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Mh Men fee ie Rid Cry At ink Hes wna Ereheee ker Sitti aed ae oihiben ne aii Ahly hi Kanye eit Lane a Rh it S : iit ‘ ; : ie if * ’ 4 7 t ih ihre int nie i a 4 aba 4 4 bl A eReRTY Aantal Mant WV xh ) My , tt ‘ rei : a Ht ad y AY ni 1G ie i 4 agi ATW Ay f Pate Wat ie tae ie Nr ee SRO EEN Hem een hit ia 4 ui baad H) PU arte 4 TE er OS PNT CAT ata if — Se Me / | SIG, 20SY2 03 ee i BLS, A UARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY, EDITED BY WILLIAM LUTLEY S$ CLATER, M-A., E.Z.S: TENTH SERIES. 23044! Delectasti me, Domine, 1n operibus manuum tuarum. | LONDON: R, H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE W. 1913. ALERE FLAMMAM PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREKT. DYES OF ISSUE OF THE PARTS OF SE els LORMI913. TENTH SERIES. VOLUME I. —_———_- Number I. issued January 18th. Tie @)) Apml “2nd: eee eo uly Sts LING October 6th. 99 9? ; - ~ = o - + LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS UNION. TIL: [An asterisk indicates an Original Member. It is particularly requested that Members should give notice to the Secretary of the Union of any error in their addresses or descriptions in this List, in order that it may be corrected. } Date of Election. 1S) Pa ARS hale 1888. 1896. 5 1896. HOOT. 1901. 1908. 1897. 10 1885. 1904. 1901. 1892. ALEXANDER, CurisropHer James; International Institute of Agriculture, Rome, Italy. ALEXANDER, Horace Gunpry; King’s College, Cambridge ; and 3 Mayfield Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Apiin, Ortver Vernon; Stonehill House, Bloxham, Oxon. ArcHipaLp, Caartes F.; 2 Darnley Road, West Park, Leeds, Yorks. ARRIGONI DEGLI Oppr1, Count Errorn, Professor of Zoology, University, Padua; and Ca’ oddo, Monselice, Padua, Italy. ArunveEL, Major Watrer B., F.Z.8.; High Ackworth, Ponte- fract, Yorks. AsuBy, Hersert; Broadway House, Brookvale Road, Southampton. AsnwortH, Dr. Jonn Wattworx, M.R.CS., L.R.C.P., F.R.G.S., F.G.8.; Thorne Bank, Heaton Moor, near Stockport, Cheshire. Astiry, Husert Detavat, M.A., F.Z.S.; Benham Park, Newbury, Berks. Bacxnousr, James, F.Z.8.; The Red House, Knaresborough, Yorks. Baur, Purr Hernrice, M.A., M.B., M.R.CS., L.B.C.P., ¥.Z.8.; Perrysfield House, Oxted, Surrey. Baitwarp, Col. Arraur CuHurcuitt, F.Z.S. (R.F.A.) 64 Victoria Street, S.W. Baker, E. C. Sruarr, F.Z.8.; 6 Harold Road, Upper Norwood, 8.E. (Hon. Secretary and Treasurer.) SHR. X.——VOL, I, a 15 20 25 30 35 Date of Election. 1901. Baxsr, Joun C., M.B., B.A.; Ceely House, Aylesbury, Bucks. 1908. Batt, Crispin Aurrep (Sudan Civil Service) ; Geteina, White Nile Province, Sudan. 1889. Barston, Ricwarp James, F.Z.S.; Springfield, Maidstone, Kent. 1906. Bannerman, Davin A., B.A.; 11 Washington House, Basil Street, S.W. : 1890. Barctay, Francis Huserr, F.Z.S.; The Warren, Cromer, Norfolk. 1885. Barctay, Huen Gurney, F.Z.8.; Colney Hall, Norwich, Norfolk. 1889. Barrert-Hamitton, Major Greratp E. H., F.Z.S.; Kilmanock, Campile, Waterford, Ireland. 1881. Barrineron, Ricwarp Mantirre, LL.D.; Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. 1903. Barrets, Max.; Pasir Datar, Halte Tjisaiit (Preanger), Java, Dutch East Indies. 1906. Bares, Grorer L., C.M.Z.S.; Bitye, Ebolowa, Kamerun, West Africa. 1912. Baxenpate, Francis Ricnoarp Satispury ; Commissioner of Famagusta, Cyprus. 1913. Baynes, Grorce Kennetu ; 120 Warwick Street, S.W. 1912, Breese, C. Witttam, C.M.Z.S.; Curator of Birds, New York Zoological Park, New York, U.S.A. 1910. Beeston, Harry; Sunnymead, South Street, Havant, Hants. 1897, Benson, Joun; The Post Office, Vancouver, B.C. 1897. Berry, Witti1aM, B.A., LL.B.; Tayfield, Newport, Fifeshire. 1907. Burnett, The Hon. Ricuarp; 30 Hill Street, Mayfair, W. 1907. Bickerton, Witiiam, F.Z.S.; The Firs, Farraline Road, Watford, Herts. 1880. Brpwett, Epwarp; 1 Trig Lane, Upper Thames Street, E.C. 1892. Brrp, The Rev. Maurice C, H., M.A.; Brunstead Rectory, Stalham, 8.0., Norfolk. 1891. Braauw, Frans Ernst, C.M.Z.S.; Gooilust, ’sGraveland, Hilversum, Noord-Holland. . 1918. Brackwoop, George Gienpinnine; 2 Bellevue Crescent, Edinburgh. 1912. Buarne, Ginpert, F.Z.8.; 5a The Albany, Piccadilly, W. 1903. Bratnwayt, The Rev. Francis Lintny, M.A.; Doddington Rectory, Lincoln. 1897. Bonar, The Rev. Horatrus Niyian, F.Z.8.; Saltoun, Pen- caitland, N.B. 40 45 50 55 60 Date of Election, 1905, 1894. 1906, 1898. 1904. 1908. 1910. 1895. 1902. 1909. 1902. 1885. 1908. 1890. 1899. 1912. 1900. 1907. 1906. 1895. 1908. 1907. 1899, Vil Bons, Henry Perers, F.Z.8.; 28 Adelaide Crescent, Brighton. Bonuorz, Joun Lewis, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.8.; Zoological Gardens, Giza, Egypt ; and Gade Spring Lodge, Hemel Hempstead, Herts. Boorman, Sraines; Heath Farm, Send, Woking, Surrey. Boorr, Grorcr Anpert; Whalley Range, Longton, Lancs. Bootn, Harry B.; Rybill, Ben Rhydding, vid Leeds, Yorks, Borrer, Crirrorp Dartson ; 6 Durham Place, Chelsea, S.W. Brasourns, Wynpaam Wentworth, Lord, F.Z.S.; 19 Curzon Street, Mayfair, W. Braprorp, Sir Joun Ross, K.C.M.G., M.D., D.Sc., F.R.S., F.Z.S ; 8 Manchester Square, W. Bripceman, Commdr. The Hon. Ricuarp O. B., R.N.; H.M.S. ‘ Druid,’ 1st Destroyer Flotilla, Home Fleet. Briees, Tnomas Henry, M.A., F.E.S.; Rock House, Lynmouth, R.8.0., N. Devon. Bristowk, Bertram Artuur; The Cottage, Stoke D’Abernon, Cobham, Surrey. Brocxnorrs, Witr1am Frrzaprserr ; Claughton-on-Brock, Garstang, Lancashire. Broox, Epwarp Jonas, F.Z.S.; Hoddam Castle, Ecclefechan, NEB: Brooxr, Harry Brrystey; 33 Egerton Gardens, 8.W. Brooxs, Jonn Arruvr, J.P.; Fenay Hall, Huddersfield ; and Fearn Lodge, Ardgay, Ross-shire. Brown, Tuomas Epwarp; c/o Messrs. G. Beyts & Co., Port Tewfik, Suez, Egypt. Bruce, Witrram Spretrs, LL.D., F.R.S.E.; Scottish Oceano- graphical Laboratory, Surgeon’s Hall, Edinburgh. Bucxrey, Cuartes Mars; 4 Hans Crescent, S.W. Bucxnitt, Joan ALEXANDER Srracuey, K.C., M.A., F.Z.S. ; Attorney General, Hong Kong, China. Burearia, H.M, Frrpranp, King of, F.Z.8.; The Palace, Sofia, Bulgaria. Bounyarp, Percy Frepericr, F.Z.8.: 57 Kidderminster Road, Croydon, Surrey. Bourrter, ArtHuR Garpiner, Ph.D., F.L.S., F.Z.8S.; 124 Beck- enham Road, Beckenham, Kent. Burrer, Arruur Lennox, F.Z.S.; Superintendent of Game Preservation, Sudan Government, Khartum, Sudan. a2 65 75 80 Date of Election. 1884. 1900. 1905. 1884. 1912. 1839. 1904. 1908. 1890. vill Burter, Lieut.-Col. E. A.; Winsford Hall, Stokesby, Great Yarmouth. Burrress, Bernarp A. E.; Craft Hill, Dry Drayton, vambridge. Buxron, AntHony; Knighton, Buckhurst Hill, Essex. Buxton, Grorrrey Fowert, F.Z.S.; Dunston Hall, Norwich, Norfolk. Buxton, Patrick AtFreD; Fairhill, Tonbridge, Kent. Cameron, Ewen Somertep, F.Z.8.; Marsh P.O., Montana, US AS . Cameron, Capt. Jamzs 8.; (2nd Bn. Royal Sussex Regt.) Low Wood, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent, . Cameron, Jonn Duncan; Low Wood, Bethersden, Ashford, Kent. . Campsett, Davin Catitenper, J.P.; Templemore Park, Londonderry, Ireland. . Carrott, Crement Josnrn ; Rocklow, Fethard, Co. Tipperary, Treland. CarrutHers, ALEXANDER Dovetas M.; Little Munden Rectory, Ware, Herts. Carter, Tuomas; Wensleydale, Broome Hill (Great Southern Railway), Western Australia. Cave, CuarLes Joun Purr, M.A., F.Z.8.; Ditcham Park, Petersfield, Hants. . Cuarrtin, Nuchnr; The Lodge, Bourne End, Bucks. . Coaruan, Apri, F.Z.8.; Houxty, Wark-on-Tyne, North- umberland. . Coase, Roserr Wirt1am; St. Brelade, King’s Norton, Worcestershire. 1908. Currsman, Rosert E.; The Vents, Cranbrook, Kent. 1897. CuotmiEy, ALFRED JoHN, F.Z.S.; Place Newton, Rillington, Yorks. 1910. Cavss, Cartes, F.Z.8.; British Museum (Natural 1880. History), Cromwell Road, S,W. . Crank, Grorare Wrnerietp; 2 Devana Terrace, Huntingdon Road, Cambridge. Crarke, Capt. GoLanp van Hotz, D.S.0., F.Z.S. ; Chilworth Court, Romsey, Hants. . Crarkr, Col. Srernenson Roserr, C.B., F.Z.8.; Borde Hill, Cuckfield, Sussex. Crarke, Wiiitam Eacrr, F.L.S.; Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. 85 go 95 I0o 105 Date of Election. 1904. 1898. 1895. ISM 1904. 1909, 1910. 1913. 1888. 1913. 1896. 1894. 1903, 1898. 1899. NST. 1896. ESO. 1883. 1908. 1905, 1909, 1902: Cocnrane, Captain Henry Laxn, R.N.; 10 Ashburton Road, Southsea, Hants. Cocks, Aurrep Heneacr, M.A., F.Z.8.; Poynetts, Skirmett, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxon. Cores, Ricnarp Epwarp; Ashley Arnewood, New Milton, 8.0., Hants. Cotrerr, AntHony Kererine ; 5 Stone Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, W.C, Cottinr, Caries, F.Z.8.; Bridge House, Culmstock, Devon ; and Windham Club, St. James’ Square, 8S. W. Congreve, Wittram Marrranp (Lieut. R.A.) ; c/o R. Moody, Esq., Springfield, Hereford. ConIGRAveE, Cuarues Price, F.R.G.S., R.A.O.U.; c/o Depart- ment of Agriculture, Perth, Western Australia. Coox, James Pemberton ; c/o Messrs. Wallace Bros., Ltd., 4 Crosby Square, Bishopsgate, E.C. CorpEaux, Major Witiram Wrirrip, (late 21st Lancers), Hopebourne, Harbledown, Canterbury, Kent. Cowan, Francis; Westerlea, Murrayfield, Midlothian. Cowrz, Col. AtexanpreR Huvuen, F.Z.S.; Uddens House, Wimborne, Dorset. Crewe, Sir Vauncny Harpur, Bt.; Calke Abbey, Derby. CrowLEy, Joun Cyrit, M.A.; 5 Beech House Road, Croydon, Surrey. Crowtry, Recinatp Atwyn; Bernards, Vines Cross, Sussex. Cortis, Frepertcx, F.R.C.S.; Lyndens, Redhill, Surrey. Datetrisn, Joun J.; Brankston Grange, Bogside Station, Alloa, N.B. Danrorp, Capt. Berrram W. Y., R.E.; Bermuda. Darntey, Ivo Francis Watton, Earl; Cobham Hall, Graves- end, Kent; and Clifton Lodge, Athboy, Co. Meath, Ireland. Davinson, James, F.Z.8.; 32 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edin- burgh. Davies, Craups G.; ‘EK’ Squadron, Cape Mounted Riflemen, Matatiele, EK. Griqualand, South Africa. Davis, Kenneth Jamus Acron; Julian Hill, Harrow; and King’s College, Cambridge. Detmt-Rapcuirrr, Capt. Atrrep (105th Maratha Light Infantry); c/o Messrs. Cox & Co., Bombay, India. Dent, Cuartrs Henry; c/o Messrs. Barclay & Co. Ltd., Darlington, Durham, IIo I15 I20 Date of Election 1891. 1893. 1904. 1904. 1904. 1878. 1905. 1903. 1895. De Vis, Caartus W.; c/o Messrs. Quaritch, 11 Grafton Street, W. De Winton, Witttam Epwarp, F.Z.S.; Southover Hall, Burwash, Sussex. . Dossrs, James Bett, F.R.S.E., F.Z.S. ; 12 South Inverleith Terrace, Edinburgh. . Dosiz, Witt1am Heyry, M.R.C.S. ; 2 Hunter Street, Chester. . Dopsworta, Petaam TxHeopatp Lanpare, F.Z.8.; Samton, Simla, W., (Punjab), India. . Dore, Capt. Jonn ALExanpER (late Scottish Borderers) ; Myall House, Farnham Common, Bucks. (Died May 5, 1913.) Dorkren-Saurtu, THomas AtcEeRNOoN, J.P., D.L.; Tresco Abbey, Scilly Isles. Drake-Brockmay, Dr. Rate Evetyy, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., F.Z.S.; Cheriton, 26 Portchester Road, Bournemouth, Hants. . Dresser, Henry Eetes, F.L.S., F.Z.S.; Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, 8.W. . Drewirt, Freveric Dawrrey, M.A., M.D., F.Z.S.; 14 Palace Gardens Terrace, Kensington, W. . Drummonp, James, F.LS., F.Z.8.; ‘Lyttelton Times,’ Christchurch, New Zealand. . Drumuonv-Hay, Col, Jauns A. G. R.- (Coldstream Guards) ; Seggieden, by Perth, N.B. Dockworta, Grorce Herbert; Philpots, East Grinstead, Sussex. Durnrorp, W. Artuur, J.P.; Elsecar, Barnsley, Yorks. Dutron, The Hon. and Rev. Canon FrepEerick GrEoRGE; Bibury, Fairford, Gloucestershire. Eartz, Epwarp Vavasour ; 6 Broad Street Place, E.C. Exnior, Epuunp A. S., M.R.C.S.; Woodville, Kingsbridge, South Devon, . Extrort, Ateprnon, C.L.E.; 16 Belsize Grove, Hamp- stead, N.W. . Extison, The Rey. Attan, M.A.; Althorpe Rectory, Doncaster, Yorks. . Exron, Henry Brown, B.A., M.B., B.C., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.; Glenview, Llandovery, South Wales. . Etwes, Henry Joun, F.R.S., F.Z.S.; Colesborne, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. 130 140 145 150 Date of Election. 1879. 1888. 1905, 1892. 1909. 1894. 1898. 1873. 1901. 1902. 1912. 1884. 1912. 1903. 1880. 1887. 1865. 1881. 1895. 1909. 1881. 1886. 1907. x1 Evans, Antaur Houmste, M.A., F.Z.8.; 9 Harvey Road, Cam- bridge. Evans, Wittiam, F.R.S.E.; 38 Morningside Park, Edin- burgh. Ewen, Guy L’Estraner; St. James’s Club, Piccadilly, W. Farrsriper, Wririam Grorer; 141 Long Market Street, Capetown, South Africa. FansuAwsn, Capt. Ricuarp D. (late Scots Guards); Adbury Holt, Newbury, Berks. Farquaar, Rear-Admiral AnrnHur Murray, C.V.O.; Granville Lodge, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, N.B. Farquuar, Capt. Sruarr Sr. J., R.N.; Naval & Military Club, Piccadilly, W. Frinpen, Col. Henry Wemyss, C.B., C.M.Z.S.; Burwash, Sussex; and Junior United Service Club, 8.W. Finiryson, Horaczr W., F.Z.S.; 5 Rosamond Road, Bedford. Frowerr, Capt. Sranztey SmyrH, F.Z.S.; Kedah House, Zoological Gardens, Giza, Egypt. Froyp, James Francis Murray, B.A.; The University, Glasgow. Fornes, Henry Oac, LL.D., F.Z.S.; Redcliffe, Beaconsfield, Bucks. Foster, Arrour H., M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.; Sussex House, 88 Tilehouse Street, Hitchin, Herts. Foster, Nevin Harkness, F.L.S., M.R.I.A.; Hillsborough, Co. Down, Ireland. Fosrer, Witttam; 39 Colville Gardens, Bayswater, W. Fowrrr, Witt1am Warps, M.A.; Lincoln College, Oxford. Fox, The Rev. Henry Extiorr, M.A. ; The Croft, Lytton Grove, Putney Hill, S.W. Frexr, Percy Evans; Southpoint, Limes Road, Folkestone. Frowawk, Freperick Witiiam, F.E.8.; Stanley House, Park Road, Wallington, Surrey. Frost, WitirAm Epwarp, J.P.; Ardvreck, Crieff, Perthshire. Gapow, Hans, Ph.D., F.R.S., F.Z.S8.; University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge. GarnsporoucH, Caartes WitriAm Francis, Earl of; Exton Park, Oakham, Rutland. GanpoLr1, ALFonso Orno Ganvorri-Hornyorp, Duke, Ph.D. ; Blackmore Park, Hanley Swan, Worcestershire. 155 160 165 170 Date of Election 1900. 1892. 1902. 1879. 1902. 1903. 1908. 1858. 1858. 1906. 1901. 1900. 1906, 1912. 1899. 1895. 1909, 1913. 1909. 1906, Xi Garnett, Caartes; 9 Cleveland Gardens, Hyde Park, W.; and New University Club, St. James’s Street, S.W. GERRARD, Jonn, Government Inspector of Mines; Worsley, near Manchester, Lanes. Gissins, Wittram Bevrneron, F.Z.S.; Ettington, Stratford- on-Avon, Warwickshire. Gizson, Ernest, F.L.S., F.Z.8., F.R.G.S.; 25 Cadogan Place, S.W. . Gittman, ArTHuR Ritey; Heath Vale, Farnham, Surrey. GuapstonE, Hue Srevart, M.A., F.Z.8., F.R.S.E., F.8.A. Scot.; Capenoch, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire. Gopman, Capt. Epwarp Suirtey (2nd Dorset Regiment) ; Muntham, Horsham, Sussex. Gopman, Frrpericx DuCane, D.C._L., F.R.S., F.Z.S.; 45. Pont Street, S.W.; and South Lodge, Horsham, Sussex. (Gold Medallist.) Gopman, Percy Sanpren, B.A., C.M.Z.S.; Muntham, Horsham, Sussex. (G'old Medallist.) Goopatt, Jrremisn Marrnews, F.Z.S.; 52 Oxford Gardens, North Kensington, W. Goopcnitp, Hersyrr; 66 Gloucester Road, Regent’s Park, N.W. Gooprrttow, Watrter, F.Z.8.; The Poplars, Kettering, Northants. Gorpoy, Snuron Pavr, F.Z.8.; Auchintoul, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, N.B. , Gossp, Partie, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.; Curtlemead, Beaulieu, Hants. Govtp, Francis Herpert Carruruers, F.Z.8.; Matham Manor House, East Molesey, Surrey. GraBHam, Oxtry, M.A.; The Museum, York. Grant, Craupr Henry Baxter, F.Z.8.; Sports Club, St. James’ Street, S.W. Greenine, Linnaus, F.LS., F.Z.8.; Fairlight, Grappenhall, Cheshire. Grey, The Rt..Hon. Sir Hnowarp, Bt, 2:C) Zise- Falloden, Christon Bank, R.S.O., Northumberland. GrirritH, Arrnur Fosrsr ; 59 Montpellier Road, Brighton, Sussex. . GuittEMarD, Francis Henry Hitt, M.A., M.D., F.Z.8.; Old Mill House, Trumpington, Cambridge. 175 180 185 Igo Date of Election 19158, 1896, 1890. 1891. 1887. 1898. 1905. 1913. 1904. 1900. 1900. 1893. 1868. 1893. 1899. 1873. 1900. 1902. 1898. “xili Gunnine, Dr. Jan Wittem Bovuprwyy, F.Z.S.; Director of the Transvaal Museum and Zoological Gardens, Pretoria, South Africa. (Died June 23, 1913.) . Guryry, Grrarp Hupson, F.Z.8., F.E.S.; Keswick Hall, Norwich, Norfolk. . Gurney, Joun Henry, F.Z.S.; Keswick Hall, Norwich; and Athenzum Club, Pall Mall, S.W. Gurney, Ropert, F.Z.S.; Ingham Old Hall, Stalham, Norfolk. Gwatkin, JosHuA Rrynonps Gascoren ; The Manor Heuse, Potterne, Devizes, Wilts. Haieu, Grorer Henry Caron ; Grainsby Hall, Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Hatnus, Joan Preypett Wivron ; 17 King Street, Gloucester. Haze, The Rev. James Rasutercu, M.A.; Boxley Vicarage, Maidstone, Kent. Hamerton, Major Apert Epwarp, D.8.0., R.A.M.C., F.Z.8.; c/o Messrs. Holt & Co., 3 Whitehall Place, S.W. Harpy, Capt. Ernest Crirrorp, R.N.; H.M.S. ‘ Hearty,’ c/o G.P.O., London, E.C. Harryeton, Major Herserr Hasrines; 72nd Punjabis, Peshawar, N. W. F. P., India; and c/o Messrs. Thos. Cook & Sons, Ludgate Circus, H.C. Harrrr, Epmunp Wiir1aM, F.Z.S8. ; c/o Messrs. Wardle & Co., Nairobi, British East Africa. Harris, Henry Epwarp; 2 St. Aubyn’s Mansions, Hove, Sussex. ' Hanrert, Ernst J. O., Ph.D., F.Z.S. ; The Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. (Committee.) Hartine, James Epmunp, F.LS., F.Z.S.; Edgewood, Wey- bridge, Surrey. Hartmann, Witit1am; Milburn, Esher, Surrey. Harvey, Major Roperr Narrer, R.E.; 1 Staff Quarters, Brompton Barracks, Chatham. Harvir-Brown, Joun A., LL.D., F.R.S.E., F.Z.8.; Dunipace, Larbert, Stirlingshire, N.B. Hastucx, Percy Peprey Harrorp; The Wilderness, South- gate, N. Harreiwp, Jonn Ranpatt; Edlington Hall, Horncastle, Lincoinshire. Hawser, ‘Ricuarp Macponnect, F.Z.S.; Bath Club, Dover Street, W.; and c/o Messrs. Dalgety & Co., 96 Bishopsgate Street Within, E.C. 195 200 to 1e) Or 215 Xiv Date of Election. 1905. 1905. 1905. 1902. 1913. 1899. 1896. 1889. Hawkxsuaw, Joun Cranxe, M.A.,- M.L.C.E., F.G.S.; Holly- combe, Liphook, Hants; and 33 Great George Street, Westminster, S.W. Heaptey, Freperick Wess, M.A., F.Z.8.; Haileybury College, Hertford. Hetimarr, Cart E.; Wittelsbacherstrasse 2 I1I., Munich, Germany. Herr, Grorrrey Seccompe, M.B., F.Z.S.; 8 Wimpole Street, W. Huwirr, Joun, M.A.; Director of the Albany Museum Grahamstown, South Africa. Heywoop, Ricuarp, F.Z.8.; Narside, Narborough, Swaffham, Norfolk. . Hints, Jonn Warter,; Queen Anne’s Mansions, West- minster,S.W.; and Highhead Castle, Carlisle, Cumberland. . Horpsworru, Cuartes James, J.P.; Fernhill, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. Hony, Georer Barnurst; 8 Christs Lane, Cambridge. . Horxinson, Eattrrus, M.B., D.S.0O., F.Z.8.; 45 Sussex Square, Brighton, Sussex; and Bathurst, Gambia, West Africa. . Horssrven, Major Boyp Rosnrt, F.Z.8.; c/o Messrs. Cox & Co., 16 Charing Cross, S.W. d to} b] . Horsrietp, Herserr Kyieur; ‘Crescent Hill, Filey, Yorks. . Howarp, Henry Extor, F.Z.8.; Clarelands, near Stourport, Worcestershire. Howarp, Roperr James; Shearbank, Blackburn, Lancashire. . Hupson, Epwarp; 15 Queen Anne’s Gate, S.W. . Hupson, Reernatp ; 16 Warwick Road, Stratford-on-Ayon. . Ingram, Cottrnewoop, F.Z.S.; Sussex Mansions, Westgate- on-Sea, Kent. . Innes Bey, Dr. Watrer Franets; Curator of the Zoological Museum, School of Medicine, Cairo, Egypt. . Inepatz, Tom; 8 Earl’s Court Gardens, S.W. . Jackson, Sir Frepericx Joun, C.B., K.C.M.G., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; Entebbe, Uganda, British East Africa; and The Red House, Aldeburgh, Suffolk. . JAmEs, Henry Asnworra, F.Z.S.; Hurstmonceux Place, Hailsham, Sussex. Jesse, Wiit1AM, B.A., F.Z.S.; Meerut College, Meerut, India. JoHNSON, FREDERICK Ponsonsy, B.A., J.P., D.L. ; Castlesteads, Brampton, Cumberland. 220 230 235 Date of Election. 1891, 1905, 1900. 1909. 1899. 1902. 1880. 1894. 1897. 1904. 1891. 1895. 1902. 1910. 1900. 1906. 1892. 1913. 1884, 1881. 1892. XV Jounston, Sir Harry Hamitton, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., F.Z.8.; St. John’s Priory, Poling, near Arundel, Sussex. Jounstone, Epwin James, F.Z.S. ; Burrswood, Groombridge, Sussex; and Junior Carlton Club, Pall Mall, S.W. Jones, Major Henry, F.Z.S. (late 62nd Regt.) ; East Wickham House, Welling, Kent. Jones, Staff-Surgeon Kennern Hvrtstronz, M.B., Ch.B., F.Z.8., R.N.; The Manor House, St. Stephen’s, Canterbury, Kent. JourDAIn, The Rey. Francis Cuartes Rosert, M.A.; Clifton Vicarage, near Ashburne, Derbyshire. Joy, Norman Humperr, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.; Thurlestone, Bradfield, near Reading, Berks. Kernan, Brigadier-General Henry Rozert, C.B. (late High- land Light Infantry); Fremington House, Fremington, N. Devon. Ketsatx, Major Harry Josrrn, R.A.; c/o J. W. Jameson, Esq., Langham Lea, Bowdon, Cheshire. Ketsatt, The Rev. Joun Epwarp, M.A.; Milton Rectory, New Milton, Hants. Ketso, Joun Epwarp Harry, M.D.; Holmwood, Hayling Island, Hants. Kekr, Joun Granan, F.R.S., F.Z.S., Regius Professor of Zoology, 9 The University, Glasgow. Kinesrorp, Wirtiam Epwarp ; Cairo, Egypt. Krywnrar, Norman Boyp, C.M.Z.S8.; Bombay Natural History Society, 6 Apollo Street, Bombay, India. Ktoss, Creciz Bonen, F.Z.8., F.R.A.I.; Kuala Lumpur, Federated Malay States. Kornic, Dr, ALexaAnDER Furprnanp ; Coblenzer-Strasse 164, Bonn, Germany. Koriipay, Paut; Ring 121, Neisse, Germany. Laiptaw, Tuomas Gepprs; Bank of Scotland House, Duns, N.B. Lampert, Goprrey Cuarztes ; Woodcote, Esher, Surrey. Laneron, Hrersert; St. Moritz, 61 Dyke Road, Brighton, Sussex. Lascettrs, The Hon. Geratp Wirian, F.Z.8.; The King’s House, Lyndhurst, Hants. La Tovucuz, Joun Davin Dievns, C.M.Z.8.; c/o Custom House, Chinwangtao, North China (vid Siberia). 240 245 250 255 Date of xvl Election. 1910. 1905. 1906. 1898. 1897. 1909. 1897. 1908. 1904. 1902. 1904. 1900. 1905. 1897. 1906. 1909, 1894. 1906. Lets, T. O, Hastrnes, M.A., F.Z.8.; 4 Osnaburgh Terrace, tegent’s Park, N.W. Lrace, The Hon. Grratp; c/o Messrs. Hoare, 37 Fleet Street, E.C. Leien, Joun Hamitron, F.Z.8.; Culloden House, Inverness- shire. Le Sovir, Duprey, C.M.Z.S.; Director of the Zoological Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. . Le Srrance, Hanon, F.Z.8.; Hunstanton Hall, King’s Lynn, Norfolk ; and 1 Eaton Place, Eaton Square, $.W. . Leyzanp, Curistorner Joun, F.Z.8.; Haggerston Castle, Beal, Northumberland. Latrorp, Joun, Lord, F.Z.S.; Lilford Hall, Oundle, Northants. Lines, Georce Hersert; 208 Piermont Avenue, Nyack, NEYS, UcSiA; Loner, Grorck Evwarp, F.Z.S.; The Studios, 5 Thurloe Square, S.W. Lone, Sypney Hersert, M.D., F.Z.8.; 37 St. Giles Street, Norwich, Norfolk. Lowr, Dr. Percy R., B.A., M.B.; The Hatch, Windsor, Berks. Lucas, The Right Hon, Ausrron Tuomas, Lord, P.C., F.Z.8. ; 32 Old Queen Street, W. Lynes, Captain Hussrr, R.N.; H.M.S. ‘ Enchantress,’ Portsmouth. McConnett, Freperick Vavasour; Camfield Place, Hatfield, Herts. McGreeor, Perer James Coreunoun; H.M. Consul, British Consulate, Jerusalem, Palestine, Turkey-in-Asia. McLean, Joun Cuoampers; Duart, Havelock North, New Zealand, . Macmittan, Grorce Aveusrin, F.Z.8.; 27 Queen’s Gate Gardens, S.W. Macmintan, Wittiam Epwarp Frank; 27 Queen’s Gate Gardens, S.W. Macnacuten, Norman Donnutty, F.Z.8.; Ministry of the Interior, Cairo, Egypt. Macrprerson, Artuur Hotrr, F.Z.8.; 21 Campden Hill Square, Kensington, W. Maeraru, Major Henry Aveustus Frepericx ; c/o Messrs. H. S. King & Co., 9 Pall Mall, S.W. 260 205) | 270 275 Date of Election. 1907. 1904. 1894. 1894. 1913. 1912: 1899. 1886. xvil Mann, Tuomas Hvueu, F.Z.S8.; Trulls Hatch, Rotherfield, Sussex. Mapteron, Harvey Wittiam, B.A.; Weare, Axbridge, Somerset. Marsuartt, Arcuiparp McLean, F.Z.8.; Great Chitcombe, Brede, Sussex. Marsnatt, JAmMEs McLean, F.Z.S.; Bleaton Hallet, Blair- gowrie, Perthshire, N.B. . Mason, Col. Epwarp Snow; 10 Lindum Terrace, Lincoln. . Massry, Hersert; Ivy Lea, Burnage, Didsbury, Manchester. . Matruews, Grecory Macatister, F.L.S., F.R.S.E., F.Z.S8.; Langley Mount, Watford, Herts. . Meape-Waxtpo, Evmunp Gustavus Broomwrrmenp, F.ZS. ; Stonewall Park, Edenbridge, Kent. Meixtrsonun, Kennuru Fores (Lieut. lst Cameron High- landers) ; The Castle, Edinburgh. Merxirsonn, Capt. Ronatp Forsers, D.S.O. (Royal Warwick- shire Regt.) ; 30 Rutland Square, Edinburgh. MetnertzHacen, Capt. Ricwarn, F.Z.S. (Royal Fusiliers) ; c/o Messrs. Cox & Co., 16 Charing Cross, 8.W. Mitrars, Joon Guiiie, F.Z.8.; Compton’s Brow, Horsham, Sussex. Mitts, The Rev. Henry Horroyp, M.A., F.Z.8.; The Rectory, St. Stephen-in-Brannel, Grampound Road, Cornwall. . Mircuert, Freprrick Suaw; Hornshaws, Millstream, Vancouver, British Columbia. Mitcuett, P. Cuatmers, M.A., D.Sc., LL.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.Z.S.; Secretary to the Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, N.W. Monro, Horace Ceci, C.B.; Queen Anne’s Mansions, Queen Anne’s Gate, S.W. Movritz, L. Burresrorp; Kuyura, Dalby, Queensland, Australia, . Murrneap, Georcr, F.R.S.E.; Speybank, Fochabers, Morayshire. Mutiens, Major Witt1am Hersert, M.A., LL.M., F.Z.8.; Westfield Place, Battle, Sussex. 2, Munn, Painip Wincuester, F.Z.8.; Laverstoke, Whitchurch, Hants. . Munt, Henry, F.Z.S.; 10 Ashburn Place, South Kensington, S.W. (Committee.) 280 285 295 XVill Date of Election. 1911. Murray, Epwarp Macxenzrn; Woodside, Coupar-Angus, Perthshire. 1910. Murray, Herserr Wrttavme, F.Z.8.; The Old House, Epsom, Surrey. 1900. Mustrrs, Jonn Patricrus Cuawortn, D.L., J.P.; Annesley Park, Nottingham. 1907. Neavr, Snerrretp Arrey, M.A., B.Sc., F.Z.8.; Mill Green Park, Ingatestone, Essex. 1882. Netson, Tuomas Hupson; Seafield, Redcar, Yorkshire. 1895. Nusuam, Roserrt, F.Z.S., F.E.S.; Utrecht House, Queen’s Road, Clapham Park, 8.W. 1904, Newman, THomas Henry, F.Z.8S.; Newlands, Harrowdene Road, Wembley, Middlesex. 1902. Nicnors, Jonn Bruce, F.Z.S.; Parliament Mansions, Victoria Street, S.W. 1900. Nicnors, Watrer Bucwanan; Stour Lodge, Bradfield, Manningtree, Essex. 1876. Nicnotson, Francis, F.Z.8.; The Knoll, Windermere, Westmoreland. 1902. Nicott, Micuarn Jonny, F.Z.S.; Valhalla House, Zoological Gardens, Giza, Egypt. 1904. Noaxns, Wickham ; Selsdon Park, Croydon, Surrey. 1892. Oeinviz, Frrevs Menterra, M.A., F.Z.S.; The Shrubbery, 72 Woodstock Road, Oxford. 1890. Oaitvie-Grant, WitttaAm Roser, F.Z.S.; British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, 8.W. 1889. Oars, Bertram Savite; Hill House, Steeple Aston, Oxford. 1907. OtvHam, CHartzs, F.Z.S.; Kelvin, Boxwell Road, Berk- hamsted, Herts. 1906. Osmaston, Bertram Buresrorp (Imperial Forest Service) ; Naini Tal, India. 1913. Ownn, Jonn Huen ; Old School House, Felsted, Essex. 1883, Parxpr, Henry, C.E.; 26 St. George’s Road, St. Annes-on- the-Sea, Lancs. 1880. Parkin, Tuomas, M.A.,-F.LS., F.Z.8.; Fairseat, High Wickham, Hastings, Sussex. 1908. Paton, Epwarv Ricumonn, F.Z.8.; Brookdale, Grassendale, near Liverpool, Lanes. 1891. Parrerson, Rozerr, F.L.S., M.R.1.A.; Glenbank, Holywood, Co. Down, Ireland. 5°5 B1c Sig) Date of Election 1911. 1904, 1894. 1902. 1898, 1891. 1900. 1912. 1886. 1893. 1908. 1907. 1905. 1896. 1898. 1903. 1901. 1893. 1903. 1903. 1879. 1894. 1888. Parrerson, Witttam Harry; 25 Queen’s Gate Gardens, 8. W. Prarsz, Touep ; Hartney Chambers, 347 Pender Street, W., Vancouver, British Columbia. Pearson, Cuartes Epwarp, F.L.S.; Hillcrest, Lowdham, Notts. Pease, Sir Atrrep Epwarp, Bt., F.Z.8.; Pinchinthorpe House, Guisborough, Yorkshire; and Brooks’s Club, St. James’s Street, S.W. Penn, Ertc Frank; 42 Gloucester Square, W. PenrosE, Francis Grorer, M.D., F.Z.8.; c/o Mr. BE. A. Porter, 7 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, W. Percivat, ArtHuR Brayney, F.Z.S.; Game-Ranger, Nairobi, British East Africa. PrrsHousn, Capt. Srantey (1st Border Regt.) ; B1 Lines, Mandalay, Burma; and Passfield House, Liphook, Hants. Puituis, Eruecsert Lort, F.Z.8.; 79 Cadogan Square, S.W. Picort, Sir THomas Diesy, K.C.B.; The Lodge, Lower Sheringham, Norfolk. Prayer, W. J. Percy; The Quarr, Clydach, R.S.0., Glamor- ganshire. Pocock, Reernatp Innzs, F.R.S.,F.L.S., F.Z.S8.; Superintendent of the Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park, N.W. Pottarp, Capt. Arraur Ersxinz Sr. Vincent (The Border Regiment); Haynford Hall, Norwich, Norfolk. Pornam, Hvuen Leysorne, M.A. ; Hunstrete House, Pensford, near Bristol, Gloucestershire. Price, ATHELSTAN Exper, F.Z.8.; 4 Mincing Lane, E.C. Proctor, Major Freperick WIxx1AM (late West Riding Regt.) ; Downfield, Maidenhead, Berks. Provn, Joun T.; Dellwood, Bishop Auckland, Durham. Pycrart, Wittram Prang, F.Z.8.; British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, §.W. Ratre, Pitcuer Grorar; The Parade, Castletown, Isle of Man. Ratceurr, FReperick Rowrinson; 29 Connaught Square, W. Rawson, Hersert Evetyn; Comyn Hill, Ilfracombe, N. Devon. Reap, Ricnarp Henry, M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P.; Church Street, Hanley, Staffordshire. Reap, Rosert H.; 8a South Parade, Bedford Park, W. Date of Election. 625 O77. 1903. OOS: 1907. 1895. 1907. 1902. 1€98. 1912: 1896. Ww ies) U1 1913. 1893. 1894. oO. 340 1907. 1910. 1883. 1903. 1889. 345 1902. XX Rei, Capt. Painre Savits Grey (late R.E.); The Elms, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent. Renavt, Wittiam E.; c/o Royal Academy of Music, Mary- lebone Road, N.W. Ricuarpson, Norman Freperic, F.R.G.S.; Lynndale, Manor Road, Forest Hill, 8.E. Ricumonp, Hersert Witrttam; King’s College, Cambridge. Ricxerr, Cuartes Bovenry, F.Z.8.; 27 Kendrick Road, Reading, Berks. . Rrevon, Lt.-Col. Grorer, F.Z.8.; 89th Punjabis, P.O. Kalaw, Southern Shan States, Upper Burma. Ritcuin, Axcutparp THomas Ayres; Magdalen College, Oxford ; and Overstrand, near Cromer, Norfolk. RivizRE, Bernarp Beryt, F.R.C§.; St. Giles’s Plain, Norwich, Norfolk. Roxzinson, Hersert C., C.M.Z.S8.; Selangor State Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Federated Malay States. Rosiyson, Hersert Wivr14M, F.Z.8.Scot.; Patchetts, Caton, near Lancaster. Rogers, Lt.-Col. Joun Mrippreron, D.S.0., F.Z.S. (late Ist Dragoons); Riverhill, Sevenoaks, Kent. tocERs, Reetnatp NANKIVELL; Carwinion, near Falmouth, Cornwall. Roruscuitp, The Hon. Lionrt Watrter, D.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.S., F.Z.8.: The Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. Rornscuitp, The Hon. Natuantet Cuartes, M.A., F.Z.S.; Arundel House, Kensington Palace Gardens, W. Ricker, Sir Arraur Wittian, M.A., D.Sc., LL.D., F.R.S. ; Everington House, Newbury, Berks. Russet, Conrap Gorge Epwarp, F.Z.S8.; 2 Audley Square, We: Russert, Harorp, F.Z.S.; 16 Beaufort Gardens, Chelsea, S.W. Sr. Quintin, WittiaAm Hersert, F.Z.S.; Scampston Hall, Rillington, Yorkshire. SanpeMAN, Capt. Ropert Preston (late 10th Hussars) ; Dan-y Pare, Crickhowell, Breconshire. _ Sapswortu, Arnotp Dugr, F.Z.8.; National Liberal Club, Whitehall Place, S.W. Sarceaunt, Arraur Sr. Grorez; Exbury, Padstow, Cornwall. J O° 359 360 365 Date of Election. 1904. 1902. 1909. 1907. 1905. 1891, 1907. 1899. 1899. 1865. 1908. 1906. 1903. 1906. 1910. 1913. SER. XX1 Sarcent, James; 76 Jermyn Street, S.W. Saunpers, Wittiam Henry Rancrirre, C.E., F.Z.S.; 134 The Grove, Ealing, W. Savaen, The Rev. Ernest Urnuson; 129 Upper Canning Street, Liverpool, Lanes. Scuwann, Grorrrey-; 11 Onslow Gardens, 8.W. Scawann, Harorp, F.Z.8.; 45 Brompton Square, 8.W. Scrarer, Wittram Lurtry, M.A., F.Z.8.; 10 Sloane Court, Chelsea, 8.W. (Editor.) Scorr, The Rev. Canon Samunt Gripurt, M.A.; The Rectory, Havant, Hants. Serous, Freprrick Courteney, F.Z.8.; Heatherside, Worples- don, Surrey. . Sennousr, Humpurey Parricrus, B.A.; The Fitz, Cocker- mouth, Cumberland. . Sepprnes, Capt. Jonn Wittram Hamitton; Army Pay Office, Canterbury, Kent. . Serze, The Rev. Wittram, M.A., B.D.; The Manse, Dudding- ston, Edinburgh. . Seru-SuitH, Davin, F.Z.8.; 34 Elsworthy Road, South Hampstead, N.W. . Sera-Saara, Lestre Morrar, B.A., F.Z.8.; Alleyne, Caterham Valley, Surrey. . Seton, Mancotm Correr Cariston ; 13 Clarendon Road, Hol- land Park, W.; and Union Club, Trafalgar Square, S.W. Suarman, Freperic, F.Z.8. ; 47 Goldington Road, Bedford. SurerHerD, The Rey. Coarres Witr1AM, M.A., F.Z.8.; Trottis- cliffe Rectory, Maidstone, Kent. SmaLipy, Frepertc Witt, F.Z.8,; Challan Hall, Silverdale, near Carnforth, Lancs. SnoucKAERT VAN Scuausurc, Baron René Cuartes; Doorn, Holland. Sparrow, Major Ricwarp, F.Z.8. (7th Dragoon Guards); Rookwoods, Sible Hedingham, Essex. Sranrorp, Staff-Surgeon Cartes Epwarp Cortts, B.&c., M.B., R.N.; H.M.S. ‘ Sirius,’ c/o G.P.O., London, E.C. SranrorD, EpwARD Fraser; 9 Cumberland House, Kensington Court, W. Sranrorp, Henry Morranr; 9 Cumberland House, Ken- sington Court, W. x VOLs ©, b 37° 375 Xxil Date of Election. 1913. Sranrorp, Jonn Kerra; 9 Cumberland House, Kensington Court, W. 1900. Srares, Joan Witti1am Curster; Portchester, Hants. 1902. Srennousr, JoHN Hurron, M.B., R.N.; H.M.S. ‘ Queen,’ 2nd Fleet. 1910. Srevens, Herpert; Fairfield Road, Morecambe, Lanes. 1906. Srewarp, Epwarp Smrmons, F.R.C.S.; 10 Prince’s Square, Harrogate, Yorks. 1893. Sronnam, Cuartzes, C.M.G., F.R.CS., F.Z.8.; 4 Harley Street, Cavendish Square, W. 1881. Sruppy, Col. Roperr Wrieur (late Manchester Regiment) ; Waddeton Court, Brixham, Devon. 1887. Sryan, FrepERIcK WiitiaAmM, F.Z.8.; Stone Street, near Sevenoaks, Kent. 1887. Swinsurne, Joun; MHaenertsburg, Transvaal, South Africa. 1882. SwinHog, Col. Coartes, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.8.; 6 Gunterstone Road, W. Kensington, W. 1884. Tarr, Wrorram Cuaster, C.M.Z.8, ; Entre Quintas 155, Oporto, Portugal. 1911. Taxnsor-Ponsonsy, Cuartes Georce; 5 Crown Office Row, Temple, E.C. 1911. Tarron, Reeinatp ArtHuR; Cuerden Hall, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lanes. 1905. Taynor, Lionrn Epwarp, F.Z.S.; Bankhead, Kelowna, British Columbia. 1886. Terry, Major Horace A, (late Oxfordshire Light Infantry) ; The Lodge, Upper Halliford, Shepperton, Middlesex. 1904. Tuompson, Wrri1am R. (Lieut. R.G.A.); ‘Ravello,’ Carlton Road, Weymouth, Dorset. 1911. Tuomson, A. Lanpsporoven, M.A.; Castleton House, Old Aberdeen, Aberdeen. 1900. THorsurn, ArcuipaLp, F.Z.8S.; High Leybourne, Hascombe, near Godalming, Surrey, 1893. Tuorrr, Drxon L.; Loshville, Etterby Scaur, Carlisle, Cum- berland. 1903. Ticrnursr, Cravp Bucuanan, M.A., M.D., M.R.C.S.; Grove House, Lowestoft, Suffolk. 1894, Ticknurst, Norman Freperic, M.A., M.B., F.R.C.S., F.Z.S. ; 35 Pevensey Road, St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex. ( Comimiatice.) x i 395 400 405 Date of XX Election. 1902. 1893. 1913, TOT; 1864. 1894. 1907. 1910. 1912. 1908. 1906. 1913. 1890. 18384. 1881. 1902. 1886. 1895. 1881. 1899. Townsend, Reetnatp Girtat, M.A.; Buckholt, Dean, Salisbury, Wilts. Trevor-Barryre, Ausyn, F.Z.S. ; Ashford Chace, Petersfield, Hants.; and Royal Societies Club, St. James’s Street, S.W. Tuckwett, Epwarp Henry, F.Z.8.; Berthope, Compton, near Guildford, Surrey. Tyrwatrr-Drake, Huen Garrarn, F.Z.8.; Cobtree, Sandling, Maidstone, Kent. Urcuer, Henry Morris, F.Z.S.; Sheringham Hall, Cromer, Norfolk. Ussuar, Ricuarp Jonny, M.R.I.A.; Cappagh House, Cappagh, 8.0., Co. Waterford, Ireland. Vay Oort, Dr. Epvarp Daniet; Museum of Natural History, Leyden, Holland. : Van Somzuren, Dr. Roserr Apranam Logan; Kampala, Uganda, British East Africa. Van Someren, Dr. Vicror Gurner Logan; Uganda Medical Staff, c/o Post Office, Nairobi, British East Africa. VaueuHan, Marruew; Sunnylands, Milton, Pewsey, Wilts. Vaueuan, Lieut. Roserr E., R.N.; Lion Commercial Hotel, Portsmouth. Vennine, Capt. Francis Esmonp Wineate (Bist Punjabis) ; Pyawbwe, Burma. Venovr, Srerpuen; Fern Bank, Altrincham, Cheshire. Vurey, ALFRED SarnspurY; Heronsgate, near Rickmansworth, Herts. Verner, Col. Wirt1am Witioversy Cote (late Rifle Brigade) ; Hartford Bridge, Winchfield, Hants; and United Service Club, S.W. Wanr, Epwarp Watter; Middelburg, North Ferriby, East Yorks. Wanver-Datron, Col. H. D.; Hauxwell Hall, Finghall, R.8.0., Yorkshire. Watuis, Henry Marriace; Ashton Lodge, Christchurch Road, Reading, Berks, Watsinenam, Tuomas, Lord, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., F.Z.8. ; Merton Hall, Thetford, Norfolk. Watton, Major Hersert James, M.D., F.R.C.S., C.M.ZS., I.M.S.; Medical College, Lucknow, India. Date of Election. 1872. 41o 1896, 1903. 1912. OL. 1900. 415 1913. 1891. 425 1898. XX1V Warptaw-Ramsay, Col. Rosrrt Georer, F.Z.S.; Whitehill, Rosewell, Midlothian, N.B. ( President.) Warkins, Watkin, F.Z.8.; 33 Evelyn Gardens, 8.W.; and Wellington Club, 8.W. Warr, Huan Born; 12 Great James Street, Bedford Row, W.C. Wetts, Coartes Henry; Broomfield, 80 Brookhouse Hill, Fulwood, Sheffield, Yorks. Wenner, Max Vicror; The Gables, Alderley Edge, Cheshire. WesteLt, W. Percivat, D.Sc., F.L.S., F.R.H.S.; Verulam, Icknield Way, Letchworth, Herts. Wuisrter, Huew (Indian Police); Jhelum, Punjab, India ; and c/o Messrs. King, King & Co., Bombay, India. Wuiraker, Bensamry Incuam; Hesley Hall, Tickhill, Rother- ham, Yorks. . Wuiraxer, JosnpH I.8., F.Z.8.; Malfitano, Palermo, Sicily. . Waits, Henry Luxe; Belltrees, Scone, New South Wales, Australia. . Waiter, Capt. SamutL Axpert; Wetunga, Fulham, South Australia. . Wuire, StepHen Josnry, F.Z.8.; Oakwood, Crayford, Kent. . Warrexesn, Capt. Caartes Hue Tempest; 56th Rifles F.F., Kohat, N.W.F.P., India. . Warrenead, Jerrery ; Mayes, East Grinstead, Sussex. . Wrymper, Cartes, F.Z.8.; 11 Orange Street, Haymarket, S.W. . Waymper, Samvet Letgu; Oriental Club, Hanover Square, W. Wicieswortn, Josep, M.D., F.R.C.P.; Springfield House, Winscombe, Somerset. . Witxinson, Jounson; St. George’s Square, Huddersfield, Yorkshire. . Wriixryson, Wirtiam Arraor, F.Z.S.; Dumerieff, Tudor Hill, Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire. . Witson, Attan Reap, B.A., M.B., B.Ch.; 62 Redcliffe Road, 8. W. . Wrtson, Cuarues Josepu, F.Z.S,; 34 York Terrace, Regent’s Park, N.W. 7. Witson, Scorr Barcwarp, F.Z.8.; Heatherbank, Weybridge Heath, Surrey. 440 Date of Election, 197. 1908. 1899. 1912. 1912, 1909. 1902. 1912, 1904. XXVI1 Wirarrsy, Harry Forszs, F.Z.8.; 3 Cannon Place, Hampstead, N.W. Wirnertneton, Gwynne; Aberlash, Sonning. Berks. Wottaston, ALEXANDER Freperick Ricamonp, P.A. ; Flaxburton, Bristol. Woop, Marmin Srantey, M.D.; Cheadle Royal, Cheadle, Cheshire. Woopnouss, Crcrt, M.D.; Buckland House, Esher, Surrey. Woosnam, Ricuarp Bowen, C.M.Z.S.; Game Warden’s Office, Nairobi, British East Africa. Worxman, Witt1am Hvueuss; Lismore, Windsor, Belfast, Treland. Wormatp, Hue; Heathfield, Dereham, Norfolk. Wrieut, Witt1AM Crawrorp; Roslyn, Marlborough Park, N., Belfast, Ireland. . Wynnr, Ricnarp Owren; Langley Mount, Watford, Herts. . Yersory, Lt.-Col. Jonn Witxram (late R.A.), F.Z.8.; 2 Ryder Street, St. James’s,S.W.; and Army and Navy Club, 8.W. Youne, Capt. James B., R.N.; Tytherley, Wimborne, Dorset. Extra-Ordinary Members. . Gopwin-Avsten, Lt.-Col. Henry Haverswam, F.R.S., F.Z.S. ; Nore, Hascombe, Godalming, Surrey. . Wattace, AtrreD Russet, O.M., D.C.L., LL.D., F.R.S., F.Z.8. ; Broadstone, Wimborne, Dorset. Honorary Members, Aten, Joni Asapn, Ph.D., F.M.Z.S.; American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York, U.S.A. Beruepscn, Graf Hans von, C.M.Z.S.; Schloss Berlepsch, Post Gertenbach, Witzenhausen, Germany. . Finscn, Prof. Dr. Orro, C.M.Z.S.; Altewiekring 19°, Bruns- wick, Germany. Gortpt, Prof. Dr. Emin A., C.M.Z.S.; Zieglerstrasse 36, Berne, Switzerland, XXvii Date of Election. 1893. Retcuenow, Dr. Anton, C.M.Z.S.; Museum fiir Naturkunde, Invalidenstrasse, Berlin, Germany. 1903. Rrpeway, Rozerr, C.M.Z.S.; Smithsonian Institution, Wash- ington, D.C., U.S.A. 1890. Satvaporr, Count Tommaso, M.D., F.M.Z.S.; Royal Zoological Museum, Turin, Italy. Honorary Lady Members. 1910. Barr, Miss Dororuy M. A.; Bassendean House, Gordon, Berwickshire. 1911. Baxter, Miss Everyn Vina; Roslea, Kirkton of Largo, Fifeshire. 1910. Beprorp, Mary, Ducuess or, F.Z.S.; Woburn Abbey, Beds. 1910. Lemon, Mrs. Marcarerra Louisa, F.Z.S.; Hillcrest, Redhill, Surrey. 1911. Rryrour, Miss Leonora Jerrrey; Lahill, Largo, Fifeshire. 1910. Turner, Miss Emaa Louisa, F.Z.8.; Upper Birchetts, Langton Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Colonial Members. 1904. Campsntt, ArcurBaLtp James; Custom House, Melbourne, Australia. 1908. Faraunar, Jonn Henry Josepu, B.Sc., N.D.A.; Assistant Conservator of Forests, Calabar, Southern Nigeria, West Africa. 1910, Fremrne, James H.; 267 Rusholme Road, Toronto, Canada. 1909. Haacwer, Atwin Kart, F.Z.S.; Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, South Africa, 1908. Hatz, Rosperr, F.L.S., C.M.Z.S.; c/o Tasmanian Museum, Hobart, Tasmania. 1903. Leen, Col. W. Vincenr; Cullenswood House, St. Mary’s, Tasmania, 1905. Macoun, Jonn, M.A., F.R.S.C.; Naturalist to the Geological Survey of Canada, Ottawa, Canada. 1903. Norrn, Atrrep J., C.M.Z.S.; Australian Museum, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 1907, Swynnerron, Caartes Francis Massy, F.LS.; Gungunyana, Melsetter, South Rhodesia. - Vat ee 10 15 Date of Election 1909. 1900. 1880. 1906. 1906, 1902. 1875. 1902. 1886. 1903. 1894. 1905. 1900. 1908. 1894. 1900. 1902. 1911, 1896. XXVili Foreign Members. AvpHbrAky, Sererus N.; Imperial Academy of Science, St. Petersburg, Russia. Brancurt, Dr. VauuntineE; Imperial Zoological Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. Bureav, Louis, M.D.; Ecole de Médecine, Nantes, France. Birricorer, Dr. Jomannes, C.M.Z.8.; Director of the Zoo- logical Garden, Rotterdam, Holland. Borvrtiy, Suretus A.; Wesenberg, Esthonia, Russia. Cuapman, Frank Micurer; American Museum of Natural History, Central Park, New York, U.S.A. Dorra, Marchese Giacomo, F.M.Z.S.; Strada Nuova 6, Genoa, Italy. Tuerine, Dr. Herman von, C.M.Z.S.; Museu Paulista, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Manparisz, Dr. Jutrus von; National Museum, Budupest, Hungary. Marrtorettt, Prof. Dr. Giacinto; Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milan, Italy. Muyzpimr, Prof. Dr. Micuazrt, C.M.Z.8.; Imperial Society of Naturalists, Moscow, Russia. OsrrnorseR, Harry Cuurcn ; Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Rerser, Dr. Ornmar; Landes Museum, Sarajevo, Bosnia, Austria. Ricumonp, Cartes Wattace; United States National Museum, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Scpatow, Prof. Herrman; Hohenzollerndamm 50, Berlin- Grunewald, Germany. Sresnecer, Leonwarp, C.M.Z.S.; Smithsonian Institution, * Washington, D.C., U.S.A. Susuxin, Dr. Prrer, C.M.Z.S.; Zootomisches Kabinett et Museum, The University, Kharkov, Russia. Tscuust zu ScumipHorreN, Vicror, Rirrer yon; Villa Tannenhof, bei Hallein, Salzburg, Austria. Winer, Heruur, C.M.Z.8.; University Zoological Museum, Copenhagen, Denmark. CONTENTS or VOL. L—TENTH SERIES. (1913.) Noumper I., January. TI. On a rare Species of Touracou (Zuracus ruspolii), By T. Satvaport, M.D., H.M.B.0.U. (Plate I.) . II. A Third Contribution to the Ornithology of Cyprus. By Joun A. Bucxnitt, M.A., F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. (Plate II.) IIT. Note on a new Species of Pucras Pheasant found in the Province of Anhwei or Ngan-Hwei, China. By the Rey. F. Covrrors, 8.J., Director of the Siceawei Museuin, near Shanghai. (Plate III.) . IV. The Birds of Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River or Si Kiang in South-East China, with special reference to their Nidification and Seasonal Movements. By Lieutenant R. E. Vavewan, R.N., MB.O.U., and Staff-Surgeon K. H. JowEs, MB, R.N:, F-Z.S., M.B.0.U. (Plate IY.) SER. X.—VOL. I. 14 a XXX CONTENTS. Page V. Notes on the Birds collected by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. By W. R. Ocitvin-Grant, F.ZS., IMA OM ier tte ee ee eA et VI. Commentary on the new ‘ Hand-list of British Birds.’ Byebel; Scuatm, DSc. .F.RS.:%. oi aye bee eee aes VII. Solander as an Ornithologist. By Tom Inpparr . . 127 VIE ‘Obituary, Mir, W..5: Degree 2) 0 pee ee ee eo IX. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :— Balducci on the Sardinian Crow; Beebe on new Blood- Pheasants; Beebe on the Yucatan Jay; Bickerton on the Terns; Harvie-Brown on the Fulmar; Chapman on the Birds of Eastern North America; Chapman on a new Ibis; Eagle Clarke on Migration; Coward on Migration; Hellmayr on Zonotrichia strigiceps; Uellmayr and y. Seilern on Venezuelan Birds ; Hennicke on Bird-protection ; Hopkinson on the Birds of the Gambia; Herring on the Birds observed at Danish Lighthouses ; Hull on the Birds of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands; Mathews on Australian Birds; Morse on the Birds of Kastern Massachusetts ; Moulton on the Sarawak Museum ; Oberholser on the Subspecies of Butorides virescens; Oliver on the Birds of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and the Kermadec Islands; Van Oort on Birds from the Dutch Indies; Schaub on the Nest-down of Birds; Sclater on the Ornithological Literature of 1911; Shelley on African Birds; Waterhouse on new Generic Names; and List of other Publications received. . . 188 X. Letters, Extracts, and Notes :— Letters from Messrs. J. H. Gurney and D. A. Bannerman ; The Report of the British Museum for 1912; Rearrangement of the Collection of Birdskins in the Natural History Museum ; Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves; The B.O.U. New Guinea, Expedition... = 5) 29, sme eae eee Ek CONTENTS, Nomper II., April. XI. The Birds of Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River or Si Kiang in South-Eastern China, with special reference to their Nidification and Seasonal Movements.—Part II. By Lieutenant R. E. Vaveran, R.N., M.B.O.U., and Staff-Surgeon K. H. Jonzs, M.B., R.N., F.Z.8., M.B.O.U. (Plate V.). XIT. A Reference List of the Birds of New Zealand.— Part I. By Grucory M. Maruews and Tom Irepare XIII. Further Notes on the Birds of China. By J. D. D. La Tovcus, C.M.Z.8., M.B.0.U. (Plate VI.) . XIV. Some Notes and Observations on a Guan (Ortalis vetula), suggested by an Examination of an Immature Specimen. By Percy R. Lown, M.B., M.B.0.U. (Plate VIL. and Text-fig. 1.) XV. On Sterna hirundo Linn. and on the Name of the Common Tern. By Prof. E1yar Loyypere, of Stockholm , XVI. Obituary. Epwarp Aprian Witson (Plate VIII.); Prof. Roperr Cotterr; Henry Joun Pearson . XVII. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :— Alexander on Boyd Alexander’s last Journey; Alston on the Highlands of Scotland; Bent on a new Crossbill ; Blaauw’s Excursion to South America; Brabourne and Chubb on the Birds of South America; Bryant on Birds and Grasshoppers ; Hellmayr on Two new Birds from the Timor Group; ’ Horsbrugh on South African Game-birds; Howard on British Warblers; Ingram on the Birds of Yunnan; Van Kempen on the Birds of the North of France; Menzbier’s Zoo-geographical Atlas; Mitchell on the Early Life of Birds; Rothschild and Hartert on Birds from New Guinea; Salvadori on Birds from the Congo ; Sarudny and Harms on Persian Birds; Stresemann on Birds from the Indo-Australian Region; Thienemann on the Migration of the Woodcock; Tschusi on Palearctic Birds ; Uchida on the Birds of Formosa; ‘ Ardea,’ a new Ornitho- logical Journal; Austral Avian Record ; Bird Notes; Messager Ornithologique ; Revue Francaise d’Ornithologie ; Scottish Naturalist; and List of other Publications received xxxi Page . 163 ~ cb . 263 R48 35 . 301 315 Xxxil CONTENTS. XVIII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes :— Page Letters from Messrs. Rudolph von Thanner, William Brewster, the Authors of the ‘Hand-List of British Birds,’ Count T. Salvadori, and Mr. G. M. Mathews. The Second Freiburg Moluccan Expedition; The Alexandra Parrakeet ( Polytelis alevandre); The Pennant Collection; The Birds of Sinai; The Museum at Brighton; A “ringed” Swallow taken in Natal; The B.O.U. Second New Guinea Expedition ; The Annual Meeting of the B.0.U. ....... . . 830 Number II1., July. XIX. Ona Small Collection of Birds from Henderson Island, South Pacific. By W. R. Ocitvi-Granr. (Plate IX.) . . 343 XX. The Birds of Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River or Si Kiang in South-Eastern China, with special reference to their Nidification and Seasonal Movements.—Part III. (Conclusion and Appendix). By Lieutenant R. E. Vaueran, R.N., M.B.O.U., and Staff-Surgeon K. H. Jones, M.B., R.N., FZ8.,. MB.OsU. 5... ee ees oe oe XXI. The Evolution of Adaptation in Parasitic Cuckoos’ Eggs. By E, C. Srvarr Baxnr, F.Z.8.,M.B.0.U. . . . . 384 XXII. On the Linnean Names Strix funerea and Anser ery- thropus, and on the Species which should be referred to them. By Dr. Einar Lonneere, of Stockholm . an a ceray ls: XXIII. A Reference List of the Birds of New Zealand.— Part Il. By Grucory M. Maruews and Tom Irrpate . . . 402 XXIV. Proceedings at the Annual General Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Union, 1918 . . . . . . . - . 453 CONTENTS. XXxX11 XXY. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :— Arrigoni and Damiani on the Birds of the Tuscan Islands; Dabbene on the Birds of Paraguay; Grinnell on the Band- tailed Pigeon; Hartert on Unfigured Birds; Hellmayr on the Birds of Lower Amazonia; Ingram on the Portuguese Long-tailed Tit; Menegaux on European Birds; Mathews’ Birds of Australia; Millais’ Diving Ducks; North on Australian Nests and Eggs; Oberholser on the Great Blue Heron; Oberholser on New Birds from Sumatra and its Islands; Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds’ Eggs of the British Museum; Pycraft on Puleocorax moriorum ; Robinson on the Eider; Rothschild and Hartert on Birds from New Guinea ; Rothschild and Hartert on their Algerian Journeys; Salva- dori on the Parrots allied to Conurus e@ruginosus ; Salvadori on a new European Bird; Salvadori and Festa on the Sardinian Jay; Sassi on Collections from Mesopotamia and Central Africa ; Stone on Colour-Characters ; Swann on Bird-Names ; Taylor on Dominancy; Trotter on the Faunal Regions of North America; Tschusi on Austro-Hungarian Avian Litera- ture; Aquila; Austral Avian Record ; British Birds; Cassinia for 1912; Journal S. African Orn. Union; and List of other ieibleations received 93 = s 5 « ss 2 « eee ws 9. 407 XXVI. Letters, Extracts, and Notes :— Mr. Bannerman’s Expedition to the Canary Islands; The Return of Dr. Wollaston’s New Guinea Expedition; Bird Protection in the United States; Life-History of North American Birds; ‘The Emu’in London. . ..... . 4& we Nomeser [V., October. XXVIII. Notes on Birds around Mpumu, Uganda. By L. M. Sera-Surru, B.A., M.B.0.U. (Plates X.& XL). . . 485 XXVIII. A Visit to Babel Island, the Nesting place of Puffinus tenwirostris brevicaudus Gould. By C.F. Cote . . 609 XXIX. Corrections to the ‘Catalogue of the Collection of Birds’ Eggs in the British Museum.’ By the Rey. F.C. R. io oRDAINKEViEAS. Wie OSU SRS le ce pt ce el ce Sv os OLS XXXIV CONTENTS XXX. Notes and Observations on the Painted Snipe (Rostratula capensis) in Ceylon. By J. O. Brven, B.A. (Christ’s College, Cambridge) . XXXI. Notes on the Vultures found in the neighbourhood of Simla and adjacent ranges of the Himalayas. By P. 'T. L. Dopswortu, F.Z.8., M.B.O.U. . XXXII. A few Remarks on the European Certhiide. By Cotiinewoop Ineram, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. (Text-fig. 2. XXXITI. Ona Collection of Birds from Southern Abyssinia, presented to the British Museum by Mr. W. N. McMillan. —Part I. Passeres. By W.R. Oaitvie-Grant. (Plate XII.). XXXIV. Obituary. Purr Lurrey Scrater (Plate XIII.); Tuomas Ayres; and Dr. J. W. B. Gunnine XXXV. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :— 3ryant on the Hceonomic Status of the Meadow-Lark ; Bucknill on Cyprus Birds; Bureau on the Red-legged Partridge ; Cory on New Neotropical Birds; Dewar’s Sketches of British Birds; Grinnell’s List of Californian Birds ; Hagen on the Birds of Lubeck; Hudson’s Adventures among Birds ; Mathews on Australian Birds; Menegaux on the Ostrich ; Miller on the Kingfishers; North on the Australian Casso- wary; Robinson on Malayan Birds; Todd on the Ground- Doves; Zitkov on Birds from the Yamal Peninsula; A New Check-list of Australian Birds; A new Dutch Ornithological Club ; The Emu; Journal of the Ornithological Society of Kief ; and List of other Publications received . XXXVI. Letters, Extracts, and Notes :— Letters from Messrs. Collingwood Ingram and Francis R. S. Baxendale ; The Undulatory Flight of Humming-Birds; The Peruvian Guano Islands ; Proposed General Index to ‘The Ibis’; Forthcoming Works . . o4 . 642 68 5 yy) 8 CONTENTS. XXXYV iindexvof Scientic Names ess ss 2 . « « « « @L5 lnesc@ie Ooms o o 6 6 ao 6 5. 6 co 8 & en Bet) Titlepage, Dates of Issue of ‘The Ibis’ for 1913, List of Members, Contents, List of Plates, and List of Text- figures. LIST OF PLATES IN VOLE TENTH SERIES. I. Turacus ruspolic . Weta ey ho es. Il; ;Sketch-map omCyprus My. SMe vinyl Ws My Ny mires eee AKO tGa7) AIT SSSSRRKCCD =F WS RSS S aa TAGES Prior of CNR EUS toillustrate the paper by JOHN A. BUCKNILL Ornithology of Cyprus. 3 put together the notes that I had collected since my last paper on the subject, which appeared in this Journal in October 1911. I was away from the island from November 11th, 1911, to February 8th, 1912, but was informed that from the end of December the rains were extraordinarily heavy, flooding thousands of acres in the Famagusta district and doing much damage to the sprouting barley. Winter visitors were not numerous, owing, no doubt, to the mildness of the weather. _Thrushes and Blackbirds, Lapwing and Golden Plover were conspicuously few, but the Stock-Dove (never before satisfactorily recorded) occurred in some numbers. The spring migration was heavy, and we obtained some new species, including the Icterine Warbler and Whiskered Tern. Spoonhills and Gull-billed Terns were also, to us, new arrivals. Mr. Baxendale paid a second visit to the Klides Islands in April 1912, arriving on the islands on the 19th; the migration was in full swing and the long narrow promontory between Rizokarpaso and the monastery of Apostolos Andreas (which is at the point of the cape) was packed with crowds of birds: Red-backed, Masked, and Lesser Grey Shrikes in hundreds, the first-named.predominating in numbers ; Blackcap, Palestine and other Warblers, Wheat- ears of several species, Ortolan and Black-headed Buntings, Short-toed Larks, Cuckoos of both species, and many other varieties too numerous to mention. He found the Lesser Peregrine breeding, the young birds being more advanced than they were on May 11th, 1911, the date of his previous visit; the Mediterranean Herring- Gull had also nested, apparently much earlier than in the previous year, whilst the Shags had young in all stages. On the journey Mr. Baxendale obtained the Little Egret, Norfolk Plover, and Hen-Harrier, found the Common Swift, Rock-Dove, and Red-rumped Swallow nesting; saw the Golden Oriole and. collected some interesting Wheatears and Warblers. The decrease of the hare and the indigenous Game Birds, B2 4 Mr. J. A. Bucknill on the which has been steadily taking place in Cyprus for a good many years, engaged my serious attention during my residence in the island. The causes are mainly the large increase in the number of guns carried by the peasantry and the good price obtainable for game in the markets. Although, under the old game laws, there existed reserved “areas” and “ forests ”’ in which no shooting was allowed nominally, there is no doubt that a great deal of illicit destruction of game took place in these localities. After much consultation with the leading English, Greek, and Turkish sportsmen, I drafted a Bill which I introduced into the Legislative Council, and which with some modifi- cations became Law on December 31st, 1911. Under this Law Game includes Moufflon, Hares, Pheasants, Pariridges, Francolin, Sand-Grouse, Quail, Bustards, Wild Swans, Wild Geese, Wild Duck of any kind, Woodcock, and Snipe. Moufllon are prohibited from being hunted at all periods, except under special permission of His Excellency the High Commissioner. Pheasants and Francolin are prohibited from being pursued at all until September Ist, 1916. A close season for all Game is prescribed between the 15th of February and the 12th of August. The taking of the eggs of Game Birds is entirely prohibited. No Wild Birds of any kind may be taken between the 15th of February and the 12th of August, except Thrushes, Blackbirds, Starlings, Larks, Beccaficos, Bee-eaters, Doves, Pigeons, Jackdaws, Crows, Magpies, Ravens, Hawks, and Sparrows. The following indigenous species are entirely protected at all seasons :— Troglodytes cypriotis Bate. Cinclus olympicus Madarasz. Sazicola morio cypriaca Hartert. Parus cypriotes Dresser. Ornithology of Cyprus. 5 Certhia brachydactyla dorothee Hartert. Loxia guillemardi Madarasz. Scops cyprius Madarasz. The eggs of all Wild Birds are protected entirely except those of Bee-eaters, Doves, Pigeons, Jackdaws, Crows, Magpies, Ravens, Hawks, and Sparrows. Certain reservations of areas of land and forest are allowed to be made, within which no shooting is to be permitted. These are the principal provisions of the Law, and I am glad to say that arrangements have been made this year by which the reserved areas will be patrolled and watched by properly appointed verderers in the pay of Government. A permit to obtain specimens for scientific purposes may be obtained from the High Commissioner. The Law is not perfect, but it is an advatce on any previous Law, and it is to be hoped will work well. T should like to add a few words as to those subspecies of birds which have been described from time to time as indigenous to the island. I think there is not much fear of their extinction. I wish I could say the same of the Fran- colin. Cinclus olympicus, Parus cypriotes, Lowxia guillemardi, Certhia brachydactyla dorothee, and Garrulus glaszneri are all safe enough in the great Troddos range: no one would waste a charge except on the first and the last, and there is so much rough country on these mountains that their sur- vival is pretty sure. Corone pallescens is a nuisance everywhere ; Galeritau cristata cypriaca is probably the commonest bird in the island ; Saxicola morio cypriaca is also ubiquitous ; Scops cyprius is abundant; Parus aphrodite (if it exists) grades into Parus major, which is extremely common. I think the local Chaffinch, Magpie, and perhaps the Raven will be the next birds which will be honoured with subspecifie rank. The Cyprus Natural History Society, through some of its members, has really done good work and has much stimu- lated local interest in all branches of Natural History : 6 Mr. J. A. Bucknill on the notably Messrs. F. R. S. Baxendale, M.B.O.U.; W. J. Ansell, I.8.0.; G. Wilson; and T. Greenwood—in addition, of course, to Mr. Horsbrugh. We have rescued many records from oblivion and made good some new and many doubtful ones. Sibthorp recorded 81 species; Lilford 231; Madarasz 249. During my five years’ stay in the island we were able to bring the number up to nearly 800: having added the following, of which we obtained specimens of those marked with an asterisk :— *Turdus alpestris Ch. Brehm. *Savicola hispanica xanthomelena Hempr. & Ehr. * Cyanecula suecica Linn. * Hypolais icterina Vieill. *Sylvia hortensis crasstrostris Hartert. * Phylloscopus sibilatrix erlangeri | T[artert. *Phylloscopus bonellii orientalis Hartert. *Lusciniola melanopogon (Temm.), *Iigurinus chloris miihlei Parrot. *Linota cannabina mediterranea Tschusi. *Emberiza scheeniclus cannett Hartert. *Sturnus vulgaris balcanicus Buturl. & Harms. Gypaétus barbatus (Linn.). Chenalopex egyptiacus Mace. Anser fabailis (Lath.). *Anser albifrons (Scop.). Branta bernicla (Linn.). * Cygnus musicus Bechst. * Athyia rufina (Pall.). * Clangula glaucion (Linn.). * Erismatura leucocephala (Scop.). Turtur senegalensis (Linn.). * Hudromias morinellus (Linn.). * Recurvirostra avocetta Linn. * Hydrochelidon hybrida (Pall.). * Podicipes cristatus Linn. | *Podicipes nigricollis H. L. Brehm, Amongst species which had hitherto been included in the list on unreliable or slender evidence we were able to make good the following :— * Turdus iliacus Linn. *® Cettia cettii (Marm.). Pycnonotus xanthopygus (Hempr. & Ehr.), * Muscicapa collaris Bechst. * Coccathraustes vulgaris Pall. *Buteo vulgaris Leach. *Astur palumbarius (Linn.), *Pernis apivorus (Linn.). *Faleo punicus Levaill, * Columba eenas Linn. * Otis tarda Linn. * Squatarola helvetica (Linn.). * Agialitis geoffroyt (Wagl.). * Totanus stagnatilis Bechst. * Totanus fuscus (Linn.). | -* Sterna anglica Mont. Ornithology of Cyprus. if We have also, for the first time, found breeding in the Island, or obtained eggs of, many species, such as :— Cinclus olympicus Madarasz. Upupa epops Linn. [| Young. | | Young. | * Aluco flammeus (Linn.). * Daulias luscinva Linn. * Mieraétus fasciatus (Vieill.). * Sylvia cinerea Lath. *Faleo punicus Levaill. Sylvia atricapilla (Linn.). Phalacrocorax graculus (Linn.). [ Young. ] | Young. | Cettia cettii (Marm.). [ Young. ] *Spatula elypeata (Linn.). * Cisticola cursitans (Franklin). * Querquedula circia (Linn.). * Parus cypriotes Dresser. * Athyia fuligula (Linn.). *Certhia brachydactyla dorothee Atthyia nyroca (Guld.). [ Young. ] Hartert. * Columba palumbus Linn. * Troglodytes cypriotis Bate. * Turtur communis Selby. * Anthus pratensis (Linn.). Pterocles arenarius (Pall.). *Anthus campestris (Linn.) ? { Young. ] * Muscicapa grisola Linn, *G‘allinula chloropus (Linn.). * Fringilla celebs (Linn.). * (Edicnemus scolopax (S.G.Gmel.). * Emberiza cesta Cretzsch. * Agialitis cantiana (Lath.). * Melanocorypha calandra (Linn.). | *Aqgialitis cwronica (Gmel.). * Calandrella brachydactyla(Leisl.). | *Himantopus candidus Bonnat. Alauda arborea Linn. [Young.] | *Zarus cachinnans Pall. *Garrulus glasznert Madarasz. *Sterna minuta Linn. Caprimulgus europeus Linn, * Podicipes cristatus (Linn.). [ Young. ] * Podicipes fluviatilis (Tunstall), Of those marked with an asterisk we obtained the eggs. 25*, Monricona saxaTitis (Linn.). The Rock-Thrush is evidently a regular migrant, as we have now obtained quite a number of specimens on both spring and autumn migrations. Indeed, from about August 27th to September 24th, 1911, it might be said to have been fairly common on Troddos, and a local sportsman shot six in one morning ! 