.
The Blue-breasted Banded Rail is a not uncommon seasonal
visitant to portions of the Deccan ; it breeds during August and
September. It does not occur in Sind, neither has it been record-
ed from Guzerat.
GENUS, Rallus, Lin.
With longer bills than Hypotcenidia.
Rallus indicus, Blyth.
914 Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 726; Swinhoe and
Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE INDIAN WATER RAIL.
Length, 10'5 to 12 ; expanse, 15 to 1675 ; wing, 45 to 5 ; tail,
2 to 2-8; tarsus, T55 to 175 ; bill at front, T5 to 175; bill
from gape, 1'6 to 1'9.
Bill horny-brown ; basal half of upper mandible and basal
two-thirds of lower mandible orange-red ; irides red to red-brown ;
legs brownish-pink to fleshy-brown.
Above olive-brown, with black central streaks ; a dark streak
below the eye, continued back over the ear-coverts ; lesser-coverts
with a few white marks ; throat whitish ; cheeks, foreneck, breast,
and upper abdomen, brownish-ashy ; lower belly reddish-brown ;
flanks black with white bands ; lower tail-coverts mixed white,
rufous, and black ; quills and tail dusky-brown, the feathers
of the last edged paler.
The Indian Water Rail is, I believe, a very rare and uncertain
winter visitant to Central India. I have seen it twice at the
Panghur Lake, and I think I saw it once at Gungrar. I cannot
find any record of its occurrence within our limits.
TRIBE, Cultirostres.
Bill thick, stout, "pointed, slightly curved in some ; tarsus
elongated ; feet moderately large ; hind-toe large, on the same
plane as the anterior toes ; wings ample ; tail short, mostly of
large or moderate size.
FAMILY, Ciconidae.
Bill very large and stout, lengthened, straight, or slightly ascend-
ing, and with the lower mandible sub-recurved, smooth, without
a groove, less cleft than in the Herons ; nostrils linear, near the
base of the culmen ; wings long, second and third or third and
fourth quills longest ; tail short ; tarsus usually reticulate with
hexagonal scales ; all the anterior toes joined at the base by
membrane ; hallux resting on the ground for part of its length ;
claws blunt.
374 CICONID.E.
GENUS, Leptoptilus, Lesson.
Bill enormous, much thickened ; head more or less nude ; wing-
coverts long, broad ; under tail-coverts long, soft, and somewhat
decomposed, of very large size.
Leptoptilus argalus, Lin.
915. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 730; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 21 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers,
Vol. IX, p. 432 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 266 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE ADJUTANT.
Length, 60 ; wing, 30 ; tail, 11 ; tarsus, 10'5 ; bill at front, 12
Bill pale dirty-greenish ; irides greyish-white ; legs greyish-
white.
Adult in breeding plumage; whole head, neck, and gular
pouch bare, with a very few scattered short hairs, yellowish red
mixed with fleshy, and varying much in tint in different indivi-
duals ; a ruff of white feathers bordering the upper part of the
back, lengthened and somewhat loose in texture on the shoulder ;
upper plumage, including the lesser and median wing-coverts,
slaty black, ashy or slaty in fresh moulted birds, with a slight
green gloss ; the greater- coverts silvery-grey ; primaries and
secondaries black, slightly glossed externally ; tertiaries silvery-
grey, gradually passing into the greater-coverts, and with them
forming one long conspicuous wing-band ; two or three of the
innermost feathers, slightly decomposed in structure ; scapulars
with a tinge of grey ; lower plumage white.
In non-breeding plumage the silvery-grey wing-band is wanting,
the whole plumage is more dull, and the nude skin of the head
and neck less mixed with red.
The Adjutant is not uncommon during the rainy season in
Central India and Guzerat ; it is much more rare in the Deccan,
and in Sind it is seldom met with-
Leptoptilus javanicus, Horsf.
916. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 732 ; Butler, Deccan ;
Stray Fealhers, Vol. IX, p. 432 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE HAIR-CRESTED STORK.
Length, 54 ; wing, 26 ; tail, 1 1 ; tarsus, 10 ; bill, 10.
Bill dirty-yellowish ; bare top of head dirty-green ; nude face
and neck much tinged with yellow, and at seasons with red ;
irides whitish; legs dusky-black.
Top of the head entirely bald, horny ; the rest of the head,
face and neck bare, with a few longish hair-like feathers on the
occiput ; the face and the rest of the neck more or less thickly
covered with hairs, some long, others short, collected into a thin
CICONID.E. 375
mane on the back of the neck, and a small tuft on the lower part
of the neck; a large white neck-raff covering the sides of the
neck and breast ; plumage above glossy greenish-black ; all the
body feathers and the lesser wing-coverts faintly barred with
several narrow bars ; scapulars, the uppermost tertiaries, and the
last of the greater-coverts more brightly green glossed and edged
with white ; plumage beneath w r hite.
