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	FORTHE PEOPLE FOR EDVCATION FOR SCIENCE
	LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

If^ i

THE IBIS,

QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY.

EDITED BY

OS BERT SALVIN, M.A., RL.S., F.Z.S., &c.

VOL. 11. 1872.

THIRD SERIES.

Ibidis auspicio noTus incipit Ibidis ordo !

LONDON: JOHN VAN VOORST, 1 PATEHNOSTER R0\\'

1872.

FLAMMAM.

PRINTED BY TATLOK AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLHF.T STREET.

PREFACE.

Notwithstanding the numerous other calls on the attention of Ornithologists during the past twelve months, ' The Ibis ' continues to receive an amount of support quite equal to that of former years. This would seem to indicate that not only is Ornitho- logical Science prospering, but our Journal prospers also.

It is also satisfactory to observe that the nature of some of the work now in progress gives great hopes that the Classification of birds will ere long be placed upon a sounder basis. The whole organization of birds, upon a knowledge of which alone correct con- clusions can be arrived at, is now being investigated in a manner that bids fair to remove the reproach of shallowness in questions of classification under which our science has not unjustly laboured.

Having said thus much, we have only to thank our many friends for their contributions, and for material assistance received during our editorship of the present volume.

O. S.

32 The Grove, Boltons, Loudon. October 1872.

BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION.

1872.

[An asterisk indicates an Original Member.]

Date of Election.

1870. Ajn)REW Andeeson, F.Z.S. ; Futtehgurh, North-West Pro- vinces, India.

1872. Hanbuey Barclay, F.Z.S. ; Cliurchill House, Handsworth, near Birmingham.

1870. Sir Victor Brooke, Bart. ; Colebrooke, Fermanagh, Ireland.

1871. A. Basil Brooke ; Colebrooke, Fermanagh, Ireland. 1866. Henry Buckley, F.Z.S. ; Edgbaston, Birmingham.

1868. Thomas Edward Buckley, B.A., F.Z.S. ; Westwood House, Beverley.

1872. Walter Lawry Buller, Sc.D., F.L.S., &c. ; New Zealand. 1866. Arthur William Crichton, B.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; Broadward

Hall, Salop.

1865. Henry Eeles Dresser, F.Z.S. ; The Firs, South Norwood,

Surrey. *Henry Maurice Drummond-Hay, C.M.Z.S., Lieutenant-Colo- nel, Eoyal J*erth Rifles ; Seggieden, Perth.

1870. Daniel Giraud Elliot, F.Z.S. ; New York.

1866. Henry John Elwes, F.Z.S., late Captain, Scots Fusilier

Guards ; Miserden House, Cirencester. *Thomas Campbell Eyton, F.Z.S. ; Eyton Hall, Salop.

1867. George Gooch Fowler, B.A. ; Gunton Hall, Sufiblk. 1865. Rev. Henry Elliott Fox, B.A. ; 7 Park Villas, Oxford.

*Frederick DuCane Godman, F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; 55 Lowndes

Square, London. *Percy Sanden Godmak, B.A., C.M.Z.S. ; Borregaard, Sarps-

borg, Norway.

1871. Robert Gray ; 2 Lawrence Place, Dowan HiU, Glasgow. *JoHN Henry Gurney, F.Z.S. ; Marldon, Devon.

VI

Date of Election.

1870. John Hexrt Gurnet, Jun., F.Z.S. ; Northrepps, Norfolk. 1868. James Edmund Haeting, F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; 24 Lincoln's Inn

Fields, London. *Rev. William Henry Hawker, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Ashford,

Petersfield, Sussex.

1868. Rev. Herbert S. Hawkins, M.A. ; Beyton Rectory, Suffolk. *WiLERiD HuDLESTON HuDLESTON, M.A., F.Z.S. ; 23 Cheyne

"Walk, Chelsea, London.

1869. Allan Octavian Hume, C.B. ; Secretary to the Government

of India.

1870. Leonard Howard Irby, Major 74th (Highlander) Regiment. 1870. Hon. Hedworth Hylxon-Jollipfe ; Heath House, Peters- field, Sussex.

♦Arthur Edward Knox, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S. ; Trotton House,

Petersfield, Sussex. *Right Hon. Thomas Ltttleton, Lord Lilford, F.L.S., F.Z.S.,

&c. ; Lilford Hall, Oundle, Northants. 1870. C. H. T. Marshall, F.Z.S. ; Captain, Bengal Staff Corps.

1870. G. F. L. Marshall, F.Z.S. ; Royal (Bengal) Engineers.

1864, Alexander Goodman More, F.L.S. &c. ; 3 Botanic View,

Glasnevin, Dublin. 1872. Francis D'Arcy William Clough Newcome ; Feltwell Hall,

Brandon, Suffolk. *Alfred Newton, M.A., F.R.S., F.L.S., V.P.Z.S. ; Professor of

Zoology in the University of Cambridge. *Edward Newton, M.A., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S., Colonial Secretary,

Mauritius.

1871. Reginald Carew-Pole, Lieutenant, Royal Navy; Yovilton,

llchester. *JoHN William Powlett-Orde, F.Z.S., late Captain, 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ; Auchnaba House, Loch Gilp Head, N. B.

1872. R. G. Wardlaw Ramsay, 67th Regiment ; White HiU, Lass-

wade. 1868. E. J. Rhodes ; Exchequer and Audit Department, Somerset House.

1865. George Dawson Rowley, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Chichester House,

Brighton. *Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.L.S. , F.Z.S., &c. ; 32 The Grove, Boltons, London.

Vll

Date of

Election.

1870. Howard Saunders, F.Z.S. ; 7 Radnor place, Hyde Park,

London. *Philip Ltjtley Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., &c. ; 44 Elvas- ton Place, Queen's Gate, London, W.

1871. R. B. Sharps, P.L.S., F.Z.S. ; Tower House, Caversliam Eoad,

London.

1870. G. Ernest Shelley,F.Z.S., late Captain, Scots Fusilier Guards ;

Avington, Winchester. 1865. Rev. Charles William Shepherd, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Trotters-

cliffe, Kent. 1864. Rev. Alfred Charles Smith, M.A. ; Yatesbury Rectory,

WUts.

1867. Rowland M. Sperling, F.Z.S. , Commander, Royal Navy. 1864. Henry Stevenson, F.L.S. ; Unthank's Road, Norwich.

1868. Hamon Styleman Le Strange, F.Z.S., Hunstanton Hall,

Norfolk. *Edward Cavendish Taylor, M.A., F.Z.S. ; Oxford and Cam- bridge Club, London.

1864. George Cavendish Taylor, F.Z.S. ; 42 Elvaston Place, London. *Rev. Henry Baker Tristram, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., &c., Hon. Canon of Durham, Greatham Vicarage, West Hartlepool, Durham.

1864. Henry Morris Upcher, F.Z.S. ; Sherringham Hall, Norfolk.

1864. Right Hon. Arthur Yiscount Walden, F.R.S., F.L.S,, Pres. Z.S. ; Walden Cottage, Chislehurst, Kent.

1871. E. Percival Wright, M.D., F.L.S., F.Z.S., Professor of Bo-

tany in the University of Dublin.

Extra- Ordinary Members.

1860. Edward Blyth, Hon. Mem. As. Soc.

1860. Alfred Russel Wallace, F.Z.S. ; The Dell, Grays, Essex.

Honorary Members.

1860. Professor Spencer F. Baird, Assistant Secretary to the

Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 1860. Doctor Eduard Baldamus, Moritzwinger, No. 7, Halle a. S. 1860. Doctor Jean Cabanis, Erster Custos am ktiniglichen Museum

der Friedrich-Wilhelm's Universitat zu Berlin.

1872. Doctor Otto Finsch, Zoological Museum, Bremen.

Till

Dato of Election.

1800. Doctor Gustav Haetlaub, Bremen.

1860. Edgar Leopold Layard, F.Z.S., H.B.M. Consul, Para

18G9. August von Pelzeln, Ciistos am k.-k. zoologischen Cabinete

in Wien. 1860. Professor J. Reinhardt, Kongelige Xaturhistoriske Museum

i Kjobenhavn. 1862, Robert Swinhoe, E.Z.S., F.R.G.S., Her Majesty's Consul at

Ningpo, China. 1860. JiJiEs Pierre Verreatjx, Aide-NaturaHste du Museum

d'Histoire NatureUe a Paris.

Foreign Members.

1872. Prof. J. V. Baebosa du Socage, Eoyal Museum, Lisbon. 1872. Prof. J. F. Brandt, Imperial Museum, St. Petersburg. 1872. Doctor Elliott Coues, U.S. Army, Fort MacHenry, Baltimore. 1872. Alphonse Milke-Edwards, Jardin des Plantes, Paris. 1872. Doctor YiCTOE Eatio, Geneva. 1872. Prof. Henry Hillyer Giglioli, Royal Superior Institute,

Florence. 1872. Doctor Theodor yon Heuglin, Stuttgart. 1872. George IST. Laaatience, JSfew Tori: 1872. Baron De Selys Longchamps, Li^ge, Belgium. 1872. Doctor A. J. Malmgren, Helsingfors, Finland. 1872. Doctor A. von Middendorff, Dorpat, Russia. 1872. Prof. GusTAv Radde, Tijlis.

1872. Count ToMMASO Salyadori, Royal Museum, Turin. 1872. Prof. Herman Sciilegel, University Museum, Leyden. 1872. Prof, Carl Sundevall, Stockholm.

CONTENTS OF VOL. II.— THIRD SERIES.

(1872.)

Ntjmbek v., January.

Page I. Supplementary Notes to the ' Birds of India.' By T. C.

Jeedon, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Retired Deputy-Inspector General of Hospitals, Madras. [Continued from 3rd series, vol. i. 1871, page 356.] (Plate I.) 1

n. On a new Species of Phylloscojms. By W. E. Beooks, C.E., Etawah, India 22

m. On the' Breeding of Reguloides superciliostis, JReguloides proregvdus, Reguloides occipitalis, and Pliylloscopus tytleri. By W. E. Beooks, C.E 24

IV. On an undescribed Bird from the Island of Eodriguez.

By Alfeed Newton, M.A., E.R.S., &c 31

V. Notes and Descriptions of some Birds lately added to the Museum, Canterbury, New Zealand. By Thomas H. Potts. . 35

VI. A Revision of the Fringilline Genus Sycalis. By P. L. ScLATEE, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S. (Plates II. and III.) ... 39

VII. On Nyctale Tcirtlandi. By D. G. Elliott, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &e 48

VIII. Observations on Picicorvus columhianus. By Elliott CoTTEs, M.D., U. S. A 52

IX. Notes on the Birds of Novaja Zemlia and Waigatz Is- land. By Th. von Hettglin 60

X. On Recent Collections of Birds from the Fantee Country in Western Africa. By R. B. Shaepe, F.L.S. &c.. Librarian

to the Zoological Society of London ^^

X CONTENTS.

Page XI. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Commander Sperling, Mr. Howard Saunders (two letters), Mr. A. Anderson, Mr. J. H. Gurney, Captain F. W. Hutton, Mr. W. T. Blanford, and Mr. Blj-th. An- nouncement of Dr. Bessels's Embarcation with Captain Hall's North Polar Expedition ; Necrological Notice of the late Mr. E. C. Newcome; Mr. W. T. Blanford's appointment to the Persian Boundary Expedition ; Mr. Salmon's new Expedition to the United States of Columbia 74

Number VI., April.

XII. On Birds recently observed or obtained in the Island of Negros, Philippines. By Akthtje, Viscount Walden, P.Z.S., and Edgak Leopold Layard, F.Z.S. (Plates IV.-VL). ... 93

XIII. Descriptions of six new Species of Indian Birds. By Allan Hume, C.B 107

XIV. Descriptions of two Genera of Paradiseidce, with Re- marks on some of the Species. By D. G. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c Ill

XV. Supplementary Notes to ' The Birds of India.' By T. C. Jerdon, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Retired Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals, Madras. [Continued from page 22.] (Plate VII.) , 114

XVI. On the FHght of Birds. By Capt. F. W. Hutton, C.M.Z.S 139

XVII. On Charadrius asiaticus and C. damarensis. By Dr.

0. FiNscH 144

XVIII. Remarks on the Mniotiltine Genus Geothlypis. By OsBERT Salvin, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c 147

XIX. Contribution to the History of the Blue Crow of America. By Elliott Coues, M.A., M.D., Ph.D. &c. . . . 152

XX. Notes on the Resident and Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. By F. Du Cane Godman, F.Z.S., &c. . . 158

CONTENTS. XI

Page

XXI. Observations on the Systematic Position of the Genera

Peltops, Eurylcemus, and Todus. By P. L. Sclatee, M.A., Ph.D., P.R.S 177

XXII. On a new Sylvia from India. By W. E. Brooks, C.E 180

XXIII. On Three new Species of Birds from the Fantee Country. By R. B. Shaepe, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c., and H. T. UssHER, H.B.M. Administrator to the Settlements on the Gold Coast 181

XXIV. New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, &c.. . 183

XXV. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Capt. ^Hayes-Lloyd (two letters), Major Irby, Capt. F. W. Hutton, Mr. Robert Gray and Capt. G. F. L. Marshall. Announcement of Canon Tristram's Expedition to Palestine ; Discovery of New Pheasants in China by Mr. Swin- hoe ; Capt. Shelley and Mr. T. E. Buckley's Expedition to the West Coast of Africa ; Mr. A. B. Brooke's Expedition to Sar- dinia ; and Mr. Layard's intended Residence in Para ; Note on Didunculus strigirostris. 197

Number VIL, Jidy.

XXVI. Notes on the Resident and Migratory Birds of Ma- deira and the Canaries. By F. Du Cane Godman, F.Z.S. &c. [Concluded from page 177.] 209

XXVII. Ornithological Observations in the Crimea, Turkey, Sea of Azov, and Crete, during the years 1854-55: with Re- marks on the Sivash or Putrid Sea. By George Cavendish Taylor, F.Z.S., late of the 95th Regiment 224

XXVIII. On the Nidification of certain Indian Birds. Part

I. By Andrew Anderson, F.Z.S 237

XXIX. A further Re\asion of the Genus Leucopternis, with a Description of a new Species. By Osueet Salvin, M.A. &c. (Plate VIII.) 239

XU CONTENTS.

Page

XXX. Notes on some Birds from the Chatham Islands, col- lected by H. H. Travera, Esq., with Descriptions of two new Species. By Capt. F. W. Hutton, F.G.S 243

XXXI. A Ee vision of the Genus Henicurus. By H. J. Elwes, F.Z.S. &c. (Plate IX.) 250

XXXII. On the Genus Colius, its Structure and Systematic Place. By James Mttkie, F.L.S. &c. (Plate X.) .... 262

XXXIII. Two Months' Bird-coDecting on the Gold Coast.

By Capt. G. E. Shelley & T. E. Buckley 281

XXXIV. Description of a supposed new Species of Humming Bird of the genus Eriocnemis. By D. G. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c 293

XXXV. On a new Sylviad from Palestine. By H. B. Tkis- TEAM, LL.D., F.R.S., &c 296

XXXVI. Supplementary Notes to the ' Birds of India.' By T. C. Jekdon, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Retired Deputy Inspector- General

of Hospitals, Madras. [Continued from p. 139,] 297

XXXVII. Notes on the Birds of Nicaragua, based upon a Collection made at Chontales by Mr. Thomas Belt. By Osbert SAivnf, M.A. &c 311

XXXVIII. On a new Parrakeet of the Genus Loriculus from the PhUippine Islands. By P. L. Sclatee, M.A.", Ph.D., F.R.S. (Plate XI.) , 323

XXXIX. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Mr. Thomas H. Potts (two letters), Captains C. H. T. & G. F. L. Marshall, Mr. J. H. Guruey, Viscount Walden, Dr. W. L. BuUer, Dr. T. M. Brewer, Rev. Canon Tristram, Mr. Robert Gray, Mr. E. L. Layard ; Review of Dr. Buller's ' Birds of New Zealand,' Extract from the Report of the Trustees of Harvard CoUego, Cambridge, Mass. ; Notice of Dr. Coues's ' Key to North American Birds ' ; Obituary Notices of Mr. G. R. Gray, Mr. T, C. Jerdon, Colonel W. H. Sykes. . 325

CONTENTS. XIU

Page Number VIII., October.

XL. The Humming-birds of the West Indies. By D. G. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.8., &c 345

XLI. Note ou some of the Cranial Peculiarities of the Wood- peckers.' By A. H. Garrod, B.A., Prosector to the Zoological Society 357

XLII. On a Collection of Birds recently made by Mr. A. H. Everett in Northern Borneo. By Arthur Viscount Walden, P.Z.S., F.R.S. (Plate XII.) 360

XLIII. On the Motmots and their Affinities. By Dr. James MuRiE, F.L.S. &c. (Plates XIII.-XV.) 383

XLIV. Index to the Ornithological Literature of 1871. By Osbert Salvtn, M.A., F.L.S., &c. and Philip Lutlet Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S., &c 413

XLV. Letters, Announcements, &c.

Letters from Mr. A. 0. Hume, Mr. W. E. Brooks, Mr. J. F. Dillon, Viscount Walden, Mr. J. H. Gurney, and Mr. E. W. H. Holdsworth ; Obituary Notice of Sir Andrew Smith .... 468

Index . . . , 475

PLATES IN VOL. IL THIRD SERIES.

Page

I. Polyphasia passerina 14

jy f Fig. 1. Sycalis chrjsops 45

1 Fig. 2. lutea 46

III. Sycalis aureiventris, S and $ 47

rV. Chrysocolaptes xanthocephalus 99

V. Dicrunis mirabilis 103

YI. lanthoenas griseogularis 104

VII. GeocicUa dissimilis 136

VIII. Leucoptemis plumbea 239

IX. Henicums frontalis 259

X. Skeleton of Colius leucotis 280

XI. Lorieulus chrysonotus 324

XII. Setomis criniger 377

XIII. Skeleton of Momotus lessoni 412

XIV. Skeleton of Eumomota superciliaris 412

XV. Various genera of Motmots 412

ERRATA ET CORRIGENDA.

Page Line

o'-i, 17, for £giaUt€S read ^ialifis.

82, 6, for gheel read jheel.

83, 5, for gheel read jheeL 85, 37, for Leajri read Bajri. 88, 3, for lire read bird.

94, 6, for and that read and.

147, 31, for rostratis read rostratus.

193, 10, /w Mr. rf a<i W.

197, 21, for bremen read Bremen. 2S5, 5, for Caprimid^us read Macrodipterj/x. 287, 2, for X subsidphurea read 5. siibsulphurea,

287, 17, for eyanocampta read cyanocampter.

287, 22, for schu-arsi read swanzii. 290, 8. for dosev.s read croseus.

290, 33, /or CAPRiMTLGrs ftlvivextris. Hartl.,

rfa<^ Macropiptzeyx longipekkis, Shaw.

307, 30. /or Toguaad rf^^f Wvnaad.

309, 22. for Bojle's rM<f Rojie's.

453, 14, for kltiensis read letfiensis. ,, 15, /or Leltie reW Lettie.

3 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

at issue on the subject of an alleged species distinct from F.pere- grinato?', which he proposed to call F. atriceps."

Now Mr. Hume originally regarded atriceps as F.peregrinator, as Colonel Delme RadclifFe still does ; but having been led to reconsider the subject, very properly, according to my views, abandoned his former determination, and called it atriceps. He sent this specimen to Europe; and it has been examined by M. Verreaux, of Paris, and Mr. Gurney, neither of which ex- perienced ornithologists thought of referring it to F.peregrinator; but the former regarded it as identical with F. melanogenys of Australia, whilst the latter accepted it as a good species. More- over Mr. Hodgson, who had procured it in Nepal, gave it a distinct name, micritrus, and has figured it in two or three dif- ferent states of plumage ; whilst to peregrinator, which appears so rare in Nepal that he has only one drawing of it, he gives his name sultaneus, considering it the true shahin.

It appears to me that Col. Delme Radcliffe^s objections to the separation of two such well-marked birds are entirely founded on the fact that he has not seen a specimen of true peregrinator. He candidly confesses that his specimens have "principally been from northern or north-western India;" and in this lies, as I believe, the gist of his opposition. He has been accustomed to hear the atriceps called shahin by his native falconers, and concluded that it must be peregrinator. If Colonel Delme RadclifFe will examine the specimens of pere- grinator verus {my F. shaheen) , or even compare the figure of Gould, or those of my old illustrations, I am confident that such an accurate observer as he has shown himself to be will allow the two birds to be quite distinct.

Fam. TrogoniDjE, p. 200.

I state erroneously that the Trogous are without caeca. They have rather large cseca.

117. Merops viridis.

Stoliczka obtained this bird in Southern Kulu in summer. I have never myself observed it in the interior of the hills.

118. Merops philippensis should, it appears, stand as

to ' The Birds of India.' 3

Merops daudini, Cuvier, according to Gray and Swinhoe, the bird from the Philippines being distinct*.

119. Merops quinticolor.

I have recently procured this species at Gowhatty, in Assam. It also occurs in Dehra Doon, and therefore is probably to be found, though sparingly, all along the foot of the Himalayas. A female killed at Gowhatty measured 8 inches, wing 4g, extent 12i, tail 3^, bill at front If^f.

121. Merops apiaster.

I did not find this so generally spread in Kashmir as I ex- pected ; but I saw one immense flock on the WuUur lake in the month of August, evidently about to migrate. One I shot at Srinaggur measured 11 ^ inches in length ; extent 19 ; wing 6g ; tail, outer feathers 4, centre feathers nearly 5 ; bill at front 1|.

125. CoRACIAS GARRULA.

This is the " Nila Kras " of Kashmir. It breeds in holes on river-banks, ravines, &c.

One measured fresh 13g inches, extent 26, wing 8, tail 5|. Orbits greenish yellow ; irides hazel-brown ; legs oil-yellow.

126. EURYSTOMUS ORIENTALIS.

This is the " Phoyiong-pho " of the Lepchas of Darjeeling, and is by no means rare in the warmer valleys of the Sikkim Himalayas.

127. Halcyon leucocephalus.

This should stand as Halcyon gurial, Pearson.

The true leucocephalus appears to be the race from Borneo. Four other races have been noted — one from Burmah and the Andaman Islands [Pelargopsis burmanica, Sharpe), one from the Malayan peninsula (P. malaccensis, Sharpe), one from Java and Sumatra (P. fraseri, Sharpe), and one from Flores {P.flore- siana, Sharpe). The feet of our Indian form should be described as coral-red rather than scarlet.

* Hand-1. i. p. 99.

t Swinhoe asserts the distinctness of the Java bird from ours, which, he says, should in that case bear the name of Merops eeythrocephalus, Brisson. (P. Z. S. 1871, p. 348.)

B 2

4 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

129. Halcyon fuscus should stand as Halcyon smyrnen- sis, L., Strickland having shown their identity, and not their distinctness, as I erroneously state at p. 226.

135. Alcedo euryzona should stand as Alcedo grandis, Blyth, euryzona being quite disti^c^. This misapplication of name, as well as that of nigricans, Blyth, has been assigned to me; but on reference to Blyth's 'Catalogue of Birds of the Calcutta Museum,' introduction, p. xxviii, it will be seen that I only followed Blyth himself. Of course the synonym "^ A. ccerulea, Gmel. apud Bonaparte,'^ must also be excluded. Dr. Anderson has lately procured several specimens of this fine Kingfisher from the valley of the Teesta. It has been figured both by Gould, B. Asia, pt. xxii. pi. 1, and by Sharpe in his beautiful monograph of this family.

137. Ceryle guttata.

This fine Kingfisher extends to the Khasia Hills. I found it not rare in the Temshong valley, below Cherrapoonjee. In Kashmir I have seen it up to 7000 feet, as also at similar alti- tudes in other parts of the Himalayas. Although it may well be called the hill representative of C. rudis, yet it extends to the very foot of the hills, and I have seen it and C. r-udis close together on the Kosi river where it debouches from the Kumaon hills, and also on the Ganges near Hurdwar.

138. PSARISOMUS dalhousi^.

The length of this bird is erroneously printed as 14 inches instead of 11.

139. Serilophus rubropygia.

In my description of the tail of this species a serious error has occurred. Instead of " all the tail-feathers except the two centre ones broadly tipped with white," read " the three outer tail-feathers on each side tipped with white, but less broadly than in S. limntus."

140. HOMRAIUS BICORNIS.

One I lately measured at Darjeeling in the flesh had the wing 21 1 inches, tail 19|, bdl 10| at gape, 15 to the end of the

to ' The Birds of India.' 5

casque, which was 4 inches broad, depth of bill 4a. This bird is the " Kugrong " of the Lepchas, " Gogriing " of the Bhoteeas.

142. Hydrocissa albirostris.

This is the Cachar bird noted by Major Godwin-Austen in his list of birds* as coronata. His measurements quite agree with those of the next supposed species, 143. H. affinis, Blyth, and confirm me in my doubts as to this bird being distinct. My suspicions were aroused by observations in the Dehra Doon, where I killed one or two individuals of the suj)posed species of much smaller size, nearly corresponding with the dimensions of H. albir-ostris.

145. TOCCUS GINGALENSIS.

Mr. Blyth says that the jungle grey Hornbill of continental India must stand as Toccus griseus, Latham, B. cinerascens, Temm., the true gingalensis being only found in Ceylon, where, however, the other species also occurs. Schlegel gives our bird as from Nepal, which is, I think, doubtful ; and Dr. King asserts that it occurs in Central India, near Goona. As in the south of India it only occurs in the dense forests of Malabar, I think that this locality requires confirmation, as it would be a very unex- pected denizen of Central India.

146. ACEROS NIPALENSIS.

This bird is the " Khulut " of the Lepchas, and " Gog-biah " of the Bhoteeas of Darjeeling. This Hornbill, and perhaps others of the species, is easily alarmed by any great noise ; and the people of Cacbar and Munnipore, when they see a small flock of them flying over their villages, make use of this trait to catch them. They shout, beat drums, fire off matchlocks ; and the birds incontinently descend to the nearest tree for shelter, and even to the ground occasionally, and are killed by arrows, or sometimes even by sticks, to become food for their captors.

Buceros tickelli belongs to Toccus, and not to Berenicornis, as I state, p. 252.

146 his. Rhyticeros plicatus, Latham.

This Hornbill has been killed in North Cachar by Major

* Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, 1870, p. £»o. t J- A. S. 1870, p. 96.

" Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

Godwin-Austen t. It has not hitherto been recorded from further north than Arakan. He gives the dimensions as fol- lows : — Length 3 feet 2 inches, wing 18| inches, extent 5 feet 2 inches, tail 12 inches, bill 65, depth of bill 3*.

146 ter. Buceros ?

"Anorhinus galeritus, Temra.," apud Godwin-Austen, J. A. S. 1870, p. 96, was so provisionally named by myself from its supposed resemblance to Blyth's carinatus, no books of reference being at hand. Mr. G. R. Gray was inclined to consider it per- haps the young oi Rhinoplax scutatus, Bodd., galeatus, Gm.; but on examining the specimen again, and comparing it with the figure of scutatus, I am now inclined to consider it new, and shall give it the name of its discoverer, Anorhinus austeni. Its nearest ally is B. tickelli of Tenasserim ; but it differs conspicu- ously from that by its white-tipped tail-feathers, and other points.

149. PaLvEGRNIS ROSA.

Blyth has shown that the Burmese race is distinguishable from that of India, the former race having the inner side of the wing entirely green, whilst the Indian bird has some blue there, and the bright colouring of the nape of the male is much more abruptly defined. Edwards's bird is the Burmese one, which will stand as P. bengalensis. Mr. Blyth tells me that examples of both species occur in Hodgson's collection.

150. Pal^ornis schisticeps.

Abundant throughout the whole of the N.W. Himalayas, up to above 10,000 feet in summer. It breeds at Mussooree, Simla, in Kumaon, &c.

154. Picus himalayanus.

In the description, I should have said that the four central tail-feathers were unspotted black. It is P. assimilis, Natterer, apud Malherbe, and is extremely common on the N.W. Hima- layas, from Kumaon to Kashmir, generally at from 8000 to 10,000 feet elevation. One killed in Kashmir was 9| inches long, extent 16, w^ing 5|, tail 3g, foot 2g.

• The Aceros 146 h of Godwin- Austen's list is the male of this bird ; and the one noted under the name plicatus is the female.

to ' The Birds of India.' 7

155. PiCUS MAJOROIDES.

Extends into the hills of Assam, North Cachar, &c., and also into China.

157. PiCUS MACEI.

I omitted to state that the male bird has the top of the head red, or mixed red and black.

157 his. Picus WESTERMANi, Blyth, Ibis, 1870, p. 163.

Mr. Blyth detected a Woodpecker in the Amsterdam Museum, from the Himalayas, " like macei, but larger, with the median six rectrices black as in atratus; wing 4*625 in." This bore the name of P. wagleri, Hartl., which Malherbe assigns as a syno- nym of macei, and gives the same name to a Brazilian species ; so Biyth has named this bird as above.

158. Picus scindtanus.

This Woodpecker should come after 156, the upper plumage not being banded with white. I procured it in low jungles in the Punjab, near Jhelum, Shahpoor, &c. Dimensions of a freshly killed one: — Length 8 inches, wing 4|, extent 15, tail 3^, bill (front) 1, foot ll. Mr. Hume, to whom I sent a notice of its occurrence in the Salt range, has since procured it in the same localities.

159. Picus brunnifrons.

Occasionally the third outer pair of tail-feathers has from two to four spots of white also, and there is generally a streak of light brown below the eye.

Picus pectoralis, Blyth, noted on p. 275 as without a precise habitat, turns out to be synonymous with P. analis, Horsf., from Java.

161. Hypopicus hyperythrus.

Wings black, white-spotted; shoulder unspotted; tail black, the two outermost feathers on each side with white bars on the tip only. Lower mandible pale yellow. Extent of wing of one 15|, wing 5^.

A very closely allied species is P. poliopsis, Swinhoe, from China.

8 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplement anj Notes

162. YuNGiPicus RUBRiCATUS is P. semfcorona^MS, Mallierbe. It extends to North Cachar.

164. YuNGiPicus HARDWiCKi is said to be the same as P. nanus, Vigors.

164 bis. YuNGiPicus GYMNOPHTHALMUS, Blyth. The Ceylon Pigmy Woodpecker.

P. cinereigula, Malherbe.

This Ceylon species occurs rarely in the extreme south of Malabar and Travancore, and is the bird alluded to at the top of page 279.

Malherbe has also a P. meniscus from some part of India ; and Svvinhoe has described P. scintilliceps, from Pekin, and P. kaleensis, from Hainan. True P. moluccensis is from Lombok, fid. Wallace, who describes the Malayan race as P. sondaicus.

166. Chrysocolaptes sultaneus.

It appears that Nepal specimens do differ from those of other parts of India, being much larger, the wing measuring from 7 to 71 inches, tail 4|, bill 2\ at front. The race from Central and Southern India will therefore stand distinct as C. delesserti, Malherbe, according to Blyth ; but I apprehend that Tickell's name of gutta-cristatus, though applied to the female, has the priority.

166Z>?s. Chrysocolaptes gutti-cristatus-

Picus gutta-cristatus, Tickell.

P. delesserti, Malherbe.

P. strictus, Jerdon, Cat.

C. sultaneus, Jerdon, Birds of India (partly).

In this southern race the wing-coverts, the scapulars, and the dorsal feathers have more golden red than in the larger Nepal one.

P. strictus verus is from Java, and, though otherwise resem- bling these two races, differs in the female having a yellow head like the next species. The same difference distinguishes C. h<2- matribon from C. stricklandi.

167. Chrysocolaptes goexsis.

This, it appears, should stand as C. festivus, after Bodduert, P. humeralis, AVagler, being another synonym.

to ' The Birds of India.* 9

C. stricklandi, Layard, and Indopicus carlotta, Malherbe^ also belong to this group, and not to Brachypternus, as erroneously stated by myself (p. 298). The former is the species figured in my 'Illustrations of Indian Ornithology^ as Picus ceylonus.

168. MULLERIPICUS PULVERULENTUS.

I saw a very fine specimen of this Woodpecker obtained by Major Pinwill, H. M.'s 27th Regt., in the Terai of Kuraaon. It may yet prove to be distinct from the Malay bird. The spe- cies from Upper Pegu, alluded to by me (p. 285), has been named M.feddeni by Blyth; but I believe it will be found to be the species named Picus crawfurdi by Gray, and figured in Griffith's edition of Cuvier's 'Animal Kingdom'*. It has been named Thriponax jerdoni by Cabanis and Heine.

170. Gecinus squamatus.

I found this Woodpecker common in Kumaon, near Mussoree, in the valley of the Sutlej, and in Kashmir. It is P. dimidiatus of Gray in Hardvvicke's ' Illustrations.'

171. Gecinus striolatus.

This Woodpecker is very common in the subhimalayan region, fi-om Kumaon to Kashmir, and also in all the low jungles of the North-west Provinces and the Punjab.

Another, Chinese race of Green Woodpecker not alluded to in the text is G. tancola, Gould.

173. Chrysophlegma flavinucha.

The reference to Gould's ' Birds of Asia,' should be part i. plate 6. The irides are brown in some individuals. It does not appear to extend to the further N.W. Himalayas ; but I under- stand that it has been procured in Kumaon.

C. malaccensis, from the Malayan peninsula and Sumatra, put as a synonym of C. miniata, of Java, is quite distinct.

176. Venilia pyrrhotis.

The wing of one measured lately was 5f inches, tail 3f, foot

* Also Hand-list, ii. p. 194.

10 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

178. MiCROPTERNUS PHAIOCEPS.

One measured 15|- inches in expanse of wing, foot only 2jlj. I omitted to mention the red cheek-stripe in the male of this species.

Another race of these brown Woodpeckers from China has been named M. fokiensis by Swinhoe.

Gen. Brachypternus. This genus is peculiar to India proper, including Ceylon.

182. B. DILUTUS.

Blyth states that this is a sufficiently well characterized spe- cies. Mr. Gould has specimens of all three species.

The true Picas ceylonus is also a Brachypternus.

A fourth race of the genus Chrysonotus is C. tridadylus, from Malacca.

186. ViVIA INNOMINATA.

The forehead of this bird is yellow rather than chestnut in freshly killed birds; and Stoliczka notices an ashy green stripe behind the yellow frontal zone. He also remarks that the upper of the two lines mentioned by me is a superciliary one, widening towards the nape, and the lower one is edged with blackish ; the quills, except the first two or three, are greenish-edged; and the edge of the whole inner web of the central tail-feathers is also generally black.

It is figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. xxii, pi. 13.

187. Sasia ochracea.

This bird is figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. xxii. pi. 14. My description was taken from a faded specimen, and is not very correct. The interscapulars are greenish, and the rump and upper tail-coverts rufescent yellow, the rest of the upper parts being green. The forehead is ochreous in females. The legs are deep yellow, not pale red; and the irides in some are crimson. The extent of the foot is misprinted 1^ instead of If.

190. Indicator xanthonotus.

Mr. Hume states that this rare bird has been procured in the N.W. Himalayas by Col. Delme Radcliffe — but, being doubtful of its identity, has provisionally named it Indicator radcliffii.

to ' The Birds of India.' 11

191. Megal/ema virens.

Mr. Swinhoe asserts that the Chinese race diiFers from the Himalayan form, and, as the specific name virens was founded on the Chinese bird, has named the Indian one MEGALiEMA MARSHALLORUM*. It is Called Miouli at Massooree, from its call.

192. Megalaima lineata will now stand as Megal^ma HODGSONI, lineata being a distinct species, from Siam and Malayana.

193. MeGALvEMA can IC EPS.

Late observations tend to show that the jungle Green Barbet of Malabar is a distinct species, which has been named by Lord Walden as

193 bis. Megal^ma inornata, Walden, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1870, V. p. 219. The Malabar Green Barbet.

Chin, throat, breast, and upper portion of abdominal region uniform pale brown, with the shafts faintly paler. Above as in canicepSf the terminal spots on the wing-coverts and tertiaries almost wanting. Size of caniceps ; bill larger and stouter.

Lord Walden possesses specimens of this species from Mala- bar, Coorg, and Candeish. The extension of this bird to the last-named province makes it probable that Elliot's remarks properly apply to this species rather than to caniceps.

196. Cyanops franklini.

This has been figured by Gould, Birds of Asia, pt. xxii. pi. 12. Length of one measured recently 9^ inches, wing 3|^, extent IS^, tarsus 1, foot 2.

Messrs. Marshall, in describing the call of this Barbet, copy TickelFs account, which gives it as identical with that of Mega- Icema marshallorum — and do not notice my correction of this — its call being quite similar in character, though more subdued, to that of its congeners of the plains.

\QQbis. Cyanops cyanotis, Blyth.

Godwin-Austen has obtained this Barbet at Asalu, on the

* Messrs. Marshall state that they do not acknowledge the distinctness of the two races; but there is, I think, sufficient difference to allow Mr. Swinhoe's opinion to hold good.

12 Dr. T. C. Jerdon^s Supplementary Notes

North Cacliar hills. It is considered distinct from duvaucelii, to which 1 referred it (p. 315), and is figured in the concluding number of Marshalls^ ' Capitonidse.'

197. XanthoLjEMa indica must, it appears, bear the name of X. H^MACEPHALA, Muller.

198. Xanthol^ma malabarica.

This is figured in Marshalls' Monograph, pt. vi. pi. xlvi.

199. CucuLUs canorus.

Mr. Brooks once found an egg in the nest of Pratincola indica, and took another from the nest of Cupsychus suularis.

200. CuCULUS HIMALAYANUS.

This Cuckoo is now considered to be the true C. strtatus of Drapiez ; but I see that Mr. G. Gray does not accept this con- clusion. Mr. Swinhoe, however, does (P. Z. S. 1871, p. 395), and moreover gives his C. monosyilabicus and C. kelungensis as synonyms, and also, on Schlegel's authority, C. canoroides of S. Muller. Gray makes C. saturatus, Hodgson, supersede hima- layonus as the name of this Cuckoo, the reason for which I do not see. Blyth had previously given optatus, Gould, as identical (which Swinhoe also adopts), and in addition the following : — teleophonus, Heine, from Japan ; swinhuii, Cabanis ; horsjleldi, Moore; and libanoticus, Tristram; very possibly also C ruchi, Hartl., from Madagascar, — truly a most formidable list of synonyms. If I am right in my remarks on the Himalaya Hierococcyx (see note, p. 14), all these names must give way to flaviventris, Scopoli !

I cannot understand the call heard by Mr. Swinhoe and attri- buted to this Cuckoo, from which he gave his name monosyila- bicus. I am confident that I have correctly stated its usual call, which I have heard very frequently since my work was published, at Mussooree, where it is very abundant, and else- where.

A freshly killed specimen measured 12| inches, wing 7g, extent 21|, tail 6. Another was 12|, wing 7^, extent 22, foot 2^. It varies a good deal in size, and especially in the propor- tions of its bill.

It not unfrcquently assumes the he})atic plumage.

to ' The Birds of India: 13

I have recently heard it on the Khasia Hills, where, how- ever, it is far from common.

201. CUCULUS POLIOCEPHALUS.

C intennedius, Vahl, C. lineatus, Lesson, and C. tenuirostris, Temm.^, are considered to be synonyms of this species. Bill blackisli above, horny beneath; gape deep yellow; orbits yellow; irides brownish ; feet dark yellow. The extent of wing of one was 16^ inches. I saw this Cuckoo throughout the Himalayas up to 9000 feet of elevation, and found it recently to be not rare on the Khasia hills. Captain Bulger, in a brochure on the birds of Sikkim, attempts to syllabize the peculiar call of this Cuckoo.

203. CucuLus MicROPTERUS and

204. C. STRiATUs = mfc/i?Vanw5, Swinhoe, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1870, vi. p. 153.

I am rather doubtful of the distinctness of these two alleged races of Cuckoo. Certainly specimens killed in the plains are a little smaller than the average of hill-birds. Blyth states that all Hodgson^s specimens appear to belong to the larger race, which, if its distinction from true microptenis be allowed, and striatus, Drapiez, be correctly applied to C. himalaijanus, must stand as affinis, A. Hay. True microptenis, however, appears also to occur in Java, and may be Drapiez's bird.

The dimensions of one freshly killed on the plains were as follows: — Length 12]^ inches, wing 7^, extent 21 j. A large hill- example measured 13| inches, wing 8|, extent 23:j. Another had the wing 8g, extent 22 ; but intermediate examples are common.

Mr. Blyth states that it was evidently the larger race that was observed by Herr Radde in Eastern Siberia. At Mussooree this Cuckoo often lays her eggs in the nest of Truchalopteron lineatum.

205. HiEROCOCCYX VARIUS.

It is doubtful whether Lesson's name tenuirostris applies to this bird or not (see antea, under 201). It is replaced in the Malayan

* This name has been applied by Blyth and Swinhoe to C. striatus; but a specimen iu Lord Walden's collection thus named appears to be the present species.

14 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

peninsula, China, &c. by H.fugax, Horsf., oi w{\nc\i flaviventris, Scopoli, radiatus, Grnel., pectoralis, Cabanis, and hyperythrus, Gould, are considered synonyms; and this is probably the species from China alluded to at page 331, Birds of India, vol. i.^

206. HiEROCOCCYX NISTCOLOR.

I obtained this at Darjeeling in 1863, where it is called Ding-pit-pho by the Lepchas. It is, however, very close to the Chinese and Malayan bird mentioned above.

207. HiEROCOCCYX SPARVERIOIDES.

One killed lately measured in the flesh 15^ inches in letigth, wing 9, extent 25, tail 8. I found this Cuckoo in great abun- dance on the top of Mount Deobun (above 9000 feet high), near Mussooree, in June, evidently pairing, flying about, pursuing one another, and incessantly uttering their call from sunrise to long after sunset. I have never observed it at any low eleva- tions, contrary to the observations of Dr. Stoliczka, who says he only found it on the lower hills. Blyth discriminated another race allied to this, which he called H. nisoides. I am inclined, from examination of the type specimen, to doubt its distinctness from sparverioides. Gould, in his ' Birds of Asia,' has figured Cuculus strenuus, resembhng this last bird in every point but size, it being larger. It is probably from the Philippines.

208. PoLYPHASiA NIGRA. (Plate I.)

This bird stands in Mr. Gray's list as C. passerinus, Vahl, with the synonyms oi flavus, Lesson, not of Gmelin, and pyrom- matus, Hodgson. I believe that C. luguhris, Gray, neglectus, Gray, and sonneratii, apud Gray t, (No. 9019 not 9032 to which is referred the figure in Hardwicke's 'Illustrations' of tenui- rostris), also belong to this race. I described the dark coloration of the South-Indian bird long ago, in my ' Catalogue,' under the

* The first two synonyms are generally given as the true names of this Cuckoo ; but on reference to Sonnerat's figure, on which these names were founded, it appears to represent a true Cuckoo of the type of C. canorus, and is probably therefore C. ccmoroides.

t C. sonneratii, as usually adopted, is quite a distinct bird (see no. 202, Birds of India), although the hepatic state of plumage of the present spe- cies is veiy similar to that of Sonnerat's Cuckoo. In this last, the cross bars on the abdomen are much more numerous and narrower.

Ibis 1872 PH.

I

J-b-.Keuiema.n3 UtK.

POLYP HASIA PASSERINA

MiScNHajika-rb imp

to ' The Birds of India.' 15

name oi flavus, apud Lesson, but which I see is now considered to be a synonym by Gray. Hodgson also figures the dark stage from the Himalayas. I found this small Cuckoo spread through- out the N.W. Himalayas well into the interior, and to a con- siderable elevation, 9000 feet or so, A nest of Pratincola ferrea was brought me once with three eggs of the usual colour, and one a good deal larger, fleshy white, with numerous reddish spots ; I believe that this was the egg of the Plaintive Cuckoo. One measured in the flesh 9^ inches, wing 4|, extent 14, tail 4f ; the feet were oil-yellow.

209. POLYPHASIA TENUIROSTRIS,

As will be seen above, I now think that tenuirostris, Gray, applies to the last bird ; and I know not w^hat name to apply to' the present one, but suggest rufiventris. Godwin-Austen gives the dimensions of the fresh bird as length 9| inches, wing 4j, extent 12^, tail 51.

212. COCCYSTES MELANOLEUCUS

should stand as jacobinus, Bodd. This Cuckoo spreads far into the interior of the Himalayas, and is by no means un- common in Kashmir.

214. Eudynamys orientalis.

This species, according to an exhaustive paper on the subject by Viscount Walden in * The Ibis,' must stand as Eudynamys honorata, Linnseus^.

215. Xanclostomus tristis.

One measured as follows : — Length 24 inches, wing 6|-, ex- tent 19|, tail 17, tarsus 1|, foot 2|.

217. Centropus RUriPENNIsf.

Mr. Adams, of the Customs Department, mentioned to me that he had once observed and, I believe, killed an individual of this species dragging along a young Hedgehog {Erinaceus col- laris) by the ear.

* According to Lord Walden, tlie Nepaulese and North-Indian species will stand as

214 bis. Eudynamys Malayan a, Cab.

t I see tliat Swinboe applies the name chinensis, Stephens, to this species.

J 6 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

218. Centropus viridis.

C. affinis, given in the ' Birds of India ' as synonymous with viridis, is a nearly alUed but still smaller race, to which belong the synonyms C. tolu and C. pumilus.

220. Taccocua sirkee.

One killed in the Deyra Doon measured 17 inches in length, wing 6^, extent ISg, tail 9|, tarsus Ij. Bill cherry-red, with a yellow tip ; orbits pale livid purple ; legs dusky greenish horn.

With regard to the affinities of the genus Coua, p. 355, Blyth states that they appear to be rather Turacine than Cu- culine.

225. ^THOPYGA MILES.

Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. ii. pi. 9.

By some mistake in the text, some of the tail-feathers, next the central ones, are said to be scarlet ; this is of course quite erroneous. A female measured 4| inches in length, wing 2, extent Gg, tail Ig.

227. ^THOPYGA GOULDI^.

The superciliaries and cheeks are crimson, and the thi'oat has a dull black median stripe extending towards the breast; the lores and some of the cheek-feathers are glossless black, and there is a purple spot below the ear-coverts; the outer tail- feathers are blackish, with greenish white tips increasing towards the outer pair and most conspicuous below. In the female the rump is yellow, there are occasionally some crimson spots on the sides, and the three or four outer tail-feathers are tipped with white. I am indebted to Dr. Stoliczka for these corrections and additions to my imperfect description. The species is figured by Gould, * Birds of Asia,' pt. xix. pi. 6. I have only found this beautiful Honeysucker in the N.W. Himalayas, in the valleys of the Sutlej and Touse rivers. Stoliczka procured it in the same locality up to 9000 or 10,000 feet near Chini; I did not myself observe it higher up than Nachar. As stated in the ' Birds of India,' I never got it at Darjeeling ; nor have I lately seen a specimen procured there, nor in any of the countries to the eastward. I fancy Mr. Blyth, from whom I took the geo-

to ' The Birds uf India: 17

graphical distribution mentioned in my work, must have been misinformed on the subject*.

228. iExHOPYGA IGNICAUDA.

Figured by Gould, 'B. of Asia,' pt. ii. pi. 8.

229. iExHOi'YGA NIPALENSIS.

Figured by Gould, I.e. pt. ii. pi. 11.

231. iExHOPYGA SATURATA.

Figured by Gould, I. c. pt. xix. pi. 7.

The yellow band on the rump is well marked in fresh speci- mens— not merely a "faint trace,'' as I stated from a specimen not well stuffed. The green of the lower parts is lighter and more yellowish than that of the upper plumage, and becomes yellow rather than "flavescent" on the under tail-coverts. The tail, too, is distinctly wedge-shaped, the outer tail-feathers dusky, with white tips.

The length of wing should be 2g, not 2-g- as misprinted.

232. Leptocoma zeylonica.

Figured by Gould, *B. Asia,' pt. xix. pi. 4.

233Z>?S. ChaLCOPARIA CINGALENSIS.

I obtained one specimen of this Honeysucker at the foot of the Teria Ghat of the Khasia hdls, the most northern locality hitherto recorded. It is common further south in Tipperah. Godwin-Austen records my specimen in his list. Length 4x% inches, wing 2x0^ o> tail lyV, bill at front i.

Mr. Hume has also obtained the lovely Leptocoma hasselti from Tipperah.

234. Arachnechthra asiatica.

This bird now stands as

Arachnechthra currucaria, L.

It is figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. viii. pi. 2.

I omitted to mention the narrow pectoral band of maroon dividing the purple of the breast from the purplish black abdomen.

* Mr. Elwes, however, tells me that he believes, from recollection, that specimens of this Honeysucker were lately procured by Mr. Gommie near llurghee.

SER. III. VOL. II. C

18 Dr. T, C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

The female has the feathers of the head centred with dusky, the outer tail-feathers tipped with whitish ; it is yellow beneath, paler on the throat, and greenish -ash j'^ on the sides.

Stoliczka states that he has seen it in the Sutlej valley as high as 8000 feet. Blyth mentions that Nectarinia pedoralis of Temminck (not of Horsfield) closely resembles this species.

234 his. Arachnechthra intermedia, Hume.

Ibis, 1870, p. 436.

Resembling A. currucaria, but slightly larger, and with the bill conspicuously so; axillary tufts more orange and larger. From Tipperah.

After the first volume of the 'Birds of India* was published, I saw in a collection made in the Terai of Goruckpore a specimen which I took at the time to be A. lotenia, and was much sur- prised at its occurrence there. It is very possible that it was a specimen of Mr. Hume's A. intermedia. I have not had an oppoi'tunity of comparing a specimen of A. pedoralis with Mr. Hume's description, which, howevei", should be done.

235. Arachnechthra lotenia. Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. viii. pi. 3.

236. DictEum coccineum.

Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. vi. pi. 15.

One killed in Assam, where it is very abundant, measured in the flesh : — Length 3^ inches, wing l-i-f, extent 5|, tail l^^, tarsus g.

240. PiPRisoMA agile.

This bird has been lately figured (in ' The Ibis ' for 1867, pi. x.) with its nest, which was obtained by Mr. Beavan in Central India. The nest is a very neat structure, quite resembling that of many of the Nedarinice. The egg is fleshy, with reddish spots.

Mr. Swinhoe has informed me that Dicceum obsoletum, Miill. & Schlegel, from Timor, is identical with our bird. With re- ference to my notes on its habits, Mr. Beavan remarks that he only saw it in pairs, not in small flocks ; but as he observed it during the breeding-season, and I have chiefly procured it in the cold weather, the discrepancy may be easily accounted for. Very possibly, however, the small flocks I allude to were only the

to ' The Birds of India: . 19

family parties. Stoliczka observed this bird in the lower Hima- layan ranges.

Mr. Blyth remarks that a second species, apparently of this genus, exists in Pakdalotus pipra. Lesson, Cent. Zool. pi. 26, from Ceylon, which, however, does not appear to have been ob- served by late collectors, and is, I believe, not Indian.

241. Myzanthe ignipectus.

Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. vi. pi. 14.

I omitted to mention the black streak extending along the middle of the abdomen from the termination of the scarlet breast- spot. The female is dull olive-green above, brighter on the scapulars and upper tail-coverts; below greenish yellow, whitish on the throat, and buff on the sides.

Dimensions of a recent specimen : — Length 3|^ inches, extent nearly 6, the rest as in the text.

243. Certhia himalayana.

C. vitticauda, Jameson, figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. ii. pi. 17.

There is no doubt that this bird is the true Certhia vitticauda of Jameson, and not Sitta himalayensis as given in Horsfield and Moore^s Cat. of Birds of E. L C. Museum, which has been fol- lowed by myself and others. The name was given as expressing the chief point of difference from C. familiaris. Bill dusky brown above, fleshy beneath; legs pale fleshy brown. In a recent specimen the v.ing was 2^ inches, extent 7'i, bill nearly 1 inch in some specimens.

In the cold weather this Creeper extends in suitable localities into the more wooded portions of the plains in the N.W. pro- vinces, never, however, very far from the hills. It is by no means rare in the Botanical Gardens at Saharunpore ; and I have killed it in several other localities.

243 bis. Certhia familiaris, L.

I found the European Creeper common in most of the elevated forests of Kashmir. Gould had previously recorded one speci- men from some part of India, locality not recorded.

244. Certhia nipalensis.

Figured by Gould, B. of Asia, pt. ii. pi. 16. A fresh specimen had the following dimensions. Length 5|

f 2

20 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notea

inches, wing 2f, extent 8, tail 2|, tarsus -^, foot 1|. Bill dusky above, fleshy below; legs livid brown.

245. Certhia discolor.

There is a pale wing-bar on all the primaries (except the first three) and on the secondaries, and a pale spot near the tip as well. The colouring of the lower parts is conspicuously paler posteriorly ; and the shafts of the tail-feathers are brighter ferruginous. Bill dusky above, fleshy beneath ; legs fleshy. Length of a specimen freshly killed 6| inches, wing 2|, extent 9, tail 3 i, foot 1:1.

Gould figures this on the same plate as the last species, of which he considers it to be a variety only.

246. Salpornis spilonota.

This very interesting bird has been procured in Central India by Mr. W. Blanford, especially near Sironcha, on the Godavery. Captain Pin will, H.M. 27th, some years ago showed me one he had killed in the Oudh Terai ; and Mr. Hume has also received it from other localities. Mr. Blanford has given an interesting account of its habits ; and from his notes I give the following particulars: — Bill blackish above, flesh-coloured below; legs dusky horny, inclining to plumbeous ; irides brown. Length 55-5f inches, extent 9h, wing 85-8^, tail 2g, bill at front f-1, tarsus I, foot If.

248. SiTTA himalayensis.

S. vitticauda is not a synonym of this Nuthatch, as pointed out above, p. 19. The lateral tail-feathers have an oblique white spot near the tip ; one measured in the flesh 9 inches in extent, wing 2|. Legs pale dusky yellowish.

This bird certainly does not extend to the highlands of Cen- tral India as stated by Gould.

249. SlTTA LEUCOPSIS.

I found this fine Nuthatch not rare in the valley of the Sutlej, at from 9000 to 10,000 feet elevation, and still more abundant in the fine forests of Kashmir at similar elevations. Stoliczka found it feeding on the seeds of Pinus gerardiana and P. excelsa. Bill dusky, bluish beneath for the basal half;

to '■ The Birds of India.' 21

legs dingy reddish ; irides dark brown. Extent of wing 9^, foot 1^.

250. SiTTA CASTANEOVENTRIS.

One killed in the N.W. provinces measured 9| inches in extent, tail l^j bill at front f, foot nearly 1|. Its bill is much more slender than that of S. cinnamomeiventris. I found it extend- ing nearly to the foot of the Himalayas, in the Bijnour and Saharunpore districts, frequenting all large groves and gardens.

251. SiTTA CINNAMOMEIVENTRIS.

The tail has the two central feathers grey, the rest blackish ; the outermost three on each side with lai'ge white spots on the inner webs near the tip ; the outermost of all has also a spot on the outer web near the base ; the two next the uropygials are grey at the tip and on the outer web. It has been noted that the female of this species corresponds very closely with Sitta h'ueperi.

252. Sitta Formosa.

Figured by Gould, B. of Asia, pt. i. pi. 7. This beautiful Nuthatch was recently obtained by Major God- win-Austen in North Cachar.

253. Dendrophila frontalis.

One killed in Assam, where it is very common, had the wing 2^, tail If, bill -^^, tarsus j-^j, foot 1-^. I saw it in the Saha- runpore Botanical Gardens in the cold weather.

Sitta azurea, Lesson ( = -S. jlavipes, Swainson), figured by Gray, ' Genera of Birds,^ is a very beautiful species of this genus from Java.

254. Upupa epops.

One measured in the tlesh 11^ inches, extent 18^, wing 6, tail 4^.

This Hoopoe breeds very generally in the N.W. Provinces, in the verandas of houses ; and I watched one for some days in the house of the late Dr. Scott at Umballa, which he alludes to in a former volume of 'The Ibis'*. I, however, did on one occa- sion see the female Hoopoe fly ofl" her nest in the veranda merely to drop her faeces, and return immediately. In tliis letter of Dr. Scott's to Mr. Blyth, there is twice a misprint of

* See ' The Ibis ' for 186G, p. 222.

22 Mr. W. E. Brooks un a new Species of Phylloscopus.

gnats for grubs, easily enough accounted for by those who were acquainted Dr. Scott^s left-handed writing. Had he, indeed, intended gnats, he would much more likely have used the word mosquitoes; but as we sat together in his veranda watching the male Hoopoe digging up grubs, I am confident he intended, and, indeed, wrote that word.

It also breeds in holes of trees, as I observed at Hard war and elsewhere. At Umballa I daily noticed its hunting for food, which appeared to consist almost entirely of grubs. These it hunted for on the ground, tapping with its bill continually till it discovered the retreat of one (by what sense I cannot say, whether of smell or sound), when it dug pertinaciously and vigorously through the rather hard soil till it reached the desired morsel, the beak being occasionally immersed to its base. I fancied that the call of this species is very generally a treble hoot, whilst that of the next one is more commonly a double call.

255. Upupa nigripennis.

It appears that this bird should stand as Upupa. ceylonensis of Reichenbach. The white spot on the first primary is occa- sionally present in this species, and- is even sometimes found on one wing and not on the other; it is therefore not to be relied on as a specific character.

Blyth, in his commentary, accepted the Burmese race, which I named loiigirostris, as a distinct one ; and jNIr. Sharpe, who has lately been critically examining the Hoopoes, has come to the same conclusion. Swinhoe, on the contrary, in his latest list puts it as a synonym of U. ceylonensis.

[To be continued.]

II. — On a new Species of Phylloscopus. By W. E. Brooks,

C.E., Etawah, India.

While I was in Cashmere, in May and June of the present year, 1871, I frequently saw a Phrjlloscopus which appeared to to me at the time to be new, and procured four specimens. My friend Col. Tytler was the first to separate it, four years ago, from Phylloscopus viridanus, which bird it somewhat re- sembles, and for which, at first sight, it might be easily mistaken by merely superficial observers.

Mr. W. E. Brooks on a new Upecies of Phylloscopus. 23

Col, Tytler shot this specimen at Simla; and it corresponds in every respect with my Cashmere specimens.

Another specimen, and the sixth with which I am acquainted, was shot (by another friend of mine, Capt. Cock) off the nest with four eggs, at Sonamurg, in Cashmere. This was in June last; and Capt. Cock sent me the bird for identification.

This new Phylloscopus I propose to call

Phylloscopus tytlert, sp. nov.

The following are the dimensions : — Length 4*75 in. ; wing 2-3; tail Iv; bill at front '36, bill from nostril *3; tarsus '75.

The dimensions of Phylloscopus viridanus are : — Length 5 in. ; wing 2"5 ; tail 2 ; bill at front '3, bill from nostril '29 ; tarsus '8.

It will be seen from the above that P. viridanus is a larger bird.

In form, P. tytleri ditFers from P. viridanus by having a longer, narroiver, much more pointed, and very much darker -coloured bill, the lower mandible being black-brown instead of pale fiesh- colour. This alone is quite sufficient to distinguish it : the wing is shorter, but of the same form as that of P. viridanus in regard to proportions of primaries. The tail is shorter. In colour it is of a darker and richer olive on the whole upper parts, and does not appear to have the tail rayed : that of P. viridanus is generally very conspicuously rayed. There is a total absence of the '' slight whitish wing-bar," which I have always observed to be present in P. viridanus, unless the bird be in very abraded plumage.

In notes and song (if the few notes it utters can be called a song) P. tytleri is utterly different from P. viridanus. Its call- note is very peculiar, and once heard could not easily be for- gotten. In the localities it frequents and inhabits it is quite opposed to P. viridanus. The latter, during the breeding-season, frequents mountain-ravines not far from the snows, which are covered with brushwood and small birch trees ; whilst P. tytleri is a forest Phylloscopus, frequenting the pine-woods belovy the snowy ranges. The only nest found of our new bird was the one above referred to, taken by Capt. Cock.

24 Mr. W. E. Brooks on the Breeding of certain

III. — On the Breeding of Reguloides superciliosus, Reguloides proregulus, Reguloides occipitalis, and Phylloscopus tytleii. By W. E. Brooks, C.E.

In 1868, in consequence of ill health, I went to Nynee Tal and Almorah in the spring of the year. But beyond several times see- ing Reguloides superciliosus passing up the lower ranges in April, and afterwards obtaining a single specimen near the top of the Kalee Miit hill, near Almorah, I never met with this little bird. Reguloides proregulus I never once saw. In the autumn of 1869, Capt. Cock having reported Reguloides to be very numerous at Dhuraisala, I sent two natives there in the spring, who were perfectly acquainted with R. superciliosus, both as regards its notes and appearance, instructing them to make every effort to find the nest. By the lOth of May they reported the last of the Reguloides to have left the neighbourhood of Dhurmsala ; nor were they again seen. This second failure determined me to trace the little bird to its breeding-places, if possible. In this I was assisted by some skins which Dr, Jerdon gave me. Amongst them were a few of Reguloides superciliosus and R. proregulus.

By inquiries which Mr. Dresser kindly made at my request of Dr. Jerdon, I learned that the probable date when they were ob- tained was about the 12th of July, 1867, and that the locality was Guloierg, in Cashmere. This was conclusive proof that this place was one of the breeding-resorts of both species of Reguloides above mentioned. Being entitled to leave, I applied for it, and left for Simla on the 24th of Aprd. While there for a day, I heard the call-note of Reguloides superciliosus very frequently. I also heard it ou the way to Simla in the pine woods at Kus- sowlie, I returned to the plains after I had seen Col. Tytler^s museum and had carefully examined his specimen of Aquila hastata. Googerat was soon reached ; and thence I marched into Cashmere, in which country I did not meet with Regu- loides superciliosus till 1 reached the north face of the Ruttun Pir mountain. This hill has an elevation of about 8400 feet. Here the little bird was plentiful ; and so were R. proregulus and R. occipitalis, the latter being in full song. By dissecting

Species of Reguloides and Phylloscopus. 25

females of each species, I ascertained that they would not lay before the end of May at the earliest. R. proregulus was still in flocks. In the habit of congregating, and being always on the move from tree to tree, these birds resemble the Titmice, and are equally noisy ; but the other Reguloides are more silent and solitary.

I continued my journey to Srinuggur, rather reluctant to leave a place where these birds were so plentiful. At Srinuggur I met Capt. Cock, who, like myself, was also upon a nesting- expedition, and equally intent upon solving the problem as to where the Reguloides bred.