106. Davutas tuscinia Linn. I had expected that the Nightingale would soon be proved to nest in the Cyprus mountains. I discovered eggs of this bird (in a small collection made by Mr. Glaszner) taken at oh ve * The numbers prefixed to the names are those of Dresser’s ‘Manual of Palearctic Birds,’ 8 a Mr. J. A. Buckni!l on the Platres (about 3500 ft.) on June 13th, 1906, and in mid-June 1911 Mr. Ansell obtained a nest with five eggs in the hills near Ora (about 2300 ft.), both places being on the southern range. 107. Davttas pHitometa (Bechst.). We obtained the Thrush- Nightingale in the spring of 1911, and specimens were kindly ideutified by Mr. M. J. Nicoll. 156. Hyporats torerina (Vieill.). Iam glad to be able to add the Icterine Warbler to the Cyprus list. Mr. Baxendale obtained a single specimen near Famagusta in the spring of 1911. The bird was identified by Mr. M. J. Nicoll. 567. STURNUS VULGARIS Linn. 568. STuRNUS PURPURASCENS Gould. Sturnus porphyronotus Sharpe. 569. Srurnus poLTaratskys Finsch. Sturnus nobilior Hume. Sturnus vulgaris balcanicus Buturlin & Hiirms. Sturnus vulgaris grecus Tschusi & Reiser. The Starlings which in some winters occur in enormous numbers in Cyprus have always been rather a puzzle. At different times those authorities who have examined Cypriote specimens have described them, or some of them, as belonging to the first five forms denominated above. However, I sent a number of skins to Dr, Hartert in the summer of 191], and he, after examining them with those which he had previously received from Glaszner, has come to the conclusion that the Cyprus birds are all referable to two forms, Sturnus purpurascens Gould and Sturnus vulgaris balcanicus Buturlin & Harms (Orn. Monatsb. 1909, p. 56). He also considers that it is possible that S. v. balcanicus and a form Sturnus vulgaris grecus Tschusi & Reiser (Orn. Jahrb. 1905, p. 141) will be found to be identical. I should add that amongst the specimens forwarded by me to Dr. Hartert were examples which had already been e Ornithology of Cyprus. 9 labelled by other ornithologists as belonging to some of the other forms mentioned above. 618, Caprimuteus EvRopmus Linn. I had thought it probable that the Nightjar nested in the island, and in 1911 there was no doubt that it did so on the Troddos Mountains. The birds were about the whole summer, and judging from their ‘‘churring”’ in the evening there were several pairs within a radius of a few miles of the Government Offices. We did not find the nest, but in late August met with a female and two young birds just able to fly. Mr. Baxendale saw a specimen at Famagusta as late as November 24th, 1911. 669. Upupa Evops Linn. I found the Hoopoe nesting in June in the plains; this was in a crack in the rocks at the side of the main road between Nicosia and Larnaka. It had of course been known to breed regularly in the mountains. 721. Burro vutcaris Leach. The Common Buzzard seems to occur not very rarely in winter. Mr. Baxendale obtained two females—one on the 27th of January, 1912, at Famagusta, and the other on the 29th of January, 1912, at Salamis. 739. Ha iarrus ALBrcriia (Linn.). I have here to correct an error. The specimen recorded in ‘The Ibis’ for October, 1911, at p. 646, was taken to England by Mr. Baxendale, and on examination by Mr. Ogilvie-Grant turned out only to be a fine specimen of Aquila heliaca Savigny, the Imperial Eagle. 762. Fatco curerrve J. E. Gray. Mr. Baxendale obtained a female Saker in the winter of 1911-12. Although recorded before on one or two occasions from the island, it is the first time any of us had obtained a proper specimen. It was kindly identified by Mr. W. L. Sclater. 10 Mr. J. A. Bucknill on the 764. Fanco pereerinus Tunstall. Mr. Baxendale shot a fine male Peregrine near Famagusta. It was identified by Mr. Nicoll. In September of 1911 I found, at Paphos, Peregrines frequenting the old Turkish round-house which stands some way out at sea separated by a long-ruined wave-washed wall from the Fort (uow used as a store): I have no doubt that this remote and isolated spot is also a breeding-place of this species. 765. Fatco punicus Levaill. Mr. Baxendale, on the 9th of January, 1912, shot, near Famagusta, a fine specimen of the Lesser Peregrine which was identified by Mr. Nicoll. At the Klides Islands on April 19th, 1912, Mr. Baxendale discovered the nest with four nestlings, the largest of which was already shewing some signs of plumage and which were considerably bigger than the two nestlings found on the same island on May 11th, 1911. The eyrie was in a roomy fissure in a low cliff, not in the same spot as the previous year. Remains of Quail and a Mediterranean Herring-Gull (which were nesting in numbers on the island) were noticed in the vicinity of the nest. “68. Fatco «saLon Tunstall. Mr. Baxendale obtained a female Merlin on March 17th, 1912, at Famagusta; Mr. Wilson another in January ; and others were seen. 769. Fatco sussputso Linn. Mr. Baxendale obtained the Hobby near Famagusta in the spring of 1912, and saw others. 776. PHaLacrocoRax cArBo (Linn.). We find the Cormorant to be a regular winter visitor, though not common. We have obtained more than one specimen. 781. PHaLacrocorax Gracutus (Linn.). Mr. Baxendale on the 19th of April, 1912, found the Shag breeding in small numbers on the Klides Islands, with young birds fully fledged. Mr. Baxendale noticed that the young birds were extremely pale underneath [the form, presumably, Ornithology of Cyprus. Pe described as Phalacrocorax desmaresti (Payraudeau), the Mediterranean Shag]. The species must breed very early in Cyprus. 794, ArpEA GARZETTA Linn. Mr. Baxendale obtained the Little Egret on April 13th, 1912, at the Freshwater Lake, Famagusta. He also obtained another on the 15th at Salamis. 803. ArpETTA MINUTA (Linn.). We obtained a very pretty female albinistic specimen of the Little Bittern in the spring of 1912. 812. PLaTaLea LEUcoRopDIA Linn. Half a dozen Spoonbills appeared at the Freshwater Lake in May, but Mr. Baxendale was unable to obtain a specimen, though he saw them more than once. CHENALOPEX HGyPTIACcUS (Linn.). The Egyptian Goose occurred at the Freshwater Lake in January 1912. About a dozen were frequently noticed, but we did not succeed in obtaining a specimen. Seven also appeared on the water at Arona, near Nicosia, on January 21st: rather later than usual. 824. ANSER ALBIFRONS (Scop.). The White-fronted Goose came over in fair numbers in December 1911. Mr. Giles, the Irrigation Superintendent, bagged two, and a native gunner shot seven in one night at Acheritou reservoir. 858. AirHyra MARILA (Linn.). The Secaup Duck has to be included in the Cyprus list. The Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain has kindly drawn attention to the fact that Lichtenstein, in his ‘ Verzeichniss der Dou- bletten des Zoolog. Museums der Konigl. Universitat zu Berlm’ (1823), p. 85, mentions examples of the Scaup from Cyprus [Brit. Mus. Cat. Birds, xxvii. p. 855]. It would only be a winter visitor. 867 ? Cipemia rusca (Linn.) ? Scoters again turned up this year (1912), Mr. Baxendale seeing some on Kouklia Reservoir early in April. He did 12 Mr. J. A. Bucknill on the not succeed in shooting one, so we are still in doubt as to which species does occur with us. 887. CotumBa @Nas Linn. The Stock-Dove has hitherto been included in the Cyprus list with very great doubt. In December 191] quite a number appeared in different parts of the island, and we obtained several specimens. 911. PuHastanus cotcuicus Linn. Our experiment in turning down Pheasants has not yet come to an end, so it is not possible to say what will be the result. Mr. T. Greenwood has borne the whole burden of the by no means inconsiderable expense of rearing and keeping the aviary birds. The parent birds were brought out in the spring of 1910. In February 191] we turned out some of their progeny in the Stavro Valley high up in the Southern range: one cock was killed by a dog, and three birds were seen together in the autumn, but of this lot we have heard nothing further. Mr. Greenwood turned out another lot near Agios Theodoros in the Larnaka District in one of the Game reserves in December of 1911. It was said by the villagers that some of these were so tame that they came and fed with their fowls: also that two hens were supposed to be nesting in the bush. Mr. Greenwood, in February 1912, turned out a third lot in another reserve near the sea not far from Paphos, and some of these birds were seen in the foothills, having evidently followed the stream up. I have no further information of them. 952. FRANCOLINUS VULGARIS Steph. This is rather a good opportunity for taking a survey of the Francolin in the island, as, after having been entirely protected by law for a period of five years, the prohibition automatically ceased from August 12th, 1911, till the end of the year, when another five years’ protection came on under the new Game Bill. Ornithology of Cyprus. 13 I obtained full reports from all parts of the island as to the number seen and shot. In the Paphos District I reckon about 100 brace were killed, mostly in the low-lying flats between the Kha Potami (river) and Ktima: this is now made a reserve and guarded. In the Karpas there were a few still to be found and a dozen or so were obtained, But in the Vallia scrub, at Limassol, and Morphou marshes, and in the Nahiehs of Chrysochou and Poli, where twenty years ago the bird was common, there are none now. Indeed, the Paphos area mentioned above is the only place where the species has held its own, and this is due to the high hemp, thick cotton, and rough reeds and tangle with which much of this locality is covered. In September 1912 I saw about twenty birds in this area when shooting: they are almost impossible to flush without a good dog and creep about unseen, even on lands where there is little cover. If they rise they make for the hemp, through which a dog can hardly penetrate. There are a few left on the Kormakiti Cape in the north of the island, but the bird is evidently on the downward grade. It is to be hoped that the arrangements under the new Game Law will keep it from complete extinction. 1047. Himanrorus canpipus Bonnat. In June of 1911 Mr. Ansell obtained a nest of four eggs at the Larnaka Lakes, and at the end of May 1912 Mr. Baxendale obtained eggs at the Freshwater Lake, Fama- gusta: so there is now no doubt that, given favourable conditions of water, the Black-winged Stilt nests in small numbers regularly in the island. This I had always thought to be the case. 1112. HyprocHELipon HyBRiDA (Pall.). The Whiskered Tern is another addition to the Cyprus list. Mr. Baxendale obtained a number of specimens at the Freshwater Lake in May 1911. They were consorting with the Common and Black Terns. The Whiskered Tern may 14 Rev. F. Courtois on a well be a more or less regular visitor to the island on migration. 1121. Srerna anetica Mont. The Gull-billed Tern had only been recorded by Schrader in 1876-8 during his stay in the island. We obtained this bird for the first time this year (1912), Mr. Baxendale shooting a specimen on May 24th at Kouklia reservoir. It is probably a tolerably regular migrant, but apt to be overlooked. 1147. Larus ruscus Linn. Mr. Baxendale saw some parties of the Lesser Black- backed Gull on his visit to the Klides Islands in mid-April 1912, but did not find them breeding, although he took fresh eges of Larus cachinnans Pall. 1168. PurrtNus yYELKoUANUs (Acerbi). When leaving the island from Famagusta, the steamer being a few miles from the southern coast, I observed several Shearwaters close to the vessel and watched them with glasses for quite a long time. 1 have no doubt that they were the Eastern Manx Shearwater. III.—WNote on a new Species of Pucras Pheasant found in the Province of Anhwei or Ngan-Hwei, China. By the Rev. F. Courtors, 8.J., Director of the Siccawei Museum near Shanghai. (Plate IIT.) T'u1s species, which was briefly described in the ‘ Bulletin’ of the B.O.C. for October last as Pucrasia joretiana, is intermediate in some respects. between P. darwini and P. xanthospila. From the first-named it presents the following differences :— 1. The feathers of the back of the shoulders and of the sides of the breast have two wide triangular black streaks converging to the tip, instead of four. “VNVILHYOC VISVaONd dunt USUIMS KY 43S9M Nivea sSi6r sto : new Species of Pucras Pheasant. 415 2. The centres of the feathers on the sides of the body, as well as those of the wings and of the back, instead of being yellowish or buffy, are greyish white. 3. The occipital crest is more tufted and very short, not above 2 inches in length; it is formed of broad and rounded feathers, not narrow, long, and pointed ones. 4. The under tail-coverts and central tail-feathers have no broad margin of chestnut, but are only black and white. 5. The median patch of chestnut on the neck and chest is darker and richer. From P. wanthospila it differs m the absence of the characteristic golden patch on the neck and shoulders, as well as in the shape of the crest. The following are the dimensions of the type, a presumed male, now in the Natural History Museum :—Length 22°8 inches, wing 8:9, tail 7-9, tarsus 2°75, middle toe and claw 2°70. The distinct nature of this Pucras Pheasant was first noticed by the Rev. P. Heude, 8.J., by whom it was provisionally named, being dedicated to one of his missionary colleagues, the Rev. H. Joret, 8.J., who procured the first specimens, The species is found in the mountainous region round Hwo-shan or Hoschan, in the western part of the Province of Anhwei or Ngan-Hwei, at an altitude of from 2000 to 5000 feet. Its range, therefore, is intermediate between those of P. wxanthospila in the northern province of Pechihli and P, darwini in the southern provinces, The following is a list of the described species of Chinese Pucras Pheasants :— Pucrasia xanthospila G. R. Gray, P. Z. 8. 1864, p. 259, pl. xx. Type from the mountains N.W. of Pekin (Hon. Sir F. W. A. Bruce), now in the Natural History Museum. Distribution: Pechihli Province, N.W. China. 16 On a new Species of Pucras Pheasant. Pucrasia «xanthospila ruficollis David & Oustalet, Ois. Chine, p. 408 (1877). Type from Shensi Province, now in the Paris Museum. Distribution: Shensi and perhaps Kansu_ Provinces, N.E. China. Pucrasia meyeri Madarasz, Ibis, 1886, p. 145. Type from Central Thibet, now in the Hungarian National Museum. Distribution: Yunnan and Thibet. Pucrasia joretiana Courtois, Bull. B. O. C. xxxi. 1912, p. 7. Type from Hwo-shan, Anhwei Province, Middle China, now in the British Museum. Pucrasia darwint Swinhoe, P. Z. 8. 1872, p. 552. Type from the mountains of Che-kiang Province, 8. China, now in the British Museum. Distribution ; Che-kiang and Fokien Provinces, Southern China. Pucrasia styant Ogilvie-Grant, Bull. B.O.C. xxii. p. 32 (1908). Type from Ichang, Hupeh Province, Central China, now in the British Museum. ) The males of these six forms can be distinguished by the following key :— a. Outer tail-feathers rufous at the base, no grey... P. meyer. b. Outer tail-feathers grey at the base, no rufous. a’. A patch of chestnut on the chest and breast. a*, A distinct yellow nuchal collar. a’. Base of the throat glossed with green, like thevchin ean. pcvom caneremen eet P. xanthospila. 6°. Base of the throat glossed with reddish, contrasting with the green of the chin. P. x. rwficollis. b*. No yellow nuchal collar. e*. No chestnut on the under tail-coverts ; crest short and tufted |. .:5,.:..0+--6 P. joretiana., d*. Under tail-coverts with chestnut; crest long ‘and marrow «cisco Seen ne P. darwint. b'. No chestnut patch on the chest......... fide Ea Sty ant. UID PUL > ~— a 3 ut a . & SUDM-YaY > ee \ A EG — SS eB S3NOf ® NVHONWA SYSSIW Aq soded e ayeaysnye oy V N I lah J sory mg go apeog : jo yred jo dew ; {L_ +1 : aot ¢ ) = ‘Al’ Td* €16T STAT ; Re ' aes : ‘N = 4 = On the Birds of South-Eastern China. 7 IV.—The Birds of Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River or St Kiang in South-East China, with special reference ta their Nidification and Seasonal Movements. By Lieutenant R. E. Vavenan, R.N., M.B.O.U., and Staff-Surgeon K, H. Jonzs, M.B., R.N., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plate IV.) In no part of China have Europeans been permanently settled so long, and with no part so continually in touch, as with the littoral of the great south-eastern Province of Kwang Tung. It follows that a considerable number of naturalists have at various times visited Hong Kone, Macao, and the great southern metropolis Canton, together with their environs ; and several ornithologists have added their quota to our information of the avifauna of the district, The great naturalist Swinhoe* was at Hong Kong, and visited Canton and Macao, from February to May 1860, and contributed his results to ‘The Ibis’ in a charming and characteristic article, which, considering the time at his disposal, manifests that he displayed his usual energy in the pursuit of his favourite study, Another naturalist, Mr. J. C. Kershaw +, who, although to some considerable extent an ornithologist, would perhaps consider himself to be an entomologist, has contributed a list of the birds of the Kwang Tung coast to this periodical, This list was regrettably curtailed by want of space, but is perhaps the most complete at present published. The writers of the following notes have enjoyed excep- tional facilities for observing the birds of this part of China over a considerable number of years, and of these they fully availed themselves. Ample leisure in the open air is essential to an understanding of the habits of the birds of any country, and this they have had, * “Notes on the Ornithology of Hongkong, Macao, and Canton, made during the latter end of February, March, Apri and the beginning of May, 1860.” ‘This,’ 1861, pp. 28-57. + “List of the Birds of the Quangtung Coast, China,” ‘This,’ 1904, pp. 235-248. SER. X.—VOL, I. . 18 Lneut. R. E. Vaughan and Staft-Surg. K. H. Jones The part of China dealt with in this article is contained in the provinces of Kwang Tung and Kwang Si, and lies just to the south of the northern Tropic line (see Plate IV.). The island of Hong Kong, a Crown Colony annexed in 1841, is bare, mountainous, and rocky in the higher portions of its surface, but, thanks to the foresight and protection of the British Government, remarkably well wooded, for the most part with fir-trees, on all its lower slopes. The hills of the island do not rise to a greater height than about 1800 feet, and above the limit of the trees are generally covered with short wiry grass. The formation is chiefly granite, and in many of the ravines and valley- bottoms, and along the sea-shore in most places, there are blocks and boulders of this rock, often of titanic size and fantastic shape, which have been left where they lie by the gradual erosion of the softer parts of the original matrix. These great rocks are often piled together as if by some sudden cataclysm, and present absolutely inaccessible breeding-places for Myiophoneus ceruleus and doubtless for other birds and small mammals. On the northern side of Hong Kong is the city of Victoria, and a little to the east of it is the well-known Happy Valley, or Wan hai Cheong. Opposite to Hong Kong is the Kowloon Peninsula, part of the so-called New Territory which was taken over by the British Government in 1899; it has an area considerably greater than 300 square miles, and forms a part of the main- land of China. The country about Kowloon resembles that of Hong Kong, except that, like most parts of the Chinese mainland in these latitudes, it is very poorly wooded. The trees are chiefly small firs, and from these the Chinese cut off the lower branches long before they have attained any size. In the vicinity of temples and behind most of the villages are thick clumps of trees, chiefly False Banyans and various species of Micus. Many of these trees are covered with strips of the common red lucky paper, though why, no one seems on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 19 quite to know ; possibly it is in connection with some pre- Chinese superstition, adopted from the aboriginal inhabitants of the country. The hills on the mainland near Hong Kong run up to more than 3000 feet, but otherwise closely resemble those on the island. The New Territory contains some very fine land-locked bays, of which Tolo Harbour, the largest, need only be mentioned, The clief crop grown here, as elsewhere in Southern China, is rice, known to Europeans in the growing state as paddy. Except in certain flat portions of the country, to be mentioned presently, paddy is grown in areas of small size, terraced to suit the slope of the ground ; each one of these is surrounded by a little clay or earthen rampart, which separates it from its neighbour, and contains water essential to the growth of the rice-plant. These crops afford ample protection to many wading birds in the spring and autumn, and in the summer to certain of the Rails, but they are especially famous at the right season as the haunt of the migrating Snipe. Inland the Snipe specially favour the mulberry-canes in the spring and the paddy in the autumn. In some parts of the New Territory a good many sweet- potatoes are grown and in some localities sugar-cane is not uncommon. Although all possible sites are cultivated with tireless industry, there remains, from the nature of the ground, a very large portion covered with grass, rocks, and scrub. Virgin forest exists in a few favoured spots on Hong Kong Island and on the mainland, and is very dense where it does occur. About forty miles to the west of Hong Kong lies Macao, the oldest European settlement in China, which has been in the possession of the Portuguese since 1539. Here they are permitted to remain on suffrauce by the Chinese. Macao is situated on the seaward end of a peninsula which juts out into the bay of the same name in the form of a rocky ridge. c2 ~ 20 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones On one side of Macao the country is quite flat and covered with paddy-fields, but on the other is a range of hills, barren and rocky, like those of the New Territory across the water. To the eastward of Macao is Moto Mun, one of the entrances to the Si Kiang or West River, and Moto and Kong Mun are two places on it, about thirty and sixty miles inland respectively, of which mention is made in this paper. To the north-north-east of Macao is Wang Mun, another mouth of the West River. Inland from Macao, towards Canton on the one hand and Samshui on the other, lies the Delta country. Except for an occasional small mound, in many eases artificial, and in others once a rocky islet in the estuary, this tract is entirely flat, and has been formed by the alluvium brought down by the Canton and West Rivers. Throughout the Delta country a vast quantity of rice is cultivated in immense paddy-fields, whilst mulberry-canes, laichee and banana plantations clothe the banks of the creeks and rivers. This portion of the country is very densely populated with the most objectionable ruffians in China. Above Samshui, which is a hundred and ten miles from the sea, is the Shiu Hing gorge, and from this point west- ward throughout Kwang Tung and into Kwang Si the physical conformation of the country is completely changed. The land is hilly and the river-banks are often very steep, bamboo and scrub abound, and the population is compara- tively scanty. The valleys are often filled with extremely dense scrub, but large trees, except those unmolested for semi-religious reasons and those immediately about buildings, are scarce. The finest trees in this part are a species of Bombaz, which grows to a great height in favoured places, while pines (Pinus sinensis) also occur of considerable size, and are much patronized by various species of birds for nesting purposes. Ornithologically the most interesting place on the West River is Howlik, some twenty miles above Samshui. At this place there is an enormous Buddhist monastery, on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 21 situated halfway up a hill some 2000 feet high and sur- rounded by about four square miles of virgin forest, which is rigorously protected by the monks and forms a veritable haven of refuge for many species of birds. Through the forest runs a little river, which attracts certain birds to its banks, and constant observation led to the conclusion that some five-and-twenty species are to be found here and nowhere else in the districts under consideration. Originally, no doubt, the whole of this part of southern China was clothed with dense forest, but uo plant capable of serving for fuel has any chance of survival with the Chinese, and it is only by a well-organized system of armed forest-guards that the monks at Howlik preserve their trees intact. Above Howlik the type of country does not change until Kwei Hsien in Kwang Si is reached, or for well over 250 miles, Wuchau, about 110 miles above Samshui, is the most westerly point which has been under observation in the winter months, for during that time of year, owing to the fall in the river, gunboats are unable to proceed further inland. At Kwei Hsien there is, for this part of China, a consider- able plain, covered largely with grass and showing curious outcrops of carboniferous rock. Several species of birds adapted to such a habitat occur here and uot elsewhere. There is one other district which it is necessary to mention, and that is the North River, a tributary of the West Kiver which draws its waters trom the southern parts of the Provinces of Kiangsi and Hunan. Here the scenery differs from that of the Si Kiang or West River chiefly in the presence along its banks of numerous cliffs, on which, in places, Milvus melanotis and Corvus torquatus breed in suitable small outstanding bushes or on ledges of the rocks. This river was exp!ored as far as Shau Kwan, about 150 miles from its junction with the West River. The climate of this part of eastern Asia is, on the whole, hot and damp for seven months in the year, and dry and moderately cool for the other five. 22 = Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones The spring and early summer are, as a rule, very wet, and a rainy winter is by no means unknown. Really cold weather, when it does occur, is usually experienced in January and February, but does not last long. It is, perhaps, rather colder and hotter inland than it is on the coast, but the difference is not very marked. Typhoons or hurricanes may occur during any month of the year, except, perhaps, in February, but are most frequent during the summer. These storms are extremely violent, cause tremendous destruction of life and property, and often have a marked effect on the migration of birds, and especially on that which occurs along the sea-coast. The Chinese of the districts considered are astonishingly ignorant of the native wild birds, in which they contrast strikingly with their fellow-countrymen of the northern provinces. The only exceptions are the few native wild- fowlers to be met with on the river. For the most part, however, the Chinese prefer to trap those birds which are required for food. Of cage-birds the Chinese are extraordinarily fond, and some species are brought from great distances inland down the river by junk, and others from distant parts of the coast in steamers, so that it is never at all safe to infer because a bird is seen in a fancier’s shop at Hong Kong, Canton, or elsewhere that it was taken in the vicinity. Swinhoe apparently sometimes fell into this error. Local birds are probably, as a rule, captured as nestlings, especially Copsychus saularis and Trochaloplerum canorum. It is convenient in writing of the birds of this part of China to describe them as summer or winter visitors, or as spring or autumn migrants. It is not pretended that these various distinctions can be rigidly upheld, for some birds are partly resident and partly migratory, whilst of others, which are chiefly birds of passage, a few may remain for the winter or summer as the case may be. By a resident species is meant one which spends the whole year in the district. The majority of the birds observed are migrants from the on the Burds of South-Eastern China. 23 Palearctic region, on their spring and autumn passages, and a very large number of these come also under the head of winter visitors, as would naturally be expected in a district only just inside the Tropic. Of resident birds there are a considerable number, and many of these, as, for instance, the White-cared Bulbuals, are also partly migratory. Summer visitors are fewer than those in the other groups, but this, again, is to be expected of a region just within the Tropie. The general character of the resident portion of the avifauna and of the summer visitors is of the same type as that of north-eastern India, Burma, and the Himalayas, The birds of this region, as might be expected, shew a great affinity to, and in many cases are identical with, those of Fokien Province of the lower Yangtze, which have been so thoroughly and excellently worked out by Messrs. Rickett, Styan, and La Touche. There is no doubt that with further and more exact observations by trained ornithologists the range of many species will be found to be much more extended than it is at present considered to be. In this connection it may be said that collections of skins, made often by natives, although of very great value, and, indeed, indispensable in the present state of our knowledge, may undoubtedly give rise to false impressions as to the relative frequency of a species in a given area, or as to the nature of their occurrence there. The writers have on several occasions, in the earlier stages of their obser- vations, been misled as to the frequency of certain species by exceptional migratory movements and rushes. Matters which have become abundantly evident with prolonged observation are the extraordinary localization and the regular but minute movements of certain resident species in restricted areas—for instance, those of the Chinese Blackbird (Merula mandarina) at Macao, In this part of China no new species were discovered, a 24 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones matter not entirely for regret and scarcely to be wondered at; but that there is variation among the resident birds in an area extending some 500 miles from east to west, 1s probable. There still remains a great deal to be done in China in the way of field-work, and it must be many years before the life-story of a large number of the birds of that wast region is even approximately well known. It is, for instance, very interesting to note the fact that several species of birds which are easily and abundantly observed on their spring migration were never seen on their autumn passage, and that in rarer instances the converse obtained. Whether these species travel by different routes on tlhe two passages, or whether all pass at night, without stopping to rest in the area under consideration, was not decided ; there were, however, some slight grounds for the acceptance of the second suggestion. In any case, it is extremely unlikely, considering the keen look-out which was kept on migratory movements, and the large amount of time spent in the field, that these birds simply escaped observation. Field-notes made by two Naval Medical Officers, Staff- Surgeons J. P. H. Greenhalgh and C. E. Cortis Stanford, are embodied in this paper; the latter is a Member of our Union, and his collection of Chinese bird-skins is in the British Museum, Natural History; he has rendered much valuable assistance to the writers in the field. In conclusion, it only remains for the writers to express their very great indebtedness to Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant and the members of the staff of the Natural History Museum, who rendered them every possible assistance in the task of naming and arrapging the specimens collected in China. The nomenclature, unless otherwise stated, followed in this articie 1s that of the ‘ British Museum Catalogue of Birds,’ and the skins collected are deposited in the Natural History Museum. we OU on the Birds of South-Eastern China. TRYPANOCORAX PASTINATOR. The Eastern Rook occurs in the winter months near Wuchau, usually in association with Corvus torquatus. It is always in small flocks. Seven of these birds were seen below Wuchau on July 27th, and had either come south or were not breeding-birds. From April 22nd until May 2nd a small flock was at Wuchau. This species has been also seen at Howlk. Corvus TORQUATUS. The Collared Crow is a common bird throughout the districts treated of in this article, but, curiously enough, is never found far away from water, either salt or fresh. The food of this species consists of various forms of carrion, and includes defunct female babies (which are not very uncommon in China), fish, and the more easily obtain- able forms of marine mollusca. Like other Crows, the sexes pair for life and may be seen going about together in the autumn and winter. During the winter months this bird, like the Rook, selects certain favoured roosting-places, and to these, at the close of the day, large numbers may be seen winging their way from the feeding-grounds. The nest, which is small for the size of the bird, is composed externally of sticks or mulberry-canes, on which is laid a layer of mud or clay, and on that again a good thick felt of rags, fur, buffalo-hair, pandanus fibre, pine- needles, and so forth, forming a deep and warm cavity for the reception of the eggs. The nest is preferably placed in an evergreen tree for its better protection, the Collared Crow being a very early builder, but it has been found in a bamboo amongst those of a colony of Night-Herons, and also in a fir-tree. Up the North River this bird has become a cliff-builder, nesting on ledges of rocks which overhang the stream. When placed in a tree near a Kite’s nest, the possessors of the latter persecute the Crows unmercifully, as if they suspected them of egg-stealing. 26 = Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones Young birds have been found very early in February, so that at times this Crow lays at the end of December, but the majority of clutches are produced late in February orin March. It is possible that this species is sometimes double-brooded, and it is certain that it possesses a very strong affection for certain nesting-sites. The eggs * vary in length from 1:95 to 1°50, and in breadth from 1:27 to 1:08, and average 1°66 x 1°15. Pica PICA. Magpies are exceedingly common, both on the coast and up the rivers. They are less shy than at home, but do not return to a plundered nest very readily. They nest usually in a tall tree, but their great dome of sticks has been seen on the top of literary posts (which are erected in honour of scholars), once on the top of a pagoda, and three times in bamboos. One nest was seen which was only seven feet from the ground ; this is most unusual in China. The nest has the same sort of dome as in Europe, but, as thorns are less abundant, the usual prickly zareba does not occur to such a painful extent in Far Cathay as in the West. The nest of this bird seen in Europe is, as a rule, lined with roots inside of a mud coat, but in China, grass, hair, feathers, paper, wool, and, indeed, any suitable rubbish is employed. In the autumn these birds form quite large flocks, and as many as sixty have been seen going to roost in a pine-wood at Samshui, and on one occasion forty-seven were put up out of a sweet-potato field. At the end of December the flocks break up, and some pairs of birds begin to prepare for nesting before the new year; but, although they commence breaking off twigs early in January, they do not, as a rule, complete their nests until well on in February. In some years, as late as the middle of March, about seventy-five per cent. of the nests examined contain no eggs, whereas in others the end of February sees most of them * All measurements of eggs are given in inches. co on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 27 with full clutches. Fresh eggs were found, however, from February 5th to May 6th; and of thirty-one nests, three had eight eggs, seven had seven, seventeen had six, and four had five—six therefore is the usual clutch. Urocissa ERYTHRORHYNCHA. The Chinese Blue Magpie is a very common resident at Hong Kong, where the amount of woodland is far in . excess of anything to be found on the adjacent mainland, and where also there is practically no molestation. On the island of Hong Kong this species is not only abundant, but exceedingly tame and easy of observation. On the adjacent mainland, although it is present in the better wooded parts, it is never plentiful and very shy and wary. This species is one which almost invariably goes about in small parties of four or more, and even in the breeding- season this arrangement holds good to some extent. It is a bold and predatory species, robbing the nests of smaller birds of eggs and young on every possible occasion, and even attacking those of such large birds as its relative, the Common Magpie, which it was several times observed to do with success. So well are its thievish habits known to other species, that its appearance in the vicinity of their nests is invariably the signal for a general clamour, and most of them will boldly attack the robber. Copsychus saularis, the Magpie-Robin, always the boldest’ of the bold, will dash at the Blue Magpie even when at a distance of fifty yards from its nest, invariably driving it away. At times, all the three species of Hong-Kong Bulbuls combine and mob the would-be robber, and even the Chinese Dove (Turtur chinensis) attacks this bird, dealing very severe blows with its powerful wings in mid-air. Not only does Urocissa rob uests of their contents, but a party was seen to chase and catch a young Tailer-Bird (Sutoria) which was well able to fly. The Blue Magpie is omnivorous; small reptiles and. mammals, insects, various fruits and berries, and even rubbish from human habitations, form its very mixed. 28 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones dietary. The flight is very graceful, especially when de- scending, the long tail streaming out behind seems to accentuate the gentle curves, which are its peculiar cha- racteristic. When hopping about the branches of a tree the Blue Magpie looks rather clumsy, as if much incom- moded by the inordinate length of its tail, On the ground this bird invariably advances by a series of clumsy hops, apparently it never walks, like the Common Magpie. When at rest in a tree or on the ground the tail is well folded, but on the wing the outer and shorter rectrices are in- variably spread out, much to its advantage. The Chinese Blue Magpie breeds commonly at Hong Kong, though from the extent of the woods and the flimsy nature of its con- struction, the nest is very hard to find. From the habit of going about in small parties it is difficult to say when pairing takes place, but the earliest nests are built at the end of March or the beginning of April, and breeding goes on through May, June, July, and August. It is undoubtedly double-brooded in most cases. The nest is a slight affair, made of thin twigs and hed with the aerial rootlets of the False Banyan tree and with finer twigs. Almost always it is possible to see through the nest in every direction. In construction it is very flat and the central hollow containing the eggs is very shallow. A favourite nesting-site is the topmost twig of a thin sapling, but not infrequently the extremity of a horizontal bough is selected, and only once was the nest found in a strong fork near the main trunk. JT irs are, perhaps, the favourites with this species, but a variety of deciduous trees has also been noted as used. Both birds assist in building the nest, which is usually about twenty feet from the ground, and the young of a previous brood have been observed sitting round a nest in process of construction. The bird, unless the eggs are very hard-set, usually slips from the nest without any demonstration, and then some- times chatters from a distance or flies overhead scolding. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 29 When young are present, on the contrary, it may be very bold, swearing and scolding and coming so close that it could easily be struck with the hand. The eggs are usually five in number, and have been described by Mr. La Touche, but two varieties require to be mentioned: one of these has the usual greenish-yellow ground thickly speckled all over with closely-set dark green spots of small size; the other has the specks distributed in the same fashion, but they are of a rusty-red colour, so that the general appearance of the specimen is rather like that of certain eggs of Merula merula. Of all the Hong Kong birds, the Blue Magpie possesses the greatest variety of notes; these range from a flute-like whistle to harsh guttural cluckings, and at times almost amount to a song, being continued with various modulations for as much as five or ten minutes. The bird is very noisy all through the year, though perhaps a little less soin May and June, when the breeding- season is at its greatest period of activity. The earliest date at which eggs were found at Hong Kong was April 10th; in this case the eggs were well incubated. Eggs vary in length from 1°22 to 1:04, and in breadth from ‘87 to °81 ; they average 1:16x°83. An example will be figured on Plate V. fig. 17 of the April number. DENDROCITTA SINENSIS. The Chinese Hill-Magpie was only met with on one occasion, on November 20th, 1900, when a specimen was obtained at Shek-Wan opposite to Macao, just outside the British territory of Kowloon. GARRULUS SINENSIS. The Chinese Jay is not uncommon in the virgin forest at Howlik, which it visits at the period of spring migration ; Mr. J.C. Kershaw obtained it at Macao, where it is rare. ORIOLUS DIFFUSUS. The Indian Oriole is a common summer visitor to the Delta country and to the West River, but was not seen on the island of Hong Kong, 30 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones They arrive about the 8th or 10th of April, and at once commence chasing one another, and uttering many and various courting notes, which are not heard after pairing has taken place, when they confine themselves to their sweet and flute-like little song. The nests of this species are well known and do not need to be described ; in Kwang Tung and Kwang Si they are usually placed in a Bombax or a fir-tree, but not infrequently in a Banyan, always at a considerable elevation, and at the outer extremity of a thin branch, where they are most difficult of access. The eggs are to be found, as a rule, in the third week of May, but occasionally much earlier, and a pair in the Yamen at Samshui had young a week old on June Ist. On one occasion a male was seen to fly to a stump, from which he tore off strips of bark and carried them away. These birds are very truculent, and the pair in the Sam- shui Yamen wage incessant war on the Chinese Blackbirds, which build in the same tree. It is doubtful whether two broods are reared, but fresh eggs have been found as late as July 5th. The usual clutch is four eggs; often three, and sometimes only two are laid. The old female sometimes assumes the colouring of the male, and a pair, both with the brilliant plumage cf the cock, were seen to have a nest. In the third week of August the Orioles take their departure, but an occasional bird may be seen as late as September 28th, whilst on rare occasions an individual will spend the whole winter in Kwang Tung. The eggs of this species average 1:18 x°80, and they vary in length from 1:75 to 1:06 and in width from Top Komi CuHIBIA HOTTENTOTTA, These Drongo-Shrikes are summer yisitors to the forest at Howlik in Kwang Tung, the only place in that province where they occur, but they are common enough in Kwang Si, especially at Kwei Hsiea. They arrive about the third week in April, and have disappeared from Howlik by the last week on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 51 of August, but they have been seen at Macao and Wuchau in September and October. They are very noisy, calling loudly to one another, especially after the young are able to fly. The nest is an exceedingly flat and flimsy affair, attached to a fork at the very end of a slender horizontal bough, at heights which vary from fifteen to forty feet, and in such a position is sometimes quite inaccessible. It is made of grass and lined with fine grass or roots; the rim is the most substantial part of it and the eggs or young can usually be seen through its bottom. When the nest is approached the birds are very fearless, dashing round the tree and in and out among the branches. They commence to lay early in May, and young birds have been found early in June; three is the usual clutch, but four have been found; one brood only is reared. These birds catch insects on the wing, and hawk until quite dark ; they drink also during flight like Swallows. Eggs vary in length from 1°15 to 1:03 and in breadth from °83 to °79, and eight eggs average 1:08x°81. (See Plate V. fig. 16 of the April number.) BUucHANGA ATRA. The Black Drongo-Shrike is a common summer visitor to Kwang Tung, but there, with one exception, it is confined to the coast ; it does not occur in Kwang Si, where Chibia hottentotta replaces it. Away from the coast this species occurs only at Tak Hing, on the borders of Kwang Si Province a very curious distribution. The first arrivals in the spring are met with about the middle of April, and by the end of that month they are plentiful, but only on the coast. Of those returning from further north, the third week in September sees the first arrivals, but plenty continue to come in through October, and some have been occasionally met with in November and even in December ; but this last date is unusual. The cry of this bird is very harsh and is constantly indulged in. They are very fierce, dashing in a bullying way at various other birds, and mobbing such inoffensive species as the Smyrna Kingfisher. They catch their prey 52. Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones on the wing, and hawk for it until quite dark, and they have becn known to capture such a nauseous insect as Kuplea superba. This species begins to build its nest early in May, and eggs have been taken from the third week of that month until the second week in June. The nest is usually placed, like that of Chibia, at the extremity of a horizontal bough, but not always, and an upright fork is sometimes used, When building on a horizontal bough they begin by making the outside rim, joining the two prongs of the fork first— the one away from the trunk, that is to say. The nests are made of grass or of lichen, and sometimes, as at Hong Kong, of the aerial rootlets of the banyan-tree. Although not so flimsy a nest as that of Chidia, it is still sometimes possible to see the eggs through the bottom. These are three or four in number. In the nest of this species Cucudus micropterus lays its eggs at times, as is noticed elsewhere. The eggs are reddish pink in colour, spotted with ash and reddish brown, chiefly at the larger end, and vary in length from 1°14 to 92, and in breadth from °83 to*70; they average 1°02.x"75. BuCHANGA CINERACEA. The Ashy Drongo-Shrike is found as a summer visitor at Kwei Hsien, where it breeds, and it was once noticed at Tak Hing in Kwang Tung. An old nest found at Kwei Hsien was made of grass and constructed like that of Buchanga atra. The note of this bird is loud, metallic, dissyllabic, and quite unmistakable. On February 16th, 1908, one of these birds arrived at Hong Kong, and remained there until the middle of April, in the vicinity of the Naval Hospital and Happy Valley. This is the only occasion on which this species was ever seen in the island, which is some hundreds of miles from its usual habitat. BucHANGA LEUCOGENYS. This Drongo-Shrike is a summer visitor, and breeds only at Howlik Forest, where it is rare. It was seen at Macao on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 33 on April 22nd, at Howlik on the 21st, and also up ‘the North River on May Ist, 1905, on migration. On May 22nd a nest of this bird was found at the extremity of a horizontal bough of a pine-tree, twelve feet from the ground. It consisted of a ring of lichen and strips of fine bark matted together with cobwebs and a cup lined with fine pine-needles ; it contained three fresh eggs, and the bird flew down on to the ground and laid a fourth whilst under observation. A second clutch of three eggs slightly incubated was found on June 16th at the same place. On May 26th after heavy rain, winged termites began to fly between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and continued to do so for some days: each night these were hawked for in the dark by Chibia hottentotta, Hirundo striolata, aud the present species. This Drongo was not observed passing to the south on its autumn migration, as was the case with several other species. Four eggs vary in length from ‘95 to ‘89 and in breadth from *70 to ‘64, and average ‘91X°‘68. (See Plate V. fig. 12 of the April number.) CAMPOPHAGA MELANOPTERA. This Caterpillar-eater is a summer visitor, and, as a rule, arrives late in April and leaves again about the middle of August. On October 14th, 1906, a bird of this species was observed for some hours at the Naval Hospital, Hong Kong; probably it had strayed from the rest of its kind on migration. They breed on the West River, and commence to build their nests early in May. These are very beautifuily made and are exceedingly small for the size of the bird; they are constructed of lichen matted together with cobwebs, and sometimes, but not always, lined with fine grass ; they are usually situated at the extremity of a slender horizontal bough and are well concealed. This bird is double-brooded, second clutches being found at the end of June and early in July. SER. X.— VOL. I. D 84 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones Both sexes incubate the eggs, for one was seen to go to a nest, peck the individual in occupation, and having turned if off, to settle down on the eggs itself. Also eggs are laid at times in nests not finished, and the bird has, whilst sitting, been observed to be smoothing the edge of the nest, but as this was late in the season perhaps haste was necessary and eggs were laid before the nest was completed for that reason. The first clutch usually contains four eggs, the second not. more than three and often only two. The bird was last seen on August 19th at Howlik. The latest eggs were taken on July 7th. Eggs vary in length from ‘99 to ‘86 and in breadth from ‘73 to ‘66, aud average ‘94x°70. An example will be figured on Plate V. fig. 11 of the April number. PERICROCOTUS SPECIOSUS. On January Ist, 1906, at Fu Wau, about ten miles from Sam-shui, a single bird of this species was seen amongst some pine-trees. A fortnight later, at the foot of the hill at Howlik, a party of these birds was noticed accompanied by one male Pericrocotus brevirostris. Three Pericrocotus speciosus and the specimen of Pericrocotus brevirestris were obtained. On February 8th, 1906, in the British Yamen, in the heart of Canton City, one of these birds was seen. This Minivet does not shew the same partiality for the tree-tops as Pericrocotus griseigularis, and two were shot less than ten feet from the ground, They are very restless birds, hovering for a moment before a leaf or a berry ; they pick off from it their insect prey, then fly to a branch from which they again dart off in further search of food. The crops of those examined were full of insect-remains, beetles, grasshoppers, &c. None of the birds observed on the West River uttered any note. PERICROCOTUS BREVIROSTRIS. A male of this handsome Minivet was obtained from among a flock of female P. speciosus, as has just been on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 35 mentioned. The bird was quite silent, and its crop was full of insect-remains. It was rather far to the eastward of its habitual range, and may be considered a very unusual winter visitor. PERICROCOTUS ROSEUS. This Minivet is a summer visitor to the Kwang Tung coast and the West River, but, as a general rule, it does not stay to breed in Hong Kong or the Kowloon Peninsula. The earliest arrivals come in about the first week in April, and by the middle of that month there are a great many, chiefly in pairs. Their screeching is unmistakable and is only practised when they are in the air, When, as happened at one locality, there are some superfluous unpaired males, the latter attach themselves to one of the pairs, and all three can be seen flying together screaming. On one occasion when young were about, a male of this species was observed to sham being wounded and to fall a distance of thirty feet into the mulberry-canes. At times this bird may be seen to perch lengthwise on a bough instead of across in the usual manner. Nest-building commences about the third week in April, and eggs can be found all through May and sometimes in June and July, but it is doubtful whether a second brood is often attempted. The nest is a beautiful structure, small for the size of the bird, and, although not carefully hidden, most difficult to see ; rt is placed sometimes on an upright fork and sometimes on a horizontal limb, but never much more than thirty feet from the ground and often a great deal less. The birds themselves, however, prefer the tops of the highest trees. Banyans and firs are rather favourite trees for nesting-operations. The eggs are usually three, but four have been found. They are of a greenish-white colour, spotted rather sparingly all over with ashy, yellowish, and purplish brown, chiefly round the larger end; the markings may be massed together and over-spotted with darker brown. D2 36 ~—s Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones When the hen is sitting the male keeps watch in a neighbouring tree and gives her timely warning of an intruder’s approach, when she silently slips off her eggs and joins him in the air. Eggs vary in length from °82 to ‘74 and in breadth from "62 to 58; they average °77x°60. An example will be figured on Plate V. fig. 6 of the April number. Its food is chiefly insects with occasional green seeds. PERICROCOTUS GRISEIGULARIS. Small flocks of this species occur every winter at Howlik, but nowhere else in Kwang Tung or Kwang Si; _ they consist almost entirely of females and confine themselves to the tree-tops. These Minivets have been observed to hover before berries, after the fashion of Phylloscopus proregulus, and their food, as demonstrated by their crops, appears to be partly seeds and partly insects. PERICROCOTUS CINEREUS. The Ashy Minivet occurs only on passage during the spring and autumn migrations, and is much more easily observed on the former. About April 5th a flock is always to be seen on a certain clump of trees at Samshui; many of these are immature and most of them are females; they are very silent, perhaps because of the scarcity of males, and they soon pass on to the north again. Up the North Rivera few of these birds were seen in May, but apparently they were not breeding. At the end of October and early in November a small party has been seen at Samshui, passing south, but in all probability most of them go through at night. They fly high at this time of year, and are in haste to be gone. HeMICHELIDON GRISEISTICTA. Muscicapa griseisticta (Swinh.); Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv. p. 1538. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 37 This little Flycatcher passes through in October and May on its migratory journeys, and has been seen as early as the 9th of the former and as late as the 17th of the latter mouth. Although a common bird, this species is always outnum- bered by Alseonax latirostris in the proportion of five to one, and unlike the latter does not dawdle on its passage but hurries through and is often found in company with the larger Phylloscopt. This bird has the typical Flycatcher- habit of dashing at an insect from a selected perch, to which it invariably returns. HEMICHELIDON FERRUGINEA. This Flycatcher is a rare bird of passage, and has only been obtained three times (twice on April 6th and once on April 10th) at three widely separated stations (Macao, Mirs Bay, and Samshui). ALSEONAX LATIROSTRIS. These are the most abundant of the Flycatchers which pass through on migration, and they have been seen from April 16th to May 24th, and from August 31st until November 22nd, dawdling through in small parties and remaining for ten days or a fortnight before moving on, whether they are proceeding to the north or the south. Occasionally an individual remains at Hong Kong for the winter. In habits this species closely resembles Hemichelidon griseisticta, and, like it, is invariably silent, SIPHIA ALBICILLA. Muscicapa albicilla Pall.; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv. p- 162. A small party of these birds passed through Samshui on migration on April 6th, 1907. Another haunted a stream near the Naval Hospital at Hong Kong for some days in the spring of 1903. 88 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones CYorNnIS HAINANA. Cyornis hainana O.-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. x. 1900, p. 36. Numbers of these Flycatchers pass through on migra- tion from March 25th until the end of April and again in September, but a few remain to breed at Howlik and also in Kwang Si, whilst an occasional bird has been observed during the winter months at Macao. The male sings a sweet and powerful song throughout the day during the breeding-season ; it resembles that of Copsychus saularis, but is even better—though not improved by an occasional metallic ‘‘click’’; it also possesses a “teck! teck!” note, not unlike that of a Phylloscopus. A male of this species was seen to attack and drive away Amaurornis phenicurus at Howhk on May 24th ; probably the nest was not far off, but unfortunately was not found. PoLioMYAS LUTEOLA. This species passes through in the spring in small numbers, the earliest and latest dates on which it was observed were April 2nd and 17th respectively. Doubtless it returns in the autumn, but the closest scrutiny has failed to observe it on the passage south. ‘This is the case with various other species, and although it is possible that they follow a different route on the return journey, it is perhaps more probable that they travel only at night. These birds for the most part keep to the coast-line, but they were obtained as far inland as Samshui, which is about a hundred miles from the sea. XANTHOPYGIA NARCISSINA. The Narcissus Flycatcher is a common spring migrant, arriving as early as March 28th and leaving as late as May 4th, but it is most abundant during April, and, lke sundry other species to which allusion is made in this paper, has not been observed on the autumnal journey. Although these birds have a partiality for the shade of woods and for bamboo-groves, their colouring is so conspicuous that they are not easily overlooked, and, on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 39 if scarcely to be described as gregarious, they are inclined to be sociable and are usually seen in small parties. When looking for insects they keep, as a rule, much nearer to the ground than other Flycatchers, but like them they utter no sound. XANTHOPYGIA TRICOLOR,. This Flycatcher is another of those species which have only been observed on the spring migration, and although not common it is lable to be mistaken for Xanthopygia narcissina. Arriving during the last ten days of April, this bird passes through some three weeks later than NXantho- pygia narcissina. When hovering low down, close to the water, among scrub and undergrowth, this species with its black plumage and white alar speculum has a considerable resemblance to a butterfly, the yellow rump being inconspicuous. TANTHIA CYANURA. Tarsiger cyanurus (Pall.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M, iv. p. 255. This little bird is acommon winter visitor, arriving early in November and leaving again towards the end of March ; it is generally distributed both on the coast and inland, and in both the Kwang Provinces. Extremely tame, this species inhabits woods and groves of bamboos, where it obtains most of its food upon or close to the ground, and is only very rarely seen at any height above it. In adim light it is possible to mistake Janthia cyanura for a female Redstart, for like the latter it is affected with “ shivering fits.” CYANOPTILA BELLA. Xanthopygia cyanomelena (‘Temm.