Jerdon states that the Hair-crested Adjutant is found in small
numbers throughout India, but as a matter of fact within our limits
it has very doubtfully been recorded from the Deccan, and a
single specimen was obtained by myself in Central India.
GENUS, Xenorhynchus, Bona.
Bill very long, stout, solid, compressed, slightly ascending to the
tip ; tarsus much elongated.
Xenorhynchus asiaticus, Lath.
917. Myoleria australis, Shaw. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol.
II, p. 734; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 22;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 432 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 266 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE BLACK-NECKED STORK.
Length, 52 to 56; wing, 23 to 24; tail, 9; tarsus, 12 to 13;
bill at front, 1 1 to 13.
Bill black ; irides brown; legs red.
Head and neck rich dark glossy-green, beautifully glossed with
purple on the hind-head and occiput ; middle and greater-coverts,
scapulars, and a portion of the interscapulars, tertiaries, and tail
glossy green ; the rest of the plumage pure white.
The Black-necked Stork is fairly common in Sind ; further
south in Guzerat it becomes less common, and in the Deccan it is
rare. It is a permanent resident, building a large platform nest
of sticks about September in some high tree. The eggs, three
or four in number, are moderately broad ovals, compressed
towards one end ; they are unspotted sullied white in color. The
shell is smooth to the touch" but rather coarse in texture. The
eggs vary from 2'65 to 3*13 inches in length, and from 1*98 to 2'3
in. breadth, but they average 2'9I by 2'12.
GENCS, Ciconia, Linnceus.
Bill straight, moderately robust, acute ; upper mandible convex
above ; lower mandible inclining a little upwards at the^ tip ; nos-
trils pierced in the horny substance of the bill ; orbits more or
less naked ; tarsi long ; a considerable part of the tibia nude ;
wings moderate, ample, third and fourth quills longest; toes
strongly webbed at the base ; hind-toe moderately long ; claws
short, depressed, blunt, not pectinated.
376 CICONID.E.
Ciconia nigra, Lin.
918. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 735 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 22 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 267 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE BLACK STORK.
Length, 42; expanse, 72; wing, 24; tail, 10; tarsus, 8 ; bill
at front, 7'9.
Bill blood red ; hides dark-brown ; legs dark-red.
Whole plumage deep blackish-brown, with violet, purple, and
green reflections, except the lower part of the breast and the
abdomen, which are pure white.
With the exception of Sind where it is common the Black
Stork is only a somewhat rare seasonal visitant to suitable por-
tions of the region.
Ciconia alba, Bechst.
919. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 736 ; Butler, Guzerat;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 22 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 267.
THE WHITE STORK.
Length, 42; expanse, 78; wing, 24 ; tail, 10; tarsus, 8'5; bill
at front, 75.
Bill fine blood-red; irides brown; naked orbits black; legs
red.
Head, neck, and all the body pure white ; greater-coverts,
scapulars, and quills black.
The White Stork is a not uncommon winter visitant to all
suitable places within the district.
Ciconia (Dissura) episcopa, JBodd.
920. C. leucocephala, Gm. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 737; Butler, Guzerat; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 22;
Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 443 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 267 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE WHITE-NECKED STORK.
Length, 36 to 37 ; expanse, 68 ; wing, 20 ; tail, 7 ; tarsus, 7 j
bill at front, 6.
Bill dusky, reddish on culmen and beneath ; the nude front,
face, throat, and patch behind the ear dusky-plumbeous ; irides
red ; sclerotic black with an anterior patch of red, and a posterior
one of yellow ; tarsus dull red ; naked skin of the ulna exposed
bright blood-red.
Top of the head black ; the whole neck white ; the rest of the
body black, beautifully glossed with purple on the back of neck,
upper back and breast, and upper part of abdomen ; quills and
ARDEID^E. 377
upper tail-coverts glossed with green, as is part of the lower
back ; tail white.
The White-necked Stork is tolerably common throughout the
region. It is a permanent resident.
FAMILY, Ardeidae.
Bill typically more slender than in the Storks, very sharp,
deeply cleft ; legs long, scutellated ; toes long, slender ; outer-toe
only joined by web to the middle one ; hind-toe long, on the
same plane as the others ; middle- toe with the inner edge of the
claw dilated and pectinated ; nostrils narrow, at the basal extre-
mity of a long furrow.
GENUS, Ardea, Linn.
Bill elongate, straight, thick, compressed, pointed ; the upper
mandible with a groove from the nostrils, evanescent towards
the tip; nostrils near the base narrow, longitudinal, partially
concealed by membrane ; wings moderately long, the second,
third, and fourth quills usually sub-equal and longest ; tail short,
even ; tarsus lengthened, usually scutellate in front ; toes long ;
outer-toe connected to the middle one by a web ; claws long,
that of the middle-toe with the inner margin produced, and
pectinated, of large size, usually grey above, with the neck
moderately long and slender, and the feathers of the lower neck
and breast lengthened and pendent.