We were too early for their eggs, and in the mean time went up the Scind valley. When we had gone two marches, find- ing that the gorge became very rocky and narrow, with but very few birds, I decided upon retracing my steps and making the best of my way to Gulmerg. I did so; but Capt. Cock continued his journey to Sonamerg, intending afterwards to join me at Gulmerg. I arrived there on the 31st of May, at about 10 o'clock : and by 4 o'clock in the afternoon I had three nests of Reguloides superciliosus in my possession, each contain- ing five eggs. On the very same day Capt. Cock had also taken the eggs of this bird at Sonamerg.

Gulmerg is one of those mountain- downs, or extensive pas- ture-lands, which are numerous on the tops of the range of hills immediately below the Pir Punjal range, which is the first snowy range. It is a beautiful mountain- common, about SOOO feet above the level of Srinuggur, which latter place has an elevation of 5235 feet. This common is about three miles long, and about a couple of miles wide, but of very irregular shape. On all sides the undulatmg grass-land is surrounded by pine-clad hills; and on one side the pine-slopes are sur- mounted by snowy mountains. On the side near the snow the supply of water in the woods is ample. The whole hill- side is intersected by small ravines, and each ravine has its stream of pure cold water — water so difi*erent from the tepid fluid we drink in the plains. In such places M'here there were water and old pines Reguloides superciliosus was very abundant. Every few yards was the domain of a pair. The males were very

26 Mr. W. E. Brooks un theBreeding of certain

noisy, and continually uttered their song. This song is not that described by Mr. Blyth as being similar to the notes of the English Wood-Wren (P. sibilatrix), but fainter. It is a loud double chirp or call, hardly worthy of being dignified with the name of song at all. While the female was sitting, the male continued vigorously to utter his double note, as he fed from tree to tree. To this note I and my native assistants paid but little attention ; but when the female, being off the nest, uttered her well-known " tiss-yip," as Mr, Blyth expresses the call of a Willow- Wren, we repaired rapidly to the spot, and kept her in view. In every instance, before an hour had passed, she went into her nest, first making a few impatient dashes at the place where it was, as much as to say, " there it is ; but I don't want you to see me go in.''

When a nest was found by one of the natives, the eggs were not removed till I had seen the bird come out of the nest, and had heard her well-known note. From the first few nests I shot the females : but this was needless slaughter j for the note is so peculiar and decided that no other mode of authentication is necessary.

In the woods frequented by this bird at Gulmerg, the only other lleguloides were R. occipitalis and a few of R. proregulus. Of PhyUoscopi the only species were P. magnirostris, very scarce, and P. tytleri, described above, equally scarce.

The nest of Reguloides superciliosus is always, so far as my observation goes, placed on the ground, on some sloping bank or ravine-side. The situation preferred is the lower slope near the edge of the wood, and at the root of some very small bush or tree — often, however, on quite open ground, where the newly growing herbage was so short that it only partially concealed it. In form it is a true Willow-Wren's nest, a rather large globular structure, with the entrance at one side. Regarding the fiist nest taken, I have noted that it was placed on a sloping bank, on the ground, among some low ferns and other plants, and close to the root of a small broken fir tree, uhich, being some- what inclined over the nest, protected it from being trodden upon. It was composed of coarse dry grass and moss, and lined with finer grass and a few black hairs. The cavity was

Species of Reguloides and Phylloscopus. 27

about two inches, and the entrance about one and a half inch in diameter. About twenty yards from the nest was a large, old, hollow fir tree ; and in this I sat till the female returned to her nest. My attendant then quietly approached the spot^ when she flew out of the nest and sat on a low branch two or three yards from it. Then she uttered her " tiss-yip," which I know so well, and darted away among the pines. My man retired, upon which she soon returned ; and having called for a few minutes in the vicinity of the nest, she ceased her note and quickly entered. Again she was quietly disturbed, and sat on a twig not far from her nest. I heard her call once more, and then shot her. There were five eggs, which were slightly incubated.

The capture delighted me; but I felt sorry that I had shot her off her valuable eggs. I was much struck with the very worn state of her plumage ; the yellow and the olive were so faded, and the bars on the wing worn. The newly moulted autumnal bird is very different. Few birds fade so much and lose colour to the extent that this little bird does. I took two other nests that same day (31st of May), also a nest of Regu- luides occipitalis, and one of Siphia leucomelanura. In the mean time Capt. Cock had reached Sonamerg, which proved to be a better place for Reguloides than even Gulmerg ; and on the same day he took his first nest of Reguloides superciliosus. In his letter to me he says, " Now for R. superciliosus. I took my first nest on the 31st, with five eggs, and shot the old bird. This bird builds, in an exactly similar situation as Ahrornis, a little globular nest, placed on the side of a steep bank, with only the little entrance-hole exposed to view. The nest is com- posed of dry grass outside, a little moss, and thickly lined with hair of the musk-deer."

My second nest was placed on the side of a steep bank, on the ground. The third was similarly placed, and composed of coarse grass and moss, and lined with black horse-hair. In each of these nests the number of eggs was five.

Another nest, taken on the 1st of June, with four eggs, was placed on the ground, on a sloping bank, at the foot of a small thin bush. It was composed as usual of coarse dry grass and

28 Mr. W. E. Brooks on the Breeding of certain

moss, and lined with finer grasses and a few hairs. The eggs were five or six days incubated. Another nest, with four eggs, was placed on the ground, under the inclined trunk of a small fir. The same materials were used. Another nest containing four eggs was placed on a sloping bank, and quite exposed, their being little or no herbage to conceal it. It was composed as before, with the addition of a few feathers in the outer por- tion of the nest. Another nest was at the roots of a fern growing on a very steep bank. The new shoots of the fern grew up above the nest; and last yearns dead leaves overhung it and entirely concealed it. Another was placed on a sloping bank, immediately under the trunk of a fallen and decayed pine. On account of irregularities in the ground, the trunk did not touch the ground where the nest was by about two feet. This was again an instance of contrivance for the nest's protection. It was composed of the same materials as usual.

Another was among the branches of a small shrub, right in the centre of the bush, and on the ground, which was sloping as usual. Another nest, with four eggs, taken on the 3rd of June, was placed in the steep bank of a small stream only three feet six inches above the water.

The above examples will give a very fair idea of the situation of the nest; and it now remains only to describe the eggs, which average "56 in. long by '44 in. broad. The largest egg which was measured was -Q'i long and "45 broad; and the smallest measured -53 long and -43 broad. The ground-colour is always pure white, more or less spotted with brownish red — the spots being much more numerous, and frequently in the form of a rich zone or cap, at the larger end. Intermixed with the red spots are sometimes a few of purple-grey. Other eggs are marked with deep-purple-brown spots, like those of the ChifiFchaff, and the spots are also intermingled with purple- grey. Some eggs are boldly and richly marked, while others are minutely spotted. The egg also varies in shape ; but as a general rule they are rather short and round, resembling in shape those of P. trochilus. In returning from Cashmere, on the south face of the Pir Punjal mountain, and close to the footpath, I found, on 15th June, a nest of this bird with four

Species of Reguloides and Phylloscopus. 29

young ones. This nest was placed in an unusually steep bank. Half an hour after finding the nest, and perhaps a thousand feet lower down the hill, I stood upon a mass of snow which had accumulated in the bed of a mountain-stream.

I must now say a few words about the nesting of Reguloides proregulus. As far as I myself aui concerned, I was completely foiled and never obtained a single nest. I looked only on the ground, expecting to find its nesting-habits similar to those of Reguloides super ciliosus, whereas Reguloides proregulus builds in fir trees ; and in this habit it appears to be allied to the true Reguli. Capt. Cock writes from Sonamerg, "The second day I found my first nest with eggs. It was the nest of R. prore- gulus. I shot the old bird. Three eggs. These nests are often placed on a bough high up in a pine tree, and are domed or roofed, made of moss, and lined with feathers, I took another one to-day with five eggs, and shot the bird just as it was entering the nest. This was on the bough of a pine, but low down. I know of two more nests of R. proregulus, all on pine trees, from which I hope to take eggs."

After describing the nest of R. superciliosus before quoted, and saying that it was lined with the hair of the musk-deer, he adds, " In this the nest difi'ers from that of R. proregulus, which lines its nest with feathers and bits of thin birch bark ; and the nest of R. proregulus is only partly domed."

I measured four eggs of R. proregulus which Capt. Cock kindly gave me ; and the dimensions are as follows : — "55 x "44, •53 X -43, -53 X -43, and '54 x -43. They are pure white, richly marked with dark brownish red, particularly at the larger end, forming there a fine zone on most of the eggs. Intermingled with these spots, and especially on the zone, are some spots and blotches of deep purple grey. The egg is very handsome, and reminds one strongly of those of Parus aistatus on a smaller scale. The dates when the eggs were taken are 30th of May and 2nd of June, and the place Sonamerg, which is four marches up the valley of the Scind river.

Reguloides occipitalis. — This is perhaps the most abundant bird in Cashmere wherever there are good woods. It is found at almost all elevations above the Cashmere plain. I only took

30 On the Breeding of Reguloides and Phylloscopiis.

three nests, as the little bird is very cunuing^uulike the simple i?^- gidoides superciliosus. It is very careful indeed how it approaches its nest when an enemy is near. The nest is placed in a hole under the roots of a large tree on some steep bank-side. I found one in a decayed stump of a large fir tree, inside the rotten wood. It was placed on a level with the ground, and could not be seen till I had broken away part of the outside of the stump. It was composed of green moss and small dead leaves, a scanty and loosely formed nest, and not domed. It was lined with fine grass and a little wool, and also a very few hairs. There were five eggs.

Another nest was also placed in a rotten stump, but under the roots, A third nest was placed in a hole under the roots of a large living pine ; and in front of the hole grew a small rose-bush quite against the tree-trunk. This nest was most carefully concealed ; for the hole behind the roots of the rose- bush was most difficult to find.

The eggs are of a rather longer form than those of the Reguloides before described, and are pure white without any spots. They average '65 by "5.

Of PhyUoscopus tytleri, which I have described in a sepa- rate paper, I have to remark that among my Etawah-killed specimens of P. viridanus, and others shot at Almorah in 1868, I have found two specim.ens of this new bird. Capt. Cock shot one of this species off the nest at Sonamerg with four eggs. The bird he sent to me, and gave me two of the eggs. Regarding the nest, he says, " I took a nest, con- taining four eggs, about forty feet up a pine, on the outer end of a bough, by means of ropes and sticks ; and I shot the female bird. I do not know what the bird is; I thought it was P. viridanus; but I send it to you. The nest was very deep, solidly built, and cup-shaped. Eggs plain white.^^ In conversation with Capt. Cock he afterwards told me that he had watched the bird building its nest. It was placed rather on the side of the branch ; and its solid formation reminded him of a Goldfinch's nest. It was composed of grass, fibres, moss, and lichens ex- ternally, and thickly lined with hair and feathers. The eggs were pure unspotted white, rather smaller than those of R. oc-

On an undescrihed Parrot from the Island of Rodriguez. 31

cipitalis. Two of them measured -58 by "48 and 'o7 by -45. They were taken on the 4th of June.

In conclusion, I hope that other ornithologists will take a little pains to supply the remaining blanks in the informa- tion we have of the nests and eggs of this interesting group. There remain P. magnirostris, P. fuscatus, P. tristis, P. virida- nus, P. affinis, P. indiciis, Reguloides trochiloides, R. viridi- pennis, R. erochroa, R. maculipennis, and R. castaneiceps.

P. magnirostris, P. viridanus, and P. affinis breed in Cash- mere, and P. tristis in Ladak. I saw P. indicus in great numbers ascending the hills towards Simla about the end of April ; and I once shot one at Almorah, in May 1868 ; but they go far beyond that place to breed, to the immediate neighbourhood of the gi'eat snowy ranges, to find a climate as cold as that of Siberia.

IV. On an undescrihed Bird from the Island of Rodriguez. By Alfred Newton, M.A., F.R.S., &c.

Leguat iu his charmin"; work * several times incidentally mentions amoog the consolations which he and his fellow-exiles found in the Island of Rodriguez, the abundance of "Perro- quets." In the first passage (i. p. 67) he records their predi- lection for the nuts of a tree somewhat like an olive; in the second (i. p. 107) he speaks of their being " verds & bleus," " sur tout de mediocre & d^egale grosseur/^ and having flesh not less good than that of young Pigeons ; in the third (i. p. 132) he states that some of them were instructed by his company, and that they took one, which spoke French and Flemish, with them to Mauritius.

The second of the passages just cited is so vague as to raise the question whether there were green Parakeets and blue Parakeets, or only Parakeets possessing a combination of both colours ; and the solution of the doubt would require the dis- crimination of judges better than those who had to hear the famous case of ' Stradling versus Stiles,^ the issue whereof was

* Voyages et Avantures cle Francois Leguat, &c. London : 1708. (First edition quoted.)

33» Prof. Newton on an undescribed Parrot

whether, under the terms of a will, specifying certain " black and white horses/' the plaintiff should have horses which were ' pyed/' It does not seem that this celebrated cause was ever settled ; for the learned Martinus Scriblerus, who reports it, con- cludes by saying, "Et sur ceo le court advisare vult •/' and so in the present case ornithologists were compelled to suspend their judgment.

A little more light is thrown on this obscure subject by the following excerpts from Pingre's journal, kindly transcribed for me some time ago by Professor Alphonse Milne-Edwards from the original manuscript then preserved in the library of Ste. Genevieve at Paris. Pingre was in Rodriguez in 1761, occu- pied with observations on the transit of Venus. He writes (p. 195) : — " La perruche me semblait beaucoup plus delicat.'" [He had just been mentioning the esculent qualities of a species of Pteropus.'] " Je n'aurais regrette aucun gibier de France, si celui ci cut ete plus commun h Rodrigue : mais il commence h devenir rare. H y a encore moins de perroquets quoiqu'il y en ait eu encore autrefois en assez grande quantite, selon Fi-. Leguat, et en effet une petite isle au sud de Rodrigue a encore conserve le nom d'Isle aux perroquets." It would hence appear that there was a " Perruche " and a " Perroquet/-' though un- fortunately Pingre does not say what either was like.

Now it will perhaps be recollected that in 1864 my brother Edward observed a flock, and obtained an example of what he believed to have been Affapornis cana in Rodriguez (Ibis, 1865, p. 149) ; but this is said to have been a species introduced there, no doubt since Leguat's time. On the other hand, in 1867 Professor Alphonse Milne-Edwards described the fragment of a Parrot's maxilla, found in the caves of that island with bones of its Solitaire [Pezophaps solitarius), and sent to my brother by Mr. George Jenner. This very indifferent relic was admirably shown * by that accomplished ornithologist to have many re- semblances to the genus Eclectus, to which he doubtfully referred it under the name Psittacus [Eclectus ?) rodericanus. The large size of the bird (to whatever group it belonged), equally with

* Ann. Sc. Nat. (5) Zool. viii. pp. 145-156, pis. 7, 8; C. R. Ixv. pp. 1121-1125.

from the Island of Rodriguez. 33

the small size of the Agnpomis seen by my brother (to say nothing of the story of its later introduction), precludes eitherfrom being the "Perroquet" characterized by Leguat as of "mediocre grosseur/' and again mentioned by Pingre. Accordingly this last remained to be discovered, while the " Perruche^^ of Pingre may be set down as the species indicated by M. Milne-Edwards. It was accordingly with no small interest that I learned some months ago, from my brother Edward, that he had received from Mr. Jenner, the magistrate of Rodriguez (to whom we owe so great a debt for his examination of the caves of that island), an example of a " Parrot " pi'eserved in spirit. My brother, with no small amount of self-denial, would not open the tin case which enclosed this specimen, fearing that it might thereby sus- tain injury, but transmitted it to me ; and a few weeks since it reached me in safety. On opening the case with the assistance of Mr. Bartlett, who is always so ready to do an obliging act, we found its contents to be a bird of the genus Palaornis in excellent preservation ; and, in full confidence that it has never been named or described, I here characterize it as

Palaornis exsul, sp. u.

Diagn. [fopmincB). P. mediocris, griseiglaucus, vitta menti obscura nigra ; remigibus externe cseruleo lavatis, interne nigris.

Long. tot. 16, alarum expans. 22, alae a flex. 7*5, caudse 8*5, acrotarsi "6, dig. med. sine ung. I'l, hallucis sine ung. '5, max- illae a fronte 1, ejusdem a rictu "83, mandibulfe ab articulo l'-48, poll. Angl.

Hab. in Insula Rodericana.

Mus. A. et E. Newton (exenipl. i.).

Descriptive of a female. Of moderate size. General appearance greyish-glaucous, darker above than beneath. From the corners of the mouth proceeds an ill-defined dull black chin-stripe, which becomes broader as it passes backward and upward, ceasing somewhat abruptly on reaching the level of the ears. Head, nape, shoulders, upper v^'ing-coverts and rectrices above dull greyish-glaucous, the blue tinge in which predominates when the bird is seen against the light, and the green when seen in the contrary aspect ; the outer rectrices paler. Rump verditer- blue. Primaries with their outer and most part of their inner webs deep greenish-blue, the former with narrow lighter edges,

SER. III. VOL. II. D

|{^

. J , ^-j On an undescribed Bird from the Island of Rodriguez.

and the latter broadly bordered with pitch-black ; shafts and lower surfaces greyish-black. Secondaries much the same as the primaries^ but of a still deeper shade. Breast dull greyish- glaucous, but lighter than the upper parts, and passing on the belly into verditer, which becomes lighter and greener on the vent. Rectrices beneath yellowish-grey, darker toward the tips of the longer feathers. Bill black; legs and toes — (?), claws dark horn-colour. The skin of the chiu, where the feathers are scanty, of a bright red when the specimen was taken from the spirit.

I would remark that this bird is by no means to be regarded as a mere representative species or conspecies of either of the forms already known to inhabit the Mascarene islands {Palteornis eques or P. wardi), but thoroughly distinct and not very nearly allied to them, or indeed to any other species. I should have liked, according to what I hold to be the best practice in no- menclature, to have given it a specific name in some way de- scriptive of its appearance ; but this I have found difficult, and therefore, in the belief that in this glaucous bird we see one of the " Perroquets verds & bleus " of Leguat, I have chosen a name for it which may help to commemorate the first writer who seems to have observed it — and in bestowing upon it the appellation of PalyEornis exsul have had in my mind the exile through whose means we are in some degree acquainted with the marvellous original fauna of the island which was to him pro- ductive of so much happiness as a prelude to so much misery.

Since I received the specimen above described, two bones which 1 believe to belong to the same species have reached me from my brother. They are a portion of a lower mandible and a fragmentary sternum, and were sent to him by Mr. Jenner as having been found in a cave with bones of Pezophaps and other birds, an account of which will in due time be published.

The editor of ' The Ibis ' kindly offered me a figure of the type specimen of this species; but as it is unluckily that of a female bird, I refrain from giving one, trusting that before long Mr. Jenner's exertions will enable us to furnish a representative of the other sex, which is not unlikely to prove a bird of greater beauty.

Magdalene College, Cambridge, 10 November, 1871.

On Bh'ds lately added to the Canterbury Museum, N. Z. 35

V. — Notes and Descriptions of some Birds lately added to the Museum, Canterbury, New Zealand. By Thos. H. Potts.

The number of species contained in our list of birds is slowly but steadily increasing as our scattered population gradually spreads itself over wider areas of country ; thus new forms now and then fall under observation. Among the more interesting of recent acquisitions is a new species of Apteryx, which the writer proposes to name A. haastii, in compliment to Dr. Haast. In the course of the year large numbers of skins and skeletons of the too famous ApterygidcB, killed on the west coast, are re- ceived at the Canterbury Museum for the purpose of exchanges ; so that one can imagine it within the bounds of probability that Apteryges will, at no distant date, be found more abundant in foreign collections of natural history and " the cabinets of the curious ^^ than in their native wilds of the Westland ranges. Amongst scores of examples of our two Middle-Island birds, A. oweni, Gould, and A. australis, Shaw, was one skin of this new species.

The specimen which first came to hand was procured on one of the first levels from the snowy range, west coast, Middle Island. A Maori of Bruce Bay informed the collector that they (the natives) called this species of Apteryx Roroa, that it was not to be confused with Rowi, and that, by means of kicking, it could fight a dog. Specimen the second was received some months later, in another heavy consignment. The exact locality was not given ; but there is but little room to doubt that it was obtained from the Okarito country. When one looks at these specimens, grouped with others, representing A. oweni and A. australis, one ponders on the probability of hybridization *. Here are the lunate marks of Owen's Kiwi, with the superior size and much of the tone of colour which distinguishes A. aus- tralis. The wing-spur of our new species is more feebly deve- loped than in either of the other species mentioned.

Apteryx haasti, Potts. "Roroa;" Haast's Kiwi. Specimen No. 1 (supposed to be an adult female). — Face,

* See Transactions of New-Zealand Institute, vol. ii. p. 64, vol. iii. p. 80 (^Rhipidurd).

1) 2

36 Mr. T. H Potts on Birds lately added to

head, and neck dull brown, darkest in a line from the gape to and immediately behind the ear, and on the nape; upper sur- face irregularly barred with blackish bi-own and rich fulvous, each feather crossed with marks of dark brown and fulvous (approaching chestnut) on the apical bars ; chin greyish brown ; throat dull brown, indistinctly marked with fulvous; breast and abdomen dull brown, barred with pale fulvous ; straggling hairs about the base of the bill black, some produced to the extent of 3| inches; bill yellowish ivory, measuring from gape to the end of mandible 5f inches ; upper mandible overreaching lower mandible by -j^ of an inch ; tarsus 2^ inches ; middle toe and claw 2f inches.

Specimen No. 2. — Pace, head, and neck dark brown ; blackish brown on the nape ; entire plumage richer in colour than in specimen No. 1 ; on the back of thigh a chestnut bar ; a band of chestnut crossing the plumage above the tarsal joint ; upper mandible, from gape to point, 5 finches; tarsus 2i inches; middle toe and claw 2f inches.

Apteryx australis, Shaw. Great Kiwi.

A beautiful variety of this interesting species of the Middle- Island Kiwi departs in a remarkable degree from the usual state of plumage. Face, head, chin, throat, and the front of the neck white ; back of neck dull greyish brown ; a wide streak of white on the front of the thighs, white interspersed on the breast and abdomen ; a circlet of white immediately above the tarsal joint.

A very fine female specimen of Owen's Kiwi has a broad patch of white on the rump, another patch immediately behind the wing.

After looking over numbers of specimens of all the known species, including the rich-coloured A. manteUi, Bartl., of the North Island, one arrives at the conclusion that no specific cha- racter can be safely drawn from the skin of the tarsus being scutellate or reticulate.

Rallus pictus. Potts. Painted Rail.

Early in the month of March there was received at the Can- terbury Museum a fine specimen of the Rail family which had been obtained in the neighbourhood of the Okarito lagoon.

the Museum at Canterbury, New Zealand. 37

Westland. This handsome bird, at first sights bears a strong resemblance to Rallus pectoralis, Gould, from the similarity in the colours and jnarkings of its plumage; a closer examination discloses its superior size and more slender figure, some differ- ence in the shape of the bill, and a well-defined garter above the tarsal joint, thus showing a marked departure from the form of its better-known congener.

The bill difi"ers from that of R. pectoralis in presenting a form less wedge-like, more produced, with the culmen slightly raised ; the shallow furrows in which the lateral nostrils are pierced are less angular ; this organ also possesses a greater degree of flexibility ; that it is comparatively weaker, one may

judge from the relative measurements of the bills of the two species : —

JR. pectoralis, JR. pictus.

in. lin. in. lin.

Length of upper mandible from gape ....15 17

Length of under mandible 1 3f 1 6^

Width of bill at base 3^ 3"

Depth of bill at base 4^ 85

In addition to the peculiarities of the bill thus pointed out, it possesses a leg better adapted for wading than that of the closely alUed species; the tibia is bared of feathers to the width of half an inch above the tarsal joint. It is not surprising that, amidst the dense tangled thickets of rush or cane that border the swampy lagoons of the west coast, it has hitherto generally eluded observation. Considering the shy, retiring habits of the group to which it belongs, it would there find abundant shelter for concealment, whilst its slender form, its compressed figure, almost canoe-like, is wonderfully well fitted for rapidly threading the intricate mazes of the rank aquatic or semiaquatic vegeta- tion amidst which it finds its food. From its short concave wings, it is evident it must depend less on securing safety by flight than on the rapidity with which it can conceal itself from notice amongst the marshy vegetation of its favourite haunts. If the bill of R. pectoralis may be said to resemble somewhat that of Ocydromus, that of R. pictus rather shows an approach to that of R. aquaticus, less produced. We have heard, on very good authority, that a larger species of Kail remains yet to be procured amongst the morasses of Westland.

38 On Birds lately added to the Museum at Canterbury, N. Z.

Bill, ui)i)er mandible dark horn-colour, lower mandible liglitcr; crown, occiput, and nape olive-brown, marked with black; from the base of upper mandible a narrow line of white passes in almost a straight line above the eye, merging into pale grey as it descends obliquely towards the nape; a broad stripe of cliestnut commences at the base of the bill, passes through the eye, across the cheek, and meets in a broad band at the back of the neck, forming a richly coloured tippet, widest on the back of the neck ; lower part of the cheek and throat pale grey and brownish grey; chin greyish, almost white; lower part of throat and breast black, each feather marked transversely with two bars of white, indistinctly tipped with pale brown ; breast crossed with a band of rich but light brown, with a chestnut spot in the centre, basal portioji of each feather black, apical portion crossed with two narrow black bars, shafts white ; greater wing-coverts olive-brown, with occasional white and black spots, point of shoulders nearly white ; pri- maries, of which the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th arc nearly of the same length and longest, 3rd and 4th chestnut, barred on the inner and outer web with black; 1st and 2nd marked with bars of white, which on inner web are slightly crcscentie : abdomen black, barred with white, lower abdomen pale fulvous ; front of thighs fulvous, back of thighs slaty black : tail, shafts black, webs olive brown, darkest in the centre ; middle feather with four spots of white, centre feathers of under tail-coverts black, with wliite bars tipped with fulvous; vent black, tipped with deep fulvous. Bill, from gape to tip of upper mandible, 1 inch 7 lines ; wing, from plume, 6 inches 2 lines ; tarsus 1 inch 8 lines ; middle toe and claw 1 inch 7 lines, hind toe and claw G lines; tail 2 inches 9 lines; extreme length, from tip of man- dible to end of tail, 15 inches 9 lines.

Larus bulleri. Potts. BuUer's Gull.

The structure of this graceful sea-bird exhibits a gradual departure from our typical form of Larus, as in L. scojndorum, Forst,, with which and L. melanorhynchus, Buller, it has been hitherto confused. An examination of the structure of the bill, the tarsus, and the foot, shows an approach to the Sternidaj

Mr. P. L. Sclater on the Genus Sycalis. 39

in their more slender proportions, equally manifest in the slight bill, the delicate tarsus, and the feeble foot. Should this Gull be allowed as a good species, it is proposed to call it after Mr. Buller, whose name is already connected with the ornithology of New Zealand. Two specimens in the Canterbury JMuseum were obtained near the mouth of the Waimakeriri river iu this province.

Plumage white ; wings silver-grey : primaries, first black, with white shaft, first and second having an oar-shaped dash of white on the inner web, this mark slightly encroaching on the outer web; third feather, basal portion chiefly M'hite; fourth feather, inner web silver grey, margined with black; all primaries except the first, tipped with a white spot : bill yellowish, slightly stained on each maiidiljle, near the point, with liorn-colour ; tarsi and feet yellowish, claws black. Bill from gape 1 inch 9 lines, depth of bdl at base 3^ lines, width of bill 3 lines ; wing, from flexure, 11 inches 3 lines; tarsus 1 inch 7 lines; middle toe, with claw, 1 inch 5 lines; total length 11 inches 6 lines.

Oliinatahi,

Canterbury, .July 21, 1871.

VI. — A Revision of the Species of the Frinyilline Genus Sycalis. By P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph. D., F.R.S.

• (Plates II. & III.)

In 'The Ibis' for January last, I attempted to give some account of the present state of our knowledge of the species of the Fringilline genus Spermophila. I now propose to offer to the readers of this Journal some similar remarks on the members of the genus Sy- calis^ another characteristic type of the Neotropical Fringillidre, of which I have of late years accumulated a considerable series of specimens. My collection of this genus consists of 40 skins, referable to 8 species. I have likewise employed for comparison 18 specimens belonging to the collection of Messrs. Salvin and Godman, and referable to 6 species, and have examined the specimens in the French National Collection, where several im- portant types are to be found.

40 Mr. P. L. Sclater's Revision of the

The generic name Sicalis (emend. Sycalis = avKa\L<i, Aris- toph.) was proposed by Boie (Isis, 1828, p. 324) for four birds, Fringilla magellanica, Gni., Emberiza brasiliensis, Gm.*, Frin- gilla lepida, Gm., and F. butyracea, Gm. Three of these having become types of other genera, Cabanis, in 1845—46 (Tschudi^s Fauna Peruana, Aves, p. 215), proposed to restrict the term Sycalis to the second species and its allies.

The little genus of Finches thus designated is quite distinct from every other Neotropical form, but comes very close to the African Crithagrop, and is perhaps, indeed, hardly separable in strictness, though it is convenient to have another name for the South-American group.

The nine species of this genus which I have had an oppor- tunity of examining may be divided into two sections — the first of which are smaller in size, and have the bill proportionately shorter and smaller, while the second contains a group of An- dean birds of rather larger dimensions, and having a larger and longer bill.

The subjoined Table may assist in the somewhat difficult task of distinguishing the first nine species of Sycalis. The tenth species [S. citrina), which I am not autoptically acquainted with, seems to stand alone in having the external rectrices spotted with white.

A. Minores : rostro breviore.

a. Species pileo flavo : macula frontem totam amplectente aurantiaca :

a. reniigum marg. int. aureo-flavis.

major, fronte Isete aurantiaca '. . . . 1. flaveola,

minor, fronte ma^is flava 2. pelzelni.

b'. remigum marg. int. albidis 3. Columbiana.

b. Species pileo striato : mac. front, utrinque flava :

major 4. lirteola.

minor 6. chrijsops.

B. Majores : rostro elongatiore. a. remigum marginibus externis flavissimis :

dorso toto flavo G. lutea.

dorso toto fusco 7. luteocephala.

h. remigum et rectricum marginibus griseis :

genis flavis : uropygio olivaoeo 8. %a-opygialis.

genis canis : uropygio olivaceo 9. aureiientris.

• Boie writes Frinf/Ula brasiliensis, Gm., which is, no doubt, an over- eight, as Gmelin places the bird in Emberiza (Syst. Nat. p. 872).

Species of the Genus Sycalis. 41

1. Sycalis flaveola.

FringiUa flm-eola, Linn. S. N. i. p. 321.

Bruant du Bresil, BufF. PL Enl. 321. fig. 1.

FringiUa flava, Miiller, Syst. Nat. Suppl. p. 164.

Emberiza brasiliensis, Gm. S. N. i. p. 872 ; Lafr. et D'Orb. Syn. Av. 1837, p. 73.

FringiUa brasiliensis, Spix, Av. Bras. i. p. 47, pi. 61. fig. 1 ^ , 2 ? ; Max. Beitr. iii. p. 614.

Crithagra brasiliensis, Bp. Consp.p.521 ; Gosse, B. Jamaica, p. 245.

Si/caUs brasiUensis, Tsch. Faun. Per. p. 215 ; Cab. in Schonib. Guian. iii. p. 679, et Mus. Hein. p. 146; Burm. Syst. Ueb. iii. p. 253; Sol. P. Z. S. 1861, p. 74; Taylor, Ibis, 1864, p. 83; Wyatt, Ibis, 1871, p. 328.

Sycalis aureipectus, Bp. Conipt. Rend, xxxvii. p. 917, et Notes Orn. p. 17; Sclater, P. Z. S. 1855, p. 159; Cat. A. B. p. 126 (jr.).

Sycalis flaveola, Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 231.

Virescenti-flava, interscapulio nigricante striato ; pileo antico aurantiaco : alis caudaque nigricantibus, flavo linibatis : subtiis aureo-flava unieolor : subalaribus et remigum mar- ginibus internis aureo-flavis : rostro corneo, niandibula in- feriore albicaute : pedibus fuscis : long, tota 5*2, alae 3*0, caudse 2*2, poll. Angl. et dec. Femina fusca, flavo tincta, pileo et dorso nigricante striatis ; alis caudaque nigri- cantibus fiavido linibatis : subtiis cineraceo-alba ; pectore, crisso, tibiis, subalaribus et remigum margiuibus internis flavis.

Hab. America merid. a surama Columbia usque ad Brasiliam merid.

Loca certa : Santa Marta [Wyatt) ; Bogota [Mus. P. L. S.) ; "Venezuela [Taylor] ; Brit, Guiana [Scltomb.) ; S. E. Brazil [Max. et Burm.) ; prov. S. Paolo, Ypanema, &c. [Natt.) ; Minas Geraes [Rogers) ; Eastern Peru [Tsch.); Bolivia, Santa Cruz de la Sierra [D'Orb.).

The well-known " Brazilian Canary," as this bird is often called, appears to have received names from both Linnaeus and Gmelin. The appellation given by the latter has been generally adopted, and I am always unwilling to alter established nomen-

42 Mr. P. L. Sclater's Revision of the

clature ; yet, as the Emberiza hrasiliensis is referred by Von Pelzeln to the next species, I have thought it better to revert to the older Linnean term flaveola for the present bird.

This species has a wide range in South America. I cannot distinguish specimens obtained by Mr. Wyatt in the valley of the Magdalena'^' from skins from Rio and Minas. It also occurs in Bogota collections ; and I have no doubt it was upon a somewhat brightly coloured but immature bird from the latter locality that Sycalis aureipectus of Bonaparte was established. M. Jules Verreaux is of the same opinion on this point ; and the specimen referred to S. aureipectus in my American Catalogue is certainly only a young male of S. flaveola.

There can be no doubt about the occurrence of this Finch in Jamaica. It is mentioned by Gosse; and I have skins from Ja- maica which agree in every respect with Brazilian specimens. I believe, however, that it is in all probability an imported species ; and this seems to result from what Mr. Gosse has said of it.

2. Sycalts pelzelni. Chuy, Azara, Apunt. i. p. 479. Passerinaflava, Vieill. Euc. Meth. p. 932 (partim). Sycalis chloropsis, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, pp. 161 et 632.

Sycalis hrasiliensis, Pelzeln, Orn. Bras, p. 232. Crithagrat hrasiliensis, Darwin, Zool. Beagle, ii. p. 88(?).

Similis S. flaveola, sed paulo minor, dorso magis distincte striato et fronte magis fulva neque aurantiaca : long, tota 4*9, alse 2*8, cauda3 2'0. Fem. supra fusca, omnino nigro striata, uropygio et rectricum marginibus exteruis vix virentibus : subtus alba, pectore et lateribus nigro striolatis : subalaribus et rectricum remigumque marginibus internis flavican- tibus. Hah. Inner Brazil, Paraguay, and La Plata. Loca exacta. Cuyaba (Natt.) ; Paraguay (Azara) ; vie. of Buenos Ayres (Haslehust).

This southern representative of S. flaveola was at first wrongly referred by myself and Mr. Salvin to S. chloropsis. It is con-

* Cf. Wyatt, ' Ibis,' 1871, p. 328.

Species of the Genus Sycalis. 43

sidered by Von Pelzeln to be the true Emberiza brasiliensis of Gmelin ; but this is, to say the least of it, very dubious, and contrary to the opinion of nearly every other writer.

Under these circumstances I was intending to adopt the spe- cific name Jiava for this bird (ex Passerina flava, VieilL), when I observed that this term is applied by Mr. G. R. Gray* to Si/calis flaveola (ex Fringilla flava, Miiller). Thus it would only cause confusion to attempt to use Vieillot's name ; and I there- fore propose to call the species Sycalis pelzelni, after our excel- lent Honorary Member Herr A. v. Pelzeln, who, according to my belief, misapplied the term hrasiliensis to it.

It must be observed that while the male of this Sycalis much resembles the corresponding sex of S. flaveola, the female is very different, having the whole upper surface striated, and no yellow on the breast and crissum below.

3. Sycalis columbiana.

Sycalis columbiana, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 147 ; Scl. Cat. A. B. p. 126; Pelzeln, Orn. Bras. p. 231.

Sycalis brasiliensis, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 573.

Similis >S^. flaveola, sed minor, dorso viridescenti-flavo, striis nullis, et remigum marginibus internis albidis flavo tinctis neque aureo-flavis : long, tota 4*3, alse 2"3, caudse 1*5.

Hab. Venezuela, Guiana, and Lower Amazonia.

Loca exacta. Puerto Cabello {Cab.) ; Barra do Rio Negro (Natt.).

This species is very closely allied to S. flaveola, but may, I believe, be distinguished in every stage by the inner margins of the remiges being quite narrow and of a pale yellowish white, instead of bright yellow as in S. flaveola. The difference is still more appreciable when the upper surfaces of the primaries in the two species are compared. It is also smaller, and in the adult male shows no striations on the back.

Nattererian skins agree well with the specimens registered as of this species in my American Catalogue. But the locality of " Trinidad " there given may be erroneous, resting only on a dealer^ s authority.

* Hand-list of B. ii. p. 84.

44 Mr. P. L. Sclater's Revision of the

4. Sycalis luteola.

a. Specimina Chiliana.

Fringilla arvensis, Kittl. Mem. pres. Ac. St. -Pet. 1831, p. 4. Sycalis arvensis, Sclater, Cat. A. B. p. 126 ; P. Z. S. 1867, p. 323.

Crithagra brevirosh-is, Phil, et Landb. Cat. Aves Chil. p. 26.

b. Specimina Ai'gentina. Chipiu, Azara, Apunt. i. p. 475.

Crithagra ? hrevirostris, Gould, Zool. Voy. Beagle, iii. p. 88. Sycalis luteiventris, Burm. La Plata-Reise, ii. p. 489. Sycalis arvensis, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 140.

c. Specimina Peruviana.

Fringilla luteiventris, Meyen, N. Act. Acad. Leopold, xvi. Suppl. p. 87 (1834), pi. 12. fig. 3.

Crithagra luteiventris, Bp. Cousp. i. p. 521. Sycalis luteiventris, Scl. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 342. Sycalis luteiventris, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1869, p. 599.

d. Specimina Brasiliana.

Crithagra hilarii,Bp. Consp. p. 521; Cab. Mus. Hein. p. 147; Burm. Syst. Ueb. iii. p. 254.

Sycalis hilarii, Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 232.

e. Specimina Guianensia, Emberiza luteola, Sparrm. Mus. Carls, t. 93.

Sycalis luteola, Suud. K. Vet. Ak. Handl. ii. No. 3. p. 14.

Sycalis minor, Cah. in Schomb. Guian. iii. p. 679; Pelz. Orn. Bras. p. 232.

Sijcatis hilarii, Scl. Cat. A. B. p. 126; Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 573.

Supra fusca, nigro variegata, uropygio virescente; alis caudaque nigricautibus fusco limbatis : loris et regione oculari cum corpore subtiis tlavis : long, tota 5*0, aise 3'0, caudse 2*1. Fem. gutture et pectore toto cum hypocbondriis fusces- centibus abdomine medio liavo. Hub. in America merid. universa a Columbia usque ad Chiliam

et reuip. Argentinaui.

Ibis 1872 PI. II

J G- Keulemaas litk

M fc N.HajTiv£Lrb imp

1 . SYCALLS CHRYSOPS

2 __ LUTEA .

Species of the Genus Sycalis. 45

I have skins of this Sycalis in my collection from Bogota, Lima (Nation) ; Cuenca, in Ecuador [Fraser) ; Arequipa, Peru [Whitely) ; Santiago [Lnndbeck) ; Buenos Ayres (Hudson) ; Matto Grosso (Natterer), and Mexiana, Lower Amazon (Wal- lace). Upon comparing them together, I am of opinion that it is not possible to differentiate the various local forms satisfac- torily, and that it is better to refer them all to one widely diffused species. Guianan specimens are certainly smaller in size and duller in colouring ; Chilian skins are rather largest ; whilst those from Peru and Columbia are brightest, especially on the lower plumage.

I believe this to be a bird of the campos, or grassy plains, not of the forests. Burmeister met with " Sycalis hilarii " in the campos of Inner Brazil, and tells us that " S. luteiventris " is one of the commonest birds of La Plata. The species is pro- bably found throughout its range in similar tracts of country. . I may remark that Bonaparte, the original author of the name hilarii, characterizes it (very correctly) as " similis (Crith.) luteiventri " *, and that Burmeister has already united Sycalis minor to S. hilarii f.

5. Sycalis chrysops. (Plate H. fig. 1.) Sycalis chrysops, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1861, p. 376; Salvin, Ibis, 1866, p. 194.

Similis S. luteola, sed minor, facie magis flava et colore dorsi fusco rufescentiore.

Hob. Mexico et Guatemala.

I based this species in 1861 on a specimen in a Mexican col- lection received from M. Parzudaki, which is still in my posses- sion, and is the subject of the accompanying Plate. I was sub- sequently rather inclined to think there might have been some mistake in the locality, and that the specimen in question might be only a dwarfed Bogota skin of S. luteola. But Mr. Salvin has an example of what is obviously the same bird, though in immature plumage, shot near Dueiias in Guatemala, in Sep- tember 1862. It is therefore certain that there does exist a Central-American species of Sycalis, which may be called S. chrysops until its identity with S, luteola has been demonstrated. • Consp. i. p. 521. t Syst. Uebers. ii, p. 254.

46 Mr. P. L. Sclater^s Revision of the

6. Sycalis lutea. (Plate II. fig. 2.)

Emberiza lutea, Lafr. et D'Orb. Syn. Av. in Mag. de Zool. 1837, p. 74.

Sycalis Moris, Cab. in Tsch. F. P. Aves, p. 316 (1846).

Sijcalis chloris, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 568, et 1869, p. 153.

Crithagra chloropsis, Bp. Consp. p. 521 (1850).

Obscure flava, subtiis et in uropygio clarior : alis et cauda fusco- nigris extiis llavo limbatis : subalaribus pallide flavis ; reraiguni margiuibus intern is pallide fuscis ; long, tota 5*5, alse 3*2, caudse 2"1. Fern, omnino obscurior et fusco prsecipue supra induta. Hab. Andes of Bolivia and Peru.

I first met with this fine species in Mr. Whitely's collections from Western Peru, and determined it, I believe correctly, as S. chloris of Cabanis. Subsequently, on examining the marked specimens of Sycalis in the Paris Museum, I found that it w^as identical with Crithagra chloropsis of Bonaparte. Still later I discovered that specimens of the same species had been obtained byD'Orbigny in Bolivia, and described by him and Lafresnaye in 1837 as Emberiza lutea. This fact was doubtless overlooked by Bonaparte, from the species being altogether omitted in the ' Ornithology ' of D'Orbigny's Voyage.

The typical specimen of Crithagra chloropsis, Bp., was (ac- cording to my notes taken at Paris) collected in Bolivia by Mr. Pentland.

7. Sycalis luteocephala.

Emberiza luteocephala, Lafr. et D'Orb. Syn. Av. in Mag. de Zool. 1837, p. 74 ; D'Orb. Voy. Ois. p. 360, pi. 44. fig. 2. Crithagra luteocephala, Bp, Consp. i. p. 521.

Fusca : capite undique, et abdomine toto medio cum margi- nibus rectricuin et remigum flavissimis.

Hab. Andes of Bolivia.

D'Orbigny found this Sycalis common in flocks on the eastern slope of the Cordillera from Cochabamba and Valle Grande to Chuquisaca. 1 have examined his specimens in the Paris Mu- seum, and likewise skins in Mr. Eyton's collection obtained by Bridges in Bolivia, but have never been able to obtain examples of this species myself.

lhis.T8 7 2 .PI .III

.ji^^- ---

J G.Keulemans In.Ch

M & JS Haixhait imp

SYCALIS AUREIVEKTBIS, £ et ?

Species of the Genus Sycalis. 47

8. Sycalis uropygtalis.

Emberiza uropijgialis, Lafr. et D^Orb. Syn. Av. p. 75 (1837). Crithagra pentlandi, Bp. Consp. i. p. 521 (1850). Sycalis chloropis, Burm. J. f. 0. viii. p. 257, et La Plata-Reise, ii.p. 489(?).

Affinis (S\ luteocephalxB, sed uropygio olivaceo, genis canis, rerui- gibus griseo marginatis, et corpora subtus omnino flavo.

Hah. Andes of Bolivia,

This is likewise a discovery of D'Orbigny^s, who met with the species on the Andes of Bolivia, and, along with Lafresnaye, de- scribed it in the ' Synopsis Avium, ^ but made no mention of it in his ' Voyage.' The consequence was that it was overlooked by Bonaparte, and redescribed in the ' Conspectus ' as Crithagra pentlandi, from specimens obtained by Mr, Pentland in Bolivia, and presented to the Paris Museum.

I have examined both D'Orbigny's and Pentland's specimens at Paris,

According to my notes, taken in Paris, the bird obtained by Burmeister in Mendoza and Catamarea, and named by him Sycalis chloropis, is referable to this species, though Burmeister's description (if correct) rather points to <Si. luteocephala. I have one of Burmeister's skins in my collection, and Mr. Salvm has another; but they are both in immature plumage, and are not sufficient to decide the question.

9. Sycalis aureiventris. (Plate III.) Sycalis aureiventris, Ph. et Landb. An. Univ. Chil. 1864,

p. 342, Wiegm, Arch. 1864, i. p, 49, et Cat, Aves Chilenas,

p. 24.

Sycalis aureiventris, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 323.

Flava, subtias clarior : interscapulio et hypochondriis grisescen- tibus : alis fusco-nigris griseo marginatis : rectricibus fusco- nigris ad basin extiis flavo anguste limbatis : long, tota 6-0, alae 3*7, caudae 2'2. Fem. fusca, uropygio flavo tincto ; alis caudaque fusco-nigris, griseo marginatis : subtus ochraceo- fusca, medialiter flavo induta.

Hab. Chili, Cordilleras of the province of Santiago.

I have several specimens of this fine species of Sycalis, re-

48 Mr. D. G. Elliot on Nyctale kirtlandi.

ceived from Mr. Landbeck. It seems quite distinct from the two pi-eceding species — though I should like to compare it with S. uropygialis, which I have not yet been able to do.

Messrs. Philippi and Landbeck have given us an excellent account of its nesting and habits.

10. SyCALIS CITRINA.

Emberiza citrina, Natt. MS.

Sycalis citrina, Pelzeln, Orn. Bras. pp. 232 et 333.

Hab. San Paulo {Natt.).

This species seems to be quite distinct from any other known Sycalis, having a white spot on the inner web of the two outer tail- feathers. I have never been fortunate enough to come across a specimen of it. It is^ perhaps, the same as Fringilla xanthorrhua of Bonaparte (J. Ac. Sc. Phil. iv. p. 350 (1825), et Consp. p. 521), though, as v. Pelzeln shows, Bonaparte's description does not quite agree with it. But I know of no other bird to which Bonaparte's description is more applicable.

Appendix specierum dubitatarum.

In Mr. G. R. Gray's most useful ' Hand-list of Birds ' (ii. p. 84) twenty species are assigned to Sycalis. Of these I have already disposed of eighteen. The remaining two are ; —

No. 7238. — S. plumbea. Chlorospiza plumbea, Ph. and Landb. (Wiegm. Arch. 1864', p. 47), which is Phrygilus unicolor (see my remarks, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 322) ; and

No. 7239. — S. ei'ytkronota. Chlorospiza erythronota, Ph. and Landb. ibid. 1863, p. 121, which is in all probability also a Phrygilus, but is not known to me.

VII. — On Nyctale kirtlayidi. By D. G. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c.

In the fifth volume of Shaw's ' Naturalist's Miscellany,' an Owl is described and figured as Strix albifrons, and its habitat stated to be North America, particularly Canada. In 1852, Dr. Hoy published, in the ' Proceedings of the Academy of Na-

Mr. D. G. Elliot on Nydale kirtlandi. 49

tural Sciences of Philadelphia/ the same bird under the name of Nyctale kirtlandi, stating that two specimens had been pro- cured ; and this name was continued by Cassin in his 'Illustrations of the Birds of California/ and a figure given. Baird, Cooperj and others, in their respective works, have also kept this form dis- tinct, but restored Shawns name of albifrons, making N. kirtlandi, Hoy, a synonym. So few specimens in the plumage of N. albifrons having ever been seen, this bird has been allowed to retain a place among the feathered tribes of America as a species; and I am happy to be able, from proofs which have lately come into my hands, to accord this bird its proper place in the American and European avifaunas. In a small collection of birds, lately re- ceived by Mr. R. B. Sharpe, to enable him to make some investigations for his work on the birds of Europe, there was a specimen of an Owl from the neighbourhood of Bar- celonnette, in the Basses-Alpes, marked as the young of Strix tengmalmi, which I at once perceived to be the bird named by Shaw and Hoy respectively. In order to make its paren- tage more sure, Mr. H. E. Dresser, and Mr. Bond, at my request, kindly placed in my hands a young and old of Nyctale tengmalmi. Mr. Dresser's specimen of the young bird is from Wytegra, Lake Onega, Russia, and that of Mr. Bond from Granheim, Norway ; so I have representatives from most distant localities. The specimen belonging to Mr. Sharpe from Barcelonnette is the youngest of all, and approches closest to that described by Dr. Hoy ; the others, although in similar plumage, have begun to exhibit the mottlhig on the lower part of the breast. There is no doubt whatever about these examples being the young of the true A^. tengmalmi, as every particular is recorded upon the labels that came with them. As there has been considerable doubt among ornithologists regarding the specific distinctness between the N. tengmalmi of Europe and N. richardsoni of America, I thought that this would be a favourable opportunity, while investigating the young, to ex- amine also the adult birds from the two continents. The result arrived at is that they are identical. In fact, there are two speci- mens lying before me — one from Norrland, Sweden, belonging to Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser, taken from their magnificent

SER. III. VOL. II. E

50 Mr. D. G. Elliot on Nyctale Kirtlandi.

collection of European Birds, and one procured in North Ame- rica, from Mr. Dresser's private collection — between which there is no appreciable difference whatever, either as regards colour or markings, which, as every ornithologist knows, is very rarely found among specimens of so variable a family as the Strigidse, particularly among the smaller species. As I am not aware that the young of Nyctale tengmalmi (as I propose to call all those heretofore known under this name and that of richardsoni) in its various stages has ever been especially described, I have thought it might perhaps be useful to ornithologists to give a full description of these most interesting specimens committed to my charge, and to add a list of the synonyms which will properly belong to the species.

Nyctale tengmalmi.

Strix tengmalmi, Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 291 (1788); Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 64. sp. 42 ; Swain. & Rich. Faun. Bor.-Amer. (Birds), pi. 32, p. 94; Aud. Orn. Biog. vol. iv. pi. 509; Id. B. of Amer. pi. 380. figs. 1 & 2 ; Id. B. A. 8vo ed. vol. i. pi. 32 ; Temm. Man. d'Ornith. vol. i. p. 94; Naum. Vog. Deutsch. vol. i.

Noctua tengmalmi, Yarr. Brit. Birds, vol. i.p. 146 ; Selby, Brit. Orn. vol. i. p. 105 ; Gould, B. of Eur. vol. i. pi. 49.

Syrnium tengmalmi, Eyton, Rare Brit. Birds, p. 90,

Strix albifrons, Shaw, Nat. Misc. vol. v. pi. 171.

Nyctale albifrons, Cassin, Birds of Calif, p. 187 ; Baird, B. Amer. p. 57 ; Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat, Scien. (1866) p. 50,

Nyctale richardsoni, Bonap. Comp. List (1838), p. 7 ; Baird, B. Amer. p. 57; Cassin, Birds of Calif, p. 185. sp. 1.

Nyctale kirtlandi. Hoy, Proc. Acad. Scien. Phil. (1852) p. 210 ; Cassin, Birds of Calif, p. 63.

Nyctala tengmalmi, Newton, 4th edit. Yarr. Brit. Birds, p. 154.

Adult Male. — Upper part of head, and entire upper parts, umber-brown, rather thickly spotted with white on the head ; the spots fewer but larger on the nape, wing-coverts, and secondaries ; primaries same as back, spotted on both webs with white, the spots on the inner webs being largest ; tail also umber-brown, both webs having four white spots equidistant

Mr. D. G. Elliot on Nyctale Kirtlandi. 51

from each other ; a white ring around the eyes ; bill covered with black bristly feathers ; facial disk white, some of the feathers blackish on their edges ; a brown narrow ring at the outer edge encircles the disk ; breast and under parts white, mottled with rufous brown ; centre of breast and abdomen nearly pure white ; under tail-coverts white, with a few rufous brown streaks. The specimen described was obtained from Sweden. A specimen from America is precisely similar, so that one description will answer for them both.

Adult Female. — Upper parts rufous brown, with small white spots on the forehead, larger ones on the nape and back ; secon- daries with white spots at equal distances on both webs, largest on the inner webs ; primaries with rufous-white spots on the outer webs only; facial disk light brown on the outer side, surrounded by a line of dark reddish-brown ; white above the eyes, black between the eyes and bill ; throat white, the outer brown edge of the facial disk extending across the upper part of the breast; lower parts white, mottled with reddish brown ; tail same colour as the back, with five equi- distant white spots on each web ; tarsi and feet yellowish white. This is the red variety of this species, and may not in any way be considered a sexual plumage, or belonging particularly to the female. The red and brown styles of dress, as in the Scops asio of North America, are apparently assumed without regard to sex or age.

Young Female. — Head and upper parts dark umber-brown, unspotted; wings same colour, spotted with white on both webs of secondaries, and primaries like the adult; tail also same as the adult ; stripe over the eye from the nostrils, and also a patch under the eye at base of bill, white; facial disk blackish brown ; upper part of breast same as the back, rest of underparts yellowish white, the feathers having broad central lines of dark brown ; flanks and under tail-coverts yellowish white ; feet and tarsi yellowish white, spotted with rufous brown; bill blackish at base, horn-colour at tip. A specimen still younger than the preceding has head, entire upper parts, and upper part of the breast blackish brown ; spot over the eyes and base of bristly feathers at the bill white ; lower part of

E 2

52 Mr. Elliott Coues on Picicorvus columbianus.

breast yellowish brown, a few white spots on the scapulars, and indications on the outer webs of some of the primaries ; tail dark brown, and white spots on middle feather ; bill greenish at tip, blackish at base.

From the specimens before me, it would appear that this species is very dark when young, and without spots, but becomes lighter and more spotted as it becomes older, and puts on the dress of the mature bird. At all stages of plumage, however, it shows the white over the eyes and at the base of the bill, which caused its first describers to give to it the name of albifrons.

VITI. — Observations on Picicorvus columbianus. By Elliott Coues, M.D., U. S. A.

I HAVE no hesitation in inviting your attention to a bird that lacks a biographer, though it is one thoroughly known in the dried state. By bringing together the substance of several detached notices that have appeared, and adding, it may be, some further information obtained whilst I was in the West, we may have an account deficient in little, if any thing;

I should not even allude to the well-known intimate affinity of darkens Crow with the European Nutcracker, did I not pur- pose to illustrate by this means a rule of some general apphca- bility. In this case of typical representation of one genus by another, we have an excellent example of the fact that a num- ber of European birds find their nearest American relations in the species of Western North America, instead of those of the eastern province. Sometimes there is actual specific identity ; again there is only a differentiation of the same species into geographical races, frequently with positive specific distinctness ; in birds of the same genus, either the genus itself is confined to the West, or else, while the genus reaches across America, its western species are more particularly like the European than its eastern ones are; and, lastly, certain genera, confined to the West, are strictly locum tenentia of European genera. In the following Table examples of each of these kinds and degrees of

Mr. Elliott Coues on Picicorvus columbianus.

53

relationship are illustrated, more or less perfectly : doubtless others might be added ; but these will suffice : —

European.

Cinclus aquaticus.

Budytes flava.

Pliyllopneuste, sp. varise.

^gitbalus, et aff.

Lophoplianes cristatus.

Coccotliraustes vulgaris.

PjTrhula coccinea.

Niicifraga caryocatactes.

Cypselus apiis ; C. melba.

Falco lanarius, ct aff.

Buteo Tulgaris.

Columba livia ; C. palumbus ; C.

cenas. ^gialites cantiaca. Aiiser albifrons. Somateria stelleri. Oolymbus arcticus. Podiceps aui'itus (auct. nee L. ?).

Western American. Cinclus mexicanus. Budytes flava. Phyllopneuste kennicotti. Psaltriparus, sp. ; Auriparus. Lopbophanes wollweberi. Hesperiphona vespertiua. Pyrrhula coccinea, var. cassini *, Picicorvus columbianus. Panyptila et Nephocoetes. Falco polyagrus. Buteo swaiusoui (Bri/atit). Columba fasciata ; C. fla\drostris.

^gialitis nivosa (=cantiacus?j. A user gambelli (chiefly western). Somateria stelleii. Colymbus arcticus, var. pacificus. Podiceps californicus.

But, close as the relations of Picicorvus are to Nucifraga, we do not indorse the reference of the former to the latter genus, so long as we are to employ generic names at their pre- sent slight valuation; and still less can we assent to the recent inclusion of Gymnokitta under Nucifraga. The bill of G. cijano- cephala has a peculiar shape, recalling that of Sturnella, while the patent nostrils are a rare and remarkable feature among Corvidce. The three genera may very well stand separate, even if contiguous ; although doubtless true Corvince, they are hard upon the obscure boundary-line of the subfamily, where the Crows pass insensibly into the Jays.

Clarke's Crow, first described by Wilson, with the intimation that it inhabited " the shores of the Columbia, and the adjacent country," may be considered one of the characteristic birds of the Rocky-Mountain region of the United States, and to extend thence to the Pacific ; but to this general indication of habitat we can now give much more precision. The northernmost record I have seen, is the one Mr. W. H. Dall gives (Trans. * [(?/•. Tristram, Ibis, 1871, p. 231.— Ed.]

54 Mr. Elliott Coues on Picicorvus colurabianus,

Chicago Acad. 1869, p. 286), mentioning a specimen collected at Sitka by BischoflF. In the other direction we have no Mexican quotations to my knowledge; nor is the species noticed in the Mexican Boundary Survey : but this evidence is only nega- tive ; and, from what is known of some corresponding cases, I should not like to affirm that the bird may not pass to the south of the United States, along certain high lines where de- crease of latitude is compensated for by increase of altitude. Still our positive evidence goes far towards fixing the limit somewhere about 34° N. We may cite the following as refer- ences approximating towards this parallel : — Mimbres to Rio Grande, T. C. Henry (see Baird, B. N. A. 1858, 573) ; Can- ton, Burgwyn, N. M., W. W. Anderson (Baird, op. cit. 925) ; 75 miles west of Albuquerque, N. M., C. B. R. Keunerly (Pac. R. R. Rep. X. 1859, iv. 32) ; Fort Whipple, Ariz., Coues (Pr. A. Sc. Philad. 1866, 55) ; Fort Tejon, Col. J. Xantus (see Coop. Cal. Birds, i. 298). To the eastward, darkens Crow has been found by Dr. Cooper in Nebraska, near Fort Kearney, which lies in long. 99° 6' W. (Greenw.), about 3000 feet above sea-level, and by Dr. Suckley on Milk River, in the same State, 200 miles east of the Rocky Mountains. These are probably extreme instances. In mentioning above a westward extent " to the Pacific" I must not be taken literally (for I do not know that the bird ever comes down to the sea-level), but as meaning that it inhabits the mountains west of the main chain — namely, the Sierra Nevadas of California, the Cascade Mountains of Oregon, and, finally, the coast-range of both these countries. We have thus circumscribed the range of darkens Crow with probably a close approximation to accuracy ; but it is not the fact that the bird actually inhabits all the area within the salient points indicated. Such is not the case ; and this brings us to the matter of its distribution according to altitude. To begin at the top, we find Picicorvus as high up the mountains as probably any bird goes, not even excepting Lagopus leucurus. " While crossing the Cascade Mountains," says Dr. Newberry (P. R. R. Rep. vi. 1857, pt. iv. p. 83), "at the line of perpetual snow, 7000 feet above the sea-level, I have seen this bird, with Lewis's Woodpecker [Melanerpes torquaius), flying over the snow-

Mr. Elliott Coues on Picicorvus columbianus. 55

covered peaks 3000 feet above us." The few peaks that exceed 10,000 feet are not so much higher that we may not reasonably suppose them to be visited (sometimes, at any rate) by Clarke's Crow, in which we most certainly recognize one of the most thoroughly alpine of our birds. The author just quoted has, in the same place, indicated, on the other hand, the usual lowest descent of the species, which never, where he saw it, descended "to a lower altitude than about 4000 feet." It does, however, come somewhat further down : the Fort-Kearney citation, just given, is an instance of this; and others could be mentioned: thus Fort Colville, near where Mr. Lord found the bird breeding, is only 2800 feet above sea-level, according to official reports. Probably this is somewhat exceptional, and at any rate must be taken in connexion with the high latitude of the locality (48° 41' N.). On the whole, I should not be inclined to place the usual range, in an average latitude, lower than 4000 feet, as given by Dr. Newberi'y. In a word, Clarke's Crow is emphati- cally a bird of the coniferous zone of vegetation ; its range is to be mapped out rather with reference to this than to either altitude or latitude; for these are complementary to each other, zoologically speaking, and within its own faunal area it has occurred in so many different localities that we may fairly con- sider its range coextensive with pine-forests.

Like others of its family, of hardy nature, and subsisting vipon substances procurable at all seasons, Clarke's Crow is not a migrant in the ordinary sense of the wox'd ; that is to say, it does not pass regularly north and south at stated intervals : col- lectively, indeed, the species may be termed stationary ; but it by no means follows that all the individuals that compose it are localized. On the contrary, it is a restless bird, scurrying about the mountains, appearing and disappearing irregularly, and sometimes unaccountably, few special localities probably, if any, seeing it the year round. The nearest approach to regu- larity of movement that we can make out seems to be its flying doivn the mountains at the approach of rigorous weather, in lieu of I'eti'eating southward, and its returning in spring to elevated places. This may be pretty safely asserted for latitudes from 45° southward, although, as we have seen, it breeds very low

56 Mr. Elliott Coues on Picicorvus columbianus.

down at 48°. Thus, at Fort Whipple, Arizona (near 35° 30', and from 4000 to 5000 feet high), I never saw one in summer, though it was very abundant at irregular intervals from October till March ; and I have no doubt that it went up the neighbouring San-Francisco mountains, to twice the elevation or more, to breed there, along witli the Gymnokitta. In all these points, it will be seen that Clarke's Crow is not peculiar, but recalls many parallel cases.