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv., p. 251. This beautiful blue Flycatcher is an exceedingly common bird of passage during the spring migration, not only on the coast but inland, and in Kwang Si as well as in Kwang Tung. Although seen as early as March 22nd, the main body arrives in April, and until the end of the third week of 40 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones that month they abound everywhere, fresh flocks continually arriving to take the places of those that have moved on. As in the case of certain other species, these birds have never been observed during their return journey. Whether they travel south by a more westerly route, or whether they make the autumnal migration entirely at night, is still unknown ; but if they did occur, it is highly improbable that such strikingly handsome Flycatchers would be overlooked. OREICOLA FERREA. The Iron-grey Bush-Chat is a rare winter visitor ; one was obtained on January 29th, 1903, at Kowloon and another at Howlik on January 10th. HyporuyMIs OCCIFITALIS. This species was found abundantly in the woods at Kwei Hsien, in central Kwang Si, where it evidently breeds. It is rather like a Flycatcher in its habits, dashing out to catch an insect under the sbade of the foliage and returning to its original perch when the capture has been made. On July 15th one of these birds was observed singing a few brief notes and shivering its wings. At Kwei Hsien there were plenty of young birds about ; they are dark brown above and white underneath. The beautiful silvery cobalt-blue of the adult unfortunately fades after death. On August 14th a considerable number were seen at Tam Chau, and Mr. J. C. Kershaw has noticed this species every year at Macao as it passes through on migration. PRATINCOLA MAURA. The Indian Stonechat is one of the commonest winter visitors to south-eastern China, arriving about October 12th and leaving again between the end of March and the end of April; during the last-named month its numbers continually diminish and are not replenished from districts further south. In habits this bird exactly resembles Pratincola rubicola of western Europe, and perched on a small bush it utters a on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 41 loud ‘tack! tack!” then, flying close to the ground, seeks a fresh eminence and repeats its cheerful call. Karly in the morning, whilst it is still dark, this bird sings a little song, but after sunrise it remains silent, except for its usual “tack! tack!” As is the case with many other winter visitors to this part of China, the majority of these birds are immature, TERPSIPHONE INCII. The Chinese Paradise Flycatcher is partly a bird of passage and partly a summer visitor; it was seen at various places on passage in April and September, whilst of three nests two were found in May and one in July. This species is commoner in Kwang Si than in Kwang Tung, but it is only up the North River that males in the white phase of plumage were found breeding. One skin, in white plumage, has faint traces of chestnut on two of the long tail-feathers. A nest was four inches deep and three across, shaped like an inverted cone ; it was built into a fork of a tree, the apex of the cone downwards, and was composed of moss, grass, vegetable down, spiders’ cocoons, strips of old paper, and strips of bark loosely felted together with cobwebs. It was lined with fine grass. Nine eggs average *80 x °36, and vary in length from °82 to *74 and in width from °60 to 54, An egg will be figured on Plate V. fig. 10 of the April number. TERPSIPHONE PRINCEPS, This beautiful Flycatcher is a regular migrant, passing through during the first half of April on its way north, and returning from the end of August until the middle of September; but unlike 7erpsiphone incit it keeps to the coast for the most part, and has not been seen more than a hundred miles inland, These birds make their spring journey at the wettest time of the year, when torrential tropical rains often pour down for days on end; and how they succeed in keeping 42 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones their enormous tails dry, or how they steer with them in high winds, or how they make their way about in the dense undergrowth, are all problems, but undoubtedly they achieve these undertakings with complete success. CULICICAPA CEYLONENSIS. The Grey-headed Flycatcher occurs only as a winter visitor to Howlik; this is a considerable extension of its range to the eastward. Seen among the tree-tops, this species may be very easily mistaken for one of the smaller Phyiloscopi. It is very tame and has a sweet, shrill, and rather loud trill, and in its habits closely resembles Alseonaw and Hemichelidon, CRrYPTOLOPHA TEPHROCEPHALA. Cryptolopha affinis (Horsf. & Moore); Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv. Pp. 090 pt. The Flycatcher-Warbler is rather a rare winter visitor, in habits somewhat resembling Phylloscopus supercilosus, and like the latter is given to assuming the inverted position on a tree-trunk, and to hovering before a leaf on which insects are to be found; it, however, possesses a much sweeter note and a decided fondness for dense undergrowth. This bird was only observed at Macao and in the forest at Howlik. STopaROLA MELANOPS, This Flyeatcher undoubtedly breeds in the woods of the monastery at Tam Chau, in Kwang Si, for on August 15th a male and an immature bird coloured like the adult, save for a brown-spotted throat, were shot, while a third was seen but not obtained. In habits they do not differ from other Flycatchers of south-east China, but they were not heard to utter any note. This species has also occurred in the spring at Macao. PHYLLOSCOPUS BOREALIS. Eversmann’s Willow-Warbler must be looked upon as an irregular bird of passage, and like Phylloscopus «xantho- dryas is confined to the Kwang Tung littoral. Immense on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 43 numbers of these little birds occurred in May 1907, about the middle of the month, and the stunted fir-trees on the hills about Macao were crowded with them for a week, after which they all disappeared. PHYLLOSCOPUS XANTHODRYAS. This Willow-Wren may be regarded as an accidental bird of passage, for it was only observed in September 1907, and was then confined to the coast, where quite an invasion took place. Unlike most of the genus, this species loves to skulk in thick cover, whence it is with difficulty dislodged. The note of this bird is a loud and distinet single “chink,” easily distinguishable from the ‘ teck! teck!” of Phylloscopus superciliosus and much like that which Alcedo bengalensis utters on taking to flight. PHYLLOSCOPUS TENELLIPES. This Willow-Warbler is a bird of passage both on the Kwang Tung littoral and inland, and was observed in April aud early in May on the way north and on the return journey during September, but it did not linger on either. It is fairly abundant, and displays, hke Phyllo- scopus xanthodryas, a partiality for the undergrowth of the small woods; its note is a very metallic “ click.” PHYLLOSCOPUS OCCIPITALIS, The Large-crowned Willow-Warbler is a very common bird of passage, and numbers were observed from April 4th to May 16th, and again from August 15th until the end of September. On one occasion this bird occurred at Macao on March 30th, and it is found in Kwang Si as well as in Kwang Tung. The birds, usually in small parties, frequent open bushes as well as the tree-tops, and often hover in front of a leat or flower whilst they pick off an insect. PHYLLOSCOPUS SUPERCILIOSUS, The Yellow-browed Willow-Warbler is the commonest of all the Willow-Warblers in Kwang Tung during the 44 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones winter months; it arrives during the third week in September and leaves again in April. An exceptionally late individual has been seen early in May. In company with Phylloscopus proregulus, Sutoria, Zosterops, and other small birds they are to be seen every- where searching diligently for food, and are often observed hanging on to the trunks of the trees head downwards, after the fashion of a Tit. The feathers of the head and neck are moulted in March, and the little song is to be heard at the end of that month. PHYLLOSCOPUS PROREGULUS. Pallas’s Willow-Warbler is a common winter visitor ; it arrives in October and leaves again in March, the latest date recorded being the 26th of that month. This is an extremely tame little bird, much resembling the Gold-crest in its habits. Haunting the tops of the trees it hunts for its insect food all day, often hovering Humming-bird fashion whilst it picks its quarry from a leaf ; it is never still for a moment. In March they begin to moult the feathers of the head and neck, and during the latter part of the month commence their sweet and rather loud little song. ACROCEPHALUS BISTRIGICEPS. This Reed-Warbler appeared suddenly in May 1906, and swarmed for ten days in the reeds on every creek and waterway of the Delta country. Some individuals also patronized the bamboos and all were in song and very noisy. The song, which was voiced very lustily, is rusty and creaky, and seems to be accen- tuated during heavy tropical rain. After remaining some ten days the birds moved on and were never seen again, ‘The unusual occurrence of this species which, as a rule, does not rest on migration is in- explicable to the writers. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 45 ACROCEPHALUS ORIENTALIS. The Chinese Great Reed-Warbler occurs on the Kwang Tung coast and on the West River as a bird of passage during the spring and autumn migrations. It passes through in a very leisurely manner, and shews more inclination for mulberry-canes and bamboo-scrub than for actual reeds, especially in the autumn. . The earliest date for spring migrants was April 22nd, and many were in the reeds and in full song from May 3rd to May 8th, the last was seen on the 16th of that month. From September 5th until October 24th they were observed on the West River passing south. LocusTeLLA CERTHIOLA. Pallas’s Grasshopper- Warbler has been observed at Sam- shui from September 6th until October 15th, and it has also occured at Macao and Wuchau. This bird, as is well known, is a great skulker and difficult to flush from the paddy ; when put up it drops again and threads its way with astonishing rapidity through the stalks to rise once more well ahead of the place in which it alighted. It is never seen on its spring passage, but at that time the paddy-fields are all hard, dry, and bare and would offer it no cover at all. At this season the Snipe, whose habitat Zocustella favours in the autumn, migrate to the mulberry-canes, but this little bird was never found there with them. Possibly this species travels to the north by a different route from that by which it journeys south. LocusTELLA LANCEOLATA. This Grasshopper-Warbler was only obtained once, October 28th, 1907; but it is quite possible that this species may have been confused with Locustella certhiola, both being such confirmed skulkers and very difficult of observation. 46 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones LUscINIOLA FUSCATA. A common winter visitor, seen as early as September 39th and as late as May 9th, this little bird has a strong liking for hedgerows, bushes, and every form of undergrowth, but may also be seen, on occasion, in the open beside a pond or in the paddy-fields, and although not actually sociable a good many can be sometimes found in the same plantation. At Samshui, on May 4th, there was an influx of this species on migration, many were in song, and all passed through without lingering. Exceedingly tame, this little bird will approach very closely to an immobile observer. Individuals vary much in size, and six specimens measured from 53 inches to 43 inches in length. CeTTiA PALLIDIPES. A specimen of this species was obtained at Macao on March 12th, 1907, but was not recognized as such until the collection was being worked out in London. CrETTIA SINENSIS. Cettia sinensis La Touche, Bull. B. O.C. vi. 1898, p. 37. This Warbler occurs during the winter months in small numbers, and frequents the same localities as Lusciniola fuscata, which species it strongly resembles both in appear- ance and habits. It arrives in November and leaves again in March, and whilst creeping about in the under- growth, either singly or in pairs, it emits an indistinct grating note. CETTIA CANTURIENS. Although this bird, which arrives in October and remains until May, and sometimes until late in that month, is regarded as a winter visitor, it is possible that occasionally it remains to breed. A female, which was thought to be a distinct species by Swinhoe on account of its much smaller size and was described as Arundinaxy minutus, was obtained on January 3rd, 1906, when it was in company with some Lusciniola fuscata, at the edge of a pond among bamboo-scrub. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 47 This species, like many others of the smaller birds, has the greatest liking for the densest undergrowth, which it leaves with reluctance and to which it darts back again on the slightest provocation, or on no provocation at all. It hops restlessly from twig to twig whilst searching for food, and it possesses a sweet bubbling little song that may be heard in February and March, but it also has a harsh “burr,” not unlike that of Dryonastes perspicillatus. GEOCICHLA VARIA. White’s Thrush is only found in Howlk Forest, where a few spend the winter; from their great shyness they are rarely seen, though occasionally heard. Mr. J.C. Kershaw, however, heard them on the Lo Fu Shan Mountains, near Canton. MERULA MANDARINA. The Chinese Blackbird is a resident species, but is subject to a curious seasonal movement, for it is only during the winter months that it is found at Macao, where it is common, and at Hong Kong, where it is scarce. It breeds abundantly at Kong Mun, which is only fifty miles away from the former, and thence up the West River and inland. On January Ist, 1906, at Fu Wan, fifteen miles below Samshui, where there is a great deal of wood, a flock of over twenty Blackbirds was seen: a most unusual thing. There was a fresh north wind blowing and it was very cold. Several smaller flocks were seen, so perhaps they were small parties migrating. It usually places its nest on a horizontal bough against an upright fork of a banyan-tree, and at a considerable height from the ground. About the end of April fresh eggs may be looked for, and as many as six clutches were taken on April 16th from the Magistrate’s Yamen at Samshui. The usual clutch is five, but four is not uncommon, and one of six was found on three occasions. Eggs are met with until the middle of June, for this 48 Mient. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones species is double-brooded, and it is especially among second layings that four eggs are to be noticed. Two nests of this species were found in abnormal situations, one on the top of an old nest of Graculopica and one in a disused nest of a Crow. Eggs average 1°10 x ‘83, and vary in length from 1°25 to 1:06 and in width from ‘91 to °78. MERULA CaARDIS. The Japanese Thrush is a regular but not a very common winter visitor, and during April the number is increased by a small stream of migrants from further south. Tn habits, and especially in its alarm-note, this bird closely resembles the European Blackbird. MERULA HORTULORUM. Swinhoe’s Thrush is much the commonest species of the genus ; if cccurs as a winter visitor. Arriving as late as the middle of November and not departing until the first week of May, this bird affects woods and groves of bamboos, where it searches diligently for food among the dry and fallen leaves, sending them flying in all directions and making as much noise as a Chinese leaf-gatherer with his wooden rake. When disturbed, it utters a whistling or whirring note. Many of these birds are immature, and the amount of chestnut-colour on the underparts and axillaries varies cansiderably. MeRrvLA CHRYSOLAUS. This is an accidental winter visitor. One example of this species was obtained on April 6th feeding among the mulberry-canes upon the ground in company with Turdus hortulorum. LARVIVORA SIBILANS. Erithacus sibilans (Swinh.) ; Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v. peo. This may be an unusual winter visitor or a rare spring migrant, and one only was obtained, on April Ist. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 49 This bird keeps to the undergrowth and close to or actually upon the ground, and it has the Redstart-like habit of flirting the tail and of shivering. CALLIOPE CAMSCHATKENSIS. Erithacus calliope (Pall.) ; Seebohm, Cat. B. M. v. p. 305. The Siberian Ruby-throat is rather a rare winter visitor, but it has such very skulking habits that it is seldom seen. One was shot at Kong Mun from a boat in mistake for a rat, as it was running among some reeds close to the water’s edge. It is a favourite cage-bird among the Chinese, both at Hong Kong and Canton. CYANECULA SUECICA. Erithacus ceruleculus (Pall.); Seebohm, Cat. B. M.v.p. 308. The Red-spotted Blue-throat is a winter visitor to the two Kwangs, arriving September Ist and leaving again in February, March, and sometimes as late as mid-April. Owing to its skulking habits and preference for the marsh- land, this species is not much in evidence and those obtained were shot whilst working the Snipe-marshes. Here they rose under the feet to drop again almost immediately, so that energy and ability were required in beating them out of cover, aud in spite of much effort they not infrequently escaped. RHYACORNIS FULIGINOSA. Xanthopygia fuliginosa Sharpe, Cat. B. M. iv. p. 258. The Plumbeous Redstart is a common winter visitor, and occasionally a pair remain to breed, but the majority seem to be immature. For the most part these birds haunt the rocky mountain- streams, but they are occasionally seen by ponds or on the river-banks, This species arrives in August, and on April 10th all the winter visitors had left. On April 22nd a female was ob- served feeding three young at Howlik, which were well able to fly, and as the bird is known to nest on the banks of streams in India, these had doubtless been hatched close by. SER, X.—VOL, I. E 50 ~— Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones MonvtIcoLa SOLITARIUS. The Red-breasted Blue Rock-Thrush is a common winter visitor to Hong Kong and the Kwang Tung coast generally, and goes inland to the borders of Kwang Si. The numbers of this species vary considerably in different years, sometimes a great. many remain all through the winter months, and in other years all seem to pass rapidly through. At first these birds shew a tendency to hang about the seashore, but they soon betake themselves to woods and gardens and are not shy. From about the middle of October and until the middle of November there is a considerable influx of these birds, and they were seen as late as May 14th at Hong Kong. It has been stated that this species sometimes breeds near Macao and at the Marble Rocks, Samshui, but no eggs were taken by the writers. MontTIcoua CYANUS. The Blue Rock-Thrush is perhaps rather more common than the red-breasted form, and most that applies to the one does so to the other, but it does not occur inland. There is no doubt that in some years birds with blue breasts are more common than birds with red, and also that the former tend to arrive at different times from the latter ; but, on the other hand, it also happens that birds of all grades of red and blue colouring may occur in the same rush of migrants. This bird is as tame as the other Rock-Thrush, and may often be seen perched on houses and railings, shewing rather a partiality for the vicinity of human beings. RUTICILLA AUROREA. The Daurian Redstart is a common winter visitor to the Kwang Tung coast, but its numbers vary considerably in different years. The earliest date in the autumn on which this bird was seen was October 30th and the latest in the spring March 24th. This bird has the habit of shivering its tail from side to on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 51 side, like the common European Redstart, and it utters a feeble whistling call as well as a sound resembling the tapping together of two pieces of hard wood. HypsIPETES LEUCOCEPHALUS. This Bulbul was observed on three occasions only: on April 29th, 1905, up the North River a flock of a dozen were encountered, and on February 25th, 1905, and January 3rd, 1907, single birds were shot on the West River, so that this species is an accidental visitor. HEMIXUS CANIPENNIS. Hemixus canipennis Seebohm, P. Z.S. 1890, p. 342. This Bulbul only occurs at Howlik Forest during the winter months, when it is to be met with in small flocks, feeding on berries in the tree-tops. In general habits it resembles other Bulbuls, but has a different call to any of the commoner species. The only examples obtained were collected in the month of January. PYCNONOTUS ATRICAPILLUS. The Chinese name “ Ko-Kai-Kwun” means “with the high-crested hat.” This Bulbul occurs on the coast and inland, but always shews a decided preference for sparsely wooded hills and for localities at a distance from human habitation. This species has a cheerful ringing call. It is partly resident and partly migratory, and in the autumn and spring large flocks are often seen. The food consists partly of seeds and berries and partly of insects. The Black-headed Bulbul invariably attacks the Chinese Blue Magpie (Urocissa erythrorhyncha) whenever that marauder approaches its nest, and with much clamour and great valour always drives the thief away. The nest, a flimsy structure, is usually placed in a fir-tree, and often at a considerable elevation. E2 52 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones The eggs vary from two to six in number but are usually three or four, and are of the common Bulbul type. This species, like the other breeding Bulbuls, is double- brooded. Eggs vary in length from ‘94 to ‘77, and in breadth from ‘70 to 63; they average °89x°65. (See Plate V. fig.:21 of the April number. ) PYCNONOTUS SINENSIS. The Chinese name is “ Pak Tau Long,” 7. e. “ the white- headed fellow.” The White-eared Bulbul is the commonest of the three breeding Bulbuls found in the area under discussion, and is equally abundant on the coast and inland. It has a partiality for the lower levels, for cultivated land, and for the neighbourhood of houses and gardens. In the winter months the numbers of this species are largely augmented by the arrival of migrants from further north, and in November and December considerable flocks are seen, and again, in March and April, when many move away for the summer. During the rest of the year they are seen in small parties or in pairs. The bird has a small and very monotonous song, which it continually repeats at all times of the year, and perhaps more persistently during the summer months. The food consists partly of insects and partly of seeds and berries, but this Bulbul is almost omnivorous. It captures insects in the air exactly after the manner of a Flycatcher, returning always to the perch from which it started. The nest is a slight affair, somewhat resembling that of a White-throat, and usually light can be seen through the bottom. It generally contains some wild cotton, and is sometimes lined with fine grass and sometimes with horse- hair; it is placed in a bush or tree at elevations of from three to twenty feet above the ground, and when hidden in a dense mass of creepers is difficult to see. ° The eggs are usually three, sometimes four and rarely five, on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 53 and are indistinguisbable from those of the other breeding Bulbuls. The breeding-season is from the latter part of March until the end of August, and at least two broods are brought off. Eggs vary in length from ‘96 to ‘77 and in breadth from ‘70 to °63, and average *85x°65. (See Plate V. fig. 13 of the April number.) OrocoMPSA EMERIA. The Chinese name “ Ko Kai Kwun” means the “ high- crested lady.” This handsome Bulbul is a fairly common resident at Hong Kong, Macao, and on the coast generally, but it becomes less abundant inland. Like the other two common species the Red-cheeked Bulbul is partly migratory, and large flocks are observed in the spring and autumn. Its song is most monotonous, and is repeated with maddening persistency. This bird was not observed by Swinhoe in 1860 at Macao or Hong Kong, although he found it plentiful at Canton. The nest is much like that of Pycnonotus sinensis, and is placed in similar situations, and the eggs are indistinguishable from those of that species. The breeding-season is from March until August, and three is the most usual clutch. Eggs vary in length from ‘92 to °79 and in breadth from ‘69 to °59, and average *82 x ‘64. (See Plate V. fig. 20 of the April number.) ANORTHURA FUMIGATA. This Wren was only once obtained. This was in the forest of Howlik, where it was hopping about on some dead branches near astream. It had a note somewhat like that of a Grey Wagtail. CINCLUS PALLASI. One pair of these Dippers was found to frequent the stream which flows through the forest at Howlik, and they seemed 54 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones in habits and diet to closely resemble the common British species. Eges of this bird were not obtained, but a nest placed in the crevice of a rock overhanging the water closely resembled that of Cinclus aquaticus. On July 5th, 1905, the female was shot, but the male never took another mate, so that this species is perbaps what might be described as a sporadic resident. My1oPHoNeEUs CHRULEUS. The Chinese Blue Whistling-Thrush is a common resident at Hong Kong, Macao, and on many of the: small islands in their vicinity. The only place away from the coast in which it occurs is Howlik, about twenty miles from Samshul, where it is also resident. This species has a great partiality for running water, far from which it is seldom found, although at times a dried-up nullah seems to attract it. When settling on a boulder it las a habit of suddenly spreading out its tail fanwise, which is very attractive. Its usual note is a low, mournful, but very penetrating whistle, repeated at intervals and quite unmistakable for that of any other species. In the breeding-season the cock on rare occasions gives vent to a variety of whistling notes, which, although hardly amounting to a song, are very pleasing to the ear. When alarmed the cry is a shrill whistle, sharper and louder than the ordinary note. The nest is a massive well-built structure, always largely composed of moss and rootlets, and lined with the aerial rootlets of Ficus retusa and a few dead leaves. At Howlik the nest was usually placed under the eaves of a small temple, and at Hong Kong on a ledge or other projection of masonry; under a _ bridge is a favourite situation, or an empty overflow water-pipe of sufficient calibre has been employed; but perhaps the site most preferred is one of the huge piles of granite boulders so common on the Kwang Tung coast, and when so placed it is practically inaccessible. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 5d Both at Howhk and at Hong Kong the nest has been found in a tree. This bird shews great partiality for certain nesting-sites, returning to them year after year. The food of the allied species in India is said chiefly to consist of snails, but in Kwang Tung it is mainly of insects. It smashes the large Cicada (Cryptotympana recta) on a stone, after the manner of the English Song-Thrush with a snail, The eggs are usually four, but not infrequently only three, and sometimes only two. In some clutches the bluish- green ground-colour is much more obvious than in others, and in some it is almost entirely overlaid by the reddish- brown markings. This species is double-brooded, the first clutch being laid about the middle of April and the second in June or July. Eggs vary in length from 1°46 to 1:22 and in breadth from 1:03 to 95; whilst they average 1°36 x 1:00. An example will be figured on Plate V. fig. 22 of the April number. CopsYCHUS SAULARIS. The Chinese name is “ Chu shi cha,” 2. e. “ Pig’s Dung Bird. The Magpie-Robin is one of the commonest birds through- out all the area under discussion. It is a resident, and is notorious for its partiality for human habitations and the vicinity of mankind. Very popular with the Chinese as a cage-bird, for it is a fine singer, the nests are anxiously looked for on the West River, with a view to appropriation of the young. This, a scanty affair of twigs, grasses, and aerial rootlets, is generally placed in a hole in a tree or building ; but has been found on the top of a stump or in an old Magpie’s or Grackle’s domicile. The Magpie-Robin is double-brooded, the first eggs being laid in April and the second clutches late in June or early in July. This bird sings before daybreak in the spring, and at that 56 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones time of year a couple of cocks may often be seen furiously chasing each other, apparently for the possession of a hen. The Magpie-Robin always has certain favourite perches from which it gives vent to its song during the breeding- season, and the use of which by any other species it always strongly resents. No bird objects more strongly to the approach of Urocissa erythrorhyncha than Copsychus saularis, and none attacks that predatory species with more vigour when it has eggs or young. This bird is insectivorous, and to see it trying to get through the chitinous covering of the large Cicada (Crypto- tympana recta) is very amusing. It is fond of spiders, and has been seen to make a swoop at one of the large solitary wasps (Pompilide) struggling with a big spider, which it promptly dropped, when Copsychus at once snapped it up! It was entertaining to see the wasp afterwards, carefully quartering the ground to see what had become of its prey ! Eggs vary in length from 1-01 to °83 and in breadth from *70 to °61, and they average °87 x ‘66. (See Plate V.- fig. 14 of the April number.) PRINTA INORNATA. The Indian Bush-Warbler is a common resident species in both Kwang Tung and Kwang Si, and breeds in May, June, July, and August. Usually the nest in this part of the world is placed in reeds fringing the river-bank, or the muddy shores of some island in the Delta; but where reeds are not available bamboos and saplings at a height of about five feet are made use of, At Moto in the Delta so many of these birds breed in the reeds that almost a colony is formed. Contrary to what is reported in India, five is the usual clutch and four is exceptional in south-eastern China. After the breeding-season is over these birds frequent the scrub and undergrowth away from the river. Eggs average ‘59x ‘48, and vary in length from °63 to 54, and in width from *47 to -41. They will be figured on Plate V. figs. 4, 5 of the April number. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 57 BuRNESIA SONITANS. This Wren-Warbler is a common resident in both the Kwang Provinces ; creeping about in the undergrowth and taking short flights from bush to bush, it makes a slight snapping noise. It breeds from May until August, and it is possible that as many as three broods are brought up in the year. The earhest date for fresh eggs was May, and the latest August 2nd. The rapidity with which a brood can be hatched is well illustrated by the following :— On May 15th an incomplete nest of this bird was found ; this on June Ist contained two infertile eggs and three young, so that, at the outside, incubation does not take longer than about eleven days. The nest is placed in a clump of small bamboos, a few feet from the ground. One, however, was found built on the top of a new, but incomplete, nest of Prinia tnornata, among reeds and right out in the shallows of the river, an unusual situation ; it was copiously relined with dry grass, which extended above the hole, in contradistinction to what obtains in the case of Prinia. The nests fall into two common types: both are bottle- shaped with the entrance-hole near the top, about six inches high and three wide ; but one is built of coarse grass both inside and out, and the other is of flowering grass-heads and lined with the same. One nest was found which was made outside of skeleton leaves, a little moss bound together with cobwebs, and lined with fine grass-stalks. The earlier clutches contain four or five eggs, but in the later ones three form a full complement. Eggs are bright reddish chestnut, and measure from *62 to 54 in length, and in width from ‘48 to ‘43, and they average ‘59x ‘45. One will be figured on Plate V. fig. 8 of the April number. SUTORIA SUTORIA. The Tailor-bird is one of the commonest residents, both on the coast and up the river, and its loud ery of “ chink, 58 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones chink,’”’ so out of proportion to its size, is continually to be heard, both in gardens and in the woodland. The most remarkable thing about this cheerful bird is its wonderful and beautiful nest, and as a great deal of time was spent in observation of it during nidification rather full notes are given on this interesting subject. As all the world knows, the Tailor-bird makes a receptacle or bag in which to build its nest, by stitching together the free edges of one or more large leaves. In the majority of cases two large leaves growing near to one another are united to form a bag, but in a considerable minority the free edges of a single leaf of sufficient size are approximated, and in two cases three leaves were stitched together to receive the nest. The first operation is to pierce the selected leaf or leaves, which the bird does with its bill, at a half to an inch from the free margins, always making a far larger number of holes than are subsequently threaded with the cotton strands. The first stitch is invariably put in about halfway down the leaf, and the two edges are closely approximated by it, and this is done by knotting first one end and then the other of the cotton strand. After placing the first stitch in position others are put in between it and the free extremity of the leaf or leaves in order to complete the bag, and it is rare for any to be inserted nearer to the stalk. Having completed the bag the bird proceeds to fill in the tip of it with vegetable down, or at Hong Kong, where it is available, with soft brown material from the crown of the opening Sago-palm, and having thus made a solid base builds upon it a small round nest of very fine grass, and lines it with the down aforesaid and a few feathers. Now, although at the completion of the leaf bag, the edges of the leaf or leaves are always closely approximated, when the nest has been built they are invariably widely gaping, the contained structure, so to speak, striving to burst through, so that it follows that the cotton strands must on the Birds of South-Eastern China, 59 contain elastic material, for no matter how much they stretch they never break. The long axis of the leaf bag, with the nest in it, is always either horizontal or inclined at an obtuse angle to the ground, so that the whole is most beautifully waterproof in the heaviest tropical downpour, and the contents are, moreover, hidden from view from above, which tends to save them from Magpies and other winged marauders. From careful observation of Tailor-birds in the grounds of the Naval Hospital at Hong Kong it appeared almost certain that a pair of birds always makes use of the leaves of the same plant in constructing the receptacle for the nest, and that those individuals which make it of two leaves on one occasion do not on another make it of one leaf, and vice versa. No species is more easily alarmed or more readily forsakes an incomplete nest, and often it is sufficient to have looked atit from a distance of several yards to frighten the birds into beginning a new one. The nest is not easy to see, though, as a rule, the white knots on the green of the leaf reveal its presence, especially when attention has been directed to a likely bush by the anxious calling of the Tailor-birds, Almost invariably the nest is placed low down, at eleva- tions of from one to three feet, very often in quite a small plant, and only twice was it seen as high as six or seven feet above the ground. Like many resident birds Sutoria shews considerable preference for certain localities, so that the nest of one season is often placed at a distance of a few yards only from that of the previous year. The leaves of the following plants are those most affected for making the receptacles for its nest :—Lisea polyantha, Callicarpa tomentosa, Ficus chlorocarpa, and the largest of the Melastomacee. As is well known, the eggs of Suéoria are either bluish or white in ground-colour, with reddish markings, and it is 60 = Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Stafl-Surg. K. H. Jones very curious that the white variety is exceedingly scarce on the coast, whilst the greenish variety is equally rare up the river and away from the sea. The eggs of this species may be found from the end of March until August, but the majority are laid in May and June. The average measurement of a very large number of eggs is ‘60x °46, and they vary in length from °66 to ‘56 and in width from °47 to °43. CIsTICOLA CISTICOLA. The Rufous Fantail Warbler is a common enough bird in the winter months in Kwang Tung, though owing to its retiring habits is not greatly in evidence. On April 13th there was a. very heavy migratory movement and _ the elephant-grass on certain of the islands in the West River was swarming with these birds. The note was thought to resemble that of a Whinchat, and was uttered from the top of a small bush during the breeding-season. These birds are numerous early in the year in the Snipe- marshes. At Kwei Hsien, in Kwang Si, numbers were found breeding in mid-August, and the nests appeared to be of the usual type found in India; they were con- structed by drawing together the component stalks and blades of a tussock to make a sort of tube, and binding them with wild cotton or cobwebs. The bottom of the nest seemed always to have a good firm pad. Five or six eggs, or young, were often found to be the usual clutch, and the larger number is apparently not found in India. The pale blue unspotted phase of colouring in the eggs of this species apparently does not occur; but one clutch, so coloured but with the usual markings, was obtained. Eggs vary from ‘G3 to °55 in length and in width from "47 to ‘43, a large number average *58 x °45. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 61 HENICURUS SCHISTACEUS. The Forktail occurs only in the forests at Howlik and on the Tung On Rapids (fifty miles above Samshui), where it is a scarce resident, for two pairs only were observed at the former and one at the latter. It is extraordinary how these little birds keep their long tails dry as they hop from rock to rock and catch their insect prey in the spray of the mountain-streams. They have a strident, metallic, but not unpleasant note. On May 2lst, 1907, Mr. J. C. Kershaw found a nest of this species containing four eggs; it was situated on a ledge in a bank by the side of a stream, and was dripping wet. The nest was chiefly composed of moss and lined with skeleton leaves and a few dry grass-stalks, and closely resembled the description of those which this species builds in India. Four eggs average °87 x ‘66. TROCHALOPTERUM CANORUM. The Chinese name “ Wa Mei” means “ Painted Eyebrows.” Of all the Hong Kong Thrushes this is by far the commonest, although from its skulking habits it is not greatly in evidence. In April and May, however, the number of these birds to be heard singing in the woods is remarkable. Although the Chinese regard them as exclusively hill- dwellers, in Hong Kong they are quite as common near the sea-level as higher up im suitable localities. They were frequently heard in the grounds of the Naval Hospital, and just outside its boundaries their nests have been found. Although the Laughing-Thrush sings in every month of the year at Hong Kong, its beautiful song is chiefly to be heard in April, May, June, and July, and the cock prefers, when singing, to perch on some slightly elevated position, such as a tree-stump or a small bush. At such times he seems to 62 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones lay aside much of his natural wariness, so that he is then easily approached. The birds feed on insects, for which they may, by careful watching, be seen diligently searching in the scrubby bush which clothes so much of the Hong Kong hill-sides. When so engaged they give vent to harsh guttural chuckings, very unlike the tones of their songs. They make a considerable noise, scattering the dead leaves in all directions in the search for food, and by this may often be localized long before it is possible to see them. They nest from the beginning of April until July, and undoubtedly produce two broods in the year. The nest varies considerably ; sometimes it is a fairly neat, though hghtly built structure, the outside being of coarse grass or of the leaves of a wild cane (Schizostadryum dumetorum), very common on the hill-sides, lined with finer grasses ; or it is sometimes made almost entirely of pine-needles and lined with the same. As a rule, it is placed in a bush at an elevation of two or three feet from the ground, but not infrequently it is found almost on the ground itself, and is never seen at a greater elevation than about six feet. This bird is a close sitter and does not leave its eggs until one is almost on the top of the nest; it then flutters off without any demonstration and disappears at once into the scrub. The usual clutch appears to be of four eggs, for there was never a case in which a less number was found to have been sat upon, and more were never seen. This species is extremely popular with the Chinese as a cage-bird ; but although it is not to be found elsewhere in the immediate neighbourhood of Hong Kong than in the island itself, the suggestion that it has been introduced by the escape of caged individuals seems hardly justifiable. It is merely an example of the extraordinary localization of certain species in this part of China. It is a resident at Macao, and was heard at Wuchau and in the gorges on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 63 behind the Howlik Forest, but it is not at all common ; it is obviously indigenous and not an escaped species. Eggs vary in length from 1:09 to :97 and in breadth from °86 to ‘78, and they average ‘99 x °83. PoMATORHINUS STRIDULUS. Pomatorhinus ruficollis Hodgs. ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. vii. p. 426 pt. This Babbler, though uncommon, is widely distributed ; a pair was obtained up the North River on May 9th, 1905, and another pair near Wuchau on March 23rd, 1906 ; whilst others were seen, or obtained, at Howlik, Tam Chau, and elsewhere. This bird is shy, keeping to the scrub and low bushes ; probably it is resident, as it has been found from January until August, and there is not much doubt that it breeds in Kwang Tung. DRYONASTES CHINENSIS. The Chinese Babbling-Thrush is a regular but rather scarce winter visitor to Hong Kong, where it is seldom seen, Owing to its extreme shyness and its partiality for the thickest parts of the woods. Jt was not observed elsewhere. The song of this species is quite unmistakable from that of any other bird occurring at Hong Kong, and heard at a distance is very melodious, if a trifle monotonous, con- sisting as it does of a few flute-like notes repeated at short intervals. It was not heard before April 23rd, nor was the bird seen sooner than May 5th, when an opportunity of observing a pair evidently about to breed occurred. This pair of birds, engaged in amorous dalliance, permitted themselves to be watched at a distance of a few yards for about ten minutes, and probably had only recently arrived. There is no doubt that this species breeds at Hong Kong, although its nests and eggs have not been satisfactorily 64 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones identified there. Its characteristic song has been heard during April, May, June, and July ; but after August it was silent. Although it is heard at all hours of the day, it prefers to sing before 8 A.M. This species is a popular cage-bird with the Chinese, and the fanciers say that those they have for sale come from the Province of Kwang Si. The Hong Kong live-stock dealers call this bird “ Shan Mo.” DRYONASTES PERSPICILLATUS. This Babbling-Thrush is a common bird all over the district under discussion, and its loud clear whistle is a sound which when once heard in the woods of Hong Kong is not easily forgotten. They usually go about in small parties of from four to a dozen or a dozen and a half, and this arrangement seems to hold good even in the breeding- season. It is said by Abbé David that this bird will attack and devour the young of other species, but this was not observed by the writers. It appears chiefly to live on insects, The young birds remain with the parents, being fed by them until they are quite well grown. The nest is frequently placed in a bamboo at a height of about twenty feet from the ground, but it has been noticed at not more than five or six feet. It is a well-made structure of dry grass, lined with finer grasses or even with pine- needles, and has a good deep cup. The pale blue eggs are usually four in number, but three are sometimes sat upon. Eggs may be found from early in March until August, so, no doubt, this species is doubled-brooded. Eggs average 1:10 X ‘83, and vary in length from 1:16 to 1:01, and in width from ‘90 to ‘80. DRYONASTES SANNIO. This Laughing-Thrush is a resident, but not a common one, and its extremely secretive habits and fondness for thick scrub in deep valleys and on steep hill-sides makes on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 65 ié far from easy of observation. It was observed at Tam Chau, where, ina ravine at the foot of the hill on which the monastery stands, two immature birds were obtained. The bird is shot with difficulty, because it sticks to the undergrowth, and when flushed drops with closed wings after the shortest possible flight. The call is like that of Dryonastes perspicillatus, but is more musical. A nest was found in a thorn-bush at Wu Shek, on the North River, which in architecture and materials exactly resembled that of Dryonastes perspicillatus. These birds also breed at Howlik, but no nests were discovered there. Two eggs average 1'04xX ‘76. TIMELIA PILEATA. The Red-headed Babbler is an uncommon resident at Tak Hing, forty miles below Wuchau, on the borders of Kwangsi and Kwang Tung, and is found nowhere else on the West River. On May 8rd, 1907, a nest of this species containing four eggs was discovered in a ravine full of flags, the female bird flying to it and thus betraying the secret. This nest, which was about a foot from the ground and ill-concealed, was placed among rank herbage, and _ so loosely put together that it almost dropped to pieces when removed; it was domed and had an entrance-hole at one side. PYCTORHIS SINENSIS. The Orange-eyed Babbler is a rare resident on the West River and was most frequently observed at Tak Hing, but also at Tam Chau and Wuchau in Kwang Si. Nests of this species were found on May 380th and August 8rd, and in both cases were placed against the main stem of a large reed, supported by several small twigs ; they were easy to see. The one discovered on May 30th contained three young and an infertile egg. The birds at the nest were noisy and aggressive, and SER. X,—VOL. I. F 66 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones frequently hung on to the reeds, upside down reminding one of the Bearded Tit. The nest found on August 3rd was not completed, and was made entirely of dead reeds and bamboo-leaves, bound together by cobwebs and vegetable silk. It was small and had a deep cup. STACHYRIDOPSIS SINENSIS. Stachyridopsis sinensis O.-Grant, Ibis, 1907, p. 184. Mr. J. C. Kershaw obtained an example of this species at Lok Yum, near Howlik, on April 11th, 1907, where in company with another it was threading its way quickly through the undergrowth. This specimen was a male with well-developed testes. Subsequently on May Ist, 1907, Mr. Kershaw saw a party of half adozen of these birds near Howlik and shot one, but failed to pick it up among the thick undergrowth. ALCIPPE HUETI. Alcippe nipalensis (Hodgs.); Sharpe, Cat. B. M. v. p. 620 pt. This bird appears to be resident in Howlik Forest; it is very noisy, with several loud notes, one of which resembles a Tit’s trill. In habits it rather resembles a Tailor-bird. In the winter these birds go about in little parties, but by May they are paired, and nesting begins about the second week of that month. A nest found on May 27th contained three fresh eggs; it was slung from the underside of a frond of fern on one side, and from some bamwboo-grass on the other, and it was made of dead leaves and reed-blades, bound together with the black stems of bracken. The egg will be figured on Plate V. fig. 2 of the April number. The nest was marvellously well concealed and very hard to find. It was discovered by Mr. J. C. Kershaw. LiorHRix LUTEA. This bird was seen by Mr. J. C. Kershaw at Lo Fu Shan, about twenty miles from Canton, and it has been observed on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 67 on two other occasions, once at Hong Kong in May and once at Kowloon in April. It is a common cage-bird at Hong Kong, and it is possible, though not likely, that the birds seen had escaped from captivity. Parus CINEREUS. The Indian Grey Tit is a common resident species at Hong Kong and on the Kwang Tung coast, but away from the sea its place to the west and north is taken by what has been called Parus commizxtus. The borders of their respective territories lie near Howlik, where the Delta and creek country comes to an end, and the hills begin. In this region the two interbreed, and were obtained on those terms of tender intimacy which are supposed to indicate identity of species. This bird nests early and two broods are probably reared in the year. A party of young with their parents were seen as early as the first week of March, but eggs have not been taken before the 10th of that month. Second clutches are found during the first half of May. Very large clutches are not found ; six or seven is usual for first, and five for second layings. The nest exactly resembles that of Parus major and is placed in similar situations. LANIUS SCHACH. This handsome Red-backed Shrike is very common both up the West River and at Hong Kong and Macao, and is resident throughout this part of China. The resident birds are largely augmented, however, by the arrival of migrants from the north in September, and these, after dawdling for a week or two, proceed further south again. At this time, in the Delta country, many of these Shrikes can be seen perched on the swaying reed- tops. The bird is very noisy, but less so in the autumn months than in the spring and summer. Perched on the top of a small tree or a large bush, it gives vent to a series F2 68 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones of harsh guttural notes, which are peculiar and characteristie; without being pleasant to the ear. At times in the spring this Shrike can produce a variety of notes almost amounting to a song, and it is also an admirable mimic. One individual was heard to imitate the Mynah, Grackle, Magpie, Francolin, and Black- headed Bulbul. ‘The Francolin and Mynah are often imitated, and wonderfully well. The Francolin sometimes replies to the Shrike’s challenge. This Shrike does not keep a larder, though one was once observed to jab a small lizard ona spike of bamboo before eating it. The nest is a deep well-made cup of coarse grass, often with a few flowering heads outside, lined with finer grasses. It may be placed in a variety of trees at eleva- tions of from three to twenty feet or more. Up the West River evergreens and fruit-trees are favoured, and bamboos are used occasionally, but in Hong Kong the nest is often in a fir-tree. The eggs are laid from about mid-April until well on in June, and there is little doubt that this species is double- brooded. Four or five is the usual clutch, but six have been obtained, and on one occasion a nest was found containing five eggs of the Shrike and one of the common Dove of the country. As in the case of Z. collurio, the eggs are of two varieties, a reddish and a greenish, and the former are much the rarer on the coast ; out of forty eggs taken at Hong Kong only one was red. Up the West River the red phase pre- dominates. Eggs vary in length from 1:08 to ‘91 and in width from *Slito 72, and average -99'x °75. LANIUS FUSCATUS. The Black Shrike is much less common than Lanius schach. It is more abundant on the coast than up the river aud has net been observed at all in Kwang Si Province. No less than five of these birds in various localities were on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 69 watched, and for several years they never mated and were always found at the same places. At Hong Kong a pair was seen at Wan Chai Gap in June, but no nest was found. In October 1902, at Crooked Island, Mirs Bay, this specics was found to be abundant and a good many were obtained, including some immature birds. This Shrike has the same fondness as “. schach for sitting on the top of a stake, bush, or tree and giving vent to what almost amounts to a song and to imitations of other birds. The notes are less harsh than those of Z. schach. It feeds chiefly on the ground, picking up various insects. On May 9th a Chinaman found six eggs which he declared to belong to this species, and as he knew exactly what he was looking for, he was probably right. The eggs are like those of L. schach in point of size, but the ground-colour is white and the ashy-coloured markings are more scanty. They average ‘92 x ‘73. Lanivs CRISTATUS. These Shrikes pass through twice a year on migration, but do not linger on their passage; they are seen in April and early May and again in September. A young bird was obtained at Kowloon in February 1902 in bitterly cold weather. LANIUS SUPERCILIOSUS. This Shrike is an occasional spring and autumn migrant ; it is seen in small numbers some years, and in others is not seen atall. On passage to and from its breeding-grounds its movements are quite leisurely. LANIUS LUCIONENSIS. The Philippine Shrike is resident in a few favoured localities, but chiefly occurs on passage in the spring and autumn, being especially noticeable at the former time of year. April 11th is the earliest recorded date, and from that 70~— Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones time onwards a few may be seen daily until May, when about the middle of that month immense numbers have heen observed passing through Hong Kong. As a breeding species this Shrike is confined to Shau Kwan on the North River, where it is fairly common, and to Tak Hing on the West River, where about three pairs breed. It is probably not double-brooded, and eggs may be found from the middle of May until June. Four or five is the usual clutch, but as many as seven have been found. The nests in south-eastern China are always at a con- siderable elevation, from thirty to sixty feet, and are placed in fruit-trees and banyans, sometimes well hidden and some- times quite conspicuous. This bird has not been found to have a “larder” like L. collurio. This region is perhaps the south-eastern limits of this bird’s breeding-range, for it is known to nest in north-eastern China and on the Yangtze, so that it has a large north and south breeding range. The egg will be found figured on Plate V. fig. 18 of the April number. LANIUS COLLURIOIDES. At Tak Hing, on the borders of the two Kwang Provinces, two pairs of these birds were found nesting, and this species occurs also in Kwang Si, but is not common there. On May 31st, at Tak Hing, a nest was found in course of construction and on June 19th it contained four eggs very highly incubated. This nest was in a small fir-tree against the trunk and about seven feet from the ground. It was made externally of flowering grass-heads, and was lined with fine grass-stalks. At the nest neither of the birds made any sound. On June 3rd, Staff-Surgeon C. G. Cortis Stanford, R.N. took two single eggs from different nests. The eggs from the first nest mentioned above are larger than those of the other two. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. he At Tam Chau a pair of these birds was seen feeding three fully grown young on July 12th. The two eggs mentioned above are of different types and measure °*76 x "66 and ‘82 x°63 respectively, and in colour one is of a pale greenish white spotted all over, chiefly at the larger end, with pale ashy, purplish, and yellowish brown, whilst some spots are over-spotted with darker colour ; the other has the ground-colour yellowish white, the mark- ings as in the first case but collected at the smaller end and more confluent. The egg will be figured on Plate V. fig. 15 of the April number. LANIvS TIGRINUS. At Wuchau and Samshui, a few of these birds were seen in April and May, and on one occasion an immature specimen was obtained at Kowloon in February. At Tam Chau, Kwang Si, an immature bird was shot on August 14th; so perhaps they breed in the western Province. AETHOPYGA LATOUCHII. LKthopyga latouchit Slater, Ibis, 1891, p. 43. This handsome Sunbird occurs only in Howlik Forest and as a winter visitor. It has a peculiarly loud metallic note, and haunts the topmost boughs of very tall trees. ZOSTEROPS SIMPLEX. Zosterops palpebrosa (Temm.); Gadow, Cat. B. M. ix. p. 165 pt. The Chinese White-eye is a very common resident, both on the coast and inland. It is usually to be observed in small parties throughout tke summer months, and in the winter very often in considerable flocks; when in company they search diligently all day on and under the leaves of the banyan and other trees for their insect food to a lond and cheerful accompaniment of the notes “‘chee! chee” ! When flying from one tree to another they also continually call “chee! chee!” ; but they appear to have no song. 72 ~Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones These birds are greatly in favour with the Chinese as eage- birds ; they take them from their nests whilst unable to fly, and having placed them in a cage hang it near the original nesting-site, so that the old birds come and feed their offspring until the latter are able to take care of themselves. The first nests of this species at Hong Kong are built in the beginning of March, and as others continue to be made until August, there is no doubt that several broods are reared in a season. The situation of the nest is frequently the outer end of a horizontal bough of a banyan-tree, where, slung underneath the finest twigs and surrounded by leaves, it is most difficult to see. It can also be found in various other trees, always well hidden and often at a considerabie elevation. Small, beautifully made, quite round, and fairly deep, it is a charming structure, composed externally of fine grass or weeds, mixed with cotton, and lined with a variety of materials, such as very small pine-needles, horsehair, or the finest grasses and weeds. The eggs vary from four to two in number, and are usually pale blue, but are sometimes quite white; they are a favourite article of diet with the Blue Magpie. Jggs average °63 x °46, and vary in length from °71 to °55 and in width from *44 to 50. Dic#UM CRUENTATUM. This Flowerpecker is a fairly common resident both on the coast and up the West River; but it is commoner on the coast and is not seen above Wuchau nor on the North River. These birds, in the winter time, are seen singly or in small parties, and their peculiar ‘‘chink” of a note calls attention to them at once. They hunt for insects, frequently at the tops of very high trees, and are so rapid in their movements that they are difficult to see. In addition to the loud “chink,” the male of this species has a feeble little song. These birds pair in February, and their nests have been found at various dates from June 17th to August 19th. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 73 They are usually placed at the end of a branch and high up; the earlier ones are made of strips of very fine bark or fibre, matted together with cobwebs, but those built later on are often composed of the cotton of the bombax tree, and being white in colour are fairly easy to see. The nest is a pear-shaped structure, about four inches in depth, with an entrance-hole about halfway down one side, which is seven-eighths of an inch in diameter and wrapped round with cobwebs. Only one egg was obtained ; the nests usually contained young. On June 17th a female of this species was seen building a nest, and she apparently did so unaided by the male. She was carrying little pieces of fibre to the nest, and so quickly did she insert cach portion that it looked exactly as if she were carrying insects to feed her young ones with, Dic£UM INORNATUM. This Flowerpecker, the smallest bird in south-eastern China, is a fairly common resident at Tam Chau and near Howlhik, but does not occur on the coast. These birds have very loud voices and their notes at once call attention to them, although from their habit of hunting round the tops of the highest trees and their small size they are most difficult to see. Probably this species breeds in April, judging by the highly developed testes of the males in that month. All endeavours to discover the nest failed. MyzANTHE IGNIPECTUS. Diceum ignipectus (Hodgs.) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. x. p. 41. On February 8th a male of this species with highly developed testes was obtained in the Garden of the British Yamen in the centre of Canton City. There was another bird with it, which may have been its mate, This little bird has a note resembling that of Diceum cruentatum, but it also possesses an additional little trill. In other habits this species resembles Diceum. Two pairs of these birds were breeding at a place near 74 Lieut, R.E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones Howlik, but the cover is dense and the trees are very lofty, and the nests could not be located. On June 8th it was heard at Macao and on the 12th at Wing On, twelve miles from Samshui, so that it is fairly well distributed. CUELIDON LAGOPUS. On March 16th, 1907, in the Happy Valley at Hong Kong, large numbers of the House-Martin were seen in company with Hirundo gutturalis. This is the only occasion on which these birds were seen at Hong Kong. It is difficult to explain these unusual irruptions of birds, but perhaps the dense fog, so common at Hong Kong in the spring, or the encountering of a typhoon, may well cause a species on migration to change its usual course or to come down to earth when under normal conditions it would not do so. CorTiLE RIPARIA. Sand-Martins occur both on the West and North Rivers on their spring and autumn passages, but in spite of many apparently very suitable localities they never stay to breed. They are often in company with Hirundo gutturalis and sometimes with Hirundo striolata. They pass on their way north in April and May, and on the return journey from early in September until the end of October. Cotile sinensis was never obtained, though carefully looked for. HiiRUNDO GUTTURALIS. Eastern Swaliows appear at Hong Kong about the 8th or 10th of February, as a rule. They leave again in the first or second week of August. These Swallows nest, as a rule, under the eaves of native houses, and as they are believed to bring good luck are care- fully protected by the Chinese at Hong Kong, but inland apparently the Celestial idea is that they are unlucky. These birds are double-brooded; the earliest eggs were taken in March, while second clutches are laid in June. on the Birds of South-Eastern China. 