Ardea cinerea, Lin.
923. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 741 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 23 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. - ''
IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 269 ; "
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE BLUE HERON.
Length, 39; expanse, 66; wing, 18; tail, 8 ; tarsus, 5 '75 ;
bill at front, 5.
Bill dark yellow, brownish on culmen ; irides gamboge-yellow ;
lores and naked orbitar skin greenish ; legs and feet brown.
Adult : forehead and crown pure white ; occiput black, and a
pendent crest of narrow, long, black feathers at the back of the
head ; neck white ; back and wings fine bluish-grey ; quills..
black ; scapulars silvery-grey, long and pointed, forming graceful
plumes ; tail bluish-ashy ; forepart of the neck with longitudinal
black spots, the feathers drooping down on the top of the breast,
loose, and elongated, and forming a fine pectoral plume ; lower
breast and the rest of the under parts pure white.
The young bird has the head and neck ashy, with dusky-grey
streaks in front ; the upper plumage tinged with brown ; and
the lengthened occipital feathers as well as the breast plumes
absent.
378 ARDEIDyE.
The Common Heron occurs plentifully throughout the region.
They are permanent residents, but disappear from many places
during the breeding season, when they in company with other
Herons and Egrets, form immense breeding colonies. Such colo-
nies occur on the dhunds along the Eastern Narra Canal in Sind,
and other places in the district. They all build platform nests,
composed of sticks, and the eggs are very similar, only differing
somewhat in size.
Further on a table will be found giving dimensions of the eggs
of the various species.
They breed usually during the rains.
Ardea purpurea, Lin.
924. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 743 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 23 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 269 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE PURPLE HERON.
Length, 36 to 42 ; expanse, 58 ; wing, 15 '5 ; tail, 575 ; tarsus,
5 25 ; bill at front, 5 '4,
Bill deep yellow, brownish above ; orbitar skin greenish-yellow ;
irides yellow; tarsus reddish-brown, yellowish behind and on the soles
of the feet.
Adult in full plumage : crown and occipital crest black with
green reflections ; throat white ; cheeks and sides of the neck
reddish-brown, with three longitudinal narrow black bands, two
lateral ones from the eyes to the breast, and the third from the
nape down the black of the neck ; neck in front variegated with
rufous black and purple, the feathers on the top of the breast
long and acuminated, purplish-white ; back, wings, and tail, red-
dish-ash ; the scapulars purple, long, and subulate, forming a bril-
liant plume on each side ; breast and flanks deep brownish -red ;
belly and thigh-coverts the same, but paler and mixed with
white.
The immature bird has the crest, scapulars and neck plumes
deficient ; the forehead black ; the nape and cheeks pale rufous ;
the throat white ; the forepart of the neck and the sides of the
breast yellowish-white, with black spots ; back, wings, and tail,
dusky- ash, the feathers edged with reddish-ash ; lower parts
whitish.
The Purple Heron is common in suitable places throughout
the district. The remarks concerning breeding apply to this
species also.
GENUS, Herodias, Boie.
Bill moderately long and slender, straight and much compress-
ed ; plumage white ; the neck very long and slender ; tibia naked
for nearly half its length ; tarsus long, thin.
ARDEID.E. 379
Herodias alba, Lin.
. Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 270.
THE LAKGE WHITE HERON.
Wing, 17-2 ; tarsus, 7'91 ; bill at front, 5.
Bill, yellow.
Plumage, pure white ; in the breeding season it developes a
long dorsal train of decomposed feathers, extending about five
inches from the end of the tail ; at this season the bill is black.
This Large White Heron occurs in Sind.
Herodias torra, B. Ham.
925. H. alba, Lin. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 744 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Ver-
tebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 270 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central
India; Ibis, 1885, p. 135.
THE LARGE EGRET.
Length, 36 ; expanse, 54 ; wing, 13'2 to 15'2 ; tail, 6 ! 5 ; tarsus,
5-25 to 7 ; bill at front, 372 to 4'6.
Bill black, changing to yellow in winter ; naked skin at base of
bill and round the eyes pea-green to verditer ; irides pale yellow ;
naked part of tibia pale livid ; tarsus black, more or less suffused
with vinous red.
Plumage pure white ; in the breeding season ao elongated dorsal
train of fine decomposed feathers, which pass the tail sometimes
by 4 or 5 inches ; no crest or breast plumes.
The Large Egret is very common in Sind ; it occurs more spar-
ingly in other places, but is nowhere rare.
The remarks about breeding apply to this species also.