From what has gone before, what I shall have to say of the bird's food will be anticipated. Pine-seeds are not its exclusive diet, to be sure, all the family being too nearly omnivorous for this ; but these fruits form by far the greater part of its nou- rishment. It also eats cedar-berries [Juniperus), and the acorns of the scrubby oaks that grow in the glades of the lower mountain-valleys that the bird visits. Of the number of birds that feed from pine-cones, only one, the Crossbill, has a special apparatus for shelling out the seeds ; and it is curious to ob- serve how differently the others go about it. The Long-crested Jay [Cyanura macrolo'plui), for example, will hold a cone under its feet, like a Hawk a small bird, and dig out the seeds ; or it will carry a cone in its bill to stick in a crotch, and then ham- mer at it like a Nuthatch. I have never seen Clarke's Crow go to work in either of these ways : it pries directly into the scales of the strobile with its long conico-cuneate bill, and gouges out the seeds, meanwhile often hanging to the bunch of cones head downwards, like a Thistle-bird {Chrysomitris tristis) swinging under the globular ament of a Platanus. How much animal diet the bird approves of, I can hardly say ; but it certainly does eat insects. Dr. Cooper has noticed the birds " pecking at dead bark to obtain insects, and flying short distances after them, like Woodpeckers " [op. cit. 290) ; and I have often witnessed the same thing. It does not seem to come down to the ground so often as other birds of its tribe ; and what it gets there is uncertain ; perhaps, however, it then gathers other kinds of seeds and insects for variety, and no doubt picks up gravel to help to grind the tough pine-seeds it harvests above. We have another evidence of its very slightly terrestrial habits in the length, curvature, and sharpness of its

Mr. Elliott Coues on Picicorvus columbianus. 57

claws (which, however, are not " raptorial " at all, as Wilson hastily surmised), in which features I see an adaptation to cling- ing on pine-cones, that would speedily be interfered with if the bird spent much of its time on the ground. I may add here that, when on the grouud, the bird does not hop like a Jay, but walks erect, firmly and easily, like a Crow — a fact that may have some weight in classification.

The first bird of this kind I ever saw alive was brought to me at Fort Whipple, in winter, by an old hunter, who had winged it with a pistol-bullet as it came about his cabin forgetting its natural shyness in the extreme of hunger. Notwithstanding that one pinion had been shot away, it appeared " chipper and peart," took kindly to bread and meat, and soon became quite tame and amusing. Contrary to what I should have expected, it was silent (except when handled, which it did not like), appeared to be of a reflective and inquiring turn of mind, and, when not meditating on the back of a chair, used to go about examining the furniture with grave curiosity, yet evidently bent upon preserving a nil admirari deportment. I came to like my strange visitor — perhaps the first one ever entertained in a civilized way — when it died, doubtless from the effects of its wound, after a brief illness marked by complete anorexia and rapid marasmus.

How it may be during the breeding-season I do not know; but at other times Clarke's Crow is .decidedly gregarious ; you will be more likely to see fifty together than one alone ; and sometimes the vagabond troops are still larger. Like- wise it is one of the noisiest of birds ; a flock feeding or amusing themselves in the top of a jiine tree will make more noise than as many Jays, which is enough to say on this score. The notes cannot be described; in fact they are not ''notes" at all, the voice being a strident discord of prolonged screaming that must be heard to be duly appreciated. Sometimes, how- ever, the birds are as still as mice — for example, when they are not assured, their position is perfectly safe. The approach of a suspicious character, as the inevitable naturalist, or some other equally obnoxious party, is very apt to silence the whole flock, and send them trooping off together, unless, indeed, they

58 Mr. Elliott Coues on Picicorvus columbianus.

are frightened enough to disperse without thinking of each other. This shyness is a marked trait : hardly any of our birds (certainly none of the smaller kinds) are more difficult to secure under ordinary circumstances. I would as soon try to steal upon a Common Crow that had observed me as at- tempt the same with one of Clarke's kind ; and moreover they keep on the tops of trees so high that small shot may fail to bring them down. It is best, after a flock is once alarmed and dispersed, to keep perfectly still for a while, and then skulk cautiously along, with a sharp eye for the tree-tops, where most likely some that stayed behind, hoping for conceal- ment in the thick foliage, will be noticed hopping about after their first alarm. Occasionally a different and easier way is open ; for these Crows, like the Long-crested and other Jays, sometimes pitch, en masse, into a thick tree, and sit motion- less, however nearly approached. Under these circumstances several may be procured in rapid succession before the fiock starts off again. This is something like what has been ob- served with certain Grouse and Ptarmigan.

darkens Crow has two different modes of flight — one for long stretches, the other for short reaches. When on a journey, it flies with some rapidity, in a perfectly straight steady course, with regular vigorous wing-beats, much like Maximilian's Jay under the same circumstances. Its other flight, as when it swings itself from tree to tree, is swifter and undulating ; the wings are alternately spread and nearly closed, and the bird then rises and falls like a Woodpecker. It has also other traits, difficult to specify, but readily observable, that strongly remind one of a Woodpecker; so that whether Bonaparte made his genus Picicorvus from Picus or Pica, in neither case was he far wrong.

I know nothing of the mode of propagation of this bird from personal observation ; and until very recently its nest and eggs had not been brought to the notice of naturalists. But the desired information in this matter has been happily supplied by Mr. Lord, who found the birds breeding, and published the first, and, so far as I know, the only account that has appeared. I have not his notice at hand for reference ;

Mr. Elliott Coues on Picicorvus columbianus. 59

but Cooper (/. c.) puts the case in this shape : — " Near Fort Colville, Washington Territory, Mr. J. K. Lord found this species arriving in May in immense flocks, making a tremendous chattering for about a week, and then pairing off. A nest he saw was on the top of a pine tree 200 feet high, which was cut down on the boundary. It was composed of fir twigs, bark, leaves of pine, and fine root-fibres, with some moss and gray lichen — very large and shallow. The eggs were about four, of a light bluish-green.^'

In conclusion, I would say that I have collected, for con- venience of future reference, a number of quotations, which, how- ever, I would recommend you to print, if at all, in a foot-note. Synonymy does not make "juicy ^' reading; and the dryness of what you have already had renders further exsiccation in- expedient ! —

CoRvus COLUMBIANUS, Wils. A. 0. iii. 1811j p. 29, pi. 20, f. 2 (descr. orig.) ; Bp. Obs. Wils. 1824, no. 38, and Syn. 1828, 57; Jamieson's ed. Wils. i. 1831, 249; Nutt. Man. Orn. i. 1832, 218; Brewer's ed. Wils. 1840, 209, f. 94; Blyth, in Cuv. R. A. Am. ed. 1849, 204.

Nucifraya columbiana, Aud. 0. B. iv. 1838, 459, pi. 362, and Syn. 1839, 156, and B. A. iv. 1842, 127, pi. 235; Bp. C. & G. L. 1838, p. 28; Nutt. Man. Orn. 1840, i. 251.

Nucifraga [Picicorvus] columbiana, Gray, Hand-L. pt. ii. p. 9.

Picicorvus columbianus, Bp. C. A. 1850, i. 384; Newberry, P. R. R. Rep. vi. 1857, pt. iv. 83; Baird, ibid. ix. 1858, p. 573 (R. Mts. to Pac; E. to Ft. Kearney, p. 925, Canton Burgywn, N. M. & Ft. Tejon, Cal.) ; Kennerly, ibid. x. pt. iv. 32 (75 m. W. Albuquerque, N.W.) ; Coop. & Suckl. ibid. xii. pt. ii. 212 (AVash. & Oreg. to Nebraska) ; Hayden, Geol. & N. H. of Up. Missouri, Philad. 4to, 1862, p. 171 (Ft. La- ramie) ; Coues, Pr. A. N. S. Phil. 1866, 55 (Fort Whipple, Ariz.) ; Lord, Nat. in Vancouver's Island, ii. 1860, p. (breed- ing near Ft. Colville, W. T.) ; Dall & Bannister, Trans. Chi- cago Acad. i. 1869, 286 (Sitka) ; Coop. Cal. Orn. i. 1811, 289, with 3 figs.

Baltimore, Ind., U.S., Nov. 4, 1871.

60 Th. von Heuglin on the Birds of

IX. — Notes on the Birds of Novaja Zemlia and Waigats Island. By Th. VON Heuglin.

Allow me to offer to the readers of ' The Ibis' a short account of the ornithological results of my voyage to Novaja Zemlia. Our steamer left Hammerfest on the 25th of July, 1871, and passed Nordkyn the next day, whence we made directly for the Matotschkin Shar (Matthew's Strait), where the ' Germania ' anchored on the 6th of August. Our stay was prolonged to the 20th, as icebergs, blocking up the entrance of the Sea of Kara, obliged us to go back. We lay in Kostin Shar the 23rd and 24th of August, and availed ourselves of the opportunity to visit the lower part of the Nechwatovva river. We then proceeded to Waigats Island, whence, between the 1st and 7th of September, we made vain attempts to penetrate the Straits of Yugorsky and Kara; for both were blocked with drift-ice. The advanced state of the season detei*mined the Captain to return, as he thought it impossible this year to reach the Obi, Yenisei, or Taimyr. Any further exploration of Novaja Zemlia also re- mained unaccomplished ; so that I had only an opportunity of paying a rapid visit to the above-mentioned places of the double island, the west coast of Waigats, and the mouth of the Nikolskaja river, on the continent, near Yugorsky Strait.

Notwithstanding the very limited time I had to bestow upon ornithological observations and notes, the results do not seem to be so inconsiderable, as shown by the following list of the birds of Novaja Zemlia and Waigats.

Reference is made at the end of Mr. Gillett's paper in ' The Ibis' for 1870 (p. 309) to the ornithological notes on that group of islands, published by the Academician Von Baer. In the present account are included Pachtussow's reports (' Sapiski des hydrographischen Departemeuts des Ministeriums,' i. pp. 216-220, cf. Sporer, Novaja Semla, p. 100), containing some notices of birds, but mentioned under Russian and Sa- moyed names. Mr. Gillett gives twenty-eight species as observed here. The species not observed by myself I here mark with t before the number.

Novaja Zemlia and Waigats Island. 61

1. Falco gyrfalco. — Falco buteo, Sporer, N. Semla, p. 98? F. gyr-falco [ei peregrinus"^.^. — Gillett, no. 1 (et 2 ?).

We observed, both iu Matthew's Strait and also in Kostin Shar, two large Falcons which are certainly to be referred to the above-named species.

2. SuRNiA NYCTEA. — Gillett, no. 3.

Not common in Matthew's or Waigats Strait. I found three nests with two young birds covered with down in Seal's Bay, near the mouth of Matthew's Strait, in the Sea of Kara. The nests consisted of a shallow depression in the turf, without any lining. The food of the Snowy Owl, at least during the summer time, consists exclusively of species of Mi/odes, which are very numerous. The down of the young is plain brownish- grey. They are easy to tame, and their comical gestures and vivacity are amusing.

t3. HiRUNDO RUSTiCA. — Gillett, no. 5 : Heugl. Geogr. Mit- theil. 1871, p. 66.

Seen by Mr. Gillett and Capt. Ulve on the north-west coast of the North Island.

4. Anthus cervinus. — Von Middend. Sib. Reise, ii. 2. p. 165, t. xiv.

Not uncommon at Waigats, and on the Nikolskaja. In pairs on swampy meadow-lands. The moult of the adult takes place in the beginning of September. Throat and superciliary streak are of a bright rust-colour, the rest of the lower parts tawny (leonino-fulva).

5. Otocorys alpestris.

In pairs in INIatthew's Strait, and Kostin Shar, on Wai- gats and the Nikolskaja. By the 8th of August the young were already fledged. The moult of the adult takes place at the end of that month. They are in habits very much like Anthus pratensis, and show themselves also sometimes in the rushes and high grass.

6. Plectrophanes nivalis. — Gillett, no. 4. Everywhere abundant. We found newly fledged young at

the beginning of August, at which time there were still birds

63 Th. von Heuglin on the Birds of

unable to fly. The autumnal moult of the old ones takes place at the end of August. The southward migration begins in the middle of September ; and then the Snow-Buntings are generally in closely packed flocks.

t7. Lagopus, sp. ? — Sporer^ N. Semla, p. 98.

According to Pachtussow there are Ptarmigans on the Double Island. I believe I found in Matthew^s Strait the remains of a species of Lagopus ; and a Norwegian of our company, who knew these birds well, asserted that he had seen a " Ripa " in Dolphin Bay. It would, indeed, be remarkable if this genus wei'e not here represented, although there are an extraordinary number of Arctic Foxes, which in the winter must be very destructive to these animals.

8. Charadrius apricarius. — Von Middend. /. c. p. 210. Very common on the continent near Yugorsky Strait ; more

rare on Waigats.

9. Eudromias morinellus. — Gillett, no. 6.

Observed by Mr. Gillett in Matthew's Strait. We found small flocks near Yugorsky Strait. At the beginning of Sep- tember the young had still some down on the back of their head ; the adults change even the small feathers.

10. ^GiALiTis hiaticula. — Gillett, no. 7.

Everywhere common ; they must breed late, as we found nestlings in the middle of August.

fll. Strepsilas collaris. — Sporer, N. Semla, p. 98.

Occurs, according to Von Baer,on Novaja Semlia — information which gains probability, as Von Middendorff met with the Turn- stone, on the Taimyr, as far as lat. 74° N.

12. Tringa maritima. — Gillett, no. 8.

Everywhere common, and generally in pairs. In autumn in smaller or larger flocks, and often mixed with T. cinclus and T. mimita. On the 8th of August I found nestlings still very small, and covered with down.

13. Tringa cinclus.

Very common in September on Waigats.

Novaja Zemlia and Waigats Island. 63

14. Tringa minuta.

Breeds in Matthew^s Strait in swampy meadows. Very- common in September on Waigats. Many old birds in summer- plumage show a rusty hair-like elongation of the tibial plumage.

15. Calidris arenaria.

Some in September on Waigats, among flocks of Tringa cinclus.

16. Phalaropus cinereus.

Already in autumn plumage, in the beginning of September, in parties of about six or more, on shallow freshwater pools on Waigats Island.

17. Cygnus bewicki.

At the end of August we obtained an old bird, undoubtedly belonging to this species, on the Nechwatowa (Kostin Shar) .

tl8. Cygnus musicus. — Sporer, N. Semla, p. 98.

Occurs, according to Von Baer, in Novaja Semlia. Two Swans, which may have belonged to this species, flew over our ship on the 11th of September, in a south-westerly direction, coming from Novaja Semlia.

19. Anser segetum. — Gillett, no. 24.

Very common ; migrates about the middle of September.

20. Bernicla brenta. — Gillett, no. 23. Like the preceding species, in great flocks.

21. Somateria mollissima. — Gillett, no. 27.

Everywhere on rocky islands, but not so common as in Spits- bergen. On the 8th of August, we still found breeding females ; we saw no old males.

22. Somateria spectabilis. — Gillett, no. 28.

Rarer than the preceding species, and seems to breed earlier in the year.

23. Harelda GLACiALis. — Gillett, no. 26.

Everywhere vei'y common, and especially in shallow places under cliff's, on the sea, on freshwater pools, and at the mouths of rivers. Their stomachs contained chiefly univalve shells {Natica).

64 Th. von Ileuglin on the Birds of

24. (Edemia fusca.

Paired and in flocks in Kostin Shar, and on Waigats, round cliffs and sand-banks.

25. (Edemia nigra. — Gillett, no. 25,

Observed by Mr. Gillett in Schirocbika Bay; often seen by us in Kostin Shar and on Waigats : no specimens, however, were collected.

26. Anas penelope.

A female of this species was killed in September on a fresh- water lake on Waigats.

27. Mergus serrator.

Mixed with flocks of Harelda glacialis and (Edemia mgra on Waigats. A male shot in the beginning of September was changing the small plumage.

28. CoLYMBUs SEPTENTRioNALis. — SporcF, N. Scmla, p. 99. Breeds in Matthew's Strait.

t29. CoLYMBUS GLACIALIS. — Gillett, no. 21.

t30. CoLYMBUS ARCTicus. — Gillett, no. 22.

Neither of these two species were obtained by Mr. Gillett or ourselves; however, we saw them not unfrequently in pairs in the Straits of Yugorsky and Kara.

fSl. Fratercula arctica, var, glacialis. — Gillett, no. 20. In the northern part of Novaja Semlia. Not seen by myself.

32. Mergulus alle. — Gillett, no. ]9.

As noticed by Mr. Gillett, more abundant in the north than in the south. I only observed Little Auks on the drift ice in the Gulf of Kara.

33. Cepphus mandti. — Gillett, no. 17. Very numerous on all cliff's.

34. Uria bruennichi. — Gillett, no. 28. As the preceding.

35. Sterna macrura. — Gillett, no. 9. Along the coast in small flocks.

Novaja Zemlia and Waigats Island. 65

36. Larus eburneus. — Gillett, no. 10.

Somewhat rare in Matthew's Strait, and along the west coast.

37. Larus tridactylus. — Gillett, no. 11.

One of the commonest birds on the west coast ; not in Mat- thew's Strait, nor on Waigats.

38. Larus glaucus. — Gillett, no. 12.

Pretty common southward as far as Yugorsky Strait.

39. Larus, sp. ?

In Yugorsky Strait, and on Waigats. I several times saw large Gulls with a dark slate-grey mantle, undoubtedly Larus fuscus.

40. Lestris pomatorhina.- — Gdlett, no. 13.

By far the commonest species in Novaja Semlia and on Waigats. It feeds principally on Lemmings (Mi/odes), and is not unfre- quently in flocks, especially on the ice-fields.

41. Lestris longicaudata. — Gillett, no. 15. Numerous on Novaja Semlia, generally in pairs.

42. Lestris parasitus. — Gillett, no. 14. Far rarer than the preceding.

43. Procellaria glacialis. — Gillett, no. 16.

Not seen on the continent, although met with everywhere on the high-sea between Novaja Semlia and the Norwegian coast.

Here ends my list of the birds of the district we observed. Besides the species named, some others, of which we could not obtain specimens, were seen ; thus, I believe, I saw on Waigats a Linaria, several Sandpipers, Tuianus fuscus, T. calidris, and possibly T. ochropus^'^, as well as Squatarola, and several Ducks and Geese.

Tromso, on board the ' Germania,' 20th Sept. 1871.

* Totamts ochropns has not a high northern range. The species seen by our contributor is more likely to have been T. (jJareola. — Ed.

SeR. III. VOL. II. ^

66 Mr. R. B. Sharpe 07i Recent Collections of

X. — On Recent Collections of Birds from the Fantee Country, in Western Africa. By B.B. Sharpe^ F.L.S. &c., Librarian to the Zoological Society of London.

It is now more than a year since I last presented to the readers of ' The Ibis ' any record of the collections which I have received from Fantee. My indefatigable correspondent, Governor Ussher, however, has taken the greatest pains to procure for me speci- mens from this locality, and I am indebted to him for some beautiful series of bird-skins. But as we have in preparation a joint paper on the ornithology of the Gold Coast, which will embody Mr. Ussher's notes on the habits of the birds of Fantee, as observed by him during his long residence in Western Africa, in addition to my own recent scientific investigations, I confine myself in the present paper to a simple enumeration of such species as are not included in my former lists'^. I must not omit to mention my obligations to Captain Haynes, who gene- rously placed at my disposal a very interesting collection of birds formed by himself at Accra, and enriched my cabinet by pre- senting me with some new and rare species.

The number of species now recorded by me from Fantee is 271, being exactly 120 more than those collected by Pel, and re- corded by Dr. Hartlaub (J. f. 0. 1855, p. 360). There are, how- ever, in his list several birds which I have not yet seen ; and there is no doubt that our knowledge of the avifauna of this part of Africa will be greatly increased by future observers.

As before, a dagger (f) is appended to all the names of such species as I believe to be hitherto unrecorded from Fantee, and the nomenclature employed is chiefly that of my ' Catalogue.* Where this is not referred to, allusion is made to Dr. Hartlaub's well-known work on the birds of Western Africa, or to Mr. G. R. Gray's * Hand-list.'

t205. Caprimulgus fossii, Verr. ; Finsch & Hartl., Vog. Ost-Afr. p. 123, pi. 1 ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 2.

Mr. Ussher has sent two specimens of this Goatsucker, which he obtained in the vicinity of Cape Coast.

* Vide Ibis, 18G9, pp. 180, 381 ; 1870, pp. 52, 470.

Birds from the Fantee Countri/. 67

206. Cypselus parvus^ Licht. ; Sliarpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 2. Cypselus ambrosiacus, Gordon, Contr. Orn. 184-9, p. 5.

A series sent by Mr. Ussher from Cape Coast, several being from Connor's Hill. Captain Haynes's Accra collection also contained specimens of this species.

207. BucERos ELATUs, Tcmm. ; Hartl., J. f. O. 1855, p. 361 ; Id., Orn. Westafr. p. 161.

Three specimens from Denkera, whence they were brought by Mr. Ussher's collector.

208. BucERos ATRATUS, Temni. ; Hartl.,J. f. 0. 1855, p. 361; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 8.

From Denkera.

209. BucERos CYLiNDRicus, Temm. ; Hartl., J. f. 0. 1855, p. 361 ; Id., Orn. Westafr. p. 162.

Mr. Ussher sent one specimen. The original examples were obtained by Pel from Ashantee.

210. BucEROs FisTULATOR, Cass. ; Hartl., J. f. O. 1855, p. 361 ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 8.

Of this Hornbill Mr. Ussher has sent me one specimen, which is considerably smaller than the one now in my collection, ob- tained by Mr. Hamilton in Angola {Cf. Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 134).

211. Irrisor castaneiceps, Sharpe, Ibis, 1871, p. 414. One specimen, the type as described {I.e.), sent me by Mr.

Ussher, who obtained it from Denkera.

212. Irrisor bollei, Hartl., J. f. 0. 1858, p. 445, et 1861, p. 108 ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 10.

Mr. Ussher has, during the last year, procured three or four specimens of this bird, and both old and young are exhibited in my collection. The latter is distinguished from the adult chiefly by its shorter bill and duller plumage, and also by having the cream-colour of the head varied by black feathers.

t213. CucuLUS CANORUS, L. j Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 266; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 12.

Though not absolutely new to the avifauna of Western Africa, as Weiss obtained a specimen in St. Thomas, the Common

F 2

68 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Recent Collections of

Cuckoo is here recorded from Fantee for the first time. It was obtained on Connor^s Hill, Cape Coast, on the 2nd of No- vember 1870.

t214. CoccYSTEs SERKATUS (Sparrm.) ; Hartl., Orn.Westafr. p. 266; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 13.

This is onl}^ the second time that this bird has occurred in Western Africa, Du Chaillu having obtained an example at Cape Lopez; Fantee is now added as a hitherto unknown habitat. The specimen in question was obtained by Mr. Ussher's col- lector in Denkera; and on comparing it with South-African ex- amples of the same age in my collection, I can detect no points of difference. The genus Coccystes, as represented by this rather aberrant member, comes near to Eudynamis, especially resem- bling the last-named genus in some of the younger stages.

215. Centropus monachus, Ullpp. ; Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 187.

Sent from Fantee by Mr. Ussher, and obtained at Accra by Captain Haynes. Riis shot this species in Agapim.

t216. Campethera gabonensis (Verr.) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 17.

I have had a specimen of this bird in my collection for some time, received in one of Mr. Higgins's early consignments.

t217. Campethera punctata (Cuv.) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. P-17.

Mr. Ussher sent one specimen of this Woodpecker, which is quite new to the locality.

t218. Campethera caroli (Malh.) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 17.

Two or three specimens from Denkera, and one from the im- mediate vicinity of Cape-Coast Castle.

t219. Alethe castanonota, Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 20.

Originally described by me from a specimen sent home by Mr. Ussher. Captain Haynes also met with it near Accra.

t220. Criniger syndactylus (Sw.) ; Finsch, J. f. 0. 1867, p. 27.

Of this species, which I have in my collection from Gaboon, Governor Ussher sends a single example.

Birds from the Fantee Country. 69

t221. Crinigercanicapillus, Hard.; Finschj J. f. 0. 1867, p. 31.

Two specimens.

t222. Andropadus virens, Cass. ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 23.

One specimen received from Mr. Ussher.

t223. IxoNOTUS GUTTATUs, Verr. ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 23. Two specimens from Kazarako, obtained by Mr. Ussher's collector.

224. Crateropus haynesi, Sharpe, Ibis, 1871, p. 415. Crateropus atripennis, Hartl., J. f. 0. 1855, p. 360 (nee Sw.).

Captain Haynes obtained the typical example of this species at Accra.

225. Hypergerus atriceps (Less.) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 24. Crateropus orioloides, Hartl., J. f. 0. 1855, p. 360.

Three specimens sent by Captain Haynes from Accra.

t226. Pratincola rubetra (L.) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 27.

Mr. Ussher obtained one specimen of our common Whincbat at Accra. I have it iu my collection from the Gambia; but it has never been recorded from Fantee.

227. Stiphrornis badiceps (Fras.) ; Hartl., J. f. 0. 1855, p. 360; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 32. One specimen. Also obtained by Pel.

t228. Dryodromas caniceps (Cass.); Finsch & Hartl., Vog. Ost-Afr. p. 240.

One specimen of this rare bird, previously only known from Gaboon.

t229. Sylvietta virens, Cass., Proc. Acad. N. S. Philad. 1859, p. 39.

One specimen of a very interesting form, as yet only known from Gaboon.

t230. Nectarinia TEPHROLiEMA, Jard. ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 41.

One specimen : new to Fantee.

70 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Recent Collections of

t231. Xectarixia gabonica, Haiti.; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 41.

Of this curious little grey Sunbird Mr. Ussher sends a single specimen from Fantee. I had already noticed it in his Volta collection, but had been unable to determine it until M. Jules Verreaux recognized it as A', gabonica, of which the type is in his own collection in Paris. I cannot help having an idea that this bird \sill prove to be the female of some other species of Sunbird, though M. Verreaux entertains the contrary belief.

t232. Pholidorxis rushi^ (Cass.); Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 41.

Of this extraordinary little bird Mr. Ussher's collector procured two specimens in Denkera, one of which I have retained in my own collection, and have given the other to M. Jules Verreaux, as it was one of the few Sunbirds not included in his admirable series of these birds.

t233. Butalis gkisola (L.); Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 42. » Mr. Ussher's last collection contains several of our European

migrants which were not previously known to occur in Fantee.

The Common Flycatcher is one of these ; it was shot by Governor

Ussher himself on Connor^s Hill.

t234. Smithorxis rufolateralis. Gray ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 43.

I am pleased to see this species, of which only a single speci- men was previously known, and the precise locality of which had never been recorded. I have now thiee specimens in my collection, received from Mr. Ussher,

t23.5. Artomyias ussheri, Sharpe, Ibis, 1871, p. 416.

Dr. Hartlaub thinks this is the young oi A. fuliginosa, and has written to me to that effect; but I doubt this conclusion for the reasons already expressed (I.e.).

t236. PsALiDOPROCXE xiTEXS, Cass. ; Sharpe, P. Z. S. 1870, p. 291.

AVhen I wrote my paper on African Swallows, this little spe- cies was only known from Gaboon ; but since that time Mr, Crossley has discovered it in Cameroons; and now Mr. Ussher gends it from Fantee, where he obtained it at Fort Victoria.

Bird^frem the Fanfee Country. 71

237. HiRuxDO RUSTiCA, L. ; Hartl., J. f. 0. 1855^ p. 360; Sharpe, Cat. AtV. B. p. 45.

Two specimeus ; shot by Mr. Ussher on Connor's Hill, Cape Coast.

238. HiRUNDO sEXEGALEXsis, L. j Gordon, Contr. Orn. 1849, p. 4; Sharpe, P.Z. S. 1870, p. 316.

Mr. Usslier obtained several specimens of this tine Swallow near Accra.

t239. Laniarius xigrithorax, Sharpe, Ibis, 1871, p. 417. This fine species, easily recognizable by its black throat and chest, was discovered by Captain Haynes at Accra.

240. Laxiarius hypopyrrhus (Vetr.) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 49.

A beautiful species, of which one specimen has been sent by Mr. Ussher.

241. SiGMODUS CAXiCEPS, Temm. ; Hartl., J. f. 0. 1855, p. 360; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 50.

A series of specimens from Denkera ; also in my collection from Sierra Leone.

t242. CoRViXELLA CORVIXA (^Shaw); Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 51.

One specimen of this bird, which is quite new to the locality.

243. Frasekia ocreata (Strickl.); Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 52; Tephrodornis ocreatus, Hartl., J. f. O. 1855, p. 360. From Denkera.

t244. Campephaga azurea, Cass.; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 52. Two specimeus of this anomalous species from Denkera.

t245. FiCATHARTES GY.MXocEPHALUs, Temui. ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 57.

Of this extremely rare bird, hitherto only known from Sierra Leone, Mr. Ussher has obtained three specimens from his col- lector in Denkera.

246. Hyphaxtorxis vitellixa (Licht.); Shai-pe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 58.

One specimen.

72 Mr. R. B. Sharpe on Recent Collections of

247. Hyphantornis flavigula, Havtl., R. Z. 1845, p. 406.

Of this bird Mr. Ussher collected one specimen on the Volta, though I did not identify it at the time. Dr. Hartlaub states that the Bremen Museum has a specimen from Accra; and Riis procured it in Aguapim.

1248. Hyphantornis cincta, Cass.; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 59.

One specimen sent by jMr. Ussher, and one from Captain Haynes from Accra. This species is new to Fantee.

249. Hyphantornis brachyptera (Svv.); Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 59.

Procured on the Volta by Mr. Ussher. Also obtained by Sintenis, one of whose specimens is now in my collection.

t250. Malimbus nigerrimus (V.) ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 60.

Two specimens from Denkera.

251. FouDiA ERYTHROPS, Hartl. ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 62. Procured by Mr. Ussher during the Volta Expedition. Also sent from Aguapim by Riis.

t252. Lagonosticta MINIMA (V.); Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 66. Two examples from Fantee are in my collection, one of them being from the Volta.

253. Pyrenestes capitalbus, Temm. ; Hartl., J. f. 0. 1855, p. 361 ; Sharpe, Cat. Afr. B. p. 68.

From Denkera, sent by Mr. Ussher ; also obtained at Accra by Captain Haynes.

254. Gyijhierax angolensis (Gm.) ; Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 1.

One young specimen.

t255. Elanus c^ruleus, Desf. E. melanopterus (Daud.) ; Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 11. From Accra.

t256. Scotopelia usshert, Sharpe, Ibis, 1871, p. 101, pi. xii.

From Denkera.

Birds from the Fantee Country. 73

t257. Scops senegalensis, S\v.; Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 19. One specimen of this little Owl, not before recorded from Fantee.

258. TuRTUR SENEGALENsis (L.) ; Hartl. , Orn. Westafr. p. 195. Two specimens from Accra.

t259. NuMiDA PLUMiFERA, Cass.j Elliot, Mon. Phasianidse, part 2.

A fine specimen from Accra in Governor Ussher's last collec- tion.

t260. Francolinus bicalcaratus (L.) ; Hartl., Orn. West- afr. p. 201.

This fine Francolin was procured by Governor Ussher at Accra. It is new to Fantee.

t261. TuRNix LEPURANA (Sm.) ; Layard, B. of S. Afr. p. 276.

Mr. Ussher procured two examples of this little Hemipode near Accra. On comparison with a specimen from South Africa I cannot see any difference at all.

t262. EupoDOTis MELANOGASTRA (Rupp.) ; Hai'tl., Orn. Westafr. p. 207.

One specimen, shot by Mr. Ussher near Accra.

t263. LoBiVANELLUs sENEGALUs (L.) ; Hartl., Orn. West- afr. p. 213.

Mr. Ussher sends one specimen, with the following note attached.

" Striped-throated Lapwing. Plains of Accra, June 9th 1871: probably migratory ; appear about June, and leave in September or October; iris yellow, pupil black, with a narrow violet circle; wattles round the eye dull red, those below bright lemon- yellow ; spurs on wing dull red ; legs lemon-yellow ; bill yellowish with black tip."

t264;. iEoiALiTis INTERMEDIA, Mcuctr. ^. phiHppina (Lath ) ; Gray, Hand-1. of B. iii. p. 15.

One specimen from Accra, shot by Mr. Ussher himself. The example, unfortunately, is not quite adult, but appears to me to belong to the smaller and apparently distinct form of Ringed Plover.

74 Letter's, Announcements, ^c.

t265. Nycticorax GRisEus (L.). N. europauSfHavtl.fOvu. Westafr. p. 225.

One specimen of the European Night-Heron, which is a new bird to Fantee.

266. NuMENius PH^opus (L.) j Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 232. Shot by Mr. Ussher on the Nagua river. Sent by Pel from

Ashantee.

267. NuMENius ARQUATUS (L.); Hartl.^ Orn. Westafr. p. 232. Also from the Nagua river.

268. ToTANUS cALiDRiSj Bechst, ; Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 234.

One specimen from the Nagua river. Also procured by Pel in Ashantee.

t269. Pkocellaria pelagica, L. ; Gray, Hand-1. of B. iii. p. 103.

One specimen of the Stormy Petrel, which would appear to be new to West Africa altogether.

t270. Procellaria oceanica, Kuhl ; Gray, Hand-1. of B. iii. p. 104. Thalassidroma wilsoni, Bp. ; Hartl., Orn. Westafr. p. 251.

Two specimens received from Mr. Ussher.

271. Sterna minuta, L. ; Hartl., Orn. Westaf. p. 256.

Mr. Howard Saunders kindly identified for me this species, a specimen of which was shot by Mr. Ussher on the Nagua river. Weiss procured it on the Gold Coast.

XI. — Letters, Announcements, S^c.

The following letters, addressed "To the Editors of 'The Ibis,' " have been received : —

Sir. — My time has been so taken up by my professional duties, that I have been unable to grasp the opportunities of collecting specimens and observing that have presented themselves to uic of late. However, I send you the following

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 75

scattered notes in the hope that they may prove of some slight interest, more especially those relating to the little-observed PruceUariidce. I may remark that the last two years of my life have been passed on the South Atlantic Ocean, and that my soul is weary of Albatroses and Petrels, and I hope never to see another in his native haunts.

We visited the island of Tristan d'Acunhain September 1868. I was much interested in this magnificent mountain, the nursery of the wandering Albatros, its snow-covered summit juiting into the clouds, the sides variegated with green slopes and jagged dun-coloured rocks, and its black beach fringed with the restless foam of the Atlantic, whilst vast masses of sea- wrack wave their slimy arms in the swell round the coast. The Albatroses, which nest on the highest ledges of the cliffs, present the appearance of mere specks, so great is the altitude. The inhabitants, who had not much ornithological information to impart, stated most positively that the Albatroses remained at the island throughout the year, laying their eggs in January, and the young flying in November, and that consequently there is almost always on the island a supply of young birds, which are consumed in great quantities for food, and appear to be con- sidered rather a delicacy.^ The slopes are covered with very fine sheep ; but the inhabitants are averse to eating them, as they fetch a good price from passing ships; and in Tristan d'Acunha money goes as far as it does anywhere. The solitary wingless land-bird of the island is fast becoming extinct, from the depre- dations of the wild cats. I obtained here the eggs of Diomedea exulans, D. melanophrys, and Procellaria gigcmtea, besides those of several other species, which I was unable to identify.

In my communication to 'The Ibis' (N.S. vol. iv. no. 15), I stated my doubts as to the existence of Thalassidroma leuco- yustra. After two years' further observation in these seas, I do not feel justified in altering my views. T.melanogastra may be called the Sparrow of the South Atlantic, from its numbers and tameness ; but on only one occasion have I seen a bird that might have been T. leucogastru, and it was on this visit to Tristan d'Acunha.

Mr. Layard, who takes an opposite view, wished me to men-

76

Letters, Announcements, ^c.

tion this occurrence ; but so doubtful am I still about it, that, were it not for his request, I should not have done so. If it exists at all it must be extremely rare in these seas.

From several passages between the tropics and the south, I made the following notes of the northern range of the species named in the accompanying Table :

Sjjecies.	African Coaat of South Atlantic.	American Coast of South Atlantic.	Eastern Coast of South Africa.
T. melauogastra . . P. gigantea P. capensis D. exulans D. melanophrys . .	27° S. 27° to 26° S. 27° to 25° S. ditto ditto	21= S. 27° to 26° S. 24° S. ditto ditto	26° to 25° S. 27° S. 26° to 25° S. 27° S. 20° S.

With the exception of D. exulans, these birds are as plentiful on the American as on the African side ; I attribute the com- parative absence of that species to the prevailing westerly winds, against which they would have to travel from Tristan d'Acunha. All the Albatroses, and most of the Petrels, follow ships ; conse- quently vessels going to the north would observe them in higher latitudes than vessels coming from the equator. For instance, on leaving Rio de Janeiro in October last there were at least thirty Black-bellied Petrels round the ship in latitude 5° S., longitude 30° W. ; but I feel sure that they had been enticed beyond their true boundary by the ship ; and again for several days after our arrival either in Simon's Bay or Monte Video, Albatroses and Petrels, scarcely ever seen on other occasions, would sit or fly round us, wondering where they had arrived, and, after due cogitation, would wing away to sea.

I am ashamed to say that during my stay in South America my love of shooting utterly sapped my ardour as a collector, and I gathered very little information. Still a few notes on the general ornithological features of the country bordering on the River Plate may not be uninteresting. I made a prolonged stay at a large estate on the St. Lucia river (a tributary of the Rio de la Plata), sometimes dwelling in the owner's house, and at others pitching my tent far away in the wild bush on the

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 77

river-banks. In all my wanderings I never stayed in a locality so full of game combined with such a delicious climate ; cool, bracing, and sunny, with generally a slight frost during the night, it offers every inducement to the naturalist or sports- man.

Capybaras (called by the natives Capinchcs) abounded, and combined with the foxes to make the nights hideous with their yells, while their paths threaded the wooded banks in all di- rections. Otters swam in the river; and a little rodent, of the shape and size of a Guinea-pig, but coloured like a rat, rushed in hundreds into the clumps of rushes on the approach of the human footstep.

There are two species of birds called Partridges by the natives : the one, small, never in covej'^s but in myriads, reminded me in their manners of the Quail of the Old World, being literally flushed at every yard ; the other {Rhynchotus rufescens, Temm.), as large as the English Pheasant, a magnificent fellow, flaps heavily up from the long dead grass in the vicinity of swamps, and, if not bagged, invariably seeks safety in impenetrable morass. If, however, they can be headed away from the marsh and are quickly followed up, they will not rise more than two or three times; and in this way I have sometimes caught them by hand.

Spur-winged Lapwings ( Vanellus cayennensis, Gm.), always in pairs, sit on the edge of the damp spots or pools, and, rising as we approach, shriek Terek-Terek (their native name) as they circle round our heads. Tliey are horribly annoying, as they follow and alight in front and about one ; and after as it were chuckling their name over, they spring up again yelling more dismally than before. My companion always shot them — and when remonstrated with, said he liked tbem in pies ; however it certainly was a relief when they fell and the clamour ceased ; and I am bound to confess that he did the eating part consci- entiously.

Several varieties of wild Duck, Snipe, and Waders abounded in the marshes and streams, besides Coots and Water-hens. Two species of Grebe were also very common on the St. Lucia river.

78 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

Little Burrowing Owlets sat in many of the depressions of the ground, generally flying about a hundred yards and perching on a thistle when frightened.

The Ostrich, Rhea americana, and Deer were very plentiful on the plains, and afford capital sport either stalking or riding. The former are not good to eat ; but their stomachs are sought after as a medicine, and their feathers also possess a small com- mercial value.

My friend, the proprietor of this estate, a very enlightened Spanish gentleman. resident in Monte Video, asked me to shoot him a dozen, as he wished to send the stomachs to some friends in Europe. I obtained my first four very easily by following the advice of a young gaucho who was with me. In compliance with his instructions, on observing a troop we went- carelessly towards them till they appeared startled, when we threw our- selves on the ground and flung our arms and legs about. The birds cautiously approached with outstretched necks to see what we were. When the foremost one (the male, known by his blacker neck) was within about sixty yards, I shot him with my rifle ; and seizing my gun from the boy, I rushed at the remainder of the flock, the hens. They charged undauntedly up to me with out- stretched and drooping wings, and I secured some more; the remainder turned and ran off at a tremendous pace ; but I was lucky enough to stop another with a bullet. My boy assured me that, had I shot a hen first, the others would have made off at once. I always adopted this plan afterwards, with varying success.

I do not know what truth there may be in this idea about their stomachs ; but the boers at the Cape of Good Hope dry and grind up the stomach of the Knorhaan [Eupidotis afra) for the same purpose.

I was three mouths in the River Plate, but during that period I never saw any bird of the Cormorant tribe; Gulls and Terns, however, were very plentiful ; and just before our departure in September several pairs of Black-necked Swans were observed from the ship.

Between Monte Video and the northern extreme of the South- American continent, at a distance varying from 300 to 100

Letters, Announcements, &;c. 79

mileSj we were frequently visited by Scolopacida, Hirunclinidce, and Passerina, and this in fine weather.

Yours, &c.,

Rowland M. Sperling.

Sir, — Some months since, when examining the British-killed Larus atricilla in the jNIontag'u collection at the British Museuui, Mr. G. R. Gray called my attention to a bird obtained in the Thames and also ascribed to that species. On subsequently comparing this individual with a series of various allied species in my collection, I identified it, with the complete concurrence of Mr. Gray, as an immature example of Larus melanocephalus, a Gull which, from its rich black hood and bright red bill, cannot fail to be familiar to every one who has traversed the Mediter- ranean in spring and summer. Mr. Gray informed me that he obtained it on the 23rd March, 1866, from Mr. H. Whitely, curator of the Royal Artillery Museum at Woolwich, who, in reply to my inquiries wrote to me as follows : —

" I find, upon looking back at my books, that I sold Mr. G. Gray a Gull on the 23rd of March, 1866, which, at the time, he took to be a hybrid betv.een the Common Gull and the Kitti- wake. This bird was shot in the month of January 1866, near Barking Creek, by a waterman, and brought to me for sale with other birds : I bought this bird, not knowing what species it was, and at the date mentioned took it to Mr. Gray.^^

The specimen in question is a bird of the first year, in pre- cisely the same state of plumage as a Maltese specimen shot early in February. In the adult plumage this species is distin- guishable at a glance from L. ridibundus ; and even immature birds of the former show a stronger bill and somewhat larger tarsi ; still the best distinction exists in the first primary. In young L. melanocephalus that portion of the inner web which lies next to the shaft is smoke-coloured on both upper and under sides, whereas in L. ridibundus it is white, as is also the shaft, This holds good until L. melanocephalus has lost all colour on the inner web of the first primary, when the dark edging of the same feather in L. ridibundus forms a still more marked distinction.

80 Letters, Announcements, S^'c.

A further peculiarity of this species is, that although it assumes the black head in its second spring, when it commences to breed, yet it does not acquire the full white primaries until the third spring. Figures and descriptions of this bird are to be found in Gould^s ' Birds of Europe,' vol. v., and in Bree's ' Birds of Europe not observed in the British Isles,' vol. iv. p. 104.

I am yours,

Howard Saunders. London, August 1871.

Sir, — In 'The Ibis' for 1870, p. 153, Dr. Salvadori asserted that Francolinus vulgaris still existed in Sicily ; and having in reply, op. cit. p. 299, briefly stated my reasons for believing in its extinction in that island, I was content to let the matter rest until it should be settled by Professor Doderlein, who was then on the point of visiting Terranova for that express purpose. The result of his expedition is given in the 3rd part of his * Avifauna del Modenese e della Sicilia,' pp. 159, 160 (Palermo, 1871), from which I translate the following: —

" I confess that on this occasion I have not had the good fortune to kill a Francolin myself; but from the information ob- tained I can state the following : — 1st, That, up to the end of 1865, individuals were annually obtained near Suero and Butera, where the herbage is aromatic, and were sent for the Christmas festivities to the Prince of Monteleone-Pignatelli, proprietor of that fertile plain. 2nd. That later on, the species being now represented by extremely few individuals, single specimens were occasionally obtained on the estate of Falconara, near Terranova, I'ecently acquired by the Baron Bordonaro, where, in the autumn of 1869, one, perhaps the last"^ individual, was procured, and eaten at a dinner at Terranova. This fact, attested by the Prefect and many sportsmen of the country, was announced to me in the course of the past year by Professor Tacchini, who was down there to take observations for the solar eclipse of 1870. 3rd. That, notwithstanding the extreme rarity of this bird in the present day, the captain of the rural guard of Terranova pro-

[* The italics are mine. — II. S.]

Letters, Announcements, S^c. 81

mised, iu consideration of the reward offered, to forward me at Palermo in the course of the present year one or two indi- viduals of the much desired species. The result of all this is, that although very rare, the Francolin still existed up to the au- tumn of 1869 in some parts of the island ; but if not already extinct, it will inevitably be so in a very short time."

I confess my inability to agree to my sanguine friend's de- duction as to the existence of even " the last of the Francolins " in 1869. If he had seen a feather of the individual in question which he could pronounce to be undoubtedly that of a Francolin, I should be reduced to silence; but I am not satisfied with the hearsay evidence even of prefects and sportsmen. Lord Lilford, in his able article (Ibis, 1862, pp. 352-356), enumerates no less than six other species to which he has heard the term " Franco- lino " applied ; of these (notably Otis tetrax and (Edicnemus cre- pitans), several are found in Sicily ; and I can add Phasianus col- chicus, which is now tolerably plentiful in some parts of that island. It must be borne in mind that for some time prior^to his visit. Professor Doderlein had enlisted in his behalf the ser- vices of many well-known inhabitants of the district, one of them a practical ornithologist at Girgenti, and that a veryJarge reward had been offered ; yet, in spite of all this, the solitary specimen obtained is forthwith devoured, not at a remote farm-house by an ignorant peasant, but in the principal town, at a banquet at which the attesting Prefect and sportsmen probably assisted. I think it would be as well not to insist upon what, if true, is one of the most barbarous acts of the latter half of the present cen- tury.

I am yours, &c.

Howard Sauxders.

London, December 14, 1871.

Futtehgurh, N. W. P., June 24, 1871. Sir, — As very little seems to be known regarding the uidifi- cation of the Whiskered Tern, Sterna leucopareia [Hydrochelidon indica of Jerdon) the following notes may not be without in- terest to some of the readers of ' The Ibis.^

SER III. VOL. II. G

82 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

When stationed at Fyzabad, Oudh, in 1867, I went out one July morning with my friend Mr. Naher, of the Oudh Commission, on a naturalizing excursion ; and we had hardly gone two miles beyond the town when our attention was attracted by the out- cry of a vast assembly of these handsome Terns, that were flying over a gheel or swamp, about a mile in circumference, and within a stone's throw of the main road and of a village which overlooked the piece of water.

My friend, who had a pair of glasses in his hand, called out that they were building nests on the swamp, which was one mass of tangled weeds and aquatic creepers, &c. I was, of course, somewhat incredulous of their building floating nests, as Jerdon mentions that they lay on the "churs" of the Ganges, i.e. sand-banks. We were, however, soon assured that they were all actively engaged in carrying long wire-like weeds (some of them 2 feet long) from different parts of the gheel, and making huge floating nests on the surface of the water.

On the 7th July we again visited the place, taking a small canoe with us, which was pushed through the rushes and weeds with the greatest difficulty ; and we were soon rewarded with as many eggs as we could carry home.

Each nest contained one, two, or three eggs, — though possi- bly four may be the proper number, had we allowed the bii'ds sufficient time to lay the full complement.

The circumference of some of the nests I measured ranged between 3| and 4 feet, and they were about 4 inches thick. They were composed entirely of aquatic plants, and so interwoven with the growing creepers that it was quite impossible to I'emove them without cutting at the foundation of the structure. I managed to bring away a few, which, together with specimens of the birds and their eggs, 1 deposited in the Fyzabad Museum before leav- ing for England. The eggs, as may be expected, are subject to the same endless varieties as those of the S. hirundo and S. arctica, but difi"er in being smaller, less pointed, and in the general ground-colour being much lighter.

On comparing twelve that I still possess with an equal num- ber of the eggs of the other two species, 1 find that the average length of the former [S. leucopareia) is 1'4 inch, about 0*2 less

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 83

than those of S. hirundo and S. arct'ica. One egg is somewhat similar to one figured on Hewitson's plate ; but all twelve are from 0*2 to 0*3 less in length. Two that I have resemble mi- niature eggs of the Black Guillemot, and are perfect beauties.

In 1868 I again visited the same gheel ; but, owing to a scanty fall of rain, the swamp was next to dry, and not a Tern near it. I am gladj however, to find from a letter just read from a cor- respondent at Fyzabad, that the birds have this season returned to their old breeding-haunts, but have not yet commenced to

build. '

I remain, &c.,

Andrew Anderson.

2 August, 1871.

Sir, — The supposed specimen of Athene noctua from Poona, in the Norwich Museum, referred to by Dr. Jerdon (Ibis, 1871, p. 349), proves, on closer examination, to be only an example of Athene hrama.

I may also remark, with reference to Dr. Sclater's allusion (at p. 358 of the same volume) to the Short-eared Owl of the Sandwid Islands, that in 1869 1 examined specimens from those islands in the museum of the Jardin des Flantes, which appeared to me to be identical with the ordinary widely spread Otus brachyotus.

I am yours, &c.

J. H. GURNEY.

Colonial Museum, Wellington, N.Z., August 5, 1871.

Sir, — I send you some synonyms of two of Forster's Petrels which I think I have made out, and which have for a long time " wanted a situation.^'

Procellaria tristis, ¥orst., = p. grisea, L. (not of Forst., which is P. cinerea, Gmel., nor of Kuhl, which is P. atlantica, Goxild), = Pi/ffinus amaurosoma, Coues.

This is the " Mutton-bird " of the south part of New Zea- land : the under wing-coverts are white ; the bill is bluish white passing into black on the culmen and gonys ; feet and legs

g2

84 Letters, Announcements, t^c.

bluish white ; in the young bird the bill, legs, and feet are brownish black. It is abundant on Stewart's Island, and pro- bably also on the Auckland Islands.

Procellaria gavia, Yorst. , = Piiffimis opisthomehs, Coues.

The locality, Queen Charlotte's Sound, and the habit, '^ gre- garia," given by Forster are enough to show that his bird was not an jEstrelata, which never frequents the Sound, and never flies in flocks. The only gregarious Petrels belong to the genera Halodroma, Puffinus, Prion, and Daptioji. The first and last are of course out of the question ; and the length of the tail of gavia (2*5") puts Prion out of the question also. The colour also •(" cserulescenti-uigra ") is much nearer to that of P. opistho- melas than to any Prion or to P. cookii. P. opisthomelas varies considerably in size, especially in the length of the tail ; but the following may be taken as an average of New-Zealand specimens.

Expanse 26", length 12^ to 13^; bill along culmen 1^, to gape 2 ; tail 3'5 to 2*75. These measurements are almost iden- tical with those given by Forster*. I have never seen any species of jJLstrelata in Queen Charlotte's Sound ; but Puffinus opisthomelas is common there.

Yours truly,

F. W. HUTTON.

Geological Survey Office, Calcutta, August 25, 1871.

Sir, — Prinia adamsi, Jerdon, 'Birds of India,' ii. p. 170, has remained an obscure species ever since its description, and is in- cluded in the list of doubtful forms in Jerdon's Appendix. Rather more than two years ago Mr. Fairbank collected specimens at Wadale (in the Upper Godavari valley, near Ahmadnagur, and about 150 miles east of Bombay) which he looked upon as be- longing to this species ; and, with his usual liberality, he left four specimens and the nest in my hands for more complete description. I had hoped to include an account of them

* Forster gives the tibife of P. r/avia 1 J inch ; this, I think, must be a mistake for tarsi ; the tibia of P. opisthonwlas is 2^ inch, the taraus If inch.

Letters, A?inouncemenis, &^'c. 85

with some other Indian ornithological notes ; but time has not sufficed for writing out the latter; and as I find P. adamsi again referred to by Mr. Hume (in *Tlie Ibis' for 1870, p. 145), I think it will be useful to give a fuller description of it than has hitherto appeared.

On showing the bird and its nest to Mr. Blyth, that gentle- man remarked that the structure of the latter proved the builder to be a Drijmoeca, aud not a Prima, the structure being of grass woven together, and not of leaves, and being of a different form from the nest of a Prima. The following is a description of the bird.

Drymoeca adamsi (Jerdon). The whole of the upper parts are greyish brown in specimens shot in the autumn, rufescent brown in those killed in the spring, the latter being perhaps birds of the year ; head obsoletely striated. The quills are of the same colour as the back, the inner margins isabelline. Tail rather lighter in colour^ the feathers, ten in number, being still paler beneath ; central rectrices not spotted at the end, but subobsoletely and closely marked with transverse bands above; all the others have a pale tip and a dusky spot of variable size and hue close to it. Underparts silky white, with a slight isabel- line tinge in autumn specimens, rufescent in those killed in the spring. Bill dusky ; legs pale brown ; iris reddish bufiF. Mea- surements, taken from four specimens (three males, and one with the sex not determined) : — Wing 1'88 to 1-95 ; tail 2-05 to 2-25 ; tarsus 0'77 to 0-82 ; bill from forehead 0'38, from gape 0*55 to 0'58. The first primary 0*45 in. shorter than the second, which is barely 0*2 in. less than the third; the fifth is the longest ; the sixth equals the fourth, and the eighth the third.

I cannot say whether the two specimens shot in the spring are young birds, or whether the plumage changes with the season. They are decidedly more rufescent above and below than the birds (undoubted adults) shot in the autumn.

The nest is of grass, shaped somewhat like a soda-water bottle, with an entrance at the side near the top. It is suspended from the leaves of the Leajri {Holcus spica), a cereal largely grown in the Deccaii, and, in fact, throughout a large portion of

86 Letters, Announcements, 6fC.

India. The bird breeds in October, and lays four e^^^, mea- suring 0'6 inch in length, greenish blue in colour, with dark red-brown blotches and irregular twisted lines at the larger end. The birds are found throughout the year, like other Bnjmoecce, haunting high grass, bushes, and grain-fields. I am indebted to Mr. Fairbank for all these details.

D. adamsi is distinguished from Z>. inornata chiefly by its smaller size, much shorter tail, and rather more slender and shorter bill. It is less rufous in colour ; and the claws are rather smaller and straighter, the hind claw especially.

This bird will, I suppose, be placed in Dn/moipus by the believers in that genus. To quote Dr. Jerdon, B. Ind. ii. p. 178, " The genus Drymoipus was instituted by Bonaparte for the Asiatic Drymoicce. It differs from Prinia," &c. &c. " The species have usually been classed under Drymoica ; but Bona- parte has separated the Indian species from the African ones, and, though unaware in what points they differ, I shall follow Mr. Blyth's example and keep them distinct.^' Mr. Blyth, however, has never assigned any better reason than Bonaparte, who gave none at all. Blyth followed Bonaparte, and Jerdon follows Blyth; and Gray, in the Hand-list of birds, follows Jerdon, or, rather, improves upon him, in a very dubious manner, by making Drymoipus a subgenus of Prinia.

Now, when Neophron gingmianus is proved to be generically distinct from N. percnopterus (even its specific difference is as yet dubious) — when Gyps hengalensis, G. indicus, and G.fulvus of India are conclusively shown to belong to a genus difi"erent from that which includes G. hengalensis {v. africanus ?), G. ruep- pelli, and G. fulvus of Africa — -when Circus sivainsoni, Elanus melanopterus, Cypselus affinis, Oxylophus jacohinus, Ceryle rudis, Lanius lahtora, Saxicola isabelUna, and a number of other birds are proved to be distinct, generically as well as specifically, from the African forms which go by the same names — when it is clearly demonstrated that species like Micronisus badius, Aquila fulvescens {v. fusca), Merops viridis, Centropus viridis, Dicrurus macrocercus, Tchitrea affinis, Chatorhcea caudata, Oriolus kundoo, 0. m.elanocephalus, Pratincola leucura, Parus nuchalis, Zosterops palpebrosus, &c. (I take a very few instances out of a host) are

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 87

respectively diverse, to a degree which it is justifiable to con- sider generic, from their African representatives {Micronisus sphenurus and M. hrachjdactylus, Aquila neevioides, Merops viridissimus, Centropus monachus, Dicrurus divaricatus, &c., Tchitrea melanogastra, Chatorhaa acacia, Oriolus galbula, 0. mo- nacha and others, Pratincola hemprichi, Pa?-us leuconotus, Zo- ster ops poliogastra, &c.), then I shall be wilUng to admit that the circumstance of species being found in India is a good a priori reason for believing that they belong to a different genus from their African allies. But until these few difficulties have been overcome, I shall wait for better structural distinctions than have yet been pointed out before I admit the Indian Dry- mcecce to be generically separated from their African relatives.

In the July number of this year's ' Ibis' (1871), Dr. Jerdon refers to a specimen of Hodgson's Buteo pluinipes, obtained by me in Sikkira. The specimen is a female in good plumage, agreeing admirably with Hodgson's description ; and it appears to me to differ from all allied forms, including B.japonicus, in the small size of the tarsal scutes, in front especially. I have described the specimen at greater length in a paper to be published shortly in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, together with my other Sikkim collections.

I remain, &c.

W. T. Blanford.

P.S. In what respect does Pellorneum subochraceum, Swinhoe, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist., April 1871, differ from P. tickelli? J. A. S. B. 1859, p. 414. They appear to me to be identical.

Sir, — With reference to Mr. Hume's statement in ' The Ibis,' 3rd ser. vol. i. p. 404, allow me to remark that Halia'etus alhi- cilla never occurred to me in Lower Bengal, but that the spe- cimen to which he refers is probably one of H. leucocephalus in immature plumage, noticed in ' Journ. As. Soc, B.' vol. xxiv. p. 253. It is easy to distinguish specimens set up from dry skins from those which have been mounted immediately from fresh ones, as were the four examples of H. leucoryphus noticed

88 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

in my Catalogue, published in 1849. Between that date and the end of 1862 (when I left India) very considerable accessions to the live collection which I superintended had been made from time to time ; besides which I was quite as familiar with H. alhi- cilla as with H. leucorijphus, and therefore do not believe that I could possibly have mistaken one for the other. Whether or not I am right in my conjecture about H. leucocepliaJus, I feel confident that the Museum specimen referred by Mr. Hume to the young of H. albicilla will prove, on examination, to have been set up from a dry skin received from Europe.

Now as to Haliaetus lineatus, as figured by Hardwicke. There was, if there is not still, a juvenile specimen, in the Calcutta museum, of PoHoaetus ichthyaetus in the spotted plumage, resem- bling that of the young of Milvus govinda. Again, of two young examples of Haliaetus leucoryphus it is stated by Capt. Hutton (as cited by Mr. Hume) that " at the end of five weeks the young ones exhibited as nearly as possible the plumage of the bird figured by Hardwicke and Gray as H. lineatus." Now in a young one of the latter species which I saw taken from the nest (which contained along with it one addled egg), and which I kept alive for several months until I shipped it, the colouring remained from the first that of H. unicolo)' of Hardwicke. How are we to recon- cile such discrepancies ? It is well known that the young of Loxia curvirostra is usually lineated like a young Goldfinch or Greenfinch ; but two or three years ago I was very much sur- prised to see a living young Crossbill, with its feathers not fully grown, the plumage of which was not at all lineated, but quite resembled that of an ordinary mature female. That young Crossbill, by the way, must have been hatched in England, to- wards the end of December ! When ascending to rob the nest of Haliaetus leucoryphus referred to, the lad I sent up the tree (a high and very difficult one to climb) was certainly about to be attacked by the female Eagle, when I fired at her and un- fortunately only broke her leg, which hung down as she con- tinued to fly around ; but neither she nor her mate approached afterwards within reach of the gun. The bird was approaching nearer and still nearer at every sweep, and the peril of the lad seemed imminent, when I pulled the trigger in his defence.

Letters, Announcements, i^c. 89

Among the mounted skins in the British Museum may be seen, side by side, examples of" the young of Huhua nipalensis and H. orientalis, which aie very strongly distinguished from each other; and I have no hesitation in pronouncing, contrary to the opinion of Dr. Jerdon (Ibis, 1870, p. 346), that the Te- nasserim specimen which was designated Ptiluskelos amherstii by Col. Tickell is the young of H. nipalensis, and not of H. ori- entalis. I have the most distinct remembrance of it, and assign it thus without any hesitation, — an identification which consider- ably extends the ascertained range of the much larger Himalayan species.

Among the specimens of economic zoology which are now exhibited in the India- House Museum, I lately noticed a heap of skins labelled as " Indian Game-birds." Among them 1 re- marked two species of Sand-Grouse which have not been ad- mitted hitherto into the Indian avifauna, viz. a tine pair of Pterocles guttatus (sive senegallus) which are marked as having been procured by Griffith, at Koree, in Sindh, and one specimen of P. coronatus, which was also procured by Griffith ; but the locality is not mentioned. Both species have been figured in Gould's ' Birds of Asia.'

The late distinguished botanist, Samuel Griffith, as is well known, made zoological collections in Sindh and Aflfghanistan, and afterwards in the Khasia hills ; and those collections having got mixed up, not a few of the Khasia species are erroneously set down as having been obtained in Affghanistan in the Cata- logues of the specimens of Mammalia and Birds contained in the London East-India Museum, prepared by Messrs. Horsfield and Moore. A list of such species may not be unacceptable even now, inclusive of a few marked with a note of doubt, but which, as I suspect, were obtained in the more eastern locality by Griffith. Of mammalia, Urva cancrivora, Mustela horsfieldi Lutra indigitata ?, and Sorex griffithii. Of birds : —

Circus melanoleucus. Psarisomus dalliousise.

Ketiipa ceylonensis ?* Halcyon leucocephalus.

Nyctiornis athertoni. Pericrocotus peregrinus.

* Since obtained in tlie valley of tlie Jordan by Dr. Tristram.

SER. III. VOL. II. H

90 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

Zoothera marginata. Spizixus canifrons.

Turdus ruficollis ?* Adult and Oriolus traillii.

young. Ruticilla rufiventris (nipalensis).

Merula castanea. R. leucocepliala.

Myiophoueus temmincki. Henicurus immaculatus.

Garrulax leucoloplius. Liotlirix luteus.

Actinodura egertoni. L. argentaiuis.

Sibia gracilis. Ixulus castaneiceps.

Timalia pileata. Parus cinereus.

Pomatorhinus hypoleucus. Pnoepj-ga longicaudata. Ixus flavescens.

Another bird which I cannot help thinking is assigned to Afghanistan and Tibet by mistake, is the Yunx indica, Gould, which, as suggested to me by Mr. R. B. Sharpe, appears to have been founded upon a specimen of the South- African Y. pecto- ralis, Vigors, just as the Cisticola magna of Gould's ' Birds of Australia' was long ago shown by Strickland, in the 'Contri- butions to Ornithology,' to have been founded on a specimen, lent by himself, of what afterwards proved to be the South- African Drymoeca levaillanti. In IMalherbe's monograph of the Picidce, a copy of one of Mr. Gould's figures of his alleged Y. indica is given in the same plate as a figure of Y. pectoralis and one of 1'. aquinoctialis ; and it certainly does not appear to me in what respect the two former differ as species from one

another.