75 At Hong Kong, although the birds which breed locally leave in August, an occasional flight has been seen in November, and after a severe typhoon in September numbers were observed flying aimlessly about the Naval Hospital. The usual clutch of eggs is five or occasionally six, and they vary in length from *74 to °65 and in breadth from *54 to °49, and average °70 x ‘52. The eggs do not differ from those of the common European Swallow in colour and markings. HirvuNDO sTRIOLATA. The Mosque-Swallow is a very common summer visitor to some parts of the West River, but in the eastern part is only found breeding under the curiously carved eaves of the temples of the monastery at Howlik at an elevation of 1500 feet above the sea. In Kwang 81 Province, however, this species takes the place of Hirundo gutturalis and breeds at lower levels. At Howlik it was observed that only about one bird in ten made the retort-shaped nest, supposed to be so characteristic of this species, and whilst some were quite open, like those of the House-Swallow, others resembled those of the House- Martin in being closed above. ‘The nests are lined with grass and a few feathers, but the first egg is often laid on the clay of the outer wall and a lining added during incubation. There are at Howlik small boards, placed under the birds’ nests, to prevent their droppings from falling on the monks as they pass beneath. It is thought that sometimes pairing takes place inside the nests, which are very spacious. The monks consider these birds to be sacred ; but although they protect them from the Chinese, they made no attempt to do so from Europeans. The usual number of eggs is three or four, but occa- sionally five are found. The eggs are white and without much gloss ; in some rare cases a few faint reddish spots are to be noticed at the larger end. The birds are double-brooded. 76 =Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected The Mosque-Swallows usually arrive in large flocks early in March, but a few have been seen as early as January. They leave again between the middle of September and the end of October, but some linger on into November and December, the latest date being the 22nd of the last- named month. Possibly these very late birds are those which have nested only a little further north. Prior to migration they settle in vast numbers on telegraph-wires and other suitable perching- places in the same manner as the other Swallows. Building begins at the end of April, and nests containing eggs in all stages of incubation, and in a few cases young birds, were found on June 38rd. Eggs vary in length from “85 to ‘69 and in breadth from "62 to °58; they average °77 x ‘60. [To be continued. ] V.—wNotes on the Birds collected by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. By W. BR. Oaitvie-Grant, EZS.; MsB:O3). Tue following account of the birds brought home from New Guinea by the B.O.U. Expedition has been reprinted, by the kind permission of Messrs. Smith, Elder & Co., from the Appendix A to Mr. A. F. R. Wollaston’s volume, ‘Pygmies and Papuans,’ which contains the official account of the Expedition. As it was thought that this account might not come under the notice of all the Members of the Union, it has been considered adyisabie by the Editor to reproduce it in the ‘Ibis’ with a few additional notes and slight alterations. When Mr. Wollaston, who is accom- panied by Mr. C. Boden Kloss and five trained Dyaks, returns with large additional collections from the second Expedition, it is intended to draw up a complete account by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 77 of the birds for the information of the Members of the B. O. U. and the other subscribers towards the expenses of the Expedition. Our knowledge of the Birds of New Guinea is based mainly on Count T. Salvadori’s monumental work ‘ Orni- tologia della Papuasia e delle Molluche,’ which appeared in three large volumes in 1880-82, and on his ‘ Aggiunte’ to the above work published in three parts in 1889-91. Since that date our knowledge of the avifauna has vastly increased, and a very large number of splendid Birds-of-Paradise and other remarkable new species have been discovered. A list of the principal works subsequently published, placed in chronological order, will be found at the end of this article, the most important papers being no doubt those by the Hon. Walter Rothschild and Dr. E. Hartert, which have appeared from time to time in the Tring Museum periodical, ‘Novitates Zoologice.? Mr, Rothschild is to be congratulated on the success which has attended the efforts of his various collectors in New Guinea, and on the energy which be has displayed in obtaining birds from the unknown districts of the most interesting island in the world. To give ina single chapter a brief and partly scientific, partly popular, summary of the ornithological work accom- plished by our Expedition in Dutch New Guinea is a more difficult task than might be imagined, for there is not only an immense number of species to be dealt with, but in most instances very little is known about their habits. The jungles of South-western New Guinea are so dense that white men can scarcely traverse them, and most of. the collecting had to be done by the trained natives from the Malay Peninsula, kindly supplied by Mr. H. C. Robinson, and by the Gurkhas who accompanied the Expedition. By dealing with each fainily in turn, I shall endeavour to refer to all the more important species in the collection in their proper scientific order, briefly describing some of the . 78 = =Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected more beautiful, so that those withont any special knowledge’ of birds may, if they care to do so, form some idea of the marvellous types which have been brought home from the interior of South-western New Guinea. It is certain that the resources of that wonderful island are not nearly exhausted: on the contrary, every fresh collecting expedition sent to the interior produces remark- able novelties, and large chains of high mountains are still unexplored. The members of our Expedition were fortunate in procuring no less than 2200 skins of birds in New Guinea, representing about 235 species, of which ten proved to be new to science. A number of new birds were also obtained by the late Mr. Wilfred Stalker in the mountains of Ceram, which he visited before joining the main Expedition at Awboina. His premature death by drowning, a few days after he landed in New Guinea, was an immense loss to the Expedition, though his place was ably filled by Mr. Claude Grant, who worked with his characteristic zeal and en- thusiasm. It will be noticed that the great bulk of the birds inhabiting New Guinea belong to a comparatively small number of families, but that each of these is represented by a large number of different species, especially in such groups as the Pigeons, Parrots, Flycatchers, and Honey-eaters. Amongst the Pigeons, of which no fewer than twenty- seven different kinds were obtained, it would seem as though, in some instances at least, Nature had almost come to the end of her resources in devising new and wonderful arrangements of colour and markings ; for in some of the smaller Fruit-Pigeons, such as Ptilopus gestroi and P. zonurus, we find two perfectly distinct species, occurring side by side, possessing almost exactly the same remarkabie scheme of coloration, and only differing in certain minor points to be found in the markings of the wing-coverts. Another very similar instance is to be seen in Ptilopus coronulatus and P. nanus, almost the same colours and pattern being repeated in both. The collection obtained by our Expedition is a very by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 79 valuable one, and has added many new and interesting forms of bird-life to the incomparable series in the Natural History Museum, to which the bulk of the specimens have been presented by the subscribers. A large proportion of the birds were obtained at low elevations from sea-level to 2000 feet, only a comparatively small number being procured at from 3000-4000 feet. It is to be regretted that the immense physical difficulties encountered and other causes prevented our collectors from reaching a higher zone between 5000 and 10,000 feet, where no doubt much of interest remains to be discovered by those who are fortunate enough to get there. TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF SPECIES REPRESENTED AND THE FAMILIES 'TO WHICH THEY BELONG, No. of Family. Species. Corvide (Cisohiie) GO peice acc On Oe OD enna cies iekelerel« 2 Paradiseide Birds-of-Paradise, Bower-Birds, and Manucodes. 15 Eulabetide Mire c= syteurlimn gst. .teeshecera els o's,cials) «lose aon qa.e aicteyoe 4 Dicruride [Dienst etna poers Un onoR OG Ett Scam rane 2 Oriolide (QINOES nerd oy melon Gale HOR ogre GU CaIetGI be hiosaiok ] Ploceide Weaver-Finches........ Set cece certs oxuier ieee ts 1 Motacillide AWE GENS Spec oid enon moronic oie rmic in reed 2 Meliphagide lone y-Caters)) s/s..< ste sistee nc RS Meare yeep 26 Nectarinide SUAS 5 soba poge dob cares Ost penal eepeen tates eee 2 Dicaide ligwier-PeCHersan, (aclastecpaac cus eve ue ort setae ers 2 Zosteropide SWAN C-CVIESi.«,ces's-+ sueratacnttelshe sit) ier AT airs cas city 1 Laniude Share Garces hor ay. rela cls heteateemmaenanatistr ois, eval avs" Saye va eS Prionopide WOO SHEL CS? ic ecmmetarrels tunis sho iF suk spt cleats 4 Artamide wal lowers rl esp eemeerpamaey sale ouehol sie. 6-< 512) at's « per 1 Timeliide Bab blersy sctccra isis: Giertemtnap a ele sessile +s SERED be 4 Campophagide . -w@uckoo—Shimkest er ssid se rie sae este vie, af Muscicapide IBS iy CoC He tmar aeuer eet rl herr seas 91 oe ere) als cscs) asta os 30 Tirundinide SWVC O WV Siamme otebe xagertereponetedas ster eercra ie cis aps 0 b\e's, 5 2 Pittide Prbbasy orp Adit! BPs HCS9-Parca slaie rier ts sets: sea aara ace « 2 Cuculide WO Elsa GSaeh, far sheyt tell Meeeyedev tye oes! slotehes Arasya tne Rehees Mag Ul Cypselide SSW HELGeecays Chimie shales. sichere eons arepebsd eee enetsh st sass 4 Caprimulgide ENA UG) ANS bee nels 2 str reaes rs NCE CON aD SO RO 2 Podargide IDSC: wae ae Reman Spor Daas 3 Bucerotide Jalen OWM:. Gedic tices 6 h.0 GeO ICI oie aor eee 1 Meropide Iee-Cater suns rnekerctet ois Fiore sob tena Apo be 1 5) Coraciide TBXON a) 3 AG Blo o's BID OR Oe A IE oe care cen. 80 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected No. of Family. Species. Alcedinide Kanptishers.)% 24, secure eens teoaeeiole isis /e-ere cma Psittacide IPATTOLS teen crt eieeeae te ea seats 99 Lorude Lories or Brush-tongued Parrots j pases ™ Bubonide Horned and Wood-Owls ........ Sainelhe asta il Falconide Eagles and Hawks ...... Aimer D Pe iC 7 ‘Phalacrocoracide. Cormorants: sf: i.e eee eels oe tone teres i Anatileé Ducks 7 FG Weenie: See ee eae ee eh 2 Thididea UDISESihim ceeeteeee ance eet ORONO citons 1 Ardeide WS -suc) (tse MPR ERR eR ent ead Home aidan Gan 4 GAdicnemide Stone-Plover'siaave.dnicie.< cee alee ten eerie if Charadriide PI OV GTS Sl haccss shat tie Seema tee REI er eines 8 Laride Gullsjand"Derns avin on on ieersels< saute Dre D} Rallide ARG Sitieae ror eeeee ee ccrers Sits tees eit tA lereiaveneoet ae ene Ts 1 Columbide Pigeons. . ueiaie SES NLEC Leto goose tates aienahe tose eee neae 26 Megapodiide Meg Bagel or SMoundepusties Lind Qua tests ate eines 3 Casuartide Cassowaries...... Stlcicathe Harte nag taster 3 Totalseren se 20D From this table it will be seen that out of 255 species procured, 150 are included in eight of the families: viz. Birds-of-Paradise, 13 ; Honey-eaters, 26 ; Cuckoo-Shrikes, 11; Flycatchers, 80; Cuckoos, 11 ; Kingfishers, 11; Parrots, 22; Pigeons, 26. Family Corvipa—Crows. Though the true Crows are never brightly coloured birds, many are extremely handsome, but this epithet cannot be applied to the Bare-faced Crow (Gymnocoraz senex), which is common on the Mimika River and distributed over New Guinea generally. The adult is brownish-black with a slight purplish or bluish gloss on the wings, but is generally in worn and shabby plumage. Even when freshly moulted it is rather a disreputable-looking bird, its naked pink face, pale watery blue eyes, slate-coloured hill, and livid feet adding to its dissipated appearance. Young birds in their first year’s plumage are even plainer than their parents, being dull drab-brown inclining to brownish-white on the head and neck. They have a weak uncrow-like ca]l pitched in a high key, and their flight is feeble and seldom sustained. by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 81 In addition to this Crow of unprepossessing appearance, there is a handsome Raven (Corvus orru), much like our familiar bird but smaller, which was met with in pairs on the coast. Family Parapisetp“—Birds-of-Paradise and Bower-Birds. Closely allied to the well-known Greater Bird-of-Paradise (Paradisea apoda) from the Aru Islands is the New Guinea form P. nove-guinee, the males being distinguished by their smaller size and by having the long ornamental side-plumes of a much richer orange-yellow. Though the call of this bird was frequently heard on the upper parts of the Mimika, it was rarely seen ; but on the Wataikwa quite a number were procured in all stages of plumage. The species was, however, nowhere plentiful and is confined to the foot-hills. The Pygmies often brought plumes of the Lesser Bird-of- Paradise (P. minor) to Parimau and traded them with the natives, but the species was not found on the Mimika, the Charles Louis Mountains probably forming its southern boundary. My account of the display of that species, as witnessed in the Zoological Society’s Gardens, Regent’s Park, will be found in ‘The Ibis,’ 1905, p. 429, accompanied by various drawings and a coloured plate by Mr. G. EH. Lodge. The display resembles that of the Greater Bird-of-Paradise (P. apoda) and the Red Bird-of-Paradise (P. raggiana), and no doubt also that of P. nove-guinee. It is a wonderful and beautiful sight to see these birds erect their splendid side-plumes in an arch over the back, which is concealed in a shivering cascade of colour, orange and white, or red according to the species. Numbers of the beautiful little King Bird-of-Paradise (Cicinnurus regius) were brought home in all stages of plumage from the young to the fully adult male, with its scarlet head, shading into glittering carmine on the back and wings and into purplish-carmine on the throat, which is bordered below by a rich dark green band. The sides of the chest are ornamented with fan-like arrangements of grey feathers tipped with glittering golden-green ; the breast and SER. X.—VOL. I. G 82 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected the rest of the underparts are of the purest white: the outer tail-feathers are earthy-brown edged with orange-red, while the middle pair, which cross one another, have the bare shafts enormously lengthened, and terminate in a tightly curled disc, golden-green above and reddish-brown beneath. These beautiful ornaments are seen to the greatest advantage when the King is displaying, the green-tipped fan-like feathers on the sides and the white feathers of the breast being spread out to form a circular shield in front of the bird, while the green metallic dises of the long middle tail-feathers are erected and waved overhead. An excel- lent description of the display of this species is given by Sir William Ingram in ‘The Ibis,’ 1907, p. 225, with a coloured plate and figures drawn by Mr. G. E. Lodge from a living specimen. Mr. Walter Goodfellow made an interesting observation on the habits of this species. While watching some Pigeons on the opposite bank of the river through his glasses he saw a small bird rise from the top of a tree and soar into the air like a Sky-Lark. After it had risen about thirty feet, it suddenly seemed to collapse, and dropped back into the tree as though it had been shot. It proved to be a King Bird-of-Paradise, and probably this soaring habit is a part of the display not indulged in by captive birds confined in comparatively small cages. A Rifle-Bird (Ptilorhis magnifica) was fairly common, both on the coast and near the mountains, and its call, consisting of two long-drawn notes—one ascending, the other descend- ing,—might be heard at all hours of the day. Its plumage is mostly velvety black on the head and upper-parts, but the crown, middle of the throat and chest, as well as the middle pair of tail-feathers, are metallic blue, and a bronze-green band separates the chest from the deep purplish-maroon under-parts. The outer flight-feathers are curiously pointed and strongly falcate, and some of the side-feathers terminate in long, narrow, decomposed plumes. The long, curved bill and the legs are black, while the inside of the mouth is pale by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 83 apple-green, as is the case with several other species of Paradise-Birds. Though a well-known species, we must not omit to mention the splendid Twelve-wired Bird-of-Paradise (Se/eu- cides niger). The plumage of the male is like dark brown plush, shot with bronze-green on the back and deep violet on the wings, while the long dark breast-feathers are edged with rich metallic emerald-green. The long ornamental side-plumes and the rest of the under-parts are of a beautiful bright cmnamon-yellow when freshly moulted, but this colour is so volatile that it fades to nearly white in skins which have been kept for a few years. The shafts of six of the long side-plumes on either side extend far beyond the vane of the feather and look like twelve recurved wires, hence the bird’s popular name. The eye is crimson, the bill black, the gape bright apple-green, and the legs and toes yellowish flesh-colour, The Expedition procured three examples of a new form of Parotia or Six-plumed Paradise-Bird on the Iwaka River, but unfortunately did not succeed in shooting a fully adult male. Simultaneously A. 8. Meek, who was ccllecting for Mr. Rothschild, procured specimens of the same bird on the Oetakwa River afew miles to the east, but he likewise did not secure the fully adult male. Thespecies has been named Parotia carole meeki by Mr. Rothschild *. The plumage of this bird is hke brownish-black plush and equally soft to the touch. The head is ornamented very wonderfully ; on either side behind the eye there are threo long racket-like plumes on long bare shafts (a character common to all the members of this remarakble genus of Paradise- Birds) : the middle of the crown is of a beautiful “old” gold colour in a setting of silvery-white aud golden- brown: on the occiput there is a marvellous patch of stiff metal-like feathers, golden-green bordered with deep violet ; the sides of the head before and behind the eye are golden- * On his second trip Mr. Meek procured adult male examples. Cf. Bull BaO.@: xxix. ps 118%(1912). G2 84 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected brown, the chin and upper part of the throat deep brown, and the lower part whitish spotted with rufous. A lovely metallic breast-plate of bronze-green and violet feathers with dark middles covers the chest, and the long flank-feathers are white. The two outer flight-feathers are curiously attenu- ated near the extremity, and terminate in a sharp point, the shaft bearing only a very narrow web. No doubt all these ornaments are displayed in a similar manner to those of P. lawesi from British New Guinea, males of which have been living for some years in the Zoological Society’s Gardens, Regent’s Park. Another very handsome species is the Golden-winged Diphyllodes chrysoptera. The male has the bill and a bare space behind the eye bluish-white, the inside of the mouth apple-green, and the feet Prussian-blue. The head is clad in short velvety reddish-brown feathers with two metallic- green spots between the eyes; the nape bears a frill of rather long brown-tipped plumes; the mantle is ight golden- yellow like spun glass, and forms a lengthened tippet; the inner secondary-quills and shoulder-feathers are orange- yellow, and the back carmine and dull orange shading into sooty black on the upper tail-coverts. The throat is deep velvety brown, the neck and breast rich dark green bordered below with metallic bluish-green, and with a row of metallic- green bars like steps down the middle of the neck and chest ; the rest of the under-parts are black. The short outer tail- feathers are sooty brown, while the middle pair, which cross one another, are very long and narrow and of a metallic-bluish-green. The female is very soberly clad, dull brown above and narrowly barred with brown and buff below. The Bower-Birds have received their name from their peculiar habit of constructing bowers or runs where the males meet to play or to pay their court tothe females. The bowers are built long before the birds begin to build their nests, which are placed in trees. One of the most noteworthy species procured by the Expedition was the gorgeously coloured Bower-Bird, by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 85 Xanthomelas ardens |O.-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxvii. p. 66 (1911) ]. The male has the eye yellow and the head, sides of the neck, and mantle orange-scarlet, the feathers of the latter being very long and loose and forming a dense cape ; the rest of the plumage is orange-yellow above and golden- yellow below: the ends of the quills and the tail-feathers being black. The female has the iris brown and is more sombrely clad, the head and upper-parts, including the wings and tail, being earthy-brown, while the under-parts, under wing- coverts, and wing-lining are yellow, like those of the male, but less bright. This beautiful species was originally described from an imperfect native-made skin, obtained by the Italian natu- ralist, D’Albertis, on the Fly River. Subsequently Dr. H. A. Lorentz shot two adult males on the Noord River, which were described and figured by Dr. Van Oort. Our expedi- tion was fortunate enough to secure not only adult males, but also the immature male and adult female, these latter being hitherto unknown. The display of the male bird must be a very beautiful sight, his scarlet cape being no doubt erected and forming a great hood over the head. Among the Bower-Birds, one of the most interesting was a remarkable female example of a species of Chlamydodera procured on the Kamura River. Unlike any of the allied forms, it has the under-surface washed with yellow, and appears to be the female of C. lauterbachi, of which the brilliantly coloured male was described and figured by Dr. Reichenow from an example procured in German New Guinea [cf. Orn. Monatsb. v. p. 24 (1897); & Journ. fiir @rn (S97, palo. plavia). The male has the crown and sides of the face golden- orange, the upper-parts olive-brown, edged with yellowish, and the under-parts bright yellow. It is a very striking bird, and much the most brightly coloured member of the genus. Though the two specimens were obtained in localities so 86 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected far apart, there seems to be no reason why they should not be male and female of the same species. ‘The female obtained by the Expedition possesses many characteristics in common with the male type of C. lauterbachi, and the differences in plumage are just what one would expect to find in the female of that species. The beautiful Cat-bird (Cdluredus stone’) was fairly plentiful, and is remarkable on account of its peculiar colouring. The cap is brown, the back grass-green, and the neck and under-parts buff, spotted with black, or green on the longer flank-feathers. The eye is hazel and the bill and legs slate-blue. The sexes are alike in plumage. It derives its popular name from its peculiar hissing alarm- note, not unlike the sound made by an angry cat. Of the Manucodes, four different kinds were met with. They are all Crow-like birds with brilliant metallic-black plumage glossed with purple, green, or blue, and form a link between the Paradise-Birds and the true Crows. The Purple-and-Violet Manucode (Phonygama jamesi) is distin- guished by possessing tufts of long, narrow, metallic-green plumes behind the eye, and by having the neck-feathers similarly lengthened; while the other three belonging to the genus Manucodia have the head and neck covered with short curly feathers. These curly-headed species are much alike in general appearance, but J/. orientalis has the short curly feathers on the chest and breast glittering golden- green, while in MW. jobiensis and M. altera the same parts are dark steel-blue. Jnter se the two latter kinds differ considerably, both structurally and in colour. M. jobiensis is smaller and has the feathers of the throat rounded and crinkled, and the upper-parts glossed with a strong shade of violet; while M/. altera is larger and has the throat- feathers short but rather pointed, and the general colour above purplish-blue or steel-blue. In most of the Manucodes the trachea is very long and convoluted, that of the Purple-and-Violet species possessing no fewer than twelve coils which le between the skin and the pectoral muscles. In spite of this marvellous instrument by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 87 its cries are not nearly so loud as those of the Birds-of- Paradise of the genus Paradisea. Mr. Claude Grant discovered a nest of M. altera with two eggs at Parimau, an interesting find, as no properly authenticated eggs of that species had previously been obtained. Family Eutasetip“2—Tree-Svarlings. Among the smaller Glossy Starlings we must specially mention a new species, Ca/ornis mystacea [O.-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxix. p. 28 (1911) ], discovered by the Expedition. It has the plumage purplish-bronze and is_ especially remarkable in having long semi-erect plumes on the fore- head as well as long neck-hackles. Three specimens were obtained flying in company with large flocks of C. metallica, a rather widely distributed species, which ranges to North Australia, the Moluccas, and the Solomon Islands. The Grackles or Talking-Starlings are represented by two lovely species, the first being the well-known Dumont’s Grackle (Mino dumonti), a dark glossy greenish-black bird with a yellow belly and white under tail-coverts. It has a brown eye surrounded by a large naked orange patch partially covered with short stiff filaments. The second species, Robertson’s Golden Grackle (Melanopyrrhus robert- soni), is au equally handsome, but much rarer bird, and the fine series of adults obtained by the Expedition proves that it 1s a species quite distinct from M. orientalis, the form found in British New Guinea, which has a large black patch on the occiput. Robertson’s Grackle has the cheeks and upper part of the throat, as well as the back, wings and breast, black glossed with green; the rest of the head, neck and chest, as well as the lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts and belly, are orange-yellow. In the adult there is no trace of a black patch on the occiput, but the quite young bird has the entire crown black, and specimens which have not assumed the fully adult plumage and still retain some black feathers on the occiput might be mistaken for M. orientalis. 88 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected That they have been so mistaken is proved by the fact that Count Salvadori and many others have regarded M. robertsoni Sharpe as a synonyms of M. orientalis Schlegel, but they are really quite distinct species. A few high trees left standing near the huts at Waka- timi were the resort, morning and evening, of these Starlings and various other species of birds. For a long time during the hot mid-day hours Mr. Goodfellow had observed that some bird, possessing a remarkably sweet Thrush-like song, rested there, and, after many days of watching, he found it to be Robertson’s Golden Grackle. He says that the notes of this Starling would not pass unnoticed, even in countries where the birds, as a rule, have sweeter voices than those inhabiting New Guinea. Family Dickurtpa—Drongos. The Drongos, small Crow-like Flycatchers with pugnacious habits, are represented in the collection by two species— Chibia carbonaria and Chetorhynchus papuensis. Family Or1oLtip“2x—Orioles. The Orioles are represented by one species only, Memeta striata, belonging to the dull coloured brown-backed group with heavily streaked under-parts and the sexes alike in plumage. It was commonest in the mangrove-swamps near the coast. Family PLloceipa—lVeaver-birds. This widely distributed group is not very numerous in New Guinea, and the only representative met with was a small species, Munia tristissima, which was common in the clearing round the camp at Wakatimi. Family Moracituipa—Wagtails. The Grey Wagtail (Motacilla melanope) and the Blue- headed Wagtail (M. flava) were both met with on the Mimika and other rivers. It is interesting to note that by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 89 both species are included in the British List, the former being a regular breeding-species in our islands. The birds wintering in far-off New Guinea no doubt formed part of the eastern colonies of these species which nest in Siberia and visit the Indo-Malayan Islands in winter. Family Meripnacina—Honey-eaters. The Honey-eaters are very numerously represented in South-western New Guinea, and no fewer than twenty-seven species were met with by our Expedition. The family is divided into two sections, the first including the comparatively brightly coloured genus Myzomela, the members of which resemble true Sun-birds (Nectariniide) in general appearance. Seven species were met with, the most brilliantly coloured being MM. cruentata, which has the plumage of the body scarlet and the wings washed with the same colour; another species, 1/7. obscura, has the entire plumage smoky-grey; and four forms are intermediate between these two types of coloration, being partly scarlet and partly grey. The seventh is a very small and very rare species (Cidistoma pygmeum), which was described by Count Salvadori from the Arfak Peninsula. The other section contains a number of larger species, mostly with dull greenish or brownish plumage, and nearly all with a yellow tuft or patch on the ear-coverts. Though rather uninteresting-looking birds several are really of great scientific value, being new to the National Collection, and one, Ptilotis mimike |[O.-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxix. p. 27 (1911) ], has proved to be new to Science. The largest form is the curious Friar-bird (Philemon nove-guinee) , with the bare sides of the face and neck black and a swollen knob on the base of the bill. It was generally met with in pairs, and inhabited the tops of the tallest forest-trees, whence its peculiar cry might constantly be heard. Family Necrariniipa—Sun-birds. The Sun-birds are represented by two species, Cinnyris aspasie and C. frenata. The male of the former is deep 90 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected black with a dark metallic-green cap, shoulders and lower back, and purple throat; while the female is olive above and dull yellow below, with a grey head and throat. The latter species is dull yellow above, brilliant yellow below, with a purple throat in the male, which is absent in the female. Mr. Goodfellow tells us that among the riot of parasitic plants which covered the trees a few Sun-birds and Honey- eaters might always be seen. ‘lhe nests of the former, suspended from fallen and partially submerged dead trees, were continuously swinging from side to side, the strong current in the river keeping the trees in perpetual motion. These nests might easily be mistaken for a handful of drift left there by the river. Family Dicaipa—Flower-peckers. Diceum diversum and Melanocharis chloroptera, a dull- looking greenish-grey species described by Count Salvadori, were the only Flower-peckers met with. They are small Tit-like birds allied to the Sun-birds, but with a short bill serrated along the edges of the mandibles. Both species were very common everywhere, except on the coast, and were extremely tame. Family Zostrropina2 —White-eyes. Zosterops chrysolema, a beautiful little species with the upper-parts golden-olive, the throat and under tail-coverts Pper-t Ss , yellow, and the breast and belly pure white, was the only species met with of this most numerous and widely distri- buted group. The popular name White-eye is derived from the ring of tiny white plumes which eucircles the eye in all. =) They resemble Titmice both in their mode of life and notes. The only pair observed was met with on the Lwaka River ] and the species 1s probably more numerous in the higher parts of the mountains. Family Laniip2—Shrikes. The large Shrike-hke birds with powerful hooked bills known as the Piping-Crows are represented by two members by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 91 of the genus Cracticus: C. cassicus, a black and white species, and C. qguoyi, with uniforin black plumage. Both are much like their well-known Australian representatives, but smaller. C. cassicus was much the commoner bird, and was generally cbserved feeding on berries and fruits in high trees, its actious being very Crow-like. The Pachycephaline group of birds allied’ to the true Shrikes is represented by half-a-dozen species, two of which proved to be undescribed: a grey form with a white throat, Pachycephala approximans, and a black species with a white breast and belly, P. dorsalis [O.-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxix. p. 26 (1911)}. Brilliantly coloured orange-yellow and black, or orange-yellow and grey, species are represented by Pachycephala aurea and Pachychare flavogrisea. Family Prionorrip2x—Wood-Shrikes. This group is represented by Rhectes cristatus and R. ferru- gineus in which both sexes are rufous, and by R. nigripectus with the sexes different, the male being partly black and partly chestnut. Piarolestes megarhynchus, an allied species with the sexes alike, is brown above and dull rufous below. Some of these Wood-Shrikes lay peculiar-looking eggs of a long oval shape and large for the size of the bird. The ground-colour is purplish- or pinkish-grey with scattered spots or small blotches of dark purplish-brown or maroon- brown, often blurred at the edges and running into the ground-colour. ‘These eggs have on several occasions been palmed off on travellers in British New Guinea as eggs of the Red Bird-of-Paradise, which they do not in any way resemble. Family Arramipa—Swallow-Shrikes. These birds, which closely resemble Swallows in their mode of life, are represented by one species only, Artamus leucopygialis, a grey bird with the breast and rump white. It was common along the coast, and was generally seen either perched on some dead tree or skimming swiftly over the sands. 92 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected Family Time,ip£—Babblers. We now come to the Timeline group of birds: of these we may mention two striking-looking species of Eupetes. One, EH. nigricrissus, with the plumage slate-blue and the throat white, edged with black, was met with on the Mimika; the. other, H. pulcher, was only seen further east on the Wataikwa River. It is very similar to the first-named, but. has the crown and back rich chestnut, instead of slate. Both species are ground-birds and usually found in pairs ; they are rather difficult to procure, as, when disturbed, they instantly conceal themselves among the trunks of the trees and vegetation. The Scimitar-Babblers were represented by the reddish-brown Pomatorhinus isidori. Family Campopnacip&—Cuckoo-Shrikes. The Cuckoo-Shrikes are well represented in the collection, examples of no fewer than eleven species having been obtained. They belong to four genera and vary much in colour: the large Graucalus ceruleogrisea has the entire plumage bluish- grey, except the axillaries and under wing-coverts which are pale cinnamon, and the male has a black patch in front of the eye. Another genus, Hdoliisoma, is represented by H. melan, of which the male is entirely black, and the female chestnut and brown. A very attractive and brilliantly coloured species is Campochera sloetii, forming a marked contrast to other members of the group. ‘The greater part of its plumage is orange-yellow, the forehead white, the middle of the crown yellow, and the wings black and white; the male has the cheeks, throat, and chest black glossed with dull green, while in the female these parts are dull grey. Several examples of this very rare Cuckoo-Shrike were procured on the Mimika River. It is no doubt most nearly allied to the Minivets (Pericrocotus), which inhabit the Indo-Chinese countries and islands, the predominant colour of most of the males being scarlet and that of the females yellow. by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 98 Family Muscicaripx—flycatchers. Flyeatchers are very numerously represented, and among them two new forms were discovered, a Fan-tailed Flycatcher (Rhipidura streptophora) [O.-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxix. p- 25 (1911)] and a broad-billed species, Myiagra mimike (O.-Grant, ibid. p. 26). - Among the more notable forms we may mention Monarcha aruensis, a brilliant yellow and black species; Todopsis bonapartei, the male being vivid ultramarine-blue, purple, and black, while the female differs in having the back and sides dark chestnut and the breast mostly white ; lastly, Peltops blainvillei, a black bird with the rump, vent, and tail-coverts scarlet, a large white patch on each side of the head and another on the middle of the mantle ; the sexes are alike in plumage. The Fan-tailed Flycatchers were commonly seen on the Mimika River in May and June, when numbers were busy hawking the canary-coloured May-flies which swarmed at that time. The Black-and-White Flycatcher (A/alurus alboscapulatus) frequented the tall grasses near the camp on the Wataikwa River. It was a delightful little bird, very tame, and might constantly be seen crossing the open spaces with an undulating flight. Family Hirunpinipa—Swallows. Two species of Swallows were met with, Hirundo javanica and H. gutturalis. Family Pirtipna2—Pittas or Ant-Thrushes. Of the Ant-Thrushes or Pittas two species were obtained, both brilliantly plumaged birds. Pitta mackloti, which was far the commoner of the two, has a dark crown, reddish- chestnut nape, and greenish-blue upper-parts; the throat is biack, the chest shining greyish-blue, and the breast and belly scarlet, divided from the chest by a wide black band. 94 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected The other species, Pitta nove-guinee, which was much less frequently met with, has the head and neck black and the rest of the plumage dark green washed with bluish on the breast, which is black down the middle. The shoulders are shining silvery-blue and the vent and under tail-coverts scarlet. These long-legged Thrush-like birds are entirely terrestrial in their habits and frequent the depths of the forests. They can hop with great agility, and escape on the slightest alarm, but are easily taken in snares. Family Cucutinx—Cuckoos. Among the Cuckoos, the largest is a species of “ Crow- Pheasant” or “ Lark-heeled *’? Cuckoo, Centropus menebiki, a bird of black plumage glossed with dark green, with a large whitish-horn bill and heavy slate-coloured legs and toes. An allied, but smaller and rarer species, C. bernsteini, was met with near the mouth of the Mimika. It is very similar in plumage but is easily distinguished by its smaller size, black bill, and long, nearly straight hind- claw. Both are almost entirely ground-birds of skulking habits. Several other species of Cuckoo were met with, and among these Cuculus micropterus, the eastern form of the Common Cuckoo, closely resembling our familiar bird. The rarest species obtained was Microdynamis parva, a remark- able little Cuekoo about the size of a Thrush, first described by Count Salvadori in 1875. The origin of the type specimen is uncertain, but it is believed to have been ob- tained by Beccari in the Moluccas. Subsequently, Dr. H. O. Forbes procured fenale examples in the Astrolabe Mountains. Mr. Claude Grant obtained an adult male and female which form a valuable addition to the National Col- lection. The general plumage is brown, but in the male the top of the head and the malar stripe are black, glossed with steel-blue, and the cheeks and throat are cinnamon. In both sexes the bill is short, thick, and curved. The male has the eye bright red, while in the female it is hazel. by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 95 Family CypsELip“2—Swifts. The Swifts, though of especial interest, are not very numerously represented in the collection, The commonest species was that known as the Esculent Swiftlet (Collo- calia fuciphaga), which produces the best kind of edible nest. A very interesting discovery was the existence in New Guinea of the large fork-tailed species, Collocalia whiteheadi, originally described by myself from the highlands of Luzon, Philippine Islands. A remarkable Spine-tailed Swift (Chetura nove-guinee) is new to the National Collection. It was fairly common on the Mimika River, and originally described by Count Salvadori from specimens procured by D’Albertis on the Fly River. A pair of the magnificent Moustached Swift (Macropteryx mystacea), with a wing-expanse of more than two fect, was also procured, The plumage of this bird is mostly grey, but the crown, wings, and long deeply-forked tail are black glossed with purplish-blue. The eye-brows and moustache- stripes as well as the scapulars are white, the two former being composed of lengthened, narrow, pointed plumes. The male has a small chestnut spot behind the ear-coverts which is absent in the female. The nesting-habits of this species are very curious ; it makes a very small exposed half- saucer-shaped nest of bark and feathers gummed by saliva to a branch or stump which is barely large enough to contain the single white egg, and ridiculously small in comparison with the size of the bird. When incubating, the greater part of the bird’s body must rest on the branch to which the nest is attached. Families CaprimuLcrp# and Poparecipa&— Nightjars and Frog-mouths. The common Nightjar of the country found along the shingly banks of the rivers was Caprimulgus macrurus, a widely distributed species. After the ground had been 96 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected cleared for the base-camp at Wakatimi it was visited every evening by a number of Nightjars, which no doubt found such a large open space an admirable hunting-ground, and the members of the Expedition derived great pleasure from watching their graceful evolutions. Another very rare Nightjar was Lyncornis papuensis, not previously included in the National Collection. Frog-mouths were represented by the larger species, Podargus papuensis, and the smaller, P. ocellatus. At some of the stopping-places on the river night was made hideous by their mournful cries, repeated to distraction on every side, and ending up with a sharp snap. A single example of the rare Wallace’s Owlet-Nightjar (4 gotheles wallacei) was collected by Mr. G. C. Shortridge on the Wataikwa River. It has a peculiar uniform blackish upper plumage, without any trace of a distinct nuchal collar. No doubt, like its Australian ally, it roosts in holes in trees during the daytime and captures its prey on the wing at night, like the true Nightjars, though the flight is said to be less tortuous. Family Bucrrotipm—Hornbills. The only representative of the Bucerotide is the Wreathed Hornbill (Rhkytidoceros plicatus), a large bird with a casque formed of overlapping plates on the base of the upper mandible. The male is black with the head and neck chestnut and the tail white, while the female differs in having the head and neck black. It was plentiful everywhere, and its flesh was reported to be good eating. It frequented the fruit-bearing trees in company with various species ot Pigeons, and Mr. Claude Grant on one or two occasions observed pairs at what he took to be their nesting-holes high up in the bare trunks of very tall trees. Their heavy noisy flight and raucous call, continually repeated, render these birds difficult to overlook. Family Mreroprpa—Bee-eaters. A species of Bee-eater, Merops ornata, was common about the base-camp. It ranges to Australia, the Moluccas, and by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 97 westwards to the Lesser Sunda group. Mr. Goodfellow says it swarmed in some places after the month of April, though previous to that date none had been met with, Family Coracitip2—Rollers. Two species of Rollers inhabit the Mimika district, Eury- stomus crassirestris, a greenish-blue species with brilliant ultramarine throat, quills, and tail-feathers and vermilion bill and feet; and a smaller species, H. australis, with brownish-green upper-parts, verditer-blue breast, and bluish- greev bases to the tail-feathers. Both Bee-eaters and Rollers were common in flocks along the banks of the Mimika during April and May. They were preying on the canary-coloured May-fly, which swarmed on the waters at that season. Family Atcepinip“x—Kingfishers. Kingfishers were well represented in the Mimika district, and Mr. Goodfellow says that the Sacred Kingfisher (Halcyon sanctus) was undoubtedly the most conspicuous bird about the base-camp, where its harsh ery could be heard all through the hot hours of the day. The huts and store- houses were infested by myriads of black crickets, which take the place of the cockroaches found in other countries, and commit fearful havoc among stores and personal posses- sions. The constant packing up of goods to send up the river drove thousands of these insects to seek shelter in other parts of the camp, and, at such times, Kingfishers became very tame and darted in and out among the buildings, taking advantage of the feast thus afforded. Mr. Claude Grant shot a single specimen of the lovely Kingfisher H. nigrocyanea, the only one obtained. It has the crown, Wings, upper tail-coverts, tail, and breast dark ultramarine blue, the rump cobalt-blue, the throat and a band across the breast pure white, and the remainder of the plumage black. Another species met with at the base-camp was H. macleayi, with purple head, wings, and tail, verditer- blue back, white lores, collar, and under-parts, and cinnamon SER, X.—VOL. I. H 98 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected flanks. Only one example of this fine bird was procured. Others were the dark purplish-blue and chestnut Alcyone lessoni, about the size of our Common Kingfisher, and the much smaller A. pusilla similarly coloured above, but with the under-parts pure white. Ceyx solitaria, a closely allied species, with purple spangled upper-parts and cinnamon-yellow under-parts was also found on the Mimika, and Mr. Goodfellow was surprised to find this diminutive species, which he had believed to be ex- clusively a fish-eater, greedily devouring a canary-coloured May-fly which swarmed on the waters of the Mimika during April and May. On the river a few specimens of the large ‘“ Jackass” Kingfisher (Dacelo intermedia) were obtained, but the species was by no means common. The most conspicuous bird was Gaudichaud’s Kingfisher (Sauromarptis gaudi- chaudi), and its loud grating call might be heard in all directions. The adult is a very handsome bird, the black of the upper-parts being relieved by the electric-blue tips to the wing-coverts and feathers of the lower back and rump, the wings and tail are washed with dull purplish-blue, the throat is white and extends in a buff collar round the neck, the under wing-coverts are buff and the breast and rest of the underparts deep chestnut. The natives brought numbers of the half-fledged young of this species to the base-camp during May and June, and many were purchased by the Javanese soldiers and convicts; but as they fed them on boiled rice only, their lives were brief. The great Shoe- billed Kingfisher (Clytoceyx) was not met with by the members of our Expedition, but Dr. Van Oort has described a new form, which he calls Clytoceyx rex imperator, from a specimen procured by Dr. Lorentz on the Noord River. Another large species, Melidora macrorhina, with a curious brown spotted plumage above, was not uncommon ; it usually frequented the lower branches and undergrowth within a few feet of the ground, and when disturbed merely mounted to a more conspicuous perch. by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 99 The lovely Racquet-tailed species of the genus Tunysiptera were not procured, though Dr. H. A. Lorentz met with a specimen on the Noord Biver, Families Psirracip® and Lortipa— Parrots and Lories. Another very numerously represented group is the Parrots, of which twenty-two different species were procured, varying in size from the Great Black Cockatoo (Microglossus aterrimus), which is about the size of a Raven and has an enormously powerful bill, to the tiny Pygmy Parrot (Nasi- terna keiensis), which is about the size of a Golden-crested Wren. This latter species has recently been described by Mr. Walter Rothschild as new, uuder the name of Nasiterna viridipectus from specimens obtained by A. S. Meek in the Oetakwa district, but they do not seem to differ from the birds found on the Kei and Aru Islands and also in the neighbourhood of the Fly River. The plumage is green, paler below, the crown dull orange, the shoulders spotted with black, the middle tail-feathers blue and the outer pairs black, with yellow and green tips. A few solitary Black Cockatoos might be seen on the lower river, sitting on the tops of the highest trees ; their loud whistle always attracted attention, and even on their high perches their red faces and erect crests were conspicuous. The Common Cockatoo of the country was Cacatua triton, a moderate-sized species with a yellow crest, which was met with in small numbers through- out the mangrove-belt, but it was a shy bird and when approached always flew away, screaming, Lories of different kinds were numerousand included some of the most brilliantly coloured species, Lorius erythrothorax combining in its plumage black, crimson, scarlet, purple, blue, green, and bright yellow. The adult has the under wing-coverts uniform scarlet, in marked contrast to the bright yellow inner webs of the primary-quills; but in younger birds the smaller under wing-coverts are mottled with scarlet, blue, black, green, and H 2 100. Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected yellow, and the long outer series are yellow with greyish- black ends, making a dark band at the base of the quills. In this stage the bird has been described by Dr. A. B. Meyer as Lorius salvadorit. A less brilliantly coloured and more common species in the neighbourhood of the Mimika was Eos fuscatus, which has the general colour above sooty-black shaded on the middle of the crown and neck with reddish-orange, and the under-parts widely banded with scarlet. A lovely species with a longer tail was Trichoglossus cyanogrammus, which is green with a blue face and greenish-yellow collar, and has the scarlet chest-feathers edged with purple, while the belly and flanks are yellow barred with green. The tiniest Lory is Loriculus meeki, a minute species, about the size of a Blue Titmouse, with brilliant green plumage, orange-yellow forehead, and the rump and upper tail-coverts as well as a spot on the throat scarlet. The female differs in having the forehead and cheeks verditer-green. The genus Geoffroyus is represented by two species : the commoner G. aruensis with the plumage green, the male having the crown and nape violet-blue and the rest of the head and neck scarlet, while in the female these parts are brown ; also the much rarer G. simplex, which is entirely green with a dull lilac-blue ring round the neck. This latter is a very rare bird in collections, but was seen on the higher parts of the mountains above the Iwaka River in flocks of upwards of twenty individuals. Other small and brilliantly coloured species of Lories are Charmosynopsis pulchella and C. multistriata, the latter a remarkable new species with green plumage and the whole of the under-parts streaked with bright yellow. It was recently described by Mr. Rothschild from a male shot by A. 8. Meck on the Oetakwa River; a second specimen, a female, was obtained on the Mimika by Mr. Goodfellow. We must also mention Chalcopsittacus scintillans, Hypocharmosyna placens, Charmosyna josephine, the rare Glossopsittacus goldiet, and three species of Cyclopsittacus, viz. C. melanogenys, which is green with a white throat, black cheeks, deep orange breast, by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 101 and ultramarine wings; C. diophthalmus; and C. godmani [O.-Grant, Bull. B.O.C. xxvii. p. 67 (1911)], a new and handsome species with the general colour green, the head and nape orange-scarlet, the upper mantle orange-yellow, the cheeks covered with long, pointed, yellowish feathers, and the chest verditer-blue. Behind the camp at Wakatimi lay a swamp which, Mr. Goodfellow tells us, was every night the roosting-place of thousands of Lories, chiefly Hos /uscatus, and there were also smaller flocks of Trichoglossus cyanogrammus. Long before sunset and until it was quite dusk flocks of many hundred birds coming from all directions flew over with deafening noise. Often some weak branch would give way under their weight, causing a panic just as the noise was beginning to subside, and clouds of these birds would again circle around, seeking a fresh roosting-place and keeping up a continual din. One of the most peculiar Parrots, and bearing a marked external resemblance to the Kea of New Zealand, is the Vulturine Parrot (Dasyptilus pesqueti), which has the black skin of the face almost entirely bare, the plumage black and scarlet on the wings, rump, and belly, the breast-feathers having pale sandy margins. Its hoarse, grating call, quite unlike that of any other species, could be heard a long way off, and was continually uttered when on the wing, Mr. Goodfellow says it usually moves about in parties of four or five individuals, and that occasionally as many as seven may be seen together. When not feeding they always select the tallest trees to rest in, preferring dead ones which tower above the general level of the jungle, and in which they remain for hours at a time in rain or sunshine. They do not climb after the usual manner of Parrots, but jump from branch to branch with a jerky movement, like the Lories, and with a rapid flicking movement of the wings. They feed entirely on soft fruits, chiefly wild figs. Apparently the species feeds on the plains and retires to the mountains to roost, for every evening flocks or pairs were observed passing high over the camp at Parimau, and making their way to- wards the Saddle-peak range. 102. Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected A handsome new Parroguet of the genus Aprosmictus was discovered, and has been named A. wilhefmine [O.-Grant, Bull. B.O. C. xxvii. p. 83 (1911)], in honour of the Queen of Holland. The male has the head, veck, and underparts scarlet, the wings green, with a pale yellow-green band across the coverts, the mantle and back are mostly deep purplish- blue, and the tail black tinged with purplish. Finally, the Eclectus Parrot (Kclectus pectoralis) was common. The remarkable difference in the coloration of the sexes might lead some to beheve that they belonged to quite different species, the male being mostly green with scarlet sides and under wing-coverts, while the female is maroon, with the head, neck, and breast scarlet, and the mantle, belly, sides, and under wing-coverts blue. Families BuronIpD#& and StrigipE— Wood-Owls and Barn-Ouls. The only Owl of which examples were obtained was a small species of Brown Hawk-Owl (Ninox theomaca), with the upper-parts, back, wings, and tail uniform dark brown, and the under-parts deep chestnut. It was a strictly nocturnal species, and confined to the jungle along the base of the mountains, where its weird double call “ yon- yon” might constantly be heard after dark. A form of the Barn-Owl (Striz nove-hollandie), which occurs in the district, was not obtained by the Expedition. Family Farconipx—Lagles and Hawks. New Guinea possesses a very remarkable Harpy-Eagle (Harpyopsis nove-guinee) allied to the Harpy-Eagles of America and to the Great Monkey-eating Eagle (Pitheco- phaga jeferyt) which inhabits the forests of the Philippine Islands. The New Guinea bird is like a large Goshawk, having a long tail and comparatively short and rounded wings ; the feet are armed with very powerful claws, but in strength and power it is far inferior to its great Philippine ally or to the still more powerful species inhabiting Central America. Mr. Claude Grant says that this species was by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 103 seldom met with; it has arather loud cry and a beautiful soaring flight, often in ascending circles. Besides this large Eagle, two species of Goshawk, Astur etorques and A. polio- cephalus, were met with, likewise a small chestnut and white Brahminy Kite (Haliastur girrenera). A small Sparrow- Hawk was obtained near the mouth of the Mimika River, but being in immature plumage its identification is at present uncertain, Reinwardt’s Cuckoo-Falcon (Baza reinwardti), with a crested head and banded breast, was rather a rare bird, and appears to feed largely on insects. Family PuaLracrocoractpz— Cormorants. The small black-backed white-breasted species Phalacro- corax melanoleucus is the only representative of this group. Several specimens were shot on the upper waters of the Mimika, at Parimau, and at the base-camp at Wakatimi. Family Anatip“x—Ducks. The handsome white-necked Sheld-duck (Tadorna radjah) differs from the Australian form in being much darker on the back, the plumage being practically black with indistinct mottlings of dull rufous on the mantle. This dark form, found also in the Moluccas, was common about the mouth of the Mimika River. The more rufous-backed Australian form has been named T. rufitergum by Dr. Hartert. The only other species of Duck brought home was an immature male Garganey (Querquedula discors) shot on the Kapare River. Family Inipip#—Zdises. The Eastern form of the Sacred Ibis (Ibis sticlipennis) was met with at the mouth of the Mimika. It is easily distin- guished from its western ally by having the innermost secondaries mottled with black and white. Family Arperpx—Herons. Several different species of Herons were procured, in- cluding the Night-Heron (Nyeticorawy caledonica), the 104 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected Yellow-necked Heron (Dupetor flavicollis); the White Heron (Herodias timoriensis), and a Viger-Bittern (Tigri- soma heliosylus). The last-named is a very fine bird with the general colour above black boldly barred with rufous and buff, the under-parts buff barred on the neck and chest with black. The feathers on the neck and chest are very long and broad, and no doubt form a most imposing ruff when the bird is displaying. Families GiptcNemip™, CHarapriip#, and Laripz— Stone-Plovers, Plovers, and Gulls. A number of small wading-birds were procured near the mouth of the river, and two species of Terns, but as all belong to well-known, widely distributed species, there is no special interest attaching to them. I may, however, mention that the great Australian Curlew (Numenius cyanopus) and the large Australian Thicknee (Esacus magnirostris) were among the species found at the mouth of the Mimika. Family Rattww2—Rails. The only Rail met with was an example of Rallina tricolor, which has the head, neck, and chest bright chestnut, and the rest of the plumage dark brown with white bars on the wing-feathers. It also occurs in some of the Papuan Islands and in North-eastern Australia. Family Cotumpipn2x—Pigeons. Pigeons were very numerously represented, no fewer than twenty-six different species being obtained by the Expe- dition. Some of the smaller forms are among the most beautifully coloured birds met with in New Guinea. The Crowned Pigeons (Gouwra) are represented by G. sclateri, which was fairly common near the base-camp and was met with in all places visited by the Expedition. In spite of the numbers shot for food during the whole time the Expedition remained in the country, the supply did not appear to diminish. This fine Pigeon and a few others afforded the by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 105 only fresh meat to be had. On the canoe-journeys up the river Sclater’s Goura was frequently met with in the early mornings in parties of two or three, searching for aquatic life along the muddy banks. When disturbed they did not immediately take flight, but with raised wings pirouetted around for a few seconds and then flew to the nearest high tree. Mr. Goodfellow found the remains of small crabs in their stomachs, and a large percentage of the birds shot were infested by a small red parasite, the same or similar to that which is known in other parts of New Guinea as « Scrub-itch.”” Another very handsome bird is the Ground-Pigeon (Otidiphaps nobilis), with the head bluish-black, the nape dull metallic-green, the mantle and wings purplish-chestnut, and the rest of the plumage deep purple, all being more or less metallic. Its long legs and the upward carriage of its long tail give it much the appearance of a Bantam hen. It was fairly common, but being extremely shy was rarely met with. Among the larger Fruit-Pigeons we must specially mention Carpophaga pinon, which has the general appear-~ ance of a large Wood-Pigeon. It was met with in large flocks and proved an excellent bird for the table. Another very striking species, of rather lesser proportions and very much rarer, was Miiller’s Fruit-Pigeon (Carpophaga mueller) , easily distinguished by its white throat, the bold black ring round its neck, and its shining chestnut mantle. Among the handsomest was Carpophaga rufiventris, a bird with the breast cinnamon and the wings and back metallic green, copper, and purple. lastly, a very striking form was the large creamy-white Pigeon (Myristicivora spilorrhoa) with the flight-feathers, tips of the tail-feathers and under tail- coverts blackish. It appears to be entirely confined to the mangrove-swamps, and was observed breeding in May along the creeks near the mouth of the river, no less than seven nests being found in one tree. As already stated, among the smaller Fruit-Pigeons many are very beautifully marked and brilliantly coloured, but 106 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected always with the most harmonious shades. It would seem as though Nature had almost exhausted her scheme of coloration in dealing with some of these birds; for we find two totally different species, Ptilepus zonurus and P, gestroi, occurring together in which the markings and colours of the plumage are almost identical ; on the under- surface the two species are practically alike, both have the chin and throat pale lavender, extending in a ring round the neck, the fore-neck orange, the chest washed with vinous- brown, and the remainder of the under-parts green; on the upper-surface the top of the head and nape are greenish- yellow and the rest of the upper-parts green, but in P. zonurus the median wing-coverts are green with a subterminal spot of bright pink, while in P. gestrot the least wing-coverts are erimson and the next series grey fringed with greenish- yellow. Another parallel case of close resemblance is found between the small Péilopus nanus and the larger P. coronulatus. Though really extremely distinet species the underparts are very similarly coloured, both being green with a bright magenta patch on the middle of the breast, and the belly and under tail-coverts mostly bright yellow: viewed from the upper surface the two birds are, however, very different, P. coronulatus having the crown lilac-pink, edged posteriorly with bands of crimson and yellow, while P. nanus has the head green, but the ends of the scapulars and secondaries are deep shining bluish-green, tipped with bright yellow. Even more brilliantly coloured species than those already mentioned are Ptilopus pulchellus, P. superbus, P. aurantiifrons, and P. bellus. Near the camp at Wataikwa large flocks of D’Albertis’ Pigeon (Gymnophaps albertisii) were observed coming in every evening from their feeding-grounds on the high mountains to roost on the plains below. Mr. Goodfellow tells us that their flight is extremely rapid and that their strange aerial evolutions remind one of the common * Tumbler ” Pigeons, The Long-tailed Cuckoo-Doyes were represented by the by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 107 very large Reinwardtenas griseotincta and the smaller chestnut-plumaged Macropygia griseinucha; the former being a large and abnormally long-tailed bird with the head, mantle, and under-parts grey and the back and tail chestnut. Family Meearopipa—Megapodes or Mound-builders. The Game-birds are represented by three species of Mound-builders, two being Brush-Turkeys and the other a true Megapode (Megapodius freycineti). The fact that two closely allied species of Brush-Turkeys are found in the same district is of considerable interest. The common species of the country, Talegallus fuscirostris, has a very wide coastal range, being also found in South-eastern New Guinea and extending along the north coast to the middle of Geelvink Bay. The other species, 7. cuvieri, is of western origin, being hitherto known from the Arfak Peninsula and the islands of Salwatti, Mysol, and Gilolo. Its occurrence on the Iwaka River was quite unexpected, and no doubt the ranges of the two species overlap in the neighbourhood of the Mimika in the south and in the vicinity of Rubi on Geelvink Bay in the north. In both the plumage is black, but 7. cuviert is a larger bird than 7. fuscirostris, and is easily recognised by having the tibia feathered right down to the tibio-tarsal joint and the bill orange-red instead of sooty-brown. All these species are of the greatest interest on account of their remarkable nesting-habits, and their nesting- mounds of decaying vegetable matter were conspicuous objects in the jungle. The eggs, which are very large for the size of the birds, are buried among the débris which the birds rake together into a large heap, the young being hatched, as in an incubator, by the warmth of the decaying leaves. The parent bird, after burying its eggs, takes no further notice of them, but the young on leaving the shell are fully feathered and able to fly and take care of themselves. 