Herodias intermedia, Hass.
926. H. egrettoides, Tern. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II,
p. 745 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 23 ; Dec-
can, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 270 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ;
Ibis, 1885, p. 136.
THE SMALLER EGRET.
Length, 27 to 28 ; expanse, 46 ; wing, 11-15 to 12*65 ; tail, 5 ;
tarsus, 41 to 4;6 ; bill at front, 2'68 to 3'09.
Bill black ; irides yellow ; legs black ; facial skin greenish.
In summer, plumage pure white, like the last ; a long dorsal
train reaching nearly to the ground, and a beautiful long pectoral
tuft of similarly formed feathers, but no crest.
In winter, the dorsal and pectoral trains are wanting, and the
bill is yellow.
The Smaller Egret is very common throughout the region except
perhaps in Ratnagiri.
Breeds similarly to -the others.
380 ARDEID.E.
Herodias garzetta, Lin.
927. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 746 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 23 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 270 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 136.
THE LITTLE EGRET.
Length, 24 to 25 ; wing, 9'8 to 11'4 ; tail, 3'9 ; tarsus, 37 to
4-6 ; bill at front, 31 to 3'6.
In breeding plumage, as in the others, white ; a pendent occi-
pital crest of two or three long feathers ; dorsal train of decom-
posed feathers long, and in fine specimens curving upwards at the
extremity, some lengthened pectoral feathers also.
The bill is always black.
In non-breeding dress the occiptal crest and the dorsal aod
pectoral plumes are wanting.
The Little Egret is very common throughout the district.
The remarks about breeding apply to this species also.
GENUS, Demi-egretta, Blyfh.
Bill long, slender, otherwise much as in Herodias, but the
adult plumage is dark, the young birds alone being white.
Demi-egretta gularis, Bole.
928. D. asha, Sykes. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 746 ;
Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p.. 23 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 434 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 271.
THE ASHY EGRET.
Length, 24; wing, 10'25 ; tail, 3'25 ; tarsus, 3'95 ; bill at front,
3-5.
Bill reddish-yellow, dusky above ; orbitar skin yellow-green ;
irides yellow ; legs blackish ; the feet and lower part of the
tarsus yellowish.
Adult in breeding season has the whole plumage dusky-slaty ;
the chin and throat white ; an occipital crest ; a dorsal train of
decomposed feathers not reaching to the end of the tail ; and a
pectoral plume of narrow and pointed not decomposed feathers.
In the cold season entirely of a slaty color, the throat alone
white.
Young birds are pure white throughout, or, according to Layard,
have some of the wing-coverts edged with grey. At the first
breeding season they assume the dark slaty color, with traces
of white on the winglet and lower surface in some ; specimens in
a state of change are, of course, much varied with white.
The Ashy Egret or White-throated Reef Heron is fairly
common along the coast, but does not seem to occur far inland,
unless on very large sheets of water.
ARDEID.E. 381
GENUS, Bubulcus, Pucheran.
Bill somewhat short, stout, slightly curved along the culm en,
smooth ; feet longer, otherwise as in Egretta ; assumes golden-
yellow, hair-like plumes on the head, breast, and back during
the breeding season.
Bubulcus coromandus, Bodd.
929. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 749 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 23; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, 434 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 271 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 136.
THE CATTLE EGRET.'
Length, 21 ; expanse, 37 ; wing, 10'25 ; tail, 4 ; tarsus, 3'5 ; bill
at front, 2*5.
Bill deep orange- yellow ; orbitar region yellowish-pink ; irides
pale yellow ; legs whitish-green on the tibia and to a little below
the knee ; rest of the tarsus blackish-green, with a reddish tinge
on the toes, which are greenish below.
In summer dress, the whole head, which is crested, neck, and
breast, rich golden-buff, except the chin, and a narrow median
line on the neck ; dorsal plumes of the same hue, very filamentose
and decomposed, about eight or nine inches long ; elongated
feathers of the breast white at base, yellow at tip ; the rest of the
plumage pure white.
In non-breeding dress the plumage is entirely white ; the bill
yellow in place of orange, and the orbitar skin yellow.
The Cattle Heron is common throughout the district. In its
breeding habits it resembles the other members of the family, but
occasionally a colony of them may be found breeding alone or in
company with the Pond Heron. Their eggs may be distinguished
from those of all other herons by their excessive paleness.
GENUS, Ardeola, Soie.
Bill moderately long, straight, pointed ; tarsus short, stout ; feet
moderately large ; tibia feathered nearly to the knee ; neck short,
densely feathered ; the feathers long and lax ; toes long ; dorsal
plumes in the breeding season hair-like, dark ; wing white.
Ardeola grayi, Sy&es.
930. A. leucoptera, Bodd. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p.
751 ; Butler, Guzerat ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 23 ; Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 434 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of
Sind, p. 272 ; Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885,
p. 136.