I am yours, &c.,

E. Blyth.

Professor Newton informs us that Dr. Bessels, who has already had some experience in Arctic zoology, has embarked as a naturalist with the American Expedition under Captain Hall, the object of which is to reach the North Pole by way of Smith's Sound. It was originallv intended that Dr. David Walker, who served as naturalist on board the ' Fox ' during her ever memorable voyage in 1857-59 in search of the Franklin Expedition, and contributed to this Journal a paper on the birds he then observed (Ibis, 1860, pp. 165-168),s hould accompany Captain Hall ; but unfortunately this arrangement

* Procured in the Khasias by Major Godwin- Austen.

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 91

was not adopted. It is to be feared, from what we hear, that scientific research forms but a very secondary object in the pro- gramme of this expedition. Still all who have engaged in it have our best wishes for success. If the road to the Pole can be but shown, we are sure ornithologists will not be slow in following it.

The best friends of 'The Ibis^ have not been limited to those whose names have appeared oftenest, or even many times, in its pages. In this country ornithology has many of its warmest supporters among men who scarcely ever published a line on this subject. Such an one was Edward Clough Newcome, an original Member of the B. 0. U., who died on the 22nd of Sep- tember last, having nearly completed his sixty-second year. Devotedly attached from his boyhood to field-sports, and having abundant opportunities for their enjoyment, his undoubted preference was for such as brought him more especially into contact with the wilder and less-known kinds of birds ; and being a close and accurate observer, his knowledge of their habits and peculiarities was of extraordinary extent. As an efficient falconer he was, perhaps, unequalled, whether by profes- sionals or amateurs ; and for many years he was, in England, almost the sole and certainly the most influential supporter of that ancient and nearly obsolete sport. In the pursuit of what are ordinarily termed "wild fowl,^^ and in the exercise of the various modes by which they are procured, he had attained an aptitude little, if at all, inferior to that of men whose livelihood depends on the successful pi*actice of their vocation. But expe- rience in the field was not all :• one of his fav ourite employments was the formation of a collection of British birds; and this, con- sisting almost entirely of specimens preserved and set up by his own hands, remains one of the best of its kind in the kingdom, whether for the completeness and rarity of its contents or for the artistic taste and ornithological truth with which they are mounted. Some of the species in it are represented by the only examples supposed to have been obtained in Britain. Such are the Rock- Thrush [Petrocmcla saxatilis). the Capped Petrel {^Estrelata

02 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

hcesitata — which he himself rescued from the hands of his hawk- ing-boy)j and the Lineated Buzzard [Buteo lineatus). Mr. New- come's single contribution to ornithological literature is, we believe, limited to a brief notice in this Journal (Ibis, 1865, p. 549) of the bird last mentioned ; but he was always ready cheerfully to communicate the results of his long experience to others, and the writers are not few who have availed themselves of his knowledge of the particular subjects in which he was so great a proficient.

Mr. Sclater has received a letter from Mr. W. T. Blanford (dated Kurrachee, Nov. 16th) announcing that he has been appointed a Member of the British Expedition for the survey of the boundary between Persia and Beloochistan. After finishing the boundary between Mekran and Persia, near the coast, the party will proceed northwards to Seistan and Herat. This will bring them into a most interesting and quite unexplored country, both geologically and zoologically, of which this energetic natu- ralist is quite sure to take due advantage.

Mr. Blanford remarks that Kurrachee is fairly within the uniform fauna of the desert region. On going out before break- fast he had shot four birds — Galerita cristata, Calandrella hrachij- dactyla, Saxicola isabelUna, and >S^. deserti. The same four species he had found amongst the commonest at Anerly Bay when he landed there with the Abyssinian Expedition.

Mr. T. K. Salmon, of Guildford, will shortly leave England on a collecting-expedition to the highlands of the United States of Columbia, and will probably fix his headquarters at MedelUn, the capital of the State of Antioquia. Hence he will be in a convenient position to explore the adjoining Cordillera of Quindiu, and Peak of ToHma, and to investigate the zoology of the upper valley of the Cauca, which has hitherto attracted very little attention. Mr. Salmon's agent is Mr. Edward Gerrard, jun., of 31 College Place, Camden Town, who will be happy to receive subscriptions and orders for the expedition.

THE IBIS.

THIRD SERIES.

No. VI. APRIL 1873.

XII. — On Birds recently observed or obtained in the Island of Negros, Philippines. By Arthur, Viscount Walden, P.Z.S., and Edgar Leopold Layard, F.Z.S.

(Plates IV.-VI.)

The Philippine Islands supplied the materials for the earliest memoir on exotic birds that has come down to us, written by the Moravian Jesuit, Camel, in 1703 (Phil. Trans, vol. xxiii.). From examples collected in the Philippine archipelago by Poivre and by Sonnerat, descriptious of many of the oldest species in our books were taken. Still, even at the present time, our knowledge of Philippine ornithology continues to be of the most elementary character, only 193 species being noted (v. Martens, J. fiir 0. 1866) as known to inhabit the large and diversified area contained within the limits of the archipelago — an area which occupies an estimated surface of 110,000 square miles of dry land. When we consider the favourable geo- graphical position of these islands (closely connected with Borneo on the S.W., with Celebes on the S., and the Moluccas on the S.S.W., and lying in the direct track of the migrants from north-eastern and eastern Asia), the varied physical cha- racters of the islands themselves, their mountainous regions

SER. III. VOL. II. I

91 Viscount Walden and Mr. Layard on

covered with vast unexplored forests, their broad tracts of open country devoid of all cultivation, the few oi'nithologists who have visited the archipelago (not exceeding eight in number) since the time of Sonnerat (1771), and that only three or four points were touched by them (Manilla, Antigua, Zamboanga), we may well believe that many new forms remained to be discovered, and that many more known species to be recognized, by the first enterpris- ing traveller who detei-mines to exploi'e thoroughly these almost unknown and attractive islands. We know of no part of the world that would more amply repay the zoological traveller. The climate is good, the country easy of access, and teems with animal life*. In the mean time any additional contribution to our know- ledge of the Philippine avifauna, however limited, is of excep- tional value ; and we therefore propose to give an an account of small collection of birds and of birds' eggs recently obtained in the island of Negros, by Mr. L. C. Layard. Many of his letters to his father, Mr. Edgar L. Layard, contain notes re- lating to the natural history of this island ; and we propose to publish, as they were written, all those observations which bear on its ornithology, feeling sure that they will be found to con- tain matters of interest to the readers of ' The Ibis.'

The island of Negros is situated between latitude 9° 3' and 10° 58' N., and longitude 122° 28' and 123° 29' E. Its length maybe roughly stated to be about 130 miles, its average breadth 25 miles, and its area 3780 square miles. It is separated from the Philippine islands of Panay on the N.W,, and of Cebu or Zebu on the S.E., by narrow channels. Mr. L. Layard says in one of his letters, " I have a fine view from my window, the sea on one side, with Guimaras (a small island) and Panay in the distance on the other ; fields of cane, enclosed by two rivers, and bordered by banana and cocoanut trees, stretch up until they reach the forest and the mountains." A range of moun- tains with lofty peaks runs north and south through the island,

* The only real danger which appears to attend travelling in some parts of the Philippines si caused by the piratical Malays. But. from a passage in one of Mr. L. Layai'd's letters, it would seem that Englishmen with proper introductions to the chiefs would run but little risk if im- (wcompanied by SjMniards.

Birds observed in the Island of Negros. 95

the centre of which is little known even now. It appears to be inhabited by a small race of Negroes, called Negritos, from whom the island derives its name.

Mr. L. Layard writes — "Judging from my remembrance of Table Mountain, I should say that the range behind the Hacienda and the Koun Loun volcano, must be nearly 5000 feet high. Their tops are very rugged and covered with trees ; and thej'^ look very grand after a shower, when long streaks of cloud are caught halfway up them, and detached patches are scattered along their slopes, clinging to the trees.^^

These forests abound with cabinet- woods of great beauty and of the finest quality. The trees attain a vast height; " most of them have huge buttresses on each side, and then an immense trunk, rising, some of them, for upwards of 100 feet without a branch, and as round and as straight as an arrow. It is useless to fire at anything in the heads of these giants, unless with buck-shot. I was a long while under a flock of the large Hornbill {Buceros hydrocorax?) ; but it was of no use to fire at them. Most of the trees were covered with parasitic orchids, creepers, and climbing ferns of all descriptions ; and the whole forest was alive with gay Parrots, Hornbills, gaudy red Wood- peckers, and butterflies of every hue. Several sorts of Pigeon were flying about ; and we heard noises that the guide said were caused by a peculiar monkey, but we did not see any of them. There were lots of small dark-blue Swallows flitting about under the trees in the partially cleared places, which I had not seen elsewhere. On the outside the underwood had been cut down, and in its stead were the bright green leaves of the banana (hemp) plant standing in rows.^^

The Parrots to which he alludes he afterwards obtained, and describes as " a large green Parrot, w^ith a blue patch above the root of the tail, and a large red beak, out of which I took good care to keep my fingers. ^^ This is probably either Tanygnathus muelleri (Temm.) or else a new species. T. muelleri has been doubtfully stated to occur in the southern Philippines (conf. O. Finsch, Pap. ii. p. 360).

From the forest-clad mountains numerous rivers, abounding in fish and crocodiles, descend to the sea, which equally swarms

T *>

1 ^v

96 Viscount Walden and Mr. Layard on

with sharks. Up one of these rivers Mr. L. Layard proceeded on one excursion. " We went about 40 miles down the coast in the little steamer to a place called Ponte Vedra. Next morning early we got a ' dug-out ' and went up the river. It was very lovely, with huge trees drooping down to the water's edge on each side, but very lonely, as there were hardly any birds and no buttei-flies, only a few of the red and blue and blue and white Kinghunters [Halcyon gularis and H. chloris), and some Kingfishers about, a Dove or two flying overhead, and half a dozen Anhingas [Plotus melanog aster) in the water. We went out shooting in the afternoon ; but it was cold and rainy, and we did not see half we ought to have seen in the river-bush. I shot two large white Cockatoos and some Doves, also a lizard, 3 feet long, with a sort of large fin on the root of his tail [Hydrosawms ?)*. The Cockatoos have bright red eyes, red feathers under the tail, and yellowish under the wing."

No specimens of this Parrot were preserved ; but were it not for the expression " large " we should not hesitate to identify the bird with Cacatua Jmmaturopygia (MiiIl.) = P5. philippi- narum, Gm. No other known species agrees with the above description, and no other Cockatoo has been described as an in- habitant of the Philippines. But the exact habitat of the true C. philippinarum itself has never been accurately determined ; for that bird does not appear to have been seen wild by any trust- worthy traveller. It is therefore to be regretted that we are un- able to identify with absolute certainty the bird referred to by Mr. L. Layard. It is, however, probable that the term "large" was not used comparatively, and that in the Island of Negros we have at length discovered one point in the archipelago where C. p)hilippinarum, is indigenous.

In another of his notes Mr. L. Layard alludes to his bathing in the river, and mentions that " the Bee-eaters have a beautiful scarlet patch on the head ; they frequent a bamboo clump, and sit on the lateral branches while I swim beneath ; so I get a good view of them." No examples were secured, and we are unable to identify the bird. Mr. L. Layard, from African experience,

* [This may be H. twckalis, described by Dr. Giinther in P. Z. S. for February last, which we have some reason to believe may liave come from Negros. — Ed.]

Birds observed in the Island of Negros. 97

is well acquainted with Merops ; and so there can be little doubt that he is correct in the genus. The species may possibly be a form of Nyctiornis.

The Kinghunters [Halcyon gularis and H. chloris) frequented the house and buildings of the sugar-factory. " Three of the latter keep about the old 'camarine' and the bamboo staging of the chimney ; and I hope to get their eggs."

" A Wagtail, with a breast as yellow as a * Seysie's " [Crithagra sulphur aid), was also common — probably Budytes viridis. " A little ' Sun-bird/ with back of head and shoulders of a brilliant scarlet (probably Dicceum a'uentatum), frequented some shrubs near, as did also a Flycatcher with a dull red throat and a white stripe along the eye." This last vadiyh^Muscicapa mugimaki, Temm. & Schl., a species which migrates from Siberia to Malacca [Erythrosterna erythaca, Blyth).

The eggs oi Halcyon chloris y^^vt not obtained ; but the eggs of a bird, the description of which agrees with Calornis payanensis (Scop.) = candor, Gm., were secured. Mr. L.Layard states that this species breeds in the holes of the bamboo staging erected round the engine-house chimney, to catch the bricks in case of its being shaken down by an earthquake, and thus avert the serious accidents that might result from its fall.

The eggs are of various shades of verditer, blotched somewhat sparsely, but thickest at the obtuse end, with irregularly shaped spots and blotches of dark brown, madder, and faint purple. Axis 13'", diam. 9^'".

Mr. L. Layard says that these birds fly in small flocks, and that their habits reminded him of the Cape Juida morio. The i rides he describes as red.

Besides the little blue Swallow already noted, Mr. L. Layard mentions " a small dark Swift " (a Collocalia ?, one of the pro- ducts of the island being edible birds' nests), and a Swallow, the common one of the country, probably Hypurolepsis javanica (Sparrm.), of which he sends four eggs. Unfortunately uo description of this bird or of it^ nest is given. The eggs are of a dirty pink ground, profusely sprinkled with dark madder- coloured spots, which are notably coarsest and closest set at the obtuse end, with a faint iudicatiou of some light purple ones in

98 Viscount Walden and Mr. Layard un

the form of a ring. Axis 9'", diam. 6'"; but they vary in shape, some being longer and narrower.

On the 2nd February an excursion was made to the Island of GuimaraSj situated in the channel which separates Panay from Negros. Besides two large Hornbills. twelve examples of a large fruit-eating Pigeon, apparently an undescribed species, lanthcenas griseogularis, nob., were obtained.

The tameness of some of the Falconidas is illustrated in the following passage : — " We are awfully bothered with locusts ; but it is a curious sight, the men all assembled and beating old tins to drive them away, the great red-backed Kites {Haliastur indus?) swooping down and catching them in their feet and eating them in the air, and lots of smaller Hawks, Flycatchers, and Swallows harrying the swarm ; and then the sound of their rushing wings !! '' " There is one fine Hawk about the size of Circus maurus, white breast, black head and throat, and white wings tipped with black [Circus melanoleucus'i), and another beautiful little Hawk very much like the one we shot with Capt. B. on the Flats near the windmills (this was Hypotriorchis subbuteo). He sat in a tree eating his locust, and would not fly, though I twice struck the branch beneath him with a stone. I have not yet got my gun out of the clutches of the Spanish Custom-House, or he would have come to grief." (This is probably Falco severus.)

The want of his gun prevented Mr. L. Layard obtaining many of the birds observed. The Spanish Customs' authorities detained his gun (a double-barrel 12-bore Westley Richards) for many months on the plea that it was a " pea''-rifle ! It appears it is necessary to get a license from the Spanish authoi'ities to live in the islands, and another to possess and use a gun.

" Last week coming out of the ' camarine,^ I saw a fine Eagle hovering just over my head, and its mate higher up. How I longed for my gun ! It was a whity brown, with a large white tail, and as big as any of our Cape Eagles. It is evidently a rare species, as ¥ have only seen these two. One was shot by a Middy some months ago, and the foot is still here ; it is large." He saw the species again, "sailing along the coast, and nearly got a shot at one " ( Cuncuma leucogaster ?) .

Ibis, 1872. PL. IV.

,1 rj, ifeulcinajis li^ln

M&N.ll^/i>i3:ft imp.

GHRYSOCOLAPTES ZANTHOCEPHALUS.

Birds observed in the Island of Negi'os. 99

The rainy season commences on the western coasts of the Philippines at the end of April^ and continues to September, the eastern coasts being dry until October, when they, in their turn, become subject to heavy rains, Mr. L. Layard thus alludes to the ushering in of the May monsoon : — " The monsoon broke on the 25th of April, and Snipe and Ducks are beginning to come in with the rains; I have shot two Curlews also. Last week I was riding I'ouud, and a pair of Ducks in a buffalo wallow let me ride up to them within ten yards. I galloped home, loaded the one barrel of L.'s rusty old gun, that had a nipple in, and re- turned. They were still there, and I took one as they rose. They are fine birds, as large as a 'Geelbec^ {Anas flavirostris), pearly-grey bodies, reddish heads, and blue-striped wings — first-rate eating ! There is also another Duck in the island, smaller, and more red about it. They are called here ' Gatek.'' I bagged five of them at Samag last week.^^ The small species is probably Dendroctjgna vagans ; the larger we are unable, for want of an example, to identify. The description given above does not agree with any one of the only four species of Ducks known to inhabit the Philippines.

The following list contains the names of the species repre- sented by examples sent to England. An account of the eggs collected is added,

Chrysocolaptes xanthocephalus, sp. nov. (Plate IV.)

Entire head, including the normal generic crest, chin, cheeks, and ear-coverts, and the whole under surface of body, except the throat and breast, pure golden yellow, brightest on crest. A very faint mesial chin-line, and two equally faint lines following the rami of the mandible, brown. Throat and breast covered with scale-like golden-fulvous feathers, each being broadly and distinctly bordered with black. Back, uropygium, wing-coverts, and secondary quills carmine. Upper tail-coverts and rec- ti-ices deep brown. Primary and spurious quills dark brown, the outer edges of the spurious quills, and the outer edges of the basal half of the primaries being golden olive.

First primary unspotted, but with white indicated at the inner edge of web near the insertion. Two white spots on inner

100 Viscount Walden and Mr. Layard on

edge of second quill, somewhat ill-defined and barely separated. Third quill with two well-marked and separate white spots. Fourth quill like third, but with an additional faintly marked and smaller spot. Fifth and sixth quills, with three clear white spots. Three spots on the inner webs of the remaining quills, both primary and secondary. Under shoulder-coverts mot- tled dirty golden and brown, with carmine tips. " Bill and feet horn colour ; eyes white (?) J"

"Wing 6 inches; tail 4; bill from forehead l"o, from gape 1'75 ; outer hind toe 1'13; outer front toe 0-87; tarsus 1'12.

Described from a single individual obtained in the Island of Negros, and stated on the label to be a female.

The carmine dorsal colouring of this species closely resembles that of Ch. carlotta^ (Malh.), Ch. hematrihon (Wagler), and Brachypternus erythronotus (Vieill.) apud Malh.

The male bird may prove to possess a red head, as in the rest of the genus.

XANTHOLiKMA ROSEA (Cuv.) : R. A. 1817, i. p. 428, ex Le- vaillant.

Le Barhu rose gorge, Levaillant, Ois. Farad, ii. p. 75, pi. 33, " Java."

" ^, iris brown; feet coral; bill black; stomach, beetles. Island of Negros."

The bill in this example is somewhat larger than in Javan individuals ; otherwise no material difference can be detected between specimens from the two localities.

EuRYSTOMUs ORiENTALis (Linn.): S.N.i. p.l59, no.4(1766), ex Brisson.

Galgulus indicus, Briss. Oruith. ii., p. 75. no. 4, pi. 7. f. 2. " India orientalis."

" 6 , iris brown ; bill and feet red. Shot in the forest. Island of Negros, March."

Agrees in every respect with examples from Menado and Malacca.

* A true and typical ChrysocoJaptes, although classed as a Brachy- pternus in the Hand-List, no. 8748.

Birds observed in the Island of Negros. 101

Entomobia gularis (Kuhl) : Sharpe, Mon. Alced. pi. GO, p. 165.

Three specimens collected, two males and one female, in full plumage. They do not differ from Luzon examples in Lord Walden's collection, nor is any sexual distinction to be detected.

"a. S, iris light brown, bill brick-red, feet coral; stomach, worms; shot in a ploughed field.

" b, (3", stomach, small fish; shot on river-bank.

"c. $, iris light brown, bill brick -red, feet coral; stomach contained large grubs."

Sauropatis CHLORis (Bodd.) : Sharpe, Mon. Alced. pi. 87, p. 329.

Alcedo collaris, Scopoli, Fl. et Faun. Insubr. ii. p. 90. no. 56 (1786), ex Sonnerat.

'^ (5 , iris brown ; feet dark brown ; bill black ; stomach, small crab. March, Island of Negros."

Petrocossyphus solitarius (Miill.) : Suppl. p. 142, no. 46, ex PI. Enl. 636.

" S , iris brown ; bill and feet almost black ; stomach, seeds ; frequents old buildings, rare. Negros, March.

Broderipus acrorhynchus (Vigors) : P. Z. S. 1830-31, p. 97, ''Manilla:" Gray and Mitchell, Genera, pi. 58.

" $ , bill pink ; feet black ; stomach, seeds. Island of Negros."

Mr. Gray (H.-l. no. 4305) has suppressed Vigors's title for the Philippine Oriole and adopted chinensis, Linn. In this rec- tification we are unable to concur : — first, because the Linuean type was brought from Cochin China by Poivre and given to Reaumur (Brisson, Orn. ii. p. 328) ; secondly, because Brisson, who described from Poivre's example, distinctly states (/. c), " alarum reniiges sunt nigrcB : ex minoribus tamen aliquot exigud macula flavicante terminantur."

B. acrorhynchus and B. frontalis (Wall.) appear to be the only two known species in which the yellow wing-spot is wanting.

102 Viscount Walden and Mr. Layard on

CoPSYCHus MiNDANENsis (Gm.) : S. N, i. p. 823. no. 7Q, ex Montbeillard.

Le Merle de Mindanao, Montb. Hist. Nat. iii. p. 387 ; PI. Enl. 627. f. 1.

" Iris brown ; bill and feet black ; stomach, insects. Island of Negros."

The single specimen sent has the under wing-coverts entirely black as in C. pluto (Temm.). This at once distinguishes the Negros bird from the Dhayals of India, Ceylon, Burma, Ma- layan peninsula, and Java. Unfortunately the Negros example possesses only eight perfect rectrices ; but these are entirely black. The stump of a ninth, however, is present ; and it, as far as it remains, is also black. It may be inferred, therefore, that at least ten of the rectrices of the Negros Copsychus are black, and it may be possible that all the twelve are black. Without other Philippine examples to compare with, it cannot be decided whether this Negros individual agrees with the Mindanao species. I3ut for the present it is proposed to regard the two as identical.

The Malayan and Javan Copsychus hitherto referred to Tardus mindane)isis, Gm., differs from this Negros individual in having six white outer rectrices, and in having the under wing-coverts white centred with black. These characteristics have been verified by an examination of a considerable series of Malayan- peninsular and Javan specimens. As is well known, Indian, Cingalese, and Burmese examples have the under wing-coverts pure white, and possess eight white rectrices.

The oldest title for the Malayan and Javan Copsychus ap- pears to be Lanius musicus, Raffles, Tr. Linn, Soc. xiii. p. 307 (1822), given to the Sumatran species, which in all probability will be found to agree with the Malayan and Javan.

In many individuals of C. saularis the fourth pair of rectrices, and in C. musicus the third pair, are more or less brown or black.

Hypothymis azurea (Bodd.) .

Gobemouche bleu des Philippines, Montb. Hist. Nat. iv. 534. Muscicapa ccerulea, Gm., Kittlitz, Kupf. p. 7, t. 9. f. 1. Muscicapa occipitalis, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1830-31, p. 97, " Ma- nilla."

IbiS 1872 PLY.

7Ie.ul.ej31a.ns Jii-li.

M,Sj"[J.}-l3i)}iaJ.-i imp

TDICKQRUS MIRABILIS

Birds observed in the Island of Negros. 103

An example sent does not differ from Indian and Ceylon in- dividuals. By INIontbeillard^s title it appears that the type came from the Philippines.

DiCRURUs MiRABiLis, sp. n. (Plate V.)

Lower breast, abdominal region, flanks, and under tail-coverts pure vv^hite. Remainder of plumage black, with glossy green reflections. Tail but slightly forked. Bill black. Wing 5*5 ; tail, outer rectrix 5"37, middle pair 5; bill from forehead 1-18, from gape 1'37; hallux 0*50; tarsus 0-87.

From a single example, sex not noted. Island of Negros, " Eyes black (?), feet and legs black. High in the mountain forests. Stomach, insects. Usually in pairs ; scarce, only saw them one day." The colour here given of the irides requires confirmation.

This species belongs to the group of which D. halicassius (Linn.) is the type, and the members of which are principally Papuan, In the shallow bifurcation of the tail it comes nearest to D. halicassius. No other species of this genus as restricted displays any white in the plumage, beyond the usual white markings of the under wing-coverts, found more or less to prevail throughout the Dicruridce. Its analogue in Buchanga is B. fingah (Linn.) .

Gymnops calvus (Linn.) : S. N. i. p. 164. no. 2 (1766), ex Brisson.

Merula calva, Brisson, Orn. ii. p. 280. no. 36, pi. xxvi. f. 2. "Philippine islands" (1760) descr. orig.

Le Goulin, Month. Hist. Nat. iii. p. 420.

Gracula calva, Gm. S. N. i. p. 396, no. 2.

Le Goulin gris, Cuv. B. A. 1829, i. p. 381.

Gracula calva, Linn. ap. Kittlitz, Kupf. p. 9, pi. xiii. f. 2.

Gymnops griseus, Cuv. ap. Meyen, N. Act. Acad. C. L.-C. Nat. Cur. vol. xvi., Suppl. 1. p. 78.

Gymnops tricolor (Miiller), ap. G. R. Gray, Hand-list, no. 6275, nee Miiller.

One specimen sent. " ? , iris brown ; bill and feet black ; stomach, seeds. Shot on a cocoa-nut tree, Island of Negros."

Montbeillard {I.e.) has described apparently two totally distinct

104 Viscount Walden and Mr. Layard on

species of bald Giakles from the Philippines under his title of Le Goulin, One, brought from the Phihppines by Sonnerat, is identical with Brisson's Merula calva ; the other, which is the species figured in the ' Planches Enluminees/ no. 200, has never since been recognized. This last is stated by Montbeillard to be smaller, to have the under plumage yellowish brown, and the feet, legs, and the anterior portion of the bill, T/ellow. The figure also (PI. Enl. 200) certainly represents a bird widely differing from Gracula calva auct. Montbeillard [l. c.) further remarks that the bald-headed bird brought from the Philippines by Son- uerat, although much resembling the bird figured, yet differs in its size and its plumage. The smaller bird (PI. Enl. 200), he surmises, may be the young. Kittlitz [I.e.) states that the sexes are alike in plumage, but the female is smaller. No title has been founded on PI. Enl. 200. Nor has Cuvier anywhere pub- lished the name griseus usually attributed to him. Mr. G. R. Gray (/. c.) has superseded the appellation calvus, Gm., by that of tricolor, Miiller, and quotes PI. Enl. 200. There seems, how- ever, to be no authority for discarding the time-honoured name of calvus, even if it had only originated with Gmelin and not with Linnceus. Miiller's Corvus tricolor was founded on PI. Enl. 521, = Curvus {Gj/jnnocephalus) calvus, Gm., not Gracula calva, Gm. Miiller has not bestowed any name on the bird figured in PI. Enl. 200, nor on Merula calva, Brisson.

Phapitreron LEUCOTis (Temm.) : PI. Col. 189. " $ , iris brown ; bill black ; feet coral ; stomach, small chilies. Island of Negros."

Ianth(ENas grtseogularis, sp. nov. (Plate VI.) Upper surface of head from bill to nape grey, brilliantly tinted with light purple. Chin, cheeks, ear-coverts, and throat pale grey, faintly tinged on sides of head with vinous. Nape and neck green, but changing in some lights to ashy tinted with bright purple. Breast beautiful, uniform, bright purple, chan- ging in some lights to greenish ashy, as in shot silk. Abdomen, flanks, thigh-coverts, ventral region and under tail-coverts dark ashy, many of the feathers being edged with the purple colour of the breast. Back and uropygium ashy brown shot with the

Ibis. 187 2. PL, VI

/ ^

J.GJteuiemaiLS liili

MfcKHwLhaTl imp

lANTHCENAS GRTSE 0 GULARIS

Birds observed in the Island of Negros. 105

bright purple of the breast and changing to greenish ashy. Sca- pulars and wing-coverts brown, with distinct purple margins. Quills, rectrices, and upper tail-coverts ashy-brown, paler on under surface. In the example sent only twelve rectrices are to be detected. The colouring of the plumage is so iridescent that it is difficult to describe accurately.

Wing 8-50; tail 6-75; bill from forehead 0-81, from gape ri3; hallux 0-62 ; tarsus 1*12. Feet red ; bill red at base and yellow at the tip. Shot on the Island of Guimaras.

tt JoTro '>

BuTORiDEs JAVANiCA (Horsf.) : Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 190.

ava.'

Island of Negros. Example sent is smaller in all its di- mensions than individuals from Ceylon and North West India. Wing 6-50, bill from forehead 2-38.

Glareola oRiENTALis, Leach, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 132, pi. xiii. figs. 1 and 2. "Java" (May 2, 1820).

" ? , iris brown; bill and legs black; stomach, small worms. March.''

In full adult summer plumage.

Squatarola helvetica (Linn.) : S. N. i. p. 250, no. 12. " ?, iris brown; bill black, legs green; stomach, shrimps and sea-worms. March.''

Charadrtus fulvus, Gm. S. N. i. 687. no. 18.

" ? , iris brown ; bill black, feet green ; stomach, shrimps and sea-worms. March."

In winter plumage, showing no trace of a change to the breeding-dress.

The following notes relate to the eggs in Mr. Layard's col- lection.

Rhipidura nigritorquis. Vigors ?

The nest and eggs of a Ely-catcher are sent, which is described as being " brown above, with a white throat and breast with a darker collar between. A white bar extends across the end of a broad tail, which it flirts about, constantly opening and shutting it. Two weeks ago [writing February 20th] whilst swimming

106 On Birds observed in the Island of Negros.

in the river, I caught sight of its nest in a prickly bamboo- clump. It was built in a fork almost over the water, and is exactly like that of Tchitrea cristata, of the Cape of Good Hope. If I had not found that at the Cape, I should never have re- marked this. Last Sunday there were two eggs in it exactly like a Fiscal's {Lanius coUaris), only smaller of course. I cut out and brought home nest and eggs.^"*

The nest sent home is a very beautiful structure, composed of fine fibres, roots, and hairs, most artistically constructed on a lateral bamboo shoot, at the junction of two other smaller branchlets. It is very closely woven, and so densely covered on the outside with cobwebs as to be almost impervious to light. It has no lining, and is perfectly round and cup-shaped inside, having a diameter of 2| inches, with a depth oil\ inch; thick- ness of walls ^ inch. The base is prolonged into a funnel- shaped cone, the pipe being composed of coarse bents of dry grass loosely hanging together. Its resemblance to the nests fabricated by all the Tchitrea is apparent.

The eggs are of a pale creamy- grey colour, marked (in the form of a ring) at the obtuse end with close-set, often coalescing, small, faint purplish and brown spots ; some of these are faintly visible over the rest of the shell. Axis 9'", diam. 6|"'.

MuNiA jAGORi, Cab. ?

" Eggs of a little Amadavat, with red body and black head." These are probably the eggs of the little MMm'a^V/r/on, which accords with this description. They are pure white. Axis 7'", diam. 5'".

CORYDALLA MALAYANA (Eyton) ?

" Two sets of Larks' eggs." These are unaccompanied by any description ; they may be those of C. malayana, or of an unde- scribed species. They evidently belong to the same bird, though two are somewhat darker than the other three. They are of a pale-grey ground, profusely speckled (chiefly at the obtuse end, and in some in the form of a ring) with minute brown and purplish specks. Axis 10'", diam. 8'".

EXCALFACTORIA CHINENSIS (LiuU.) ?

A single " egg of a Quail " we suppose to belong to this

Mr. A. Hume on Six new Species of Indian Birds. 107

species. Mr. L. Layard describes the bird as not uncommon. The egg is of a darkish brown generally, but irregularly speckled and blotched with very dark madder-brown specks and blotches of various sizes. Axis 12'", diam. 9'".

TURNIX OCELLATA (Scop.) ?

A second Quail's egg is sent, which from our knowledge of eggs of birds of this genus, we fully believe to belong to this species.

It is of a dirty pale-brown ground, profusely spotted with black and dark-brown speckles, chiefly at the obtuse end. The small end is rather acutely pointed. Axis 12'", diam. 8"'.

XIII. — Desaiptions of Six new Species of Indian Birds. By Allan Hume, C.B.

1. Chrysomitris thibetana.

Dimensions. — Length 4"-75, wing 2"-70, tail l"-9, tarsus 0"-4, bill at front 0"-35.

Description (only female obtained). — Legs and feet brown; bill brown, fleshy on lower mandible. Plumage : Head, neck, back, and scapulars dingy olive-green, each feather with a dark brown central stripe ; a long supercilium, continued backwards round the ear-coverts, and an ill-defined patch on the nape greenish yellow; ear-coverts brownish olive; lower parts pale yellow, albescent on the middle of the abdomen and towards the vent ; the sides and flanks with dusky central streaks ; lower tail- coverts pale yellow, each feather with a linear lanceolate blackish brown central streak; rump and upper tail-coverts greenish yellow, with traces of central dusky streaks ; quills and tail blackish brown, edged exteriorly with greenish yellow; the primaries very narrowly margined at the tips, and the tail- feathers on the inner webs with greyish white.

This is a true Siskin, agreeing perfectly in shape of bill with the European C. spinus, which our Indian C. spinoides does not.

The specimen described was obtained by L. Mandelli, Esq., on the borders of Sikkim and Thibet. It appears to me to be

108 Mr.A. Humewi Six neiv Species of Indian Birds.

distinct from the European bird; but I have not a sufficient series of the latter to be absolutely certain of this point.

2. DUMETICOLA CYANOCARPA.

Dimensions. — Length 7", wing 2"-85, tail 3"'4, tarsus 1"-15 bill at front 0"-45.

Description. — Bill, legs, and feet brown, the former dusky on the upper mandible. Plumage : The whole upper surface a very rich olive-brown, more or less tinged with ruddy, especially on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; the tail-feathers a somewhat rufous brown, slightly more rufous at the margins ; quills hair-brown, margined exteriorly with a ruddy olivaceous tinge ; median and larger coverts olivaceous; lesser coverts and carpal joint of the wing more or less pure cyaneous ; lower parts, including wing- lining, a sort of fulvous buff, shaded with dusky olive on the sides of the neck and throat and on the sides and flanks; centre of abdomen and vent nearly pure white ; lower tail- coverts fulvous, mingled with olive-brown ; lores and chin, and an indistinct supercilium, dull fulvous.

Although a considerably larger bird than any of the other known species, this is unquestionably structurally a true Dume- ticola, corresponding in shape of wing, tail, bill, and feet with Dumeticola affinis, with a large series of which Mr. Brooks and I carefully compared it. The dull blue patch on the carpal joint would naturally awaken the suspicion that it was a female Myiomela or Brachypteryoc ; but it is unquestionably a Dume- ticola. It was obtained in one of the low valleys in the interior of Sikkim by one of the Shikarees employed for me by Capt. Masson.

3. HORORNIS ERYTHROGENYS.

Dimensions. — Length 5 ", wing 2"-25, tail 2", tarsus 0"'68, mid toe and claw 0"'7, bill at front 0-"42.

Description. — Bill brown above, fleshy at gape and base of lower mandible ; legs and feet pale fleshy, dusky at joints. Plumage : The whole upper surface, including wings and tail, a rich rufescent brown ; lores, cheeks, ear-coverts, and a narrow line over the eye rich chestnut rufous ; centre of chin

Mr. A. Hume on Six new Species of Indian Birds. 109

and throat and centre of abdomen nearly pure white ; sides of neck and breast dull rufescent; sides of abdomen and flanks rufescent bi'own ; wing-lining rufescent white.

This is a typical Hurornis, if I rightly apprehend Mr. Hodg- son's genus. The specimen was shot by Mr. William Masson on the 20th of May, 1870, below Darjeeling. It is very distinct from any species of Horurnis or Horeites described by Messrs. Blytb, Hodgson, and Jerdon.

4. Horeites brunnescens.

Dimensiom. — Length 4"-25, wing 2"-2, tail 2", tarsus 0"-82, bill at front 0"-33.

Description. — Legs, feet, and bill pale brown, the latter darker on the upper mandible. Plumage : The whole upper surface, including the wing-coverts and the greater portion of the exterior webs of the quills, olivaceous, tinged with rufous more strongly on the head, and most conspicuously so on the exterior margins of the quills ; the rest of the quills hair-brown ; the tail pale brown, obsoletely barred and slightly tinged at the margin with rufous ; a dull white stripe from the nostrils, over the eyes and ear-coverts; a dusky stripe under this latter through the lores, eyes, and ear coverts; lower surface pale dingy fulvous, more albescent on the throat and wing-lining.

This specimen I picked out of a collection made in the neigh- bourhood of Darjeeling by Mr. Gammie, of the Government chinchoua plantation.

5. SiPHIA MINUTA.

Dimensions. — Length 4", wing 2"*2, tail l"-77, tarsus 0"-7, mid toe and claw 0"*56, hind toe and claw 0"-5, bill at front 0"-25.

Descrijjtion. — Bill blackish brown, fleshy on lower surface of lower mandible; legs and feet very pale fleshy brown. Plu- mage: Upper surface a very rich olive-brown, slightly tinged with rufous on the back, more conspicuously so on the rump ; tail dull rufous ; quills hair-brown, narrowly margined with dull rufous ; chin, upper part of throat, wing-lining, flanks, and lower tail-coverts pure pale buff"; lower portion of throat,

SER. III. VOL. II. K

110 Mr. A. Hume on Six new Species of Indian Birds.

aud lower portion of abdomen and vent, white ; sides of neck, breast, and upper abdomen pale dingy brownish fulvous.

This species closely resembles both Siphia tricolor and the female of Siphia leucomelanura, but is decidedly distinct from either. It has no white about the tail, and diflfers from all the Siphice and Erythrosternce which I possess, as well as from Anthipes moniliger. The specimen was shot by Mr. William Masson on Mount Tongloo, in Sikkim.

6. Drym(epus rufescens.

Dimensions, male. — Length 7''* 12, expanse 7", tail from vent 3"'38 ; wing 3"*63, when closed reaches to within 2"-5 of end of tail ; feet, greatest length 1"'38 ; tarsus 0"-95 ; bill at front 0"-5.

Another male. — Length 6"*75, expanse 7"'Q, tail from vent 3"*55, wings when closed reach to within 3" of end of tail.

Another male. — Length 6"*4, expanse 7"' 6, wings when closed reach to within 2""45 of end of tail.

Female. — Length 6"-l, expanse 6"'75, tail from vent 2""6, wings when closed reach to within 2" of end of tail.

Description. — Legs and feet fleshy, or light fleshy brown ; claws dusky ; irides brown, light brown, brownish orange, and deep yellow ; bill blackish or dusky horny, fleshy or greyish at base of lower mandible. Plumage: Whole xipper surface, in- cluding tail and greater and median coverts, tertiaries, and outer webs of primaries and secondaries, rich rufous brown in full plumage, grey-brown more or less tinged or overlaid with rufous in young birds ; tail very distinctly and finely but obsoletely barred, all the feathers except the central ones narrowly tipped with fulvous white, with a more or less dis- tinct penultimate dusky bar; the young birds with a good deal of white on the inner webs of the lateral feathers, which is entirely wanting in adults; lores and a stripe over the eye fulvous white ; ear-coverts, sides of neck and breast, and some of the lesser wing-coverts about the carpal joints a greyish brown, the ear-coverts more or less mottled with fulvous white; lower parts pale fulvous, albescent on the chin and throat and middle of abdomen, tinged on the breast

Mr. D, G. Elliot on Two Genei'a of Paradiseidse. Ill

with grey, more purely buff on lower tail-coverts and wing- lining, and more rufescent on tibial plumes ; inner webs of primaries and secondaries hair-brown. The young birds are much paler and more albescent on the lower surface.

This is a very distinct species, widely spread over the country. I have it from Mount Aboo, Gurhwal, and Kamoah, collected by Dr. King ; from Niher, Mahableshwur, collected by the Rev. H. Bruce; from Naipoor, collected by F. R. Blewitt, Esq.; from Etawah, collected by myself ; and Mr. Brooks tells me he has it from two or three other localities. The birds vary very much in size, the young being considerably smaller than the adults, and the females being always much smaller than the males. Some quite young birds entirely lack the rufescent tinge which is so characteristic of this species, and which, in the newly moulted adult, approaches that of Pydorhis sinensis. The plumage fades much by exposure; and adults just previously to moulting are met with of a dull rufous grey.

I may add that when recently staying with me, Mr. Brooks went very carefully over all these species, comparing them with nearly allied forms. He agrees with me both as to their novelty and in assigning them to the genera under which I have placed them.

XIV. — Desci'iptions of Two Genera of Paradiseidse, with remarks on some of the Species. By D. G. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c.

The species commonly placed by authors in the genus Sericulus, and known to ornithologists as S. aureus, presents so many cha- racters not found in the Regent Bird, that it has seemed to me necessary to acknowledge the generic name Xanthomelus pro- posed for it by Bonaparte (Ann. d. Sc. Nat. ser. iv. Zool. 1854, p. 122; C. R. xxxviii. 1854, p. 538), and to separate it entirely from the species with which it has generally been united. That Sericulus has not been deemed the proper genus for this bird is evident by the way it has been removed by different authors from one genus to another. Thus Linnseus considered it an Oriole, and placed it in his genus Oriolus. Many authors have given it a position in Paradisea among the typical Birds of

K 2

112 Mr. D. G. Elliot on Two Genera 0/ Paradiseidse.

Paradise; and Shaw included it in Lophorina; while the majority of writers retained it in Sericulus.

The genus Xanthomelus may be defined as follows : — Bill — culmen straight at base, curving rapidly towards the tip ; upper mandible broad at base, nostrils open and exposed, feathers of forehead touching their posterior rim ; cutting-edges of lower mandible curving slightly downwards ; the tips of both upper and lower toothed. Head crested ; plumes of the back greatly lengthened, capable of being elevated. The wings of the s])ecimen before me ai'e not quite complete ; but apparently the first and second of the secondaries are equal and longest. The tail is rounded, while that of Sericulus is slightly forked. Feathers loose and soft, only those around the base of the upper mandible being short and velvety like those of the head of Sericulus.

The only known species is

Xanthomelus aureus.

Golden Bird of Paradise, Lath. Gen. Syn. (1782) vol. ii. p. 483.

Oriolus aureus, Linn. Syst, Nat. (1766) vol. i. p. 163. sp. 19; Vieill. Ency. M^th. (1823) vol. ii. p. 695. no. 5 ; Gray, Hand-1. Birds (1869), pt. i. p. 293. sp. 4332.

Pa7-adisea aurea, Lath. Ind. Orn. (1790) vol. ii. p. 195, sp. 11.

Lophorina aurantia, Shaw, Gen. Zool. (1826) vol. xiv. p. 76.

Sericulus aurantiacus, Less. Ois. Parad. (1835) p. 201^ pi. 25, 25 bis, 25 ter.

Sericulus aureus, Bon. Consp. Av. (1850) p. 349. sp. 1.

Xanthomelus aureus, Bp., ut supra ; Gray, Hand-I. pt. i, p. 293.

Hab. New Guinea.

In a paper lately published in the ' Tijdschr. v. de Dierkunde,' Prof. Schlegel described a bird from New Guinea as Sericulus xanthogaster : I have by his permission been able to bring the specimen (together with one of the bird next described) to London, and have carefully examined them. The former does not belong to Sericulus (represented, as now restricted, by S. melinus) — which has the head covered with short upright fea- therslike those of the typical bird of Paradise, but destituteof crest.

Mr. D. G. Elliot un Two Genera 0/ Paradiseidse. 113

The present bird has its closest aflBnity to the Chlamydodera cer- viniventris of Gould, and should be included in that genus. According to Prof. Schlegel the sexes of this species are alike, which is also the case with those of the C. cervineiventris. The specimens appear to be fully adult ; and their sex was ascertained by dissection by Von Rosenberg, who procured them in the interior of New Guinea. Like the majority of the Bower-birds, C. xanthogastra is rather plain-looking, being brown above and bright yellow beneath, destitute even of any nuchal band of bright colours, which some species of the genus possess — re- sembling in this fact, however, C. cerviniventris. The acquisition of a second species of this group of birds is very interesting ; and doubtless, when the unknown wilds of the great island of New Guinea become accessible to scientific explorers, other and more extraordinary new forms will be discovered. The species will therefore be known as

Chlamydodera xanthogastra.

Sericulus xanthogaster, Schleg. Tijdsch. v. d. Dierk. iv. p. 50 (1871).

Hah. New Guinea.

The other species to which I referred above as having been described by Prof. Schlegel in the same paper, was placed by him in the genus Ptilonorhynchus, and named P. inornatus. It, however, differs greatly from the P. violaceus {holosericeus auct.), the only species now representing that genus, in wanting the feathers projecting over the bill and hiding the nostril (one of the principal characters of Ptilonorhynchus) , and also in having a very different structure of feather. The sexes, according to Von Rosenberg, are the same in the colour of their plumage, while those of P. violaceus are widely different. I have therefore regarded it as representing a new generic form, which I propose to call

Amblyornis,

with the following characters —

Bill short, thick, culmen much curved^ gonys nearly straight ; nostrils partly hidden by the feathers of the forehead, which are soft and flexible. A few short bristles project forwards over

114 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplement ai-y Notes

the culmen and nostrils, which last are round, open, and partly exposed. Wings moderate, fourth primary longest. Tail very slightly rounded, composed of ten feathers. Toes slender, middle one nearly as long as the tarsus, outer longer than the inner one.

The only species known is

Amblyornis inornata.

Ptilonorhynchus inornatus, Schleg. Tijdsch. v. d. Dierk. pt. v. p. 51(1871).

Head and iipper part of back rufous brown ; rest of upper parts dark brown. Wings rufous brown ; primaries dark brown. Entire underparts dark buff. Tail dark brown. Bill, feet, and tarsi black. The specimen is marked as a male; but it may possibly be one in immature dress, and the full-plumaged male may have a very different appearance from the one described in this paper ; but that fact the acquisition of additional speci- mens in all stages can alone determine.

Hab. Interior of New Guinea.

XV. — Supplementary Notes to ' The Birds of India.' By T. C. Jerdon, F.L.S., r.Z.S., Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals, Madras.

[Continued from p. 22.] (Plate VII.)

256. Lanius lahtora.

This Shrike is now known to extend to Eastern Africa, L. pallens of Cassin, and L. dealbatus, De Fil., being considered synonyms.

257. Lanius erythronotus.

Mr. Blyth, in his commentary, appears to have accepted my joining his L. caniceps with L. erythronotus ; but Hume and others still consider them distinct; and I am now inclined to agree with them, and place it as another species : —

257 bis. Lanius caniceps, Blyth.

Besides the distinctions pointed out in the text, Hume states

to ' The Birds of India J 115

that in this bird the middle of the abdomen, right down to the vent, is white, while in L. erythronotus the lower portion of the abdomen, and the feathers above the vent, are bright lerruginous.

259. Lanius nigriceps.

Figured by Gray, Gen. Birds, pi. 71.

It appears to be yet doubtful, from Lord Walden's observa- tions (Ibis, 1868, p. 70), whether this bird be the same as Sonnerat^s from the Philippines, and therefore whether the synonym of antiguanus should be added or not. To the Philip- pine bird belong the synonyms of L. nasutus, Scopoli, and L. cephalomelas, Bonap.

Another Shrike from China is L.fuscatus, Lesson [L. luguhris, Temm. apud Hartlaub; L. melanthes, Swinhoe).

260. Lanius hardwtckii. This bird will now stand as Lanius vittatus, Valenc.

The Rufous-tailed Shrikes have been the subject of an excellent memoir by Viscount Walden (Ibis 1867, p. 211). The group has been named Otomela by Bonaparte : all the species have the tail rufous, and no white on the wings.

261. Lanius cuisTATUS, L.

This is the species common in most parts of India; but the synonym of phcenicurus must be withdrawn from it; and the habitat of the Andamans, Ceylon, and Java for L. lucionensis is most likely erroneous. One measured when recently killed 7| inches in length, wing 3|, extent 10|, tail 3i.

263. Lanius arenarius.

In my Appendix (p. 875, of 3rd vol.) I gave this as a doubt- ful species ; but on my first visit to the Upper Provinces I found that it was by no means a doubtful, but a well-marked species. I found it throughout the upper part of the N.W. Provinces and the Punjab, to the exclusion of iy. cristatus. One I killed at Roorkee measured 7\ inches in length, wing 3^, extent 11, tail 3^; another had the tail 3i. The central tail-feathers have a pale band near the tip ; and all the rectrices are broader than in L. cristatus. It is only a cold-weather visitant to India •

116 Dr. T, C. Jerdon's Supplementarij Notes

but Stoliczka found it in Thibet in summer, and also, though rarely, in the Sutlej valley.

262 bis. Lanius isabellinus, Hemprieh and Ehrenberg. Walden, Ibis, 1867, p. 224, pi. v. f. 1. The White- winged Brown Shrike.

This addition to the Indian fauna is a link between the Rufous-tailed and the true Shrikes. It has hitherto, in India, only occurred in Sindh, but will most probably be found to extend into the neighbouring parts of the Punjab. I append a brief description. Head and rump rufous brown, the rest of the upper plumage brown, with a slightly rufous tinge; upper tail-coverts and tail bright rufous ; below, including the under wing-coverts, creamy white; under tail-coverts, pui'e white ; a pale fulvous supercilium, and a black eye-band, which includes the eyes and ear-coverts ; a white alar bar on the 3rd to 9th quills. Of about the size of L. arenarius. Wing 3'87, tail 3-62, tarsus -87.

Lanius tigrinus, Blyth, alluded to by me p. 407, stands now as L. magnirostris, Lesson — L. strigatus, Eyton, and L. waldeni, Swinhoe, being synonymous. L. schwaneri, from Borneo, is very doubtfully distinct.

366. Tephrodornis grisola.

This bird is stated by Blyth to be identical with Hrjlo- terpe philomela of Boie apud Cabanis, and to belong to the genus Pachijcephala as understood by Wallace and Sclater. Tephrodornis gularis, alluded to in the text, does not, it appears, inhabit Malacca, where it is replaced by another species, T. sordidus, Wallace.

267. Hemipus picatus.

I was wrong in confounding the species from Southern India named as above with the Himalayan bird. This last will now take its place as

267 bis. Hemipus capitalis, M'Clelland.

H. picatcolor, Hodgson.

The Brown -backed Pied Shrike.

to ' The Birds of India.' 1 1 7

Dimensions of a Darjeeling specimen : — Length 5| inches, wing 2|, extent 8.

The Himalayan bird is distinctly larger,has a somewhat longer tail, and the back is always sooty-brown in place of the glossy black of the Neelgherry bird. The nest of the Himalayan bird has been noted as made of the hair of horses, cows, or goats; and the eggs, four in number, as being pale sea-green, spotted with rufous brown, and with an indistinct ring.

At page 414, 4th line from the top, after " Bonaparte/^ add " to belong.''

270. Graucalus macei.

This is only found in Northern India. The Southern race will stand now as

270 bis. Graucalus layardi, Blyth, olim G.pusillus,'S\.

The Lesser Cuckoo-Shrike.

This differs from its northern congener in its smaller size, in the lower wing-coverts being strongly barred, in the abdominal bars being fewer and broader, and not present in the fully adult male, and in the outer tail-feathers being only slightly tipped with white. Wing 6 inches, tail 4, these parts in the northern bird being respectively 7 and 5^. This species is found in Southern India and Ceylon ; but I have no information how far it extends through Central India.

Blyth notices that the Malayan G.javensis resembles G. layardi in size, but G. macei in colour. A Ceylon specimen in Lord Waldeu's collection has the wing only 5| inches, and the bill smaller than in specimens from Southern India.

271. Pericrocotus speciosus. Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. ix. pi. 3.

273. Pericrocotus flammeus.

Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. ix. pi. 4.

I have seen an Assam specimen that I could not distinguish from those of Southern India ; and Blyth also says, " Specimens from Assam do not aj)pear to differ ivom flammeus )" so we may add P. p.leyans, M'Clelland, to the synonyms of this species.

118 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

The P. flammeus of Adams, from the N. W. Himalayas, is most probably P. speciosus.

273. Pericrocotfs brevirostris.

In the early part of winter I saw, in Kumaon, large flocks of this bird, 30 to 40 or more, flying about across the valleys ; and it was a very beautiful sight to witness the rich colour glowing in the bright sunshine, and showing more particularly when they turned in their flight.

274. Pericrocotus Solaris.

In my description of the female, the punctuation has been sadly marred. In the place of " Head, dark-ashy black, tinged olive-green beneath, wing-spots, &c.'', read, " Head dark ashy ; back tinged olive-green ; beneath, wing-spots, &c.^^ The bill, moreover, is given as 3 instead of §, and tarsus as 4 instead of f . I omit to notice the extension of this bird to Assam, the Khasia hills, &c.

It is figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. i. pi. 4.

275. Pericrocotus roseus.

Figured by Gould, B. of Asia, pt. ix. pi. 6. This species extends to the Lower Himalayas as far west as Mussooree, and is not rare in some parts of the Dehra Doon.

376. Pericrocotus peregrinus.

Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt.ix.pl. 5. Blyth states that it appears to grade into P. flagrans in the course of its extension in Burmah southwards towards Malacca.

277. Pericrocotus erythropygius.

Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. i. pi. 5.

Blauford procured this species in Nagpore, but is mistaken in saying that it had not previously been observed so far south, as I state that I had procured it as far south as the foot of the Neelgherries.

'D'

278. Dicrurus macrocercus.

As Vieillot^s name was applied to a Malayan bird distinct from our Indian one, this must now stand under Hodgson's name of Buchanga albirictus. Specimens from Southern

to ' The Birds of India.' 1 19

India are decidedly smaller than those from the North, with shorter wings, and generally shorter tail. Those from Ceylon are perhaps still smaller, and Blyth has named them D. minor. If, however, it be considered desirable to recognize the smaller race as distinct, it must stand as Buchanga atra, specimens from Tranquebar having been thus named by Hermann; these specimens, I believe, always have the white rictal spot : the Malayan D. macrocercus resembles this race in size, but wants the rictal mark.

278 bis. DicRURUs longus.

Birds of India, Appendix, p. 871.

This bird chiefly differs from D. alhirictus in wanting the white rictal spot, and has usually, I think, a longer tail. It appears to replace that species in many parts of Lower Bengal, and even in Behar, and occurs throughout Assam and all the districts east of the Burrampootra, nearly though not entirely to the exclusion of Z). alhirictus. The Malayan D. longus is the same as D. macrocercus, V., and therefore quite distinct from our bird; and it becomes a question what name ours ought to bear. Mr. Swinhoe has recently described a Chinese Dicru- rus as D. cathoecus. He asserts that the Chinese bird differs from its Indian ally in being still larger, with longer bill, and much longer wing, and has a rich bronze gloss over its feathers, including its wings and tail. Length of wing 6 inches, tail 6. As to its longer wing, I must dissent entirely ; and if Mr. Swinhoe had looked at my measurements of D. longus, I.e., from Dacca, he would have seen that they quite equalled those of his Chinesebird; and I have killed one with the tail 7inches in length. As I see no other essential distinction, I shall, for the present, distinguish the Indian King-crow without a white rictal spot as Buchanga cathcecus, Swinhoe. As many specimens from different localities in Northern India have the rictal spot greatly reduced in size, and some, indeed, have it barely perceptible, it is probable that the two races pass one into the other, like the allied species of Coracias and Treron.

279. BiCRURUS BALICASSIUS.

The Himalayan bird is distinct from the Malayan species, to

120 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supjilementary Notes

which the name balicassius was applied, and it will therefore retain Hodgson^s name of Buchanga annectans.

280. DiCRURUS LONGICAUDATUS.

It has been asserted that the Himalayan bird generally re- ferred to under this name is distinct from the bird of Southern India ; and the late Mr. Beavan named it D. waldeni, with which the D. himalayanus of Tytler is stated to be identical*. I have recently compared specimens from the Himalayas with others from Southern India, and have been unable to detect any ap- preciable difference. Hodgson^s name o{ pyrrhops is given as a synonym of this bird by Gray and Blyth; and I followed them. This so far appears to be correct, that one drawing of this species in Hodgson's collection is named by him D. pyrrhops ; but there is another, decidedly distinct bird figured by Hodgson under the same name, which will therefore stand as

280 his. Buchanga pyrrhops, Hodgson. The Grey Long- tailed Drongo.

Vicount Walden first discriminated this species. It somewhat resembles in coloration D. cineraceus, Horsfield, being of a mode- rately dark shade of grey, with a distinct metallic shine; and the tail-feathers always show the ashy grey tinge in a marked manner when compared with specimens of D. longicccudatus. The dimensions of one killed at Dacca were as follows : — Length 11 inches, wing 5^, extent 16^, tail 5|.

I am not certain now whether I ever procured this at Darjeeling (having confounded it with D.Iongicaudatus) ; but the specimen I got at Dacca I looked upon as a pale individual of that species, and it was not till Lord Walden had pointed out its distinctions and showed me a similar specimen from the Hima- layas that I fully recognized its claim to specific separation. I found it by no means rare in Dacca, in groves and at the edges of jungle, with a strong and rapid flight, quite similar to that of D. longicaudatm, capturing insects in the air at a considerable distance from its perch. I have little doubt that it will be

* Ibis, 1868, p. 200. Those who consider it distinct may adopt Tytler's name; for Beavan's appellation had been forestalled by Schlegel for a Madagascar Dierurus.

to ' The Birds of India.' 121

found to extend southwards through Chittagong to Arrakau ; and it was probably seeing specimens of this race that caused Blyth to remark that Dicrurus cineraceus, Horsfield, in advan- cing northwards from the Malayan peninsula, appears to grade into D. longicaudatus.

I may here remark that Lord Walden considers Blyth's Z>. intermedins, placed as a synonym of D. longicaudatus, to be a distinct race, from Burmah.

283. Bhringa remifer.

One measured in the flesh was 10^ inches to the end of the central tail-feathers, extent 17, wing 5^. From later observa- tions I am now somewhat doubtful of the lengthened outer rec- trices being a seasonal distinction, as I found the young feathers growing in a specimen shot in October. I have recently com- pared Javan examples with some from Darjeeling, and can find no appreciable difference, except a slightly stouter bill, which might be individual.

284. Edglius paradiseus.

This group is now classed under Dissemurus. Blyth states that it is doubtful if the long-crested bird is found anywhere except in the Subhimalayan region. The Goomsoor bird, and those from the Eastern Ghats, certainly appear to me to be the same, as also those from Assam.

285. Edglius malabaricus.

Gray* has recently named a bird of this group from Malabar Edolius singularis. The type specimens of this bird want the crest ; but they are young birds, and I think, moreover, that they are imperfect as regards the frontal feathers. The narrow part of the lengthened rectrices (which in these speci- mens is very short) has a distinct though very minute web on each side of the shaft. This may either be a mark of nonage in these particular examples, or, more probably (as Lord Walden reminds me), of the process of change which is occasionally found, more or less, in most of the species of this group, and even in E. lophorinus of Ceylon. Viscount Walden has in his

* Haud-list, vol. i. p. 287, descr. uuUa !

132 Dr. T. C. Jerdon^s Supplementary Notes

possession specimens from Malabar with the crest well developed, and with the narrowed portion of the outer tail-feathers having the shaft denuded of web. I have very little doubt that Gray^s bird is the same as my E. malabariciis, and that it was probably from a somewhat similar specimen to those in the British Museum that Sonnerat figured his Grand Gobemouche de la cote de Malabar.

288. TCHITREA PARADISEA.

Stoliczka states that he found this Flycatcher up to a height of 9000 feet in the N.W. Himalayas, I have not seen it higher than about 5000. The nest and eggs have been described by Messrs. Hume and Brooks, and also by Biyth, from Hodgson^s drawings. The nest is deep cup-shaped, made of fine grass and moss with cobwebs outside. The eggs, usually four in number, are buflfy white, with red specks and spots.

290. Myiagra azurea.

It is, I think, exceediugly doubtful if Beavan's M. tytleri, from the Andamans, be distinct, this species having a very ex- tended geographical distribution. Blyth has known a bird of this species take up its residence in a veranda and prey on house-flies and mosquitoes.

291. Leucocerca fuscoventris.

This must now stand as L. albicollis, Vieillot. Dr. Pucheran having examined the types of certain species in the Paris Museum, published the result in the 'Archives du Museum.^ He has there determined the priority of many of Vieillot^s and Cuvier's names to those given subsequently. The four outermost tail-feathers ai-e broadly tipped with white, and the next narrowly so. The nest and eggs are described and figured in Jardine^s ' Contributions to Ornithology.'

292. Leucocerca albofrontata.

This is L. aureola (Vieillot). Blanford found it as far east as Chanda; and Dr. King has it also in his list of birds from Goona. Hume describes the nest a very delicate, small, tumbler- like affair, of fine grass coated with cobwebs ; the eggs, three

to ' The Birds of India.' 123

in number, white, with minute yellowish-brown specks, and few spots of a pale inky hue.

293. Leucocerca pectoralis.

This must stand as L. leucogaster, Cuvier. It is, as I sus- pected, Sykes and Adams's i^AipiWM/'fl /MScoi;e?i/m (vel albicoUis), which does not extend to the west of India. Blanford has lately found this species as far east as Chanda.

294. Chelidorhynx hypoxantha.

One measured in the flesh 4| inches, extent 6|, wing 2\, tail 2|. Bill black above, j^ellow at the base below. The nest and eggs are figured in one of Hodgson's drawings — the latter white, faintly speckled. I am not aware of having anywhere expressed my opinion of the rarity of this bird, as Mr. Hume asserts I have. It is certainly quite common at Darjeeling.

295. Cryptolopha cinereo-capilla.

Swainson's genus Cryptolopha having been founded on his C. auricapiUa = Culicipeta hurkii, this group of Flycatchers must be referred to another genus, which Mr. Swinhoe names Culici- capa^ ; but if Mr. Gray is correct, this term must give place to Myialestes, Cabanis. It has been found recently in China. One measured in the flesh 5 inches in length, extent 8, wing 2|, tail 2i, foot 13.