108 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected Family Casvarupa#—Cassowaries. The discovery made by Mr. Walter Goodfellow that two distinct forms of two-wattled Cassowary occur side by side on the Mimika River has greatly modified Mr. Rothschild’s views on the classification of the genus, and he now finds that the ten forms possessing two wattles, when placed side by side, fall naturally into two groups, one consisting of the Common Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius), divisible into six subspecies or races, and the other of C. bicarunculatus, which may be divided in four subspecies. The large forms found on the Mimika are C. sclateri representing the first group and C. intensus representing the second. Both these birds have a large elevated casque or helmet, and differ chiefly in the pattern and coloration of the bare neck-wattles. These Cassowaries were seen at various times searching for food in the pools and shallow waters of the river- beds, and during the cross-country marches would some- times dash across the trail, affording but a momentary glimpse. The natives have distinct names for the male and female birds, and judging from the quantities of feathers in their possession must often succeed in capturing them. LEggs and newly-hatched chicks were brought in during January and February. On one occasion at Parimau some eggs must have been kept by the natives for a few days before they hatched, for young were brought to the camp which had evidently just emerged from the shells. A very interesting discovery was made by Mr. Claude Grant on the foot-hills, where he met with a new dwarf species of Cassowary, C. claudii [O.-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxix. p. 25 (1911)]. It is allied to C. papuanus, but has the hind part of the crown and occiput black instead of white. Like that bird it has a low triangular casque, and belongs to a different section of the genus from the two larger species already mentioned. C. claudii has very brilliantly coloured soft parts. The by the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea. 109 occiput and sides of the head are entirely black ; between the gape and the ear is a patch of deep plum-colour; the upper half of the back of the neck is electric-blue, shading into violet-blue on the sides and fore-part of the neck including the throat; the lower half of the back of the neck is orange-chrome, this colour extending down the upper margin of a bare magenta-coloured area situated on each side of the feathered part of the neck. This fine bird is now mounted and on exhibition in the Bird Gallery at the Natural History Museum. List of the Principal Papers relating to the Birds of New Guinea, including the Kei and Aru Islands. 1858, Selater (P. L.). Journ. Linn. Soe. London, Zool. ii. pp. 149-170 (1858). 1875-88. Gould. Birds of New Guinea and the adjacent Papuan Islands. (Completed by R. B. Sharpe) (1875-88). 1880-82 Salvadori. Ornitologia della Papuasia e delle Molluche. & 1889-91. Vols. i—iii. (1880-82). Agginnte, pts. i—iil. (1889-91). 1883. Ramsay. Proce. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. viii. pp. 15-29 (1883). 1884. Sharpe. Journ. Linn. Soc., Zool. xvii. pp. 405-408 (1884). Meyer. Zeit. ges. Orn. i. pp. 269-296, pls. xiv.-xvili. (1884). 1885. Finsch and Meyer. Zeit. ges. Orn. li. pp. 869-891, pls. xy.— xxii, (1885). Guillemard. P.Z.S. 1885, pp. 615-665, pl. xxxix. 1886. Meyer. Monat. Schutze Vogelw. 1886, pp. 85-88, pl. Meyer. P.Z.S. 1886, pp. 297-298. Finsch and Meyer. Zeit. ges. Orn. ili. pp. 1-29, pls. ivi. (1886). Meyer. Zeit. ges. Orn. iii. pp. 80-38 (1886). Salvadori. Ibis, 1886, pp. 151-155, 1887, Ramsay. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. (2) ii. pp. 289-240 (1887). Bartlett. P.Z.S. 1887, p. 392. Oustalet. Le Nat. i. pp. 180-182 (1887). 1888. Meyer. Reisen in Kaiser Wilhelms-Land und Englisch New- Guinea in dem Jahren 1884 u. 1885 an Bord des Deutschen Dampfers “Samoa.” Leipzig, 1888. Cabanis. J.f.0. 1888, p. 119. 1889. Cabanis. J.f.O. 1889, p. 62, pls. i. & ii. Meyer. J.f. O. 1889, pp. 821-326. De Vis. Proc. Roy. Soc, Queensland, vi. pp. 245-248 (1889). 110 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on the Birds collected 1890, 1891. 1891-98. 1892. 3893. 1894, 1895. De Vis, British New Guinea. Report of the Administration for the period 4th Sept., 1888, to 80th June, 1889. App.G. Report on Birds from British New Guinea, pp. 105-116 (1890). (Reprinted, Ibis, 1891, pp. 25-41.) Goodwin. This, 1890, pp. 150-156. Meyer. Ibis, 1890, p. 412, pl. xii. Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Genoy. (2) ix. pp. 554-592 (1890). Oustalet. Le Nat. v. pp. 260-261 (1891). Sclater. Ibis, 1891, p. 414, pl. x. Meyer. Abh. Zool. Mus. Dresden, 1891, No. 4, pp. 1-17. Sharpe. Monogr. Paradiseide and Ptilonorhynchide (1891- 98). De Vis. Ann. Queensland Mus. ii, pp, 4-11 (1892), De Vis, Annual Report Brit, New Guinea, 1890-91. App. CC, pp. 93-97, pl. (1892). Salvadori, Ann. Mus. Civ. Genoy. (2) x. pp. 797-884 (1892). Meyer. J.f.O. 1892, pp, 254-266. Crowley. Bull. B.O. C. i. p. xvi (1892). Meyer. Abh. Zool. Mus. Dresden, 1892-93, No. 3, pp, 1-88, pls. i. & ii. (1898). Oustalet. Nouy. Archiv. Mus. Paris, (8) iv, pp, 218-220, pl. xv.; v. pp. 295-299, pl. vi. Sclater, Ibis, 1898, pp, 243-246, pl, vii, text-fig, Finsch. This, 1893, pp, 463-464, Meyer. Ibis, 1893, pp. 481-483, pl. xiii. De Vis. Annual Report Brit. New Guinea, 1894, pp. 99-105. Salvadort. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genoy. (2) xiv. pp .150-152 (1894), Meyer. Bull. B.O.C. iv. pp. vi, vii, xi, xii (1894). Rothschild. Bull. B.O. C. iv. p. xi (1894). Sharpe. Bull. B, O. C. iv. pp. xii-xv (18904). Reichenow. Orn. Monatsh. ii. p. 22 (1894). Meyer. Abh. Zool. Mus, Dresden, 1894-95, No, 2, pp. 1-4, pl. (1894). Brittikofer. Notes Leyden Mus, xvi. pp. 161-165 (1894). Mead. Amer, Natural. xxviii. pp. 915-920, pls. xxix-xxxi. (1894). Meyer. Bull. B. O. C, iv. p. xvii (1895). Meyer, Abh. Zool. Mus. Dresden, 1894-95, No. 5, pp. 1-11, pls. i. & ii.; No. 10, pp. 1-2, pl, i. figs. 1-4 (1895). Rothschild, Nov. Zool, ii. pp. 22, 59, 480, pls, iii. & y. (1895). Hartert. Nov. Zool, ii. p, 67 (1895), Rothschild. Bull. B, O.C, iv. pp. xxi, xxvi, xlii (1895). Ogilvie-Grant, Bull. B, O. C. v. p. xv (1895). Mead. Awer. Natural. xxix. pp. 1-9, 409-417, 627-636, 1056- 1065, pl. vii. (1895), 1896. 1897. 1898. 1899. 1900. éy the B.O.U. Expedition to Dutch New Guinea, 111 Sanyal. P.Z,S. 1895, pp. 541-542. Oustalet. Bull. Mus, Paris, 1895, pp. 47-50. Sclater. Ibis, 1895, pp. 348, 344, pl. viii. Rothschild and Hartert. Noy. Zool. iii. pp. 8, 252, 530, 534, pl. i. (1896), Rothschild. Nov. Zool. iii. pp. 10-19 (1896). Salvadori. Ann. Mus. Civ. Genov. (2) xvi. pp. 55-120 (1896). Salvadori. Bull. B.O. C. v. p. xxii (1896). Rothschild. Bull. B.O. C. vi. pp. xv—xvi (1896). Oustalet. Nouv. Archiv. Mus. Paris, (3) viii. pp. 263-267, pls. xiv. & xv. (1896). Rothschild. Bull. B.O.C. vi. pp. xv, xvi, xxiv, xxv, xl, xlv, liv (1897). Rothschild, Bull. B.O.C, vii. pp. xxi-xxii (1897). Reichenow. Orn. Monatsh. v. pp. 24-26, 161, 178, 179 (1897). Kleinschmidt, Orn. Monatsb. v. p. 46 (1897). Kleinschmidt. J. f.O. 1897, pp. 174-178, text-tig. Reichenow. J. f.O. 1897, pp. 201-224, pls. v. & vi. Rothschild. Nov. Zool. iv. p. 169, pl. ii. fig. 2 (1897). Hartert. Nov. Zool. iy. p. 396 (1897). De Vis. Ibis, 1897, pp. 250-252, 371-392, pl. vii. Madardsz. Termés. Fiizetek, xx. pp. 17-54, pls.i. & ii, (1897), Mead. Amer. Natural. xxxi. pp. 204-210 (1897). Hartert. Bull. B.O.C. viii. pp. viii & ix (1898). Rothschild. Bull, B. O.C. viii. p. xiv (1898). Rothschild, Das Tierreich, Paradiseide, 52 pp. Berlin, 1898. De Vis. Annual Report New Guinea, App, AA. Report on Birds for 1896-97, pp. 81-90 (1898). Finsch. Notes Leyden Mus. xx. pp. 129-136 (1898), Rothschild. Novy. Zool. v. pp. 84-87, 418, 509, 513, pl. xviii. (1898). Reichenow. J.f.O. 1898, pp. 124-128, pl. i. Caley-Webster, ‘Through New Guinea and the Cannibal Countries.” Appendices on Birds by Messrs. Rothschild and Hartert (1898). Salvadori. Ann. Mus. Ciy. Genov. (2) xix. pp. 578-582 (1899). Rothschild. Nov. Zool. vi. pp. 75, 218, pls, ii. & iii. (1899). Hartert. Nov. Zool. vi. p. 219, pl. iv. (1899). Madardész. Termés, Fiizetek, xxii. pp, 375-428, pls. xv-xvil, (1889). Finsch. Notes Leyden Mus, xxii. pp. 49-69, 70 (1900), Rothschild. Bull. B. O. C. x. pp. e, ei (1900), Rothschild, Bull. B. O.C. xi. pp. 25, 26, 30 (1900). Madardsz, Orn. Monatsb. viii, pp. 1-4 (1900), 112 Mr. Ogilvie-Grant on Birds of Dutch New Guinea. 1900 (con). 1901. 1908. 1904. 1905. 1905-10. 1906. 1907. Renshaw. Nature Notes, xi. pp. 164-167 (1900). Currie. P.U.S. Nat. Mus. xxii. pp. 497-499, pl. xvii. (1900). Le Souéf. Ibis, 1900, pp. 612, 617, text-fig. 1. Rothschild. Bull. B.O.C. xii. p. 84 (1901). Reichenow. Orn. Monatsb. ix. pp. 185-186 (1901). Madardsz. Termés. Fiizetek, xxiv. p. 75 (1901). Hartert. Nov. Zool. viii. pp. 1, 93 (1901). Rothschild and Hartert. Noy. Zool. viii. pp. 58, 102, pls. ii.- iv. (1901). Weiske. “Ein Beitrag zur Naturgeschichte der Laubenvogel.” Monat. Schutze Vogelw. xxvii. pp. 41-45 (1902), Sclater. Bull. B. O.C. xiii. p. 23 (1902). Rothschild. Bull. B. O. C. xii. p. 32 (1903). Finsch. Orn. Monatsh. xi. p. 167 (1905). Renshaw. Avicult. Mag. (2) ii. pp. 26-27, fig. (1903). Rothschild and Hartert. Nov. Zool. x. pp. 65-89, pl. i., pp. 196- 231, 435-480, pls. xiii. & xiv. (1908). Hartert. Nov. Zool. x. pp. 232-254 (1903). Rothschild. Bull. B.O.C. xiv. pp. 88-40 (1904). Ogilvie-Grant. Bull. B.O.C. xiv. p. 40 (1904). Ogilvie-Grant. Ibis, 1905, pp. 429-440, pl. viil. text-figs, 22-26. Pycraft. bis, 1905, pp. 440-453. Sharpe. Bull. B.O.C. xy. p. 91 (1905). Salvadort. Ibis, 1905, pp. 401-429, 585-642. Salvadori. In Wytsman, Genera Avium, Psittaci, pts. 5, 11, & 12 (1905-1910). Salvadori. Ibis, 1906, pp. 124-181, 826-833, 451-465, 642- 659, Rothschild. Bull. B. O.C. xix. pp. 7-8, 27 (1906). Foerster and Rothschild. Two new Birds of Paradise Zool. Mus. Tring, 3 pp. Tring, 1st October, 1906. . Van Oort. Notes Leyden Mus. xxviii. pp. 129-130 (1906), Ogilvie-Grant. Bull. B. O.C. xix. p. 89 (1906). North. Vict. Nat. xxii. pp. 147, 156-8, pl. (1906). Salvadori. Ibis, 1907, pp. 122-151, 311-322. Ingram (Sir W.). Ibis, 1907, pp. 225-229, pl. v. text-figs. 8 & 9, Simpson. Ibis, 1907, pp. 880-387, text-figs. Rothschild and Hartert. Nov. Zool. xiv. pp, 488, 447 (1907), Rothschild. Nov. Zool. xiv. p. 504, pls. v.-vii. (1907), Rothschild. Bull. B.O. C. xxi. p. 25 (1907). Hartert. Bull. B. O.C. xxi. p. 26 (1907). North. Vict. Nat. xxiv. p. 186 (1907). Ingram (C.). Avicult. Mag. (2) v. p. 864, pl. (1907). Le Souéf. Emu, vi. p. 119-120 (1907), 1908. 1909. 1910. 1911. 1912. On the new ‘ Hand-list of British Birds.’ 113 Van Oort. Notes Leyden Mus. xxix. pp. 170-180, 2 pls. pp. 204-206, 1 pl. (1908). Van Oort. Notes Leyden Mus. xxx. pp. 127-128 (1908). Rothschild. Nov. Zool. xv. p. 392 (1908). Sharpe. Bull. B. O.C. xxi. p. 67 (1908). Rothschild, Bull. B.O.C. xxiii. p. 7 (1998). Goodfellow. Bull. B, O. C. xxiii. pp. 85-89 (1908). Beaufort. Nova Guinea, v. Zoologie, Livr. 3, pp. 389-420 (1909). Van Oort. Nova Guinea, ix. Zoologie, Livy. 1. Birds from South-western and Southern New Guinea, pp. 51-107, pl. i. (1909). Van Oort. Notes Leyden Mus. xxx. pp. 225-244 (1909). Horsbrugh (C. B.). This, 1909, pp. 197-213. Sassi. J.f.0. 1909, pp. 865-383. Nehrkorn, Orn. Monatsb. xvii. p. 44 (1909). Astley. Avicult. Mag. (2) vii. pp. 156-158 (1909). Van Oort. Notes Leyden Mus. xxxii. pp. 78-82, 211-216 (1910). Madardsz. Ann. Hist. Nat. Mus. Nat. Hung. Budapest, viii. pp. 172-174, pl. 11. (1910). Goodfellow. Avicult. Mag. (8) i. pp. 277-286 (1910). Oguvie-Grant. Bull. B,O. C. xxvii. p. 10 (1910). Rothschild. Bull. B.O. C. xxvii. pp. 18, 35, 86, 45 (1910). Hartert. Noy. Zool. xvii. p. 484, pl. x. (eges) (1910), Rethschild. Ibis, 1911, pp. 350-867, pls. v. & vi. Rothschild and Hartert. Nov. Zool. xviii. pp. 159-167 (1911). Ogilvie-Grant. Bull. B. O. C. xxvii. pp. 66-68, 83, 84 (1911). Ogilvie-Grant. Bull. B.O. C. xxix. pp. 25-29 (1911). Rothschild. bis, 1912, pp. 109-112, pl. ii. Ogilvie-Grant. Ibis, 1912, pp. 112-118, pl. iii. Hartert. Nov. Zool. xviii. p. 604, pls. vii. & viii. (1912). Rothschild. Bull. B. O.C. xxix. pp. 50-52 (1912), VI.— Commentary on the new ‘ Hand-list of British Birds. By bP.) li. ScuaTer, Wssc., LR.S: In the last page of ‘The Ibis’ for 1912 (p. 688), there was a notice of the publication of a new ‘ List of British Birds,’ drawn up by four well-known ornithologists (Dr. Hartert, Mr. Jourdain, Mr. N. C. Ticehurst, and Mr. Witherby), and stated to be in exact accordance with the International SER. X.— VOL. I, I 114 Dr. P. L. Sclater on the new Rules of Zoological Nomenclature*. It was also announced that some remarks ov this important publication would be given in the next number of ‘The Ibis.’ The editor of the present series of our Journal has requested me to take this task off his hands, and I have agreed to do so, it being understood that the writer of these remarks is solely responsible for them, and not the editor of the Journal in which they are published. On reading the “ Introduction” to the new ‘ Hand-list’ I was much surprised to find no mention of the Rules for Zoological Nomenclature prepared by the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Surely, before adopting wholesale the so-called “International”? Rules, it would have been better to ascertain what our own zoologists had done in this matter. Yet the Rules of the British Associ- ation are utterly ignored, and it is even stated that the nomenclature of Birds has been “ neglected for more than 150 years, although a requisite of the greatest importance.” But this statement is by no means correct, as I shall proceed to shew. When I began my residence at Oxford, at Easter 1846, as a Scholar of Corpus Christi College, I quickly made the acquaintance of the late Hugh Edwin Strickland, F.R.S., who was at that time living at Oxford and giving lectures there as Reader in Geology. When not engaged with his lectures Strickland was at the Radcliffe Library nearly every day, at work on his ‘ Ornithological Synonyms,’ as he pro- posed to call his book on the nomenclature of Birds +. We soon became great friends, and remained so until his much lamented death by a railway accident in 1853. In fact Strickland was my master and instructor in all matters * Regles Internationales de la Nomenclature Zoologique adoptéss par les Congrés Internationaux de Zoologie. Paris, 1905. + This work was left incomplete at Strickland’s death. The first part of it, containing the synonymy of the Accipitres, was printed and published by Van Voorst (in 1855), edited by Mrs. Hugh Strickland and Sir William Jardine. The MS. of the rest of the work is at Cambridge along with the Strickland Collection and Library. © Hand-list of British Birds.’ 115 regarding ornithology, and I always endeavoured to follow his excellent advice. As with the authors of the present ‘ Hand-list’ so with Strickland, “ Priority ” was the foundation of his work. He rightly maintained that the only mode of attaining unanimity in nomenclature was the rule of priority, but he did not carry his views on the subject quite so far as some of our friends do at the present time. In July 1841, Strickland wrote to his father-in-law, Sir William Jardine, as follows :— ““T have some thought of moving in the Zoological section of the British Association (at Plymouth) for the appoint- ment of a Committee to prepare a set of regulations with the view of establishing a permanent system of Zoological Nomenclature.” This plan, which was also communicated to Darwin, Sir John Richardson, Leonard Jenyns, Prince Charles Bonaparte, and other good friends, met with uni- versal approval. As proposed by Strickland it was brought before the British Association at the Plymouth Meeting, and a Committee, consisting of Mr. Darwin, Prof. Henslow, Rev. L. Jenyns, Mr. Ogilby, Mr. J. Phillips, Dr. Richardson, Mr. Strickland, and Mr. J. O. Westwood, was appointed * to consider the rules by which the nomenclature of Zoology may be established on a uniform basis.” The names of Mr. W. J. Broderip, Prof. Owen, Mr. W. E. Shuckard, Myr. G. R. Waterhouse, and Mr. Yarrell were afterwards added to the Committee. The subject was well considered by this select Committee under the guidance of Strickland, who was appointed Secretary. The Report of the Committee, which I believe was mainly (if not entirely) prepared by Strickland, was presented to the meeting of the British Association at Manchester. This Report is commonly known as the ‘ Stricklandian Code,’ and was printed in the eleventh volume of the Reports of the British Association (1842), and in Sir William Jardine’s volume of ‘ Memoirs of Strickland.’ * * ‘Memoirs of Hugh Edwin Strickland, M.A., F.R.S., Deputy Reader of Geology in Oxford’ By Sir William Jardine, Bart. London: Van Voorst, 1858. 12 Ww 116 Dr. P. L. Sclater on the new Two other editions of the ‘Stricklandian Code of Nomen- clature’ were subsequently printed and published by the British Association: the first, edited by Sir William Jardine, in 1865, and the second, edited by myself, in 1878*. The history of these two editions and a general account of the whole literature of the subject will be found in a paper which was read before the Zoological Society of London in 1896+. From what I have there stated, and from the list of the titles of the various Codes of Nomenclature there given, it will be evident that it is not correct to say that the study of Zoological Nomenclature has been neglected during the past 150 years. On the contrary, much has been written about this subject, and a large number of our leading zoologists have given it their best attention. But in the ‘Hand-list’ it is proposed to throw over all that has been done in this country, and to adopt a Code of Rules that contains, in my opinion, some very objectionable features. I fully admit that it would be of great advantage to the science of zoology to have the same rules of nomenclature in all countries, and the same name for each species. This, no doubt, was one of the principal reasons for the preparation of the new ‘ Hand-list of British Birds.’ “Tf the scientific names of Birds were uniform all over the world,” the authors truly say, ‘‘ what an enormous benefit it would be for ornithologists and for science generally.” Indeed it would, but the question is, how can such unanimity be obtained? As already shewn, we have in England a set of scientific names for our birds based on the Stricklandian Code, and familiar to us from their usage in such works as those of Yarrell, Newton, and Saunders. * This is the title of the edition of 1878:—‘ Rules for Zoological Nomenclature drawn up by the late H. E. Strickland, M.A., F.R.S. (assisted by many Zoologists, British and Foreign), at the instance of the British Association.’ London: John Murray, Albemarle Street, 1878. 8vo. 28 pp. + “Remarks on the Diversities between the Rules for naming Animals of the German Zoological Society and the Stricklandian Code of Nomenclature,” by P. L. Sclater, P. Z.S. 1896, pp. 306-822. ‘ Hand-list of British Birds, Te We are now asked by the authors of the ‘ Hand-list ’ to throw this system over altogether, and to adopt in its place their system, which is founded on the rules of the International Committee. Now, if there were any means of enforcing such a change on all the ornithologists of the world, this would indeed be a tempting offer. But experience shews us that such an offer would not be accepted because of the enormous changes it would necessitate in our usual nomenclature. Who would lke to call the Redwing ‘“‘ Turdus musicus,” or the Barn-Owl “ Tyto alba”? Some of our friends will reply “Oh! but they will soon get used to it!” VLViar OL PHS A 0 4,5 cc0 «« oacc ei 24.) Sylvia atricapilla, «5.0 esis 00+ 25.| Sylvia hortensis..... Be Sra iat 26. Sylvia MISOLL Dea eucre nice cee tle Melizophilus Ane Atco: 28.| Regulus cristatus .......+..% Regulus ignicapillus(,.. .ii.j6-si0is Phylloscopus superciliosus ., Phylloscopus rufus. ......... Phyloscopus trochilus . Phylloscopus sibilatrix ...... Hypolais icterina ... Aedon galactodes .......4 Acrocephalus streperus..... Acrocephalus palustris .. Acrocephalus turdoides..... Acrocephalus aquaticus .... eee ew eee Page > OTH OO ¢ OO GCONINI OD Od Or || Turdus ruficollis .... | Turdus dauma ..sr.cseers | Turdus merula | Turdus torquatus Name in Hand-list. Turdus! VIscivorus: J...00.66 +: Lurdus philomelus ......0045 Turdus musicus .. |Turdus pilaris. ss 8 Ve: oot, « | Monticola saxatilis ........ | Enanthe enanthe ........ F | dinanthe hispanica +......4. | Gnanthe desert? ...... siava | Saxicola rubetra ...... Savicola torquata .......46. Phenicurus phoncurus ... Pheenicurus ochrurus ........ | Luscinta cyanecula ....+.4.. Luseinia suectcd ....eceees ‘ Landalus rubecula Luscinia megar hyncha Abn Sylvia communis ... Sylvia curruca , | Sylvia hortensis ........00.. Sylvia atricapilla .......... SUL DTOTD ORT, wat ocarivc ahah fete vine Sylvia nisoria . : Sylvia undata ...... PEGUIUS FOOULUS si. u50 sues 001008 Regulus ignicapillus Phylloscopus superciliosus .. Phylloscopus collybita ...... 'Phylloscopus trochilus ..... Phylloscopus sibilatrix Feypolaisicbering cs. 6 ..0'a08 Agrobates galactodes ......+ Acrocephalus streperus ... Acrocephalus palustris ...... Acrocephalus arundinaceus Acrocephalus aquaticus 0.910 8810 eoroe 120 Dr. P. L. Sclater on the new No. Name, B. O.U. List. Page Name in Hand-list. Page 40, | Acrocephalus phragmitis ....| 20 | Acrocephalus schenobenus . Locustella neevia ..........| 20 || Locustella nevia ..........| 62 42. | Locustella luscinivides ..... .| 21 || Locustella luscinioides ......| 61 43.| Accentor modularis ........| 22 || Prunella modularis ........| 90 > a 44,| Accentor collaris .....,....| 23 || Prunella collaris............| 90 45. | Cinclus aquaticus .........!.| 28 || Cinelus Orilannecus,s. 2» sialeeine)| 0 46. | Cinclus melanogaster........| 24 || Cinclus conclus .........+..| 92 47.)| Panurus biarmicus..........| 24 || Panurus biarmicus ........| 49 48.| Acredula caudata ..........| 25 || A¢githalus caudutus ........| 47 49.| Acredula rosea ............| 20 | Asgithalus caudatus roseus .. 47 50.) Parus WAjOL -seeasese ces +++|200 361.) Bulweria columbina........ 200 362.| Colymbus glacialis ........ 201 363.| Colymbus arcticus ........ 201] 364.| Colymbus septentrionalis . .| 202 365.| Podiceps cristatus..........| 202 366.| Podiceps griseigena ........ 203 367. Podiceps auritus eevee ans 203 368.| Podiceps nigricollis ........ 204 369.| Tachybaptes fluviatilis ......| 204 370,| Alea tordiiv... 50. ih. 5 decent 205 371.) Alea impennis ........ «+. «| 206 372.| Lomvia troile........ Mites ae d.as 373.) Lomyvia bruennichi sty loos age hee Yi BA Ob at ea ll: ee ae rrr 207 BEO,| MOTOULIS BING; 5 sis.e elses ow lcent 208 376,| Fratercula arctica ..... E .| 208 Name in Hand-list. Larus argentatus ......... Wearuseiuscusis teem cute eek arusyCamisier 2 eievekeleteerereiets Larus marinus «......... oe Larus ichthyaétus........... Larus ridibundus <......... ANUS MULE US ers wie se eke eee NEMO SUD seasaevelocisuctete rene Stercorarius skua .....+.. at Stercorarius POMALINUS . 04. Stercorarius parasiticus... Stercorarius longicaudus .... Hydrobates pelagicus........ Oceanodroma leucorhoa ...... Oceanites oceanicus..,..... Puffinus puffinus ....cec.+- PuffiniisSrisens, iiss © sisamiers Puffinus gravis .......... ae Puflinus obscurus ........ Fulmarus glacialis ........ Pterodroma hasitata........ Bulweria bulwertt .......45. Gavia wmmer ....vsc.cccwee Gavia arctica..... Suan eae A Gavia stellata ........ Rey Colymbus cristatus ss... Colymbus grisetgena ...6.+.. Colymbus auritus so. ceeeeee Colymbus nigricollis ......0. Colymbus ruficollis.......... UICAMOTOE 5.5 os sae wale exes os Alcaimpennis ....... Bein Ura Gr0Ules. sia place te eee Uria lomma ..... NGOS otto Uniaveryllecs a ayeaeaierer eae Alle GMC. eR eae wine Pasherc / | Fratercula arctica .......... into conformity with the ‘ Hand-list.’ It will be seen by this Comparative List that of the 376 names comprised in the ‘ B.O.U. List’ more than one-half would have to be altered in order to bring the ‘ B. O. U. List’ This is, as I consider, so great a defect in the projected change that, in my opinion, the alterations could not be effected, even if other matters could be satisfactorily arranged. It is possible, however, that the Committee of the B. O. U. now at work on Nomenclature On Solander as an Ornithologist. 127 may be able to find a way out of the difficulty. It should also be recollected that, according to the Stricklandian Code, the twelfth edition of the ‘Systema, not the tenth, is to be taken as the starting-point of Binomial Nomenclature, and that ‘“‘toutonyms”’ are not permitted. These are both obvious advantages, as is also the liberty to correct mistakes and bad grammar. If we take Latin for the language of science we are surely bound to follow its grammatical rules. On all these three important points, which were further elucidated in my address to the Zoological Society in 1896 (above referred to), Strickland’s views may be tested by reference to his own writings. Moreover, the Stricklandian Code of 1842 has a long “ Priority” in point of date over the International Rules of 1905, and may well claim precedence on that account. VII.—Solander as an Ornithologist. By Tom Irepatr. Ir has been suggested to me that a short note regarding Solander and his connection with ornithology might be of interest to the readers of ‘ The Ibis.’ To those few who, like myself, have had occasion to delve into the literature surrounding almost any member of the Procellariiformes, the name of Solander has long been familiar, but hitherto it has not been regarded with feelings of pleasure. The numerous manuscript names which confront the investigator in that Order had usually the enigmatic “Sol.” attached, and most attempts to fathom the mystery surrounding this name have ended in failure. Those working at the British Museum (Natural History) were enabled to examine unfinished drawings and paintings on which appeared in pencil some of the names usually accredited to “Sol.” In a carefully locked box, labelled “ Solander MSS.,” is contained a number of little books of manuscript slips of descriptions of zoological specimens in the handwriting of Solander. These were also accessible to the interested student, but upon reference to the solitary 128 Mr. Tom Iredale on book labelled “Aves” only a few slips relating to the Diomedeidz were found. Consequently the determination of the drawings was a difficult matter, and it might have been a worthless pursuit were it not that Latham, in the ‘General Synopsis of Birds, described many Petrels from the collection and drawings of Sir Joseph Banks. Before proceeding further, I propose to outline the career of Dr. Solander, the details of which are drawn from the Journal of Sir Joseph Banks, edited by Sir J. D. Hooker in 1896, where there appears a biographical sketch of his life. I have to thank Mr. W. L. Sclater for drawing my attention to this interesting book. When Mr. Mathews wrote his account of the southern Petrels in his ‘ Birds of Australia, he was unaware of this book, as it is not included in the General Library of the British Museum (Natural History), but through inadvertence has been allotted to the Botanical Department, though the zoological items seem to much outnumber the botanical ones. Daniel Carl Solander was born in Norrland, Sweden, on February 28, 1736, and studied at Upsala, where he took his degree of M.D. and became a pupil of Linné. I have always identified him with the “D. Solandri” mentioned in the introduction to the tenth Edition of Linneé’s ‘Systema Nature,’ where he is recorded as being a disciple of Linné, who had made a trip into “ Lapp, Pitensem and Tornensem in 1753.” If this be correct, Solander was only seventeen when he made this journey. Linné advised him to go to England, and gave him an introduction to Ellis. Solander arrived in England in 1760, and though well recommended to the British Museum no permanency was offered him. Consequently, in 1762, Linné obtained the offer of a botanical professorship at St. Peters- burg for him, but on the advice of his English friends this was declined and almost immediately afterwards he was appointed Assistant in the British Museum, where apparently he had been engaged in classifying and cataloguing since his arrival. In 1764 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. It was not until 1767 that he met Banks, but a friendship was Solander as an Ornithologist. 129 at once formed that ended only with death. Banks was the younger man and probably was the more enthusiastic, but the exact connection between the two cannot now be ascertained. Anyhow Banks determined to accompany Captain Cook on his First Voyage, the main purpose of which was to observe the Transit of Venus from the new view-point in the Pacific, the Society Islands, and incidentally to look out for the theoretical Antarctic Continent. The result of Banks’ meeting with Solander is thus told in a letter from Ellis to Linné :—“I must inform you that Jos. Banks has prevailed on your pupil Dr. Solander to accompany him in the ship .... to the new-discovered country in the South Sea....1 must observe to you that his places are secured to him, and he has promises from persons in power of much better preferment on his return. Everybody here parted from him with reluctance, for no man was ever more beloved, and in so great esteem with the public from his affable and polite behaviour.” Cook’s first voyage lasted from 1768 till 1771, and Solander and Banks arrived back safely, although the three artists whom they took with them all died on the voyage. On their return Solander became Secretary and Librarian to Banks and also Under-Librarian at the British Museum. The “call of the Pacific” was, however, felt by Banks and Solander, and preparations were made by them to accom- pany Cook on his Second Voyage. On receipt of this intelligence, Linné wrote to Ellis a most prophetic lament, extracts from which are worth reproduction in this connec- tion :—“JT have just read .... that our friend Solander intends to revisit those new countries. .... This report has affected me so much as almost entirely to deprive me of sleep. .... Whilst the whole botanical world, like myself, has been looking for the most transcendant benefits to our science .... all their matchless and truly astonishing collection .... is to be put aside untouched, to be thrust into some corner, to become perhaps the prey of insects and of destruction. .... 1am under great apprehension that, if the collection should remain untouched till Solander’s return, = SER. X.—VOL. I. K 130 Mr. Tom Iredale on it might share the same lot as Forskal’s Arabian specimens at Copenhagen .... Solander promised .... that he would visit me after his return. If he had brought some of his specimens with him, I could at once have told him what were new... .he might have been informed or satisfied upon many subjects, which after my death will not be so easily explained. ...-Do but consider, my friend, if these treasures are kept back, what may happen to them. They may be devoured by vermin of allkinds. The house where they are lodged may be burnt. Those destined to describe them may die. . . I there- fore once more beg, nay I earnestly beseech you, to urge the publication of these new discoveries. I confess it to be my most ardent wish to see this done before I die.” Linné’s wish, however, was not gratified, as although Solander and Banks did not make the second voyage with Cook they went to Iceland instead. It may here be conceded that it was probably the irresponsibility of Banks overruling the prudence of Solander that completed the desolate tale. For though it is now known that some work was done, little had been effected when Solander was struck down by paralysis and passed away on the 16th of May, 1782. How fearfully fulfilled was Linne’s utterance ‘‘ Those destined to describe them may die.” The specimens ‘‘ may be devoured by vermin of all kinds ”’: this appears to have happened, as the majority of the forms are absolutely lost. “To be thrust into some corner” was literally the fate of nearly everything connected with the First Voyage. After Solander’s death, Banks does not seem to have taken any interest in the zoological specimens, but apparently allowed Latham to inspect the birds and bird-drawings. As a result, many were described by that great ornithologist, and these have been, in some cases, stumbling-blocks to the systematist, in that Latham did not transcribe the exact localities, and, moreover, did not differentiate the incomplete drawings nor indicate them as such. If Solander’s notes were made available to Latham, he did not use them. The Banksian drawings and manuscript passed into the possession of the British Museum, but they were “ thrust into some Solander as an Ornithologist. 131 corner.” It appears to be an outstanding blot upon that Institution that all the work (scant enough) done in connection with these Banksian drawings and manuscript, with little exception, has been performed gratuitously by amateurs, the only two officials who have attempted any work, that I can trace, being Gray and Sharpe. Kuhl, Temminck, Natterer, Bonaparte, Gould, Salvin, Godman, and Mathews are the chief names associated with the attempts to elucidate the problems surrounding these drawings. Yet, according to the “ History of the Collections, British Museum (Natural History),” Solander held the post of Keeper of that Institution. Through this neglect, the correct appreciation of the Solander names was impossible to extra-London ornitho- logists, and almost all the errors apparent in Coues’s ‘Monograph of the Procellariide’ in 1864-66 are due to this cause, . A study of the literature made it apparent that more manuscript had been available to the earlier students than could now be seen, as these ornithologists quoted names “ex Sol. MS.” which do not appear on the drawings. Salvin noted this in 1876, and, although it seemed certain that Gray had referred to such a manuscript as recently as 1871, Salvin had to conclude that it had been lost. Through the persistent enquiries by Mr, Mathews, it was, however, discovered that a batch of manuscript carefully put away and labelled as “ Copies of the Solander MSS.” was not, in fact, copies, but constituted the carefully prepared foolscap matter cleanly made for press purposes. From an examination of this batch, we can deduce the procedure of Banks and Solander to have been somewhat as follows :— Banks appears to have been the collector of the majority : when the specimen was procured it was handed to the artist, who at once made a sketch of it, in some cases painting in the soft parts, in others writing in the colour on the drawing : the locality was also written on the drawing, often in Banks’ handwriting ; then Solander drew up a detailed description on a little slip of paper, and selected a name for the bird, kee 132 Mr. Tom Iredale on which was then written on the drawing in pencil, probably at the same time by Solander himself. Whether the skin was preserved or not I cannot say, but IT conclude not. No specimen can be traced, even in literature, which can honestly be said to have been procured on this First Voyage. After their arrival back, Solander certainly worked up the Petrels, making comparisons with the literature, and having the matter on the slips rewritten in clean form on foolscap sheets. It is this rewritten clean batch which Mr. Mathews has traced and which‘ accounts for the missing slips in Solander’s book of “ Aves” afore-mentioned. After the foolscap pages were prepared, the rough slips seem to have been destroyed. By means of these beautiful diagnoses which Mr. Mathews has reprinted in his ‘ Birds of Australia’ any student of the Procellariiformes can work at Gmelin’s species and also read, with reasonable clearness, the monographs of Kuhl, Gould, and Bonaparte. Previously this was quite an impossibility, and in publishing these copies Mr. Mathews has conferred the greatest benefit possible upon the extra-London worker, who can now decide as to the correct attachment of the hitherto enigmatic ‘ Sol. MS.” names. Regarding such matters, I always write from the view-point of one who has endeavoured to do lasting work when living at the Antipodes, deprived of much literature and served with scant material. Those who have the wealth of literature and access to the vast collections of the British Museum are apt to overlook such matters, and do not consider how grateful Antipodean workers are for “the scraps that fall from the table.” I can also speak with feeling, as some years ago I was confronted with the problem of what was “ Procellaria alba” Gmelin, which appeared in the synonymy of the Kermadec Petrel. After much trouble and research I arrived at the conclusion that the drawing which served for the basis of that name, and upon which appeared pencilled “ P. sandalata,” had been prepared from a specimen of (strelata arminjoniana Gigholi and Salvadori. I then found that Salvin had arrived at the same result, whereas Mr. Mathews’ reproduction of the beautiful diagnosis of Procellaria sandaliata Solander shews that we were both Solander as an Ornithologist. 133 wrong, and that the bird so named was undoubtedly that afterwards described as Procellaria incerta Schlegel, a recognition unguessed at by every previous worker. I would poimt out that it is quite possible that other problems regarding obscure birds may be solved by careful study of this newly found manuscript. Mr, Mathews only dealt with that portion covering the Petrels of the Southern Hemisphere, and not with the rest of what had been re- discovered. A few suggestions and ideas which study of the manu- script compelled, seem to be confirmed by extracts from Banks’ Journal. It is much to be regretted that Solander does not seem to have kept a diary, but reference to Banks’ Journal appears to shew that he worked very closely with Banks, and that the latter used ‘‘ we ” and himself, and also that Banks’ “1” just as usually included Nolander. In the first place, I was struck by the fact that no land- as including Solander birds were described, save such as flew on board the ship. The conclusion is that, primarily, Banks and Solander were botanists, but, as at sea no studies in that science were possible, full attention was given to zoological items. This is borne out by the extract from Banks’ Journal, p. 57: “In the first bay we were in I might have shot any quantity of ducks or geese, but would not spare the time from gathering plants.... Of plants there were many species, but to speak of them botanically, probably no botanist has ever enjoyed more pleasure in the contemplation of his favourite pursuit than did Dr. Solander and I among these plants.” Mr. Mathews decided that “apparently none of the specimens met with on the first voyage came into the possession of the British Museum.” I have stated I could trace none, and I do not think any were preserved. I believe that the descriptions and figures were considered sufficient and that after these were made the birds were consigned to the pot. I would again quote Banks’ Journal, in this connection (p. 63) :—1st Febr., 1769. Kaulled Diomedea antarctica, Procellaria lugens and turtur. The 134 Mr. Tom Iredale oz first, or Black-billed Albatross, is much like the common one, but differs in being scarce half as large, and having a bill entirely black. Procellaria lugens, the Southern Shear- water, differs from the common kind im being smaller and of darker colour on the back, but is easily distinguished by the flight, which is heavy, and by two fasciz or streaks of white, which are very conspicuous when it flies, under the wings. Procellaria turtur, Mother Carey’s Dove, is of the Petrel kind, about the size of a Barbary Dove, of a hght silvery blue upon the back, which shines beautifully as the bird flies. Its flight is very swift and it remains generally near the surface of the water. More or less of these birds have been seen very often since we left the latitude of Falkland’s Island, where in a gale of wind we saw immense quantities of them. “83rd. Shot Diomedea exulans, an Albatross or Alcatrace, much larger than those seen to the northward of the Straits of Le Maire, and often quite white on the back between the wings, though certainly the same species: D. antarctica, Lesser Black-billed Albatross: D. profuga, Lesser Albatross, with a parti-coloured bill, differing from the last in few things except the bill, the sides of which were yellow with black between them. “Sth. I was well enough to eat part of the Aibatrosses shot on the 3rd: they were so good that everybody commended and ate heartily of them, although there was fresh pork upon the table. To dress them, they are skinned overnight, and the careases soaked in salt water until morning, then parboiled, and the water being thrown away stewed well with very little water, and when sufficiently tender served up with savoury sauce.” ‘a The birds mentioned in the preceding notes are included in the drawings and constituted some of the puzzles, especially P. lugens and P. turtur. These names have ofttimes been quoted from the drawings as of “ Banks,” but comparison of the above notes and the Solander diagnoses prove that they should be allotted to the latter. Banks’ language does not bespeak the ornithologist, whereas Solander’s descriptions are monuments of exactitude and Solander as an Ornithologist. 135 have never been excelled, though probably Solander himself would not have claimed to be an ornithologist. Again quoting from the same place (p. 64) :—‘ 15th. Went in the boat and killed Procellaria velox, Nectris munda and fuliginosa, which two last are a new genus between Procellaria aad Diomedea: this we reckon a great acquisition to our bird collection.” It should be observed that here is mention of a ‘‘ bird collection,” but I still think that no collection was preserved and brought home, but that the drawings and descriptions represented the forms collected. It does not seem that skins were prepared at that time, and the few birds brought home by Forster on the Second Voyage were dried and mummified, not skinned, The introduction of the genus Nectris (= Puffinus) also suggests that though Solander was sucha keen and accurate observer when dealing with the southern Petrels, he had not been a close student of ornithology previously. Solander had collected specimens of the northern Puffinus at the begin- ning of the voyage and had carefully prepared descriptions and differentiated the species, yet did not recognise that they were congeneric with his southern Nectris, but included them in Procellaria. Yet when he procured Puffinus carneipes he placed it in Nectris, but added that it was somewhat intermediate between Nectris and Procellaria. This com- ment is delightfully accurate, and proves the exceeding care with which he worked at these birds. The rediscovery of the manuscript, which had been “thrust into some corner” for almost 140 years, has now removed from the name of Solander that unpleasant flavour which always surrounds the maker of numerous perplexing manuscript names. We can now believe that the non- publication of these names was due to Solander’s premature death, and that had he lived longer, his work would have been published under his own supervision. In any case, Mr. Mathews’ publication of these diagnoses has placed the Solander names in such a position that they can now be fairly dealt with by every student of the Procellariiformes upon their own basis. 136 Obituary: VIII.— Obituary. Mr. Witrt1am Bernyuarp TEGETMEIER. Ar the great age of 96 Mr. Tegetmeier died on November 20th last at Golder’s Green, near Hampstead. Mr. Teget- meier was the son of G. C. Tegetmeier, a Hanoverian, who had taken service in the Royal Navy. He was born at Coln- brook, in Buckinghamshire, on November 4th, 1816, and was educated in London for the medical profession, chiefly at University College, where he was a fellow-student with the future Sir William Jenner; Dr. W. B. Carpenter, and Dr. Lankester, all distinguished men of science and all of whom pre-deceased him. At this time his father was prac- tising in St. James’ and residing at a house in Bury Street, which beloaged to Yarrell, and it was due to his influence that the lad acquired a taste for natural history. Although he never qualified in medicine, his knowledge of anatomy and physiology served him well as a practical breeder and writer on Poultry, Pigeons, and general natural history. Yarrell introduced him to Charles Darwin in 1855, and he was able to be of considerable service to the latter, supplying him with a good deal of material and helping and advising him in his experiments on breeding; the correspondence lasted till 1881. Mr. Francis Darwin, in his ‘ Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, writes :— ‘“‘My father’s letters to Mr. Tegetmeier consist almost entirely of series of questions relating to the various breeds of Fowls, Pigeons, &c. &c., and in reading through the pile of letters it is made clear that Mr. Tegetmeier’s knowledge and judgment were completely trusted and highly valued by him.” As everyone kuows, Tegetmeier’s special subject was the cultivation and breeding of Pigeons, Poultry, and Pheasants, and on this he wrote many practical works, and was probably for many years our leading authority. His reputation as a breeder and fancier caused him to be chosen as a judge at the principal shows, and secured his appoint- ment as poultry-editor of ‘The Field,’ a position which he Obituary. 137 held for nearly forty years, only retiring in 1907. During this period he also contributed largely to the natural history columns of the paper, and for many years supplied the leading articles for ‘The Queen.’ His membership of the British Ornithologists’ Union dates from 1873, and since 1909 he has occupied, with Mr. A. R. Wallace and Col. Godwin-Austen, a place on the list of thé Extraordinary Members. Of the Zoological Society he became a Fellow so long ago as 1866, and was promoted to the position of Honorary Fellow in 1905. He was 4 frequent attendant at the meetings of the B. O. C., and made many interesting exhibits there during the years 1894 to 1900; but latterly he has not been seen so often among us, owing to failing sight and other disqualifications due to increasing old age. Tegetmeier’s tastes were not confined to natural history: He was a collector of rare prints and a discriminating book- buyer. He possessed a very complete collection of the original editions of Shelley, of whose poems he was an enthusiastic admirer. He was also an original member of the Savage Club. The following is a list of lis principal publications on our subject, including one paper which he communicated to ‘The Ibis’ in 1890 on the domestic races of Fowls :— (1) The Poultry-Book: containing the Breeding and Management. of Profitable and Ornamental Poultry, their Qualities and Characteristics, With illustrations by H. Weir, &c. &. By W. B. Tecermeier. Pp. viii & 356; 30 col. pls. London, 1867, 8ve. 2nd edition: London, 1873. 8vo. (2) Pigeons: their Structure, Varieties, Habits, and Management. With representations of the different varieties by H. Wer. Pp. 188; 16 col. pls. London, 1868. 4to. (8) The Homing or Carrier Pigeon (Le Pigeon voyageur) ; its History, General Management, and Method of Training, Pp. 124; 1 pl. London [1871]. 8vo. (4) Pheasauts: their Natural History and Practical Management. Illus- trated by T. W. Woop. Ist edition. London, 1873, 4to. 2nd edition, pp. iv+142; 15 pls. London, 1881. 4to. (5) Reprint of Boddaert’s ‘Table des Planches enluminéez d’histoire naturelle.’ Edited by W. B. Teaermerinr, F.Z.S. London, 1874+ 8yo, 13% Recently published Ornithological Works. (6) Moore’s Columbarium. Reprinted from the original edition of 1735, with a brief notice of the Author, by W. B. TrexrmMEirr. London, 1879. (7) The Natural Ilistory of the Cranes. A Monograph by the late Epwarp Brytu, C.M.Z.S8. Greatly enlarged, and reprinted, with numerous illustrations, by W. B, TeGrrmeEimr, I.Z.8. London, 1881. Ato. (8) The new Game Bird, Pallas’s Sand-Grouse: its Natural History, with a Plea for its Preservation. By W. B. TegerMetEr, F.ZS. Pp. 28. London, 1888. 8vo. (9) “On the Principal Modern Breeds of the Domestic Fowl.” Ibis, 1890, pp. 504-527 ; 20 text-figs. 1X.—Notices of recent Ornithological Publications. Balducci on the Sardinian Crow. {Intorno alla pretesa nuova forma del Corvus sardus di Kleinschmidt. Riv. Ital. Ornit. i. 1912, pp. 225-236, tav. i. & ii.] Signor Balducci has studied the Sardinian Crow which has been separated from that of the mainland, and, after an examination of a large senes of both forms, has come to the conclusion that there is no ground for their separation. Beebe on new Blood-Pheasants. [New Blood-Pheasants. By C, William Beebe. Zoologica, New York, vol. i. 1912, pp. 189-193. } When travelling through Yunan, during his recent journey in the East, Mr. Beebe met a Chinaman who had attached to his pack-horse the remains of a Blood-Pheasant. On his return to Europe he found two mounted birds of the same kind in the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle at Paris, which shewed him that the Yunan bird was undoubtedly a very distinct form. He proposes to eall it Ithaginis kuseri, after Col. Kuser, for whom he has been conducting his Pheasant researches. The type in Paris was obtained by Prince Henri d’Orléans in 1896. Mr. Beebe also separates the Blood- Pheasant of southern and British Sikkim from that of Nepal and northern Sikkim under the title of Ithaginis cruentus affinis. Recently published Ornithvlogical Works. 139 Beebe on the Yucatan Jay. [The Undescribed Juvenal Plumage of the Yucatan Jay, By C. William Beebe and Lee S. Crondal. Zoologica, New York, vol. i. 1911, pp. 153-156, 1 pl.] This paper contains a description of the various plumages of some living specimens of the Yucatan Jay (Cissilopha yucalanica), which are (or lately were) living in the Zoological Park, New York. ‘These changcs are fully described, and a coloured plate is added of one of them. We do not quite understand why they are called “ juvenal ” and not “ juvenile.” Bickerton on the Terns. [The Home-life of the Terns or Sea-Swallows photographed and described. By W. Bickerton, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. Pp. 1-88, 32 plates. London (Witherby): 1912. 8vo, Price 6s. | This work forms one of Messrs. Witherby’s “ Bird-lovers Home-life Series,” and deals with the five species of Terns breeding in the British Islands—the Sandwich, Roseate, Common, Arctic, and Lesser. All the matter is the result of the personal observations of the author, who has spent some five weeks in four different years at Ravenglass in Cumberland, watching and photographing the Sandwich, Common, and Lesser Terns, while his pictures of and notes on the Roseate and Arctic Terns were secured on a group of small rocky islets off the British coast, the exact position of which Mr. Bickerton wisely withholds from his published pages. At Ravenglass, owing to the strict rules imposed by Lord Muncaster, to whom belongs the tract of sand-hills where the Terns breed, there is every reason to hope that the Sandwich Tern—the rarer species—is increasing, and Mr. Bickerton gives a table of the numbers of eggs recorded by the keeper as having increased from 120 in 1900 to 403 in 1912. Mr. Bickerton’s observations on the varying habits of these species of Tern in regard to nesting-sites, nest-con- struction, sociability, and other psychological characters, are full of interest, and are told in a charming and direct 140 Recently published Ornithological Works. manner, while his photographs, which are known to many members of the Union, not only illustrate his text and confirm many of his observations, but are works of art in themselves. We must congratulate Mr. Bickerton, as well as the publishers, on this exceedingly artistic work, which is also a valuable record of the study of the life-history of one of the most interesting groups of birds in our avifauna, Harvie-Brown on the Fulmar. (The Fulmar: its Past and Present Status in the North Atlantic and in the Northern Parts of Europe and North America, and some Account of its great Increase in Great Britain. By J. A. Harvie-Brown. Zoologist, 1912, pp. 881-888, 401-416, pls. i. & it. The Fulmar: its Past and Present Distribution as a Breeding Species in the British Isies. By J. A. Harvie-Brown. Scottish Naturalist, 1912, pp. 97-102, 12*-182, pl. iv. map. ] As many of our readers are doubtless aware, the Fulmar has extended its breeding-range and become much more numerous of late years about our northern coasts. In the two papers quoted, Mr. Harvie-Brown has very carefully put together all the records and evidence at his disposal of this extension of range, and has plotted it down on an excellent map, of which two editions are given in the May and June numbers of the ‘Scottish Naturalist,’ The Fulmar has been known on St. Kilda for over two hundred and fifty years, but it did not appear at the Faroe Tslands until 1839. The earliest date for the Shetlands is 1878, when it commenced to breed on Foula; for the Orkneys 1900, and for the Clomore Cliffs near Cape Wraith 1897 ; on the Flannan Isles, outliers of the Hebrides, one was observed in 1885, but it was abundant in 1902, while in the past two years (1910 and 1911) it has reached the cliffs of Ulster and Mayo, in Ireland, respectively. Mr. Harvie-Brown comments on these remarkable facts, and suggests that this extension of breeding-range has been probably caused by “congestion at its more northerly breeding-stations,” and draws attention to the relationship between dispersal and migration which, he believes, may throw some light on the latter phenomenon. Recently published Ornithological Works. 141 Chapman on the Birds of Eastern North America. [Handbook of Birds cf Eastern North America, with Introductory Chapters on the Study of Birds in Nature. By Frank M. Chapman. Pp. xxx +530, 24 pls., 156 text-figs. Revised edition. New York and London (D. Appleton & Company): 1912. Sm. 8va. Price $3.50. ] This new edition of Mr. Frank Chapman’s well-known handbook has been thoroughly revised, and contains several new and valuable features. ‘The introductory portion has been increased to one hundred and sixteen pages, and contains chapters on migration, song, nesting-habits, colour, structure, and food, which may be read with considerable profit. The space given to the description of each bird has not been mate- rially increased, but has been revised, especially as regards nomenclature and distribution. In these matters the last (1910) edition of the B. O. U. Check-list has been closely followed. Other new features are a zone-map of North America, adapted from that of the Biological Survey, and a useful colour-chart. We can thoroughly recommend this little work, the first edition of which was published so long ago as 1892, as the most useful guide to the study and identification of North American birds. Chapman on a new Ibis. [A new Ibis from Mt. Kenia, British East Africa. By Frank M. Chapman. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. xxxi. 1912, pp. 285-238, pls. xxiii., xxiv. | Mr. Chapman describes an interesting new [bis resembling in a general way Hagedashia hagedash, but which differs in having a very distinct nape-crest of rounded feathers and the orbital and loreal space bare of feathers. For this he proposes the name Oreotbis akleyorum, gen. et sp. nov. The bird was discovered and obtained by the well-known American taxidermist Mr. C. E. Akeley, who, with his wife, has been recently collecting in various parts of British East Africa. The examples obtained were met with on the southern slopes of Mt. Kenia, at an altitude of about 9000 feet. while other specimens were observed at similar altitudes on Mt. Elgon and iv the Aberdare mountains, The species 14.2 Recently published Ornithological Works. appears to be confined to higher altitudes, and takes the place of Hagedashia, which does not range above 6000 feet. Mrs. Akeley found a nest containing three nestlings and a fragment of an egg-shell on the same occasion, all of which specimens are now in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Eagle Clarke on Migration. [Studies in Bird-Migration, By William Eagle Clarke. With maps, charts, and other illustrations, Vol. i. pp. xvi+823; vol. ii. pp. vili+846, London (Gurney & Jackson), 1912. 