THE POND HEKON.
Andhe bagla, Hin.
Length, 18'5; expanse, 28; wing, 8'5 ; tail, 3; tarsus, 2'4 ;
bill at front, 2'5.
382 AKDEID^E.
Bill yellowish, blue at base, black at tip ; orbits greenish-
yellow ; irides bright yellow ; legs and feet dull green.
Adult in full breeding plumage has the head crested, with long
occipital white plumes ; head and neck greyish yellow ; the back
with the feathers decomposed, dark maroon ; wings, rump and
upper tail-coverts, tail, and all beneath, white.
In non-breeding dress, the head, neck, and breast, are
fulvous with brown stripes, darkest on the head ; the upper
plumage pale ashy-brown ; wings, (except the uppermost tertials)
white, and the lower parts from the breast white ; thigh-coverts
fulvous.
The Pond Heron is a common permanent resident throughout
the district.
GENUS, Butorides, Blyth.
Bill rather long, straight, moderately stout ; neck short, thickish ;
tibia feathered nearly to the joint ; tarsus short ; inner-toe short;
head crested ; feathers of the back and scapulars highly lanceolate ;
plumage dull blue.
Bu^i^esjavamca, Horsf.
931. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 752 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 24 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 434 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 272 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 136.
THE LITTLE GREEN HERON.
Length, 16 to 17 ; wing, 7 ; tail, 2'25 ; tarsus, 1'9 ; bill, 2'5.
Bill black, pale yellow beneath ; lores yellowish -green ; irides
bright yellow ; legs pale yellow-green ; the soles dark yellow.
Head, with lengthened occipital crest, glossy black ; a short
black line from below the eye, between which and the black
head the ear-coverts are greyish-white ; back and sides of neck
ashy-grey ; feathers of the back, including the scapulars and
feathers covering the tertials, lengthened, lanceolate, dull green ;
the upper ones with an ashy tinge ; rump reddish-ashy ; upper
tail-coverts greenish ; wing- coverts glossy green, edged with pale
fulvous ; quills dark slaty, narrowly tipped with white, and
passing into green on the tertials, edged with fulvous ; tail dark
slaty, and the lower plumage, with the thigh -co verts, ashy, with a
central line down the neck to the breast whitish ; the feathers
being white at the base and becoming albescent on the vent and
under tail-coverts.
The Little Green Heron or Bittern is a common permanent
resident throughout the district, breeding in a similar manner to
the other members of the family.
The following table may be of some use as it gives the average
dimension of the eggs ; but they are so much alike, that it is
advisable always to shoot a bird off the nest to avoid mistakes.
ARDETD.E.
383
DIMENSIONS.
Jerdon'a
Number.
NAMES.
4
1
COLOR.
f
S
OT
923
Ardea cinerea...
2-27
1-66
Delicate bluish or sea-green.
924
Ardea purpurea
2-17
1-56
Do. do. do.
925
Herodias torra
2-11
1 55
Do. do. do.
926
Herodias intermedia
1-9
1-44
Do. but rather paler.
927
Herodias garzetta
1-73
132
Do. do. do.
928
Demi-egretta gularis
1-68
1-3
Do. but still more pale.
929
Bubulcus coromandus
1-71
1-32
White, faintly tinged green-
ish or bluish.
930
Ardeola grayi ...
1-48
1-17
Rather deep sea green or
greenish or bluish.
931
Butorides javanica
1-62
1 21
Greenish.
937
Nycticorax griseus
1-92
1-35
Do,
GENUS, Ardetta, Gray.
Bill slender, straight ; tibia feathered nearly to the joint ;
tarsus short ; toes lengthened and strong ; claws long,' of small or
moderate size ; plumage of neck more or less lengthened, as in
the Bittern ; of nocturnal habits.
Ardetta flavicollis, Latham.
932. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 753; Murray's
Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 273.
THE BLACK BITTERN.
Kola Bagla, Hin.
Length, 23 to 24 ; expanse, 30 ; wing, 8*5 ; tail, 3 ; tarsus, 2- 5 ;
bill at front, 3 '5.
Bill livid red-brown ; culmen dusky ; cere livid purple ; irides
yellow ; legs pale brown, with a tinge of green in some, reddish-
brown in others.
Plumage above (in breeding season) dull cinereous black ; chin
and throat with the feathers white, tipped with red-brown ; the
large feathers of the neck mixed with white, red-brown, and
dusky-black ; each feather having some black at the base and tip,
and more or less red-brown on one web only ; a stripe of golden-
yellow down the side of the neck, widening inferiorly ; feathers
of the back lengthened, but not decomposed, forming a dorsal
plume ; the feathers of the breast dark ashy, slightly lengthened ;
abdomen dusky, mixed with whitish ; inner wing-coverts dusky-
reddish.