296. Hemichelidon fuliginosa.

One killed in Kashmir measured in the flesh 4| inches in length, extent 9, wing 2|, tail 2, foot ||. The eyelids and lores are whitish, and the chin and throat are also white, rather than "slightly albescent," with indications of pale mesial stripes, and a streak from the lower mandible. Two thirds and more of the inner webs of all the quills rufescent at the margin, showing conspicuously when in flight. The under wing-coverts also are somewhat rufescent. Stoliczka says that the female is somewhat larger than the male, somewhat rufescent on the chin, and with the tertiaries and larger wing-coverts also tipped with rufescent. He states that he found it more common in the eastward than towards the more western parts of the Himalayas ; but I nowhere

* P. Z. S, 1871, p. 381.

124 Dr. T. C. Jerdon^s Supplementary Notes

found it more abundant than in high valleys in Kashmir, where, like Stoliczka, I saw it chiefly near the tops of high trees, not on the lower branches as I occasionally observed near Darjeeling. Hodgson figured the egg as pale greenish with rufous specks. The birds obtained near Barrackpore by Tytler, alluded to by Blyth in his Commentary, were more probably, I think, Alseonax terricolor. I see that Swinhoe, in his last Catalogue of the Birds of China, puts Hodgson's bird as a synonym of Muscicapu sibirica, Gmelin, and M.fuscedula, Pallas, as suggested by myself.

297. Alseonax latirostris.

Blanford notices that he cannot see the smallest difference Detween specimens of this bird and one sent from Amoy by Swinhoe as Muscicapa cinereo-alba, Temm. & Schl. ; and I see that Swinhoe now adopts this view. I had previously considered it to be more like Alseonax terricolor.

299. Alseqnax ferrugineus.

Hemichelidon rufilata, Swinhoe.

The nest and eggs of this Flycatcher are depicted in one of Hodgson's drawings, the eggs pure buff colour, unspotted.

Butulis griseo-stida, Swinhoe [B. hijpogrammicay Gray and Wallace) is another species of this group, spreading from China in summer to the Moluccas in winter.

301. EUMYIAS MELANOl'S,

Expanse of wing about 10 inches. Hodgson figures the egg as unspotted pinkish white ; Captain Bulger describes the eggs as pale greenish blue, much spotted and blotched with brown ; and Mr. Brooks as fleshy white, clouded and mottled with pale reddish brown at the large end, which is very like my account of them. Lord Walden has recently described a nearly allied bird from Ceylon as £. sordida (perhaps ceijlonensis^, Gray) ; and Gray has given the name of E. sjnlonota* to what is most probably the young bird from the Himalayas.

303. CyORNIS UNICOLORt.

I obtained a single specimen of this rare bird at Darjeeling in

* [These names are given in the Hand-list, p. 320, to supposed new species, but are unaccompanied by descriptions. — Ed.]

t Blytb states that, both from recollection of the bird and my descrip-

to ' The Birds of India.' 125

1869 — but did not notice it when fresh, from its close resem- blance to Eumyias melanops.

304. Cyornis rubeculoides.

Blyth notices that this bird is very near to C elegans, Temm. PI. Col. 596. 1, and suggests their identity. A specimen from Tayboo (Burmah), and another from Ceylon, both in Lord Walden's collection, differ from C. rubeculoides in the deep blue of the throat being divided in the centre by a somewhat conver- ging streak of rufous.

305. Cyornis banyumas.

This will now stand as C. jerdoni, Gray and Blyth, having been found to differ from its Javan prototype, confirming my expressed doubts on the subject.

306. Cyornis tickelli^e.

Blauford found this Flycatcher near Nagpore ; and Hume has it in abundance from Jubbulpore. It appears that the females do not differ from males. Hume has the nest also.

307. Cyornis ruficauda.

The lores and eyelids are whitish. The breast is more albescent in the female than in the male. The extent of wing of one measured in the flesh was 9j inches. I have long since given up the belief in my rufous-breasted Neelgherry bird being this species, and refer it to a young male C. jerdoni, or very old female beginning to assume a blue plumage.

308. Cyornis magnirostris.

Major Godwin-Austen procured a male of this species in the North Cachar hills. It is darkish blue above, brighter over the forehead and eyes ; beneath from chin to breast ferruginous, white on the belly and under tail-coverts. Irides dark brown. Legs pale fleshy. Length 6 inches, wing 3-3, tail 2|, tarsi ^, bill at front |.

tion, tliis appears identical with Miiscicapa cyanopoUa, Boie, from Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. If this be correct, the female, which is Musdcapa in- fwicata, Miiller, is rufous brown above, darker on the crown, and brighter on the tail ; lower parts pure white, except the sides of the breast, which are coloured like the back.

SER. III. vol. II. L

1 26 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

310. MUSCICAPULA SUPERCILIARIS.

Above dull Prussian blue, aud not full as printed. The lores are bluish black. Stoliczka remarks that the white feathers of the lower surface are slaty at their base on the breast and abdo- men.

Erooks says that the female is pale brown above, paler below. One that I procured at Darjeeling (but not in the flesh) had the head and upper part of back olive-brown, changing to pale blue on the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts ; lores pale ; chin and throat fulvous, the rest of the lower parts white, oliva-- ceous ashy on the sides of the breast and flanks. This I at the time considered to be the female; and Stoliczka gives the same account, and says, moreover, that the old female has some blue on the head as well. This last naturalist obtained it as high as 12,000 feet on the Himalayas. I have killed it nearly as high. As to its extension through the plains in the cold season, my type specimen was procured very much further south than either Mr. Hume^s or Mr. Blanford's specimens. This bird is most undoubtedly the M. hemileucura of Hodgson, but not the bird figured under that name in Jardine^s Contributions to Ornitho- logy, which is Siphia leucomelanura of Hodgson. See infr^, p. 128.

311. MUSCICAPULA ASTIGMA*.

I have lately procured what is undoubtedly this species on the highest of the Khasia hills, Shillong Peak.

The male is prussian blue above, and on the sides of the neck and breast ; chin, middle of throat and breast, and all abdominal region pure white.

The female is olivaceous above, slightly rufescent on the fore- head, lores, and round the eye ; the sides of the neck and breast and flanks ashy; the rest of the lower parts white, somewhat more sullied than in the male bird. Bill black ; irides deep brown; legs reddish brown.

Length c? M inches, wing 2|, extent 7|, tail nearly 2, tars. 4«

I found this species in pairs in June at the edge of the wood on Shillong Peak, and saw several couples in different parts of the wood.

* Not cBstigma as hitherto given.

to ' The Birds of India.' 127

Blyth has indicated another blue Flycatcher from Hodgson's drawings as

311 bis. MusciCAPULA ciltaris, Hodgson, apud Blyth.

It very closely resembles the last, having no white on the tail ; the white on the throat appears to be more contracted ; and there is a distinct white supercilium from the front of the eye to the nape. No particular locality is given on the plate.

The other species of blue Flycatclier, noted by Blyth, I. c, as M. leucoschista, is founded on a bad drawing of Erythrosterna maculata, of which, indeed, M. leucoschista, Hodgson, is given as one of the synonyms.

314. NiLTAVA SUNDARA.

Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. ii. pi. 5. I procured this bird on the Khasia hills; Godwin- Austen got it still further east; and it also extends southwards.

315. NiLTAVA MACGREGORIvE.

Figured by Gould, /. c, pt. ii. pi. 6. Extent of wing 7| inches, tarsus y^. The nest is figured by Hodgson in a slight hollow of a tree, and the eggs pinkish white.

316. NiLTAVA GRANDIS,

Figured by Gould, /. c. pi. 4. A female measured in the flesh 8|, extent 12|, wing 4, tail 3^.

The Niltmm leucotis described by Hume (Ibis, 1870, p. 144) is a made-up bird, compounded of the head of a Parus and the body of Niltava sundara. This was only made known to the readers of ' The Ibis ' in October 1871, though I understand that Mr. Hume wrote himself about it more than a year ago.

Gen. Anthipes, p. 477.

Blyth states that Muscicapa solitaria, S. Miiller, from Timor, appears to belong to this genus.

318. SiPHIA TRICOLOR.

Major Godwin-Austen procured at Chattuk, in the Sylhet district, specimens of a bird which I conclude to be Hodgson's species named above. It was found frequenting high grass and reeds near water. Hodgson's figure, amongst his drawings, is very much too brightly coloured.

l2

128 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

319. SiPHIA STROPHIATA.

By a lapsus penna I have made the white of the tail increasing in extent to the outermost feathers, instead oifrom the outermost. StoHczka found this bird in the N.W. Himalayas, in Rupshu, on the banks of the Indus in summer, near Simla only in winter.

320. SiPHIA LEUCOMELANURA.

This is the bird figured in Jardine's ' Contributions '' as Muse, hemileucura, though the eyebrow is given in some of the copies as white in place of " greyish blue." It is much more common in the N.W. Himalayas than at Darjeeling, frequenting open forest at from 5000 to at least 8000 feet. One killed at Mussooree measured in the flesh 4| inches, extent 7\, wing 2|, tail 2g, tarsus |, foot \\. Another had the wing 2^, tail 2j. Stoliczka describes the female, which I have not seen, as olivaceous brown above, tail ferruginous, especially at the base ; chin, throat, and vent white ; breast and abdomen pale olive-brown j under tail- coverts slightly ferruginous.

321. SiPHIA SUPERCILIARIS.

Muscicapa tricolor and M, rupestris, of S. Miiller, are stated by Blyth to be respectively the male and female of this bird.

The female is ashy olive above, rufous beneath, paler on the breast and vent ; superciliaries pale rufous ; wings and tail pale brown, edged with pale rufous. Dimensions of one in the flesh, killed at Darjeeling, length 4| inches, extent 7|, wing 2f, tail If, tarsus I, foot I5.

323. Erythrosterna leucura.

The true E.leucurais the Eastern representative ofE.parva, and difi'ers in the rufous of the under plumage being confined to the chin and throat ; in the next species it spreads over the breast.

One shot on the Khasia hills measured in the flesh — length 5$ inches, extent 8|, wing 2|, tail 2^, tars. |^; bill black, legs dark reddish bi'own. It has hitherto only occurred in India in Bengal and the neighbouring hills.

323 his. Erythrosterna parva.

Saxicola ruheculoides, Sykes, fide Blyth.

This European white-tailed Flycatcher occurs all through

to ' The Birds of India: 129

Southern India, Central India, the N.W. Provinces, and the Punjab, to the exclusion of the last. Blanford, who obtained it near Nagpore with the red well developed in November, doubts if the male ever assumes the female plumage.

324. Erythrosterna pusilla.

The white on the throat of this bird is barely pure as I say in my description ; and I have seen it with the pale tips to the wing- coverts not apparent in spring.

325. Erythrosterna acornaus.

I have also seen this species in spring without any pale wing- band as described, and with a tinge of rufous on the lores, eye- brows, and throat. Dimensions of one killed on the Haji-pir pass leading into Kashmir, in April, in the flesh were as follows: — Length 4f inches, extent 7^, wing 2^, tail If, tars. \, foot |-.

The legs were dingy red. In summer plumage the throat and fore neck become pale rufous, as I have seen in one or two instances, and as figured by Hodgson. The chief distinguishing mark of this Flycatcher from E. pusilla is the ashy-grey tinge of the lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts. Blanford obtained this species at Seoni in Central India; and it therefore probably extends more or less, though sparingly, over peninsular India.

This naturalist states that his specimen was identical with Hodgson's type specimen but does not agree well with my description. In his description the ashy colour of the upper tail- coverts is said to spread more over the back than what I describe ; but I fail to see any essential difference between my description and a specimen now before me. Mr. Hume hazards a guess that this may be the female of E. maculata ; but the female of that bird is figured by Hodgson with the tail quite rufescent, much more resembUng that of E. pusilla ; and both species have the throat and upper breast more or less rufous in summer.

326. Erythosterna maculata.

The female is figured by Hodgson as dull slaty-brown above, white beneath, the tail rufescent, without any trace of white.

This species is stated to extend to Java, and even to Timor. I found it very abundant in Assam.

130 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplement arij Notes

327. Tesia castaneo-coronata. Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. X. pi. 13.

The wings and tail are not so pure green as the back, being mixed with greyish. This bird extends to the N.W. Himalayas, and also to the Khasia hills and North Cachar.

328. Testa cyaniventer. Figured by Gould, B. Asia^ pt. X. pi. 12.

I omit to mention a blackish line from behind the eye along the neck, dividing the green from the ashy-grey. The female has a pale bright green supercilium, contrasting with the darker crown. The lower parts are pale slaty, with the central line some- what albescent.

This species extends to Sylhet. One I lately measured in the flesh was 3| inches long, extent 6, foot 1^.

A third species of this group exists in the Micrura superciliaris, Bonap., from Java.

Gen. Pnoepyga.

Page 488, 14th line from bottom. For " this species" read " the first species," i. e. P. squamata.

329. Pnoepyga squamata.

This bird is by no means rare near Mussooree and other parts of the N.W. Himalayas; and Stoliczka found it as far in the in- terior as Chini, in the Sutlej valley.

330. Pnoepyga pusilla.

Major Godwin-Austen obtained one specimen of this rare bird. In this specimen there is a good deal of white on the lores, cheeks, chin, and throat, and the wing-coverts are distinctly spotted with white.

331. Pnoepyga caudata.

One I got at Darjeeling, in 1868, measured 4g inches in length; extent 6; wing Iff; tarsus |; foot If. Legs livid brown; claws fleshy.

332. Pnoepyga longicaudata.

Major Godwin-Austen procured one specimen of this rare bird at Cherrapoonjee. The feathers of the head and nape only are

to ' The Birds of India.' 131

margined with black ; the wings and tail are dull rufous brown. Length 4| inches, wing 2, tail 2, tarsus -f^, bill (front) ^.

Stoliczka mentions that a species somewhat allied to this occurs in "Western Thibet, but of the same size as P. squamata. The lower plumage is yellowish white, or cinereous.

333. Troglodytes nipalensis. Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. iv. pi. 6.

Length of one in the flesh 3| inches, extent 5|, wing If, tail 1, bill (front) §, tarsus W, foot l^i;-- Legs pale reddish brown.

I found this Wren far more abundant in the N.W. Himalayas than in Sikkim, extending as far as Kashmir. In summer it frequents both forests and rocky hills at from 9000 to 12,000 feet.

338. Brachypteryx cruralis.

One measured in the flesh 5| inches, extent 7\, wing 2^, tail 1|-, tarsus 1|, foot 1^. Legs livid brown. One female was somewhat larger, wing 2f inches, extent 8^. The lower parts pale olivaceous, paler on the belly and vent ; a short concealed white supercilium.

338 bis. Drymochares stellatus, Gould.

Brachypteryx {Drymochares) stellatus, Gould, P. Z, S. 1868, p. 218. Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. xxi.

The Chestnut-backed Shortwing.

Forehead, ear -coverts, breast, chest, and abdomen grey, crossed by numerous narrow wavy lines of black ; at the tip of each of the feathers of the abdomen, flanks, under (and some few of the upper) tail-coverts an irregular arrowhead-shaped mark of white ; lores black ; all the upper surface, wings, and tail chestnut-red ; bill black ; feet brown.

Total length 4^ inches, bill |, wing 2|, tail 2, tarsi 1|.

This very interesting bird was procured by Lieut. Eccles on the frontier of Nepal and Sikkim, at a height of about 10,000 feet. It is possible that Brachypteryx hyperythra, no, 337, mav be the female of this bird.

132 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supjjlementary Notes

339. Callene rufiventris.

Blyth states that the female is brown, with the abdominal patch whitish instead of rufous, " not unlike/' he says, Muscicapa longipes, Garnot, Voy. Coquille, pi. xix. f. 1, assigned, perhaps erroneously, to New Zealand. I had previously, p. 496, stated that this bird appeared, " both from form and coloration, to be a BracJujpteryx."

339 bis. Callene albiventris, Blanford, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 833, pi. 39 J Gould, B. Asia, pt. xx. pi. 16. The White- bellied Short-wing.

I append a short description : — Dusky cyaneous, the chin and lores black ; a bluish white frontal band ; quills and tail- feathers dusky, edged bluish ; the middle of the abdomen white, the sides ashy; bill black; feet dusky; irides brown.

Length 6 inches; wing 3-1; tail 2*6; bill at front 0*5; tarsus 11,

In this species the female is said to resemble the male, but to be only a very little paler, thus differing from the other two species.

The egg is clay -coloured.

340. Callene frontalis.

The female is figured by Hodgson, along with the male, dusky brown above, paler below ; but it is spotted, and is perhaps a young bird. The nest also is figured, domed like a Wren's, and the eggs clay-coloured,

340 bis. Callene hodgsoni. Acrocephalus, apud Moore. Hodgson's Short-wing.

Descr. Brown above, pale below, albescent on the throat and mid belly ; base of tail rufous-tawny.

Dimensions, Wing 2|, tail 3, tarsus 1|. Hab. Nepal.

This is probably the female of some species. Blyth has re- ferred it to Callene.

341. Hodgsonius phcenicurgides,

I obtained this bird in Gulmurg, in Kashmir, in 1867, and

to ' The Birds of India.' 133

sent it to Viscount Walden. I killed one in brushwood on the skirts of a pine-forest, at about 9000 feet elevation, but also saw it at a still greater elevation. I had not previously seen any specimens, except from Darjeeling. Mr. Hume also has recently had specimens sent him from Kashmir.

343. Myiophonus temminckii.

Extent of wing 21 inches. In the cold weather I have found this bird in various localities in the North-western Provinces, viz. near Saharanpore, in the Bijnour district, and also in the Pun- jab. I found its nest near Mussooree, in a hole in a cliff at the very edge of the Batta waterfall. It contained four young ones.

344. Hydrornis nipalensis. Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. i.pl. 2.

The name given to this bird at Darjeeling by the Bhooteeas is Tubia kanring,

345. Pitta bengalensis.

The name adopted by Mr. Elliot, in his valuable monograph of this group, for this species is Brachyurus coronatus, Miiller. Mr. Blanford found black ants in one specimen, white ants in others. He states this in reference to a remark by Wallace that, though called Ant-tlirushes, he had never found that they had eaten ants, but simply Coleoptera.

I omit to mention the beautiful Pitta cyanea, Blyth, from Burmah, figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. i. pi, 3.

347. Hydrobata asiatica.

The bird described by Stoliczka, no. 95 of his list, is certainly the young of this bird, as has been already pointed out by Viscount Walden.

I looked in vain for either of the two other species of Dipper in the higher valleys of Kashmir and the Punjab ; but Dr. Sto- liczka was more fortunate ; for he found Hydrobata cashmirensis in the north of Kashmir, and also high up the valley of the Sutlej.

350. Zoothera monticola.

The tail-feathers are obsoletely barred on their outer webs.

134 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

This bird is very generally found in the N.W. Himalayas, near streams and marshy spots, especially in winter.

Blyth remarks that Zoothera is merely a highly developed Oreocincla, and that Turdulus ivardi and Turdus neelgherriensis have both been named as Zootherce by different authors.

Dr. Stoliczka recognizes Petrocincla castaneocollis, Lesson, mentioned p. 514, from the Himalayas, as a state of plumage of Petrocincla saxatilis of Europe. He obtained it at Dras, in Western Thibet, in September ; and it will therefore hardly enter our limits unless hereafter found elsewhere, which may well happen in winter.

352. Orocetes erythrogastra.

Figured by Gould, Birds of Asia, pt. xv. pi. 11.

The egg is figured by Hodgson, and, says Blyth, resembles that of a Robin. Brooks says that its song is loud, sweet, and varied, hardly inferior to that of Turdus musicus.

353. Orocetes cinclorhynchus.

One measured in the flesh was 7j inches in length, extent 12^, tarsus |-. Bill black, bright yellow at the gape. In summer the back becomes wholly black. Blanford found that it had partaken of ants and Coleoptera ; and I have also observed more recently that insects form its food more generally than fruit.

Brooks describes its song as soft and mellow, and its note of alarm very Chat-like. This excellent observer has noticed a nest which he presumed to be that of this bird, in a hole of an old wall in Kumaon. It was formed of roots, twigs, and grass, and contained four eggs, pale buff or salmon-colour, finely mottled, chiefly at the large end, with very pale reddish brown.

Another species of this genus is Orocetes gularis, Swiuhoc, Ibis, 1863, pi. 3, from China.

355. Geocichla citrina.

This is Turdus albonotatus of Cuvier, fide Pucheran.

Swinhoe notices that the feathers of the rump of Geocichla are spinous. Blanford doubts the olive-coloured specimens being adult females ; but Hume supports the view I had taken.

to ' The Birds of India: 135

Blyth had one in a cage for some time, and remarks that its song is plaintive, mellow, and Robin-like, but little varied. I have frequently seen it caged in the North-west Provinces, where it was called Tinrang ka Kastura, or the Three-coloured Thrush.

356. Geocichla unicolor.

Figured by Gould, B. of Asia, pt. x. pi. 16 {the male only).

One I measured in Kashmir had the wing 5 inches, extent 15|. This is the Blackbird of Kashmir, being very common in the valley in summer, and very generally caged there under the name of Kastura. Stoliczka states that he found it common in Chamba (where I also found it), in Kishtevar, and also in Little Thibet. I accept Mr. Brooks's opinion of its position, and would now remove it to Mend a.

Its nest is stated to be placed on a tree, or occasionally on the side of a rock, and to be formed of moss, lined with grass ; the eggs, four in number, to be greenish-white, blotched and spotted with reddish-brown,

357. TURDULUS WARDI.

This species breeds on the hills in June and July, the nest, according to Hutton, being made of moss, fibres, &c., placed in a rather tall tree, and the eggs closely resembling those of Turdus unicolor.

358. TuRDULUS CARDIS.

The Thrush noticed under the above name in ' The Birds of India ' will, I hope, in future be saved the painful addition of more synonyms ; for it has, since first brought under the notice of naturalists by Blyth, been referred at different times to three previously named species, and has received two names de novo. I shall now give the history of this confusion. Mr. Blyth was the first to describe this bird, which he did as an old male of Turdus unicolor. He afterwards corrected this error, and named it Geocichla dissimilis. I was just going to press with the portion of my 'Birds of India' referriug to this bird, and had placed it as Geocichla dissimilis, when I received ' The Ibis ' for January 1862, in which, at page 92, Blyth writes as follows : — " A bird sent me by Swinhoe as

136 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

Turdus cardis, $ , is my dissimilis." I had neither materials nor time to correct this, and therefore at once adopted this correction. In 1863 Mr. Sclater described a Turdus hortulorum from China, of which Swinhoe writes : — " I believe BIyth's Turdis dissimilis is not the same as the South-China species (i. e. hortulorum) " (with which, however, Swinhoe, in epist., had written me that Blyth had originally identified it); ^'neither surely can it heTurdus cardis, with which Jerdon has confounded it.^' Whether my confusion was owing to Mr. Swinhoe labelling his specimen wrongly, or Blyth mistaking it, I must leave those gentlemen to settle for themselves ; for I have absolved myself, I hope.

At the conclusion of my account of this bird, p. 522, I state that the female (i. e. dissimilis) so much resembles the coloration of Turdus chnjsolaus, Temm. P. C. 537, that, judging from the figure alone, I cannot help suspecting their identity. Blyth, in his Commentary on my 'Birds of India,^ accepted this identi- fication ; and Hume, in his list, privately printed for distribution, adopted it.

To conclude. Major Godwin-Austen got a fine specimen of this bird on the Garrow hills, which Mr. Swinhoe at once identified, unhesitatingly, as T, hortulorum as known to him, and Mr. Blyth and myself agree to be his T. dissimilis ; so that it must hereafter take its place in the system as

358. Geocichla dissimilis. (Plate VII.) The figure (PI. VII.) is taken from Major Godwin-Austen's specimen.

358 his. Geocichla obscura (Gmelin).

Turdus pallens, Pallas.

T. rufulus, Eyton.

T. modestus, Blyth.

T. chrysolaus, Temm. apud God win- Austen.

T. pallidus, Swinhoe.

T. davidianus, Milne-Edwards.

The White-browed Thrush.

Major Godwin-Austen got one specimen of this Thrush at Cherra Poonjee, in November. It had the upper parts olivaceous, darker on the head, with a white supercilium ; quills dusky

Ibis. 18 7 2. PL .VII

J.G-.'KfiulsmarLS lith

IvC&lTHaahait iniD

TURDUS IJISSIMILIS

to ' The Birds of Indian 137

olivaceous ; chin and throat white, with a dark stripe from the base of the lower mandible, becoming faint on the side of the neck; breast, sides, and under wing-coverts pale ferruginous; lower part of breast and belly white.

Bill black above, yellow beneath ; irides dark brown ; legs dusky yellow. Length 9| inches ; extent 14 ; wing 5 ; tail 83 ; tarsus 1^,

Other species of Geocichia not referred to in the text are G. ei-ijthronota, Sclater, from Celebes, and G. layardi, Walden (Ann. N. H. ser. 4, vol. v. p. 416), from Ceylon. My suspicion of the identity of Turdus avensis, Gray, with T. interpres, of Java, is confirmed, by Blyth.

Hume has a new species of Thrush which he calls

Geocichla tricolor. Descr. Whole head, neck, throat, breast, and upper parts dusky blackish slate- colour, almost quite black upon the top of the head, greyer on the back, and browner on the quills and lateral tail-feathers. Wing-lining, lateral portions of upper abdomen, sides and tibial feathers bright orange-ferruginous;

• centre of upper two thirds of abdomen, whole of lower two thirds, vent, flanks, and lower tail-coverts, and. extreme tip of the chin pure white.

Length 8"5, wing 4*6, tail 3"2, bill at front 0*7, tarsus 1*1. Bill yellow; legs and feet llesLy yellow.

From Tipperah.

36L Merula boulboul. Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. xi. pi, 12.

The bill is orange ; legs dingy yellow ; extent of wings 17 inches. Mr. Brooks, a most competent authority on this point, describes the song as " most agreeable, rather more vai'ied than that of the English Blackbird, and in a higher key.^' This Blackbird visits the plains of India to some considerable distance from the hills in winter.

361 bis. Merula vulgaris ?.

I obtained a young Blackbird, one of a party of six, near Gul- murg, at a height of above 12,000 feet, in July. It measured

138 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes.

11 inches in length, 18 in extent, wing 6, tail 5^, tarsus 1|, bill from front f .

At the time, 1 considered it to be a young Merula vulgaris ; and I saw in Ladak many presumed to be the same. My spe- cimen is now in Lord Walden's collection.

Mr. Adams says that M. vulcjaris is a common cage-bird in the Punjab, brought probably from Afghanistan.

362. Merula albocincta and (363) M. castanea. Figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. xi. pis. 10 and 11.

It appears from specimens recently collected, of which Col. Tytler has a large series, that these supposed two species must really merge into one. Under what circumstances of age or season this change takes place must be determined by future observers. Blyth states it as his opinion that " they must be looked at rather as parallel phases than as indicative of age." This bird is much more common in the N.W. Himalayas than in Sikkim, and it extends to Kashmir.

Merula alhiceps, Swinhoe, from Formosa, is a somewhat allied species.

364. Planesticus ruficollis.

The reference to Gould, B. Asia, should be pt. iv. pi. 16. Speke observed large flocks of this Thrush in Lahoul, in May and June, close to the snows, where there were no trees near.

365. Planesticus atrogularis.

This is still considered by some to be the same species as the last, some individuals having the tail more or less rufous.

Merula leucogaster, alluded to p. 527, from Munnipore, Blyth now looks on as an old highly coloured Turdus atrogularis.

This Thrush is very abundant in the cold weather in the N.W. Provinces. It has recently been killed in England.

366. Planesticus fuscatus. Figured by Gould B. Asia, pt. iv. pi. 15.

368. Turdus hodgsoni.

On looking over a series of specimens of Missel-Thrushes, Himalayan and English, with Canon Tristram last September, 1 fully recognized their perfect identity ; and Sharpe and Dresser

Capt. F. W. Hutton on the Flight of Birds. 139

have also, after a still more complete examination, come to the same conclusion; so this species must stand in the ' Birds of ' India' as Turdus viscivorus.

It is interesting to note that the Kashmir name of this Thrush is Eili-kau or Eili-chettar, meaning Mistle-crow and Mistle- eater. One I killed in Gulraurg measured 11 inches in length, 18| in extent of wing. It breeds abundantly both in Kashmir and in the Sutlej valley.

370. Oreocincla mollissima.

This Thrush also extends to Kashmir, and has, indeed, been sent from Moupin by Pere David.

The feathers of the rump in this species are distinctly spinous.

371. Oreocincla dauma.

One killed at Darjeeling measured in the flesh 10| inches in length, extent 17|, wing 53., tail nearly 4, tarsus 1|, foot 2.

A very closely allied bird from Formosa, stated to be larger and somewhat paler, was named O. hancii by Svvinhoe, but is now considered by him identical.

372. Oreocincla neelgherriensis.

The Zoothera imbricata of Layard, from Ceylon, turns out to be the same as this bird.

[To be continued.]

UNI.— On the Flight of Birds. By Captain F. W. Hutton, C. M. Z. S.

The mechanism of flight has lately been very fully and ably discussed both in England and on the continent of Europe; but considerable obscurity seems still to exist as to the actual move- ment of the wings of birds when flying.

Mr. Macgiliivray (' British Birds.' vol. i. p. 43) says that the efi'ective stroke of the wing is delivered downward and backward, and that the resistance of the air bends upward the tips of the feather and in this way gives a forward impulse to the bird. The opinion of the Duke of Argyll appears to be the same {' Reign of Law,' p. 142 &c.) ; but he says (more correctly, I think) that the stroke is delivered directly downward. The experiments of Dr. Pettigrew, however, on sparrows with cut

140 Capt. F. W. Hutton on the Flight of Birds.

wiugs^ show that progi-ession is not obtained by the uplift- ing of the free ends of the feathers ; for their flight was apparently in no way impaired when the free ends of the feathers were cut off.

Dr. Pettigrew, in his admirable paper on the subject (Trans. Linn. Soc. xxvi.), asserts that the effective stroke is downward and forward, and that by a peculiar twisting or screwing motion of the wing (which I am bound to confess I do not quite understand) the air is forced to escape near the root of the pinion, between the secondary and the tertiary feathers, in a downward and backward direction, and that the reaction thus produced supports the bird and drives it forward. Dr. Pettigrew^s own experiments, however, hardly support his theory ; for both No. 12 and No. 13 (p. 220) show that the feathers forming the funnel by which the air is supposed to escape, are not necessary for flight, while No. 18 proves that, although the secondaries may be complete, flight is prevented by cutting off the ends of the primaries ; that is to say, his experiments show that flight in reality depends principally upon the primary feathers, while his theory makes it depend principally upon the secondary ones. Both Dr. Pettigrew and Mv. MacgiUivray consider that the wing is extended during the down-stroke, and more or less folded during the up-stroke; and Dr. Pettigrew and the Duke of Argyll agree that the wings during progression describe a "wave- track," or undulating line in the air. But the ingenious ex- periments of Prof. Marey (Ibis, April 1870) appear to show that during the down-stroke the wing moves first slightly forward, then more and more backward — and in the up-stroke, at first backward and then forward into its original place again, thus describing, during progression, a cycloidal curve in the air ; also that during the greater part of the down-stroke the wing, by turning on its axis, slopes forward and downward, while during the up-stroke it slopes forward and upward — thus being, on this point, quite opposed to Dr. Pettigrew, who states distinctly (p. 255) that during the down-stroke no depression of the anterior margin and elevation of the posterior one takes place. Under these circumstances a few observations that I have made on the motion of the wings of the Sea-gull during

Capt. F. W. Hutton on the Fl'ujht of Birds. 141

flight may perhaps prove of interest ; for I think that they will reconcile many of these discrepancies, as well as explain all the anomalies observed by Dr. Pettigrew in his experiments with sparrows, and at the same time will supply a theory of flight much simpler than any of those hitherto proposed. My observa- tions were made on the Black-backed Gull of the southern hemisphere {Larus dominicanus) ; but doubtless they will apply to all other Gulls, and probably even to all other birds.

No better opportunity occurs of observing the movements of the wings of a living bird in a free state than when on board a steamer steaming head to wind, and surrounded by a flock of Gulls. The Sea-gull is a bird that moves its wings so slowly that their movements can be followed by the eye ; and under the conditions just mentioned they can be seen in all positions, either vertically or horizontally, the bird apparently remaining stationary for several minutes together, although in reality flying just as fast as the steamer is going. When a Gull is viewed from the side, it is easily seen that the stroke of the wing, from the shoulder, is vertically up and down, or very nearly so ; and when observed directly over head, it is still more easily seen that, at each downward stroke, the primary feathers from the carpal or wrist-joint are moved backward, slightly closing the wing, but without any perceptible bending of the elbow-joint. I cannot, of course, say exactly at what time the backward stroke begins, only that it is principally delivered during the downward stroke, which agrees fai^^-ly enough with Prof. Marey^s experi- ments, which show that the back-stroke commences soon after the down-stroke has begun, and finishes soon after the up- stroke has begun. The mechanical principles here employed are obvious. The support of the bird in the air is partly ob- tained by the concave under surface of the wing off"ering more resistance to the air during the downward stroke than the convex upper surface does during the upward stroke. The rise of the bird during the down-stroke, and its fall during the up- stroke are quite perceptible when viewed horizontally ; its flight, however, would be nothing more than a series of tremendous jerks upward and downward, which, even with immense exer- tion, would hardly raise it in the air, if it were not that by far

SER. III. VOL. II. M

142 Capt. F. W. Hutton on the Flight of Birds.

the greater part of its support is derived from its forward pro- gress, as I have already explained when describing the sailing flight of the Albatros (Phil. Mag., Aug. 1869). This forward progress is obtained by the backward stroke, or rowing motion, of the primaries from the carpal joint, which, combined with the downward movement, makes the feathers press on the air in a downward and backward direction. While, therefore, the move- ment of the main part of the wing from the shoulder is vertical, the tips, by having also a horizontal movement, do not describe an undulating line in the air, but a cycloidal curve, thus con- firming the experiments of Prof. Marey.

No twisting of the wing on its axis is perceptible by the eye ; but such a movement pi'obably takes place ; for the anatomical investigations of Dr. Pettigrew show that " during flexion the anterior margin is slightly directed downwards, and in extension decidedly directed upwards^' (/. c. p. 241). It is, I think, the erroneous idea that flexion must occur during the up-stroke that has led Dr. Pettigrew astray in his theory of the flight of birds. A moment^s consideration will show that it is during the up-stroke, which must tend to depress the bird, that the largest surface of wing is required to take advantage of the progressive movement obtained by the down-stroke, and so, by acting like a kite, prevent the bird from falling. If the flexion of the wing during the down-stroke be allowed, and this I have distinctly seen, the descrepancy in the description of the movement of the wings by Dr. Pettigrew and Prof. Marey, which I have already pointed out, disappears.

Dr. Pettigrew's experiments, Nos. 14 and 18, show that when the primary feathers, or the tips of the wings, are much shortened, flight is stopped, or much impeded in birds, but not in insects, the reason of this difi'erence being that the latter cannot bend their wings, but obtain forward progression in quite a diff'erent manner to birds. Experiments Nos. 12 and 13 show that if the primaries are left entire, or nearly so, flight is but little impaired, although the greater part of the other feathers may be cut off. This is because the primaries are the portion of the wing by which progression is obtained, and it is progression that principaay supports the bird; for without progression, either

Capt. F. W. Hutton on the Flight of Birds. 143

upward or onward, no bird can remain in the air. The same principle also explains why flight is nearly perfect when the tip of one wing only is cut oflf; for enough still remains for pro- gression, and although the impulse must be greater on one side than on the other, still the bird can easily correct this when progression is once obtained. Experiment No. 19, however, which shows that when the carpal joints are rendered immove- able flight is entirely prevented, although the wings in all other respects are perfect, goes far, I think, to prove the correctness of the views here advanced ; and if another experiment should be made in which the elbow-joints were fixed, while the carpal joints were quite free, and the action of the muscles unimpeded, and the bird then found to fly with ease, all doubts on the subject would, I think, disappear.

Wellington, New Zealand, October 16th, 1871.

P.S. — Since the above was written I have had the pleasure of reading Prof. Marey's valuable and clearly written lectures " On the Phenomena of Flight in the Animal Kingdom," translated for the Smithsonian Institution ('Smithsonian Reports,' 1869). It will be seen that the results of M. IMarey's experiments are fully borne out by my observations on the Sea-gull in its natural state, the only point on which I diflfer from him being the way in which progression is obtained ; and his opinion in this case, is not derived from experiment, but from theoretical considerations only, while mine is from direct observation. If. in M. Marey's theory, the backward stroke of the primary feathers be substituted for the uplifting of the posterior margin of the wing by the resistance of the air, I believe that the true principles in the flight of birds will be thoroughly understood, the only thing remaining to be done being to obtain experi- mentally formulae for the resistance of the air to the front and under surfaces of birds when the wings are fully expanded, as ni sailing flight.

M 3

144 Dr. 0. Finsch on tivo Species of Charadrius.

XVII. — On Charadrius asiaticus and Ch. damarensis. By Dr. 0. Finsch.

Through a dear friend of mine, Paul Conrad, Captain of the Bremen barque * Herzog Ernst/ I received a pair of Red-breasted Plovers collected by him during his stay at Saigon, in Cochin- china. Both specimens were shot on the 11th of April, 1870, and proved, on dissection, to be male and female. The male is in full nuptial dress, and agrees exactly with the plate of Chara- drius caspius of Pallas (Zoogr.), as the celebrated author re- named the species formerly described by him as Ch. asiaticus.

Mr. J. E. Harting has given a full account of this species in his excellent article " On rare or little-known LimicolcB " (Ibis, 1870, p. 201), and shown that these are two allied species which have been hitherto nearly always confounded. In com- paring the specimens from Saigon with others from Australia and Damaraland, as well as with the figures and descriptions published on this species, I find that Mr. Harting is quite right with respect to the specific distinctness of the two ; but his synonymy requires rectifi.cation. The smaller one, called by him Eudromias asiaticus (pi. v.), must stand as Ch. damarensis, Strickl. ; whereas the larger kind, Eu. veredus, Gould (pi. vi.), is the true

Charadrius asiaticus. Pall.

Charadrius asiaticus, Pall. Reise, ii. p. 715 (1773).

Asiatic Plover, Lath. Syn. iii. (1785) p. 207 (ex Pall.).; Bechst. Lath. Uebersicht, iii. (1796) p. 181.

Charadrius asiaticus, Gmel. S. N. ii. (1788) p. 684 (ex Pall.).

C.jugularis, Wagl. Syst. Av. (1827) sp. 39 (ex Pall.).

C. caspius, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso-As. ii. (1831) p. 136, pi. 58 ( = asiaticus) .

C. asiaticus, Bias, in Nachtr. zu Naum'. vol. xiii. (1860) p. 225, t. 386. f. 1 (ad.) .

C. veredus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1848, p. 38; id. B. Austr. vi. pi. 14.

Cirrepidesmus asiaticus, Gould, Handb. B. Austr. ii. (1865) p. 229 {= veredus).

Charadrius asiaticus, Schleg. Mus. P. B. Cursores (1865), p. 38 (sol. spec. no. 5).

Dr. 0. Finsch on two Species of Charadrius. 145

Eudi'omias veredus, Harting, Ibis, 1870, p. 209, t. vi.

Although Pallas gives no measurements, there can be no doubt that he had before him the larger species, which Mr. Gould afterwards named Ch. veredus from young specimens pro- cured in Australia.

Captain Conrad's male specimen from Saigon agrees, as already stated, in every detail with Pallas's description and figure. As in the representation of the latter, the forehead, a broad stripe above the eye to the temporal region, the sides of head, the chin, and throat are white ; the jugulum is covered by a broad cinnamon-rufous cross band, edged below by a narrow black line ; and the legs and toes are ochreous yellow [" Ros- trum pedesque ut in Hiaticula," Pall.), as represented also in the plates published by the late Prof. Blasius and Mr. Harting. The former naturalist includes Ch. asiaticus m ' Naumau's Vogel Deutschlands,' a specimen having been obtained in Heligoland by Mr. Gatke ; but without a comparison of this specimen it will be difficult to decide to which species it belongs. Prof. Blasius describes : " die grossen Schwungfedern von der 6 ten an mit weissem Flecke an der Aussenfahne," which is not observable in Ch. asiaticus, but in the smaller Ch. damarensis, which has a white basal patch on the outer web of the 7-1 1th remiges. Ap- parently some mistake must have occurred in this description ; but the iigure certainly is that of the true Ch. asiaticus. In those given by Mr. Harting the eye-stripe is not pure white, but washed with pale buff, showing that the bird had not yet attained its full plumage.

The female from Saigon has the front, eye-stripe, the sides of the head and neck, forming a collar round the nape (which is much paler and inclining to whitish in the male), the throat and breast rufescent, darker on the posterior parts, and paler on the chin. Otherwise it resembles the male, and would as- sume a similar dress, as there are some moulting, though still hidden feathers on the jugulum which are as dark rufous as in the male.

A specimen in winter plumage from North-eastern Aus- tralia (Lake Elphinstone) resembles the young as described by Mr. Harting (p. 210) ; but the pale buff colour on the

146 Dr. 0. Finsch on two Species of Charadrius.

sides of the neck does not extend round the neck, showing that the rufous collar is not an invariable characteristic of this species.

Charadrius DAMARENSis, Strickl.; Contrib. toOrnith. 1852, p. 158.

C/i. asiaticus, Schleg. Mus. P. B. Cursor, p. 38 (excl. spec. no. 5).

Eudromias asiaticus, Harting (nee Pall.), Ibis, 1870, p. 203 (excl. syn.), t. v.

I have not seen the male of this species in full plumage, and must therefore refer to the excellent figure given by Mr. Harting; but I have examined three specimens in winter dress from Da- maralaud, collected by the late Mr. Audersson.

A male, shot at Otjimbinque on the 15th of December 1864, agrees exactly in coloration with the Australian specimen of Ch. asiaticus in winter plumage ; on the jugulum there are still some hidden rufous feathers, which are the remains of the summer plumage.

Two females from the same locality are very similar. In one, shot in Febi'uary, the brown feathers on the upper parts are de- cidedly pale-margined, forming a collar round the nape ; the front, eye-stripe, sides of the head, the chin and throat are buff- coloured. This specimen agrees very closely with the female of Ch. asiaticus from Saigon.

It is therefore not always easy, at least in the immature and winter plumages, to distinguish Ch. asiaticus and damarensis by the plumage only ; but the measurements will invariably show the difference, as will be seen by the following Table (in French mea- surements, vide ' Vogel Ostafrika's ').

Long. al. caud. rostr .a front. tars. tib. nud. dig.med.

6" 3'" 25'" 10'" 21'" 8'" Q'" asiaticus (S. Saigon.

6 2 26 9^ 20 10 8a „ ?

6 2 25 10 21 9| 9 „ Australia.

6 2 27 10^ 20 S" 9J „ (ap. Blasius).

6 6 25i \^ 24 , (trrerfw.sap. Gould).

6 0 29 9" 19 8 8 „ (No. 5.Leid.Mus.)

5 6 24 9 18 9 s ^ damarensis $ . Daniaraland.

5" 2"'- 5" 5" 28 8i-9 16-17 7^ 7-S „ (asmffcKs, ap. Schl.

DOS. 1-4)

Mr. 0/ Salvin on the Genus Geothlypis. 147

The distinguishing characters for the two species would there- fore stand, after my experience : —

Ch. asiaticus. Ch. damarensis.

Larger ; wings and tarsus always longer.

Legs and toes yellowish.

Axillaries like the under wing-coverts,

earth-brown. Eemiges without white.

Smaller.

Legs and toes blackish. Axillaries white.

Outer web of the 7-1 1 reraiges with a white basal patch.

XVIII. — Remarks on the Mniotiltine Genus Geothlypis. By OsBERT Salvin, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c.

Some months ago our collector in Veragua, Enrique Arce, sent us a single specimen of a Geothlypis, from the slopes of the Volcano of Chiriqui, which has perplexed me not a little. In endeavouring to. form a just view as to its proper position, my observations have ranged over nearly every recognized member of the genus, specimens of all but one of which are before me, furnished by Mr. Godman's and my own collection and by that of Mr. Sclater*.

The latest published account of this genus is contained in Prof. Baird's ' Review of American Birds,^ p. 219 et seqq. From this work it might be gathered that, so far as Geothlypis cequi- noctialis was concerned, and its closely allied races, the whole ot tropical America was occupied by one or other of them, and that it was hardly probable that other races of the same form yet re- mained to be discovered. The receipt of the specimen above referred to shows us that our information was still incomplete.

One or other of the races of G. eequinoctialis is included in each of the large faunas of South America. Thus in Brazil we find G. velataf ; in Guiana, Trinidad and Venezuela, and the U. S. of Columbia we have G. (Bquinoctialis ; and in Central

* The only species I have not seen is Geothlypis rostratis, Bryant, from Nassau, Bahama Is. (Proc. Boston Soc. N. H. xi. p. 67 (1866). Its nearest ally is said to be G. trichas ; but as I have had no opportunity of examin- ing specimens, I omit further mention of it in the present paper. It would appear to be resident in Nassau.

t The synonymy of all the species here mentioned is so fully investi- gated in Prof. Baird's work already quoted that it would be superfluous to re traverse this part of the subject.

148 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Geothlypis,

America G. poliocephala. We now find that, in addition to these, another race exists in Chiriqui, which is almost as distinct from the others as they are from one another.

An examination of an extensive series of the better-known races just mentioned shows that they possess, as pointed out by Baii'd, distinguishable characters ; and this I take to be sufficient justifi- cation for separating them under different names. Our Chiriqui specimen is unfortunately unique ; but the relationship it bears to the other races of the same stock is such that it cannot well be classed with any of them without involving the removal of the barriers which have reasonably been shown to exist between them. In other words, we should have to call G. velata, and perhaps also G. poliocephala, "varieties" of G. aquinoctialis ; and this I am not prepared to do, seeing that the variation is associated with a law of geographical distribution, and therefore indicates some- thing in advance of individual variation, to which alone, in my opinion, the term "variety" can properly be applied. Then, too, the fact of the Chiriqui bird being somewhat more closely related to the Brazilian race than to any of the othei's, singular as it may at first sight seem, is in strict conformity with other instances of a similar distribution in other allied forms, not only of birds, but also of other animals. The science of geographical distribution demands that all such cases should receive close investigation.

Our single specimen, which I propose to call Geothlypis CHiRiQUENSis, is a male in adult plumage, and differs from an equally adult example of the same sex, from Costa Rica, which I have attributed to G. poliocephala, Baird, /. c* (cf. Ibis, 1870, p. 114). In this last-mentioned bird the whole hind parts of the head and nape are ashy, the black of the loral region extending in a narrow line over the forehead and under the orbit as far as its posterior margin. The ear-coverts are ashy, and the flanks tinged with ochraceous brown. In the Chiriqui bird the ash- colour of the head is more restricted, and does not extend over

* Baird described this species from a Mazatlan skin, and states that a Guatemalan skin I sent him differed somewhat, and especially in the former having white eyelids. In the specimens we possess the eyelids are not white ; but some have a few white feathers ; so that it is probable that the character is not a stable one.

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Geothlypis. 149

the nape ; a broad black band passes over the forehead and em- braces the entire orbit as well as the ear-coverts ; the flanks are olivaceous.

From this comparison it will be seen that this new race does not belong to that found in Costa Rica. It bears a closer rela- tionship to the two races found in South America, of which G. cequinoctialis comes nearest in point of locality, but not of affin- ity. From this it differs not only in the greater bi'eadth of the frontal band, but also in having the olive-colour of the back sepa- rated from the orbit by the downward extension of the slate- colour of the occiput. In this latter respect it resembles G. velata, but has the frontal band considerably broader than in that race. Though I describe these features from a single specimen, I have abundant means of judging of the stability of the distinctions as- signed to the allied races, and hence infer that additional ex- amples will prove that the Chiriqui bird will carry equally stable characters.

The following Table will give some idea how the different forms of this genus stand related to each other, the divisions being in- tended to show the degree of affinity they bear to one another.

A. gula flava.

a. pileo siimmo albo.

a', abdomine albicante 1. trichas.

b'. abdomine flavo 2. melanops *.

h. pileo summo nigxc.

c'. rostro nigro, abdomine ochrascente . . .3. speciosa.

d'. rostro inf. llavicante, abd. Isete flavo . . 4. semiplava. c. pileo summo cinerascente.

e'. regione parotica anteriore nigra 5. ^quinoctialis.

a", regione postoculari olivacea .... a. cequinoctialis. h". regione postoculari cinerea.

a"', fronte late nigra /3. chiriqtiensis.

b'". fronte anguste nigra y. velata.

f. regione parotica omnino cinerea. .... 6. poliocephai.a.

B. gula cinerea.

g'. ciliis uigris 7. Philadelphia.

h'. ciliis albis 8. MAcaiLLrvRAYi.

* A female of tbis species has recently come into our possession. It may easily be distinguished from the corresponding sex of G. trichas by the following characters. Like the male it is larger and the feet and legs

150 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Geothlypis.

I have already shown that though G. velata and G. chiriquen- sis are more nearly related to one another than they are to G. cequinoctialis, the latter intercepts their range. The following hypothetical explanation of this fact in geographical distribution seems admissible.

Anterior to the union of Guiana with the mainland of South America the ancestral race of the present Geothlypis velata and G, chiriquensis held territorial sway from Brazil to Veragua, or, perhaps, if Central America was then cut by channels, to the ex- treme northern limit of the spurs of the Andes. At that time the ancestors of G. aequinoctialis were restricted to the island of Guiana. When the union of this latter tract of covintry with the continent took place, G. cequinoctialis began to spread over the valley of the Amazon, and westward through Venezuela and Co- lumbia, driving the contemporary form of G. velata southwards into Brazil, and forcing a small detached remnant northwards into the recesses of the remote volcano of Chiriqui. Isolated from its parent stock and incapable of stemming the tide of in- vasion by an antagonistic race, this small remnant was prevented from spreading over Central America by the contemporary form of G. poliocephala, which then occupied Costa Rica and held its own against pressure from the south. Thus hemmed in, it found at last a resting-place in Chiriqui, where alone it has survived, and where it gradually assumed the features which now distin- guish it.

G. aquinoctialis and its allies appear to be residents in the countries in which they are found. G. semiflava, G. speciosa, and G. melanops are also residents, the first in western Ecuador and the last two in Mexico.

There remain three migratory species, whose lines of migration as well as the southern limit of their wandering I now proceed to show.

Geothlypis trichas, of which the summer range spreads over the

stronger; tlie upper plumage is not so briglit, being more tinged with ochre ; the under plumage is more uniform in colour, the throat being of not so bright a yellow, and the colour of the abdomen more ochraceous in tint.

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Geothlypis. 151

whole of the United States, passes southward in winter to some of theWest-Tndia Islands, and even touches Bermuda on passage. It spreads over Mexico and Guatemala, being extremely common from autumn to spring in the latter country. It would appear to occur but sparingly in Costa Rica, as Mr. Lawrence in his list of the birds of that country has to quote an instance, recorded by Cabanis, for its appearance there. We now trace it to Chi- riqui ; and a single specimen lately received from there gives the most southern point on record touched in the winter migration of this species.

The two grey-throated species of the northern continent are also migrants. G. Philadelphia of the Eastern States never, to my knowledge, occux's as a winter visitant at any point of Central America north of Costa Rica*. There appears to be no re- cord of its occurrence in winter in any of the West-India Islands ; so that it must perform its migration at one flight from the Southern States to Costa Rica, Veragua, and the U. S. of Columbia, from all of which places we possess skins.

Costa Rica, the most western of these places, lies nearly due south of the peninsula of Florida, and is distant about twelve hundred miles. I doubt, however, if G. Philadelphia flies in a due southerly direction, as the trade- wind would almost inevitably carry it to the westward, and hence to Yucatan ; and if to Yucatan, we should find the species in Guatemala, which we do not. It seems more probable that the birds start with a south-easterly course and make someway to windward before being carried by the trades to the South American coast. When arriving there their course would be south-westerly; and thus we see how the promon- tories of Yucatan and Honduras are missed, and the highlands of Costa Rica are the first land touched. It is also worthy of note that, if the birds travel at the usually computed rate of about J 00 miles in three hours, the time occupied in the journey would be 36 hours, or, if they start at night, two nights and a day. It will also be seen that, both in the northward and

* I have examined the specimens from Mexico called G. Philadelphia by Sclater (Cat. Am. B. p. 27), and find that they really belong to G. macgilUvrayi. The skins are in bad condition, and the eye-lids injured and discoloured ; but 1 am satisfied that they belon<: to the western form.

152 Mr. Elliott Coues on the History of

southward migration, the Island of Cuba would be crossed at the night.

Geothbjpis macgillim^ayi in summer occupies the Middle and Western states ; and its migration in winter would appear to in- volve no long sea-flight like that of its eastern neighbour. In winter it spreads over Mexico and Guatemala, and thence to Costa Rica, and as far southward as Chiriqui. Here, however, it seems to stop, and does not pass onwards into the southern continent. From this it will be seen that individuals of the two species are found together during the winter months in Costa Rica, but only within the small territory of that republic. On the return of spring the one would prepare for its long flight over the sea, the other to follow the Cordillera northwards, towards their respective summer abodes.

The migration of G. philadelphia is not without parallel amongst the birds of the Eastern States. The line of migration of Dendrceca castanea is almost identical ; for though its occur- rence has been noted in Guatemala, I never obtained a specimen ; at Panama, hov/ever, it is by no means rare in winter. Dendrceca c(Erulea, too, takes a similar line ; but individuals seem occasion- ally to touch at Cuba, and some (if the specimens cited by Baird have the localities correctly marked) find their way to Guatemala.

These, and others that might be quoted, seldom touch on the West Indies in their flight, but pass onwards for more southern lands to find their winter homes.

XIX. Contribution to the History of the Blue Crow of America. By Elliott Coues, M.A., M.D., Ph.D., etc.

Gymnokitta* cvanocephala.

Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus, Maxim. Reise, 1841, ii. 21 (French ed. iii. 296; English ed., 287, 297).

Gymokitta cyanocephala, Bp. Consp. Av. 1850, i. 382; Cass. 111. B. Cat. & Tex. 1854, 165, pi. 28; Newberry, Pac. R. R.

* Gymnorhinus, Maxim., 1841, if sufficiently distinct from Gymnorhina, Gray, 1840 ; if the diiference in termination be not enoiigli, then Cyano- cepliahis, Bp., 1842 ; but if preoccupation in botany precludes, then, failing both these names, Gymnokitta.

the Blue Crow of America. 153

Rep. vi. pt. iv. 1857, 83 ; Baird, ibid. ix. 1858, 574 ; Kennerly, ibid. X. 1859, Birds, 32 ; Coues, Pr. A. N. S. Phil. 1866, 91 j Cooper, B. Cal. 1871, 292.

Psilorhinus cyanocephalus, Gray.

Nucifraga [Gymnokitta) cyanocephala, Gray, Hand-list, ii. 1870, 10.

Cyanocorax cassini, McCall, Pr. A. N. S. Phil. v. 1851, 216. " Cymioceplialus wiedi, Bp." Gray, H.-list, ii. p. 10*. Generically distinguished by the combination of an ordinary corvine form (pointed wing longer than nearly even tail, and tarsus longer than medius digit) with the usual garruline colour (blue), one character uncommon in either subfamily (complete nakedness of nostrils), and a particular shape of bill (nearly as in certain Icteridse) ; standing next to Picicorvus, related by this and by Nucifraga to the true Crows, and to the Jays by Psilo- rhinus.

Dull blue, nearly uniform, but much brighter on the head,

paler on the abdomen ; chin and throat streaked with whitish ;

remiges internally fuscous ; bill and feet black ; iris brown.

c?, 11-12 inches long; extent of wings 16-5-19'5 ; wing

5'5-6*0; tail 4-0-4*5 ; bill (along culmen) about 1*33; tarsus

(in front) about 1-66; medius digit (with claw) about 1'33.

S similar, but usually duller in colour, and smaller; length

10'5-11'5 ; extent 15-17, &c. Newly fledged birds are

commonly smaller still, and show little blue, being mostly

dusky grey. Independently of seasonal, sexual, or other definite

conditions, there is a great difference in the purity and intensity

of the blue ; that of the head is sometimes sharply contrasted

with the paler shade of the back, and sometimes fades insensibly

into the latter. The whitish gular streaks are sometimes faintly

indicated ; sometimes they are very strong, and even extend on

the breast. The abdomen is frequently greyish white, with

barely a shade of blue. The remiges wear from fuscous to grey.

This rather remarkable type appears to have been first noticed

in 1841 ; and the brief synonymy it has since acquired results

more from different interpretation of rules of nomenclature than

* [At Dr. Coues's request we have searched for this reference, but in vain. Mr. Gray gives its date as 1842. — Ed.]

154 Mr. Elliott Coues on the History of

from conflicting views of its systematic position. To our opinion upon this latter point, already expressed, we have only to add that we hold the bird to be sui generis, while conceding its close relationships to neighbouring forms. So far as we know, only two nominal species have hitherto been instituted at its expense ; one of these we are obliged to quote on Gray's authority. Since the Prince vonWied's notices, which appeared in German, French, and English, the literature of the subject is mainly represented by Mr. Cassin's valuable article, accompanied by a characteristic figure. Prof. Baird's accurate description, both generic and spe- cific, and the partial biographies of several naturalists who met with the bird alive. For many years the species was considered a rarity, to be highly prized, and may still remain among the desiderata of many or most European collections ; but of late a great many specimens have been gathered, notably in California, by the late Capt. John Feilner, of the Army (in whose death, at the hands of hostile Indians, ornithology lost a zealous and judicious collector), and in Arizona by ourselves.

The Prince's original examples are stated to have come from one of the tributaries of the Upper Missouri, in the then extensive territory of Nebraska, which locality, if not beyond the bird's ordinary range, is certainly far from its centre of abundance, for which we must turn some degrees south-westward. Dr. Hayden, who explored the same section of country with signal ability and success, does not appear to have met with it ; and we judge, upon several considerations, that Maximilian's quotation may indicate very nearly the north-east extension of the species. This impression of ours is strengthened, if not confirmed, by the fact that the north-eastward dispersion of Picicorvus columhianus has proved nearly coincident ; for, as may be gathered by comparing the present article with one upon Picicor- vus which we had the pleasure of laying before the readers of ' The Ibis,' these two birds occupy essentially the same faunal area in altitude as well as in latitude. General MacCall, then Inspector-General of the Army, found his " Cyanocorax cassini " abundant near Santa Fe, in New Mexico (alt. 7000 ft. ; lat. 35° 41' N. ; long. 106° 2' W. Greenw.). Dr. C. B. R. Kennerly, whilst attached to Lieut. Whipple's Survey of the 35th parallel,

the Blue Crow of America. 155

across New Mexico and Arizona, fell in with great numbers of the birds in the first mentioned territory, near San Miguel and at Fort Webster; and these New-Mexican citations are checked by the records of several other naturalists. Captain Feilner procured his fine suite of skins at Fort Crook, in Northern California. Our Oregon reference is principally Dr. J. S. New- berry, whose well-known important geological researches in the west are admirably supplemented by his observations in other departments of science. Referring to the bird's occurrence in the Des-Chutes basin, this naturalist further remarks : — " The fauna and flora of this district, as well as all its climatic and geographic conditions, connect it with the central desert of the continent, a region lying along the Rocky Mountains on either side, characterized by an arid climate and sterile soil, by plains covered with Artemisia and ridges of trap rock, on which grow the western cedar {Juniperus occidentalis) and the yellow pine {Pinus brachyptera) . The black-tailed deer [Cervus macrotis), the badger {Taxus labradorius) , Townsend's hare, the little Lago- mys, and striped Spermophile are its most characteristic quadru- peds; the Sage Hen [Centrocercus urophasianus), Towusend's Ptilogonys, and Prince Maximilian's Jay, some of its peculiar birds." The Washington territory records are silent in this case ; but we rather anticipate data from this quarter correspond- ing somewhat to the observations there of Dr. Cooper and of Suckley, if not also of Mr. Lord, upon Picicorvus ; for in other directions, as we now see, reports of the two birds are strikingly coincident. In respect of altitude, that of Gymnokitta may be a little lower ; but we doubt this : and if it has not yet been seen so high up mountain-peaks as Picicorvus, the evidence is still only negative. In a word, it is essentially a bird of the coniferous zone of vegetation, within the geographical area just indicated, — eastward, to the foothills and spurs of the Rocky Mountains, westward to the opposite slopes of the Cascade and coast ranges : while to the north it has not been traced as far as the Picicorvus (Sitka), to the south it remains, like Picicorvus, undiscovered on the tierra fria of Mexico. It breeds at or near the terminus of its altitudinal dispersion, ascending in winter to, if not a little beyond, the pine belt.

156 Mr. Elliott Coues on the History of

At Fort Whipple, in Arizona, where our personal observations were made, the bird may be considered a permanent resident : though we did not observe it breeding in the immediate vicinity, it nests) as we know from the circumstance of finding newly fledged young in July) in the neighbouring and more elevated San Francisco and Bill Williams Mountains. We were never so fortunate as to discover its nest, and believe that its nidifi- cation remains unknown. Like most of its tribe — in fact, like most birds largely subsisting on varied animal and vegetable food — it is not strictly migratory ; for it finds nourishment in winter anywhere, except perhaps at its highest point of dis- persion ; and a descent of a few thousand feet from mountain - tops appears to answer the purpose of the southward journey that migratory species perform, as far as food is concerned, while its hardy nature enables it to endure the rigours of winter in regions frequently snow-bound.

We may safely check the conflicting testimony respecting this bird's food (indeed we must do so) by simply crediting it with the omnivorous nature that is a strong and nearly exception- less trait of the family Corvida. Thus Dr. Kennerly says : — " Its food appears to be exclusively reptiles ; " ^ "^ "^ the flocks he saw * * * "constantly alighted on the ground, for the purpose, as I [he] ascertained, of capturing lizards, which they killed with great readiness ; '' and Mr. Cassin reasons, upon his correspondent's accounts, that " it does not appear to be in any considerable degree a fruit-eater, but is decidedly carnivorous and almost rapacious ; " and further draws an analogy with the rep- tilivorous Kingfishers {Todiramphus) . But this is going too far; and we will hear the other side. Dr. Newberry saw the birds " feeding on the berries of the cedar [Juniperus occidentalis) ;" and one that he killed " had the oesophagus filled with the seeds of the yellow pine." Our own testimony, emphatic and unreserved, is to the same eff"ect. According to our two years' observations the bird feeds principally upon juniper berries and pine seeds, also upon acorns, and probably other small hard fruits ; and during the winter, when they were particularly numerous at Fort Whipple, they could not possibly have eaten reptiles ; for no serpents, lizards, or frogs are abroad at that season. Truly

the Blue Crow of America. 157

we never saw one capture a rejitile ; but this, so far from impugning Dr. Kennedy's evidence, simply brings us back to the opening sentence of this paragi-aph. The particular shape of the bill may indicate something in the bird's regimen that we do not yet exactly understand ; but, after all, the bill is not so very different from that of Picicorvus, and our observations show an extremely close similarity in the modes of life of the two species. If required, upon the evidence of reptilivorous habits, to draw a parallel, in some other family, with Gymnokitfa, we might instance one of the Saurotherinaj,such as Geococcyx calif ornianus, in contrast with ordinary arboricole CuculidJE.