8ve.] Mr. Clarke is peculiarly well qualified to write on the migration of birds, for he has made the closest study of the subject for some thirty years, and in 1903 prepared the digests of the several annual Reports of the Migration Committee of the British Association, of which he became a member in 1883. While engaged upon this task he found that a much greater number of observations than had been already made were necessary for safe generalizations, and he therefore decided to devote his spare time to visiting those excellent observation-stations which Great Britain, from her geographical position, possesses in abundance. After a somewhat unlucky trip to Ushant in 1898, Mr. Clarke obtained leave to pass a month on the Eddystone in September and October 1901, to study the cross Channel migration. At the same period of 1905 he spent a month on the ‘ Kentish Knock’ Lightship, corroborating and enlarging upon his Eddystone experiences, and viewing the extra- ordinary east to west movements across the North Sea. In 1904 the Flannan Isles, to the west of the Hebrides, were chosen for observation-purposes, while Sule Skerry, to the north-west of Orkney, was visited for a few hours during the voyage home. The year 1905, however, provided the greatest success, when Fair Isle, between Shetland and Orkney, was visited ; for not only were a marvellous number of rare species proved to touch there on passage in autumn, but several occurred that were new to the British and Scottish lists. Accounts of this expedition and others subsequently undertaken are given at length in three chapters. Two Recently published Ornithological Works. 143 others are devoted to St. Kilda, the scene of Mr. Clarke’s labours in the autumn of 1910 and 1911, wheve the results were but little less successful than in Fair Isle. The author hopes to obtain further details as to the spring migration, through George Stout, a native of the island last mentioned, who has supplied many excellent notes, after being trained for the purpose. The whole book is replete with information on British Migration—for the studies chiefly refer to our islands—and a great deal may be learnt from it, as to the course taken by the birds on their journeys to and from our shores, as well as on the most suitable weather. In the chapter on Meteorological Conditions this is fully discussed, with charts verified by Dr. Shaw at the Meteorological Office. Birds appear to start about 7 p.m., the winds between south and east being the most favourable, and those between west and north comparatively unfavourable: the actual direction of the wind is not a matter of great importance, it is rather the type of weather which accompanies it at the starting-point that tells. In the favourable anticyclones fogs are common, and then the Lights act as decoys; in clear weather little is seen of the birds. High winds are naturally adverse, while the temperature is importaut. The earlier chapters are devoted to the causes of migration and the ancient and madern ideas on the subject, while others discuss the routes usually taken, and give charts of lines of flight. Hight are devoted to individual species, the Swallow, the Fieldfare, the White Wagtail, the Song- Thrush, the Skylark, the Lapwing, the Starling, and the Rook; and these, which are reprinted from the British Association Reports, have been carefully revised and largely supplemented. Coward on Migration. [The Migration of Birds. By T. A. Coward. Pp. x+138, Cambridge (University Press), 1912. 8vo. Price 1s.] The present forms one of the volumes of the Cambridge Manuals of Science and Literature, edited by Dr. P. Giles and Prof. Seward. It is a reasonable little book, and does 144 Recently published Ornithological Works. not attempt to introduce any new theories on the cause of migration. Mr. Coward considers that fluctuating food- supply, love of home, sexual impulses, desire for light, and varying temperature have all been factors in the migration impulse. There are chapters on routes, on the speed of migrants’ flight and the effects of wind and weather, and on early ideas and the history of the investigations. The book coiitains, in fact, a good summary of our present knowledge of this still mysterious problem, Hellmayr on Zonotrichia strigiceps. [Bemerkungen ueber eine wenig bekannte neotropische Ammer (Zonotrichia strigiceps). Von ©. KE. Hellmayr, Verh. Orn. Ges. in Bayern, xi. 2 Heft (1912).] The author writes a short history of Zonotrichia strigiceps, arare South-American Finch, originally discovered by Darwin and described by Gould. He also describes an allied form as belonging to a new subspecies, and names it Zonotrichia strigiceps dabbenci. It is from the mountains of north- western Argentina, Hellmayr and v. Seilern on Venezuelan Birds. { Beitrige zur Ornithologie von Venezuela. Von C. FE. Hellmayr and J. Graf von Seilern. Arch. tf. Naturgesch. vol. Ixxviii. Abt. A, Heft 5, 1912, pp. 84-166. | This paper is based on a collection of about 1200 skins made by an American traveller, Mr. S. M. Klages, in 1909 and 1910 in northern Venezuela. 'Che authors refer them to 171 species. They add the names of about twenty otber species that have been recorded as Venezuelan. The new subspecies described are Tangara (scribe Calliste) guttata bogotensis, Mytodynastes chrysocephalus venezuelanus, Pseudocolaptes boissoneauti striaticeps, Sittasomus griseus virescens, Psammoplex brunnescens rostratus, aad Drymophila caudata klagesi. The work appears to have been most carefully done, as is the case with other articles by Herr Hellmayr, but we protest against his practice of adding the names of authors to Recently published Ornithological Works. 145 synonyms which they never quoted—e. g., “ Basileuterus tristriatus meridanus Sharpe”’ (op. cit. p. 47). Sharpe detested trinomials and never used them. He called them ‘destructive,’ and he was not far from right! In the present paper most of the species have three names, and, including the authority, four, What has become of the “binomial” system ? Hennicke on Bird-protection. [Vogelschutzbuch von Dr, Carl B. Hennicke. Mit 8 Taf. und 60 Abbild. im Text: pp. vi+126, Stattgart (Strecker u. Schrider) {1912}. Svo.] This little work, which forms one of a series known as the * Naturwissenschiiftliche Wegweiser,” deals with a subject which has made much progress in Germany of late years. After two short chapters on the esthetic and economic bases for bird-protection, follow more practical directions for attaining this object by tree- and shrub-planting, winter feeding, providing nest-boxes, and other methods, and, finally, a résumé of the legislative enactments for bird- protection in the principal European countries. Most of the methods recommended are based on those of Freiherr von Berlepsch. Hopkinson on the Birds of the Gambia. [The Gambia, its History, Ancient, Medieval, and Modern, together with its Geographical, Geological, and Ethnographical Conditions, and a Description of the Birds, Beasts, and Fishes found therein. By Henry Fenwick Reeve, C.M.G. 1 vol., 4to. London (Smith & Elder), 1912. ] This is a volume on the little-known English territory of “«The Gambia,” on the west coast of Africa, and will be very useful to anyone going to that Colony or interested in its welfare. It contains, as will be seen by its title, information on a considerable number of subjects, and amongst others a chapter on the Birds (part iil. pp. 210-233) prepared by Dr. Hopkinson, D.S.O. Their correct scientific names are given in most cases, and a few short notes on their habits. See on this subject Rendall, [bis, 1892, p. 215. SER, X.—VOL. I. fy 146 Recently published Ornithological Works. Horring on the Birds observed at Danish Lighthouses. [Fuglene ved de danske Fyr i 1911. 29de Aarsberetning om danske Fugle. Ved R. Horring. Med. et Kort. Vidensk. Meddel. fra den naturh. Foren. i Kbhvn. Bd. 64, 1912: pp. 141-209. ] This report, which has been for so many years prepared by Mr. H. Winge, now appears under the authorship of Mr. Herring. It follows the lines of previous reports in giving :—(1l) A list of birds in systematic order, with the dates when, and lights where, they were observed. (2) A list of birds according to the dates of their appearance, and with a weather report from each lighthouse or ship. Hull on the Birds of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. [The Birds of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands. By A. F. Basset Hull. Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W. vol. xxxiv. 1910, pp. 686-693, 5 pls. ] Although there have been many references to these two islands and their birds in Australian ornithological literature and elsewhere, vo complete account of their Avifauna has been published, and Mr. Hull, who has himself visited both islands, is quite right in supposing that such an account would be acceptable. After a short history of the previous literature on the subject and some remarks on the physical formation of the two islands, the author gives a tabular list of all the species that, to the best of his belief, actually breed upon them, These are about thirty in number, about half of them being marine birds. ‘The general list that follows contains the names of seventy-nive species, arranged according to Mathews’ ‘Hand-list,’ and many interesting field-notes. Aplonis fuscus, allied to the mainland genus Calornis, is found in both islands, but not elsewhere. The Avifauna, as a whole, is a mixture of Australian and New Zealand species, with some endemic forms in each island. J/erula vinitincta is a “ very common and exceedingly tame species,” peculiar to Lord Howe Island, and represented in Norfolk Island by an allied form MM. fuliginosa. Five plates of eggs illustrate this useful paper. Recently published Ornithological Works. 147 Mathews on Australian Birds. {The Birds of Australia. By Gregory M. Mathews. Vol. ii. pts. 3 and 4, pp. 237-476, pls. 95-120. London (Witherby & Co.), 1912. 4to.] Mr. Mathews sends us two solid instalments of the above- mentioned work, which take us to the end of the Procellarii- formes and into the Lariformes. Whatever opinions may be formed as te the validity of the specific or subspecific forms recognised, there can be no question as to the immense amount of information now laid before us, and future writers, in consequence, will now find it amuch easier task to discuss the Petrels of the World, especially after comparing the author’s views with those of Dr. Godman in his great Mono- graph. Solander’s excellent descriptions are in many cases a considerable help in determining the nomenclature, while Mr. Mathews’s ‘ Austral Avian Record’ and his papers in ‘Novitates Zoologice,’ vols. xvii. and xvili. should also be consulted. Attention may be more particularly drawn to the discussion cf the genera in the present book, and to the differ- ences of the bills in the Albatrosses, of which good woodcuts are given in illustration. The genera accepted are Diomedea, Phebastria, Thalassarche, Thalassogeron,and Phebetria, while D. epomophora of Lesson replaces D. regia of Buller, and Phe- betria palpebrata of Forster is used for P. fuliginosa of Gmelin. Under the head of Lariformes we observe that Hydro- chelidon is rightly retaimed in place of Chlidonias of Rafinesqne, published only in a newspaper called the ‘Kentucky Gazette’; Gelochelidon is accepted for our Gull- billed Tern, though the specific name anglica is changed to nilotica, and the Caspian Tern stands as Hydroprogne tschegrava. In the genus Sterna, S. sumatrana replaces S. melanauchen, shown to be the adult of the same species, and the Australian form is differentiated as S. s. kempi, while the author’s own S. s. ncerta is sunk in favour of S.s. mela- norhyncha. Thalasseus is utilized for the whole of the S. bergit group of forms, while S. media of Horsfield is found to be preoccupied and the name 7’. bengalensis torresii substituted. Sternula is used for the Least Terns, Onychoprion for the L2 148 Recently published Ornithological Works. Sooty Terns, the young of which differ remarkably from those of Sterna; similarly Melanosterna is adopted as a genus for S. anestheta auct., which also exhibits peculiar changes of plumage, as does the “ Brown-winged Tern,” now denominated fuscatus instead of fuliginosus. Careful attention has been given to the Noddy Terns, and the most modern account is given of the curious breeding-habits of Gygis. Finally, woodeuts are inserted to illustrate the pattern of the wing-feathers in Bruchigatia, the name adopted for the Australian “ Silver Gull.” Four new generic terms are proposed :—Nealbatrus for Thalassogeron chlororhynchus, Diomedella for T. cautus, Gygisterna for Sterna sumatrana, and Anousella for Anous leucocapillus, two of these names being of a somewhat hybrid character. Megalopterus of Boie is also preferred to Micranous, and his specific title minutus to leucocapillus of Gould. No less than thirty new subspecies are proposed :— Pelecanoides urinatriz coppingeri, P. garnoti lessoni, P. g. magellani, Diomedea exulans rothschildi, D. epomophora mac- cormicki (=regia Buller), Thalassarche melanophris impavida, T. m. belcheri, T. m. richmondi, Thalassogeron chryso- stoma harterti, Phebetria palpebrata huttoni, P. fusca campbelli, Hydrochelidon leucopareia leggei, H. 1. delalandii, H. 1. swinhoei, Gelochelidon nilotica addenda, G. n. gronvoldi, Thalasseus bergii bakeri, T. b. edwardsi, T. bengalensis arabicus, Sterna dougalli bangsi, S. d. arideensis, Sternula nereis exsul, Melanosterna anethetus recognita, Anous stolidus gilberti, Megalopterus minutus americanus, M. m. atlanticus, Procel- sterna cerulea nebouri, P. c. imitatrix, Gygis alba royana, G. a. monte, and Bruchigavia nove-hollandie forstert. Morse on the Birds of Eastern Massachusetts. [A Pocket-list of the Birds of Eastern Massachusetts, with special reference to Essex County. By Alfred P. Morse. Published by the Peabody Academy of Science, Salem, Mass. 1912. 94 pp. Sm. 8vo.] This little handbook has been prepared at the request of the Museum Committee of the Peabody Academy of Science, Recently published Ornithological Works. 149 with the intention of encouraging a legitimate popular interest in the bird-life of the neighbourhood of Salem, and also as a guide to the collections in the Museum at the same place. The list contains 390 species and subspecies ; of these, three—the Great Auk, the Labrador Duck, and the Passenger Pigeon—are undoubtedly extinct; of the others, 280 are species of regular occurrence. The list is printed on one side of the page, and there is a photographic plate of Egg Rock, near Nahant, the nesting-site of several species of Terns. Moulton on the Sarawak Museum. (Ninth Report of the Sarawak Museum, 1910. By J. C. Moulton, Curator, 45 pp. 8vo.]} A good account is here given of the progress of the Sarawak Museum in Borneo, which is kept up mainly, we believe, by the liberality of H.H. Rajah Brooke. It has been prepared by the Curator, Mr. J. C. Moulton. In the Appendix is given a complete list of the 416 Bornean birds represented in the Sarawak Museum. Among these, we observe, are sixteen specimens of the rare and peculiar Bornean type Pityriasis gymnocephala and two examples of the fine Pheasant Lobiophasis bulwert. Oberholser on the Subspecies of Butorides virescens. [A Revision of the Subspecies of the Green Heron, Butorides virescens. By Harry C. Oberholser. Proc. U.S. Nat. Museum, vol. xlii. 1912, pp. 529-577. ] The author, after examining a large series of the widely spread Green Heron of America (Butorides virescens), divides the species into seventeen subspecies, and gives full des- criptions of all of them, adding other particulars as to their variation and distribution. The following subspecies are now newly described:—B. v. eremonomus, B.v.mesatus, B.v. hyper- notius, B.v. cubanus, B. v. christophorensis, B. v. dominicanus, B. v. lucianus, B. v. barbadensis, B. v. granadensis, B. v. toba- gensis, and B. v. curacensis. 150 Recently published Ornithological Works. Oliver on the Birds of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and the Kermadee Islands. [Geographic Relationships of the Birds of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and the Kermadec Islands. By W. R. B. Oliver. Trans. New Zealand -Inst. vol. xliy, 1912, pp. 214-221.] All Oceanic Islands are of great importance as regards their birds, particularly as to those birds that are resident and nesting in them, and the three island-groups studied in the present paper are of much interest. But the results arrived at are somewhat meagre, and there is little information given as to the evidence upon which they are based. The tables supplied consist of merely the names of the species. Van Oort on Birds from the Dutch Indies. [List of a Collection of Birds from Western Java and Krakatau. By Dr. E. D. van Oort. Notes Leyden Museum, xxvii. 1910, pp. 106-166. An undescribed form of Wicroglossus aterrimus. Ibid. xxxii. 1911, pp. 239-240. One small Collection of Birds from Mount Tengger, East Java. Ibid. xxxiv. 1912, pp. 44-50. Endynamis minima, an apparently new Cuckoo from South-western New Guinea. Ibid. xxxiy. 1912, p. 54. On some new or rare Birds from Sumatra, Java, Ceram, and the Poeloe Toedjoe group north of Ceram. Ibid. xxxiv. 1912, pp. 59-65.] The first of these papers contains an account of about 800 specimens obtained by Mr. Edward Jacobson in various localities in Java, as well as in the island of Krakatau. Mr. Jacobson made some interesting observations on the re-stocking of that island after the great irruption, when the whole of the fauna and flora were practically wiped out. No new species are described in the paper. In the second paper a new black Cockatoo is described from Humboldt Bay, on the north-west coast of New Guinea, under the name of Microglossus aterrimus stenolophus. The third paper contains a list of a further collection of birds from eastern Java, in which is described a new subspecies, Crocopsis bimaculatus tenggerensis. The last paper on the list deals with some rare and some new species collected by Baron van Dedem, who, with his Recently published Ornithological Works. 15t wife, recently made a tour through the Dutch Indies. They obtained a fine and distinct new Woodpecker (Gecinus dedemi) on the slopes of the Volcano Sibajak in northern Sumatra, at an elevation of 1450 metres, a new Flycatcher (Rhipidura dedemi) and a new Swift (Collocalia ceramensis) from Ceram, while several other birds are described as “noy. form.” !—but what this means exactly we cannot make out. Schaub on the Nest-down of Birds. [Die Nestdunen der Vogel und ihre Bedeutung fiir die Phylogenie der Feder. Von 8. Schaub. Verhandl. naturf. Ges. Basel, xxiii. 1912.] In this paper the author combats the views of Mr. Pycraft and endeavours to uphold those of Gadow. He believes that the first or neoptile plumage is always developed from the same papilla, and in direct continuity with the second down or deuteroptile and the definitive feather or teleoptile, and it is not possible to consider the three successive feather- coverings as separate generations, and further that the neoptile is not primitive, hut a secondary development, and cannot be used to trace the connection between reptilian scales and definite feathers. Sclater on the Ornithological Literature of 1911. [Zoological Record, vol, xviii. Aves. By W. L. Sclater, M.A. London, October 1912. Pp. 115.]} The Report on ‘Aves’ from the volume of the Zoo- logical Record for the year 1911 is by the same author as the preceding Record (for 1910), and follows nearly the same plan. The list of titles of zoological works and papers with which it commences, contains 1536 entries, the corresponding number for 1910 being 1721. The systematic arrangement followed is, as in the last report, that of the late Dr. Bowdler Sharpe. Of the 1536 publications listed Germany claims 341, Great Britain 322, United States 316, France 137, Russia 112, Italy 35, British India 31, Austria 27, Hungary 24, Switzerland 21, Sweden 19, Denmark 17, Holland 16, 152 Recently published Ornithological Works. South Africa and Finland 11 each, Canada and Belgium 7 each, the Philippine Islands 4, Norway, Japan, the Malay Peninsula, British East Africa, Cuba, and the Argentine 3 each, Portugal and ‘Poland 2 each, Luxembourg, Roumania, Egypt, New Zealand, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Barbados, and British Guiana each one only. Shelley on African Birds. [The Birds of Africa, comprising all the Species which occur in the Ethiopian Region. By G. E. Shelley. Completed and edited by W.L.Sclater. Vol. v. pt. ii. pp. viii and 165-502, pls. 1-Ivii. London (Sotheran & Co.), 1912. 8vo.] Captain Shelley’s well-known work on the ‘ Birds of Africa’ was left unfinished at his death, but, fortunately, the manuscript and some proof-sheets were handed over to Mr. W. L. Sclater, whose experience of the avifauna of that continent qualifies him admirably for the task of editor. He has supplied certain descriptions which were lacking, and has revised the whole iu the light of the discoveries of the last six years. The present instalment is devoted to the group Lani, which is subdivided in a some- what unusual way—chiefly by the habits of the members, though partly by the colour of the young and other characteristics. In some cases the key of the genus requires both male and female to be examined in order to determine the species, a method of which we can hardly approve. But, no doubt, the present Editor will not follow the same course. The families admitted are Dicruride, Vangide (Mada- gascar and Great Comoro ouly), Campophagide, Laniide (with subfamilies Lanting and Laniariine), and Prionopide (with subfamilies Ni/aine and Prionopine). Of these the first and third are usually considered less closely connected with the Shrikes than Captain Shelley believed. Much space is devoted to a consideration of the ranges of the various forms, and this is of undoubted utility in forming a decision as to the validity of the species or subspecies, not to mention races; the author refuses to recognise a fair Recently published Ornithological Works. 153 number named by earlier authorities, and reduces others from species to subspecies ; but for these our readers must consult the pages themselves. The accounts of the habits, nests, and eggs are, moreover, full and interesting. We notice, among other details, that Phoneus is accepted as a generic title for the Woodchat group, Tchagra of Lesson for Telephonus of Swainson, Telophorus of Swainson for Pelicinius of Boie, while the Vanga of South Madagascar is elevated to specific rank as V. griseipectus, sp. n. Eight excellent plates have been drawn by Grénvold for this part. Waterhouse on new Generic Names. [Index Zoologicus, No. Il., compiled for the Zoological Society of London by Charles Owen Waterhouse, [.8.0., and edited by David Sharp, M.A., F.R.S, Pp. vi+324. London (Zoological Society), 1912. 8vo. | This laborious but useful compilation contains a complete list of names of new genera and subgenera proposed for use in Zoology for the years 1901-1910 inclusive ; the greater number of these are to be found in the annual volumes of the ‘ Zoological Record’ and the ‘ International Catalogue of Scientific Literature,’ now happily one so far as Zoology is concerned. ‘There are also included names which have escaped the hawk-like eyes of the Recorders, and others which have been accidentally omitted from previous “ nomenclators.”” The editor reckons that up to the end of 1910 some 140,000 names for genera have been used in Zoology. It is very evident that great care must be taken by those naturalists who are proposing new generic names not to trespass on the 140,000 names already used, and it is there- fore highly desirable that sucha list as this should be issued from time to time. We may add that the price of the work is 15s. to the public and 12s. 6d. te Fellows of the Zoological Society, at whose expense the volume is pub- lished. 154. Recently published Ornithological Works. Other Ornithological Publications received. Bryant, H. ©. Birds in relation to a Grasshopper outbreak in California. (Cal. Univ. Pub., Zool. Vol. i. No. 1, Nov. 1912.) —— ‘he present and future status of the Californian Valley Quail. (Condor, July 1912.) Cosurn, I’. Blue-winged Teal (Querquedula discos) breeding in North Iceland. (Zoologist, Sept. 1912.) GaLswortHy, JoHN. For Love of Beasts. (Animals’ Friend Pamphlet, 1912.) Ariimayr, C. E. Zoologische Ergebnisse einer Reise in das Munds- gebiet des Amazonas herausgegeben von Lorenz Miller.—II. Vogel. (Munchen, 1912.) Horssrvucu, Major Boyp. The Game-Birds and Water-Fow] of South Africa. Parts 5,4. (London, 1912.) Lavriz, D. F. Poultry Foods and Feeding. (London, 1912.) Lovpon, Baron H, Le bagueage des oiseaux. [Russian.] (Moscow, 1912.) Menzpier, M. A. Zoogeographischer Atlas. (Moskau, 1912.) Mivirr, W. DEW. A Revision of the Classification of the Kingfishers, (Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. Vol. xxxi., 1912.) Mircuert, P. CuHatmers. The Childhood of Animals. (London, 1912.) OsERHOLSER, H.C. Descriptions of 104 new species and subspecies of Birds from the Barussan Islands and Sumatra, (Smiths. Misc. Coll. Volalx. No. 71 911)) Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the Spring of 1911. (Bull. B. O.'C. Vol. xxx., Nov. 19123) Satvapont, T. Secondo Contributo all’ Ornitologia del Congo. (Ann. Mus, Civ. di Storia Nat. Genova, October 1912.) Sarupny, N. & Harms, M. Bemerkungen tiber einige Végeln Persiens, (Journ. f. Ornith., October 1912.) Scurenk, J. Das Experiment in der Vogelzugsforschung. (Bericht V. Int, Orn.-Kong. Berlin, 1910.) Tuayer, A. H. Concealing Coloration, an answer to Theodore ~ Roosevelt. (Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. Vol. xxxi., 1912.) Avicultural Magazine. (8rd Series, Vol. iii. Nos. 11, 12; Vol. iy. Nos. 1-8, 1912.) Bird Lore. (Vol. xiv. No. 6, 1912.) Bird Notes. (New Series, Vol. iii. Nos. 9-12, 1912.) British Birds. (Vol. vi. Nos. 6-8, 1912.) Bulletin de la Société Zoologique de Genéve. (Tome i. Fase. 17-19, 1912.) Club van Nederlandsche Vogelkundigen. Jaarbericht. (No.2. Deventer, 1912.) OU or Letters, Extracts, and Notes. ] The Condor. (Vol. xiv. Nos, 5, 6, 1912.) The Emu. (Vol. xii. pt. 2, 1912.) Messager Ornithologique. (Moscow) (Nos. 3, 4, 1912.) The Scottish Naturalist. (Nos. 11-15, 1912.) Zoological Society Bulletin, New York. (November 1912.) Zoologischer Anzeiger. (Bd. xl. Nr. 10-18; xh. Nr. 1-4, 1912.) X.— Letters, Extracts, and Notes. We have received the following letters addressed “ to the Editor ”:— Sir,—Mr. W. P. Lowe’s most interesting account of the Gannets (Sula capensis Licht.) on Ichabo Island (‘ Ibis,’ 1912, p. 263), has induced me to make some further enquiries, and I learn from Mr. Miller, H.B.M. Consul, that they are as numerous as ever, covering the whole island. He writes, under date of October 2nd :— ‘The men’s quarters have had to be fenced off to keep the birds away, and they had to expedite the loading of the last lot of guano coliected, as the birds returning to nest began laying upon the stacks. Various attempts have been made to estimate the numbers of the Malagas. .... ‘i It seems possible that there are more Gannets on Ichabo than on the celebrated Bird Island in Algoa Bay. I am, Sir, Yours &c., Keswick Hall, J. H. Gurney. Norwich. Sir,—In the October number of ‘ The Ibis’ I had occasion to figure the male and female of the Blue Chaffinch of Gran Canaria (fringilla teydea polatzeki). May I be permitted to point out the discrepancies between the original painting and the reproductions (Plate xii.), which are so marked as to take away to a large degree from the value of the plate. In fairness to the artist—H. Gronvold—I should like to 156 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. draw attention to the fact that the original painting was an evact representation of the species in question ; much trouble was taken to get the colour identical with that of the living bird, and the completed plate was correct in the smallest detail. The reproduction of this plate in ‘The Ibis’ is so much darker than in the original painting, that it might almost portray a different species. This is especially appa- rent in the figuring of the male, for it takes away two of the characters of this subspecies which I wished to bring out, e. g., the ashy olive-grey back, and the pronounced narrow black frontal band. Another point of some importance which has been over- looked is the narrow white upper and lower eyelid, consti- tuting an almost complete ophthalmic ring. I an, Sir, Yours &e., The Orchard, Kings Langley, Davip A. BANNERMAN. October 23rd, 1912. The Report of the British Museum for 1911.—In obedience to an Order of the House of Commons, dated February 22nd, 1912, the usual annual report on the British Museum and its work in the year 1911 was issued last year, but not quite in time to allow it to be noticed in our October number. The report is full of interest, as is always the case, to workers in science of every department, but there is still room for some advantageous alterations. For instance, a list of the scientific staff and the functions which they fill would be of much interest, as would also be a list of the trustees of this important institution. The following works in connection with the collection of birds have been executed during the year 1911 :— The remounting of the series of birds in the general gallery has been continued, and the old and faded specimens of the Families Dendrocolaptide, Cotingidz, and Pipride have been replaced by finely mounted examples. The rearrangement and relabelling of the Gould collection of Humming-Birds has been continued. Letters, Extracts, and Notes. Altay The preparation of the fifth volume of the “ Catalogue of the Collection of Birds’ Eggs,’’ by Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, has been completed, and will be issued shortly. Lists of birds believed to require protection im certain British Colonies and Protectorates have been prepared for the information of the Colonial Office. The collection of skins in cabinets has been carefully examined, drawer by drawer, or box by box, to ascertain if there is any trace of moth or beetle among them. About half the cabinets have been inspected in this way, and camphor has been placed in each drawer. Great assistance has been received from Mr. David A. Bannerman, who has been engaged in working out various collections, in labelling a number of old collections, and in preparing them for incorporation. The Committee appointed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to inquire into the question of the destruction of plumage birds—including Mr. C. E. Fagan, Dr. Harmer, and Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, to represent the Museum— have completed their investigations, but have not yet issued their report. Amongst the publications of the Museum relating to birds was the General Index to the late Dr. Sharpe’s ‘ Handlist of the Genera and Species of Birds,’ which will be of very great use to working naturalists. The first volume of this work was published in 1899, and the fifth in 1909. The General Index, containing 199 pages, was issued in 1912, and completed the work. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant (the Editor) tells us in his preface that his chief attendant, Mr. Thomas Wells, was of great assistance to him in this laborious task. Among the more important collections presented to the Natural History Museum in 1911 were :—(1) The speci- mens obtamed by the British Ornithologists’ Union’s Expedition to New Guinea. The large series of birdskins is of great zoological importance, and form a gift, the value of which can scarcely be over estimated. (2) The magnificent collection of African Birds formed by the late Mr. Boyd Alexander, during his various expeditions, and giyen in 158 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. accordance with his wish to the Trustees, has been handed over by his executors. It includes the types of 84 species described by him, and numbers in all 4798 specimens. (3) From Captain E. C. Hardy, R.N., has been received a valuable collection of Birds made by Mr. Willoughby P. Lowe, who accompanied H.M.S. ‘ Mutine’ as naturalist. Captain Hardy was engaged in carrying out a magnetic survey from the Cape of Good Hope to Sierra Leone, and invited Mr. Lowe to join him as his guest for the purpose of collecting specimens for the Natural History Museum. (4) Mr. G. Blaine has contributed a valuable collection of birds formed during his travels in Equatorial Africa. (5) A large series of Grouse, Black Game, and Ptarmigan, including many interesting phases of plumage and valuable varieties, has been presented by the Grouse Disease Inquiry Committee. The total number of acquisitions in the class of birds (including the five special donations just mentioned) was 10,819. Of these the most noteworthy were as follows :— (1) Two hundred and seventy-six birds from Ireland ; presented by Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant. (2) Five examples of the Irish Jay, Garrulus hibernicus, from Co. Waterford, new to the collection, presented by Count de la Poer. (3) Two Lammergeiers and a Turkey Vulture, presented by the Zoological Society of London. (4) Two nestling Marsh Harriers from the Camargue, presented by Mr. Collingwood Ingram. (5) Six specimens of species of Para- doxornis from China, presented by Commander H. Lynes. (6) Twenty-two birds from Sze-chwan, Western China, presented by His Grace the Duke of Bedford. (7) Two hundred and forty-four birds from Central Asia, collected by Mr. Douglas Carruthers. (8) Thirty-seven birds from Formosa, collected by Dr. A. Moltrecht. (9) Three hundred and thirty-seven birds from the Island of Palawan, collected by Mr. Willoughby P. Lowe. (10) The type specimens of Tarsiyer elgonensis and Irrisor granti, from British East Africa, both new to the collection, presented by Mr. F. J. Jackson, C.B.,C.M.G. (11) Nine birds from Equatorial Africa, six species being new to the collection, received in Letiers, Extracts, and Notes. 159 exchange from the Berlin Museum, (12) One hundred and seventy-three birds from East Africa, collected by Mr. Robin Kemp. (13) One hundred and forty-one birds from Central Africa, presented by Mr. Sheffield A. Neave. (14) Fifty- three birds from Entebbe, Uganda, presented by Mr. C. C. Gowdey. (15) Anexample of the rare Scops Owl (Gym- noscops insularis), from the Seychelles, presented by Mr. H. P. Thomasset. (16) Four specimens of the Black Bustard, Lissotis afra, from Bechuanaland, presented by Mr. R. E. Dent. (17) Three hundred and six eggs from northern Aunkole, collected by Dr. R. A. I. van Someren, (18) Twenty-three birds from the district south of Lake George, including the type of Laniarius mufumbiri, presented by Mrs. M. Roby. (19) A nestling Ostrich, presented by Herr Carl Hagenbeck. (20) Sixteen birds, including the type of Himantornis whitesidei, and one egg from the Congo Region, collected by the Rev. H. M. Whiteside. (21) Nine birds from Cameroon, including six types of newly-described species, and seventy-two eggs (nearly all of which were not previously represented in the collection), presented by Mr. G. L. Bates. (22) Five hundred and thirty birds and one hundred and eleven skeletons from Cameroon, collected by Mr. G. L. Bates. (23) The type specimen of Wells’s Wagtail, Motacilla wellsi, from Upper Nigeria, presented by Mr. T. V. Fox. (24) An example of Mantou’s Bird-of-Paradise, Heteropiilorhis mantoui, new to the col- lection. (25) An egg of the Greater Bird-of-Paradise, Paradisea apoda, presented by Mrs. E. J. Johnstone. (26) An example of the extinct Passenger Pigeon, Ecto- pistes migratorius, from Kingston, Canada, presented by Mrs. Oliver. (27) Two hundred and twenty-four birds, sixty-eight eggs, and fifteen nests from Tamuco, southern Chile, including examples of a new species, Upucerthia tamucoensis, and eggs which were previously unrepresented, collected by Sefor A. Soldafa. (28) Thirty-four birds from Hntrerios, presented by Lady Jackson. (29) One hundred and twenty birds from British Guiana, presented by the Royal Artillery Institution, Woolwich. 160 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. Rearrangement of the Collection of Birdskins in the Natural History Musewm.—For a period of about six weeks, from the 15th of August to the 27th of September last, the Bird room was closed to visitors for the purpose of rearranging the birdskins in the cabinets to make room for the many additions which have accumulated during recent years, but which have not been able to be incorporated owing to the crowded state of the cabinets. The number of incorporated specimens to be dealt with, amounting to 700,000 skins and formerly occupying 320 cabinets, have been spread over the 379 cabinets now available. The extra cabinets utilised include forty-four of the old type, placed in the passage connecting the two Bird-rooms, and eleven smaller top cabinets of a new type, specially designed to accommodate the larger birds of prey and Vultures. In order to bring this about every drawer, except those containing the Ducks, which had been already rearranged, had to be shifted, and the labour of doing this has been very considerable. The result, however, is eminently satis- factory, and now for the first time for years there is ample room, not only for the present vast collection, but for any specimens likely to be added for many years to come. In January 1910 it was found that a large number of collections, amounting altogether to about 70,000 specimens, were unnamed. Since that date nearly all of these have been registered, named, and labelled, and, so far as possible, reports concerning them have been published. The birds con- tained in these collections are now being gradually incor- porated in their proper places, and are available for examination by students. When this is completed, the entire bird collection, numbering nearly 800,000 specimens, will be in good order, and with the aid of a new catalogue, which has been prepared and marked so as to show the exact position of each species, it will be possible to find any specimen required without less of time. Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 161 Society for the Promotion of Nature Leserves—It will interest Members of the Union to hear that a new Society has recently been formed to encourage the preservation of wild and primitive tracts of the British Islands in their present condition as a refuge for our indigenous fauna and flora. Although elsewhere—in the United States, in New Zealand, and in various parts of Africa—much has been done by the State, in the United Kingdom it has been left to private enterprise and private munificence to establish and finance such refuges and nature-reserves as we at present possess. Something has been attempted, it is true, to check the wanton destruction of animal life by various Acts of Parliament, and we possess in “The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty” (25 Victoria Street, Westminster) a body who have already done much in this direction, although their main efforts have been directed to preserve ancient buildings and areas which are more interesting for their scenery. But they have recently secured to the public a tract of land on the coast of Norfolk, known as Blakeney Point, comprising 1000 acres, the resort and resting-place of large numbers of our migrants, and also a portion of Wicken Fen in Cambridgeshire, one of the few regions of undrained fen-land left in England. The new Society, which will co-operate with the National Trust, and which is to be called the “Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves,” has been founded with the following objects :-— 1. To collect and collate information as to areas of land in the United Kingdom which retain their primitive conditions and contain rare and local species liable tu extinction owing to building, drainage, and disafforestation, or in consequence of the cupidity of collectors, All such information to be treated as strictly confidential. 2. To prepare a scheme showing which areas should be secured, 3. To obtain these areas and hand them over to the National Trust under such conditions as may be necessary. 4, To preserve for posterity as a national possession some part at least of our native land, its fauna, flora, and geological features, 5. To encourage the love of Nature, and to educate public opinion to a better knowledge of the value of Nature study. SER. X.—VOL. I. M 162 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. The Society exacts no subscription ; members are formally elected by invitation of the Executive Committee (marked with * below), and all interested are invited to communicate with the Secretaries. The control of the Society’s affairs is in the hands of a representative council consisting at present of the following :— President, the Right Hon. J. W. Lowther, M.P., Dr. I. Bayley Balfour, F.R.S., Sir E. H. Busk, Francis Darwin, F.R.S., Dr. F. D. Drewitt, *G. Claridge Druce, Professor J. Bretland Farmer, F.R.S., E. Fletcher F.R.S., the Right Hon. Sir Edward Grey, Bt., K.G., M.P., the Right Hon. L. V. Harcourt, M.P., *Sir Robert Hunter, K.C.B., Lord Lucas, *E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, *the Hon. E. S. Montagu, M.P., the Earl of Plymouth, ©.B., Professor E. B. Poulton, F.R.S., Sir David Prain, F.R.S., *the Hon. N. C. Rothschild, *W. H. St. Quintin, Dr. R. F. Scharff, W. M. Webb. Zv-officio: Hon. Treasurer, *C. E. Fagan, 1.8.0.5 Hon. Secretaries, *W. R. Ogilvie-Grant and the Hon. F. R. Henley. The Trustees of the British Museum have kindly given permission to the Committee to use the Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, S.W., as the temporary address of the Society. The B.O.U. New Guinea Expedition—Members will be glad to hear that Mr. Wollaston and his party reached the coast of Dutch New Guinea about September 18th last, and had formed a base-camp on the Oetakwa River as far up as the water was navigable for the launch. Mr. Kloss, of the Perak Museum, who had joined him with a large party of Dyaks, reported that after one week of strenuous work almost the whole of the stores had been transported from the river to the base-camp, and that he hoped very shortly to start collecting at 8000 feet. (See ‘ Ibis,’ 1912, p. 555.) WITHERBY & CO’S LIST. a THE BIRD-LOVER’S HOME-LIFE SERIES Cloth Bound 6s. each net. Special Edition, bound half-leather, ros. 6d. net each. Each Volume contains 32 beautiful plates, artistically mounted from PHOTOGRAPHS DIRECT FROM NATURE, 40-60 pages of descriptive letterpress. NEW VOLUME. The Home-life of the Terns Photographed and described by W. BICKERTON, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. No.1. The Home-life of a Golden Eagle. By .H. B. Macruerson. No. 2. The Home-life of the Spoonbill, the Stork and some Herons. By Benriey Beeruam. No. 3. The Home-life of the Osprey. By Cunron G. Azsorrt, m.a.0.v. THE GAME-BIRDS AND WATER-FOWL OF SOUTH AFRICA By Major BOYD HORSBRUGH, M.B.O.U., M.S.A.0.U., F.Z.S. ; With Sixty-seven Coloured Plates. Limited Edition. The complete work, bound half morocco, gilt edges, and guarded Plates, £4 14s,, now ready. Strictly limited to 300 Numbered Sets. THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA By GREGORY. M. MATHEWS, F.R.S.E., M.A.O.U., M.B.O.U. With Hand-Coloured Plates by well-known Artists. Volumes I. and IT. now ready, Royal Quarto. In Two Guinea Quarterly Parts. PROSPECTUS AND FULL PARTICULARS ON APPLICATION, A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS By ERNST HARTERT, F. C. R. JOURDAIN, N. F. TICEHURST, ann H. F. WITHERBY. Giving a detailed account of the distribution of each species in the British Isles, and a zeneral account of its range abroad. Details of the occurrences of rare Visitors. The Nomenclature is revised strictly in accordance with the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature. Exact references to the original Description and Locality are given, A full (ndex is provided. Press Opinions. AUK :—“ . . . We cong:atulate the authors of the British Hand-List upon the character of their work, and upon the great strides that they have made towards uniformity of nomenclature. Let us hope that all British ornithologists will hearken to the plea that they make and adopt the names here set forth in all future writings upon British Birds.” SPECTATOR :—“ . . . The result however is a work on British Birds which should be not only on the shelves, but constantly in the hands of every British ornithologist. Excellert, careful, accurate, laborious and much needed piece of truly scientific work.” aLASGOW NATURALIST :—“ . . ._ There is proof of great care in dealing with the facts of distribution. The work is indeed remarkably successful in this particular,” * DEMY 8vo. 7s. 6d. net. ~ Copies interleaved with ruled paper ros. net. London : Witherby & Co., 326, Hich Holborn. CONTENTS OF NUMBER I.—TENTH SERIES. ja CERRO ES 3 _ Page = I. On a rare Species of Touracon (Zuracus ruspolii). By ~ 'T. Satvatort, M.D., H.M.B.0.U. (Plate T.) 7 - oCyhaee e Il. A Third Contribution to the Ornithology of Cyprus. By Joun A. Bucrniit, M.A., F.Z.8., M.B.O.U. ~ (Plate IT.) 2 IlI. Note on a new Species of Pucras Pheasant found in the Province of Anhwei or Ngan-Hwei China. By the Rey. F. Courrois, $.J., Director of the Siccawei Museum, néar Shanghai.’ “(Plate ITN) =.9 45 2 oaee ethene eee ee IV. The Birds of Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River or Si Kiang in South-East China, with special reference to their Nidification and Seasonal Movements. By Lieutenant R. E. Vavenan, R.N., M.B.O.U., and Staff-Surgeon K. H. Jones, M.B., R.N., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. (Plate IV.) See Ee V. Notes on the Birds collected hy the B.O.U. Expedition to — Dutch New Guinea. By W. R. Oeitvie-Grant, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. ° 76 VI. Commentary on the new ‘ Hand-list of British Birds” By > P. L. Sevater, D.Sc., F.R.S. mer Te Nein Oats bs Ee) VIf.. Solander as an Ornithologist.. By Tom Inepate. -. . . 127 ‘ VILE @Ritary. “Mr. W. B. Tecermerer . 44) © 5 2G. pa = 46 IX. Notices of recent Ornithological Publications and List of other Publications received :— Balducci on the Sardinian Crow; Beebe on new Blood- Pheasants; Beebe on the Yucatan Jay; Bickerton on the Terns ; Harvie-Brown on the Fulmar; Chapman on the Birds of Hastern North America; Chapman on a new Ibis; Eagle Clarke on Migration; Coward on Migration; Hellmayr on Zonotrichia strigiceps ; Hellmayr and vy. Seilern on Venezuelan Birds ; Hennicke on Bird-protection ; Hopkinson on the Birds of the Gambia; Herring on the Birds observed at Danish Lighthouses ; Hull on the Birds of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands; Mathews on Australian Birds; Morse on the Birds of Eastern Massachusetts ; Moulton on the Sarawak Museum ; Oberholser ov the Subspecies of Butorides virescens ; Oliver on the Birds of Lord Howe, Norfolk, and the Kermadec Islands ; Van Oort on Birds from the Dutch Indies; Schaub on the Nest-down of Birds; Sclater on the Ornithological Litera- ture of 1911; Shelley on African Birds; Waterhouse on new Grenteric Names "2. s Spey ps acc yee nye pane an eee X. Letters, Extracts, and Notes :— Letters from Messrs. J. H. Gurney and D, A. Bannerman ; : The Report of the British Museum for 1912; Rearrangement “~ of the Collection of Birdskins in the Natural History Museum ; a Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves; The B.O.U. *~ *emu? NewsGuinea Expedition,.3°.." 2 Syuin 2 :. vege ae ee — Sa ' om | ‘ Covers for binding last year’s Volume may be had on application to the Publisher. Price 1s. 6d., post free. Communications intended for publication in ‘The Ibis’ should be addressed to the Enrrors. Members are requested to inform the Secretary (J. Lrwis Bonuorr, [sq., B.O.U., c/o The Zoological Society of London, Regent’s Park, N.W.) of any change of Address, so that the Numbers of ‘The Ibis’ may reach them without delay. TENTH SERIES. Vou. I. No. 2. “APRIL 1913. Price 8s. net. ge | | | I | | | } } PH EBS, : A QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY. EDITED BY WILLIAM LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A. LONDON: . H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE —/ON al M us! SUN } —_— R AND FRANCIS, PRINTERS, } {RED LION COURT, FLEET STREE'1 yx A HISTORY . : OF THE a * BS vs BIRDS OF COLORADO ? BY e WILLIAM LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A. (Oxon.), M.B.O.U., Hon. M.A.O.U. (Lately Director of the Colorado College Museum). 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The Streak-eyed Wagtail is an exceedingly common bird of passage at Hong Kong, Macao, and on the Kwang Tung coast generally. Although appearing as early as August 9 on migration, the latter part of September or early October is the more usual time for their advent, when immense numbers may be seen on the cricket-ground and in thie Naval dockyard and elsewhere on the island of Hong Kong. The birds on their passage usually roost in the trees, and as many as fifty were observed to crowd themselves, with much bickering, ito a small tree in the Naval dockyard. They leave again on the spring migration in April, and probably only breed in the far north of Asia; they do not occur inland, so that their migration is along the coast-line. At Hong Kong this species is very much more numerous than Motacilla leucopsis. * For explanation of the Plate, see p. 200. SER. X.—VOL. I. N 164 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones MoraciLLa LEUCOPSIS. The White-faced Wagtail is mainly a winter visitor, but a very few pairs remain, both on the coast and inland, to rear their young. This bird is one of the earliest to arrive from the northern breeding-grounds, and as early as the end of August or the first week in September numbers are pouring south, especially in the western parts of Kwang Tung and in Kwang Si. The migratory rushes take place well on into October, and hundreds of the Wagtails may be seen at evening time on the Hong Kong cricket-ground, the majority of which are immature. As with its near allies, the young, after being hatched, move about with their parents, and family-parties appear on migration. As early as March 18 a pair was found to be building a nest in a hayrick; and on April 15, at Samshui, a nest containing five young birds was noticed in the thatch of some brickworks near that place. In June, birds, evidently breeding, were seen in Hong Kong. At Tam Chau and Kwei Hsien, in Kwang Si, young birds were seen in July and August. On the upper reaches of the West River, where there still exist virgin forests, huge rafts of logs are made in the winter months, and these, covered with turf, bamboo-twigs and vegetable rubbish, are floated down the river when the summer floods permit. On each of these rafts there is in- variably either one or a pair of these birds, and they live entirely on this floating home and journey with it for many hundreds of miles from west to east, indeed until the raft is broken up at Canton. The birds while on the rafts catch innumerable flies. This species has evidently a wide breeding-range, as it is known to nest in Shantung, Fokien, Kwang Si, and Kwang Tung. About the third week in April most birds proceeding north leave Hong Kong, but some migrants linger until the second week in May. on the Birds of South-eastern China. 165 MoTACILLA MELANOPE. The Grey Wagtail is a common winter visitor to the Kwang Tung coast, and some individuals arrive from the north as early as September 6, but the greater number appear about the first half of October. During this autumn migration these birds at times abso- lutely swarm in the paddy-fields, where they descend to feed. The Chinese sometimes catch them after dark at this time by taking a net and drawing it over a small paddy-field. When the feeding birds hear this they spring up and catch their necks in the meshes. At the end of the draw the two Chinamen drop the net and walk along it extracting the birds, which are then sold as “ Rice-birds.” Many of these Wagtails appear to have the breast of a deeper yellow and perhaps a shorter tail than is usually seen in western specimens. MoraciLia TAIVANA. The Eastern Yellow Wagtail is a yery local winter visitor, but is abundant in the marshes at Shiapo and Samchau near Samshui, the only two places where it is: found. Unlike most Wagtails, these birds are exceedingly shy and retiring, confining themselves to the wettest portions of the marshes ; they hide in rank decaying vegetation or skuik im the long grass. This species has been observed as early as August 31. MotTActILia FLAVA. This Wagtail was only seen during the spring migration in the months of March, April, and May. It was observed at Samshui and near Tolo Harbour, Kowloon Peninsula. It is a rather unusual spring bird of passage. LIMonrIpDROMUS INDICUS. This species was noticed both in Kwang Si and Kwang Tung, on the coast as well as inland, but always singly. Individuals were seen in May, August, November, and December. N2 166 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones ANTHUS CERVINUS. One skin of this Pipit was found among those of Anthus maculatus. ANTHUS MACULATUS. The Eastern Tree-Pipit is a very common winter visitor to Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River. The birds arrive in October and usually leave in April, but have been seen as late as the middle of May. Although this Pipit feeds in the marshes in mulberry- canes and long grass, it is commonly enough observed getting its living by the side of frequented roads and in gardens at Hong Kong, but the most curious thing about it is its marked habit of feeding in trees. It flies up into a tree, usually afir-tree, runs along one bough, hops on to the next, and runs along that, hunting busily for insects all the time. Swinhoe noticed that when disturbed these birds always fly into a tree, but he did not apparently observe this arboreal mode of picking up a living. ANTHUS RICHARDI. Richard’s Pipit is an exceedingly common winter visitor to Kwang Tung, the first arrivals appearing early in October or at the end of September, and the later departures taking place towards the end of May. There is with this species, as with many others, a good deal of local movement in the winter months, in addition to the actual great migratory rushes. On January 4 numbers were seen where the previous day there had been none, and these were not at all likely to have come from far north at that time of year. In southern China this species is very tame and allows one to come within a few yards of it. It has been seen to fly up into a tree when disturbed, but this is unusual. It is possible that some of these birds may breed in K wang Si, for one was cbserved at Tam Chau on July 12. on the Birds of South-eastern China. 167 CHLORIS SINICA. The Chinese Greenfinch is a resident species on the West River, but in Hong Kong and Kowloon it was only observed as a winter visitor, and an irregular one at that. Up the West River these birds go about in small parties during the summer, but in the autumn and winter they form themselves into considerable flocks, and these are augmented by very large numbers of birds which come down from the north on migration. In Feb. 1902, in very cold weather, large flocks appeared at Kowloon, whence they departed as it grew warmer. Their cry is a cheerful twitter with some resemblance to that of the English Greenfinch, but lacking the mournful long-drawn note of the latter. This Greenfinch is partly insectivorous and partly frugi- vorous, and is especially fond of the seeds of fir-cones. Nesting sometimes commences very early, for a well-fledged young bird was seen in a cage on April 6. Nests have been taken from March 29 until June 17 in bamboos, ever- greens, and various fruit-trees ; they are slight structures, but well built, and small for the size of the bird. At the nest the birds are very bold. The usual clutcn is four, but five eggs have been observed. Eges vary in length from ‘79 to ‘64 and in breadth from 55 to ‘49; they average *72 x ‘52 (see Plate V. fig. 7). EoPpHONA MELANURA. The Chinese Grosbeak occurs regularly but never abund- antly at Hong Kong in the months of January, February, and March. On the North River a considerable party was seen on April 24, and small flocks were noticed also on the West River in that month on passage north- wards. Swinhoe noticed this species in plenty at Canton in early spring, and surmised that it bred there, but in this there can be little doubt he was mistaken. 168 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones PAssER MONTANUS. As is very well known, Tree-Sparrows in China take the place of Pusser domesticus in western Europe, and have become noisy, bold, and eminently parasitic on man, in precisely the same way as the latter. The Tree-Sparrow is, if anything, rather bolder and more impudent than the European House-Sparrow, for not only is it exceedingly fond of the outsides of houses at Hong Kong but frequently comes inside as well, through the wide opeu windows. In the early autumn great flocks of these birds, in company with a few Russet Sparrows and Buntings, are seen in the paddy-fields, where they proceed to gorge themselves with ripe grain. In the middie of March they repair to their nesting-sites, which are nearly always about houses, under the eaves of temples, or in the mud walls of the cottages, in which last situation they peck out a hole for themselves in the friable material. Kwei Hsien in Kwang Si is the only place where these birds were seen to be nesting in trees, and there they did not nest in holes in the trees, as is usual in the west, but built, as do the House-Sparrows under similar circum- stances in Europe,a large untidy nest of straw and grass. Eggs may be found at the end of March, and five is the usual number in a first clutch, but as many as seven were noticed, At least three broods are got off in the summer, and fresh eges have been taken up to August Ist. These later clutches do not contain more than three eggs. PAssER RUTILANS. The Russet Sparrow is a fairly common bird of passage in the month of April, when considerable flocks pass through on their way to the north. The flocks do not, as a rule, mix with those of Passer montanus, but keep strictly to themselves, neither do they settle on houses and seek human neighbourhood, but rest on trees in the fields and open country. The note of this bird on the Birds of South-eastern China. 169 is not so loud and a good deal sweeter than that of the Tree-Sparrow. The crops examined were full of rice- grains. In January a large flock was noticed, so that apparently the bird at times spends the winter on the West River. Both the Russet and Tree-Sparrow are sometimes seen crowded together in the bamboo-cages of the Hong Kong bird-shops. EMBERIZA PUSILLA, The Little Bunting occurs during the winter, and on New Year’s Day, 1906, large numbers of these birds accompanied by Otocompsa emeria in big flocks were found in the mulberry- canes near Samshui. It was blowing from the northward and very cold at the time. This species shews a far greater inclination for perching on trees than most of the genus. EMBERIZA FUCATA. Painted Buntings are common winter visitors, and put in an appearance as early as the first week in September, when they betake themselves to the paddy-fields and live luxuriously on rice. About the third week in April and on until the end of the first week in May they begin to move off to the north, by which time they are in good feather and much brighter in plumage than in the winter. EMBERIZA AUREOLA, The Rice-bird is an extremely abundant species on the spring and autumn migration ; it passes through all the part of China under consideration, but does not stay for the winter. It arrives about October 12 and remains until the end of the month, and on the return journey it comes about April 19 or 20. These little birds are much prized as dainties, and are caught in vast numbers by professional bird-catchers, who use precisely the same sort of clap-nets and call-birds as their confréres in England. Immense numbers are caught 170 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones aud crammed into bamboo-cages, and at the end of the day they are taken to the river and drowned. Rice-birds are prized by Europeans and Chinese alike, and not only do the rich natives at Canton consume large quantities, but many are tinned and exported to Singapore and to America for the benefit of Celestial exiles. As a matter of fact, any small yellowish bird is sold as a Rice-bird by the Chinese, and one itinerant merchant in Macao was seen with two hundred Motacilla melanope to dispose of for culinary purposes. EMBERIZA RUTILA. The Chestnut Bunting is an irregular winter visitor, but one was obtained at Shia Po on January 6, creeping in long grass. On April 19 large numbers of these birds were found in the mulberry-canes of the Delta, and remained plentiful until the end of the month. Such an incursion was quite unusual however, and due perhaps to the floods which occurred about that time. In the autumn of 1907 these birds did not migrate south vid the river. EMBERIZA SPODOCEPHALA, The Black-faced Bunting is a common winter visitor, arriving about October 19, and leaving again in the latter part of April and early in May. It frequents paddy-fields in the autumn and mulberry-canes in the spring, in company with Hmberiza fucata. MeLoruus MELANICTERUS. This handsome Bunting is resident at Kowloon and on the coast of Kwang Tung generally, and in the winter is gregarious and goes about in considerable flocks. At the end of March and until the end of April these are in process of breaking up and mating is taking place. The bird builds its nest either on the ground or in a cleft in a rock, and eggs may be found in April, May, and June. The nests are very difficult to find, and the birds require a Jot of watching before their secret is revealed. Whilst the on the Birds of South-eastern China. 