The young bird has the feathers slightly edged with rufous, and
the throat and neck less richly colored than in the adult.
The Black Bittern, within our limits, has only been recorded
from Sind. Mr. Doig found them breeeding on the Narra Canal
in the month of May. He says the nests are formed of tama-
risk twigs and occasionally a few aquatic weeds, and that the eggs,
384 ARDEID^E.
always four in number, are broad ovals, pointed at both ends,
and are nearly white in color.
They measure 17 by 1*22.
Ardetta cinnamomea, Gm.
933. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 755; Butler, Deccan,
Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 434 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology
of Sind, p. 274.
THE CHESNUT BITTERN.
Lai Bayla, Hin.
Length, 16 ; expanse, 22 ; wing, 6 ; tail, 175 ; tarsus, 2 ;
bill at front, 2.
Bill yellow ; culmen dusky ; cere yellow ; irides yellow ; legs
/ greenish yellow, with yellow soles.
J Above, fine chesnut color, with a tinge of cinereous on the
crown ; beneath fulvous, whitish on the throat, and with a
pectoral gorget of feathers, dark brown in the centre ; thigh-
coverts cinnamomeus ; lower surface of the wings dull ashy.
The young bird has the plumage streaked, the feathers being
reddish-brown in the centre with pale yellowish margins.
The Chesnut Bittern occurs both in Sind and in the Deccan.
I 'have not heard of its occurrence in Guzerat, but most probably
it will be found to occur there.
It is probably only a seasonal visitant.
Ardetta sinensis, Gm.
934. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 755 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. V, p. 216 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p.434 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p- 274.
THE YELLOW BITTERN.
Length, 14 to 15 ; wing, 5'25 \ tail, 175 ; tarsus, 175 ; bill at
front, 2-25.
Bill pale yellow ; culmen brownish ; irides yellow ; legs and
feet pale green.
Adult, top of head black ; back of neck cinnamon rufous ;
face, sides of neck and breast pale fulvous yellow, white on the
chin ; back and scapulars pale earthy or sandy brown ; wing-
coverts and tertiaries pale isabelline- fulvous, the latter verging
to pale brownish ; quills and tail black ; sides of the breast deep
brown, edged with pale yellow, passing to white on the vent
and under tail-coverts ; back of neck and rest of lower plumage
yellowish- white, passing to white.
The young bird has the upper plumage more or less cinna-
mon-brown, mixed with pale fulvous, and some of the occipital
feathers blackish brown.
The Yellow Bittern is not very common in Sind ; it occurs
also in Guzerat, but is rare in the Deccan. Captain Butler
found it breeding at Milana, about 18 miles east of Deesa. The
ARDEID^E. 385
n est, composed of sedges, was built in a dense clump of bulrushes.
The eggs, three in number, were of a pale skim- milk blue color
and were about 1*25 inches in length.
Ardetta minuta, Lin.
935. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 756 ; Murray's Vertebrate
Zoology of Sind, p. 274.
THE LITTLE BITTERN.
Length, 14; wings, 575; tail, 2; tarsus, 1 '5; bill at front,
1-75.
Bill bright yellow, dusky above, round the eyes yellow ; irides
yellow ; feet yellowish-green.
Top of head, occiput, back, scapulars, and tail, glossy
black ; small wing-coverts and the upper three-fourths of the
other coverts pale sienna-yellow, the lower fourth more or less
white ; quills ashy-black ; cheeks, neck, and all the lower sur-
face of the body pale rufescent, tinged with purplish yellow on
the neck, and with brown streaks on the flanks.
Within our limits the Little Bittern has only been recorded
from Sind, where Mr. Doig obtained the eggs.
GENUS, Botaurus, Brisson. ,
Bill rather short, stout, higher at the base than broad ; the
upper mandible curved towards the point ; tarsi short ; tibia
feathered for the greater portion of its length ; feet very long ;
claws long, moderately curved ; neck short, densely feathered
and thick.
Botaurus stellaris, Lin.
936. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 757 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 24 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 436 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 275.
THE BITTERN.
Length, 26 to 30 ; expanse, 46 ; wing, 1 3 ; tail, 4'5 ; tarsus,
375 ; bill at front, 3.
Bill brown, below pale yellow ; orbits pale yellow ; irides
bright gamboge-yellow ; legs greenish-yellow.
Crown of head and a broad moustache black ; neck ochre-
yellow, with brown zigzag lines on the sides, and long streaks
and spots of brown in front ; upper plumage ochre-yellow with
a tinge of reddish, each feather marked with a dusky spot ;
primaries and secondaries dark ferruginous, with bars of blackish-
brown ; all the coverts (except the primary) and the scapulars,
mottled yellow and dusky ; beneath, the same, but paler, and
with large dusky streaks.