Notwithstanding its essentially corvine form, the habits of this bird, like its colour, lean hard upon those of Jays. Like these last, it is a garrulous, vociferous creature, of various curiously modulated chattering notes when at ease, and of extremely loud harsh cries when in fear or anger. The former are somewhat guttural; but the latter possess a resonance different alike from the hoarseness of the screams of Cyanura macrolopha and the wiry sharpness of the voice of Cyanocitta woodhousii. Like Jays, again, it is a restless, impetuous bird, as it were of an unbalanced, even frivolous mind, its turbulent presence con- trasting strongly with the usually poised and somewhat sedate demeanonr of the larger black Corvi. With these last, however, it shares a strong character — its attitudes when on the ground, to which it very frequently descends, being crow-like, and its gait, an easy walk or run, differing notably from the leaping mode of progression that is habitual with Jays. When perching, its customary attitude is rather stiff and prim, if indeed not quite so ei'ect as Mr. Cassin's figure indicates. It shares, with its relatives on either side of the family, a shy and watchful dispo- sition. Its flight is most nearly like that of Picicorvus. Per- haps gregariousness is its prominent distinctive trait. Immense as the gatherings of Crows frequently are, this seems rather due to community of interest than to a true social instinct ; each individual looks out for himself, and the company disperses for cause as readily as it assembles. It is different with these small Jay Crows ; they " make up " in flocks, sometimes of surprising

SER. III. VOL. II. N

158 Mr. r. Da Cane Godman on the Besident and

numbers, usually keep as close together as Blackbirds*, and move as if actuated by a common impulse. Their dispersion, as usual, is marked, if not complete, during the breeding-season ; but the flocks reassemble as soon as the yearlings are well on wing ; and from this time, until the following spring, one may more often see a hundred, or several hundreds, together than fall in with single birds. As we have elsewhere stated, we have witnessed a gathering of probably a thousand individuals, a sight that re- called Dr. Latham's statement respecting flocksof twenty thousand Cyanura cristata, with the thought that he would have come at any rate nearer the truth, and been less deserving of Wilson's sarcasm, could he have set down such figures against Gymnokitta cyanocephala.

XX. — Notes on the Resident and Migratory Birds of Madeira and

the Canaries. By F. Du Cane Godman, F.Z.S. &c. A VISIT to Madeira or the Canaries in early spring is, I think, one of the most enjoyable things one can imagine. Leaving be- hind the cold disagreeable weather we usually experience at that time of the year in England, in rather more than a week one finds one's self in a warm and genial climate, surrounded by most lovely scenery and a semitropical vegetation, which much more than compensate for the discomfort of the voyage.

In March last year 1 paid a visit to these islands, and gave special attention to their ornithology, making a collection of all the birds I could procure; and in the following paper I propose to relate the results of my observations during the excursion, together with all the information I can glean from other sources, so as to make it as complete as possible ; and I trust it may not be without interest to the readers of ' The Ibis.'

These two groups of islands present no new field to the na- turalist ; and there are few of our countrymen, at all events, who are not acquainted with the various works of Mr. Wol- laston founded on his indefatigable labours and interesting discoveries, the result of which has been to bring to light so many hitherto unknown and remarkable forms, especially amongst the Coleoptera. MM. Webb and Berthelot, too,

* [Molothrus. — Ed.]

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 159

have published a most comprehensive work on the botany and zoology of the Canaries, including in the latter the ornithology ; but probably the best authority on this last-named subject is Dr. IBolle, who has written several papers in the ' Journal fiir Ornithologie' *. Mr. Vernon Harcourt has given very com- plete lists of the birds of Madeira in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society/ and the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History'f. Lastly, I must not omit to mention a short paper written by Prof. Newton in this Journal, and entitled " Two Days in Madeira"^. As might be supposed, from so hurried a visit, the latter article contains rather suggestions for future ornithologists to work out than new information respecting the birds inhabiting the island. I have freely made use of the works of all these authors, and, in most cases where I have done so, have mentioned whence my information has been derived; the remainder is from what came under my own notice.

Unfortunately, in consequence of the prevalence of smallpox in Europe last year, I experienced considerable annoyance and delay through the stringent quarantine regulations enforced by the Spanish and Portuguese Governments, rendering commu- nication between the several islands very diflScult. Indeed, through the loss of time thus entailed, I found it quite impossible to visit as many of them as I had intended ; and instead of spending four months between the two groups, I was obliged to be content with two, as, in leaving the Canaries for Ma- deira, I was compelled to go through Spain, and take the steamer again from Lisbon, all direct intercourse between the islands being prohibited. My time being thus sadly curtailed, I thought it better to pass the greater part of what remained in Teneriffe, the most important of the Canaries, making a short trip to Palma and Gran Canary, and thence afterwards going to Madeira, as I have already said, via Cadiz and Lisbon. Under ordinary circumstances these islands are very accessible from

* J. fiir Orn. 1854, pp. 447-462 ; 1855, pp. 171-181 ; 1857, pp. 258- 292 ; 1858, pp. 225-228 ; 18G2, pp. 357-360.

t P. Z. S., 1851, pp. 141-146 ; Ann. & Mag. N. H. 2nd ser. vol. xii. pp. 58-63 (1853) ; vol. xv. pp. 430-438 (1855).

t Ibis, 1863, pp. 185-195.

N 2

160 Mr. F. Du Cane Godnian on the Resident and

England, as there are constantly steamers from Liverpool to the African coast, most of which call at either Madeira, Teneriflfe, or Gran Canary, and there are also the regular Portuguese and Spanish mail-steamers. To a naturalist these isolated spots have an interest not possessed to the same extent by conti- nents, inasmuch as they are more capable of throwing light on the important question of geographical distribution.

All the Atlantic islands are volcanic, and consequently moun- tainous ; and in some the traces of recent volcanic eruptions fall within the historic period. In others there are large tracts of land covered with cinders and scoriae almost destitute of vegetable life, whilst, again, in others, where the eruptions are of older date and the lavas more disintegrated, vegetation is exceedingly luxu- riant. To the stranger, perhaps, one of the most striking features is, that there is scarcely a flat piece of ground throughout, but the whole surface is broken up into innumerable abrupt mountains and hills varying in height from the Peak of TenerifFe, which attains an altitude above the sea-level of more than 12,000 feet, down to small conical hills of ashes not exceeding 100 feet in height.

The climate of the Canaries near the coast, and more espe- cially of the eastern islands, is very dry, and during a great part of the year little or no rain falls iu the vicinity of the sea ; while, in consequence of the continual north-east trade winds to which all the islands are subject for a great portion of the year, a dense belt of mist forms and rests upon the mountains at a height of about 3000 feet above the sea. This remains throughout the whole day, and casts a gloom upon the mountain scenery ; but usually during the night this cloud clears away, and at sunrise the highest peaks are fi'equently visible. Soon after sunrise, however, the clouds form again, and the same state of things succeeds. This cloud is some 3000 to 4000 feet iu thickness, or extends to a height of 7000 feet above the sea, and from the lower portions of TenerifFe (and also of the other islands) obscures all view of the highest peaks of the mountain- tops. Above 7000 feet a wind constantly blows from the south-west, overlaying the north-cast trades — a wind nearly destitute of moisture. Thus it frequently happens that the

Migrator ij Birds uf Madeira and the Canaries. 161

Peak of Teneriffe is visible at a distance out at sea though obscured to those on the island. The same phenomenon takes place in the other islands where the mountains are high. During the months of July, August, and September, and also occasionally during winter, no clouds appear on the mountains. The botanical features of the islands are hardly what might have been expected from their southerly position. A large portion of the plants are either European or closely allied to European species ; but there are others, such as the euphorbias and laurels, widely differing from any thing now existing on the neighbouring continent. The vegetation, especially of the Canaries, may be divided into zones. Beginning from the sea- shore, we get the remarkable Euphorbia canariensis (which, as its name implies, is peculiar to this group), together with other species of the same genus. A considerable portion of the land has now been cleared and brought under cultivation, and pro- duces cochineal, the chief export product of the islands. At the height of about 3000 feet, or where the clouds caused by the trade winds commence, the laurel forest begins, and ex- tends upwards for some 3500 feet ; in this cloudy zone every- thing is saturated with moisture, fostering the fine laurel forest and grand ferns that abound there. Much of the forest has now been destroyed by the improvident inhabitants for fuel and other purposes; but the stumps of the old trees still indicate its former extent. In some few places, where the cutting of trees has been prohibited, one can form some idea, from the grandeur and size of the til and laurel trees, of the character these forests once possessed. Such are the forests of Tacaronte and Tagaiiana in Teneriffe. Above the laurels, or at about 6000 feet above the sea, comes a belt of tree heath [Erica arborea). This again is suc- ceeded by a forest of pine trees [Pinus canai'iensis) , which towards its upper margin become stunted. Finally, at about 9000 feet there remains nothing but retama {Cytisus nubigenus), which also is peculiar to these islands. Beyond the retama vegetation ceases, and nothing but ashes and lava rocks remain, there being- no trace, as on European mountain-tops, of any thing like an alpine flora.

These islands arc much frequented by Petrels and other

1G2 Mr. E. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

oceanic wanderers ; and there are three places especially where they breed — namely, the Desertas, some rocky uninhabited islands about thirty miles to the eastward of Funchal, the Sal- vages, situated nearly midway between Madeira and Gran Ca- nai-y, and the small island of Allegranza to the northward of Lau- zarote. Being in Madeira in the breeding-season, I deter- mined on making an expedition to the Desertas, and for this purpose chartered a large half-decked fishing-boat with the requisite crew, and laid in a supply of provisions sufficient to have lasted for a week. It was a beautiful morning when I started, and the weather appeared settled, and I had congra- tulated myself on the prospect of making a good collection of birds and eggs. In about five hours we reached Chao ; but the breeze had freshened considerably, and the sailors intimated that there would be some difficulty in landing, as there is no beach on which to run the boat, and a heavy surf was beating upon the rocks. They managed, however, to bring the boat round into a small bay which was partly sheltered from the wind ; and having let go an anchor from the stern to prevent our drifting upon the rocks, two of the men jumped into the water and swam ashore, each with the end of a rope in his hand, which, as soon as they landed, they made fast to the rocks, thus secui'ing the boat from three different points. They then hauled the boat in close to the rocks, and we scrambled ashore and set to work at once searching for birds and eggs. There were only a few pairs of Gulls and Terns flying about, and nothing like the number of sea-birds I had been led to expect. We found plenty of Bulwer^s Petrels sitting on their eggs, which were in holes or under rocks, and usually about as far in as one could reach with one's arm. They build no nest, but lay their eggs on the bare rock. I did not find more than one egg in each nest. I secured several birds and eggs, and kept some of the former alive. It is curious to watch them crawling along the ground ; for they cannot fly unless they get to the edge of a rock ; they waddle along on their feet, and, when they come to a steep place, use the sharp-pointed hook of their beaks to draw themselves up with. They seem to dislike the light, and hide themselves under a rock or crawl into a hole as soon

Migrator u Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 163

as possible ; I never saw one of this species flying about in the daytime, though some of the smaller ones are common enough. With some difficulty I afterwards scrambled up to the top of the cliff, which is some height above the sea and, being volcanic, crumbled away under one^s foot and made the hold insecure. On reaching the top I found it to be nearly flat and covered with cinders ; a few weeds were the only plants. IJere there were numbers of Titlarks {Anthus bertheloti) , and I shot several specimens. I had only seen two in Madeira. There were also flocks of Canaries and Linnets. Having spent about four hours on the island, we got into the boat again, in- tending to go on to Deserta Grande, which, as its name implies, is the largest of the islands, and is said to be a more favourite breeding-place for Petrels. As soon, however, as we got outside of our sheltered bay we found the sea had risen considerably ; and a stiff breeze was blowing, causing such a heavy surf that the sailors said we could not safely go near the island. How- ever, I made them try, and we went as near shore as we dared ; but we found it quite impossible to land; so, having got all I could from Chao, we started back again for Madeira, On clearing the point of the island the wind was dead against us, and we were obliged to tack, in doing which, on two oc- casions, we shipped so much water that nearly all my birds and eggs were washed overboard and the boat almost swamped. It took us about fourteen hours to return to Madeira; and we were glad enough to land at St. Cruz at 2 o^clock next morn- ing, thoroughly drenched, and with our boat half full of water. I would advise future travellers who may undertake the same expedition not to go in a smaller vessel than a good schooner. There would not be much difficulty in hiring one at Madeira, as there are several which sail to Porto Santo and other islands. The fishing-boats are not of a build to stand rough weather; and sometimes, as on this occasion, the wind springs up very suddenly.

I was told that a few years ago that an Englishman had landed on Deserta Grande to shoot sea-birds, and that while he was ashore it came on to blow so hard that the boat was obliged to return for safetv to Madeira without him, and it was three

164 Mr. F. Du Cane Goduian on the Resident and

days before he could be rescued, as it is impossible to land in heavy weather.

A party of sailors go annually to the Salvages for the fish- ing, and spend some months camped out on these islands. I was told that they also collect and salt large quantities of the sea-birds which resort there to breed, and bring them home preserved in barrels. They were there when I was in Madeira ; so I could not gain any information from them about the bir^s of those islands.

I left Madeira for England a few days after my trip to the De- sertas, so had not another opportunity of revisiting them.

I collected a considerable number of birds' skins in Madeira and the Canaries, in the latter group principally from the island of Teneriffe. These, since my return home, I have carefully compared with European examples of the same or most nearly allied species, and also with my Azorean specimens.

In the following hst I have marked those birds I observed myself with a dagger (f) ; in other cases 1 have given the authority for their admission. It will be seen that there are several species I did not meet with. This is to be accounted for by my comparatively short stay, and also by the fact of my being able to visit only some of the islands.

1. fNEOPHRON PERCNOPTERUS (Liuu.).

Neophron pei'cnoj)terus, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 5 ; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1854, p. 448, and 1857, p. 268.

Cathartes percnopterus, Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 2nd ser, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Common in all the Canarian group, where some i&vi pairs may usually be seen flying over the towns or large villages at a considerable height. I once saw fourteen together near La- guna, in Teneriffe, feeding on the carcass of a dead animal ; they were so gorged that they took but little notice of me, and allowed me to approach quite close before they flew off. They breed in the rocks in the mountains of Teneriffe, and most pro- bably also in the other islands of the Canarian group. I have a fine coloured egg taken from a nest in a ravine near Chasna in the highland of Teneriffe; it was brought me by a country-

Miyratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 165

man, and was quite fresh. He told me that he saw the old bird fly from the nest, which he said was quite low down the cliff and easy of access.

Vernon Harcourt mentions this Vulture as occurring occa- sionally in Madeira. I never heard of it in the Azores, nor do I believe it ever occurs there.

2. Ealco peregrinus, Linn.

Falco peregrinus, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 5 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 449, and 1857, p. 270.

I never met with this bird, though both Berthelot and Bolle say it is found in some of the Canaries ; Vernon Harcourt does not mention it in his list of the resident birds of Madeira.

3. Falco subbuteo, Linn.

Falco subbuteo, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 6; Bolle, J. fiir Orn.

1854, p. 449; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 2nd ser.

1855, XV. p. 437.

Bolle omits this species in his second paper on the Canary- Island birds, though in his first he says the Hobby is not un- frequently met with in the eastern islands, where its favourite food is the Skylark [Alauda arvensis). I never saw it myself. MM. Webb and Berthelot say that it is to be found throughout the archipelago. In Madeira it is a straggler.

4. TiNNUNCULUS ALAUDARIUS (Gm.).

Falco tinnunculus, L. ; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 6; Bolle, J. fiii- Orn. 1854, p. 449, and 1857, p. 272; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 2nd ser. 1855, xv. p. 437.

The Kestrel is exceedingly common in both Madeira and the Canaries, where it feeds principally upon lizax'ds, which are very numerous. I secured a good series of specimens of both sexes and various ages. The mature females assume a grey tail at the end of the first year, but, unlike the males, this is always crossed with narrow bars. The male appears to get the grey tail at the same age. The plumage of the young birds is remarkably dark. It breeds in holes in the cliffs; and I have seen as many as twelve or fifteen pairs that had nested in the same ravine, where they appear not to interfere with each other.

The characters I have briefly drawn attention to above

166 Mr. F. Du Cane Godiiian on the Resident and

distinguish the Kestrel of Madeira and the Canaries from ordi- nary European specimens. Similar peculiarities appear in the Kestrels found in Japan, Nepal, and Abyssinia, when compared with European examples ; but I am unable to detect any really tangible points of difference between specimens from these widely separated localities. A larger series of skins may throw more light upon this matter; but present want of materials compels me to leave it sub judice. It is not improbable that the bird from West Africa, described by Swainsou (Birds of \V. Afr. i. p. 109) as Falco rufescem, may prove to be identical with the Kestrel from these islands ; so that, if it be sufficiently distinct from the European bird, Swainson^s name can be used for it.

5. fMiLvus icTiNUS, Sav.

Falco milvus, Linn.; W. & B. Can. Orn. p. 7; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 185^, p. 449.

Milvus regalis, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. p. 270.

One of the most common of the Raptores in Teneriffe and other islands of the gi'oup, where it is stationary. It may be seen flying over any of the large villages, and is always on the look-out for poultry, amongst which it has the reputation of being very destructive, whence it is the universal enemy. Not- withstanding this, I failed to procure a specimen for my col- lection, though it is to be seen everywhere.

6. fHALiAETUs ALBiciLLA (Linn.).

Falco albicilla, Lath.; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 6; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1854, p. 449.

Webb and Berthelot do not seem to have observed this Eagle, though Dr. Bolle says that he met with it in the island of Lobos in May 1864 in some numbers. He also mentions it as a coast species in Teneriffe. In the month of April I fre- quently watched a pair of these birds three or four miles to the eastward of Orotava, near the coast. They frequented a high, inaccessible cliff over the sea, where I suspect they had a nest, though it was impossible to ascertain the fact. The birds were very wary, and I could not get close to them ; yet, as I had several opportunities of observing them with my glasses, I have

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 167

no doubt about the species. I never met with it elsewhere amongst the islands ; and it is not recorded from Madeira.

7. fBuTEo VULGARIS, Lacep.

Falco buteo, Linn. ; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 8; Bolle, J. I'iir Orn. 1854., p. 449 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

Buteo vulgaris, Ray; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1857, p. 270.

The most common of all the larger birds of prey in the Azores, Madeira, and the Canaries. I, unfortunately, did not procure specimens from the last two groups of islands, where it chiefly frequents the more wooded parts. The Azorean birds I have are very light-coloufed, and resemble more the southern form of this Buzzard {Buteo desert orum) . From a distance the birds I saw in Madeira and the Canaries did not appear to me to belong to this race, being as dark as common European specimens ; but as I did not get examples, I cannot determine this point with certainty.

8. fAcciPiTER Nisus (Linn.).

Falco nisus, Linn.; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 7; Bolle, J. filr Orn. 1854, p. 449 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

1 believe this species is found sparingly throughout all the Canaries. The only specimen I obtained was that of a very old male in fine plumage, which I shot near Orotava in the month of April. I saw it also occasionally in other parts. Bolle says it is numerous in Tenerifi'e and Gran Canary, and that it does not migrate.

9. Circus cineraceus (Mont.).

Falco cineraceus, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 8; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 450.

Inserted on the above authorities. I did not observe it.

10. t^'^si^ OTUS (Linn.).

Strix otus, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 9 ;. Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1854, p. 450, and 1857, p. 274.

Dispersed through the Atlantic islands, but nowhere abun- dant. It frequents chiefly the deep shaded ravines, and is

168 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman un the Resident and

consequently seldom seen. I procured a very young specimen in Fayal, one of the Azores, and I also saw an adult bird that had been killed in the forest of Taganana in Teneriffe. It is also occasionally found in Madeira^ where it probably breeds. I saw a stuffed bird of this species at Funchal. It had been killed in the island.

11. fSTRix FLAMMEA, Linn,

Strix flamrnea, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 8; BoUe, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 450, and 1857, p. 274 ; Veru. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Like the preceding species, the Barn-Owl is thinly scattered throughout the three Atlantic groups of islands. Examples I have seen from the Azores and Canaries are rather darker-coloured than continental specimens, but in other respects they do not differ.

12. tFicus MAJOR, Linn.

Picus major, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 26; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 462.

Picus numidicus?, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 320.

This Woodpecker is tolerably common amongst the pine forests of Teneriffe in the high mountains. I also saw several in the retama bushes in the Canadas. Bolle says that P. numidicus is probably the Canarian species, and not P. major. I procured a few specimens from near Chasna (the locality where he mentions having seen it) which undoubtedly are iden- tical with the northern race. It also inhabits Gran Canary and Palma, and possibly some of the other islands of the group. This widely distributed species is not mentioned by Vernon Harcourt as occurring in Madeix'a; and if Mr. Brewer was not mistaken, P. minor is the only Woodpecker found in the Azores ; but I think it more than possible he may have mistaken the lesser for the greater species.

P. numidicus, to which species Dr. Bolle seems inclined to refer the Canarian bird, has a conspicuous red pectoral band, rendering it easily distinguishable from P. major. There can be no doubt that the Woodpecker I am now mentioning belongs to the latter species, though the contrary might be surmised from

Migratonj Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 169

the geographical position of the islands. Both are well figured inSharpe and Dresser's 'Birds of Europe/ though they do not give positive information as to which species is found in the Canaries.

13. fALCEDO ispiDA, Linn.

Alcedo ispida, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 25; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854., p. 461, & 1857, p. 319; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

I am not sure that this bird has any real right to be included amongst the resident species of the Canaries, though it is fre- quently met with about the coasts of the eastern islands. I do not believe it breeds there. I saw it once or twice near the port of Orotava, in Teneriffe, in the middle of April. It is given by Vernon Harcourt in his list of occasional visitors in Madeira.

14. fUpuPA EPOPs, Linn.

Vpupa epops, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 26; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 461, & 1857, p. 319; Vern. Hare, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Inhabits all the islands of the Canarian archipelago, where it breeds. It is said to be migratory, arriving early in spring and taking its departure again in autumn. It is very tame, and may frequently be seen about Laguna, in Teneriffe, perched upon a wall at the side of the road, erecting and lowering its crest as any one passes, without showing any signs of alarm. Vernon Harcourt mentions its casual occurrence in Madeira, on the authority of Mr. Lowe ; and I saw a single example which had been killed in Terceira, one of the Azores, some time previously Bolle says that, though the greater number migrate, a few indi- viduals remain in the Canaries throughout the winter.

15. Caprimulgus RuncoLLis, Temm.

Caprimulgiis ruficoUis, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 24; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p.' 461, & 1857, p. 323.

Mentioned by Webb and Berthelot as of accidental occurrence, though Bolle seems to consider it a regular summer visitant. The latter observer says it breeds in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and therefore ought to be included amongst the recognized birds of the Canaries. It is probable it does not extend to the western islands. I did not see it myself. Vernon Harcourt, on the

170 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

authority of Mr. Hinton, gives C. europaus as an occasional straggler iu Madeira.

16. fCYPSELUs PALLiDUSj Shelley.

Cijpselus apus, Linn. W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 23; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 460, & 1857, p. 322.

Cijpselus murarius, Temm. Veru. Have. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

The distinction between this species and C. apus was first pointed out by Capt. Shelley, and described in * The Ibis' (1870, p. 445) . He says it is extremely abundant in Egypt, and arrives iu February, and that he never saw the common Swift, though he kept a sharp look-out for it. My specimens from Madeira and the Canaries agree with his Egyptian types. It is easily distinguished on the wing, by its much lighter colour and whiter throat. It is rather remarkable that in Madeira both this and the next species are said to be stationary throughout the year, while in the Canaries they leave in autumn and return in March. C. paUidus appears usually a few days before C. unicolor. It breeds, both in the Canaries and Madeira, in cliffs.

17. iCvPSELUs UNICOLOR, Jardine.

Cypselus unicolor, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 24; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 460, & 1857, p. 322; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

This appears equally common with the last-named species, both in Madeira and the Canaries, where it frequents chiefly the high land, while its congener is most abundant near the sea, whence the latter has received the name of '^Andorhina do mar," while the former is called "Andorhina da serra." I saw several about the Canadas, skimming over the retama bushes, which were then in full bloom and attracted numerous insects. It builds in holes in the cliffs, where it nests in societies. I also found a small colony nesting in a cliff on the north side of Madeira, not far from the sea.

18. fHiRUNDO RUSTiCA, Linn.

Hirundo rustica, W, & B. Orn. Can. p. 23; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 460, & 1857, p. 322; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 171

I found the Swallow breeding abundantly in Madeira and Ca- naries, though both Webb and Berthelot, and Bolle, say it only occurs on passage in the Canaries. Vernon Harcourt records it amongst his list of stragglers in Madeira ; but, the year I was there, there were numbers about St. Anna, on the north side, in June. I cannot say whether it is stationary in Madeira and has been overlooked; but in Teneriflfe I was told it arrived soon after the Swift ; these latter birds, however, are not migratory in Madeira.

19. fHiRUNDO URBiCA, Linn.

Hirundo urhica, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 460; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

This species is not recorded as a resident by other observers, and perhaps is only accidental ; but as I saw a pair that had a nest at St. Anna in Madeira, I include it. I did not meet with it in the Canaries or elsewhere. Bolle says he saw swarms of them at Oliva, in Fuerteventura, in April 1852. He remarks that they disappeared as quickly as they came.

20. MusciCAPA ATRiCAPiLLA, Linn.

Muscicapa atricopilla, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 11 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 452.

This bird is admitted into the Canarian list on the authority of Webb and Berthelot, who give as its habitat the island of Tenei'ifFe, w'here, however, I never met with it.

21. Lanius , sp.?

Lanius excuhitor, Linn. ; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 10. ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 452.

Lanius meridionalis ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 274.

A Shrike is not unfrequent near the shore in the Canaries ; Bolle says it builds in the Euphorbia canariensis, and that the inhabitants encourage it, as it feeds upon the Gekko, an object of fear amongst the natives, who believe it to be poison- ous. I did not procure specimens, so cannot say whether Bolle is right in his second paper in ascribing it to L. meridionalis instead of L. excuhitor. Sharpe and Dresser (Birds of Europe) think the species will prove to be L. algeriensis.

172 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

22. fTuRDUs MERULA, Linn.

Turdus merula, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 12; BoUe, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 453, & 1857, p. 278; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Found in the Canaries, Madeira, and the Azores, where it is very common in all damp places. Bolle says it is not found in Lanzarote, nor in Fuerteventura. In Gran Canary and Teneriffe it is seldom seen near the coast ; but in the tree-heath- and laurel-district it is exceedingly abundant,

23. Parus major, Linn.

Parus major, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 17; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 455, & 1857, p. 284.

Seems to be found in the pine-forests of Teneriffe and Palma ; it however escaped my observation, and I fancy it cannot be common.

24. Parus texeriff^e. Less.

Parus teneriffa, Sharpe & Dresser, Birds Eur.

Parus ultramarinus, Bonap.

Parus violaceus, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 455.

Parus cceruleus, Linn.; \\ . & B. Orn. Can. p. 18; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 284.

This beautiful little Titmouse is common throughout the Ca- naries, and is found from the sea-level up to a height of from 5000 to 6000 feet. Its habits much resemble those of its ally P. cceruleus. It nests either in a hole in a wall, or in a rotten tree. A pair of these birds had a nest in the wall of a banana- garden just beneath my window in Orotava. The young birds were already hatched when I arrived there on the 6th of April. I procured several specimens in Teneriffe, which are identical with Algerian examples.

Sharpe and Dresser, in their article on this species, in their ^History of the Birds of Europe' mention that there is "one difference which is noticeable'' between Algerian and Canarian skins. " The island birds have an almost entire absence of the white tips to the greater wing-coverts and secondaries." On looking over all my series, I do not find this character constant to the birds of either locality. Mr. Dresser has since shown me

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 1 73

an Algerian bird in which these markings are quite as faint as in any of my Canarian specimens ; so the birds must be considered to belong to the same species.

25. Troglodytes parvulus, Koch.

Troglodytes europceus, Vera. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist, ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Sylvia troglodytes, BoUe, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 454.

Webb and Berthelot doubt the occurrence of the Wren in the Canaries ; Bolle, however, says that it is found there ; I never saw it.

26. fi^EGULUS MADERENsis, Vcrn. Hare.

Regulus ? Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser.

2, vol. xii. p. 58 (1853).

Regulus maderensis, Vern. Hare. P. Z. S. 1854, p. 153; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 432.

This pretty little Goldcrest is not uncommon in the higher parts of Madeira, where it frequents chiefly the tree heath {Erica arborea) and the arbutus [Clethra arhorea), and, like our Golden-crest, feeds upon insects it picks from the leaves. It is not easy to procure specimens, as the brush-wood is so thick, and when shot at from a close distance a bird is blown to pieces and spoiled for preserving. I also found it in a fir-wood a little above St. Anna, on the north side of the island. This was the only place I met with it low down.

27. t^EGULUs CRisTATus, Linn.

Regulus ?, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 455.

"Regulus maderensis, Vern. Hare. ;^' Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 284.

Bolle mentions a Canarian species of Regulus. He says that he did not obtain specimens. I found it in Taganana, and in the highlands of Teneriffe, in the laurel-forests and also amongst the tree heath. My examples cannot be distinguished from the European Golden-crest. In Madeira it is represented by the preceding species, while in the Azores, again, we find R. cristatus, but always having the legs and beak rather larger than British or Continental specimens.

SER III. VOL. II. o

174 Mr. F. Da Cane Godmau on the Resident and

28. Phyllopneuste rufa (Lath.).

Sylvia rufa, Bonap. ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 281.

Common in Teneriffe, Palma, and Gran Canaiy, where it chiefly inhabits the upper and heathy districts, though I shot some specimens in a garden at Orotava. They are identical with our ChifF-chaff. I have six or seven skins from Teneriffe.

29. Pyrophthalma melanocephala (Gm.).

Sylvia melanocephala, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 14; Bolle, J, fiir Orn. 1854, p. 454, & 1857, p. 282.

Webb and Berthelot found this species in Teneriffe ; and I met with it in a garden in Palma and in Gran Canary.

30. Sylvia cinerea, Bp.

Sylvia cinerea, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 14; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 454.

Found, according to Webb and Berthelot, and Dr. Bolk% throughout the Canarian archipelago where there are thorn- bushes. I failed to procure specimens of either this or the two following species.

31. tSYLVIA ATRICAPILLA, LiuU.

Sylvia atricapilla, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 14; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 453, & 1857, p. 280; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437 ; Jard. & Selby, Illus. of Orn. t. 94; Heineken, Zool. Jouru. v. p. 75.

This bird is very common in the Canaries, Madeira, and the Azores, and is much prized by the inhabitants for its singing- qualities. It is caught in considerable numbers and kept in cages, and is easily domesticated. In both Madeira and the Azores a variety is not unfrequently found, having the black on the head extending as far as the shoulders and round under the throat. This dark variety was described by Jardine and Selby as a species, in ^ Illustrations of Ornithology,' under the name of Curruca heinekeni. I have seen some eight or nine examples in cages ; and one of them had the black of the throat extending as far as the breast, where it was gradually shaded off beneath into a slaty grey. The back also of this individual was darker than that of an ordinary Black-cap. I never saw this variety wild. A few caged specimens are usually to be seen in some of

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 175

the stores of Funchal, in Madeira. I could not ascertain that this singular variety occurs in the Canaries, They are said to interbreed with the common Black-cap. It is only in the male birds that this dark plumage occurs.

32. tSvLViA coNSPiciLLATA, Marm.

Sylvia conspicillata, Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

This beautiful little Warbler seems to have escaped the notice of other ornithologists who have visited the Canaries ; it is not, however, unfrequently to be seen in the neighbourhood of Orotava, where it frequents thick bushes, and into which it plunges at the approach of danger. I saw it also near the Paul da Serra, in ^ladeira. Vernon Harcourt includes it in his list from this latter island.

33. Sylvia subalpina, Bonelli.

Sylvia passerina, Temm. ; W. & B. Orn, Can. p. 15 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 454, & 1857, p. 282.

A native of Teneriffe, where Berthelot found it nesting,

34. Calamodyta aquatica (Lath,).

Sylvia aquatica, Lath.; W, & B, Orn. Can. p. 13; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1854, p. 453.

Said by Webb and Berthelot to inhabit Gran Canary, where, however, it cannot be common, as there are few places in the island adapted to its habits. I did not see it during my short visit there.

35. tERiTHACUS RUBECULA (Linn,).

Sylvia rubecula, W. & B. Orn, Can, p, 16; Bolle, J. fiir Orn, 1854, p. 454. Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Erythacus rubecula, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 283.

The Robin is met with in the Canaries, Madeira, and the eastern Azores. It is rather remai'kable that birds from the last-named islands agree with the South-European race, which is paler in colour than British or North-European specimens, whilst those from Madeira and the Canaries are identical with the darker northern form. Like the Blackbird, this species is

o2

176 Resident and Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries.

seldom found near the coast in Teneriffe and Gran Canary; but at an elevation of from 2000 to 8000 feet above the sea it is very common.

36. RuTiciLLA PHCENicuRA (Linn.).

Ruticilla phoenicura, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 15; Bolle J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 454, and 1857, p. 283.

Also said by Berthelot to inhabit Teneriffe, where it builds in the walls.

37. Pratincola rubicola (Linn.). Pratincula 7'ubicola,W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 13.

Saxicola rubicola, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 453, and 1857, p. 279.

Webb and Berthelot met with this bird at Mercedes, in Tene- riffe, where, howevei', they say it is rare. I did not observe it ; nor is its occurrence recorded by Vernon Harcourt in Madeira.

38. fMoTACILLA SULPHUREA (Bechst.).

M. hoarula, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 286; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

M.flava} W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 16; Bolle, J. fiir Orn.

1854, p. 455.

This beautiful species is exceedingly common in all three of the Atlantic archipelagoes ; wherever there is a pool or stream of water, a pair of them are sure to be seen, actively engaged in catching the insects which abound in such localities. Webb and Berthelot, and also Bolle, in his first paper on the birds of the Canaries, have mistaken it for M. flava, though the latter has corrected this error in his second paper, as quoted above.

39. fANTHUS BERTHELOTI, Bollc.

Ibis, 1862, p. 343; J. f. Orn. 1862, p. 357. A. trivialis, hinn. ; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 16; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 455.

A. pratensis, A'^ern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2,

1855, XV. p. 437.

A. campestris, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 288.

The distinction between this species and its continental allies, with which it had previously been confounded, was pointed out by Dr. Bolle in ' The Ibis ' for 1862, p. 343, where he describes

Mr. P. L. Sclater on Peltops, Earyleemus, and Todus. 177

it under the above specific name. I procured several examples of it in TenerifFe, where it is exceedingly common. I also saw it in the islands of Palma and Gran Canary, though I failed to pi'ocure specimens from either. On the Desertas it is exceed- ingly common, and I shot several specimens on the smallest island ; but unfortunately they were all washed overboard m returning, together with the rest of the things I collected there. A. bertheloti takes short flights, like A.pratensis. It is usually very tame, and runs along the ground, not caring to take flight, whence it has received the name "Caminero" in the Canaries, and " Corre-de-Caminho " in Madeira.

[To be coutinued.]

XXI. — Observations on the Systematic Position of the Genera Peltops, Euryltemus, and Todus. By P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.

The genus Peltops, containing the single species P. hlainvillii of New Guinea, has been usually referred to the Eurylseminae, or Broad-bills, and the group thus formed united in the same family with the Rollers (Coraciadse), the Todies (Todidse), and the Motmots (Momotidse), or at all events placed in their im- mediate neighbourhood*. Several errors are, in my opinion, embraced in this classification.

In the first place, Peltops has nothing whatever to do with the EurylaBmidse, being a truly Muscicapine form allied to Monarcha and Machcerirhynckus, as the most casual examination of its structure at once shows. The mistake, no doubt, comes from the somewhat exaggerated form of the bill in Peltops, and from its general coloration resembling that of Cymbirhijnchus. The rarity oi Peltops has prevented the error from being discovered. On examining the wing of Peltops it will be seen that the first primary is short or " spurious," as in all the true Osciues, when it exists at all. In Cymbirliynchus there are ten fully formed primaries. There is also a conspicuous diff'erence in the size of the feet in the tvv^o forms, these organs being strong and thick

* In Mr. G. R. Gray's ' Hand-list of Birds ' (i. p. 319) Peltops is cor- rectly placed in the Muscicapidin.

178 Mr. P. L. Sclater on the Systematic Position of

in Cymbii'hynchus, while they are feeble and weak in Peltops, as in other Muscicapidse. The relegation oi Peltops to the Musci- capidse also removes an anomaly in geographical distribution, it being obviously strange that an otherwise exclusively Indo- Malayan type, such as the Eurylsemidse, should have a single outlier in New Guinea.

Next, as regards the Eurylsemidse themselves. After the eli- mination of Peltops, this group contains the genera Psarisomus, Serilophus, Eurylamus, Corydon, Cymhirhynchus, and Calypto- mena, all restricted to the Indian region. Dr. Jerdon (Birds of India, i. p. 235) has given us a suggestive epitome of the various opinions that have prevailed as to the position of this family in the ' Systema Naturae/ He says : — " The real situation of the Eurylaimi in a natural disposition of birds is somewhat uncer- tain. Van der Hoeven places them at the end of the Caprimul- gidge ; Gray as a subfamily of Coraciadse ; and Bonaparte also locates them next to the Rollers. Horsfield joins them with the Todies, to form a distinct family of the Fissirostres. Swainson removes them from this tribe to the Fly-catchers. And Blyth and Wallace class them with the Pipridae or Ampelidse."

I am not aware that any one of the authors whose discordant opinions are thus quoted has examined any part of the osseous structure of the Eurylsemidge, without a knowledge of which it is of course impossible to come to any certain conclusion as to their true position.

On turning for information on this subject to Blanchard's ex- cellent (but, alas ! incomplete) memoir on theOsteology of Birds*, we find that the sternum of Eurylcemus is truly Passerine, and " resembles that of the Swallows.^^ An examination of a sternum of Eurylamus javanicus in Lord Walden's collection quite con- firms Professor Blanchard^s statement. As will be seen by the outline given herewith (fig. 3), the sternum oi Ewylamus has the characteristic form of the true Passeres, and is quite different from that of Coracias (fig. 4) and Todus (fig. 1), with which it has been most unnaturally associated.

As to the exact place to be assigned to Eurylamus and its allies in the great Passerine series, that is a subject for more * Ann. d. Sc. Nat. Zool. xi. p. 110 (1859).

Peltops, Eurylsemns, and Todus.

179

minute investigation. I believe, however, that Mr. Wallace will pi'obably be found to be correct in considering the Eurylsemidse the paleogean representatives of the neotropical Cotingidse*.

i

fig:. 1. Lower surface of sternum of Todus.

2. tipper „ „ To(Iirostru7n.

3. Lower „ „ EurylcBmus.

4. Upper „ „ Coracias.

Having mentioned Todus, I will now add a few remarks to express my surprise at this well-marked type beiug still con- founded by some systematistsf with the Tyrauniue genus Todi- rostrum. One glance at the sterna of these two little birds (see figs. 1 and 2) is quite enough to show that they have nothing to do with one another. TodusX is closely allied to Alcedo, and still more to Momotus, its nearest living ally being certainly the diminutive Motmot called Hylomanes momotula. Todirostrum, on the contrary, is a true Tyrannine form, and belongs to the great Passerine series. I submit, therefore, to the author of the next classification of birds, and to systematists in general who treat of these forms : —

* See Ann. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, vol, xviii. p. 199.

t Cabanis, in Tachudi's ' Fauna Peruana,' Aves, p. 1G2, and Wiegm. Arch. xiii. pt. 1, p. 257. See also Carus, Ilandb. d. Zool. i. p. 265. X Cf. Blanchaid, op. cit. p. 110.

180 Mr. W. E. Brooks on a new Indian Sylvia.

1. That Peltops should be referred to the family Muscicapidse.

2. That the Eurylsemidse should be assigned to the order Passeres.

3. That the Todidse should be constituted a family of Coccygo- morphse in the immediate neighbourhood of the Momotidse.

XXII. — On a new Sylvia /rom India. By W. E. Brooks, C.E.

Melizophilus striatus, sp, nov.

Description. Above light brownish-grey, streaked on the head, as far as the shoulders, with dark brown narrow streaks ; a pale rufous-brown broad supercilium; the cheeks and ear-coverts are also of this colour, which extends down the sides of the neck and breast, becoming very pale and diluted under the wings and on the flanks. Wings light brown; the edges of quills and coverts greyish. Tail a very much darker or blackish brown ; the outer feather on each side is rather lighter and is tipped with white; the tail-feathers are cross-rayed, particularly the outer ones. Lower surface of body, except sides of neck, breast, and flanks, white, with narrow brown streaks from chin to upper breast. These streaks are well defined in one specimen, and faint in another. Lining of wing, and edge of the same, reddish white. Bill dark brown, except basal half of lower mandible, which is dull brownish-orange. Legs and feet yellowish brown, claws brown.

Length 4-55 to 4*8 inches; wing 1-93 to 1*95; tail 2*14 to 2-33; tarsus -77 to "82; bill at front -35, from gape -46. The bill is excessively like that of Melizophilus provincialis. The wing also resembles that bird's, except that the first primary is larger in proportion. Tail of similar form, but proportionally shorter; the outer feathers are "35 shorter than the central ones.

Notwithstanding the diflerences I have noted, the general resemblance is so strong to Melizophilus that I have placed the species in that genus. The head is streaked, and so are the throat and breast ; but I have a Dartford Warbler with small white streaks on the throat.

Messrs. Sharpe and Ussher on Fantee-country Birds. 181

This bird was discovered by Capt. Cock, 30th P. N, Infantry, at Naoshera, in the Punjab, who says of it : — " Pound in pairs among low stony hills ; they are very restless, active little birds, and proportionately difficult to shoot.

The specimens I have from Capt. Cock were killed in the beginning of Pebruary.

Etawali, 20th February, 1872.

XXIII. — On Three neiv Species of Birds from the Fantee Country. By R. B. Sharpe, P.L.S,, F.Z.S., &c., and H. T. Ussher, H.B.M. Administrator to the Settlements on the Gold Coast.

The three species described in the present paper have been received by us from the forest country of Denkera, in the interior of Pantee, where they were procured by Mr. S, Thomas David Aubinn, a most intelligent native collector, whose notes on the habits of Pantee birds will be embodied in a subsequent com- munication. ,

Pam. Trogonid^.

1. HaPALODERMA CONSTANTIA, sp. n.

Troyon narina, Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. p. 263.

R. narince affinis, sed pulchrior, et tectricibus alarum pure canis nigro minute vermiculatis, et rectrice extimfi omnino alba dignoscenda.

Long. tot. 11-0, rostr. culm. O'S, alee 4*8, cauds 6-0, tarsi 0-6 poll. angl. et dec.

Although, as might be expected, this new Trogon is very nearly allied to the well-known African species H. narina, its distinctness is shown by the four specimens which Aubinn has forwarded to us. It may be distinguished from the last-named bird by the clear greyish-white wing-coverts, while in the true H. narina the vermiculations are much larger and coarser, and there is always a shade of metallic green perceptible on these parts. The tail is much purer white, without any dusky shade on the base of the outer feather ; and the underparts of the body are a fiery crimson, instead of being a beautiful rose-colour. We have compared a large series of African Trogons with these

182 Messrs. Sharpe and Ussliev on Fantee-country Birds.

four Fantee specimens, and we find these differences quite con- stant. Mr. Gould, also, to whom we have shown our new bird, agrees with us as to its being an undescribed species.

This beautiful Trogon is named after Miss Constance Ussher.

Fam. Nectariniid^.

2. Pholidornis rubkifrons, sp. n.

6 supra olivascenti-fuscus, pileo postico et tectricibus alarum

ochraceo marginatis : dorsi plumis obsolete olivaceo mar-

ginatis : remigibus et rectricibus fuscis, extus olivaceo lim-

batis ; fronte Isete coccineo : facie laterali pileo concolori,

sed fulvo distincte maculata : subtiis oumino castaneus :

rostro nigro : pedibus flavidis : long. tot. 4*0, culm. 0*45,

alffi 2*0, caudse 1-55, tarsi 0-65 poll. angl. et dec*

$ omnino differt : supra brunnea, plumis indistincte ochraceo

marginatis : fronte paullo rufescente tincta : subtiis lactes-

centi-alba, ubique brunneo ad apieem plumarum maculata.

Of all the peculiar forms which Africa produces, the little

Pholidornis rushice has always been considered one of the most

interesting ; and the discovery of a second sjjecies of this genus

is a noteworthy addition to the African avifauna. The scaly

character of the plumage, which forms a striking feature in

P. rushia, is here only preserved in the female ; the male of our

new species is a most beautiful little creature, remarkable for its

varied plumage, being chestnut underneath with a bright crimson

forehead.

Fam. Strigid^.

3. HUHUA SHELLEYI, sp. n.

H. maxima: supra brunnea, fasciis obscuris brunneis ubique trans- notata: tectricibus alarum et scapularibus, collo postico et tectricibus supracaudalibus conspicue fulvo transfasciatis : plumis auricularibus longissimis brunneis: facie fulvescente, setis rictalibus nigris, genis et regione auriculari brunneo variis, scapis albidis : remigibus caudfique brunneis, supr;\ pallide brunneo, subtus fulvo transfasciatis : corpore toto subtiis fulvescente, late albo, angustius nigro transfasciato : rostro ilavido : long. tot. 23, alse 16-5, caudse lO'O, tarsi 2*9 poll. angl. et dec. The measurements will show the great difference in size between

this new species and H. leucostida, of which it may be considered

New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, 6fc. 183

a gigantic edition. It much resembles the last-named Owl, which we have also received from Fantee, but is double the size at least ; and the body underneath is more evenly barred with white, so that it does not show those great white blotches which induced Temminck to assign the name of leucosticta to its smaller representative. Mr. Gurney, who has seen our specimen, agrees that it is quite new to science.

This species is dedicated by us to Captain G. E. Shelley, with an ardent wish that the researches he is now prosecuting in the dangerous climate of Western Africa may be rewarded with the same success which has attended his well-known studies of bird- life in the less fatal and more accessible country of Egypt.

XXIV. — New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, &^c.

Perhaps at no time since ornithology became a recognized science has so much activity been shown by oi-nithologists as at the present moment; for though there appears to be little movement in some countries which were once foremost in their contributions, these deficiencies are more than compensated by the energy displayed in others.

We propose to give a short account of some of the new pub- lications that have come under our notice during the last few months, and also to announce to our readers a prospect of certain other works being shortly issued from the press. Besides these additions to ornithological literature, the works already mentioned in these pages have been making steady progress ; and some, such as Sharpens Monograph of the Alce- dinid(B and Marshall's Capitonid(B, have been completed. At the same time the various journals of scientific societies open to such subjects abound with ornithological papers. As these latter are, or ought to be, in the hands of most of our readers, and as they will be referred to on a subsequent occasion, it is not our intention to draw special attention to them, but only to such publications as are not so readily accessible.

Several works on the birds of our own islands have recently made their appearance. The first number of a new edition of

184 New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, Sec

YarrelFs History of British Birds, revised by Professor New- ton*, was issued in June last ; and up to now three parts have been published. It is needless for us to say that Mr. Newton has bestowed the greatest care in his revision of this standard work ; and a glance at its pages will show how much has been added and altered, so as to incorporate all the most recent in- formation into the text. The work is to be completed in about twenty-five parts, and illustrated by 600 engravings. We have only one complaint to make with reference to this important work, and that concerns the slow rate at which the parts are issued. In June last we were promised by the publisher the second part in August, and future parts on the ist of each sub- sequent month. Part II. appeared in due time, but Part III. bears the date February 1872. At this rate of issue it will be five years at least before the final part is completed.

Mr. Robert Gray has recently completed his promised book on the birds of West Scotland and the Outer Hebrides f-

Mr. Gray tells us that he has been upwards of twenty years collecting materials for the present work. Its chief feature consists in the ample details given respecting the places where each species is found within the limits of the field chosen for the author's observations. In the case of stragglers, of which Western Scotland has received a veiy considerable share, the particulars in each instance are detailed, and in some cases a description of the stranger is added.

The method of treating such birds is in a somewhat unsettled state ; and considerable hesitation is shown, though not by Mr. Gray especially, whether to admit such waifs and strays into our list as welcome additions or to exclude them as intruders. We ourselves think that no hard line can be drawn in either direction, but that outside the interests of local faunas there remains a much wider question, bearing upon the modification

* History of British Birds, Toy the late "William Yarrell. Fourth edition, revised by Alfred Newton. Parts I. II. III. (Van Voorst.)

t The Birds of the West of Scotland, including the Outer Hebrides, with occasional records of the occui-rence of the rarer species throughout Scotland generally. By Bobert Gray. 8vo, pp. 520. 1871, Glasgow (Thomas Murray & Sons).

New and forthcominy Ornithological Works, ^c. 185

and extent of the disti'ibution of species in general. In this light all instances of the occurrence of stragglers beyond their usual limits cannot be too frequently or too carefully recorded. The instances where species become established by accidental means may be few and far between ; and, as a rule, stragglers obtain no foothold for the species to which they belong : but who can tell when the exception may take the place of the rule? We should have liked to have seen the usual range of many of the stragglers mentioned in this work given. For in- stance, there is nothing to show which of the four quarters of the globe Tringa rufescens and T. pectoralis inhabit. Such in- formation, it is true, is easily obtained ; but a few words in each case would have sufficed to impart much instruction to those whose opportunities of making references are limited.

Mr. Harting has lately published two works bearing upon ornithology*, but which hardly call for comment here. With regard to the first, we must confess that we put it down with a somewhat uneasy feeling that shore-shooting was hardly legi- timate " sport ; " and we trust it will never become popular. We admit the enjoyment of a good day's shooting ; but whence comes our satisfaction ? We sometimes suspect that the life- and-death necessities of old savage days have still something to answer for ; and that what we now call the enjoyment of sport is an inheritance of the nature of an instinct, from long-past times, when successful or non-successful chase was a matter of the utmost moment, as involving the acquirement of a suffi- ciency of food, or the reverse, and its consequences. No such necessities now exist ; and we should like to look forward to a time when birds will afford many of us a purer enjoyment than now, derived from watching their movements and habits, without taking their lives and harrying their nests. We do not really want " shore-birds " for food, and the requirements of science are soon satisfied ; why then shoot them five or six at a shot ?

In 'The Ornithology of Shakespeare'f, Mr. Harting has

* Hints on Shore-shooting, with a chapter on skinning and preserving birds. By .James Edmund Harting. London, 1871 (Van Voorst).

t The Ornithology of Shakespeare, critically examined, explained and illustrated. By James Edmund Harting. 8vo. London, 1871 (Van Voorst).

186 New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, ^c.

given a modern interpretation to most of the allusions to birds contained in Shakespeare^s works. These notes are accom- panied with suitable accessory matter, and the whole subject is worked up into a volume of 321 pages. Some nicely executed woodcuts are interspersed throughout the work, which is elabo- rated with great care, the paper and typography being all that could be desired.

For a fuller explanation than that given by Mr. Harting of the well-known passage in Hamlet, " I am but mad north-north- west : when the wind is southerly I know a Hawk from a Heronshaw,''^ see Mr. Newton's note in the fourth edition of Yarrell's British Birds, i. p. 57.

Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser have made a fair start with their History of the Birds of Europe*, and nine parts have been issued since March last (1871). There are several points which strongly recommend this work : in the first place, it is by no means dear for one containing quarto coloured illustrations. In the next, the authors seem to spare no pains to get together ample materials to enable them to verify the relationship of closely allied races by actual comparison of specimens. Notes and observations on habits, &c., are not only collated from every available source, but a quantity of new matter bearing on these points has been collected together. Descriptions of sexes, as well as of young in various stages of plumage are given very fully. At the risk of being called hypercritical, we must confess that it appears to us that the authors are displaying even too much zeal in their anxiety to lay before ornithologists all that has been written about each species rather than in sifting out the points having more important bearing on the subject. We should have preferred, for the sake of brevity, to have seen these points given in our authors' own words, rather than in long quotations from already published matter. We think, too, that where so much is brought forward it would have been of great service had the subjects been more carefully classified under headings, so as to facilitate reference to any particular

* A History of the Birds of Eui-ope, including all the species inhabit- ing the Western Palasarctic Region. Bj R. B. Sharpe and II. E. Dresser. ■Ito. London. Parts I. -IX.

New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, ^c. 187

subject. The descriptions are long, and we should have liked to have seen the salient characteristics of each species given, as in Sharpe's Monograph of the Alcedinidse, in concise terms. It is true that plates do away with much of the immediate necessity of such diagnostic characters ; yet their presence would have been an undoubted gain. These are minor matters, and are outweighed many times over by the real merits of the work, upon which no pains have been spared either in letterpress or plates. The authors have a long journey before them ; but w-e do not doubt their industry and ability to accomplish all they have undertaken. We wish them every success.

A Catalogue of the Birds of Europe, by M. Alph. Dubois*, has just reached us. A bare list of 575 European species are recognized, without including what M. Dubois considers "Va- rietates climaticse.^^ In dealing with these latter, the lines be- tween so-called species and varieties have been drawn without much discrimination, and the author not unfrequently, as in the case of Falco peregrinus, Strix flammea, &c., travels far out- side his limits to show, we suppose, the number of "varieties" into which those " species " are divisible. Stragglers are freely admitted to rank as European birds. M. Dubois pays no re- gard to an important rule of nomenclature respecting authors of generic names. Thus we find the first edition of Linnaeus con- stantly quoted, Moehring, we might almost say of course, Bar- rere, 1745, Ray, 1713, and Aldrovandus, 1610-11 ! How often must it be repeated that the names of these authors have no meanins: whatever in a binominal sense ?

The second part of a new ' Fauna d^Italia^ contains the com- mencement of an account of the Italian birds by Count Tom- maso Salvadorif-

The first fasciculus, which is all that has yet reached us, in- cludes 196 species belonging to the following orders of Count Salvadori^s arrangement : — Accipitres (diurni et nocturni); Pi- cARiiE (Picidee, Yunginse, CucuUnse, Coraciidse, Meropidte, Al-

* Conspectus systematicus et geographicus Avium Em-opfearum auc- tore Alph. Dubois, Doctors Scieu. Nat. ; conservatore in Museo reg. Nat. Hist. Belgii. Bruxellis (1871). Large 8vo, pp. 35.

t Fauna d'ltalia, Parte seconda : Uccelli, per Tonimaso'Salvadori. Fas- cicolo prime : Milano, 1870 (Francesco Vallardi).

188 Nerv and forthcoming Ornithological Works, H^c.

cediniclfCj Upupiclffi, Capvimulgidae, Cypselidse); Passeres (Hi- rundiiiidse, Muscicapidse, Ampelidsej Laniidse, Paridse, Certhiidsej Troglodytidje, Cinclidie, and part of the Turdidse).

The list seems likely to be a very full one, as the birds not only of Sardinia, but also those of Malta, are included.

The Rev. J. J. Halley has commenced an illustrated work on Australian Parrots *, AVe admit the force of the temptation to depict a family so nobly represented at the antipodes; but the first part of the present publication does not recommend it either as a work of art or as embodying information likely to be of ser- vice to the science of ornithology. The delineations are very far behind even average productions of a like nature.

Mr. Gould has just issued the twenty-fourth part of his great work on the ' Birds of Asia.' In it is figured a " Pellorneum palustre, Jerdou/' of which he is unable to give any information, or even a correct reference to the work in which it has been described. As regards the latter point, we believe that we may assure Mr. Gould, with confidence, that the bird has never yet been described at all, and that the only publication of it which has taken place is that in the ' Birds of Asia.' As regards its habitat and locality. Major Godwin-Austen informs us that he obtained one specimen of this rare species, at the end of the month of September, at the base of the Khasia Hills near Chatak, in the great "beel" or marsh there. The species seemed to haunt the thickets of high reeds, and of a kind of bramble which is peculiar to those marshes. It may not be so rare. Major Godwin-Austen observes, as has been supposed; but it is ex- tremely difficult to shoot birds when moving along in a canoe through the reed-beds of that district, and still more difficult to pick them up when shot. Dr. Jerdon likewise obtained a spe- cimen of this bird somewhere in Assam.

Some characteristic drawings, by Swainson, have recently been published, with short accompanying descriptions by Mr. G. E. Grayf. These plates, twelve in number, were prepared to form

* A Monogi-aph of the Psittacida? or Parrot Family of Australia. By the Kev. J. J. Halley. Illustrated from original drawings bj' .lames W. Sayer. London, Triibnej".

t A Fasciculus of the Birds of China. By G. R. Gray, F.R.S.

New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, 6fc. 189

part of a series of figures of Chinese birds by Dr. J. E. Gray, but were laid aside through pressure of other engagements. Swainson was perhaps the best ornithological draughtsman of his day ; and these drawings, larger than the size he usually adopted, are unsurpassed by any illustrating his well-known works.

Mr. J. A.. Allen's article ''On the Mammals and "Winter Birds of East Florida, with an examination of certain assumed specific characters in Birds, and a sketch of the Bird Fauna of Eastern North America," printed in the Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, Cambridge, Mas- sachusetts, vol. ii., is likely to produce, if it has not already done so, considerable agitation amongst ornithologists on both sides of the Atlantic. The author makes a most able protest against the minute subdivision of specific names, with special reference to the works of his own countrymen. His arguments are supported by minute examination of a number of specimens; and his observations are carefully collated in tables. The nature and extent of individual variation in many species is fully dwelt upon ; and thence the author proceeds to what he calls climatic variation, and, lastly, treats of " Species, Varieties, and Geogra- phical llaces." Certain peculiarities of colour are traced to certain meteorological peculiarities of the regions where they occur. Increase of colour to the southward is shown to corre- spond with increased intensity of the solar rays and greater hu- midity of climate, and the maximum amount of colour in many birds of the United States to correspond with the maximum rainfall. The practical application of these laws, as understood by Mr. Allen, is shown by Uis placing as simple synonyms the names of a number of birds separated by recent writers on North- American ornithology. In some instances we should be in- clined to think he has made out his case ; but the materials at our disposal in this country are not sufficiently extensive to enable us to form a very decided opinion on many of the cases cited. Still on these subjects we have a well-founded suspicion of the application of analogical reasoning ; and on looking into the instances in which the author has applied his rules outside the extent of the specimens at his command, we are strongly of

SER. III. — VOL. II. P

190 Neiv and fori hcominy Ornithological Works, ^c.

opinion that he has pushed matters too far, and that he, and the writers he seeks to refute, represent, as it were, the opposite limits of a pendulum's oscillation, the golden mean lying between the two. A prominent case in point is that of the Buzzards of North America.

Mr. Allen states his present opinion to be, that (putting B. lineatus aside) all the so-called species may be referred to B. borealis and B. pennsylvanicus, to which B. oxypterus of Cassin is united. We much doubt the possibility of maintaining the number of species claimed by Baird and others ; but we cannot refrain from putting in a plea for B. swainsoni, which, so far as our experience goes, never assumes the red tail so characteristic of jB, borealis. With B. swainsoni, B. insignatus must be placed ; and it yet remains to be seen how far this bird differs from B. vulgaris of the northern portion of the Old World. The true B. harlani must, we think, be called a melanism of B. borealis. As for B. oxypterus we have always considered B.fuliginosus of Sclater synonymous with it ; and if so, it is not B. pennsylvanicus as Mr. Allen asserts. Take another case : Scops maccalli is placed as a synonym of S. asio ; the name really is synonymous with S. trichopsis of Wagler, the bird being quite distinct from S. asio, as has been pointed out elsewhere*.

Some useful generalizations respecting the distribution of North- American birds form the next portion of this instructive paper; but here again Mr. Allen is led outside his immediate subject into a sketch of his views of the distribution of ornithic life on the globe's surface. Finally, we have a list of works on American ornithology, classified according to the countries to which they especially apply; but again we find, especially in Central America, that the classification laid down has not been very accurately adhered to.

This memoir will, we believe, act as a useful antidote against the undue tendency to recognize species; but we must repeat our warning that too much stress should not be laid on the sup- posed action of physical laws upon the plumage, bills, &c. of birds. Then again these climatic variations require the closest attention, and it is yet a question under which system they receive the

* Cf. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 57.

New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, ^c. 191

most. To those who believe in the doctrine of evolution " indi- vidual variation," " climatic variation," &c. are but the first steps in the series which culminates in creatures, we might say, as wide as the poles asunder.

A valued contributor has recently sent us number 14 (Jan. 19, 1872) of volume iv. of the ' Cornell Era,' " published every Friday by students of the Junior Class at the University [Cornell] press," wherein we find a letter signed " T. W. J. Jr." giving Professor Baird's and Dr. Coues's opinions as to the validity of a certain Grouse described in the number of ' The Era ' for the 8th of December, 1871, as Bonasa jobsii. Both these high authorities unite in saying that the supposed species is based on a somewhat abnormal specimen of Bonasa umbellus. One remark of Professor Baird's quoted in this letter is significant : he writes, " When I published my work on the birds of North America I was in what might be called the analytical stage of Natural- History development. My present condition is synthetical. I take more pains now to subordinate forms, once considered spe- cific, than I do to establish them as such."