171 hen is sitting the cock sits up in true Bunting fashion on a boulder or on a telegraph-post, and sings his Bunting-like song continuously and most monotonously. Eggs vary in length from °86 to °76 and in breadth from °68 to ‘61, and average *80 x °76. ARTAMUS FUSCUS. ‘This species was found only at Kwei Hsien, in Kwang Si, and as observations were made in August no eggs were obiaimed. When hawking for their prey they look very like Swallows; they are very tame, and have two cries—a pleasant twitter and a harsh shriek. At sunset family- parties may be seen sitting on a bare bough, the young ones being fed by their parents. The nest is a very slight affair of small rootlets lined with finer material, and is placed, like that of so many other species in this country, at the extremity of a slender bough and at a considerable height from the ground. SPoDIOPSAR SERICEUS. This Starling is a winter visitor, and was first seen on November 3 and last seen on March 8. It always occurs in flocks, which consort at times with Mynahs and roost with the huge mobs of the latter in the bamboos fringing the reed-beds at Moto Mun and elsewhere; they were observed to fly from the coast, where they spent the day, to rest at night in clumps of these trees. STURNIA SINENSIS. This handsome little Starling is a common summer visitor to both Kwangs, but is more abundant on the coast than inland. It is also observed occasionally in the winter months at Mirs Bay and Kowloon. ‘The birds arrive on the coast about the end of March or very early in April, and perhaps a day or two later at Samshui; they come already mated and commence nesting-operations without delay. A pair of these birds was observed attempting to excavate a hole in a bombax-tree, but, as a rule, they nest in crevices 172 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones of buildings, especially in old and ruinous pagodas, and often in company with Passer montanus, Acridotheres cristatellus, and sometimes with Cypselus subfurcatus. In Hong Kong these Starlings seek out their nesting- sites of the previous year and repair their old nests, littering and fouling the ground beneath to an astonishing extent. They frequently nest in large communities. They occasionally feed upon the ground, but, as a rule, perch on the shimmest twigs and branches of various trees, where they pick insects and larvee from the leaves. The birds which breed at Hong Kong all leave by about the middle of September, but they have been noticed at Macao a little later in the month. The first eggs are laid at the beginning of May and the majority by the middle of the month; four or five form the usual clutch. Tlis species is not double-brooded, and the young remain with their parents all through the summer. Eggs vary in length from 1:08 to °95 and in breadth from ‘75 to 69, and average 1:01 x °74. STURNIA STURNINA. On October 11, 1904, near Samshui, a flock of these birds passed overliead whilst one of the writers was shooting pigeons. He browned them and obtained several specimens ; all of these, except one, were lost when H.M.S. ‘Robin’ was afterwards wrecked. This is the only occasion on which this species was met with. GRACULIPICA NIGRICOLLIS. The Chinese Grackle is one of the commonest birds met with in both provinces, but is rather more abundant up the river than on the sea-coast, and less plentiful to the west of Wuchau than to the east of that place. The loud and cheerful piping ery of this bird is one of the most familiar, as well as one of the most pleasant sounds of the southern Chinese countryside, and is to be heard continually after the moult is over in November, until the succeeding autumn, At times these birds have been seen on the Birds of South-eastern China. 173 following the plough as Rooks are wont to do, and it seems probable that they live entirely on grubs and insects. In the summer months, after the young are hatched, Grackles go about in family-parties, but in October and November, when their numbers are largely augmented by others from further north, they form themselves into large flocks, and these join company with those of Starlings and Mynahs, the whole concourse roosting in favoured reed-beds or bamboo-clumps, and performing graceful aerial evolutions at sunset before retiring to rest, with much clamour and squabbling. This bird, in south-eastern China, piaces its large, untidy, globular nest usually in a bombax-tree, but not infrequently also in a banyan or a bamboo, and it shews a decided preference for the proximity of the abode of a Magpie. The first nest is usually completed about the middle of April, and the young are hatched after about sixteen days incubation. They usually rear three broods, and for each laying they build a new nest, the first of which occupies them ten or fourteen days in construction, whilst later ones can be finished in a day if necessary. The three nests are often placed in the same tree, and after the first clutch of eggs has been hatched the empty nest is usually comman- decred, without delay, by a pair of Mynahs, Acridotheres cristatellus, who, having added a few feathers and the indispensable piece of snake slough, proceed to lay in it. On one occasion the three nests were found in one tree, the latest being in possession of the Grackles, the earliest in that of a pair of Mynahs, whilst the second contained a nest of the Magpie-Robin with a clutch of three eggs. The full clutch for the first laying is four or five eggs, much more often the former ; for the second, three or four, usually three, and for the last, two or three, more frequently two. The eggs of this species are usually blue and unspotted, but on various occasions pure white eggs were found, and on others the eggs were observed to be spotted with minute markings of brownish purple. These spotted eggs are 174 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones never met with until late in the season. On one occasion a Grackle’s nest containing a white egg was found inside a Magpie’s great domed structure, and on another, two white eggs were found in a nest with one of the Koél. When four eggs of the Koél are found in a Grackle’s nest those of the rightful owner are invariably disposed of, though how the usurper distinguishes its own productions in the dark interior of the covered nest it is difficult to say. The Grackle attacks the Koél just as the Crow does in India, but never so desperately, and the young Koél or Koéls grow up very comfortably with the young of their foster-parents, who feed them side by side. Although usually placed in a tall tree, a nest was found, in course of construction, only four feet from the ground. Eggs have been taken from April 20 until August 9, and they vary in surface from smooth and glossy to decidedly granular. A large number of eggs average 1:28x°91, and vary in length from 1°40 to 1°18 and in breadth from ‘96 to °86, ACRIDOTHERES CRISTATELLUS. The Chinese Mynah is one of the commonest resident birds in Kwang Tung and Kwang Si. In the winter months these birds are gregarious, and large flocks are not infrequently seen at Moto, where they roost at nightin the reeds. Their clamour, Starling-fashion, is deafening before they go to roost, and, also Starling-wise, they indulge in aerial evolutions before retiring. The formation of flocks has been noticed as early as July 23, but more usually takes place in October. The Mynah breeds plentifully at Hong Kong and else- where on the Kwang Tung coast, where, as a rule, some hole in a building, the top of a waste-water pipe, or still more frequently the deserted hole of one of the Kingfishers, is made use of. In the latter, a sort of step is always scratched at the lower portion of the orifice, which is also considerably enlarged. Up the West River and inland the favourite site is an old on the Birds of South-eastern China. 175 Magpie’s nest, though ruinous old pagodas and holes in trees are also made use of, and the deserted nest of Gracu- lipica nigricollis is sometimes resorted to. In switable situations breeding-colonies are often found. The nest itself is an untidy affair of straw, dry grass, pine-needles, feathers, wool, paper and other rubbish, and invariably, as pointed out by Rickett and La Touche in their ‘ Birds of Fokien,’ contains pieces of snake’s slough. The eggs are blue, and much resemble those of the Starlings, and like so many blue eggs they vary much in colour-intensity. Eggs pure white in colour have been taken, and eggs with a few spots have occurred later on in the season. The most usual number of eggs in a clutch is four, but five, six, and seven are found, the latter rarely. The earliest date for fresh eggs is April 15 and the latest July 4, but the majority of these birds breed in May and are double-brooded. The Mynah is a great mimic and has been heard in a wild state imitating the Chinese Francolin and other species. As an excellent talker, it is in great requisition among the Chinese for a cage-bird. Eggs vary in length from 1°26 to 1-07 and in breadth from 90 to 79, whilst they average 1:16 x ‘85. Monta oryzivora. Java Sparrows are not very common at Hong Kong, and have usually been noticed in the spring and early autumn. On several occasions in late September and early October small flocks have been seen in the trees at the Hong Kong Naval Hospital and at Happy Valley, and in February a solitary bird was noticed at Stonecutter’s Island. In June 1905, the Punjabi police sergeant at the R.N. Hospital captured a bird of the year, not very well able to fly, in a butterfly-net, so that the species must breed somewhere in south-eastern China, and seeing how extraordinarily local many species are it might easily be overlooked, 176 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones Muni TOPELA. These small Weavers are common everywhere in both Provinces, both on the river and on the coast. In the winter they congregate in considerable flocks in some parts, but never in Hong Kong. At Macao in the Governor’s summer garden there are two Monkey Puzzler trees, in which large numbers of these birds breed, and where their domestic arrangements are easily watched. The nests are huge for the size of the builders, untidy, oval masses of grass and weeds, having the long axis horizontal, but lined within very carefully with fine grasses and possessing a well-made rounded entrance-hole at one end. On one occasion two nests were found, built one on the top of the other, but quite separately, so as to form a sort of two-storied structure. It is amusing to see this litile bird struggling to wind- ward with a huge piece of grass in its tiny bill, which it drops and picks up twice on its way ; finally it tucks it into the thatch of its house and without delay darts away again in quest of more building-material. The usual clutch at Macao is six or seven, and though eight, eleven, and twelve eggs have been found, these are probably the product of two hen-birds. They begin to build late in March, and eggs may be found in April, May, and June. In November large numbers were noticed passing south on migration. Eggs vary in length from °70 to ‘58 and in breadth from ‘46 to ‘40, and average *62 x *44., URoOLONCHA SQUAMICOLLIs. This little Weaver is widely distributed on the West River and on some parts of the Kwang Tung coast, but at Hong Kong and in most parts of the Kowloon Peninsula it is a winter visitor or a spring migrant, and was not known to breed. At Canton, Macao, and on the West River however, it is a common breeding-species, and builds its nest in a variety on the Birds of South-eastern China. 177 of situations ; often in a fir-tree, sometimes quite low down, or in a bamboo, or, again, high up ina banyan or bombax tree at an elevation perhaps of forty to sixty feet. Inalarge tree the nest is frequently placed at the extremity of a small bough, and in such a situation is very difficult of access. Hmpty nests are used for sleeping in in the cold weather, and the birds were seen building a nest in January, which was used as a sleeping-place. In the winter time these birds go about in flocks, feeding on the paddy-fields with the Sparrows, Doves, and Buntings. Five or six white eggs are laid, from early in April until September, and sometimes even later. Seven is not very infrequently the clutch early in the season. Eggs vary in length from °69 to °58 and in breadth from "46 to ‘40, and average °63 x °43. ALAUDA ARVENSIS. The Skylark is met with occasionally in the winter months, and it has occurred at Samshui, at Macao, and in the Kowloon Peninsula, ALAUDA C@LIVOX. This little Lark is fairly common in Kwang Tung and Kwang Si, more so up the river than on the coast, and it is a very popular song-bird with the Chinese. It has been observed to sing very finely, sometimes on the ground or upon the slight elevation provided by a Chinese grave, and also on the wing, when having ended its song it will drop twenty feet, hover a moment, and then drop again straight to the ground. The nest is much like a Skylark’s, but perhaps a trifle more flimsy, and the eggs are laid, as a rule,in April; while, as the bird is double-brooded, a second clutch is deposited in June or July. Fully fledged young have been seen as early as May 16. The usual clutch is four, but five eges were once obtained. At Kwei Hsien, in Kwang Si, these birds were very 178 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones numerous, and as the market price for a young bird is six- pence, all the small boys who tend water-buffaloes are on the look-out for the nests. The Chinese take these Larks out into the country and placing the cages on the ground, or on a small mound, one bird will begin to sing, when another Lark will at once commence in rivalry, and so great singing matches are brought about. Eges vary in length from *85 to °76 and in breadth from °67 to -57, and average ‘78 x ‘62. MiraFRA CANTILLANS. The Singing Bush-Lark, which does not appear to have been previously met with in China, was only noticed at Kwei Hsien in Kwang Si, where it abounds in the large grass-plain which is peculiar to that place, and is very different from the surrounding hilly country. This bird loves to sit on the top of a boulder, whence it utters its feeble song of a few disconnected notes, and such boulders, by August, grow quite white from the accumu- lation of droppings upon them, At times, however, it sings in the air, but only at a height of from twenty to thirty feet, when, closing its wings, it drops to earth. It is a great skulker in grass and other vegetation. The nest is built in a small hollow scratched in the ground, and is externally composed of small broken pieces of dry grass and internally of fine rootlets, and is so frail that it is very difficult, or impossible, to remove it complete. On July 22 nests were found containing eggs in all stages of incubation and young birds. This species is double-brooded, and the second clutches are very late, because in June the Chinese cut the grass on Kwei Hsien plain. Eggs average ‘78 x ‘58, and vary in length from °89 to °75 and in width from ‘67 to ‘56. Upurpa EPops. A Hoopoe, which flew on board a small river-steamer near the island of Lintin, between Macao and Hong Kong, on the Birds of South-eastern China. ge’, was taken to Mr. J. C. Kershaw, who gave it to the writers. Mr. J. C. Kershaw has occasionally seen it whilst passing along the coast on migration at, or near, Macao. CYPsELUS PACIFICUS. Except on a mountain-top at Howlik, these Swifts have not been observed away from the coast. The birds are summer visitors, and the earliest date on which they were noticed at Hong Kong was March 26, but most arrive in April, and leave again for the south early in September. The greater number of the birds, however, pass on to regions further north. This species shews a strong partiality for rocky precipitous islands and for barren mountain-tops, where it flies round and round in the same manner as the European Swift, and, like it, is only to be seen on certain days and chiefly in the morning and evening. Whether these birds ever breed in the neighbourhood of Hong Kong was not ascertained. CyPsELUS SUBFURCATUS. This is a fairly common summer visitor to the West River, but it does not occur ou the coast. The first arrival came in on April 3, but the bulk of the birds did not appear until some weeks later. They leave for the south again during the third week of October. At Kwei Hsien, in Kwang Si, numbers were found breeding in limestone-caves, and as some nests contained incomplete clutches of fresh eggs and others fully fledged young on July 20, two broods are evidently reared. The full clutch is four. At Samshui about twenty-five pairs breed on the beams inside the roof of a small temple. On October 22 the birds were still sleeping in the nests used during the past summer. When the nest is made in a cave it is placed in a crevice or under the roof, and is difficult of access. In a temple it is usually fixed on a beam under the roof. SER, X.— VOL, I, oO 180 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones The nests are made of dry grass, fern, and leaves, with a few flowering grass-heads and a feather or two, all cemented together by a mucilaginous secretion from the birds’ salivary glands. They usually have two entrances, but when under the roof of a cave one side hangs down so as to form a single entrance. The eges are white, and three average ‘86 x °59. CHAZTURA CAUDACUTA. During the third week of April, 1907, several pairs were noticed by Mr. J. C. Kershaw hawking for flies in the forest at Howlik. CaPRIMULGUS MONTICOLA. This Nightjar occurs as a winter visitor on the lower parts of the West River, but is rare on the coast. At Kwei Hsien, in Kwang Si, birds both mature and immature were plentiful on the plain, and there can be little doubt that they breed there. CAPRIMULGUS JOTAKA. The Indian Nightjar is a winter visitor which only occurs between the months of October and April, while a good many pass through on migration. As a rule, it appears on its way south from October 12 to 26, and on its return journey leaves about April 21 or a little earlier. It is to be seen up the West River as well as on the coast, and it has been noted on the small islands between Hong Kong and Macao. EurystoMus CALONYX. The Broad-billed Roller passes through on the spring and autumn passages in small numbers, and has been observed in April and May on the former, and in September on the latter. A few pairs were seen at Howlik on May 10, but, as a rule, these birds, like so many others, keep to the coast. Its undulating flight is very curious, and is not unlike that of the Green Woodpecker. on the Birds of South-eastern China. 181 CERYLE VARIA. This Kingfisher is confined to fresh water, or at any rate to such parts as are only slightly brackish, as where a con- siderable freshwater stream debouches into the sea. It is a resident, and it makes its nesting-hole almost always in the main banks of the river, but has been known to bore into a sandy cliff on the sea-shore or into a bank of disintegrated granite on a hill-side. The nesting-hole is usually from three to five feet in length, with the usual nest- cavity at its extremity. In time of heavy flood many Kingfishers’ boles become inundated. It was found, however, that when a hole had been laid open the old birds were able to transport their young to another, probably in their beaks. After the first egg is laid, one bird always remains in the nesting-hole to guard it against rats, but incubation is not commenced until the full clutch is laid. The male sleeps in a separate hole. Fresh eggs have been found as early as Feb. 16, and as late as May 12, but the usual time for laying is from early March to the middle of April. This species is single-brooded, and a full clutch of eggs is four or five. Eggs vary in length from 1:27 to 1:03 and in breadth from ‘99 to ‘93, and average 1°19 x 96. CERYLE LUGUBRIS. This large Kingfisher is rather sparingly distributed in suitable localities in Kwang Tung and Kwang Si. It was noticed at several places on the West River, including Howlik and Tam Chau, above Wuchau. In the New Territory it was seen several times, and on one occasion, as it flew from one side to another of a small rocky inlet, near Tolo Harbour, it seemed as if it might sometimes fish in the sea, though usually it is confined to fresh water. Its nest and eggs were not obtained. Its cry is a metallic twitter, and not loud for the size of the bird. 02 182 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Stafi-Surg. K. H. Jones ALCEDO BENGALENSIS. Alcedo ispida Linn.; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xvii. p. 141. This litthke Kingfisher, so hke the common European species, except in size, is very abundant both on the sea- coast and inland on various waterways and rocky streams. The bird is quite as much at home when fishing in salt water as in fresh, and it may be seen either perched on a rock or stake on the sea-shore, in the familiar expectant attitude, whence repeated darts are made at small fish. Sometimes it is observed hovering with rapidly moving wings, Kestrel-fashion, over the surface of the sea, to drop like a stone in a small cloud of spray on to its prey, from a distance of twenty feet or more. The bird is a resident, and, though subject to some local movement, is probably not really migratory. The nest is very frequently made in the high mud or earthen bank of a paddy-field, and may be a very consider- able distance from any stream or body of water. Generally it is two or three feet above the water, and nearer the bottom than the top of the bank. The nesting-hole is not more than eighteen or twenty inches deep. April 12 is the earliest date for eggs and the latest July 5, so that undoubtedly this species is double-brooded. The usual clutch is six or seven, and eggs vary in length from °83 to ‘74 and in breadth from ‘71 to ‘64, and average "80 x 68. HALCYON SMYRNENSIS. The Smyrna Kingfisher is found commonly thoughout the whole area under consideration, and is partly resident and partly migratory. A certain number of birds are to be seen throughout the winter, but these are largely supplemented in the third week of March at Hong Kong by individuals which arrive from the south. As soon as the migrants arrive they repair to certain steep banks on the hill-sides or in water-worn nullahs eaten out of the disintegrated granite by the spring rains, and into them they drive their nesting- holes. Asa rule, a fresh hole seems to be made each year, on the Birds of South-eastern China. 183 but not invariably. The birds shew the usual Kingfisher- like preference for a former nesting-site, and many holes may be seen in the same cliff or bank. During the nesting-season these birds have a particularly cheerful laughing ery, in addition to the series of discor- dant shrieks, to which they give vent when disturbed or alarmed. The nesting-hole is about eighteen inches to two feet deep, never more, with an enlarged chamber at its end, and the eggs are laid on the bare soil, with which they are in- variably stained, and round them grows up an ever-increasing pile of the chitinous parts of various insects, the carapaces and other cretaceous portions of crabs, and many bones of lizards and other small reptiles ejected by the sitting bird. During the nesting-season this species and the next have a curious habit, which almost amounts to a species of love- play. ESS \ SS _ LS SS TUNES AIC SS \\\)} = \ ix aS SSS = = = = = : ch Ki HIN > Vi \ Z tiff} i ee YAY inh Adult example of Ortals vetula with an egg drawn to scale. features have evidently been evolved to enable it to easily insinuate itself between the dense complex of branches among which it lives, and stamp it with such an archaic impress. Notes and Observations on a Guan. 287 Other instances of this purely arboreal stamp and archaic form occur to my mind, in the case of certain Neotropical Cuckoos, such as Coccyzus and Saurothera, which live an essentially skulking life in the densest thickets. In these purely arboreal features then, which we have thus briefly referred to, we seem to see represented almost an exact antithesis of what obtains in game-birds which live continuously on the ground ; but if, as some might argue, this complete arboreal equipment has only been developed in an effort to revert to an ancestral mode of life, it seems strange that in the immense lapse of time which must have been necessary for its production, the Guan has not, at the same time, been able to completely lift, so to speak, its offspring from the ground to its new home among the trees. Whether birds were originally al/ arboreal-living or ail originally terrestrial-living, or even purely aquatic, which seems just as likely, appears as yet to be quite an open question; but that the purely ground-living game-birds of the present day originally led an arboreal existence seems to be a fact beyond dispute. If this is so, there must have been stages when the process of descent to the ground was not complete ; and my contention is that in the case of the life-history of the Guan we have such a stage represented in the present day. Nesting habits of the Guans. Before continuing our argument however, and_ before proceeding to the description of this interesting young specimen of a Guan, it may be well to bring forward evidence emphasizing the almost entirely arboreal existence which the Guans live (except perhaps for the possibly short period during which their young are living on the ground), and of the fact, of which I think we now have ample evidence, that they do nest in trees. To take the nesting-habits first, I will quote the testimony of three observers, which should be sufficient for the purpose. In a reference to Ortalis ruficauda on the island of 288 MrsPerey Ro bewer, Margarita, Mr. Austin Clark (‘ Auk,’ xix. 1902, p. 261) observes :—“ The natives told me that this bird was common on the mountains ; but I did not succeed in getting any there, although I found several nests which my guide attributed* to this species. They were all about twenty-five or thirty feet from the ground and were large and bulky. One contained a fresh egg (July 9) which was unfortunately broken in being brought down to the ground.” Mr. Claude Grant, in a note on the habits of Ortalis canicollis in his paper on the Birds of Paraguay (‘ Ibis,’ 1911, p. 461), remarks :—‘ On two occasions I saw the nest, which was placed in the topmost branches of a tallish tree and was a fair structure of sticks. According to the natives, the eggs are of about the size and colour of those of the domestic fowl.” Thirdly, referring to the young and nest of Ortalis leuco- gastra, Sclater and Salvin quote the following (‘ Ibis,’ 1859, p. 224) :—‘! The chicks appear to run about almost as soon as they are hatched and display great agility in avoiding capture by clinging + to the branches of the underwood. (Italics ours.) The nest, composed entirely of small twigs, is usually placed in a low bush and contains two creamy- white eggs with rough shells.” To this very suggestive passage I shall refer later. Finally, Mr. Collingwood Ingram, as the result of a recent visit to Tobago, has kindly furnished me with the following notes on Ortalis ruficauda, which, at my request, he took ereat pais to collect from various sources on the spot :— “The nest is usually placed in a tangled thicket of creepers * T have myself seen Guans, which had been caught alive, in Margarita. The bird is well known to the natives there, and is domesticated. It is therefore very unlikely that Mr. Clark’s guide could have made any mistake, more especially as there are no birds on the island (in the high woods where the Guan occurs) likely to build a similar nest. The large size and colour of the egg found would also preclude any mistake.—P. R. L. } The word “ clinging” used by the field-observer is worth noting.— A ae ata bp Notes and Observations on a Guan. 289 and vines, &c., about six feet or more from the ground, never actually thereon. All my informants were agreed upon this point. It is built of twigs, small sticks, grasses, &c., and is never a mound of dead leaves suggesting a megapode. The young, hatched out by domestic fowls, are said to behave very much like young game-birds until about 14 (7) days old, when they will enter trees or bushes or even climb on to the roof of a low building. In the wild state they are said to leave the nest almost at once. ‘Two eggs appear to be the usual number laid.” Arboreal habits of the Guans. As regards the almost entirely arboreal existence led by the old birds, every writer who has had anything to say on the habits of the bird emphasizes this point. I have myself often observed the Guan in Mexico and Venezuela, and I cannot remember ever having seen one on the ground, although I have seen and heard a great number in their natural habitat among low trees and dense scrub. There is, however, I believe, no doubt that they do some- times descend to the ground. Mr. Graham Kerr (‘ Ibis,’ 1892, p. 148), speaking of QO. canicollis, says, for instance, ‘‘ They occasionally descend to the ground to feed ; but this is comparatively rare.” Guans are indeed, as a matter of fact, timid and sociable birds, which live in small parties below the dense umbra- geous foliage of thick and tall bushes or low trees. In Venezuela (O. ruficauda) I have met with them in low-lying country covered with dense scrub, or in the thick bush surrounding occasional clearings im the dark and solemn forest. On the eastern coast of Mexico, where Ortalis vetula occurs, | have seen them in dense scrub, where it was very difficult to track them down; or, again, flying across the backwaters of rivers (with much the same feeble and ineffective flight as is described as characteristic of the Hoatzin) from one dense mangrove or other variety of 290 Mr. Perey R. Lowe : jungle to another, where it was quite impossible to follow them. This they only did at sunrise and sundown, when they proclaimed their presence by their discordant choruses. In southern Mexico, in the dense forests which border the smaller tributaries of the Coatzacoalcos, I have once or twice observed small parties in the thick and lustrous green trees which fringed the streams. Their flight, as I have hinted, is short and feeble, and, unless under great provocation, they display a marked disinclination to take wing. When they do so, they nearly always leave their shelter on the side directly opposite to that from which the observer is approaching ; so that the latter seldom has the chance of observing their escape to quite a neighbouring bush. Indeed, on several occasions on which I have observed this habit, I have been unaware that the birds had left the retreat in which I had marked them down, so silently and craftily is their departure made. Moreover, if it were not for the noise they make at sunrise or sunset or when seriously alarmed, the presence of these birds would seldom be suspected owing to their unusually silent and secretive habits amidst the thick bushes at other times of the day. On the approach of an intruder, one or two birds out of the band occupying a bush or low tree will often descend to the lower leafless branches, from whence they can obtain a more extended view of their surroundings. If reassured, they will then hop upwards, as I have myself observed, from branch to branch and rejoin their fellows in silence. If more suspicious, the whole band, after a few notes of warning from tbe leader, may burst into the most discordant notes of alarm ; after which they will probably, one by one and very silently, take their short and generally unobservable flight to a neighbouring retreat. On several occasions, when quite unaware of the near presence of a flock of Guans, I have been considerably startled in the gloomy silence of the forest by this sudden hullabaloo, occasioned by perhaps half a dozen birds suddenly breaking out into loud cries of alarm. Rendered into words, the nearest approach to the chorus Notes and Observations on a Guan. 291 with which the Guan (Ortalis vetula) greets the sun in the morning and bids farewell to it in the evening, is as follows :— Catarrh-kattér-kér-rah ; Catarrh-kattér-kér-rah, quickly repeated half a dozen times in a sort of gobbling chorus. The cries are very resonating, as may be easily understood by anyone who takes the trouble to merely pluck the breast of a male bird and expose the then easily visible trachea, which is bent in a long loop upon itself and lies for a great part of its length outside the thorax and immediately beneath the superficial fascia of the pectoral region. Conformably with its arboreal mode of life, the food of the Guan appears to be chiefly confined to the leaves of certain trees and bushes. What particular species are preferred I am unable to say; but in southern Mexico I once shot a bird out of a flock of some half dozen or so, which I had observed in a tall bush with rather vivid shiny and glossy leaves. The stomach of this bird was packed tight with an almost dry mass of the finely divided leaves of the bush in which the bird had been shot, They had an appearance as if they had been chopped up with some sort of machine. The fruit and seeds of trees and bushes are also said to be eaten. These pronounced arboreal habits, taken in conjunction with the skeletal] features which distinguish the Cracidie in general from the more modern game-birds, and the fact of the great and extraordinary persistency which has charac- terized birds in general through immense periods of geological time, make it difficult to believe that a bird which, we must presume, started its career as a tree-dweller, could then adapt itself to an existence on the ground and then again revert to a life in the trees. Rather, it seems to me more likely that the Guan long ago arrived at a blind alley of evolution and has failed, and will fail, to progress. It is simply marking time. It has probably never been exposed to conditions which differ very greatly from its present existing ones, and so there have SER, X,—VOL. I, x 292 Mr. Percy R. Lowe: never been conditions in its surroundings potent enough to make a descent to the ground a permanent necessity. It is interesting to note, however, that in Texas, the most northerly limits of the Guan’s distribution, and where the conditions are very much drier and consequently the vege- tation infinitely more scanty, “the birds are said to nest in the heaps of leaves accumulated under the Mesquite-bushes ” (cf. Boucard, P. Z. S. 1883, p. 460). If this is true, it seems to illustrate a further step in the descent to the ground, induced by altered conditions of environment. The fact that the young, as we shall later see, live upon the ground, while the adults spend their existence in the trees, seems to point to the fact that the Guan has either failed to completely adapt itself to one or the other environ- ment, or that there has never arisen the necessity to do so. In a most interesting account of the habits of the Hoatzin, Mr. Beebe, in ‘Our Search for a Wilderness, remarks :— ‘“* Inexplicable though it may appear, the Hoatzin—although evidently unchanged in many respects through long epochs— yet is far from being perfectly adapted to its present environ- ment. It has a severe struggle for existence, and the least increase of any foe or obstacle would result in its extinction.” Indeed, except that the Guan has apparently made one step downwards to the ground, it reminds us forcibly, in point of diet, habits, and ways generally, of the Hoatzin, which is essentially a primitive type of bird addicted to an almost complete arboreal existence (cf. J. J. Quelch, ‘ Ibis,’ 1890, p. 327). Some structural features of the Guan. To some it may appear venturesome thus to compare the Guan and the Hoatzin ; but in many respects the latter bird presents structural features distinctly pointing to its affinities with the Gallinze, and perhaps in none more so than in its well-differentiated cecal colon; for it will be remembered that the ileo-colic region reaches its highest state of speciali- zation in birds which live mainly on a purely vegetable diet. Dr. E. A. Wilson, for instance, has drawn attention, in “The Grouse in Health and Disease” (Report of the Notes and Observations on a Guan. 293 Committee of Inquiry, 1911), to the fact of the special selec- tive function of the cecal colon in this bird, whereby the rough fibres and undigested debris of heather and other vegetable matter, present in the alkaline chyme when it reaches the specialized colic cecum, are passed on through the sphincteric tract to the colon; while the more fluid contents are pressed back into the ceca proper, where they undergo an acid digestion through, probably, the agency of bacteria. Garrod, again, referring to the osteology of the Hoatzin (P. Z. S. 1897, p. 109), says: “I may, however, mention that it is only in the Cracidz, among allied birds, that the vomer runs so far forward in the palate, at the same time that it is tumified at its anterior extremity. In Ortalis albiventris this is most strikingly the case.” Again, he goes on to say: ‘‘ The presence of two carotid arteries, an ambiens muscle, an accessory femoro-caudal, and -a deep plantar vinculum place its non-passerine nature beyond a doubt. Adding the tufted oil-gland and the inch- long colic czeca, the bird could only be related to the Tina- mide, Gallinz, or Rallide,”’ That it can have nothing to do with the Rallide is evident from the fact that Opisthocomus is holorhinal, and Garrod concludes that it must therefore be a Gallinaceous bird or form a group by itself. He adds, that “as there is no Gallinaceous bird without a direct articulation between the pterygoid bones and the basi-sphenoidal rostrum, it is hardly possible to include the Hoatzin along with them ; and yet it resembles them most clearly, as it does the Cuculide, in the length of its colic ceca and the number of its rectrices.” Indeed, as he suggests, it would appear very probable that Opisthocomus left the parent stem very shortly before the true Gallinz first appeared. Description of a young bird, This specimen, which is labelled Ortalis vetula (Wagl.), Mexico, Cuesta de Misantla, Junio 1888, No. 91, 10. 21.276 (Salvin-Godman Coll.), is in the collection of the British Museum and is figured on Plate VII. x2 294 Mr. Percy R. Lowe: I think there can be no doubt that anyone examining this juvenile example of Ortalis vetula, offhand and without any previous knowledge of what it actually was, would be struck at once with its striking resemblance to the young chick of a ‘ vame-bird,” and more especially as regards its wings to that of a Pheasant. A slightly more critical examination would produce the impression that it was a young “ game-bird”’ whose wings and tail had outgrown, so to speak, the rest of its body, or, in other words, whose remiges and rectrices had far out- stripped the rest of its plumage in development towards an adult condition. The head, neck, and body generally, both above and below, are covered witha thick, soft, long and closely disposed down. This downy plumage on the underparts is more or less unicoloured, the coloration merging from a deep rufous tint on the foreparts of the neck and breast into a pale whitish buff or buffy white over the abdomen and crissum. The upper parts, on the contrary, present an appearance which we are accustomed to associate with a coloration adapted for purely protective purposes, as is seen in nestlings which are nidifugous and whose parents lay their eggs on the ground (Game-birds, Plovers, Gulls, etc.). Thus there is, running along the top of the head in the median line, a long stripe of pure black, which extends from the frontal region to well down upon the back of the neck and thence down the median line of the body. There is a tendency to longitudinal striping on the sides of the head, and the same tendency, but in a more marked degree, is seen upon those parts which are covered by the wings when folded. The ground-colour in these latter parts is of a light buffy tone, with a tendency to a deep reddish brown along the middle of the lower third of the back. The seven innermost primaries, the secondaries and tail- feathers, in marked contrast to this general downy plumage, are, as we have previously mentioned, relatively greatly advanced in development, and as regards the general Notes and Observations on a Guan. 295 disposition of the colouring and markings on them, the resemblance to those of a young Pheasant is most striking. There is no need here to go into more detail in regard to this coloration ; but a point to be noticed is the pale buffish tips to all the remiges. Another interesting point to be noticed is that the tail- feathers and all the coverts bear more or less conspicuous prepennal down-feathers (mesoptyles). In the case of the median coverts, these prepennze form quite a conspicuous band or edging which is nearly a quarter of an inch wide (averaging 13°5 mm.) and is of a strong buff or rufous tint. They are only just visible here and there on the tips of the greater coverts. It is also to be remarked that the feathers which compose the lesser coverts are far less. perfectly developed than are those of either the greater or median coverts. The rami or barbs of these lesser coverts are of the ‘‘ dis- continuous” order and of a more downy nature, although there is a distinct enough rachis. The scapular feathers are similarly of the same undeveloped or degenerate nature, and in both these and the lesser coverts we seem to have presented to us a stage in the evolution of plumage intermediate between a general downy plumage and the fully developed feathers of the wings and tail. Finally, we must call attention to the arrested development of the outer primaries, a most interesting reminder of a primitive arboreal nursery-life (which in the case of the Hoatzin Mr. Pycraft was the first to bring to the notice of ornithologists) ; and also to the absence of any visible or tangible evidence of claw-like appendages to the extremities of the manus, such as are seen in the young Hoatzin in post-embryonic life; while another remarkable feature is the very large size and thickness of the feet and claws, almost twice as heavy and “ coarse”’ as in the case of a * T have since found in the British Museum collection another and younger chick in which claws can be distinctly felt and seen on the thumb. This was in a young example of Ortalis cinereiceps (Gray) from the Cordillera de Tole, Veragua. 296 Mr. Percy R. Lowe: young Pheasant of about the same age, with which I compared it. We thus see that the chief and most striking features to be noticed in regard to this young Guan is a combination of a downy body-plumage, protectively coloured, with a far more than ordinary precocious development of the flight- feathers. -In addition, there seems to be apparently displayed in this one example a sort of epitome of the evolution of feather- development. Conclusions. Obviously then, the plumage of this young tree-bred Guan presents characteristics which we are now accustomed to associate with the precocious or nidifugous type of nestling. But while still showing the arrested development of the outermost primaries, reminiscent of an ancestral and com- plete arboreal existence, the protectively-coloured down plumage, combined with the accelerated development of the rest of the flight-feathers, marks it as a young bird adapted for a terrestrial existence in the early days of its life. As we all know now, this protectively-coloured down must have been evolved to enable it to harmonize with its surroundings on the ground; and the advanced development of the flight-feathers must likewise have been found service- able in order to furnish means for the young chick, not necessarily and solely to escape its many enemies in a precarious environment, but also to enable it to make a more effective pursuit of the many small moths and flying insects which fluttered and flew among the herbage wherein it passed the first days of its life. And this it could do by being able to give small jumping flights into the air, even if it was not actually able to fly for a few feet. At the present time no observations have been published to enable us to say exactly how long a time elapsed from the day when this chick first saw the light of day in its nest among the trees to the day when its parents first conducted it to the ground. Notes and Observations on a Guan, 297 If, however, we can draw any conclusions from the very large size of the Guan’s egg in relation to the very small size of its actual body when stripped of its feathers, then we should be tempted to say that this period must have been reduced to very small proportions. This disproportion between the size of the bird’s naked body and the egg is so great that one wonders how a bird of such slim proportions could possibly lay such a large one. In other birds, such as the Megapode, it has been recog- nized that disproportion of such a nature has been evolved in order to allow of the whole of the normal period of the nestling stage to be got through within the shell before the young are hatched ; by which it comes about that the young Megapode from the moment of hatching is fully fledged and can fend for itself. Taken in conjunction with the remarks made by Sclater and Salvin in reference to the habits of the young of Ortalis leucogastra (loc. cit.), the large size of the Guan’s egg seems therefore to justify us in concluding that the young Guan at the moment of hatching is in a very advanced condition of development ; and that with such a precocious condition of the inner flight-feathers descent from the tree to the ground at a very early stage in its life-history would be rendered comparatively easy. The fact of the retarded development of the outer primaries and the statement in regard to the agility dis- played by the chick in clinging to the branches of underwood, is also of great interest, as being reminiscent of ancestral days when it was in all probability entirely arboreal in its habits. Geological evidence all points to the fact that the further we go back (within limits) the greater proportion of carbon dioxide there probably was in the atmosphere and the greater the density of vegetation ; and it appears to me that those who might hold that the Guan is only in process of again reverting to an arboreal existence could only do so by presuming that at some past geological epoch there must have been a sudden retrograde movement in the amount and 298 Mr. Percy R. Lowe: density of the vegetation on the South American continent, leading to such general conditions that it was more profitable, or indeed compulsory, for the Guan and its congeners to temporarily forsake their arboreal retreats and to descend to the perils of the ground. To my mind it seems more probable that this attempt to descend has only taken place in comparatively recent times, since the days when we know that vegetation has been generally tending to diminish. A further possible expla- nation, which is, of course, purely hypothetical, of this more recent tendency to descend to the ground might be sought in some danger to the chick in the trees, such as a gradual increase at some past epoch in the prevalence of tree-snakes. T have on several occasions seen tree-snakes attacking birds, and anyone who has watched a pair of parent birds noisily defending their offspring from the slow and deadly advance of these murderous assailants would allow that such a con- dition of things as I have suggested might quite possibly have been enough to start the process of a descent to the ground. Other facts which occur to me as being against reversion are : . (1) The white (non-protective) coloration of the Guan’s egg seems rather to point away from a previous terrestrial existence *, for “It is almost certain,” says Mr. Pycraft in his ¢ History of Birds,’ p. 207, “that the eggs of the earliest birds were white, like those of their forebears the reptiles ; and further, since these primitive birds were arboreal, that they were laid in holes of trees or under cover. Later, when some migrated from the forest region to the plains or meadows, colour became necessary ; firstly for protective purposes, and secondly, probably, as a defence against the action of light, which in excess is inimical to protoplasm.” But granting that this is true, which seems probable, then those who hold that the arboreal existence now led by the Guans (Ortalis) is an instance of reversion must also agree * Tree-Partridges, on the other hand, also lay white eggs. Notes and Observations on a Guan. 299 to what appears to me to be a very improbable hypothesis, viz., that their eggs were first white ; then, as the result of a migration to the ground, coloured ; and, finally, as a result of a reversion to their original arboreal life, again white. (2) The fact that in the case of the Curassows and Guans only two eggs are said, as a general rule, to be laid, also seems to point away from a previous terrestrial existence on tie part of the adult birds. Most ground-living game-birds lay clutches of eggs which contain a far greater number, pre- sumably to allow for the greater liability to accidents. (3) Capercaillie, Blackgame, and other such-like game- birds in adult life still spend a good deal of their life in trees, feeding on young shoots, although they nest on the ground and their young are protectively coloured and provided for, If I understand Mr. Pycraft aright, this would indicate an attempt on the part of these birds to revert to a former entirely arboreal existence. According to my contention, it is rather evidence of an incomplete descent to the ground, a state of things arising in the past from the exigencies of local conditions (e. y., vast tracks of pine, larch, and spruce trees, and consequent cramping). In our Red Grouse and Partridge and in the Quail the process may be considered as complete. It is also suggestive to note that in the game- birds as a group, although the nestlings are generally prone to longitudinal stripings, yet when we come to trace these markings from the more primitive to the more modern types the stripes tend to break up into mottlings. Such a condition of things can be roughly traced, for instance, in a series such as the following—Curassow, Guan, Peacock, Blackeock, Capercaillie, Pheasaut, Partridge, Red Grouse, Ptarmigan ; where a progressive descent to the ground seems to go nearly hand in hand with an increased mottling, or vice versa. (4) In regard to birds other than those belonging to the Gallinaceous order, Mr. Pycraft (tom. cit. p. 247), referring to the Gannets, Cormorants, Frigate-birds, and Pelicans, says: these “now, either sporadically, or in the case of 300 Notes and Observations on a Guan. some species constantly, nest in trees. Such a nesting-place doubtless has only lately been resorted to—it is a reversion to an ancient custom {italics ours] and not a survival, as in the case of the Hoatzin.” ; In the West Indies I am acquainted with the nesting- habits of three Gannets. One of these, Sula piscator, invari- ably nests in trees; but two, viz. S. cyanops and S. sula, invariably nest on the ground. Yet all three have helpless naked young in the early stages of the nestling period; and it seems to me that it might just as well be argued that originally all Gannets nested in trees ; that S. piscator has never done anything else ; and that in the case of S. cyanops and S. sula the descent to the ground has been of compara- tively recent origin, consequent upon the more arid con- ditions of their nesting-sites and a gradual and progressive diminution of a lush vegetation in comparatively recent geological periods. Knowing, as we do, of the far greater widespread prevalence and luxuriance in past ages of the mangrove- plants (Rhizophoracee) and mangrove associations—among which S. piscator, tropical Cormorants, Frigate-birds, and Pelicans seem to nest for choice—I must confess that this last argument appears as worthy of consideration as that which supposes that the arboreal nesting-habit of S. piscator is a case of reversion. But perhaps we have said enough in support of our thesis that in the life-history of the Guan we seem to have at least illustrated among tree-nesting birds an intermediate and living link in the chain of evolution of nidifugous habits, which chain, as Mr. Pycraft has pointed out (Proc. 1Vth Internat. Ornith. Congr. 1905), began on the one hand with the reptilian method of progression seen in the young of the Hoatzin, and ended on the other with the precocious poten- tiality for flight (and a complete descent to the ground) as seen in the case of the Megapode and its young. It may possibly be that some of the facts brought forward, illustrative of the life-history of this most interesting and primitive game-bird, could be interpreted in a contrary sense, Prof. E. Lonnberg on Sterna hirundo Linn. 301 and that in this respect I have been perverse ; but even if this paper serves only to lead to the establishment of exactly opposite conclusions to those which I have drawn, it will still appear to me to have served a useful purpose, and to have directed renewed attention to a very interesting phase in the history of birds. XV.—On Sterna hirundo Linn. and on the Name of the Common Tern. By Prof. Einar Lonneere, of Stockholm. [Pror. Ernar Lonnsere has sent us the following contribu- tion to the question as to which species of Tern Linnzus was referring when he described Sterna hirundo. Prof. Lonnberg was asked for his opinion on the matter, as being a great authority on the life and writings of Linnzus and on the avifauna of Sweden, by the Committee at present engaged in revising the B.O.U. List of British Birds. The matter is of special importance, as, if a conclusion is come to that Linneus’ Sterna hirundo is indeterminable, it would logi- cally follow that the genus Sterna, which is founded on that species, cannot be used either, and a new generic term would have to be provided for the Terns. | In order to solve the question as to which bird Linnzus meant when he, in 1758, gave the name “ Sterna hirundo” (‘Systema Nature,’ ed. x. p. 137), it 1s necessary to study the earlier writings of the author himself. He quotes ‘ Fauna Svecica’ (1746) in the first rank, and it is evident that “ Sterna hirundo”? 1758 was a common Swedish bird familiar to him. The short diagnosis in ‘ Fauna Svecica’ does not settle whether the Common or the Arctic Tern is intended, although it is more probable that the former was in his mind when he says: “‘rectricibus maximis dimidiato-albis nigrisque.”” The outer web of the lateral rectrices in the Common Tern is, as a rule, much darker than that in the Arctic Tern, and in the latter it is often difficult to call it)“ “niger.?? 802 Prof. E. Linnberg on Sterna hirundo Linn. The expression “ Habitat ubique ad lacus & stagna” (i. e. in Sweden) only fits in with the Common Tern, especially if some little stress is laid on “ ubique,” as, of course, should be done. The Arctic Tern in this country is chiefly a coast bird, breeding in our Baltic archipelago ; it may be found on freshwater lakes occasionally, but this is chiefly in the northernmost parts of the country. The Common Tern is really the common one, “ad lacus & stagna,” in Sweden. The subsequent longer description does not appear to give much evidence, as most of it can be applied to both forms. When, however, it is said ‘rectricibus utrinque duabus extimis exteriore margine fuscis.... ,” this suits the Common Tern better than the Arctic. It is chiefly the description of the bill, “ Rostrum... . rectum, coccineum uti & pedes,” which has by some authors been regarded as a proof that Linnzeus by this really meant the Arctic Tern, because he does not mention the blackish tip characteristic of the Common Tern. Even some Swedish ornithologists, as, for instance, the late Professor Sven Nilsson, have favoured such an opinion. It is, however, very possible that it is due to an omission that Linnzeus did not mention the black tip. He meant, perhaps, that this was of little importance, and the by far greater part of the bill was really red, and that appeared to him the main thing. Linneus always tried to be concise, and therefore often omitted more important characteristics than this. Fortunately I am able to give rather conclusive evidence, by meaus of an analogy, in this case from Linnzeus’s own hand. In the library of the Royal University, Upsala, is a Linnean manuscript with the title “‘ Methodus Avium Sveticarum,” which was published by the present writer in 1907. This manuscript is of a certain value, because it is in the shape of a small book, and it is quite evident that Linnzeus carried it with him in his pocket during his travels to different parts of Sweden and wrote in it notes on birds which were ob- served by him. Now in this book (p. 39 of the printed s Ibis. 1913, Pl. VIII. EDWARD ADRIAN WILSON. Obituary. 303 edition) Linneus has described the Tern in the following words :— “a rostro ad sinciput caput nigrum usque ad oculos, tota alias alba cum levissima cinerel mixtura. rostrum et pedes sanguinei, supra femora nudi. cauda bifurcata ad basin acutissima. pedes palmipedes, ungues nigri, POSiicon ra. [kts ‘“ Rostrum subulatum, compressum, acutum, levissime arcuatum superiori maxilla, apice nigricante alias rubro. nares oblong lineares, ita ut per utraque appareat foramen et aer. gibbus in inferiori maxilla. digitus medius longissimus. hine proximus exterior dimidio brevior, posticus minimus.” There is no doubt that this refers to the Common Tern (not the Arctic). But there is also another thing to be observed. We find first a general description which corre- sponds to some extent with that in the ‘ Fauna Svecica,’ and in this description as well it is briefly stated: “rostrum et pedes sanguinei.” Then follows another paragraph with a more detailed description of bill and feet, and in that it is also mentioned, “apice nigricante alias rubro.” In the ‘Fauna Svecica’ this appeared to him less necessary and was omitted. I therefore have come to the conclusion that Linnzus was referring to the Common Tern and not the Arctic when he described Sterna hirundo in 1758. XVI.— Obituary. Epwarp ApriAN WILSON. (Plate VIII.) Tue terrible Antarctic disaster, which caused such deep and universal sorrow throughout the length and breadth of the civilised world, has deprived us of one of our most able and distinguished naturalists. How Dr. Wilson, principal 304. Obituary. scientific member of Captain Scott’s second Antarctic Expedition, perished with the leader and other heroic com- panions “from want and exposure” is now a matter of history and will never be forgotten. The little band of five who undertook the final advance, after overcoming almost insuperable difficulties succeeded in reaching the South Pole on the 18th of January, 1912, about a month after Captain Amundsen reached it ; but on their triumphant return towards the base camp, when within eleven miles of a place known as One Ton Depot, where safety, shelter and supplies awaited them, Captain Scott and his three remaining companions (for one had already died) were overtaken by a terrific blizzard, and all perished. It is not necessary to enter here into the harrowing details which have reached us of how these brave men died, first Seaman Edgar Evans on the 17th of February, then Captain L. E. G. Oates, 6th Inniskillmg Dragoons, on the 17th of March, and finally Captain R. F. Scott, R.N., the leader of the expedition, Dr. E. A. Wilson, and Lieutenant H, R. Bowers, Royal Indian Marine, about the 29th of March, On the 12th of November following, one of the search parties, sent out under Mr. Wright, while proceeding along the old southern route sighted Captain Scott’s tent and within it found the bodies of the last survivors, together with all the written records and private diaries of the Southern Party. The heart-breaking story has been read and mourned over wherever the English language is spoken and has commanded the respectful sympathy of all nations, We have at least the satisfaction of knowing that Captain Scott and his companions lived to realise their dearest wish, and reached the goal they so ardently desired. That they should not have been spared to reap the full triumph of their great scientific undertaking will always be a matter of profound regret to their fellow countrymen. Edward Adrian Wilson inherited his love for ornithology from his grandfather and great-uncle, Edward and Thomas B. Wilson. The latter was settled at Philadelphia, and it was he who purchased and presented to the Academy of Natural Obituary. 