The Bittern is a rare bird ; it occurs in Sind, and has been
recorded from one or two localities in the Deccan. It is a cold
weather visitant only.
25
386 ARDEID.E.
Goisakius melanolophus, Raffl.
936&W. Butler. Deccan ; Stray Feathers, Vol. IX, p. 435.
THE MALAYAN TIGER BITTERN.
Length, 17 to 19'62 ; expanse, 29'5 to 37 ; wing, 9'12 to 10'37 ;
tarsus, 2'3 to 2'69 ; bill at front, 1'8 ; bill from gape, 2'4.
Bare skin at base of bill green ; bill horny-brown, greenish-
horny beneath ; irides greenish-yellow ; legs and feet greenish-
olive.
Crown of head and nape black ; the feathers of the occiput
lengthened into a full crest, and each irregularly marked with a
white spot across its centre, and a smaller white tip ; the feathers
of the forehead and above the eyes black, with ochreous instead
of white spots, forming an obscure bar above the eye ; cheeks
and sides of throat pale ochreous, with narrow zigzag lines of
black across the feathers ; the mantle chesnut, freckled and
irregularly barred with narrow zigzag lines of black ; upper tail-
coverts dull black, with white dots.
Tail, above, dark slaty or bluish-black ; quills black, tipped
with white ; the base of the white tinged with chesnut and
mottled with black ; greater-coverts of first three primaries black,
broadly tipped white ; the base of the white on the outer webs
tinged with chesnut, which is closely freckled with black
blotches and spots, and replaced at the extreme tip by white
less densely freckled ; two or three small feathers at the angle
of the wing pure white.
Under primary-coverts pale ochreous, closely barred with black,
and the larger feathers broadly tipped white ; rest of under wing-
coverts barred black and white.
Chin and throat white, faintly tinged with ochreous, and with
an obscure central streak- of black dots ; throat rich chesnut,
minutely banded with black bars ; centre of the breast like the
throat, with two lateral streaks of ochreous (one on either side)
formed by some of the feathers continuously being paler chesnut
and free from all black but a few dots.
Abdominal feathers pale ochreous-chesnut, with small dots and
obscure bars of black, but mostly with a white central streak ;
elongated feathers of the abdominal train paler ochreous, very
faintly and sparsely dotted with black, and with the central
streak of white more apparent ; coverts of tibia ochreous, mottled
with dull black ; under tail-coverts white, tinged on their outer
margins with ochreous and speckled with black dots. T. W.
Bourdillon, Stray Feathers, Vol. VII, p. 525.
The Malayan Tiger Bittern is extremely rare ; the only speci-
men recorded from our district was obtained by Mr. Laird in
the forests west of Belgaum.
GENUS, Nycticorax, Steph.
Bill short, stout; culmen curved; wings with third quill
TANTALIN.E, 387
longest ; tarsus short, reticulated in front, with large hexagonal
scales ; feet moderate ; claws short, curved 1 ; head] [crested ;
tail broad, even.
Nycticorax griseus, Lin.
937. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 758 ; Butler, Guzerat ; tf*^f t
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 24 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. I/
IX, p. 435; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 276;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 136. 2X* &
THE NIGHT HERON.
WaJc, Hin.
Length, 21 to 23 ; wing, 12'5 ; tail, 375 ; tarsus, 3 ; bill at front
2-8.
Bill black, yellowish at base ; lores and orbits yellowish-green ;
irides blood-red ; feet yellowish-green.
Forehead and a narrow streak above the eye white ; crown
of the head, upper part of back, and scapulars, black, glossed with
green ; occiput with a crest of three (or more) narrow long white
feathers, six to seven inches long, channeled, and fitting into each
other ; lower back, wings, and tail fine blue-grey ; all beneath
pure white.
The young bird wants the occipital plumes ; the upper plumage
is brownish ashy, with whitish spots ; and the lower plumage
whitish with brown streaks.
The Night Heron is a common and permanent resident in most
parts of our district. It breeds during the rains, making a large
loose stick nest, generally associating in colonies, with other
species of herons, &c.
FAMILY, Tantalidee.
Bill long, more or less thick, arched in many; the culmen
rounded and bent ; nostrils usually basal ; wings long ; tail rather
short ; tarsus long or moderate ; feet moderate ; anterior toes
joined at the base by web; hind-toe moderate, or rather short,
resting on the ground.
SUB-FAMILY, Tantalinae.
Bill very large, thick, rounded, smooth ; legs long.
GENUS, Tantalus, Lin.
Bill lengthened, straight ; culmen rounded ; the tip bent down,
slightly emarginated ; nostrils basal, superior ; head, . cheeks, and
throat bare ; legs lengthened ; tibia nude for half its length ;
tarsus long, reticulated ; toes moderately long, with a web between
the front toes ; hind-toe moderately long, slightly raised.