The first part of GiebeFs 'Thesaurus'* has lately reached us. It contains, in the first place, references to the works of authors arranged under a number of headings ; then follows the com- mencement of an alphabetical enumeration of the species and genera of birds. As it would be premature to discuss the merits of this latter portion, we will merely remark that the first word (p. 255) contains a palpable misprint ! We must confess that, having expected great things from this work (Ibis, 1871, p. 251), a perusal of this first portion has produced in us a feeling of great disappointment. In the first place the classification of the various works of authors under their respective names is so com- plex that it is difficult to know where to look for any specific work or paper. We could aff'ord to overlook this unnecessary complication were the papers themselves placed with even ordi-

* Thesaurus Ornitbologiae. Repertorium der gesammten ornitholo- gischen Literatur und Nonienclator samnitlicher Gattungen imd Avten der Vfigel, nebst Synoiiymen und geographisclier Verbreitung, von Dr. C. G. Giebel, Professor an der Universitat in Halle. Leipzig, 1872. Erster Ilalbband. Large Svo, pp. 400 (F. A. Brocldiaus).

p 2

192 New and forthcoming OrnitJiohgical IVorks, ^c.

nary care under the headings they might be expected to be found under; but accuracy has been entirely neglected, and we find errors and blunders that are little short of astounding. To justify these strong remarks, the following instances selected out of a host of others will, we think, be sufficient. To begin at home, the first and second series of this Journal are set down as contain- ing five volumes each (p. 10). Under "Propagatio" (p. 120) we find that the views of our worthy predecessor in 1852 took a very practical turn, and that he published in that year a work on the " breeding, rearing and fattening of Domestic Poultry'^ ! Works and papers upon the birds of different portions of the world are arranged under the particular country to which they belong. It is there that the most glaring errors are to be found. Under "Britannia" we find (p. 165) a paper in the Boston Society of Natural History, by H. Bryant, entitled " List of Birds observed at Grand Manan and Yarmouth"!; also (p. 165) a descriptive catalogue of the raptorial birds in the Norfolk and Norwich Museum. Wickevoort-Crommelin's papers in the Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk. and elsewhere are included under " Germania, Austria " (p. 178), somewhat prematurely, we cannot but think. Under " Asia" we find (p. 190) '' Notes on Birds collected in Benguela, by J. Monteiro." Can Benguela have been confounded with Bengal ? So far as we can see, the Antilles, Bermuda, Vancouver's Island, the Falkland Islands, and Hainan are all classified under ''Australia and Oceania ;" in addition to which we find under the same heading a paper on North-China birds and Mr. Stevenson's * Birds of Norfolk ' (was Norfolk Island supposed to be the scene of Mr. Stevenson's labours ?) ! Papers on the birds of North, Central and South America are hopelessly confused. Sombrero, Chiriqui, Nicaragua, Yucatan, Pana Island in the gulf of Gua- yaquil, and Honduras all come into North America. Central America, according to Dr. Giebel, contains the district of Columbia (an astonishing fact for the Government of the United States), to say nothing of the Smithsonian Institution ; and South America is the scene of Mr. Layard's notes from the Antipodes ! Finally, but, alas ! not exhaustively, Mr. Eyton's Catalogue of the species of skeletons of birds in his possession finds itself classified under ''Aves monstrosse, abnormes, hybridEe " ! Misprints abound to

New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, S^c. 193

such an extent that the work reads not unlike first proofs just issued from the hands of a careless printer. Had some simple or even alphabetical arrangement of authors been adopted, with less regard to the particular natui'e of their works, and the whole undergone careful revision, the result would have proved of the greatest benefit to working ornithologists. Even as it is, we can see that the book can be used with advantage as a ready guide to references, the omission of which in Mr. Gray's Hand-list forms its weakest point.

Messrs. H. M. Labouchere and Mr. Jesse have undertaken a translation of Dr. A. E. Brehm's ' Bird-Life ' ■^", of which four parts have appeared. The translators seem to have performed their duties with commendable care ; and the parts improve as they go on. We cannot, however, but wish that their energies had been bestowed upon a work more worthy of their labour. Dr. Brehm's book abounds with observations of a very superficial character, and appears to us to be likely to afford little solid in- struction either to the student or the general reader. We trust an index to scientific names will be given in the last part ; for at present it is very difficult to find the subjects of Dr. Brehm's observations. To search for them is like (to quote the old saw) " looking for a needle in a truss of hay."

Ornithological Works in prospect.

The numerous ornithological notes which have appeared in the pages of this Journal and elsewhere upon the birds of Egypt are shortly to be collected under one cover by Captain G. E. Shelley, who has much additional information to impart. The work will be large octavo size, and will be illustrated by fourteen coloured Plates. This book will be of undoubted use and interest to all travellers on the Nile, more especially as the description of each species will be sufficiently full to enable the traveller to identify his specimens. The prospectus, which has just reached us, contains a pretty Plate, by Keulemans, oi Nectarinia metallica.

Messrs. Layard and Sharpe have in preparation a ' Handbook

* Bird-Iiife. By Dr. A, E. Brehm. Translated from the German by II. M, Labouchere and W. Jj^sse. Large 8vo : London, 187L Parts T.-IV. (Van Voorst).

194 New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, ^c.

to the Ornithology of South iVfrica/ to take the place of Mr. Layard^s useful little work on the birds of South Africa, which has been freely criticised in these pages. The last-mentioned book, we are happy to learn, has proved an undoubted success ; and we feel confident that this promised new publication, which will combine all that has since come to light on the birds of South Africa, will meet with similar favour. Its scope will be enlarged, so as to include all the birds found within the limits of the South-African avifauna, and will thus comprise those of Natal and Damaraland, as far north as the Zambesi on the east and Benguela on the west.

Books such as this on local faunas are of the utmost service, and do more than any other class of work to develope a latent taste for ornithology in many a one who would otherwise never progress beyond the acquirement of vernacular names.

The labours of the late Mr. C. J. Andersson in Damaraland are, we are glad to hear, not to be lost to science ; for Mr. J. H. Gurney, who, as the readers of * The Ibis ' well know, has long interested himself in the study of the birds of the adjoining re- gions, has undertaken the task of editing the voluminous MSS. which that well-known collector left behind him. Part of the book is already in the press ; so that we may confidently expect the finished work shortly.

Mr. Buller, well known for his researches amongst the birds of New Zealand, is now on a visit to England, with the express object of bringing out the complete work contemplated some years ago (Ibis, 1868, p. 504) on the ornithology of that country, where zeal for our science seems in the ascendant. The book is to be in quarto, of the same size as Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser's ' Birds of Europe,' and is to be illustrated in the same style by thirty-five coloured Plates, to include about seventy figures of New-Zealand birds. The prospectus, which has just been issued, tells intending subscribers to apply to the author, 7 Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, Westminster.

Mr. Elliot promises shortly, so soon as his grand ' Monograph of the Phasianidse ' is completed, to commence the issue of a similar work on no less a subject than the " Birds of Paradise.'*

New and furthcomiiKj Ornithological Works, t^c. 195

The dravviugs for the Plates have been already executed by Mr, Wolf; and having stated thus much, we can only say that a group of birds so difficult to represent adequately is certain to be done justice to, so far as illustration can do it.

We are promised an ornithological work upon the birds ob- tained during Forsyth's expedition to Yarkand, to which allusion has already been made in these pages [cf. 'Ibis' 1871, p. 407), where the new species obtained were described by Mr. Hume. The volume is to be in the form of Blanford's ' Geology and Zoology of Abyssinia,' and is to be illustrated by about thirty coloured Plates. The work will appear under the joint author- ship of Dr. Henderson, the Surgeon to the expedition, and our well-known contributor, Mr. Allan Hume.

Professor Baird informs us that the first batch of MSS. for the work on the 'Birds of North America,' on which he and Dr. Brewer have been engaged for several years, has been sent to press. The work is to be something in the style of the 'Birds of California,' but will be superior to it in beauty, and will embody a much larger proportion of biographical text to each species. The engravings of the heads used in that work have nearly all been reproduced in more artistic style ; and this espe- cially applies to the new ones, relating to the peculiar eastern species. This preliminary labour, Prof, Baird tells us, is finished ; so that ere long we may expect the complete work.

We have received the following pamphlets, in addition to extracts from the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society,' the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History,' and other English Journals : —

" On the Sternum and Viscera of Pel's Owl {Scotopelia peli) ." By James Murie, M.D. From the Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, Nov. 1871.

"List of Birds collected or observed in the Wardha Valley and its vicinity near Chanda." By W. T. Blanford, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xl. part ii. 1871.

" Note on Colonel M'Masters's List of Birds from Nagpore &c." By W. T. Blanford. Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xl. parf ii. 1871, p. 316.

196 New and jorthcoming Ornithological Works, &;c.

"Bericht iiber die Leistungen in cler Naturgescbichte der Vogel wahrend des Jahres 1870." Von G. Hartlaub. Arch, fiir Naturg. xxxvii. Jahrg. 2ter Bd.

" Ueber die durch Herrn Baron E. v. Ransonnet von der Osta- siatischen Expedition eingesendeten Saugetbiere und Vogel/' Von August von Pelzeln. Verb. k. k. zool.-bot. Gesell. in Wien, Feb. 1871.

"Ein Beitrag zur ornitbologiscben Fauna der osterreicbiscb- ungariscben Monarcbie.^' Von August von Pelzeln. Verb. k. k. zool.-bot. Gesell. in Wien, Marz, 1871.

" Monograpbie der Gattung Certhiola." Von Dr. 0. FixscH. Verb. k. k. zool.-bot. Gesell. in Wien, April, 1871.

"Die Grundlagen des Vogelscbutzgesetzes.^' Von Georg Ritter von Fraueneeld. Verb. k. k. zool.-bot. Gesell. in Wien, Juli, 1871.

" Der Vogelscbutz." Von Georg Ritter von Frauenfeld. Verb. k.k. zool.-bot. Gesell. in Wien, Oct. 1871.

" Om en bidtil ukjendt Knogle i Hovedskalien bos Tura- koerne {Musophagides, Sundev.), med nogle Bemaerkuinger om delignendeKnogler bos andreFaglefaaiiliei-.^' Af J.Reinhardt. Vidensk. Meddel. fra den nat. For. i Kjobenbavn for Aaret 1871.

*' Supplement til " Norges Fugle og deres Geograpbiske Ud- bredelse i Landet (1868-70)/' Af Robert Collett. Vidensk. - Selsk. Forbaudlinger for 1871.

"OrnitbologiskeBemeerkninger til Norges Fauna." Af Robert Collett. Indberetniug til det academiske Collegium ved det kongelige Frederiks Universitet. Cbristiania, 1871.

" Intorno alia Fringilla_ citrinella, Linn." Nota di Tommaso Salvadori, Atti della Reale Ac. delle Sc. Ji Torino, vol. vii. Dec. 1871.

'Annual Report of tbe Board of Regents of tbe Smithsonian Institution, showing tbe operations, expenditures, and condition of tbe Institution f-r tbe year 1869.' AVasbiugton, 1871.

" Descriptions of new Species of Birds from Mexico, Central America, and South America, with a note on Rullus lo?igirostris."

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 197

By Geo. N. Lawrence. From the Annals of the Lyceum of Natural History of New York, vol. x. p. 1 (Feb. 1871).

" Descriptions of three new Species of American Birds, with a note on Eugenes spectabilis." By the same. Ibid. p. 137 (Nov.

1871).

" Descriptions of New Species of Birds of the Families Tro- glodytidse and Tyrannidse.''' By the same. Proc. Ac. Phil. 1871, p. 233 (Dec).

" Notes on some Birds in the Museum of Vassar College." By Professor James Orton. Am. Nat. iv. No. 12, Feb. 1871.

"Bullock's Oriole." By Elliott Coues. Am. Nat. v. Nov. 1871.

'Archives of Science and Transactions of the Orleans County Society/ vol. i. nos. 1-3, Oct. 1870 to April 1871.

The latter contains the commencement of a " Catalogue of and Observations on the Birds of Vermont." By the Rev. Daniel Goodhue.

"Annual Report of the Trustees of the Museum of Compara- tive Zoology at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts."

"Zur Ornithologie Nordwest-xAmerika^s." Von Dr.O.FiNSCH. Abh. des naturwiss. Vereins zu bremen, Bd. iii. Jan. 1872.

We have received the following letters addressed to " The

XXV. — Letters, Announcements, ^c.

•eceived the

Editorof 'The Ibis'":—

Eajkoti, Kattywar. Sir, — I venture to write you a few lines on a subject which has caused me much perplexity. I have always been under the impression that Cijornis banyumas and C. tickellia were two dis- tinct species, the latter, according to Jerdon, being only found in Central India. Some two years ago, when visiting the southern districts of this Province, I was somewhat surprised to find C. banyumas and C. tickellia in equal numbers and both very common. Since then I have constantly met with both species wherever the country was fairly wooded, and have frequently shot them off the same tree and within a few minutes of each

198 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

other. Quite recently, whilst sitting at the base of the granite precipices which form the scarp of a well-known hill in Kattywar (the Geeruar), and looking over the wooded spurs and valleys lying at my feet, glowing with a hundred tints, over the plains beyond, to the faint sea-line on the horizon, I was recalled from speculations on the past, present, and future of the country spread like a map before me, to considerations of an ornithological nature, by suddenly becoming aware of a C. tickellia perched within a few feet of me. A mass of dark foliage formed a fine background for the grey-blue upper plumage and pale orange breast, whilst a bunch of the yellow succulent Gam^uga pinnata hung suspended above it, and lit up a picture which I gazed upon with feelings that only desk-tied ornithologists can pro- perly appreciate.

As I watched my bright-eyed little visitor, a doubt arose in my mind : — Are C. banyumas and C. tickeUiae different species or simply male and female of the same ?

Subsequent close observation has satisfied me that C tickellice is only the female of C. banyumas. Throughout hot weather 1 have had daily opportunities of observing them. There is not a tree under which I have rested tliat has not been the resort of these pretty little birds ; and I have found, as an unvarying rule at this season, that when an individual of one species is seen, the other is sure to be found in its immediate neighbourhood. Jerdon does not describe the female of C. tickellice, and states that the female of C. banyumas is probably olive-brown ; but if this were so, I cannot but think 1 should have met with it ; yet, not- withstanding the number of blue birds I have observed, and that I am constantly on the watch for the supposed female, it has not yet fallen to my lot to see any but blue individuals of C. tickellice and C. banyumas, the former of which I believe to be really the

female of the latter.

Yours, &c.,

J. Hayes Lloyd,

Capt. Bombay Staff" Corps.

p S_ — When writing the above I had not seen the October number of ' The Ibis,^ containing Mr. Blanford's letter (Ibis, 1870, p. 533). That gentleman's e.\perieucc goes to corroborate

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 199

niine^ inasmuch as all the specimens of Cyornis tickellia which he obtained proved to be females. I shall be curious to learn whether a specimen has ever been obtained which proved on dis- section to be a male. For my own part, having had further opportunities of studying the subject, I am convinced that the female oi '^ Cyornis banyumas'^ is either "C. tickellice" itself or a bird exactly answering the description of C. tickellicB as given by Jerdon.

Gibraltar, December 6th, 1871. Sir, — Allow me to add to Mr. H. Saunders's " List of the Birds of Southern Spain" the following species : —

1. Cypselus pallidus, Shelley, Ibis, 1870, p. 445.

I have certainly seen this species more than once at Gibraltar, in April, but have not yet obtained a specimen. Those obtained by Olgese at Tangier were killed early in April or late in March ; but it is by no means common there. In M. Favier's list it is named " C murinus " of Fairmaire.

2. Parus cristatus. " Capuchiuo."

Kesident and very common in the cork-wood of Almoraima, ten miles from Gibraltar, and found in all the districts in the vicinity where there are any cork trees, in which trees, in com- mon with Parus major and P. cceruleus, they nest. They also nest in the first pine-wood, about six miles from Gibraltar. They begin to lay about the 11th of May. The sexes are exactly similar in plumage, except perhaps that the crest of the male is more developed. I saw this bird once in April, near Laracla, in Morocco, on a cork tree.

3. Sylvia melanocephala.

Resident, extremely abundant and conspicuous, and one of the few warblers nesting on the Rock of Gibraltar. I have had several nests in my garden, the earliest date on which an egg was laid being the 12th of March. The number of eggs varies from three to five ; the nest, very slight, formed of grass and sometimes cotton threads, is lined with hair, and always placed in some thick bush about two or three feet from the ground.

The male sits as well as the female. In habits this bird much

200 Letters, Ajinouncements, ^c.

resembles the Blackcap, but is more obtrusive^ and its song is to be heard at all seasons. It is very partial to figs, grapes, &c., and in winter eats the seeds of the " pepper-tree '^ of Gibraltar (Schinus molle). This bird, is one of the (if I may use the expression) dry warblers, requiring very little, if any, water, living throughout the hot season in places where there is none. The only other Sylviidse which regularly nest on the Eock are Prati7icola rubicola and Dromolfsa leucura ; some seasons Sylvia atricapilla and the next species also remain to breed : —

4. Philomela luscinia, which has nested in the garden of the senior naval officer, and in the "alameda" near thewater-tank. The Nightingale is found in Southern Spain in great numbers wherever there is wood and water ; in the " Cork-wood," you may find any number of nests in May ; as a rule there are young hatched by the 2]st. The earliest dates of arrival ob- served by me were : — April 8th, 1868 ; April 2nd, 1869 ; April 7th, 1870; April 1, 1871. They do not sing for the first day or two after arrival.

I may here mention that the following species of Sylviidse nest in the Cork- wood and vicinity of Gibraltar : —

1. Ruticilla tithys.

2. Erithacus rubecula. In great abundance.

3. Saxicola aurita.

4i. „ stapazina.

5. Droniolcea leucura.

6. Pratincola rubicola.

7. Sylvia hortensis. Abundantly.

8. „ atricapilla. In great numbers.

9. „ melanocephala. In great numbers.

10. ,, orphea. Not so numerously as

11. „ cinerea, which nests commonly, as do

12. „ conspicillata and

13. Melizophilus provincialis, in dry scrub.

14. Phyllupneuste sibilatrix. Not commonly.

15. „ trochilus. Commonly.

16. „ rufa. Some few nests.

17. „ bonellii. Abundantly.

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 201

18. Ficedula polyglotta. In numbers.

19. „ elaica. In numbers.

20. „ cisticola. In numbers.

21. „ cettii. Wherever there is water.

22. Aedon galactodes. Dry ground.

23. Calamoherpe turdoides. River-banks.

5. Anthus obscurus.

Occurs in winter on the mud and salinas of Pahiiones, near Algeciraz ; leaves early in March.

6. Anthus cervinus.

Seen on passage about the 10th of March.

7. Passer cisalpinus.

Obtained in Seville market in April 1871, but is rare.

Anthus aquaticus (spinoletta), Saunders, no. 135.

Is found in the breeding-season on the high bare ground of the Sierra del Nino, between Algeciraz and Tarifa, at an eleva- tion of about 2500 feet.

I am, Sir, &c.,

L. Howard Irby.

Colonial Museum, Wellington, N. Z., 23rd December, 1871.

Sir, — In a catalogue of the birds of New Zealand which I

published a short time ago I described what I then thought to

be a new species under the name of CoUuricincla concinna. I

now find that I have made a mistake, and that the bird is only

Graucalus melanops.

Yours truly,

F. W. Hutton.

Glasgow, 5th January, 1872. Sir, — A specimen of the Balearic Crane {Grus pavonina) was shot near Dairy, in Ayrshire, on the 17th of September last, and forwarded to me for identification by a friend who happened to hear of the circumstance. The bird had made its appearance in the neighbourhood a few days previously, and was repeatedly seen

202 Letters, Announcements, &;c.

soaring with a strong and vigorous flight at a considerable height in the air. It then became a marked object ; and when it alighted it was heard giving utterance to loud and discordant cries, the only effect of which was to draw the closer attention of those who had designs on its life. On being approached, it ran with great swiftness before taking wing; and after being hunted from one farm to another, it was at last shot while perched on a hay- rick, towards the close of a quiet sabbath. On dissec- tion it was found that the stomach was entirely empty. I may add that the greatest care has been taken to ascertain that the bird was not an escaped specimen.

I am Sir,

Your obedient servant,

Robert Gray.

Matterau, 23rd January, 1872.

Sir, — In his ' Birds of India,' Dr. Jerdon gave Hypsipetes neilgherriensis as distinct from H. ganeesa (Sykes) ; but in his Appendix he stated that the two were identical, and that the former name must be suppressed. According to the descriptions H. neilgherriensis has black wings and tail, while the same parts in H. ganeesa are brown ; and, referring to this, Dr. Jerdon remarks that the description of H. ganeesa was probably taken from a faded specimen.

I venture to send you a description from a perfectly fresh specimen just shot here.

Hypsipetes ganeesa.

Male. — Head glossy black, the feathers lengthened into a demicrest ; body-plumage dusky bluish grey, paler on the throat, and the feathers on the back dark-centred ; under tail-coverts edged with white ; wings and tail brown. Bill red; legs and feet dusky yellow; irides brown. Length 9^ in.; wing 4<i ; tail 4 ; bill ^ ; tarsus -|.

The specimen was alone when shot ; and the species appears to be rare. Yours, &c.,

J. Hayes Lloyd, Bombay Staff" Corps.

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 203

Aligiirh, N.W. P., 4th Nov. 1871. Dear Sir, — I have recently obtained, in the Aligurh and Mynpoorie districts of the North-western Provinces of India, which are situated in the flat alluvial plains of the valley of the Ganges, numerous specimens of a Bee-eater unlike any pre- viously recorded from these localities.

Merops philippensis and M. viridis are the only species as yet noticed here ; further north in the Doon, and eastwards in the Terai and along the whole of the southern skirts of the Hima- layas to the valley of the Bi'ahmapootra, M. quinticolor occurs; while in the far north-west M. apiaster, so common in Cash- mere in the summer, is found, Mr. Hume informs me, as a straggler in the Peshavvur valley, extending, though rarely, to the Salt range as far as Find Dadun Khan, on the banks of the Jhelum.

The present species is probably M. agyptius, included in our Indian avifauna on the strength of specimens sent from Scinde by Sir A. Burnes about the year 1830, but which has not, so far as I am aware, been since obtained within our limits.

I say that the present species is probably M. (Bgrjptius; but the fact is, that so much uncertainty seems to exist in regard to this species, and all the plates and descriptions to which I have access are so unsatisfactory, that I can arrive at no certainty in regard to it.

I find that no less than eight species have been described, all more or less corresponding with this bird in general colouring, only two of which are retained by Gray in his recently published Hand-list, the remaining six being treated as synonyms and ar- ranged as follows : —

1. Merops tegt/ptius (Forskal), Fauna Arab. i. no. 2; Descr. de I'Egypte, t. iv. 3; Levaillant, Guepiers, t. vi. 16. =M. sa- vignii (Cuvier), M. persica (Pallas), M. ruficollis (Vieillot), M. superciliosus (Lichtenst.).

2. Merops savignii (Swainson),B. ofW. Afr. ^. win. = M. lon- gicauda (Vieillot), M. chrysocercus (Cabanis).

I have not the original descriptions of Pallas and Forskal to refer to; but I have compared the plate of M. savignii in Swain- son's * Birds of W. Africa,' and of M. agyptius in Bree, neither

204 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

of which quite corresponds with any of my examples. I have also examined specimens received from M. Verreaux, and sent out as typical examples oi M. (Egyptius, M. savignii, and M. chry- socercus ; also one of the latter received from Mr. Layard. I have likewise studied the descriptions, by Layard, Schlegel, Jerdon, Riippell, and others, of the various species above quoted, without being able to arrive at the real distinction between them, if any exist.

Schlegel, if I remember rightly, considers M. savignii to be the young of M. agyptius ; and if all the Bee-eaters that I have killed belong to one and the same species, he is probably right.

I am disposed to believe that my specimens include two spe- cies— the one M. (Sgyptius, the other, looking to geographical distribution, possibly M. persicus of Pallas, which is said to breed on the shores of the Caspian Sea. The blue head of the female and the generally bluer hue of the plumage in the latter, com- pared with the yellowish rufous hue which pervades the green of the back of the bird which I take to be M. agyptius, seem to favour this view; while the fact of their all having been shot in company, and that gradations are observable from one state to another, seem to point to their all being different stages of one and the same species. I send a series of males and females, old and young ; and I think that the opportunity may well be taken to give a good plate of these specimens and elucidate the synonymy.

M. chrysocercus, distiuguished by a yellowish gloss on the tail and black tips to the lengthened feathers, seems distinct from these.

Whatever their true specific name may turn out to be, their occurrence in considerable numbers in the centre of Northern India, 800 or 900 miles further east than any Bee eaters of this type have yet been noticed, is most remarkable. Mr. A. 0. Hume, who was stationed for four years in Aligurh and Myn- poorie, never obtained this species there, nor indeed had he pre- viously received it from any part of India. He suggests that the famine in Persia may have caused this extraordinary migra- tion, just as he tells me that during the terrible famine in Raj- pootana and Bhutteeanah the field-rats {Ga-bi/lits erythrurus), of

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 205

which there were enormous colonies, and birds of almost every description, disappeared. During the past two months he has received two specimens of Coracias (jarrula from Ajmeer and the Berars, killed by Captain Kenneth Mackenzie, a bird never before recorded within our limits out of Cashmere,, the N.W. Himalayas, and the Peshawur valley, affording another remark- able coincidence probably attributable to the same cause, viz. the pressure of severe drought in their accustomed haunts.

In habits the present Bee-eater is similar to its congeners, as- sociating in small, and occasionally in large, flocks, and keeping near to water, over which it hovers and soars, catching insects on the wing. It is seen sometimes in company with M. philip- pensis ; but its flight is more powerful and frequently sustained for upwards of a mile without returning to its perch, to which it does not seem so much attached as the smaller kinds of Me- ropidse. Its note is a rolling whistle uttered frequently while on the wing, somewhat similar to that of M. philippensis, but more prolonged and musical.

I remain. Sir, yours, &c.,

G. F. L. Marshall,

R. Engineers.

The wandering instincts of the Members of the B. 0. U. in the interests of their favourite pursuit seem to be especially de- veloped at the present time, no fewer than eleven of our number being now either residents or travellers abroad. Of the doings of the latter, the following notes will doubtless interest our readers.

Mr. Tristram is again visiting his old haunts in Palestine. Quite recently we received the alarming intelligence that he and his party had been captured by a band of marauding Arabs. Almost immediately afterwards the news of his safety reached us. The following is an account of the main features of his cap- ture and release.

It appears from Mr. Tristram's letters that he left Jerusalem with his party on their scientific explorations on the 30th of January. Their cavalcade was large, consisting of eight horsemen, three ser- vants, nine muleteers, eleven mules, and four asses. A guard of

SER. III. VOL. II. Q

206 Letters, Announcements, t^c.

Jebalim Arabs, engaged at Hebron, was engaged to take them as far as Kerak. There seems to have been some undercurrent of jealousy among the Arab tribes as to who should be the gainers of the " baksheesh " to be levied from so large a party; and much negotiation went on at Jerusalem previous to the start. The Jehalim behaved well and faithfully, and at Kerak handed the travellers over to the protection of the Medjaleh, who immediately began to extort money, exacted £670, and on their arrival at the old castle at Kerak told them to consider themselves prisoners unless they paid a ransom of £600. They managed, however, to send off a messenger at night to the British Consul at Jerusalem ; but meanwhile their old friend the Beni Sakki Sheik appeared on the scene ; and under his powerful protection they were safe. He had come from Jerusalem, where he had contracted to convey the party from Kerak. Under his wing they departed, nothing more being said of the j6600.

The Turkish Government took up the matter very promptly, on the representation of the British Consul, and a large body of troops was at once sent to release the captives. This was providentially unnecessary; but as there are one or two old scores against the tribe to be wiped off, it is probable that they have ere this been compelled to disgorge their treacherously ob- tained plunder, the Government being fully determined on punishment.

On the 16th of February the travellers were at Aroer, all well and hard at work at their scientific labours. We congratulate our brother " Ibis " on his escape from the " snare of the fowler."

In a letter to Mr. Sclater, dated fronf Ningpo, Mr. Swinhoe writes, " I am sending you descriptions of two new Pheasants and a fine Garrulax procured from the inner mountains of this province. Of the Pheasants, one is a typical Pheasant and the other a Pucras. This province has been more wandered over by Europeans than any other in China ; and it is curious that such fine birds have not been stumbled over before. There is much to be done here. The plain we live in contains little worthy of notice except Mecistura glaucogularis and Anthus japonicus ; but

Letters, Announcements, ^'C. 207

the neii'-hbourino: hills teem with birds of interest. I met the other day with Microsceles amaurotis, of Japan ; and a fine Vultur monachus was brought to me by a Chinese sportsman/'

The ornithology of Western Africa seems likely at last to re- ceive its proper share of attention from the votaries of that science in this country. The papers by Mr. Sharpe on the birds of Fantee, which we have published during the last three years, are apparently only the forerunners of some more extended re- searches into the ornithology of that district ; and we hope to give very shortly some notes by Governor Ussher on the habits of such species as have been observed by him during his long residence on the Gold Coast. We are also looking forward with great interest to the results of the ornithological expedition re- cently undertaken by two of our Members, Captain Shelley and Mr. T. E. Buckley, who started about the beginning of the year, and reached Cape-Coast Castle in the first week in February. Making this their head quarters, their intention was to divide the three months allotted to their stay into three separate collecting- trips, one month to be devoted to the country round Cape-Coast and the plains of Accra, and the other two to the forest-country of Denkera and the eastern districts of Fantee. The latest ac- counts received from the travellers announce their safe arrival at Cape Coast in good health ; and we have since heard, from another source, that after a week's successful collecting round Cape-Coast Castle, they had started up the river Volta on their way to the mountains of Aguapim. The only naturalist who has visited the Volta is Governor Ussher, who was much hindered by the Ashantee war from collecting largely, but who nevertheless ob- tained many rare birds {cf. ' Ibis,' 1870, p. 470). Aguapim is only known ornithologically from the collections of Riis, now in the Basle Museum ; so that there is no doubt that a tine field lies open to our travellers. The return of Governor Ussher last month to the Fantee country, and the accession to the ranks of ornithologists of Mr. H. F. Blissett, of Cape Coast, who has just sent home a collection to Mr. Sharpe, leave us no room for doubting that the natural history of this rich and little-explored country will in a short time be better known.

208 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

Mr. A. B. Brooke is hard at work in Sardinia, whither he re- paired early in the present year. It was his intention to reach his collecting-ground before the departure of the Waders &c. ; but we hear that he was too late to find them this season, and has therefore turned his attention to other groups.

We are glad to learn that Mr. Layard, who has already worked at the ornithology of a large portion of the Old World, is about to recommence his labours in, to him, an entirely new field. Be- fore our next issue he will have reached Para, and have plunged into the midst of the South-American fauna. Though this district was visited by Mr. Wallace, and an account of his collec- tions has been given in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological So- ciety' for 1867, and had been previously traversed by Spix and Natterer, we doubt not that much remains to be done, not only in increasing the list of local species, but also working out in detail the habits of the many peculiar forms found at Para and its vicinity. Our readers will remember that, zoologically. Para is essentially an outlying district of Guiana, nearly 90 per cent, of its birds belonging to that country. Still it is by no means destitute of peculiar features, in not a few cases the huge Amazon forming the boundary between closely allied but distinct races. To these, we doubt not, Mr. Layard will pay especial attention. We also hear that a local interest is springing up in the city of Para for the zoological riches surrounding it. Mr. Layard's temporary residence there is extremely auspicious, as he has invariably succeeded in imparting no small portion of his own enthusiasm to those with whom circumstances have thrown him into connexion.

We are glad to hear that Didunculus strigirostris is not so rare in Samoa as has been usually supposed. The authors of * South-Sea Bubbles ' tell us that during a recent war skir- mishing parties were driven into out-of-the-way places, and '' rookeries " of these birds were discovered, and that they were fortunate enough to procure a pair. These were, unfortunately, lost with some 60 other skins in their subsequent shipwreck. Its flesh is described as " brown and delicious."

THE IBIS.

THIRD SERIES.

No. VII. JULY 1872.

XXVI. — Notes on the Resident and Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. By F. Du Cane Godman, F.Z.S. &c.

[Concluded from p. 177.]

40. CaLANDRELLA BRACHYDACTYLA (Leisl.).

Alauda arvensis, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 17; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 455.

A. brachijdadyla, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 290.

Bolle says the Short-toed Lark is found in the eastern islands Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, and less commonly in Teneriffe and Gran Canary. The same authority also says it is this species, and not A. arvensis, which occurs in the Canaries. A. ai-vensis is mentioned amongst the occasional visitors in Madeira. I did not meet with either.

41. Emberiza citrinella, Linn.

Emheriza citrinella, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 18; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 455.

I insert this species on the authority of Webb and Berthelot, who give as its habitat the island of Teneriffe. Bolle seems to doubt its being stationary. It did not fall under my notice.

SER. III. VOL. II. R

210 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

42. fEMBERizA MILIARIA (Linn,).

Emheriza miliaria, W. & B. Orn. Can, p. 18; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 455, and 1857, p. 291.

One of the commonest species in the Canaries, where it frequents cultivated land in large flocks. I believe it is not found in Madeira.

43. -j-Pyrgita petronia (Linn.).

Fringilla petronia, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 19 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 456, and 1857, p. 310 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Exceedingly abundant near the coast and about cultivated lands and gardens. It even frequents the towns ; but breeds in societies in holes in cliffs. I think it is more common in the Canaries than in Madeira.

44. fPASsER salicicola, Vieill.

Passer hispaniolensis, Temm. ; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 19; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 456, and 1857, p. 305.

I have specimens of this Sparrow from Palma, in Gran Canary, where it is not uncommon. Webb and Berthelot, and Bolle, say it is abundant in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. It does not appear to go so far westward as Teneriffe. P. domesticus has been occasionally met with in Madeira.

45. fFRiNGiLLA TEYDEA, Webb & Bcrthclot.

Orn. Can. p. 20 ; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1854, p. 456, and 1857, p. 312.

Soon after landing in Teneriffe I made inquiries about this bird, but found the people knew little or nothing about it. They also told me that strange birds, killed in the mountain- forests, did not belong to the island, but were "Pajaros de Africa," and it would be of no use to search for it there. How- ever, I determined to look for it in the pine-forests, high up the mountain, where Webb and Berthelot procured the pair from which the species was described. Accordingly I made an early start one morning from La Guanche, with a guide who knew the forest-paths, and at daylight I found myself in a dense wood of young pines {Finns eanariensis) . Through this we ascended

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 211

for about an hour, when the trees became larger. We had got nearly through this belt of trees, and were coming to the open space at the foot of the volcanic cone, where only a few retama bushes are to be found, when I suddenly heard a loud note of a strange bird at some distance to the left of the track. I imme- diately went in pursuit, gun in hand, and returned in about five minutes, having killed a fine specimen of the bird I was in search of. I spent the whole day wandering about in the upper part of this forest, and killed some seven or eight specimens. Even here it is not very common ; and I believe it seldom or never goes lower down. It feeds on the seeds of the pine, and breaks up the cone with its powerful beak in order to get at them, remind- ing me of the Crossbill. Later in the year it frequents the caiiadas, where it feeds on the seeds of the retama, which at the time I was there was only in bloom. I afterwards saw more of them in the pine-forest above Chasna, and procured other specimens. Mr. Crotch tells me that when he was encamped on the caiiadas collecting coleoptera, he procured a nest with eggs ; the latter, he says, more resemble those of a Shrike than any of the Finches. The nest, I believe he told me, was built in a retama bush. It is known to the goatherds, who tend their flocks in the highest parts of the mountain, by the name of " Pajaro de la cumbre.^'

46. t^RiNGiLLA TiNTiLLON, Webb & Berth.

Orn. Can. p. 21 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 457, and 1857, p. 315 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Having now gathered together a good series of the Chaffinches from each of the three Atlantic groups of islands, the Azores, Ma- deira, and Canaries, I have carefully compared the specimens, and have no hesitation in saying that there is but one species common to all. In each group I find slight variations of colour among the individuals. The tail-feathers in some are much whiter than in others ; also the green ou the back is of much greater extent in some than in others ; there is, too, a slight variation in the size of the beaks ; but I can find no difl'erences which are charac- teristic of the birds of any one group of islands. It is a very

r2

212 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

common species, though in the Canaries it seems seldom to descend lower than 2000 feet above the sea. In habits it is very like our Chaffinch {F. ccelehs) ; and, like it, the number of males seems greatly to exceed that of the females. It builds a larger and more clumsy nest than our bird ; its eggs are a little larger, but much resemble them in colouring.

47. tLiNOTA CANNABiNA (Linn.).

Fringilla cannabina, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 22 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 459, and 1857, p. 31 7 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Found in Madeira and the Canaries abundantly ; it does not occur in the Azores. Unlike the continental Linnet, the male retains the red breast all the winter ; in other respects it does not differ. It is found principally in the open fields.

48. fAcANTHis cARDUELis (Linn.).

Fringilla carduelis, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 22 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 459; Vern. Hare. Ann, & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

Carduelis elegans, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 318.

The Goldfinch is very common, both in Madeira and the Ca- naries, but is not found in the Azores. It does not differ from our European bird.

49. Chrysomitris spinus (Linn.).

Finngilla spinus, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 23 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 459.

Chrysomitris spinus, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 317.

Recorded by Webb and Berthelot from Teneriffe, where, however, I did not see it. Bolle says it nests in the pine-woods in the mountain-region.

"O'

50. tSERiNus CANARius (Liun.).

Fringilla canaria, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 21 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 457; Heineken, Zool. Journ. v. p. 70.

Serinus canarius, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1858, p. 125.

Fringilla butyracea, Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

The wild Canaiy of the Atlantic islands is the original stock

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 213

of the yellow domesticated variety so well known throughout Europe, and so much prized for its song, in which respect the latter is certainly superior to its wild ancestor. It is exceedingly common in the Canaries, Madeira, and Azores, and is captured in each and sold in large numbers. It feeds chiefly on seeds, and is very destructive in the cultivated land. The cock birds delight to fly some height in the air, to descend perpendicularly with outstretched wings, and to alight on the highest branch of a tree, singing all the time like some of the Larks. The female builds hgr nest of moss lined with wool, and places it in a low tree or bush ; she lays from four to six eggs, which are like those of the Serine [Serinus hortulanus), only rather larger.

51. PyRRHULA GITHAGINEA (Licht.).

W. &B. Orn. Can. p. 19; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 459, and 1857, p. 319.

Both the above authorities say this Bullfinch is not uncommon in the two eastern islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura ; but as I was unable to visit either of these islands, I did not meet with it. I do not believe it is found further west.

52. Sturnus vulgaris, Linn.

W. &B. Orn. Can. 11; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 452, and 1857, p. 277; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist, ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

According to Bolle the Starling is a regular winter visitant to the pine woods of Tenerifi'e ; it is less commonly seen in Fuerte- ventura. Perhaps, as it does not breed in the islands, it might more properly be placed amongst the accidental stragglers. Webb and Berthelot consider it occasional in Canaries; and Vernon Harcourt gives it in his list of stragglers to Madeira. In the Azores it is a common and resident species.

53. fCoRVus CORAX, Linn.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 9 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 450, and 1857, p. 275 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

Everywhere abundant in the Canarian group, where it may sometimes be seen in large flocks. Its habits are the same as in other parts. In Madeira it only occurs occasionally.

214 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

54. fPYRRHOCORAX GRACULUS (Linn.). Pyrrhocorax alpinus, Vieill. ; "VV. & B. Orn. Can. p. 10. Corvus graculus, Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1854, p. 451. Fregilm graculus, BoUe, J. fur Orn. 1857. p. 377.

It is singular that this bird, which is so very common in the island of Palma, should not occur elsewhere in the archipelago. It breeds in the clefts of the walls of the old crater. I can de- tect no difference between the Palma birds and those I have in my collection from other parts of Europe.

•

55. tCoLUMBA TROCAZ, Hcinelcen.

Brewster's Journ. 1829, p. 228 ; Jard. & Selb. 111. Orn. pi. 98.

Trocaza trocaz, Bp. Consp. ii. p. 45 (partim) ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 58.

Columba laurivora, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 26, t. 3 (upper fig.).

Trocaza houvryi, Bp. Compt. Rend, xliii. pp. 837, 948 (1856) ; Icon, des Pig. t. 70.

Hah. Madeira.

This species is readily distinguishable by its large size, and also by the silvery white semicircular patch which extends round the back of the neck to each side.

The synonymy of the large Pigeons of the Atlantic Islands is involved in great confusion ; and no author, so far as I am aware, has as yet assigned to their proper owners the various names that have been given. To make this clear I will trace the history of the synonymy throughout.

Dr. Heineken, in Brewster's Journal of Science, 1829, p. 228, in a short paper on the birds of Madeira, described the Pigeon found in that island as Columba trocaz ; and this is the earliest scientific notice we find of these birds. It therefore follows that the name that must stand for the Madeira bird is Columba TROCAZ, Heineken. Specimens of this same bird were afterwards sent from Madeira to Messrs. Jardine and Selby, and were figured in their ' Illustrations of Ornithology,' pi. 98, under Dr. Heineken's name.

We now come to Webb and Berthelot's ' Ornithologie Cana- rienne,' where the Pigeon of the western group of the Canary Islands and that of Madeira are confounded together under the

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 215

name Columba laurivor-a, which name is intended to supplant the less classical appellation of C. trocazoi Dr. Heineken. Two errors were here committed — one in placing two very distinct birds under the same name, the other in the endeavour to alter a name already established. In dealing with these errors, how- ever, we are still able to use the name laurivora, by applying it to the bird found in the first mentioned of the localities cited by Webb and Berthelot, viz. the Canaries.

We thus have a name for the Madeira bird about which there can be no doubt, and also a name for a Pigeon from the Canaries. Webb and Berthelot^s plate shows us what this latter bird is. The upper figure undoubtedly represents Columba trocaz of Heineken; the lower, as I now interpret the plate, Columba laurivora, Webb and Berthelot.

Bonaparte, in his ' Conspectus Avium,^ ii. p. 45, considers that both Heineken's bird and that of Webb and Berthelot belong to one species, which he calls Trocaza trocaz, to which the locality " Ins. Madeira " is assigned, the mention of the Canaries by Webb and Berthelot being overlooked. This view, however, is altered in the ' Comptes Rendus,' xliii. (1856), pp. 837, 948, where Prince Bonaparte justly considers that the birds figured in the plate of the ' Ornithologie Canarienne ' belong to two species. He applies the name Trocaza bouvryi to the upper figure, retaining that of laurivora for the lower. The former name mtist therefore be placed as a synonym of C. trocaz. Both the species are figured in the ' Iconographie des Pigeons,' tt. 69, 70, C. laurivora being also figured by Knip, t. 43.

Dr. Bolle, in his first paper in the ' Journal f'iir Ornithologie,' 1855, p. 171, appears to have followed previous authors in con- fusing the Canarian with the Madeiran bird. He obtained no specimens, though he says he saw what he calls the smaller bird in Palma. In his second article in the same journal (1857, p. 324, et seq.), two species are recognized. The first is called Columba laurivora ; and it would appear that this name is applied to Webb and Berthelot's bird, as now restricted to the so-called female of those authors. The other is called, with doubt, C. bouvryi, Bp. But C. bouvryi, Bp., is C. trocaz, Hein,, the Ma- deiran bird, the occurrence of which in the Canaries there is no

216 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

evidence to show. There appears, however, to be a second species in the Canaries, which is neither C. trocaz nor C. lau- rivora ; and to this Dr. Bolle's remarks seem to apply. Of this bird more anon.

Lastly, Mr. G. R. Gray in his ' Hand-list of Birds,' ii. p. 233, recognizes two species, one from Madeira and one from the Cana- ries, and is so far right. There are errors in the synonymy, which will at once be detected by comparison with what is given below.

Columba trocaz frequents the high laurel-forests of Madeira, where it breeds, only coming down occasionally to feed in the cultivated lands. It is very shy, and not easily got at, even by the natives, who are acquainted with its habits. I was out after them for two or three days without getting a shot, though I saw several. The only plan is to go either early in the morning or late at night, and sit under the til trees {Oreodaphne foetens) (which they frequent) and take the chance of their settling above your head without observing you. Even then they are not easily killed, as the foliage is so thick, and the trees so high, as well as being usually placed on such a steep slope of the mountain-side that, when shot, they some- times fall more than 100 yards below you, smashing them- selves to pieces in their fall ; hence it is not easy to get good specimens for one's collection. I, however, finally procured eleven fair skins. They feed on the fruit of the bay and til trees, for which they search amongst the dead leaves upon the ground. The flesh has a strong flavour, in consequence of the aromatic nature of the food. C. palumhus is also found occasionally in Madeira — but, as J am told, frequents the chestnut-groves, and not the laurel-forests.

56. Columba laurivora, Webb & Berth.

Columba laurivora, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 26, pi. 3 (lower fig.) ; Knip, Pig. t. 43; Bolle, J. fiii- Orn. 1855, p. 171, and 1857, p. 324.

Trocaza laurivora, Bp. Icon, des Pig. t. 69.

There can be no doubt that the bird described as the female of their Columba laurivora by Webb and Berthelot has the ex- tremity of the tail white. I have seen the type in the museum

Migratonj Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 217

of the Jardiii des Plautes in Paris, and also the specimen re- ferred to by Bonaparte in the British Museum, In both these examples this character is distinctly shown. The species is smaller than C. trocaz of Madeira, and is without the white on the neck so conspicuous in that bird. The vinous colouring, too, of the under plumage is not restricted to the breast, as in . C. trocaz, but spreads downwards over the abdomen. The head, too, is tinged with iridescent green, and is less decidedly plum- beous than either of the other species.

I never met with any Pigeon in the Canaries exactly answer- ing to Webb and Berthelot's plate and to the examples above re- ferred to ; but I heard by report of the existence of such a bird. At Tacaronte it goes by the name of " raboblanco.^^ Pigeons are more numerous in Gomera, where this name is apparently applied to the same bird. The specimen in the British Museum came out of the Massena collection.

57. COLUMBA BOLLII, Sp. nOV.

Columba bouvryi, Bp. (?) BoUe, J. fur Orn. 1857, p. 329 (?).

Plumbea, alis nigricantioribus : colli lateribus et dorso superiore viridescenti et pux'purascenti iridescentibus : pectore et abdomiue superiore vinaceo indutis : cauda nigricante, fascia lata subapicali plumbea transvittata : rostro et pedi- bus corallinis : long, tota 15 poll, angl., alse 8*3, caudae 6, rostri a rictu 1*2, tarsi I'l, dig. med. cum ungue 1'6.

Fem. mari similis.

Hah. in insula Teneriffse. Obs. C. laurivorcE affinis, sed capite plumbeo, abdomine imo plumbeo nee vinaceo, cauda transfasciata baud albido ter- miuata, tarsis brevioribus et dig. med. minus elongato dis- tinguenda. A C. trocaz statura minore et coloribus colli iridescentibus dignoscenda est.

For some time I was under the impression that this bird was not to be distinguished from the white-tailed one; but on a farther examination of the type specimen of C. laurivora in the Paris Museum, and on a close comparison of my skins with that in the British Museum, I have no doubt of there being two spe- cies of Wood-Pigeon in the Canaries. I procured, in all, nine skins, which include both sexes and young birds. The first I shot in a ravine above Orotava, where I had been told they

218 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

came to feed in the early morning upon the fruit of the laurel {Persea indica). There were three or four more in this flock; but though I watched for them afterwards for two or three days under the same tree, they would not come within shot. I saw this Pigeon also in the laurel-forest of Taraconte, where I spent a ^couple of days after them without success. I here, however, found three old nests, which the " Guarda " told me belonged to this Pigeon. They were either in the tree heath or laurel trees, about twenty feet from the ground, and built of sticks, much the same as our Wood-Pigeon^s. I afterwards found this bird more abundant in the forest of Taganana, at the east end of the island, about 5000 feet above the sea, where I procured the rest of my specimens. It is a very shy bird ; and the best way to get them is to hide under the laurel trees where it comes to feed. It is occasionally seen early in the morning, lower down upon the patches of corn, but always returns to the dark forests during the middle of the day, at which time they do not fly much unless disturbed. Those I killed had their crops full of the fruit of the Persea indica.

58. tCoLUMBA LIVIA, Limi.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 27; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 172, and 1857, p. 330 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

Very common in the Canaries, Madeira, and Azores ; it is also abundant on the Desertas. It breeds in the cliff's over the sea. In all tbree groups of islands this species is very variable in colour. The greater part are exceedingly dark all over ; some have white above the tail, while others want it; some are like ordinary Rock-Pigeons. I have also seen a few with white patches on the wings. It is possible these last may be escaped domesticated birds.

59. tCoLUMBA AFRA, Linn.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 28; Bolle J. fur Orn. 1855, p. 173, and 1857, p. 331.

Either this species or the common Turtledove comes to the eastern islands regularly every year. It arrives in spring, and breeds there, leaving again in autumn. I saw several about Tara-

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 219

conte in TenerifFe, but was unable to obtain specimens, and did not then distinguish it from C. turtur. Bolle seems uncertain to which species it should be referred, Vernon Harcourt says the last-mentioned species is found occasionally in Madeira.

60. Pterocles ARENARius, Tcmm.

Pterocles arenarius, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 28; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 173, and 1857, p. 332.

Inhabits only the plains of Fuerteventura, whence it occa- sionally passes to Gran Canary. It is usually shot at the drinking-places.

61. fPERDix RUFA, Linn.

Perdix rufa, Vern. Hare. Ann, & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

Is met with on the Serras of Madeira and in the Eastern Azores. In Canaries the following species takes it place : —

62. fPERDix PETROSA, Lath.

W. & B, Orn. Can. p. 29; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1855, p. 173, and 1857, p. 333.

It is found in the Canaries only in the wooded ravines near the patches of cultivated land in the mountains, where sometimes from twelve to twenty birds may be killed by a sportsman in a day. The natives, however, catch them chiefly in snares when they come to drink. I have very frequently seen them exposed for sale in the market-place in Santa Cruz. It is said to be wanting in Lanzarote and Fuerteventui'a.

63. tORTYGioN coTURNix (Linn.).

Perdix coturnix, W. & B, Orn. Can. p, 29; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 173, and 1857, p, 334 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist, ser, 2, 1855, xv, p. 437.

Very common in all three archipelagoes, where they are stationary all the year round. They are perhaps most abundant in the Western Azores, where I once shot seventy couples in one day,

64. Otis houbara, Gmel.

Otis houbara, W. & B. Orn. Can, p, 30 ; Bolle, J, fur Orn. 1855, p. 174, and 1857, p. 334.

220 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

Berthelot says it is almost exclusively found in Fuerteventura, where it is said to breed. It is occasionally seen in Lanzarote.

65. tCEniCNEMUs crepitans, Temm.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 32; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 175, and 1857, p. 336; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437.

Said to be found in all the Canary Islands. I found it tole- rably abundant on a plain near the sea to the eastward of Port Orotava, in Teneriffe, where it breeds. Vernon Harcourt gives it in his list of stragglers in Madeira on Mr. Lowe's authority.

66. CuRsoRius EUROP^us, Lath.

Cursorius isabellinus,W . & B. Orn. Can. p. 31 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 174, and 1857, p. 335.

Said by Webb and Berthelot to inhabit Lanzarote and Fuerte- ventura, and also the south-east coast of Gran Canary near Maspaloma. I did not, however, meet with it.

67. HiEMATOPUS MOQUINI, Bp.

Hamatopus niger, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 33 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 175, and 1857, p. 337.

Occasionally seen on the coast of Teneriffe. It is said to breed in some of the deserted rocks on the coast of the eastern island. It is most probable that the South-African Black Oyster- catcher is here referred to.

68. fScoLOPAX RusTicoLA, Linn.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 39 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 157, and 1857, p. 338 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 437 ; Heineken, Zool. Journ. v. p. 77.

Breeds in all the islands sparingly, and is stationary all the year. It inhabits the high wooded ravines.

69. Telmatias gallinago (Linn.).

Scolopax gallinula, Linn.; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 39; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1855, p. 177.

Scolopax gallinago, Linn.; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1858, p. 227; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Bolle says that the Snipe comes regularly in winter to the high lands, and is very common about Laguna, in Teneriffe.

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 221

1 conclude it does not breed, being a winter migrant only ; but as it is said to come regularly I include it in the list. In his last paper, as quoted above, Bolle says that it is S. gallinago, and not S. gallinula, which is found in the Canaries ; and from all I heard I believe it is so, and that the Jack Snipe is not found there at all. I was not present at the right season of the year to vei'ify this statement.

70. Strepsilas interpres (Linn.).

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 34; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 176, and 1857, p. 337.

This bird undoubtedly breeds in Flores, in the Azores, and, I think, probably in Canaries, where it is not uncommon in suitable places on the coast. As there is but little beach or low rocky coast, it finds but few places adapted to its habits. Webb and Berthelot consider its appearance only accidental.

71. tToTANUS HYPOLEUcus (Linn.),

Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Not mentioned by other writers as an inhabitant of the Canaries. I saw two or three pairs in Teneriffe, between Can- delaria and Santa Cruz, during the breeding-season. I shot at and winged an individual of this species ; but before I could get it it ran under a large rock, where it was out of reach. I also saw it towards Anaga Point in the same island. I have little doubt that some few pairs nest along this shore.

72. Tringa cinclus, Linn.

Tringa variabilis, Mey.; W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 38; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 176 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist, ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

I did not see this bird, though Webb and Berthelot say that it inhabits all the Canary Islands. Though a constant visitor, it is probably not resident.

73. tARDEA cinerea, Linn.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 35 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 176 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 437.

Webb and Berthelot consider the Heron only "de passage acci- dental ^' in the Canaries. I saw some few pairs about the coast

222 Mr. F. Du Cane Godman on the Resident and

of Teneriffe in the middle of May, and was told that they breed on the detached rocks near the coast — which is very probable, as they certainly do so in St. Michael's. It is said to be occasional only in Madeira.

74. Sterna cantiaca, Gmel.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 41 ; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1855, p. 177.

Said to inhabit Lanzarote and Fuerteventura and to breed in Alegranza, I am not aware that it goes further westward in these islands.

75. fSxERNA HiRUNDO, Linn.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 42; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1855, p. 177, and 1857, p. 341 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 438.

To be found in all the islands. It breeds on the Desertas and other small uninhabited islands.

76. fSxERNA MINUTA, LiuU.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 42; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1855, p. 177.

I saw the Little Tern in Teneriffe and also in Madeira. In the latter island a very young bird was brought me by a boat- man, who killed it on the coast near Funchal. It was probably reared there, as the down on the head was protruding through the more mature feathers. Berthelot says that it inhabits Alegranza. It is not, however, included in Vernon Harcourt's list.

77. fl^ARUs ARGENTATUS, Briinn.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 42; Bolle, J. fur Orn. 1855, p. 177, and 1857, p. 341 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, XV. p. 438.

In all the islands, and appears to be more common than the two following species.

78. fLARUs TRiDACTYLUS, Linn.

Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1857, p. 341 ; Vera. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 438.

Both this and the following Gull probably breed about the coasts in Teneriffe. Bolle says the present species comes in winter. I saw either this species or L. canus in the middle of May in Teneriffe, though I failed to secure specimens.

Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. 223

79. fLARus Fuscus, Linn.

Not mentioned by Berthelot. I however saw pairs of this bird in May in Teneriflfe, and in June in Madeira.

80. Larus marinus, Linn.

W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 42; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 177, and 1857, p. 341.

This, like the other Gulls included in their list, according to the above authorities, breeds in the island of Alegranza. I am not aware that I saw this Gull amongst the Canaries or in Madeira, though some birds of this species followed om* vessel from Lisbon till we were nearly in sight of the latter islands.

81. Thalassidroma bulweri, Jard. & Selb. Thalassidroma columbinus, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 44; BoUe,

J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 178.

T. bulweri, Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1856, XV. p. 438.

I found Bulwer's Petrel breeding in considerable numbers on the small Deserta. It appears so nocturnal in its habits that I never once saw it flying about in the daytime, though there were plenty of another, smaller species. The nests I found were for the most part low down at the foot of the clifi's under the fallen rocks, where the birds were easily caught with the hand while sitting on their eggs.

Several other smaller species are mentioned by different authors as inhabiting these seas : but as my expedition to the Desertas unfortunately proved a failure, I am unable to say which are to be considered resident. On leaving Funchal on my homeward passage, some small Petrels followed the vessel for a couple of days, which appeared to me to be T. pelagica. I also saw similar Petrels on my previous voyage from the Canaries to Cadiz in the month of May.

82. fl'UFFINUS cinbreus. "i

83. tI*UFFINUS anglorum. Y

84. fPuFFINUS OBSCURUS. J

Puffinus cinereus, P. anglorum, P. obscurus, W. & B. Orn.

224 Mr. G. C. Taylor on the

Can. p. 43 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 177, and 1857, p. 344 ; Vern. Hare. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 2, 1855, xv. p. 438. These three species are found in all the archipelagoes, and must undoubtedly breed in the Desertas or other neighbouring islands, as I saw them there in considerable numbers in the month of June. I failed to procure specimens.

85. Mergulus alle (Linn.).

Alca minor, W. & B. Orn. Can. p. 41 ; Bolle, J. fiir Orn. 1855, p. 177.

Like many other sea-birds, this species is said to be more numerous in the eastern Canaries, though found occasionally throughout the group.

The above list comprises all the birds at present known to be resident or regular migrants in the Canaries and Madeira*. In a future paper I hope to make some further remarks upon the general features of the ornithology of the Atlantic Islands.

XXVII. — Ornithological Observations in the Crimea, Turkey, Sea of Azov, and Crete, during the Years 1854—55 ; with Remarks on the Sivash, or Putrid Sea. By George Caven- dish Taylor, F.Z.S., late of the 95th Regiment.

Though I have had this article in contemplation ever since our Journal was first started, a variety of causes have hitherto prevented me from carrying my idea into execution. These must be my excuse for introducing it to the readers of 'The

* Since the above article was in type my attention has been drawn to the bird described by Dr. Finsch as Pyrrhulmtda modesta (J. f. Orn. 1864, p. 412), which is stated to be found in the Canaries. Though Dr. Finsch adheres to his opinion as to the distinctness of this bird from P. nigriceps of Gould, from the Cape-Verde Islands (see Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. p. 275), Dr. Cabanis takes the opposite view (J. f. Orn. 1868, p. 219). I have no further information to impart respecting the species, but must express the opinion that, as Dr. Finsch cites no authority in giving the Canaries as the origin of the single female specimen he described, it may turn out that the species is not Canarian at all, though it is by no means impos- sible that a species of Coraphites maj' be found in the islands of Fuerte- ventura and Lanzarote.

Ornithology of the Crimea S^c. 225

Ibis' so long after date. The thirteen published volumes of * The Ibis ' contain no article treating of the localities 1 visited ; nor am I aware that any ornithological notes on the birds of the Crimea have ever been published, except those of Lieutenants Blakiston and Irby, in the 'Zoologist' for 1857, and of Dr. William Carte, in the ' Journal of the Royal Dublin Society ' for February of the same year. The observations of these gentlemen were confined more or less to the camp before Sevastopol ; while mine, as I shall presently show, had a much wider range.

I had fortunately rare opportunities and great facilities for moving about and visiting the localities to which I shall allude.

My first arrival in Constantinople was from Egypt and Malta, on the 21st of March 1854. After remaining there two months, I returned to England. I went out again in October, and reached the Crimea on the 26th of that month, the morning after the battle of Balaklava, and took up my resi- dence with the Second Division. There I remained until several days after the battle of Inkerman, when I went to stay on board the * Agamemnon/ in which ship I experienced the destructive gale of the 14th of November. On the 29th of that month I went back to Constantinople.

In January I again visited the Crimea, proceeding thence to Eregli (or Heraclea), on the coast of Asia Minor. In February I went to Khania, in the island of Crete, on board the ' Trent * steamer (since famous as having been the ship from which the Confederate Commissioners, Messrs. Mason and Slidell, were lifted by Commodore Wilkes), on an expedition to buy mules for army transport, these same mules being the foundation on which the Land Transport Corps was afterwards built. In another steamer, and on a similar expedition, I visited Ismid, on the Sea of Marmora. But the most satisfactory excursion I made, and the one most prolific of ornithology, was when, in May, I was so fortunate as to accompany the expedition to Kertch, and go with the allied squadron through the Sea of Azov, on board the ' Stromboli,' then commanded by my lamented friend Captain Cowper Coles, since lost with the turret-ship ' Captain,' who kindly asked me to accompany him on that most interesting trip, the pleasures of which I shall

SER. III. VOL. II. s

226 Mr. G. C. Taylor on the

never forget. In my subsequent notes I shall have occasion to enlarge upon it.

I passed the greater part of the following summer in the camp, making occasional visits to Constantinople, but was present to witness both the unsuccessful attack of the 18th of June, and the capture of Sevastopol. I managed to enter the city early on the morning after it was evacuated by the Russians. I made my final departure from the Crimea on the 25th of September.

The three gentlemen to whose notes I have alluded above appear to have remained during the winter of 1855-56 and the following spring, when there was comparatively little or no re- striction on their movements up to and beyond the outposts. They were consequently enabled to extend their observations into localities which it was impossible to reach during the progress of hostilities ; and therefore their notes, so far as the vicinity of the camp is concerned, are much more valuable than mine ; for during the siege it was impossible to pass the outposts, and even at times very dangerous to approach them, as it generally happened that independent ball-practice was going on between them and the Russians.

Before concluding my preliminary observations I wish to make a few remarks on the " Sivash,^' or, as our maps call it, the Putrid Sea. When I was in the Sea of Azov, I could obtain no information concerning it ; and it seems that the Russians themselves have but little to impart. The ' Stromboli ' steamed, close in shore, along the whole length of the Spit of Arabat; but the haze and mirage so common in this region prevented our seeing to any distance from the ship.

I know of no existing account of it, except the article by Captain Sherard Osborn, R.N., " On the Geography of the Sea of Azov, the Putrid Sea, and adjoining Coasts," in the 'Journal of the Royal Geographical Society^ for 1857, from which I shall give a few extracts. Captain Osborn commanded the ' Vesuvius ' in the Sea of Azov, and only visited a portion of the Sivash, that nearest to the Spit of Arabat. " Of the other portion," he says, " we shall not presume to speak, no English naval officers having visited it during the late operations, and

Ornithology of the Crimea ^c. 227

the information gleaned from the Russians being of that vague condemnatory character that justified one in beUeviug that they might be as incorrect in their opinions and inferences as to its character and the insalubrity of its shores, as they appeared to be ill-informed of the capabilities and physical character of that portion of the Sivash which extends from Ghenitchi to Arabat.'^

* * t> * " In that water-space, like every other portion of the Sivash seen by us, where devoid of reeds, it was clear, blue, and sparkling, as if the depth of its waters equalled that of the Atlantic.'' * * * *

"The northern basin of the Sivash is divided from the southern one by a central area, which bears far more, in its usual aspect, that morass-like character which the general reader would be inclined to impute to the term Putrid Sea."

* * * * In this solitude [the inlet of Changkoi] breed vast numbers of wildfowl ; and all the summer long we found Muscovy Ducksf and flocks of Divers frequenting the lagoons."