305 Sciences in that city the collections of Charles Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Canino and of Musignano, and of many others which helped to make the fame of the Museum of the Philadelphia Academy. Edward Wilson travelled in Europe and secured rare bird-skins for his brother, besides forming for himself a fine collection of humming-birds, some of which were figured in Gould’s great work. The Antarctic traveller was born on the 23rd of July, 1872, and was the son of Dr. Edward T. Wilson of Cheltenham. He was educated at Cheltenham College, and subsequently at Caius College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. and M.B., and was placed in the first-class in Part I. of the Natural Science Tripos in 1894. Subsequently, he studied at St. George’s Hospital, London, but ill-health compelled him to spend some years abroad. His health had only just been re-established when he joined the ‘ Discovery’ as a member of Captain Scott’s first Antarctic Expedition in 1901, and after his trip to the polar regions he returned robust and strong. In addition to his medical duties on the Antarctic Expedition, Wilson was appointed Vertebrate Zoologist and Artist, and his work is constantly referred to in terms of enthusiastic commendation in Scott’s narrative. In one passage that writer says :— “Tt would be difficult to say who is the most diligent, but perhaps the palm would be given to Wilson, who is always at work,.... Wilson starts his day early by an examination of the breakfast food. His next business is to see to the ventilation of the living spaces, which he does so thoroughly that when we come to breakfast there is no complaint about the freshness of the air, though occa- sionally people appear in fur mits as a mute protest against the temperature. He next takes the 8 o'clock meteoro- logical observation, and after the men are told off for the work of the day his business takes him to the superinten- dence of those who are detailed for bird-skinning, and who carry on this work in the main hut. Under his direction a few of the men have become quite expert taxidermists, and 306 Obituary. the collection of prepared skins is gradually growimg. The rest of his day is devoted to working up sketches and zoo- logical notes, making those delightful drawings for the South Polar Times witbout which that publication would lose much of its excellence, and performing a hundred and one kindly offices for all on board.”’ Wilson was the author of the descriptions of the birds and mammals in the official report on the natural history results of Scott’s first expedition to the Antarctic (National Antarctic Expedition. Natural History, vol. 11., Vertebrata, Aves). The volume, which was published by the Trustees of the British Museum in 1907, is illustrated by some very beautiful pictures drawn and coloured by Wilson, and con- tains an account of his personal experiences and observations during the expedition. Evidence of his unusual abilities, not only as a field-naturalist and accurate observer, but also as an artist are fully demonstrated in this volume. It is of sad interest to note that copies of the last volume (the sixth) of this report, issued last year, were sent out to Scott and Wilson by the ‘Terra Nova.’ It would have pleased both of them to know that this monumental work had been brought to a close before the arrival of the fresh harvest of natural history specimens, which we may expect by the ‘Terra Nova.’ Wilson on the first expedition visited a nesting colony of the Emperor Penguin, and the eggs of that bird brought home by the * Discovery ’ were the first specimens seen in any Museum. He was then able to furnish an account of how the egg and chick are carried about and kept off the ice by being supported on the feet of the parent, and protected by a fold or lappet of heavily-feathered skin descending from the abdomen, which could not, in his opimion, be accurately described as a “pouch.” His lecture on the “ Life-history of the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri),’ delivered at the Royal Institution on the 27th of January, 1905, was a most enter- taining and altogether delightful discourse ; his quiet sense of fun and humour infusing a charm and lightness to his handling of the most scientific facts. An abstract of this lecture appeared in ‘ The Ibis,’ 1905, p. 294. A year earlier, Obituary. 307 (‘ Ibis,’ 1904, pp. 208-213), he contributed some valuable notes on ‘The Birds of the Island of South Trinidad,” which was visited by the ‘ Discovery’ on the 13th of September, 1901. Subsequently on the second expedition, by making a long and arduous journey and enduring the greatest hardships, he again succeeded in reaching the breeding-ground of the Emperor Penguin at Cape Crozier in the coldest month of the Antarctic winter—a splendid performance requiring the utmost courage and enthusiasm. In this way were secured the much coveted eggs at an early stage of incubation, which it is hoped will throw some light on the early development of the Penguins (see Geogr. Journ. vol. xxxix. 1912, p. 580). When, in 1904, a Committee of Inquiry was formed to investigate the subject of “Grouse Disease,” Lord Lovat (Chairman and prime mover of the scheme) was in search of a suitable field-observer and physiologist. At the suggestion of the writer he attended the meeting of the British Ornitho- logists’ Club held at the Restaurant Frascati on the 15th of March, 1905, for the purpose of meeting Wilson, who was exhibiting photographic slides taken by the members of the ‘Discovery? Antarctic Expedition. and found Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 331 nests in some remote orchards (Orn. Jahrb. xix. 1908, pp. 101-102). Page 599. Mr. Bannerman was unfortunate in not meeting with the Tenerifian Redbreast in the pine forests. I found this bird not uncommon in the Pinar and breeding in three or four places near the Cueva de las Nifias. In the north of the island they are also common in suitable spots. Page 601. With regard to Sylvia melanocephala, I must repeat that this bird is common everywhere in the south of Gran Canaria; they were numerous above Maspalomas and between the Puerto and village of Mogan. On page 603 the author remarks, ‘‘ Herr von Thanner mentions (Orn. Jahrb. xxi. p. 95) that there are no Chiff chaffs in the Pinar.” This is a wrong quotation, which Mr. Bannerman has been kind enough to inform me was due to this remark in my paper having been wrongly translated for him. I wrote: “there are hardly any.” The only spots where this bird is plentiful are near the escobdén (Cytisus proliferus), whence they may enter into the sur- rounding Pinar. Near the “Charco”’ I collected a number of Chiffchaffs with light plumage and yellow tail-feathers. I sent these birds to Professor Dr. A. Koenig and have received a communication on the subject from Dr. Le Roi, in which he says that this paleness is due to use alone and that they do not constitute a distinct subspecies. Mr. Bannerman has attacked me for shooting seventy-six examples of Fringilla teydea polatzeki (pages 615-6). I have been told that this same gentleman offered the forest guards five pesetas apiece if they would procure for him some examples of this very bird; this surprised me not a little! The same incident has occurred with regard to Mr. Ogilvie- Grant over the Bullfinch of the Azores: Mr. Ogilvie-Grant gave his reasons for shooting specimens of this Bullfinch in the ‘ Novitates Zoologice,’ vo]. x11. 1905, p. 127. For these same reasons as were given by Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, I myself felt no compunction in securing such specimens as I met 332 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. with. It may interest readers of ‘The Ibis’ to learn that Bolle already knew of the existence of a Blue Chaffinch in Gran Canaria. I have published a short notice relating to this fact (Orn. Jahrb. xxi. p. 225). I must thank you for allowing me to take up so much of your valuable space. I am, Sir, Yours &c., Rupo.PH VON THANNER. Casa inglisa, Vilaflor, Tenerife, December 15th, 1912. ns Sir,—Glancing through my copy of the ‘Catalogue of the Collection of Birds’ Eggs in the British Museum,’ just received, I noticed that two eggs from the Tristram Collection, taken on ‘Grand Manan Is., Bay of Fundy,” are described (on page 262) as those of Passerculus princeps. There would seem to be good reasons, however, for thinking that they must have been laid by P. savanna, for this is the only Passerculus known by American ornithologists to inhabit Grand Manan in summer, while P. princeps is unknown by them to breed anywhere save on Sable Island, Tam, Sir; Yours &c., WitiaM Brewster. Cambridge, Massachusetts, December 12th, 1912. [The eggs in question, which came to the Museum from the Tristram collection, were labelled and presumably identified by Mr. T. M. Brewer, the well-known American ornithologist, and as Mr. Ridgway, in his recent work on the ‘Birds of North and Middle America,’ states that Passerculus princeps breeds on Sable Island and other islands off Nova Scotia, there seems to be no _ sufficient reason to alter or doubt the identification.—W. R. O.-G. | Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 333 Srr,—May we be allowed to make some brief remarks concerning Dr, P. L. Sclater’s “Commentary on the new ‘ Hand-List of British Birds,’ ” which appeared in the last issue of ‘The Ibis’ (pp. 113-127) ? In the first place, Dr. Sclater does us the great injustice of misquoting what we wrote, and thus attributes to us a statement which we were never so ignorant as to have made. Dr. Sclater writes (p. 114) : ‘it is even stated that the nomen- clature of Birds has been ‘neglected for more than 150 years, although a requisite of the greatest importance,’ ”’ and further elaborates this misquotation by stating on p. 116 “it is not correct to say that the study of Zoological Nomen- clature has been neglected during the past 150 years.” We never said anything of the kind. What we wrote was (‘ Hand-List,’ p. vi): ‘ After all, what is nomenclature ? It is little more than a system of labelling, and yet we have neglected for more than 150 years one of the requisites of greatest importance—that our labels should everywhere be the same for the same bird” (italics are ours), As Dr. Sclater has not only misquoted the words used, but has also entirely misinterpreted their meaning, it is perhaps necessary to point out that we likened nomenclature to a system of labelling, and stated that we had neglected the most important requisite of this system, viz., that our labels (or names) for the same bird should be everywhere uniform. We then proceeded to show how this want of uniformity had arisen and how it had continued for want of the “ adoption of a uniform system of nomenclature.” The whole of our Introduction is obviously a plea for the universal adoption of one system in order to secure uni- formity, and we uphold the “International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature”? as the only code which has tnternational authority. Wedo not go into history of this or any other code, and whether we should have done so or not is a matter upon which we as authors and Dr. Sclater as critic may well hold diverse views. But Dr. Sclater’s assumption, that because we did not mention Strickland’s Code—perhaps the 334 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. best-known one—we were therefore ignorant of it, is quite unfounded. With regard to the criticism on page 118, we have given an unnumbered binominal name asa general heading to each species or group of subspecies, and when a species is only represented by one form the binominal name is repeated immediately below and numbered, and the authority affixed, e.g..12. Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocoraz (L.); when it is repre- sented by two or more forms, each is given with a number and authority below the binominal heading. If Dr. Sclater will read the account of the ‘ Distribution Abroad” of the Honey-Buzzard, he will see that there is some sense in calling it Pernis apivorus apivorus. Dr. Sclater is displeased with our adding the author’s name to trinominals, and says that it is not correct to do so, because in many cases the original authors did not use trinominals. This criticism is quite unfounded, because the author’s name does not refer to the combination, but to the last name only. This isin accordance with the International Rules and every other Code of Nomenclature. We may also be allowed to call attention to the numerous mis- quotations in the “Comparison of the Names of British Birds according to the List of the British Ornithologists’ Union (1883) with the Names corresponding to them in the ‘ Hand-List’ (1912). To quote a few examples :— Dr. Sclater says we have replaced the name of Turdus atrigularis by Turdus ruficollis! This is not correct, as we have called the bird Turdus ruficollis atrogularis. The trinominal is due to our regarding it as a geographical form of T. ruficollis, a fact which every ornithologist understands. We have not replaced Sitta cesia by Sitta europea, but we call the Central European form S. europea cesia, the British race S. europea britannica, because both are obviously forms of S. europea europea. We have not replaced Pyrrhula europea by Pyrrhula pyrrhula, etc., ete. Dr. Sclater further exaggerates the differences in the two lists by counting a change of genus as a change of name, e. g. Anas crecca for Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 385 Querquedula crecca, and because we do not recognize Cygnus wmmutabilis as a distinct species he counts this also as a change of name! From what is said at the bottom of page 116 and the top of p. 117 it might be inferred—and, indeed, no doubt will be by the ignorant—that we have had in England up to the advent of our ‘ Hand-List’ a uviform “set of scientific names for our birds based on the Stricklandian Code.” That this is not so is, of course, notorious. We have given a few examples in our Introduction to show that even the authors of the B. O. U. List departed in their own separate works from that List! Need we labour the point further? And, are we ever to remain so insular as to imagine that British Ornithologists are the only ornithologists in the world, and that the nomenclature of British birds concerns us alone ? Finally, as the Stricklandian Code has not been adopted by any International body of Zoologists, is it worth while for a small group to continue to uphold it and thus delay the advent of the uniformity which Dr. Sclater himself desires? What does it matter to science if “journalists ” and “occasional writers” “recognize their old favourites disguised under their new names” or not? How many of them now recognize their old favourites disguised under their many old Latin names? What is our convenience compared with the progress of science? And, to argue the matter from the narrowest and most selfish point of view: Is the convenience of the individual best served by a uniform system, even if that involves some change in the names to which he is accustomed, or by a number of systems or no systems, both of which alternatives involve the use of a number of different names for the same species ? As members of the B.O. U. we are proud of its past glories and the notable achievements of its life-long HKditor, but we claim to share in the spirit of progress which inspired Strickland, and are confident that the world-wide advance of 356 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. our science cannot be permanently hindered by individual prejudice or reactionary pleas. Ernst Harrert. F. C. R. Jourpain. N. F. Ticenurst. H. F. WitHersy, February 24th, 1913. Srr,—I have just received the January number of ‘ The Ibis,’ and I lose no time in telling you how pleased I have been in reading Mr. P. L. Sclater’s paper on Zoological nomenclature. I fully agree with him in every respect. Last summer I received from a German Society an invita- tion to subscribe to a protest against the law of priority. I refused to do it, or, more exactly, I did not answer it. More recently I have received from Dr. Hartert a second invitation to strictly adhere to that law. I told him that I admit the law of priority, but cwm grano salis, and beginning with the twelfth edition of Linneus. The acceptance of the tenth edition has been the excuse of the actual confusion. For my part I shall stick to the twelfth edition to the end. Perhaps it would be possible to draw up a list of names of those who follow the Stricklandian code, in opposition to those of the new school. I am, Sir, Yours &c., T. SALVaport. Turin, January 25th, 19135. — — Srr,—I have read with much interest Dr. Scelater’s commentary on the new ‘ Hand-List of British Birds,’ as his claim for the Stricklandian Code is important at the present time. I have been called an ultra-prioritarian, and it should be remembered that Strickland was the father of the Law of Priority, and by his own writings would now be considered Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 337 an ultra-prioritarian. He maintained that “ the stern Law of Priority” must be obeyed, whatever the consequences. Neither Strickland nor the Stricklandian Code can be blamed for the present state of confusion, but rather the so-called followers, who never read or recognized the Code save when it suited their convenience. This was pointed out by one of its opponents, who gibed that it “ was more honoured in the breach than in the observance.” The only differences between the Stricklandian Code and the International Rules are in minor points, wherein agree- ment has now been arrived at even by the “select com- mittee” of the British Ornithologists’ Union. I refer to the acceptance of the tenth edition of the ‘Systema Naturz’ of Linné in place of the twelfth edition accepted in the Strickiandian Code, and the recognition of “ toutonyms.” Whether the former change was advisable may be still a moot point, but it has now become universally recognized, so that no further argument is necessary. Dr. Sclater’s plea for “journalists, local list-emakers, and other occasional writers” against the wishes of the ‘working ornithologists,” who will “soon get used to it,” can scarcely be considered worthy of criticism, as surely scientific work must not be retarded on account of the whim of a journalist or local list-maker. I would, therefore, conclude that, seriously speaking, little fault has been found with the “New Hand-List ” by Dr. Sclater, but rather that his Commentary is simply a review of it from the view-point of one of the older workers. When it is remembered that the comparison is with a List published thirty years ago, and which was in general disuse ten years afterwards, the extraordinary number of changes bears a very large discount. Regarding the addition of the author of a species, I agree with Dr. Sclater that it seems unnecessary when the original reference is also given, but otherwise it should always be quoted. My own criticism of the Hand-List would have been directed against the very wide limits of the genera used, the 338 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. lack of generic references, and the general classification followed. The authors would have furthered “ uniformity ” by generally adopting the evolutionary order provided by Sharpe in the ‘ Hand-list of Birds.’ These points I would like to see remedied by the select committee at present at work on the new B. O. U. List. “Unless the Law of Priority is strictly applied no uniformity in International Zoological Nomenclature can obtain.” I am, Sir, Yours, &c., Grecory M. Maruews. Langley Mount, Watford, Herts. February 4th, 1913. The Second Freiburg Moluccan Expedition.— We have received from Mr. E. Stresemann the following account of his expedition to the Dutch Indies, which will, we hope, interest our readers. Mr. Stresemann, who is now at Tring working out his collection of birds, writes as follows :— The second Freiburg Moluccan expedition, organized at the expense of those who participated in it, was led by Dr. Deninger, a geologist and a “ Privatdocent” of the University of Freiburg. He was accompanied by Dr. Tauern, also of Freiburg, as physicist, and by Mr. E, Strese- mann, of Munich, as zoologist, The object of the expedition was the exploration of the southern Molucca Islands, and especially Ceram and Buru. A specially constructed motor-boat was taken with them, with which they hoped to reach more easily some of the less accessible islands, such as Kalao-tua, Mysol, and the Sula archipelago. Unfortunately, the boat was wrecked in the roads of Buleleng, off Bali. This, though it delayed the expedition, enabled it to make an unanticipated visit to the mountains of Perak in the Malay Peninsula, where the months of September to November, 1910, were spent. The visit to the island of Bali lasted three months, and there Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 339 very valuable zoological and ethnographical collections were made. Thence they made their way to Ceram, where they stayed eight months, exploring the high mountains of the interior, never previously visited by travellers or collectors. Here very interesting zoological and botanical collections were made, particularly on Gunung Pinaia, the highest mountain of the island, which attains an elevation of 8300 ft. Subsequently, Dr. Tauern spent two months on Mysol, while Dr. Deninger and Mr. Stresemann worked on Buru. Here, too, where the interior is quite unexplored, the island was crossed twice from sea to sea, and the highest mountain, Gunung Fogha, which reaches an elevation of 6200 ft., was ascended. In April, 1912, the expedition returned home with a rich booty of observations and collections. The number of bird-skins brought back was upwards of 1200. A full report of the results of the expedition will shortly be issued. The Alexandra Parrakeet (Polytelis alexandre).—In his interesting narrative of his journey ‘ Across Australia,’ Prof. Baldwin Spencer gives the following account of lis interview with this beautiful bird in the central wilderness. * Amongst the birds the most interesting one to be found in the central area is the Princess Alexandra Parrakeet. This was originally described by Gould in 1863, having been discovered by Waterhouse during Stuart’s third expedition in 1861, when he succeeded in crossing the continent from south to north. It is the most beautiful and delicately coloured, as it is the rarest, of our Parrakeets. It belongs to a small group characterised by the length and narrowness of the tail-feathers, which add to their graceful appearance, as compared with other Parrakeets. The natives call it ‘Milturung,’ which means ‘long tail. A fully- grown bird has a total length of seventeen inches, of which the tail forms more than eleven. Delicate shades of rosy and coral-pink, moss-green, cobalt-blue with SER. X.— VOL. I. aA 340 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. darker shades of brown and blue, bleud together in such a way as to render the bird much less garish in its colour than most of our Parrakeets. At the time of the Horn expedition it was only met with once, far away in the western Macdonnells, when Mr. Keartland, the ornithologist of the party, most fortunately came across a flock of about fifteen perched in a small clump of ‘desert oak.’ This was in June 1894; in November of the same year they made their appearance in the eastern Macdonnells, nesting in‘ hollow limbs of gum-trees, each nest containing five white eggs. Then for years they seemed to disappear, until, once more, they were recorded during the year J]905 from as far south as Oodnadatta. They feed on grass-seeds, more especially those of the porcupine-grass, which indicates that they normally inhabit dry and sterile country such as is avoided, as far as possible, by man. They certainly have a most remarkable liabit of never appearing in the same part of the country during two successive years; in fact, when they do come, they make their appearance suddenly and disappear as suddenly and mysteriously, but whence they come and whither they go no one knows.” There are now two specimens of the Alexandra Parrakeet in the British Museum, obtained during the Horn expedition into Central Australia, and others living in the Zoological Society's Parrot-house. The Pennant Collection—The Earl and Countess of Denbigh have recently presented to the National Museum the collection of birds formed by Thomas Pennant, which has remained at Downing Hall in Flintshire in its original state since his death in 1798. The collection includes 142 specimens, the greater number of which are figured in his folio work on ‘ British Zoology’ published in 1766. Although there are no type specimens, the birds are of great historic value, and, in several instances, may assist in the solution of questions which have hitherto not been Letters, Extracts, and Notes. BAL determined or have given rise to much controversy. Tor instance, we may mention that the ‘‘ Ringtail” proves to be a female of the Common Hen- Harrier (Circus cyaneus). Another interesting pair of birds are the male and female Capereaillie, which, if their origin can be shewn to be Scottish, will prove of great value. At the present time no true British-killed example of the Capercaillie is known to exist in any Museum. This bird became extinct in England many years ago; but in Scotland and Ireland it lingered on till the latter part of the eighteenth century, and in Pennaut’s folio edition it is mentioned as being then “not frequent.” The present Capercaillie of Scotland is of Scandinavian origin, and was introduced in 1857 by the then Marquess of Breadalbane at Taymouth Castle. The specimens have been dismounted from their original cases aud carefully labelled, and are to be kept together, so that they can be easily referred to. The Birds of Sinait.—In the last volume of the ‘ Journal fiir Ornithologie’ * is an article on the birds of the Sinaitic Peninsula, which will attract many of our readers, as the locality is one of special interest and is still imperfectly explored. After preliminary remarks anda useful list of the previous publications relating to the subject, Graf Zedlitz gives us a list of the 104 species of which he obtained specimens, or which have been positively identified as occurring in Sinai by previous authorities. Two of these are described as new subspecies, Ammomanes deserti katharine aud Columba livia palastine. Numerous field-notes and systematic remarks are given on every species. The Museum at Brighton.—We learn from ‘The Times’ that a collection of nearly 1000 bird-skins, the property of Mr. M. J. Nicoll, is to be purchased for the Brighton Public * J. f. 0.1912, pp 325 and 528. 342 Letters, Extracts, and Notes. Museum. Nearly all the specimens were obtained in Sussex. They are said to include a Black-eared Chat (Saai- cola stapazina), the first British specimen obtained, and a Baird’s Sandpiper (Tringa bairdi), the first European specimen obtained, besides examples of many other rare species. A “ringed”? Swallow taken in Natal.—‘ British Birds’ for February reports that an adult Swallow which was ringed by Mr. J. R. B. Masefield at Rosehill, Cheadle, Stafford- shire, on 6 May, 1911, was caught in the farmhouse of the farm Roodesand, 18 miles from Utrecht, Natal, by Mr. J. Meyer on 23 December, 1912. This is the first occasion on which European-bred Swallows have been definitely proved to migrate to South Africa, and is the more remarkable as it has generally been supposed that our British-bred Swallows travelled down the west coast of Africa, and it could hardly be expected that they would spread so far to the east as Natal. The B.O. U. second New Guinea Expedition —At the last meeting of the B.O.C. on March 19 it was announced that news had been received by cable that Mr. Wollaston, in company with a Dutch Officer, had reached the summit of Carstensz Peak, about 16,000 ft., at the end of January. Further particulars are expected as the news came through Dutch sources and not direct from Dr. Wollaston. The Annual Meeting of the B.O.U.—Members are re- minded that the Annual General Meeting of the Union will be held at the offices of the Zoological Society in Regent’s Park at 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9th. The Meeting will be an important one, as a new President and a Secretary have to be elected, and it is therefore hoped that there will be a good muster of Members. Proposers of new Members should either attend themselves to speak on behalf of their candidates or send a letter of recommendation to the Secretary. WITHERBY & GOS LIST. READY IN APRIL. A Dictionary Oh == ENGLISH AND FOLK-NAMES =e OE BRITISH BIRDS With their History, Meaning and first usage, and the Folk-lore, Weather-lore, Legends, etc., relating to the more familiar species, BY H. KIRKE SWANN, Demy Syo. Cloth bound. About 300 pages. 10s. net. The Birds of Astrale By GREGORY M. MATHEWS, F.r.s.£., M.A.0.U., M.B.O.U. With Hand-Coloured Plates. PNET W.O-GUIN BFAS-OQOUARTERLY-PAR TS: Prospectus and full particulars on application. VOLUMES I. and Il. NOW READY. e So i] e A Hand-list of British Birds By ERNST HARTERT, F. C. R. JOURDAIN, Welt EICEHURST,~ anp Fi. Eo WITRERBY. Giving a detailed account of the distribution of each species in the British Isles, and a general account of its range abroad. Details of the occurrences of rare Visitors. The Nomenclature is revised strictly in accordance with the International Rules of Zoological Nomenclature. Exact references to the original Description and Locality are given A full Index is provided. The AUK says :—“... We congratulate the authors of the British Hand-List upon the character of their work, and upon the great strides that they have made towards uniformity of nomenclature. Let us hope that all British ornithologists will hearken to the plea that they make and adopt the names here set forth in all future writings upon British Birds.” Demy 80. Ts, 6d, net. Copies interleayed with ruled paper Ios. “%t. London: Witherby & Co., 326, High Holborn. CONTENTS OF NUMBER II.—_TENTH SERIES. Page 2 ; 2 XT XII. XIII. XVI. XVII. The Birds of Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River or Si Kiang in South-Eastern China, with special reference to their Nidification and Seasonal Movements.—Part II. By Lieutenant R. E. Vauenan, R.N., M.B.O.U., and Staff-Surgeon K. H. ee M.B., R.N., F, 7.8.5 M. B. O0.U. (Plate V.) . os ale ee ston : _ : A Reference List of the Birds of New Zealand.—Part I. By Grueory M. Maturews and Tom Irepare . . . . Further Notes on the Birds of China. By J. D. D. La Toucue, C.M.Z:8., M. BION. 2: (Platel:) See ce ee Rees _ Some Notes and Observations on a Guan (Ortalis vetula), suggested by an Examination of an Immature Specimen. By Percy R. Lows, M.B., M.B.O.U. Bee VII. and Text- fig. 1) Goon ane 3 : . On Sterna hirundo Linn. and on the Name of the Common COOL Tern. By Prof. Ervar Lonnssre, of Stockholm Obituary. Epwarp Aprian Winson (Plate VIII. 7 Prof. Ropert Cotterr; Henry Joun Pearson . . ° Notices of recent Ornithological Publications :— Alexander on Boyd Alexander’s last Journey; Alston on the Highlands of Scotland; Bent on a new Crossbill ; Blaauw’s Excursion to South America; Brabourne and Chubb on the Birds of South America ; ‘Bryant or Birds and Grasshoppers; Hellmayr on Two new Birds from the Timor Group; Horsbrugh on South African Game-birds ; Howard on British Warblers; Ingram on the Birds of Yunnan; Van Kempen on the Birds of the North of France; Menzbier’s Zoo-geographical Atlas; Mitchell on the Early Life of Birds; Rothschild and Hartert on Birds from New Guinea; Salvadori on Birds from the Congo; Sarudny and Hiirms on Persian Birds; Stresemann on Birds from the Indo-Australian Region; Thienemann on the Migration of the Woodcock ; Tschusi on Palearctic Birds; Uchidna on the Birds of Formosa; ‘ Ardea,’ a new Ornitho- logical Journal; Austral Avian Record; Bird Notes; Messager Ornithologique ; Revue Francaise d’Ornithologie ; Seottish Naturalist ; and List of other Publications received XVIII. Letters, Extracts, and Notes :— Letters from Messrs. Rudolph von Thanner, William Brewster, the Authors of the ‘ Hand-List of British Birds,’ Count T. Salvadori, and Mr. G. M. Mathews. The Second Freiburg Moluecan Expedition ; The Alexandia Parrakeet (Polytels ulexandre); The Pennant Collection ; The Birds of Sinai; The Museum at Brighton; A “ringed” Swallow taken in Natal; The B.O.U. Second New Guinea Te ergs The Annual Meeting of the 3.0 Uses: . 163 201 263 . 283 . 303 315 . 330 Covers for binding last year’s Volume may be had on application to the Publisher. Price 1s. "6d., post free. Communications intended for publication in ‘The Ibis’ should be addressed to the Eprror. Members are requested to inform the Secretary (J. Lewis - Bonuote, Esq., B.O.U., Park, N. W.) of any change of Address, may reach them without delay. c/o The Zoological Society of London, Regent’s so that the Numbers of ‘The Ibis’ debe he hres OS a <6 fo ee sere a JULY 1913. Price 8s. net. de Heo Bb Ss. A } QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITILOLOGY. EDITED BY WILLIAM LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A. : OCLASDEN: R. H. PORTER, 7 i eS STREED, CAVENDISH SQUARE, Ona | SE MSN a x | Feros AND FRANCIS, PRINTERS, J [RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. aN CYS. : yaa Ss fOOVS A HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF COLORADO. BY WILLIAM LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A. (Oxon.), M.B.O.U., Hon. M.A.O.U. Sisey Director of the Colorado College Museum). With a portrait of General Witt1Am J. Patmer, and Sixteen Full-page . Plates from Photographs, and a Map. Published Price for Great Britain, 21s. net. ; for United States, $5. WITHERBY & Co., 326 HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON, W.C. THE BRITISH WARBLERS: A HISTORY with PROBLEMS OF THEIR LIVES. By H. ELIOT HOWARD, F.Z.8., M.B.O.U. To be completed: in 9 parts. Size, Imperial 8vo. Price to Subscribers, 21s. per part net. Parts 1 to 7 now ready; Part 8 in the autumn. Containing 27 Coloured and 89 Photrgravure Plates and 8 Maps of Distribution. Complete in 4 Vols. Medium 8vo. Cloth extra, Gilt Tops. THE FAUNA OF SOUTH AFRICA: BIRDS. By A. C. STARK, M.B., and W. L. SCLATER, M.A. With Portrait, Map, and over 500 Illustrations: Price £4 14s. 6d. net Great Britain, and £5 abroad. Also Vols. 2, 3, 4, to be had separately, as follows :— Vols. 2 and 8, pr ice £1 Is. net, Great Britain, and £1 2s. net, abroad, each Volume. Vol. 4, price £1 Lis. 6d. net, Great Britain, price £1 13s, 6d. net, abroad LONDON: R,. H. PORTER, 7 PRINCES STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. THE BIRDS OF AFRICA, COMPRISING ALL THE SPECIES WHICH OCCUR IN THE ETHIOPIAN REGION. BY THE LATE GEORGE ERNEST SHELLEY, F.Z:S., F.R.G.S., Erc Edited and completed by W. L. SCL ATER, M.A,, FZ. S. Vols. 1 to 3, Vol. 4 in 2 Parts, and Vol. 5, Part J., 1896-1906, JSorming Sia Venice. Imperial 8vo, with 49 beautiful Hand- Coleieed Plates by H. Gronvowp. Price £9 Qs. nett. ‘ol. 5, Part II., with 8 beautifully coloured Plates. Price £1 11s. 6d. nett. H. SOTHERAN & CO., 43 PICCADILLY, W. Just Published. 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Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the Spring of LOlO etc. VOU ee tact eee 6/- EXCINK pH (OesstOn OM 1 O12) on OS Ger ace, ee orn ae ae GE XXX. Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the spring of 1911: etc. 19929 “eae, see 6/- NA AE (Session Mol NOPS O18 nee ws ieee 6 /- LONDON: WITHERBY & CO., 326 HIGH HOLBORN, W.C. Dr P. Gy SCLATER,- FR. The Committee greatly regret to have to announce the death of Dr. P. L. Sclater, which occurred on Friday, June 27th, 19138. A Memoir will appear in the October number of ** The Ibis.” THE IBIS. TENTH SERIES. No. III. JULY 1913. XIX.—On a small Collection of Birds from Henderson Island, South Pacific. By W. R. Ocitviz-Grant. (Plate IX.) A snort account of the birds collected on Henderson Island and presented to the British Museum by Messrs. D. R. Tait and J. R. Jamieson, was published in the ‘ Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club,’ xxxi. pp. 58-61 (1913). Under the direction of Sir John Murray an expedition in search of lime-deposits visited Henderson Island in 1912, and though unsuccessful in their principal object, the members met with several interesting birds, of which four are peculiar to the island. When describing these birds I unfortunately overlooked the fact that a short paper on the avifauna of that island had already been published by Mr. A. J. North in the ‘ Records of the Australian Museum,’ vii. pp. 29-31 (1908). Mr. A. E. Stephen visited the island in 1907 and collected six birds, which were preserved in spirits and forwarded to the Australian Museum ; these included two, out of the three species which I described as new. The cause of this over- sight has already been explained in the ‘ Bulletin’ (f.c. pp. 76-77), and I have to thank Dr. Charles W. Richmond, of the United States National Museum, Washington, for calling my attention to Mr. North’s paper. SER. X.—VOL. I. 2B 344 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on Henderson or Elizabeth Island, one of the most southern and easterly islands of the Southern Pacific, lies about 120 miles to the north-east of Pitcairn, at about 128° W. Long. and 22°S. Lat. The account given by the members of the expedition which recently visited it differs somewhat from that pub- lished by the Rev. T. B. Murray and quoted in my paper in the ‘ Bulletin.’ No trace of voleanic rock was found, and the island is said to be an upraised atoll, rising about eighty fcet above the sea. Phosphate rocks are found, but not in suffi- cient quantity to pay the cost of working. There is a slight depression on the top apparently representing the lagoon of the atoll, which seems to have been upraised in compara- tively recent geological times. The general account of Henderson Island by Mr. Stephen published by Mr. A. J. North, is so much better than any other that I have taken the liberty of quoting it :— “Henderson Island is an elevated coral islet about six miles long and three miles broad, rising fifty feet above sea-level. The tableland is flat and roughly strewn with dead coral-fragments and pointed or knife-edged weathered compact coralline limestone. The vegetation is dense scrub, with vines and ferns. Pandanus trees were about the highest on the island, some being quite thirty feet high. The soil is very scanty, and the vegetation is often thickest in slight depression-areas, where soil is more abundant. No water or swampy places were found, drinking-water having to be taken on the various excursions. The island is un- inhabited, and has rarely been visited by vessels, but the Pitcairn islanders occasionally visit it for fishing purposes, since fish are very plentiful there. There are two cocoanut trees on the beach on the north end of the island, planted many years ago by some of the Pitcairn islanders. «.... Animal life noticed during the short stay was as follows :—One variety of rat, very similar to the Pacific type ; one skink (very plentiful); one small butterfly; one paroquet (not very plentiful—only seen on the high part of the island, and generally in pairs) ; one black crake (fairly Birds from Henderson Island. 345 plentiful in the interior of the island, which probably lives on tiny land-molluscs, which abound in the scanty soil over the high land) ; one dove, pink-crested, found more or less in flocks of about twenty or more. ‘ Mutton birds’ (Puffinus sp. ?) were very plentiful, and laid their eggs on the ground among the scrub in more or less secluded places all over the island; white terns were also plentiful ; noddies were not so plentiful; frigate-birds were numerous ; one species of small brown bird with white tail-feathers, similar to one at Pitcairn.” The last-named species was evidently the Sedge-Warbler described below. ACROCEPHALUS TAITI. Acrocephalus taiti Ogilvie-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxxi. p- 58 (1913). Adult male and female. General colour above earth- brown, the greater wing-coverts with pale edges and the four outer tail-feathers tipped with white in decreasing proportions from the third outwards to the sixth pair; lores, eyebrow-stripes, and underparts white tinged with buff ; thighs dusky ; under wing-coverts and bend of the wing washed with pale fawn-colour. Iris brown in the male, red in the female ; bill grey ; feet slate-grey. Adult male. Total length about 180 mm.; culmen from feathers on forehead 16°5; wing 84; tail 77; tarsus 32. Adult female. Total length about 177 mm.; culmen from feathers on forehead 15°35; wing 79; tail 74; tarsus 29. Another male has a large portion of the plumage showing that curious tendency to albinism which is so often to be ‘found in the allied A. vaughani Sharpe, from Pitcairn Island. This individual has the head mostly white, with the exception of a few dark feathers on the forehead and occiput ; the feathers of the upperparts and wing-coverts are a mixture of brown and white, many of the brown feathers being tipped with whitish, producing a mottled appearance ; primary-quills mostly dark brown, one or two of the middle and inner ones being tipped with white ; 2B2 346 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on secondary quills largely white on the left wing, less so on the right; tail mostly white, some of the middle feathers only being partially brown ; underparts, including the sides of the head, chin, and throat, white. Iris brown; bill grey ; fect slate-grey. Types in the British Museum: ¢¢. Nos. 9 & Qa. Henderson Island, S. Pacific, 27-29.x.12. D. R. Tait coll. This species differs from A. vaughani in having the feathers of the head uniform brown, not edged with yellowish-white, which gives the crown of that species a somewhat scaled appearance. The amount of white in the plumage of Acrocephaline birds from the Pitcairn and other Pacific Islands appears to vary greatly in different individuals, and is generally unevenly developed on the two sides of the body. It would seem as though this tendency to albinism might be due to degeneration caused by inbreeding. By many ornithologists the Reed-Warblers of the Pacific Islands are placed in a distinct genus Tatare, but there does not seem to be any good reason for separating them from their Western allies. Vini STEPHENI (North). (Plate IX.) Calliptilus (?) stephent North, Records Austr. Mus. vii. p. 29 (1908). Vini hendersoni Ogilvie-Grant, Bull. B.O. C. xxxi. p. 60 (1913). Adult male and female. Appear to be most nearly allied to Vini kuhlt (Vigors) from the Fanning Islands, but differ in many important particulars. The feathers of the occiput are dark green with brighter green shaft-streaks, like those of the crown, instead of deep purple; the tail-feathers have the terminal portion yellow tinged with greenish, and the basal portion mottled with dark green on the outer web and with scarlet and black, or scarlet, on the inner web, while in V. kukli they are very differently coloured. The green of the neck extends on to the sides of the chest, and there Birds from Henderson Island. 347 is an indistinct dark purple band across the upper breast, which is wanting in the bird from the Fanning Islands. The tail is rather more wedge-shaped than in V. kuhii, the middle pair of tail-feathers being proportionately some- what longer. Iris yellow; bill dark yellow; feet and legs yellowish-brown. Total length about 200 mm.; wing 125; tail 90. The genus Vint has been characterized by Salvadori (cf. Cat. Birds B. M. xx. p. 11, and Wytsman’s ‘Genera Avium,’ Psittaci, family Loridz, p. 2) as having the first three or four primaries notched at the tip; but this character is only found in a marked degree in V. australis, from Samoa and the Friendly Islands, while in V. kuAli, the type of the genus, it is much less apparent, as is also the case in the present species from Henderson Island. This character appears to be of specific rather than of generic value. It seems pretty certain that the true home of V. kuAli is the Society Group in the Islands of Tahiti, Bora-Bora, &c., where it is probably now extinct, and that it must have been imported subsequently to the Fanning Group. The occurrence of the present species in Henderson Island strengthens this view, and the geographical range of the genus Vini would thus extend from Samoa and the Friendly Islands, where V. australis occurs, to Henderson Island. The Fanning Islands lie far to the north and are distant from Samoa about 1500 miles, and from Henderson Island about 3000 miles. Porzana atra North. Porzana atra North, Records Austr. Mus. vu. p. 31 (1908). Porzana murrayi Ogilvie-Grant, Bull. B. O. C. xxxi. p- 61 (4918). Adult. Perhaps most nearly allied to the widely dis- tributed P. tabuensis (Gmel.), but the entire plumage is deep black, with a slight greyish gloss. Iris red; bill black ; feet orange. Total length about 180 mm. ; 348 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on culmen 22; wing 80; tail 39; tarsus 36; middle toe and claw 41. This species is obviously non-migratory, as is evidenced by its comparatively short feeble wings, which are much shorter than in P. tabuensis. In general appearance the species recalls Limnocorax niger (Gmel.), which is widely distributed over Africa, but the latter is of a rather greyer black and has the bill dull green. The young in first plumage is rather greyer on the throat and underparts than the adult, and has the legs black. Wing 76 mm. The nestling is covered with deep velvety-black down. The occurrence of this Rail in an island devoid of permanent water is of interest. It inhabits the thick scrub and is said to be very tame. Prizopus insuLaris North. Ptilopus insularis North, Records Austr. Mus. vii. p. 30 (1908). Ptilopus coralensis Ogilvie-Grant (nec Peale), Bull B.O.C. Pp. Ole( 193), Mr. North has described the Fruit-Pigeon from Henderson Island under the above name, and, as he very correctly points out, it differs from P. coralensis. Peale from the Paumotu group in having the feathers of the crown deep rose-pink (instead of purplish-pink), the same colour extending to the base of the bill; the chin and middle of the throat, as well as the vent, white ; and the tail longer. Since I published my notes on the Henderson Island Birds in the ‘ Bulletin’ referred to above, Dr. Richmond has very kindly forwarded to me for examination four examples of the true P. coralensis Peale. They were collected by C. H. Townsend at Makatea, Niau, and Fakarava, all islands lying round Carlsoff Island in the Paumotu Group, where the type of P. coralensis was obtained. The only example of that species in the British Museum is the type of Ptilopus chalcurus Gray, an immature bird said to have come from Hervey Island, as is mentioned below. Birds from Henderson Island, 349 To the differences between P. insularis and P. coralensis given by Mr. North, I may now add that the two males from Henderson Island are altogether larger and more heavily built than the birds from the Paumotu Islands. The bill is much stouter and deeper, measuring 5°5 mm. from the rhamphotheca to the angle of the mandible, as compared with 4°5 mm.; the wing longer, 145-147 mm. (144 mm. = 5:7 inches in the type specimen recorded by Mr. North), as compared with 134-186 mm., and the tail 110 mm., as compared with 87-89 mm. A female of P. coralensis for- warded by Dr. Richmond is somewhat smaller than the three males recorded above, and measures, wing 129 mm., tail 86°5 mm, The type specimen of P. chalcurus G. R. Gray was founded on a younger example in first adult plumage with the first primary-quill less attenuated towards the extremity than in the fully adult. Younger birds of this group of Fruit- Pigeons may always be recognised by this character. Count Salvadori (Cat. Birds B. M. xxi. p. 104) rightly regarded the type of P. chalcurus as synonymous with P. cora- lensis Peale, but described the type of the latter species sent him for examination by the Smithsonian Institution as a distinct species under the name P. smithsonianus (l.c. p. 105). Dr. C. W. Richmond, however, assures me that in hunting down the records of their types, he discovered that the bird sent to Count Salvadori as the type of P. coralensis and described by him as P. smithsonianus, was without doubt the type specimen of the former, and was obtained on Carlsoff Island, though that information was not shewn on the label when’ Count Salvadori examined it. P. smithsonianus is therefore a pure synonym of P. coralensis. I have little doubt that the type of P. chalcurus was not obtained at the Hervey or Cook Islands, for, as Wiglesworth pointed out (‘ Ibis,’ 1891, p. 574), Garrett spent six months in that group and did not obtain specimens. In the type of P. chalcurus the colour on the forehead (now faded to purple-violet, the specimen having been mounted in 1855 and exhibited for many years) extends 350 On Birds from Henderson Island. right to the culmen, and though Count Salvadori says there are a few greenish feathers at the base of the bill, a careful examination fails to reveal anything of the sort, all being glossy violet, though somewhat faded. The true locality of the type of P. chalcurus must remain uncertain, but there can be no doubt that the birds from the Paumotu Islands are of the same species. The figure of the type-specimen of P. coralensis drawn by Peale shows a bird with the crimson confined to the middle of the crown, the forehead as well as the superciliary region being grey. It is similar to an immature male from Niau forwarded by Dr. Richmond, and I think, as Cassin has already suggested, that the type must be an immature specimen. Against this it must be remembered that Count Salvadori, who has examined the type-specimen, believes that this surmise is not correct, “as the bird has the first primary much attenuated at the tip, more so even than in the type of P. chalcurus,’ which he takes to be the same as P. coralensis (cf. Cat. Birds B. M. xxi. p. 105, footnote). The synonymy of P. coralensis should therefore stand as follows :— Ptilonopus coralensis Peale, Zoology U.S. Expl. Exped. p- 190, pl. 51 (1848); Cassin, U.S, Expl. Exped. 2nd ed. p- 272, pl. 82 (1858). Ptilonopus chalcurus G. Rk. Gray, Cat. Birds Trop. Isl. p: 87 (1859) (Cook or Hervey Islands). Ptilopus coralensis Salvad. Cat. Birds B. M. xxi. p. 104 (1893). Ptilopus smithsonianus Salvad. t.c. p. 105 (Carlsoff I., Paumotu Group). ‘ In addition to the above, the following species were also obtained at Henderson Island :— Sula piscator Linn. Gygis candida (Gmel.). Procelsterna cerulea (Bennett). Totanus incanus (Gmel.). Anous leucocapillus (Gould). Calhdris arenaria (Linn.). On the Birds of South-eastern China. 351 XX.—The Birds of Hong Kong, Macao, and the West River or Si Kiang in South-eastern China, with special reference to their Nidification and Seasonal Movements.—Part I11.* (Conclusion and Appendix.) By Lieutenant R. E. Vaueuan, R.N., M.B.O.U., and Staff-Surgeon K. H. Jones, M.B., R.N., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. {Continued from p. 201. ] TURTUR ORIENTALIS. The Eastern Turtle Dove is a fairly common winter visitor to the coast of Kwang Tung and is not found further inland than the Shiu Hing gorge, about one hundred and ten miles from the sea. The time of arrival of these Doves appears to vary considerably in different years, for they have been known to occur as early as October 14, and as late as December 6; whilst in the spring, although the majority leave in March, they have been obtaimed on April 14. TuRTUR HUMILIS. The Red Dove is a common resident species on the West River, but is only found on the coast and in the Delta country in winter, probably in the last named cases it is as a bird of passage from further north. On September 1 large flocks of these birds were found feeding in wet paddy with the Snipe, so probably they had migrated with the latter from the north. Further west, this species grows commoner than Turtur chinensis, and at Kwei Hsien it is the most abundant Dove. It usually places its little nest, consisting of a few sticks and rootlets, high up in some tall tree, a banyan, bombax, or fir ; and in the banyan the nest is very difficult to see, but the sitting-bird can easily be flushed. In this species it was found, from actual observation, that the male incubates the eggs from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m., and the female for the remaining eighteen hours. The different plumage of the two sexes enabled these observations to be made. * For previous parts see pp. 17-76 and 163-201, and for map see pl. iv, 352 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones Not infrequently the nest is placed in the same tree as that of Turtur chinensis, and on one occasion five nests of Turtur humilis were found in one tree. It has been met with also in heronries occupied by the Night and Pond-Herons. The usual number of eggs is two, but on July 11 a nest containing three was discovered by Staff-Surgeon C. EK. Cortis Stanford, R.N. The eggs have a creamy tint, and are markedly smaller than those of Turtur chinensis. They average 1:02 x °82, and vary in length from 1°10 to °97, aud in width from -84 to ‘77. TURTUR CHINENSIS. ‘This Turtle Dove is a very common resident, and at Hong Kong it is exceedingly tame, feeding close to the houses and flying about the town and gardens. arly in the spring the male may be seen performing his love flights, which he does by ascending, perhaps one or two hundred feet, and coming down with wings and tail stiffly extended: a very pretty aerial evolution. During the breeding-season two cocks not infrequently engage in battle, pecking viciously at each other and striking hard blows with their wings. This bird has also been seen to attack that robber, the Chinese Blue Magpie (Urocissa), when the latter has approached its nest and eggs; and the Dove has been known to strike the Pie severe blows in mid- air with its powerful wings, so that the thief was glad to escape. There is little doubt that one sex relieves the other during incubation, but as they are alike it is not possible to say precisely when this occurs. On March 17 a bird of this species being flushed from its eggs pretended to fall to the ground, and there shammed being wounded; this was the only occasion when such an action was observed. There is no doubt that this Dove lays its eggs throughout the year, for they have been taken in all the months except January, and young were obtained which must have been hatched in that month. At the Marble Rocks, Shiu Hing, twenty miles above Samshui, this bird has become a cliff-breeder, and places its on the Birds of South-eastern China. 353 nest on grassy ledges in the rocks. It is frequently placed in a banyan or a fir tree, and when in the former, being the usual slight platform of sticks characteristic of the genus, is very difficult to see. Eggs average 1°15 x °88, and vary in length from 1:27 to 1:05, and in width from ‘938 to ‘84, F’RANCOLINUS CHINENSIS, The Chinese Francolin is an exceedingly common bird all along the West River, and in Hong Kong and Macao, but the Delta country is not suited to it. Its weird resounding cry once heard can never be forgotten, and is one of the most characteristic sounds of the Chinese country-side. Although it calls more persistently during the spring and summer -than at other times, it may be heard during every month of the year, one cock answering the challenge of another, until the whole mountain-side seems to be full of them. It is known to European sportsmen as the “ Partridge,” and is difficult to shoot, for it runs fast, and is hard to put up without dogs, whilst if it is walked up by accident, it usually rises so suddenly that it is often missed altogether. The flight is swift and straight like that of a Quail. The birds are captured in plenty by the Chinese, and may often be seen for sale, alive, in small bamboo cages, for thirty cents (7d.) each. The “‘ modus operandi” is to get a female Francolin and put it tethered by one leg into a bamboo trap-cage ; this is placed on the hill-side, and the cock, attracted by the hen, enters her prison, the trapdoor falls, and the would-be lover is a prisoner. A number of these traps are set on the hill-side, and are visited twice a day by their owner. There is little doubt but that this species is double-brooded, for birds may be seen chasing one another on the dry paddy- fields in mid-April, while a reliable Portuguese friend had seen young birds hardly able to fly in September and December. The only eggs obtained of this species were got by Staff-Surgeon J. H. P. Greenhalgh, R.N., from a woman 354 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones grass-cutter at Howlik. Nesting as it does on the ground, the eggs are only found by the grass-cutters, who pro- bably eat them on the rare occasions when they make a find. CoTuRNIX COTURNIX. Quails occur during the spring and autumn migrations on the West River and on the coast, but their numbers vary toa remarkable extent ; in some years hardly a bird is to be seen, and in others they are extraordinarily abundant. The earliest dates in three successive years for the arrival of this bird on the West River were October 9,15, and 19. In the spring they are generally plentiful, and are shot with Snipe among the mulberry-canes. In the winter of 1900-01 Quails were astonishingly abundant, and again in 1905-06, but in the intervening years their scarcity was equally marked. At Kwei Hsien young birds were seen on August 11, and a good many adults also. At Shamshui, October 29, a covey of young, just able to fly, was put up, so that this species does occasionally breed so far east and south. In October the birds take to the paddy-fields, where they gorge themselves with ripe rice and become very fat. The Chinese catch them in springes and in nets. All through the winter these birds may be seen in the shops, in vast numbers, alive, and in big bamboo cages. EXCALFACTORIA CHINENSIS. A considerable number of these birds pass through Shamshui on the spring and autumn migrations, but they have not been noticed on the coast, though probably occasionally occurring there. At Kwei Hsien, on the plain, they were found to be breeding in July. At the end of June, when the grass is cut, the Chinese obtain many eggs, and there is no doubt that this species is double-brooded. From the appearance of the ovaries of a bird shot at Shamshui in August, it is probable that it bred there. The nest is a well-formed pad of grass, and a clutch of eggs on the Birds of South-eastern China. 355 varies from five to eight in number. Some of the eges obtained at Kwei Hsien were of a plain light olive-colour unspotted, but most have obscure specklings of arusty hue ; the inside of the egg-shells is of a turquoise blue, Eges vary from ‘99 to ‘92 in length, and from °76 to ‘72 in breadth, whilst they average *95 x °74. BAMBUSICOLA THORACICA. The Bamboo Partridge is only found at Howlik, in the forest there. It appears to be a resident, and on May 31 a bird with a brood of chicks was seen by Kershaw. It shows a partiality for thick scrub on the borders of streams ; it is exceedingly stealthy in its movements, runs with extra- ordinary rapidity, and is obtained with very great difficulty. The eggs were not met with. PHASIANUS TORQUATUS. According to Fortune, ‘Wanderings in China,’ who was at Hong Kong in 1841-3, Pheasants were at that time fairly abundant, not far away on the mainland, and many were brought to Victoria and sold to the Europeans. Of course these birds may have come from further afield than he imagined, but still in those days they were not likely to have been imported from Shanghai, as they are now, and so, presumably, they really were not very uncommon on the mainland sixty years ago. At the present time a Pheasant is an extremely rare bird in the vicinity of Hong Kong or Macao, and indeed is not common anywhere in either Province, so far as the writers are aware. Plenty can be purchased alive in Canton, but these are brought down from the Province of Yunnan in junks, or on rafts. The shooting of Pheasants is arduous, and three or four ina day is a good bag, for these wild birds run very fast and are got to rise with difficulty. A couple of nests of this species were found on a cultivated island, ou the North River, one in long grass and the other in a field of peas, both by Chinese whilst reaping. One of them contained five and the other seven eggs. 356 Lieut. R. E. Vaughan and Staff-Surg. K. H. Jones The late Lieutenant Tickell, R.N., found a nest in Kwang Si, about twenty miles above Kwei Hsien, at a place called Great Rapids, and at Howlik a Chinese grass-cutter found a clutch of three eggs and promptly ate them. The eggs measure from 1°87 to 1:79 in length and from 1:39 to 1:36 in breadth, and average 1°87 x 1°37. TURNIX TAIGOOR. Only two specimens of this Quail were obtained, both in April, one among mulberry-canes near Samshui, and the other up the North River. This species was carefully looked for, but as it did not occur again must be regarded as an unusual visitor to this part of China. TURNIX DUSSUMIERI. This Button-Quail, which bears a strong resemblance to a gigantic bumble-bee when on the wing, breeds in Kwang Si, and occurs occasionally in Western Kwang Tung during the winter months. One was obtained at Kwei Hsien, in Kwang Si, in July, which had in its oviduct a fully-formed egg ready to be laid. This had a ground-colour of a greenish white, and was spotted and blotched all over with yellowish brown and with shell-markings of darker brown; it measured about 1:00 x °7 inch. TURNIX BLANFORDI. Blanford’s Hemipode passes through the West River Valley, Macao, and the New Territory, both on spring and autumn migrations, but was chiefly noticed on the latter. The first arrivals about Wuchau put in an appearance during the last week of October, but across the water in Macao, they have been observed in great numbers about the middle of November.