Tantalus Jeucocephalus, Forster.
938. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 761 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
388 PLATALEIN.E.
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p 24; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. IX,
p. 435 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 276 ; Swinhoe
and Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 136.
THE PELICAN IBIS.
Length, 42 ; expanse, 72 ; wing, 20 ; tail, 7 ; tarsus, 775 ; bill at
front, 9 to 10.
Bill deep yellow, tip greenish, as also are the naked orbits,
head and gular skin ; irides pale yellow-brown ; legs fleshy-red.
Plumage white ; the quills and tail richly glossed green-black ;
tertiaries white, beautifully tinged with rosy, with a darker band
near the end, and a white tip ; the feathers loose and decomposed ;
lesser and median-coverts glossy green, with white edges ; greater-
coverts pure white.
In summer the tertiaries acquire a deeper rosy tint, and the
bill and nude parts become of a brighter and deeper yellow.
The young bird has the plumage generally brown, paler on the
back and rump, dark on the wing-coverts ; beneath more or less
albescent, with a broad brown patch on the sides of the abdomen ;
bill pale greenish-yellow.
The Pelican ibis, or Painted Adjutant, is generally distributed
throughout the region. It is a permanent resident. I found a
colony of these birds breeding in March, at Hir, about ten miles
from Neemuch ; the nests, considering the size of the birds, were
very frail ; they were composed of twigs, and the eggs could be
seen from below ; there were fifty or sixty nests, and none contain-
ed more than four eggs, but they were all fresh, and possibly they
may lay more. The eggs are elongated ovals, much compressed
at one end ; the shell is fine and compact, of a dull white color.
They measure 276 inches in length by about 1*9 in breadth.
SUB-FAMILY, Plataleinae.
Bill very broad, flat, and depressed.
GENUS, Platalea, Lin.
Bill long, very broad, depressed and thin, dilated, and rounded
at the extremity like a spatula ; nostrils basal, oblong, apert ; wings
moderate, second quill longest ; tibia bare for nearly half its
length ; tarsus moderately long, reticulated ; the three anterior toes
united at the base by a deeply cut web ; head and face more or
less nude.
Platalea leucorodia, Lin.
937. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 763 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 24 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol:
IX, p. 433 ; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 277 ;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 136.
THE SPOONBILL.
Length, 31 to 36 ; wing, 14'5 to 16 ; tail, 6'5 ; tarsus, 5 to 6 ; bill
at front, 7'8 to 8'5.
ANASTOMATIN.B. 389
Bill black, (more or less mottled with yellowish undulations
during the winter), ochry-yellow at the tip; irides blood-red;
naked skin of face and gular skin orange-yellow ; legs black.
Plumage pure white, with a patch of buffy-yellow on the upper
part of the breast, extending up the sides towards the back ; the
crest composed of long subulate and canaliculate feathers
placed on the occiput.
The young wants the crest, has the shafts of the quills and
the tips of the primaries black, the naked orbits dingy- white,
and bill dark ashy, soft and flexible. The patch of buff is
said not to appear till the second or third year.
The Spoonbill is more or less common throughout the region.
It breeds in Sind during October and November in company ;
the nests are large platforms, composed of sticks. The eggs,
four or five in number, are elongated ovals in shape, a good
deal pointed at one end ; they are white in color, more or less
spotted with brown or yellowish- brown. They measure 27 by
1-81.
SUB-FAMILY, Anastomatinae.
Bill very thick, stout, coarse, gaping in the middle.
GENUS, Anastomus, Uliger.
Bill moderately long, not deeply cleft, very thick, solid, nearly
straight ; mandibles nearly equal, not meeting in the middle,
but leaving a greater or lesser space gaping ; upper mandible
notched at the tip ; nostrils basal, superior ; wings moderately
long, with second or third quills longest, sub-equal ; tail moderate,
nearly even ; tibia naked for a considerable space ; tarsi long,
reticulated; feet rather short ; the front toes joined at the base
by web.
Anastomus oscitans, Bodd.
940. Jerdon's Birds" of India, Vol. II, p. 765 ; Butler, Guzerat ;
Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 24 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol.
IX, p. 435; Murray's Vertebrate Zoology of Sind, p. 277;
Swinhoe and Barnes, Central India ; Ibis, 1885, p. 136.
THE SHELL IBIS.
Length, 29 to 32 ; expanse, 50 to 54 ; wing, 16'5 to 17 ; tail,
7 ; tarsus, 5 '5 ; bill at front, 6*25.
Bill dull greenish, tinged with reddish beneath ; nude orbits
and gular skin blackish ; irides grey or pale brown ; legs pale
fleshy.
General color of the plumage pale ashy-grey, tinged with
reddish on the head and neck ; 