* ^ * * "The rapid evaporation — the extraordinary mirage from the heated atmosphere playing over the surface of this area in a summer day was very striking ; and between sunrise and sunset at that season of the year it was as utterly im- possible to distinguish objects but a mile or so distant upon it as it would be had a cauldron of boiling liquid been there in its place. There are roads through these morasses, only known, however, to the Tartars and smugglers, who are ever at war with Russian custom-houses and tax-gatherers." * ^ ^ ^

"We suflFered from nothing but the offence to the sense of smell ; and some of our vessels were months breathing the tainted air. * * the smell was like decayed vegetation mixed with a peculiar odour not unlike gas-water, from which I infer there are bituminous vents in the Sivash * * the exhalations from which give the name of Putrid to this sea." * * * *

That birds should breed in such a salt marsh is very re- markable, as showing that their food is there to be found, ''The Muscovy Duck and Common Diver or Shag fed and bred in the Sivash in vast numbers ; and in the shoal water and

t [What species js here referred to ? Surely not Cairina moschata,—

&2

228 Mr. G. C. Taylor on the

marshes abreast of Chongar Strait, in which we spent a broiling day, we could see abundance of weed, as well as shoals of young fish."

Now here is some new ground for the adventurous orni- thologist, where he will find Waders and waterfowl in abun- dance, to say nothing of other kinds of birds. The locality is easily accessible by way of Odessa and Kertch ; and in May, when the birds are breeding, the climate is very pleasant, and not too hot ; and, according to Captain Osborn's experience, the air of the Sivash is not unhealthy. I will promise that he will not meet with any drawbacks half so dangerous and disagreeable as the fevers, bad food and lodging, and ferocious insects of the tropical back regions.

He may extend his visit to the sandy spits of the Azov, and, I have no doubt, will return with a collection of skins and eggs which it will be hard to beat. For more detailed information of these localities I must refer him to Captain Osborn^s article above mentioned, or to my own * Adventures in the Crimea,* which, I believe, contains the only existing account, except the letters and despatches published at the time in the press, of the capture of Kertch, and the first and principal raid of the allied squadron through the Sea of Azov, and the attacks on Ghenitchi and Taganrog.

I will now proceed to the notes on the various birds observed by me. Unless otherwise stated, the designations are fi'om * YarrelPs British Birds,* 2nd edition.

Griffon Vultures ( Vultur fulvus) were abundant in the vicinity of Sevastopol ; and no wonder, considering the quantity of food provided for them, and which they could obtain without risk or trouble. I well remember, when returning from Balaklava to the camp in the dark afternoons in November 1854, how enor- mous they appeared when seen against the sky-line, perched on the bodies of the numerous dead horses lying on the plain — victims of the battle of the 25th of October. The Egyptian Vulture {Neophron percnopterus) is abundant in and about Constantinople in spring and summer. They sit on the roofs of the houses, and breed on the ruined walls and towers of Stamboul.

Ornithology of the Crimea i^c. 229

I saw Sea-Eagles [Haliaetus albicilla) frequently in Balaklava Bay, where the lofty cliffs afforded a suitable refuge for them. I also observed several fine adult birds with white tails near Koslou, on the coast of Asia Minor, where there are also lofty cliffs. Both the common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) and the Lesser Kestrel [F. cenchris) were common about the ravines leading from the camp to Sevastopol. They were eaten by the French whenever obtainable. Black Kites [Milvus migrans, Bodd.) were most abundant about Constantinople, breeding in the trees in the courts of the mosques, where they are never disturbed by the Turks. I noticed several nests on the same tree. I saw the Marsh-Harrier {Circus an-uginosus) on the extensive marshes near Ismid, on the Sea of Marmora. I re- member seeing Owls in the dusk of the evening in and about the camp in the Crimea, but never obtained a specimen. My list of Raptores here ends, and is certainly scanty, my atten- tion having been chiefly devoted to the game-birds and water- fowl.

Both the Lesser Grey Shrike {Lanius minor, Gmel.) and Red- backed Shrike {Lanius collurio) I found abundant in the spring of 1855 near the camp, and also the Barred Warbler {Curruca nisoria). My principal hunting-ground was on the battle-field of Inkerman, especially in the ravines, where a good deal of scrubby bush still i-emained. I was usually followed by French soldiers, who acted as retrievers, and darted into the bushes to look for the slain as soon as the gun was fired, often very much to the detriment of the specimen.

The Blue Rock-Thrush {Petrocincla cyanea) I saw in Crete ; the Golden Oriole {Oriolus galbida) was common in the Crimea, though I do not remember seeing any. I «aw some, however, in the vicinity of Constantinople.

In Crete I saw the Stonechat {Saxicola rubicola), and the Wheatear {S. oenanthe) in the Crimea. When I went, on the 4th of May, with the first expedition to Kertch, which returned without effecting a landing, several examples of the Willow- Warbler flew on board the steamer I was in. A Nightjar, a Hoopoe, several Redstarts, and Doves also came on board.

The Great Tit {Parus major) was observed at Constantinople.

230 Mr. G. C. Taylor on the

1 never saw the Bohemian Waxwing {Bomhy cilia garrula) in the flesh ; but a skin was given to me by Mr. Churchill, of Pera, then, if not now, the editor and proprietor of the 'Turkish Gazette' (the 'Djeride Havadis'), who had a collection of birds of the vicinity, and from whom I obtained many specimens.

A Wagtail [Motacilla), the Crested Lark [Alauda cristata), and the Goldfinch [Carduelis elegans) were all observed in Crete; and near Constantinople, and in the Crimea, I saw the Starling {Sturnus vulgaris) and Magpie {Pica caudata). Grey Crows {Corvus comix) and Jackdaws [Corvus monedula) were noticed near Constantinople. The Rook [Corvus frugilegus) I found in the Crimea. When on the passage from Malta to Alexandria, in November 1853, three Rooks alighted on the rigging, and were shot. They came from the north, and were evidently bound for Africa. Wagtails, Pipits, Chaffinches, Redbreasts, and a Golden-crested Wren also came on board.

The Hoopoe {Upupa epops) is abundant during the spring migration. I note having seen as many as thirteen in one day about the camp, and four of them together. Rollers [Coracias garrula), too, were also abundant about the camp. The soldiers used to call them Parrots. I shot one while sitting on the lime- kiln down in the large ravine leading from the Inkerman battle- field to the Tchernaya bridge. In this limekiln 340 Russians had been buried. I followed another ; but it led me up to the French outposts, who were then keeping up a brisk fire with the Russians ; so, not feeling inclined to be made game of, I returned home to skin the birds I had obtained, by no means an easy task, having to sit on the ground, with the bird on my knee, and a penknife my only implement. Under such circumstances it is difficult to produce good specimens, especially when the skin has to be put away and crushed before it has time to dry.

Bee-eaters [Merops apiaster) were seen in the Crimea, and also at Koslou, in July, breeding in colonies, like Sand-Martins, in the river-banks. The Swallow [Hirundo rustica), Martin [H. urbica), and Swift {Cijpselus apus), were observed in the Crimea, and at Constantinople. The Alpine Swift [C. alpinus) was abundant in the Crimea, breeding in tiie cliffs. They were constantly to be seen flying in flocks, over and about the camp ;

Ornithology of the Crimea 8^c. 231

near St. George's Monastery was a great resort for them. Plen- tiful as they were, it so happened that I was never able to secure a specimen. I also saw them at Koslou. In Constantinople they are common, and may be seen any summer's day wheeling round the Galata tower. Nightjars [Caprimulgus europceus) were common in suitable localities about the camp. One day I was out on the Inkerman battle-field, when one of these birds rose from under a bush. I was about to pull the trigger, when a Zouave, whom I had not seen, jumped up in a line with the bird ; I just managed to miss both of them, the former not without difficulty.

Turtledoves [Turtur auritus) were common in the Crimea. I saw them in flocks between the camp and the trenches. Doves, probably T. risorius, as well, are also abundant in Con- stantinople, frequenting the forests of cypress trees which cover the Turkish cemeteries. I heard of Rock-Doves being in quan- tities along the cliffs near Balaklava, but I do not remem- ber seeing any. There are Domestic Pigeons in enormous quantities at one of the mosques in Stamboul, the name of which I now forget. When food is thrown for them, they descend in such dense masses that I have seen them two or three deep in their eagerness to obtain it.

Pheasants [P. colchicus) I never saw wild; but one day I met a man walking down the Grande Rue de Pera with a live Pheasant in a trap under each arm. They were frequent items in the bill of fare at Misserie's Hotel, and were no doubt caught at no great distance. I take this opportunity of saying that the market of Constantinople, or, more properly speaking, Pera, the Frank quarter, is well supplied with game. I have seen Wild Boars, Roe-Deer, Hares, Bustards of both kinds. Pheasants, Red-legged Partridges, Woodcocks, Snipes, Bitterns, Pintails, Shovellers, and various wildfowl. Fish are also abundant; 1 noted Mussels, Oysters, Crawfish, Lobsters, Mullet, Swordfish, Mackerel, Turbot, and large and most brilliantly coloured Gurnards.

I remember seeing a bird (I believe it to have been a Fran- colin) which had been shot in the .spring of 1854 by an officer of the Guards, then encamped near Scutari. It was of the

232 Mr. G. C. Taylor on the

same size and, as well as I can recollect, of similar plumage to a Francolin ; but 1 had no opportunity of examining it closely.

I need hardly say that Quails [Coturnix vulgaris) are common everywhere at suitable seasons. I shot them in Crete in Feb- ruary. Large flocks were about the camp in September 1855. An officer of Engineers shot sixteen brace one morning close to Balaklava. They were fine game for the French officers, who used to go out en grande tenue, and not unfrequently with swords on as well as guns.

I have already mentioned both species of Bustards {Otis tarda and 0. tetrax) as occurring in the markets of Pera. Towards the close of 1855, after I had left the Crimea, Otis tarda was frequently obtained in the camp. Golden Plovers [C. pluvialis) and Lapwings ( Vanellus cristatus) both occurred at Constantinople and Ismid. When on the expedition to Kertch I saw a large flock of Cranes, of what species I cannot say, passing over the ships, and high up in the air. Herons {Ardea cinerea) were observed at Constantinople, Ismid, and Crete; and though I never saw Purple Herons [Ardea purpurea) in the flesh, I have a skin of one given to me by Mr. Churchill. The White Heron [Ardea alba) occurred at Ismid, also in Crete. White Storks [Ciconia alba) were common in the outskirts of Constantinople. The Curlew [Numenius arquatus) was seen at Ismid ; the Whim- brel [N. phceopus), too, according to Mr. Churchill, occurs near Constantinople. The Green Sandpiper [Tot anus ochropus) I saw at Koslou, in July. I saw Woodcocks [Scolopax rusticola) at Constantinople, also in the Crimea. I remember flushing one in the thick outer scrub on the ground where the battle of Inkerman was afterwards fought. Snipes [S. gallinago) are common near Constantinople ; and I was credibly informed that good sport was to be had on the Karasu river, not far from Buyuk Chekmedji. They were abundant in the great marsh near Ismid — also in the salt marsh at the head of Sudha Bay, in Crete, not far from Khania. The Jack Snipe [S. gallinula) I found in Crete ; I also killed several in the above-named marsh at Ismid. The Coot [Fulicn at7'a) occurs at Constantinople, and is abundant near Ismid, in large flocks.

I saw Swans, Wild Geese, and Pelicans, I cannot say of what

Ornithology of the Crimea &^'C. 233

species, duriug the bombardment of Ghenitchi by the allied squa- dron on the 29th of May, 1855. They were evidently bewildered by the heavy firing, and after flying round a few times, made off to security and quiet in the marshes of the Sivash. The Gadwall {Anas strepera) occurs in the Crimea; and the Shoveller {A. cly- peata), Pintail {A. acuta), Garganey {A. querquedula) at Constan- tinople. Teal {A. crecca), Mallard {A. ioscAas), and Wigeon [A. penelope) I found abundant in the marsh near Ismid. It was ground most difficult to walk on, consisting chiefly of rushy hil- locks, with deep water between them, and intersected in all direc- tions with streams, just too wide to jump over, there being no firm ground on either side. It is a famous haunt for wildfowl. The water at the edge of the bay is quite shallow. Loopholed boxes have been erected on posts, at some little distance from each other, evidently to enable the natives to indulge in la chasse aux canards with as little trouble and discomfort as possible. Here I saw also Tufted Ducks, Great Crested and Eared Grebes, and Pelicans, also numerous footmarks of Otters, and I tallyhoed a Fox out of some high rushes. I was sorry not to be able to remain longer in this locality.

Of Red-Crested Ducks {Fuligula rufina) I have a skin from Mr. ChurchilFs collection ; the Pochard {F. ferina) occurs near Constantinople, and is also common in the Bay of Eregli, near Koslou. The Tufted Duck {F. cristata) is common in Eregli Bay, and also at Ismid. In January I killed three by one shot in Balaklava harbour, also a Smew {Mergus arbellus) in imma- ture plumage.

Great Crested Grebes [Podiceps cristatus) and Eared Grebes (P. auritus) I found plentiful in the Bay of Eregli and at Ismid, and killed many for the sake of their skins. My mode of procedure was to take a caique, with a couple of rowers ; and I found little difficulty in getting within range. I have always found, when in pursuit of diving waterfowl, that, if they are wary, the best mode of obtaining a shot is to fire at them out of range. The bird then, instead of diving, usually puts up its head, and looks out inquiringly, giving time for the boat to approach much nearer. When within fair distance, if the shooter aims well before and under the head, no bird can dive

234 Mr. G. C. Taylor on the

quick enough to escape the shot of a good percussion gun. I speak from years of experience in shooting waterfowl. At one time, when I followed punt-shooting with a large gun, I had become from long practice so adroit in stopping cripples, that I could kill them by moonlight, by aiming at the splash they made on rising to the surface, before they had time to dive again. My difficulty with the caiquejis was that they talked incessantly, and alarmed many birds which I should otherwise have obtained. Having no interest in the sport, and being naturally lazy, they soon got tired of it, and would not exert themselves at the right moment. Sluggish rowers are useless for such work.

I one day met a French soldier, on his return to camp, carrying some Grebes, which he had shot in the Tchernaya with a Russian musket. I ventured to express a doubt as to whether they would be good eating, upon which he assured me that I was mistaken — that they were " poules d'eau " and " bien cstimes." Still I doubt if they proved as good as the cat which on another occasion I met two French soldiers swinging between them, on their way from Sevastopol, and which they told me they intended for a ragout.

Cormorants {Phalacracorax carbo) and Shags (P. graculus) were abundant in the Crimea. I remember one day especially, in January 1855, when the harbour of Balaklava was alive with them, probably owing to some unusual influx of fish. They were flying to and fro among the rigging of the ships, and diving dose alongside, and were very tame. I killed four, in two shots, for the sailors of the ' Oscar,' in which ship I was then living, who wanted some fresh meat. I hope they liked them, and found them as good as the Frenchmen did the Grebes. For ray part, I should think Cormorants and Turkey Buzzards [Cathartes aura) were about equal in flavour.

When I was on board the ' Agamemnon,' then anchored off" the entrance of Sevastopol harbour, flocks of Cormorants used to string along every evening to roost, in such multitudes that I might have taken them for Brent Geese, had I not been mindful of Colonel Hawker's maxim for distinguishing the diff"erence under such circumstances, viz. that the former have longer necks and tails, and occasionally cease to flap their wings as they fly.

Ornithology of the Crimea ^c. 235

They were equally, if not more abundant in the Sea of Azov, which swarms with tish ; and the long sandy spits, so remark- able a feature in that sea, are most suitable to their habits. Captain Sherard Osborn observed them breeding in the Sivash ; and Captain Blakiston remarks ('Zoologist,' 1857, p. 5678) " that the numbers of these birds about Balaklava must be greatly increased at the commencement of winter." This accession of numbers is no doubt caused by the birds fre- quenting the Sea of Azov being driven out of their summer haunts by the annual formation of ice in that sea.

I saw a few Pelicans at Ismid ; but the Sea of Azov is where I found them in the greatest abundance. Immediately after the capture of Kertch and Yenikale, the allied squadron proceeded with all speed to Berdiansk, on the north coast of the Sea of Azov, in pursuit of four Russian war-steamers which had escaped from Kertch, and which on their arrival were burned by their crews. The squadron anchored ojff the lighthouse at the end of the Berdiansk Spit, fully six miles from the mainland. The boats were hoisted out and armed, and proceeded to destroy a number of small vessels which were anchored inside the Spit. I obtained a seat in the ' Stromboli's' gig, which was sent ahead of the other boats to sound. The whole shore of the spit was covered with birds in thousands, all Grallatores and Natatores. 1 particularly observed Terns, Redshanks, Sandpipers, and Plovers ; but of what particular species I had no opportunity of judging, as at that time shooting, at any thing smaller than a man was forbidden. The Cormorants were in dense masses, sitting on the sandy beach, and, owing to the effect of the mirage, appearing at a distance as large as men — so much so that many on board the squadron thought they were Russian soldiers, and expected a warm reception. There were also flocks of Pelicans in great numbers, and so tame that they would hardly make way for the boats to pass. One might almost have touched them with a boat-hook. They evidently were not accustomed to be molested. It was a rare opportunity for an ornithologist to see so many of these magnificent white birds at such close quarters ; but my attention was soon directed to other things. The attraction the spits offer to these birds is no

236 Mr. G. C. Taylor on the Ornithology of the Crimea ^c.

doubt the quantity of fish which frequent the shallow water; and on this and the other spits in this sea were establishments for the catching and curing of fish for the supply of the Russian troops. These establishments consisted of huts built of lath and reedsj boats, heaps of nets and other implements of the craft, together with quantities of fish already cured, and hanging on scaffolding to dry in the sun. All these we proceeded to fire and destroy; and a tremendous blaze they made. The sailors then commenced shooting pigs and fowls, firing their muskets in the most reckless way, to the imminent danger of all around.

The fish were of small size and very bony. We brought some on board, and found them tolerable eating, making a change from the salt junk and biscuit on which we were living.

These spits extend a long distance from the mainland. Tliey are covered with reeds, and are full of creeks and lagoons, and are of course well suited to the habits of Grallatores and Natatores. I shot several Sandwich Terns [Sterna cantiaca) near Eregli. I have already stated, above, that Terns of various species were abundant in the Sea of Azov. The Little Gull [Larus minutus) is generally to be seen in the Golden Horn at Constantinople. The Shearwaters I saw may be the species called by Messrs. Elwes and Buckley (Ibis, 1870, p. 336) Puffinus yelkouan ; but my specimens answer better to the spe- cies described by Thompson (Birds of Ireland, vol. iii. p. 413) as P. anglorum. Probably both are to be met with. Any way, no one can be long on the Bosphorus or Dardanelles without seeing these birds. They are always passing up and down, flying close to the surface of the water. Only twice during more than a yearns residence in Turkey did I see them resting on the water. Once I saw a flock settled, and swimming about near the Leander tower, opposite Scutari ; and again I saw a very large flock settled on the sea, which at the time was very calm, when passing through the Greek archipelago. There is no difficulty in obtaining specimens. One day in July I was staying at Therapia, and wanted some ; so I took a caique, and went so as to intercept their line of flight. They came in rapidly succeeding flocks, passing close to the boat. Out of two flocks I got five birds — quite as many as I wanted. On

Mr. A. Anderson on the Nidification of Indian Birds. 237

being lifted they vomited a clear oil. This seems to be the experience of every one. I was told that they breed on the Cyanean rocks (the Symplegades) at the Black-Sea entrance to the Bosphorus. I planned an expedition to these rocks, but was unable to carry it into execution.

There is plenty of ground and opportunity in Turkey for a sporting ornithologist. Wildfowl are plentiful, and compara- tively tame. There are Snipes and Woodcocks in all suitable localities. Two officers of Engineers, who went on a surveying expedition previous to the arrival of the allied troops, told me that they saw abundance of Grey and Red-legged Partridges and Bustards not far from Gallipoli, also quantities of wildfowl near Buyuk Chekmedji and along the Maritza river and near the Gulf of Enos.

XXVIII. — On the Nidification of certain Indian Birds. Part I. By Andrew Anderson, F.Z.S.

BuRNEsi A LEPiDA, Bly th, = Malurus gracilis, Riippell (accord- ing to Blyth) *.

I first became acquainted with this interesting little bird in April 1871 ; but although it was far from uncommon, I found it very local, and confined entirely to the tamarisk-covered islands and " churs^^ along the Ganges. From dissections made it was evident that these birds were then breeding : and any doubts there may have been on this score were speedily removed; for shortly afterwards I saw young fledgelings being fed by the parent birds. I need hardly say that the acquisition of the nest and eggs of this diminutive bird was looked forward to with no small degree of pleasure ; but, unfortunately, it was then too hot for me to work at the subject personally, and the matter was left in the hands of my native collectors, with the usual unsatisfactory results.

This season, having returned from my cold-weather tour somewhat earlier than usual, I devoted my mornings to exploring the islands, determined to become possessed of this desideratum ; but fresh difficulties had to be overcome. Not only had the river

* Cf. Blyth's "Identifications of Synonymy," Ibis, 186.5, p. 44.

238 Mr. A. Anderson on the Nidificatiun of Indian Birds.

changed its course, but the favourite haunts of the Thao War- blers had been washed away by the late unprecedented heavy rains. This added to the distance I had to travel before pro- ductive hunting-ground could be reached, which, with the delay in crossing the river &c., left me only two hours for actual col- lecting, notwithstanding I frequently got up at 2 a.m.

Under these circumstances any great success was hardly to be expected ; and the acquisition of two nests has been the sole result of my exertions. But these, I pride myself, are unique, so far as Indian-taken specimens are concerned ; another week and it would have been again too late. The first nest was taken on the 13th of March last, and contained three well-incubated eggs ; of these I saved only one specimen, which is now in the collection of Mr. Brooks. The second was found on the following day, and contained two callow young and one perfectly fresh egg. In both cases one of the pai'ent birds was shot off the nest, so that the eggs have been thoroughly identified.

In its actions, habits, and nest-architecture B. lepida resembles the true Drymcec<2. The nest is domed over, having an entrance at the side ; and the cavity is comfortably lined, or rather felted, with the down of the madar plant. It is fixed somewhat after the fashion of that of the Heed- Warbler, in the centre of a dense clump of surput grass, about two feet above the ground. On the whole, the structure is rather large for so small a bird, and measures six inches in height by four in breadth.

But while the nest corresponds exactly with Canon Tristram's description* of those taken by him in Palestine, there are differ- ences, oologically speaking, which induce me to hope that our Indian bird may yet be restored to specific distinction. In the first place, my single eggs from each nest have a green ground- colour, and are covered all over with reddish-brown spots. Now Mr. Tristram describes his Palestine specimens as " richly coloured jt7m^ eggs, with a zone of darker red near the larger end, and in shape and colour resembling some of the 7-*rmm-group." Is it possible for the same bird to lay such widely different eggs ? If I had taken only one specimen, it might have been looked upon

* Tristram, ou the Ornithology of Palostino, P. Z. S. 18G4, p. 437; Ibis, 18G5, pp. 82, 83.

Ibis. 1872 .PL. VIII.

J.GKeuleman ]l^]^

MftN.Ha,nh.a,rt imp .

LEUGOPTERNIS PLUMBEA.

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Leucopternis. 239

as mere variety. Again, our Indian bird lays three eggs ; and I have never seen the parent birds feeding more than this number of young ones, occasionally only two. Mr. Tristram, per contra, mentions having met with as many as five and six. Lastly, it is difficult to conceive that Burnesia lepida, Blyth, and its African ally [Malurus gracilis, Rlipp.) can be identical; for, judging from the Indian representative, it is a bird of very limited powers of flight, and certainly not capable of flying more than a few yards at a time.

I cannot, however, do better than forward herewith the second nest above alluded to, together with its belongings, to enable the matter to be authoritatively disposed of. The egg is certainly the prettiest and one of the smallest I have ever seen; indeed I found it too small to risk measurement.

The nest referred to by Jerdon as having been found on the Indus by Lieut. Wood cannot belong to this species for two reasons : first, it is not the nature of birds of this group to make sl pensile nest; and, second, the subject of this note is one of those few birds that breed between the end of the cold weather and the beginning of the hot (March and April) — not during the rains as the generality of them do (July to September).

B. lepida will probably be found wherever there is thao jungle intermixed with surput grass along all large rivers. Mr. Brooks has recently obtained a specimen on the banks of the Jumna.

Like Drymoepus inornatus, the male of B. lepida has a blackish bill, while in the female it is fleshy brown. I find that the sexes, as a rule, can be distinguished by this peculiarity ; but perhaps this sexual diff"erence is only seasonal.

Futtegliur, N.W, Provinces, India.

XXIX. — A further Revision of the Genus Leucopternis, with a De- scription of a new Species. By Osbert Salvin, M.A. &c.

(Plate VIII.)

In August 1868 Mr. Sclater and I published a synopsis of the species of the genus Leucopternis, in the text accomj)anyiug a

240 Mr. 0. Salvia on the Genus Leucopternis.

plate representing Leucopternis semiplumbea in ' Exotic Ornitho- logy.' The genus, as then understood by us, contained eight spe- cies, which we divided into two categories — one, comprising seven species, having the whole of the underparts white, and the other, a single species, having those parts banded with white and lead- coloured bars. The species which I now propose to describe carries with it the bird usually known as Urubitinga schistacea (Sundev.) ; and the two together form a third section of the genus, having the whole of the underparts uniformly plumbeous in colour. My remarks on these two species, and a further note on L. princeps, form the principal subject-matter of this paper. For all further details respecting the other members of the genus re- ference must be made to the summary at page 121 of ' Exotic Ornithology.'

The new species I propose to call

Leucopternis plumbea, sp. n. Plumbea, alis extus et cauda nigricantioribus, hac fascia mediali alba transvittata ; corporis lateribus et alarum pagina in- feriore, prseter remigum apices, albis ; tibiis albo transfas- ciatis : rostro plumbeo-nigro, cera aurantiaco-flava, pedibus flavis: long, tota cir. 14"5 poll, angl., alse 9'4, caudse 5*8, tarsi 2*5, dig. med. cum ungue 1'8, rostri a rictu 1*3. Hab. in repub. ^Equatoriali.

Obs. — L. schistacea similis, sed alis extus nigricantioribus et intus albis, tibiis fasciatis et caudse apice nigro facile distin- guenda. The first primary in L. plumbea is about two inches shorter than the longest, and nearly the same length as the secondaries; the second primary is one inch and two tenths shorter than the third, which is the longest in the wing, though the fourth and fifth almost attain the same length ; the sixth is eight tenths of an inch shorter than the fifth ; the seventh and eighth divide the remaining space to the secondaries, which cover the tip of the ninth primary : the white of the under wing is almost pure to- wards the ulna, but towards the extremity of the inner pri- maries becomes spotted with pale plumbeous.

The wing-formula of L. schistacea hardly differs from that just given, except that the third primary falls short of the fourth and fifth by four tenths of an inch and is equal to the sixth.

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Leucopternis. 241

The single specimen from which the above description was taken was contained in a collection of bird-skins recently received by Mr. E. T. Higgins from Ecuador, and was probably obtained in one of the valleys of the Andes in the vicinity of Quito; but on this point I can give no exact details. I at first took it to be a skin of L. schistacea ; but a comparison with specimens of that species at once showed the differences pointed out above. Its resemblance to L. semiplumbea led me to the conclusion that the former bird would find a more natural position in this genus, and moreover that its removal from Urubitinga would relieve that genus of an abnormal element.

The diff'erences between Leucopternis and Urubitinga are not very trenchant. They consist chiefly in the shorter tarso-meta- tarsus of the former and in the proportionally longer toes; the nostril is almost circular in both genera. The primaries project beyond the secondaries rather further in Leucopternis than in Urubitinga, the secondaries being very long in the latter genus. Another distinction, which, howevei', is of a negative character, is also important. In Leucopternis we have no evidence to show that any of the species passes through a distinctive immature dress before assuming the plumage of the adult. The immature stages of the young of Urubitinga are well known ; and birds of the two commonly known species in their first fawn-coloured dress spotted with black are almost as familiar as adult specimens.

Leucopternis is also closely allied to Buteo ; and the members of the two genera resemble each other in habits. In Buteo, how- ever, the wings are longer and more pointed, and the secondaries shorter than in Leucopternis. The nostril, too, of the former genus is more elliptical in shape, and thus differs from the circular nasal opening of the latter.

Since our article was written in 'Exotic Ornithology' I have obtained a second specimen of Leucopternis princeps from Costa Rica ; and as the skin is marked as that of a male, I take this opportunity of giving its dimensions. Long, tota 3J "O, alse 14'0, caudse 7*5, tarsi 3*5, dig. med. cum ungue, 2*75, rostri a rictu 2*2. Comparing these dimensions with those given by Mr. Sclater in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' for 1865, p. 429, it will be seen that they indicate a rather smaller bird

SEK. III. VOL. II. T

242 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Genus Leucopternis.

than the type there described. It is probable therefore that the original skin sent us by Arce, but of which the sex was not noted, belongs to a female bird.

Of the so-called Urubitinga schistacea, which I now propose to place in the genus Leucoj)ternis, I have recently seen and obtained skins which were collected by Hauxwell at Pebas, and by Bart- lett near Cashaboya, on the Rio Ucayali ; in the adjoining dis- trict, on the Rio Javarri, Mr. Bates procured specimens of it. I have also secured a skin which I found in a collection from Bogota which had been forwarded to Mr. Cutter direct from that city. This bird was probably obtained in one of the Andean valleys which stretch away from the cordillera to the eastward. The range of the species seems to be restricted to the basin of the Amazon and its large tributaries. In addition to the localities already mentioned, Mr. Sclater refers to its occurrence in Bolivia. Natterer obtained two examples during his journey — one at Borba on the Rio Madeira, and the other at Barra do Rio Negro. All these places come within the limits of Upper Amazonia ; but we have Prof. SchlegeFs authority for its occurrence near Para, and in Guiana, near Cayenne; a specimen in the Leyden Museum is also stated to have come from Brazil, which term doubtless must be construed in a political rather than in a zoological sense.

The ten species of this genus (specimens of all of which, except L. melanops, are in our collection) may now be arranged as fol- lows, the synonymy of eight of them being given in the article already referred to: —

A. corpore subtus omnino albo.

a. capita toto albo,

1. L. GHiESBREGHTi. Ex Mexico ct Am. centr. ad Pa- nama.

2. L. PALLiATA. Ex Brasilia merid.

3. L. scoTOPTERA. Ex Brasilia merid.

4. L. ALBicoLLis. Ex Guiana, Venezuela, Amaz. et Ins. Trinit.

b. capite nigro striato.

5. L. MELANOPS. Ex Guiana et Amazonia.

6. L. suPERCiLiARis. Ex Amazonia.

On some Birds from the Chatham Islands. 243

c. capite plumbeo, dorso concolori.

7. L. SEMiPLUMBEA. Ex Isthiu. Pauama et Costa Rica.

B. corpore subtus albo, plumbeo transfasciato.

8. L. PRiNCEPS. Ex Costa Rica.

C. corpore subtus plumbeo unicolori.

9. L. scHisTACEA*. Ex Amaz. et Columbia.

10. L. PLUMBEA. Ex rep. jEquatoriali.

XXX. — Notes on some Birds from the Chatham Islands, collected by H, H. Travers, Esq, ; with Descriptions of two new Species. By Captain F. W. Hutton, F.G.S.

Mr. H. Travers having lately returned, with considerable col- lections, from an eight months' visit to the Chatham Islands (a small group lying about 475 miles due east from New Zealand), I am enabled through his kindness to draw up the following list of the birds, which includes not only those species which he brought away, but also a few others of which he was not able to obtain specimens ; so that it may be looked upon as complete, so far as our present knowledge extends.

1. Circus assimilis, Jard.

Mr. Travers was unable to procure specimens of this bird ; but he saw a dead one that had been killed too long for pre- serving. He informs me that it does not differ from New-Zealand examples.

2. Prosthemadera novve-zealandi^ (Gm.). Two specimens.

3. Anthornis melanocephala, Gray. Several specimens, male, female, and young.

The female and young diflfer from those of A. melanura only

in size ; the latter correspond entirely with A. auriocula, Buller.

The eggs are usually of a darker pink than those of A. mela-

* Asturina schistacea, Sundev. CEfv. Af. K. Vet. Forh. 1849, p. 1.32; Schl. Mus. des. P. B. Asturinae, p. 8 ; Morphnus schistaceus, Scl. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 261. ; Urubitiuffn schistacea, Scl. P. Z. S. 18-58, p. 128 ; Scl. & Salv. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 198; 1867, p. 970; Pelz. Orn. Bras, p- 2; Falco ardesiacu.s Liclit. in Mus. Berol. teste Bp.

T 2

244 Capt. F. W. Hutton on some

nura, and are largely blotched on the thick end with chestnut. Length 1*05 inch; breadth 0'75.

4. ZOSTEROPS LATERALIS (Lath.).

Eggs only of this species are in the collection ; but Mr. Travers informs me that the bird is common on all the islands.

5. Sphenceacus rufescens, Buller.

Several specimens, two of which are variegated with white feathers, principally on the wings. It is found only on the Island of Mangare.

6. Gerygone albofrontata, Gray ?

Above olivaceous brown ; over the eye, region of the ears, and all the lower surface white, tinged with yellow on the flanks, abdomen, and vent. Quills brown, narrowly edged on the outer margin with olivaceou^s ; secondaries the same, but with a broader edging. Tail brownish rufous, with a brownish-black band near the tip, followed on the three outer feathers with a band of pale rufous; tip brown. Iris light red. Length 4*5 inches ; w^ing 2*25 ; bill from gape 0*65 ; tarsus 0*87.

Egg pinkish white, with numerous red spots and lines. Length 0-74 inch ; breadth 0-54.

Hub. All the islands.

Two specimens, neither in good condition, were all that Mr. Travers brought. This bird differs from Gray's description of albofrontata, in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and Terror,' remarkably in size, and also in the colour of the tail; but I notice that although the total length and that of the wing are considerably more in Mr. Gray's bird than in mine, still the bill and the tarsus are smaller ; and the coloration of the tail in the figure agrees with the Chatham-Island bird, although the de- scription does not. Mr. Gray's bird is also said to have been brought from New Zealand by Dr. DieiFenbach ; but as this spe- cies has never been found in New Zealand since, and as Dr. Dieffenbach visited the Chatham Islands, it is possible that the label may have got misplaced*.

7. Petroica dieffenbachi. Gray.

A single male specimen is in the collection. It answers

* [See letter t-oni Mr. Potts, postca.—Eh.']

Birds from the Chatham Islands. 245

exactly, both in size and colouring, to P. macrocephala, No. 28 of my '^ Catalogue of the Birds of New Zealand' (Wellington, 1871) ; but as P. dieffenbachi was originally described from a Chat- ham-Island specimen, the names in my Catalogue will have to be changed, and No. 29, the smaller bird with the pale yellow breast, will be P. macrocephala.

8. Petroica traversi*.

Entirely black, except the wings, which are brownish. Length 6 inches; wing 3-25; bill from gape 0-77; tarsus 1-13. Female similar to the male.

Several specimens, all from Mangare.

9. Anthus nov^-zealandi^ (Gm.). One specimen.

10. Rhipidura flabellifera (Gm.).

One specimen. Mr. Travers informs me that he could not hear of a black-tailed species of Rhipidura ever having been seen on the islands; it is therefore probable that Dr. DiefFenbach's specimen of R. melanura, Gray, was incorrectly labelled, and R. melanura will therefore be the same as R. tristis, Hombr. et Jacq.

?11. Stringops habroptilus, Gray.

Mr. Travers never saw a specimen of this bird ; but from the descriptions of others he can hardly doubt but it once existed on these islands ; at the same time he remarks that there is no country in the Chathani Islands at all similar to the haunts it loves to frequent in New Zealand.

12. Platycercus nov^-zealandt^ (Sparrm.). One specimen.

13. Platycercus aurtceps, Kuhl.

Two specimens, both of which are larger than any that I have seen from New Zealand, measuring 11 inches in length, and 4*7 inches from the carpal joint to the tip of the wing. The bill and tarsi are of the same size as New-Zealand specimens.

* [This is the species called 3Iiro traversi by Dr. Buller in his second part of the ' Birds of New Zealand,' p. 123 (published June 1872), the description being taken from the same specimens. Cf. Buller, /. c. — Ed.]

246 Capt. F. W. Hutton on some

14. Chrysococcyx plagosus (Lath.).

Three specimens, all exactly alike, and answering to the de- scription of C. plagosus in Gould's ' Handbook to the Birds of Australia/ having a broad bill, and only a very faint ti-ace of a single rufous bar on the second tail-feathers. The New Zealand Golden Cuckoo (C. lucidus) has the broad bill of C. plagosus, and the second tail-feathers with several well-marked bars of rufous ; but none of the feathers has a rufous base. This form does not appear to have been noticed elsewhere as yet, although it is cer- tainly migratory with us. It is very remarkable that C. plagosus should be found both in Australia and the Chatham Islands while it is absent from New Zealand, which lies between them. In the Chatham Islands this bird is also migratory.

Is it not possible that all the individuals of the species C. lucidus leave Australia to breed in New Zealand? so that this species does not spread in Australia ; and the limited number which are suf- ficient to stock New Zealand would scarcely be noticed when spread over Australia. In this way C. lucidus, although in- habiting Australia, would be just as much isolated as if it re- mained altogether in New Zealand, and any variation would not be transmitted by interbreeding to Austrahan individuals.

15. Carpophaga nov^-zealandi^ (Gm.).

A single specimen and two eggs are in the collection. The eggs are white, or yellowish white, with minute purple spots on the larger end. Length 1 '4-1 "47 inch ; breadth 1*1.

16. Charadrius bicinctus, Jard. Two specimens.

17. ThINORNIS NOViE-ZEALANDT^ (Gm.).

Several specimens. Found on Mangare only.

18. HiEMATOPus LONGiRosTRis, VieiU. Two specimens.

19. Ardea poiciloptera, Wagl.

Mr. Travers did not succeed in getting a specimen of this bird, although he knows that it exists on the islands.

20. LiMOSA UROPYGIALIS, Gould.

This bird was seen by Mr. Travers several times ; but he did

Birds from the Chat nam Islands. 24<7

not succeed in getting specimens. It is migratory, leaving the islands in the winter.

21. Gallinago pusilla, Buller. Several specimens. On Mangare only.

22. Rallus modestus, sp. nov.

Olivaceous brown^ bases of the feathers plumbeous ; feathers of the breast slightly tipped with pale fulvous, those of the abdomen and flanks with two narrow bars of the same colour ; throat dark grey, each feather slightly tipped with brown. Quills soft brown, the first three faintly barred with reddish fulvous, fourth and fifth the longest. Tail very soft and short, brown. Irides light brown; bill and legs light brown.

Young. Uniform brownish black.

Length 8-75 inches; wing3'15; bill from gape 1*4; tarsus 1; middle toe and claw 1*4.

A single specimen and young from Mangare ; also a specimen in spirits.

23. Rallus dieffenbachi, Gray.

This bird has never been seen since Diefifenbach's visit. It appears to be quite extinct now.

24. Ortygometra affinis, Gray.

A single specimen and broken egg, which is of an olive-brown colour, and highly polished. Breadth "77 inch.

25. Ortygometra tabuensis (Gm.). One young specimen.

26. PoRPHYRio MELANOTus, Tcmm. One specimen.

27. Anas superciliosa, Gm. One specimen.

28. Anas?

Mr. Travers did not succeed in seeing again the Duck with red on the wings mentioned in his account of his first visit to the islands (Trans. New-Zealand Institute, i. p. 178).

248 Capt. F. W. Hutton on some

29. Rynchaspis variegata, Gould. Two males and two females.

30. Lestris catarractes, L.

Several specimens. Sometimes the feathers of the back of the neck are finely streaked with pale yellow ; but usually they are of a uniform brown.

Egg rather pyriform, olive-brown, with large brown and purplish grey spots. Length 3'1 inches; breadth 2"1.

31. Larus dominicanus, Licht. Two specimens, adult and young.

32. Larus scopulinus, Forst. Several specimens.

33. Sterna frontalis, Gray.

One specimen. The breast is faintly tinged with rose.

34. Diomedea exulans, L. Common on the coast.

35. Diomedea melanophrys, Boie. Common on the coast.

36. Ossifraga gigantea (Gm.).

Several specimens, all of which are brown, getting lighter on the breast and throat, where the colour passes into dirty white.

37. Halodroma urinatrix (Gm.).

A few specimens. Length 8 inches ; wing 4*5; tarsus 0*8; bill from gape 0-9, along culmen 0*55, breadth at end of nasal tube 0*25, height at end of nasal tube 0*2.

38. Halodroma berardi, Quoy et Gaim.

A few specimens. Length 7*75 inches ; wing 4*25 ; tarsus 0*8 ; bill from gape 0*9, along culmen 0*55, breadth at end of nasal tube 0'17, height at end of nasal tube 0*2, The narrow bill of this species easily distinguishes it from the last.

39. PuFFiNus TRisTis, Forst. Several specimens.

40. PUFFINUS ASSIMILIS, Gould ?

No specimens, but common off the coast.

Birds from the Chatham Islands. 249

41. PrOCELLARIA CAPENSIS, L.

Common ou the coast.

4)2. Prion turtur, Soland.

Several specimens.

Egg white. Length 1'7 inch.; breadth 1-25.

43. Prion vittatus, Gml.

Several specimens. Length 12 inches ; wing 8*25 ; tarsus 1*3 ; bill from gape 1"6; breadth 0*87.

Egg white : length 2 inches; breadth 1'5,

This is probably the very broad-billed variety mentioned by Mr. Gould at the end of his description of this bird in his ' Hand- book to the Birds of Australia;^ but I hardly think that it is entitled to rank as a separate species.

44. Thalassidroma marina (Lath.). Several specimens.

45. Thalassidroma nereis, Gould. One specimen.

46. Graculus carbo, L. One specimen.

47. Graculus carunculatus, Gm.

A few specimens. As soon as the breeding-season is over, the back becomes brown, with a broad transverse white band.

48. Graculus africanus, Gm.

Head, neck, throat, lower part of back, thighs, vent, and over the tail dark blue or green-black ; upper back and wing- coverts greenish bronzy-brown, each feather with a black apex ; breast and abdomen grey : quills and tail brownish black ; head crested and neck ornamented with white feathers in the breeding-season. Bill dark; legs and feet yellowish orange. Length 19 inches; wing 9'5 ; bill from gape 2*75 ; tarsus 2. Both sexes alike. This Cormorant is also found in New Zealand, but is very rare ; for I have seen portions of the skin of a bird shot at the Wade, near Auckland, which 1 have now been able to identify with this species.

250 Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus.

49. EuDYPTEs PACHYRHYNCHUs, Gray. One living specimen.

50. EUDYPTILA MINOR (Forst.).

Several specimens.

Mr. Travers finds from careful inquiry that there is no evi- dence of the following birds ever having inhabited the Chatham Islands, although they have been reported to have been seen there (Trans. New-Zealand Institute, i. 178) — Ardea alba, Ocy- dromus, sp., Anas chlorotis, and Apteryx, sp.

XXXI. — A Revision of the Genus Henicurus. By H. J. Elwes, F.Z.S. &c.

(Plate IX.) Though the genus Henicurus does not present any grave difii- culties to the ornithologist, yet, as the species composing it have been a good deal confused and from what we know of its geo- graphical distribution it is not likely that any new ones remain to be discovered, I think the following notes may not be un- acceptable.

Temminck first proposed the name Henicurus (errore Enicu- rus, €vik6<; et ovpd) for three species of birds from Java and Sumati'a — namely, Turdus leschenaulti (Vieill.), H. ruficapillus, and H. velatus — which he figured and described in the Planches Coloriees, vol. iii. livr. 27, 19, & 90. A few years later, when the riches of the Himalayas were first brought to light, four more species were described by Hodgson and Vigors.

Though the exertions of such indefatigable and skilful natu- ralists as Jerdon, Blyth, Swinhoe, and David have added hun- dreds of species to the avifauna of Asia, only two distinct Heni- curi have, in my opinion, been since discovered.

The birds in question form a very well-marked group, of doubtful affinity ; for though they are placed by most authors in the family Motacillidce, and resemble the Wagtails greatly in habits and appearance, it is by no means certain that they are rightly so placed.

Blyth, a naturalist whose opinion on any point of classifi-

Mr. H.J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus. 251

cation is of great weighty taking H. ruficapillus as the most typical species of the genus (on which point, however, I do not agree with him)"^, considers the affinities of Henicurus to be with the Myiotherinse, and says, " the relation of this genus to the Wagtails I consider to be one of analogy rather than affinity/'

This point will best be settled by a careful anatomical inves- tigation ; but as I unfortunately neglected to preserve the bodies of those species which I have personally observed, and am un- able to obtain the necessary materials, I must leave it for the present undecided. It will be observed, however, that Henicu- rus does not agree with Motacilla in having the tertiaries as long as the secondaries.

The birds of this genus are preeminently characteristic of the densely wooded mountain-streams of South-eastern Asia, and range from Cashmere to the hill-ranges of China and Java, though nowhere found in India south of the Himalaya. Their plumage, with the single exception of H. ruficapillus, is entirely black and white ; and their habits, so far as we know them, are very similar. They frequent forest-streams and torrents in the lower ranges of mountains, and rarely stray either into the plains or the upper regions of the Himalaya ; though Dr. Stoliczka has procured H. scouleri at an elevation of 12,000 feet.

Their motions are so active and lively that they form a con- spicuous feature in Himalayan scenery, being usually found either singly or in pairs, flitting rapidly from rock to rock by the side of the most rapid torrents. They appear to be very partial to the neighbourhood of a waterfall or rapid. They make a large nest of moss and fibres, which is placed under a rock

* [Blyth (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. lo7), placing H. rujicapilliis first on his list of the members of the genus, by no means commits himself to the opinion that that species must be considered the type of the genus. There can be no doubt that H. velatm is the type of Henicurus, that being the only species published, with the description of the genus, in the 27th livraison of the ' Planches Coloriees,' issued 26th July 1823 {Cf. Crotch, Ibis, 1868, p. 500). H. coronatus, Temm., = 7/. leschmmdti, was published in the 19th livr. 26 June 1824, and H. ruficapillus in the 90th livr. 28 July 1832. Gray gives (Gen. B. p. 41, 1855) H. Icschcnaulti as the t}'pe of the genus, but is clearly wrong in so doing. — Ed.]

252 Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus.

close to the water. Their food consists of insects, larvae, water- beetles, and small shells.

In describing the plumage of the several species of Henicuri, there are several points characteristic of the whole genus, which it will be unnecessary to repeat. In all the species the tail is com- posed of twelve feathers, of which the four middle pairs are black, with white tips, and graduated in length from the central pair, which are the shortest. The two outer pairs are entirely white, and about equal in length to the next pair, though they vary con- siderably in this respect in different specimens ; the base of the secondaries and tertiaries is also white, and forms a conspicuous bar on the wings (except in H. velatus) of greater or less breadth according to the extent to which it is concealed by the wing- coverts ; the axillary feathers and greater part of the under wing-coverts, with a bar on the base of the primaries beneath, are also white; the white tips of the secondaries disappear with age, and in fully adult birds are almost imperceptible.

Genus Henicurus, Temm.

Bill moderately long, straight and stout; the upper mandible sharply keeled at the base ; gonys well marked ; nostrils lateral, set in a deep fossa, closed from above by a membrane ; gape with a few stiff hairs. Wings moderate, rounded ; first primary short ; fourth, fifth and sixth the longest and subequal. Tail long, forked, of twelve feathers, the four inner pairs of which are graduated in length from the centre. Legs and feet moderate ; middle toe the longest and united to the outer one as far as the first joint ; nails strong and curved.

CI avis specierum.

A. Pectore albo.

a. dorso cinereo :

a', speculo alari tectricibus celato 1. velatus.

h', speculo alari conspicuo 2. schistaceus.

b. dorso nigro :

c'. Cauda longiore quam ala 3. immaculatus.

d'. Cauda breviore quam ala 4. scouleri.

c. capite et collo posticis ferrugineis 5. rtificapUhis.

Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus. 253

B. Pectore nigro.

d. dorso immaculato :

e'. major 6. leschenaidti.

f. minor 7. frontalis.

e. dorso albo lunulato 8. macvlatus.

f. dorso albo punctato 9. guttatus.

1. Henicurus velatus.

Enicurus velatus, Temm. PI. Col. 160; Gray, Gen. Birds, i. p. 204; Bp. Consp. Av. p. 251; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds in Mus. E. I. Comp. i. p. 347.

Hab. Java {Diard).

Head, back, and sides of neck dark slaty grey ; wings, chin, and spot in front of the eye black ; breast, belly, rump, tail- coverts, and a bar across the forehead white; the white bar on the wing is concealed by the coverts. Bill black; irides dark brown ; legs and feet fleshy white.

Length about 7 inches; wing 3; tail 3| ; bill f ; tarsus 1.

The female has the top of the head tinged with brown ; and, according to Temminck, the throat is whitish, and the back a little more ashy than in the male.

This pretty and distinct species is, so far as I am aware, only found in Java, where it has been collected by MM. Diard, Reinwardt, and Duvaucel. It is rare in collections.

2. Henicurus schistaceus.

Enicurus schistaceus, Hodgs. As. Bes. xix. p. 189; Gray's Zool. Misc. 1844, p. 83 ; Gray, Cat. Hodgs. Coll. in B. M. p. 76 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 157; Cat. Birds in Mus. A. S. Beng. p. 159; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1861, p. 409, 1867, pp. 29, 404; P. Z. S. 1863, p. 276; Jerdon, Birds of India, ii. p. 215.

H. leucoschistus, Swinhoe, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1870, vi. p. 154; P. Z.S. 1871, p. 365.

Hab. Nepal {Hodgson) ; Sikim (Elwes) ; Bhotan [Pember- ton); Tenasserim {Bhjth) ; Moupin [David); China (Srvinhoe).

Above dark slaty-grey, with a narrow white band across forehead from eye to eye; lores, cheeks, chin, and primaries black, the latter (except the first two) showing a white mark below the white bar. Throat, breast, belly, rump, and tail- coverts white. Eyes dark brown ; beak black ; feet and legs

254 Mr. H.J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus.

fleshy white. Length 8|- to 9 inches ; tail 4| to 5 ; wing 3| ; tarsus 1 ; bill, from gape, |.

This species seems to have the widest range of any of the genus ; for unless we recognize the Chinese H. leucoschistus as distinct, it is found from Nepal through Szechuen to near Amoy, and southwards as far as the mountain-ranges of Tenasserim.

After having, through Mr. Whitely's permission, carefully examined the specimens of this species in Mr. Swiuhoe's col- lection, I cannot see that there is any good or constant difference between Chinese and Indian specimens of this bird; and Mr. Swinhoe has twice expressed himself to the same effect (Ibis, 1867, p. 404, and P.Z.S. 1863, p. 276), though he has since dis- covered that the Chinese bird differs in having the bill straighter along the culmen, and the gonys more ascending. This, to my eye, is quite imperceptible; and as in his list of Chinese birds Mr. Swinhoe ignores this point, and mentions as the only difference the variable amount of white on the primaries and under wing, I cannot but think that it would have been better to have waited till he had made his case a little clearer. The specimens col- lected by the Abbe David at Moupin, on the borders of Thibet and China, are quite similar to the Indian bird.

H. schistaceus is not common in Sikim, and keeps to the lower elevations, so far as I have observed. Its habits are similar to those of its congeners ; but nothing is recorded of its nidification. M. de Grijs told Mr. Swinhoe that he saw these birds on the margins of pools in the hills about 130 miles inland from Amoy, and that they frequently uttered twittering notes not unlike those of the Sandpiper, but louder.

3. Henicurus immaculatus.

Enicurus immaculatus, Hodgs. As. Res. xix. p. 190; Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 83, 1844; Cat. Hodgs. Coll. in B.M. p. 76; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 157; Cat. Birds Mus. As. Soc. B. p. 159; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds in Mus. E. I. Comp. i. p. 346 ; Godwin-Austen, J. A. S. B. 187.0, p. 107; Jerdon, Birds of India ii. p. 213.

Hab. Nepal {Hodgs.); Sikim {Elwes) ; Khasia Hills {Godwin- Austen); Aracan {Blyth); Assam? {Griffith) (en-ore Afghanistan).

Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus. 255

Head, neck, back, wings, and throat black ; breast, belly, rump, sides, tail-coverts, and wing-bar white ; a white band on the forehead about f inch broad, extending from above the eye across the base of the bill. Beak black ; eyes dark brown ; legs and feet fleshy white.

Female like the male, but slightly duller-coloured on the head. Young birds are of a duller black, and have no white on the forehead.

Length 8| inches ; tail 4^ to 4f ; wing 3| ; tarsus 1 ; bill from gape f.

This species, which, in the Himalayas, is the rarest of all the genus, appears to be commoner in the hill-ranges of Burmah and Aracan. I shot one pair on April 4th, 1870, by the side of a narrow jungle- torrent, at a place called Sivoke, where the Teesta river debouches from the Sikim mountains into the plains. They were apparently breeding, and exactly resembled H. guttatus in flight and habits.

Of this pair the male has hardly any white tips to the secon- daries, whilst in the female they are quite conspicuous. This seems to be a most variable character in other species of the genus.

This bird much resembles H. schistaceus ; but adult specimens may be distinguished by the broader white band on the forehead, as well as the colour of the back, and immature ones by the absence of the conspicuous white mark on the primaries, which in H. schistaceus extends beyond the primary wing-coverts.

4. Henicurus scouleri.

Enicurus scouleri, Vigors, P. Z. S. 1830-31, p. 174 : Gould, Cent. Him. Birds, pi. 28; Birds of Asia, pt. xviii. ; Jameson, Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. vii. p. 363; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 1 57 ; Cat. Birds in Mus. As. Soc. Cal. p. 159 ; Beavan, Ibis, 1868, p. 75 ; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds in Mus. E. I. Comp. i. p. 347 ; Gray, Cat. Hodgs. Coll. in B. Mus. p. 76 ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 489, 1859, p. 179 ; Jerdon, Birds of India, ii. p. 214.

Henicurus scouleri, Swinhoe, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 365 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. 1868, p. 47.

256 Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus,

Enicurus niffrifro7is,llodgs. MSS., Gray, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 102; Jerdon, Birds of India, ii. p. 215 ; Godwin-Austen, J. A. S. B. 1870, p. 107 (?)

E. heterurus, Hodgs.

E. scouleri vel heterwus, Hodgs. Gray's Zool. Misc. 184i, p. 83.

Hab. Cashmere (Admns) ; Chergaon, 11,000 ft., et Kotegurh, 6000 ft. (Stoliczka) ; Simla [Beavan) ; Nepal {Hodgson) ; Sikim {Elwes) ; Khasia Hills {Godwin- Austen) ; Moupin {David) ; Bhotan {Pemberton).

Back, neck, and head, except a white frontal patch, black ; breast, belly, rump, tail-coverts, and broad bar on wings white ; tail short, the centre feathers black except at the base, gradually showing more white to the outer pair, which are wholly white ; the tail-feathers nearly equal in length.

The young (described by mistake as another species) is of a duller black, without any white on the forehead, and has the breast mottled with black and white. Bill black ; eyes dark brown ; legs fleshy white (not black, as stated in the ' Birds of India' by mistake). Length 5^ inches, wing 3, tail 2 to 2^, tarsus I", bill \.

This little Henicurus, which differs from all the rest in the comparative proportions of its tail, legs, and bill, is found from Cashmere to East Thibet, but seems to be commonest in the Eastern Himalayas. •

Dr. Stoliczka found it in the valley of the Sutlej, more con- fined to the hills of the outer ranges, but not uncommonly found up to 8000 feet; while Adams says that in Cashmere it prefers the streams of the higher ranges. I found it common in Sikim ; and it is the only species which I observed in the valleys of the interior, where it frequents rivers in preference to the smaller streams. As Jerdon has related, it often contends with Ruti- cilla fuliginosa for a favourite rock in the midst of a boiling tor- rent, where, cleverly avoiding the waves, it searches among the great boulders that are rolled down from the mountains for the larvse of various water-insects, which form its chief food. The highest point where I observed it was on the Lachoong river, one of the great branches of the Teesta, 10,000 feet above the

Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus. 257

sea. The nest and eggs are said to be similar to those of H. maculatus, but smaller.

5. Henicurus ruficapillus.

E. ruficapillus, Temm. PI. Col. 534 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi, p. 155 ; Cat. Birds in Mus. As. Soc. p. 159.

E. diadematus, Miill. (exBoie, MS.) Tijds. voor Nat. Gesch. 1835, p. 346.

Hab. Java [Blyth) ; Sumatra [Muller) ; Malacca [Maingay).

Head, cheeks, sides of neck, and back rich reddish brown ; belly, rump, gorget, and narrow wing-bar white ; breast-feathers white, broadly edged with black ; chin and throat black, a nar- row, band on the forehead white, bordered with black.

In some specimens, which, according to Temminck, are males, the chin and tbroat are white and the lower part of the back black instead of red. As, however, none of the specimens which I have examined had their sexes noted, I am unable to verify this statement. According to Miiller the female is smaller than the male, and has the back of a darker rufous. Length 7\ inches ; wing 3f ; outer tail-feathers 3 ; tarsus 1 1 ; beak |. Irides brown ; beak black ; legs, feet, and claws fleshy white.

Blyth says (J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 155) : — " This fine species, preeminently typical of its group, strongly exhibits, in the form of its bill and the rufous colouring of its head and nape, the Myiotherine affinity of the genus ; the bill has the upper man- dible hooked over at the top much as in Cinclus, minus the hook and nareal orifices ; and it is the same form of bill as reap- pears in Eupetes, It is a very interesting species, as indicating more than any other the affinity of the group."

I should be inclined to think that this species is more aberrant than any from the type of the genus ; and were it not connected with the rest through H. frontalis, which it resembles greatly in its proportions, I should be disposed to place it as the type of a subgenus.

Temminck says of this bird (Rec. d^Oiseaux, 90th livraison) that it was first received from Pallambang, Sumatra, and is found very rarely in Java. " It is difficult to approach this very shy

SER. III. — VOL. II. U

258 Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus.

bird, which frequents the borders of torrents in the most inac- cessible ravines of the wooded mountains."

Miiller says, " I have only met with it hitherto near some of the small rivulets of the shore-mountains at the base of Boengoes (Sumatra), It is there found jumping on dry-lying rolling stones, screaming vociferously, just as Boie mentions is the habit of H. coronatus and velatus."

'6. Henicurus leschenaulti.

Turdus leschenaulti, Vieill. N. Diet. Hist. Nat. xx. p. 269 (1818) ; Gal. des Oiseaux, pi. 145.

Enicurus coronatus, Temm. PI. Col. 113.

Motacilla speciosa, Horsf. Linn. Trans, xiii. p. 155 ; Zool. Res. in Java, 1824 ; Lath. Gen. Hist. vi. p. 319.

Enicurus leschenaulti. Gray, Gen. Birds, i., p. 204; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds in Mus. E. 1. Comp. vol. i. p. 345 ; Swinhoe, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 276.

Henicurus speciosus, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1861, p. 265 ; et 1862, pp. 261, 264.

Henicurus sinensis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 665 ; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1867, p. 404, and P. Z. S. 1871, p. 365.

H. chinensis, Gould, Birds of Asia, pt. xviii.

Hub. Java {Horsfield) ; Moupin [David) ; China, Fokien prov. (Swinhoe).

Crown, rump, belly, tail-coverts and wing-bar white, the rest black ; the white feathers of the head more or less elongated, but not forming a crest.

Length 10 inches; wing4|^; tail5|; beak from gapel; tar- sus I5.

Mr. Gould has described specimens of this bird from China as H. sinensis ; but after comparing a number of specimens from Java and China, I am unable to see that the character upon which Mr. Gould relies (namely the smaller frontal patch) is sufficient to rank the Chinese bird as a good species ; and Mr. Swinhoe, though he admitted the distinctness of the species in his list of Chinese birds (P. Z. S. 1871, p. 365), wrote as follows in 'The Ibis' (1867, p. 404) :—

" I see that Mr. Gould has made a new species of the Chinese

I

3

Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus. 259

pied Henicurus; the chief peculiarity of his H. sinensis being the less extent of white on the forehead.

" I have three specimens from Foochow varying a good deal in the expansion of this white. I carefully compared my skins with those in the E. I. Museum of true H. speciosus (Horsf.), and, though anxious to find a difi'erence, could discover none. I suspect that the greater or less extent of frontal white is a sexual difference/' In P. Z. S. 1863, p. 276, Mr. Swinhoe says of this bird : — " Never procured by me in China, except on the hills round Foochow, where I have procured it both in winter and summer. My specimens from that locality correspond entirely with Javan skins,"

Horsfield says of H. leschenaulti, in his Zoological Researches in Java, " It is very locally distributed, and uniformly deserts the neighbourhood of populous villages. It is almost entirely confined to the southern coast of Java, which abounds in small streams descending rapidly from the hills and shaded by luxu- riant shrubs. Here I first discovered this bird in the year 1809. I afterwards met with it again in the district of Karano:-bollon£r, and in the provinces south of Kediri. In more central situa- ations, it frequents the banks of an elevated lake near the de- clivities of the mountain Prahu, where I found it more nume- rous than in any other part of Java."

7. Henicurus frontalis. (Plate IX.)

E. frontalis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 156 ; Cat. Birds in Mus. A. S. p. 159; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds in Mus. E. I. Comp. i. p. 346; Bp. Consp. Av. p. 251.

Hab. Malacca {Cantor, Maingay, Linstedt).

Plumage hke that of H. leschenaulti. Breast black; belly, bar on wings, crown, and forehead white, the feathers of the head elongated like those of H. leschenaulti. Length about 8 inches wing 3|, tarsus \\, tail 3| to 4, bill from gape ff, culmen \^.

This species, which in its size and proportions strongly re- sembles H. ruficapillus, is in plumage similar to H. lesche- naulti. It appears to be rare, and has only been found, so far as I am aware, in the Malay peninsula. The Plate is taken from a Malacca specimen kindly lent to me by Mr. Wallace.

u2

260 Mr. H. J. Elvves un the Genus Heuicurus.

8. Henicurus maculatus.

Enicurus maculatus, Vigors, P. Z, S. 1830-31, p. 9 ; Gould, Cent. Him. Birds, pi. 27, et Birds of Asia, pt. xviii. ; Cat. Hodgs. Coll. in B. M. p. 76 ; Jameson, Calc. Journ. Nat. Hist. vii. p. 363 ; Blyth, J. A. S. B. xvi. p. 156; Cat. Birds in Mus. As. Soc. p. 159; Ibis, 1867, p. 29; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. Birds in Mus. E. I. Comp. i. p. 346; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 489, & 1859, p. 179; Jerd. Birdsoflndia, ii.p.212; Beavan, Ibis, 1868, p.75 ; Brooks, Ibis, 1869, p. 57 ; Stoliczka, J. A. S. B. 1868, p. 47.

Enicurus fuliginosus, Hodgs. As. Res. xix. p. 190.

Hab. Cashmere (^^flms); Pangi, 9000-10,000 feet (-S^/ic^^a) ; Kangra {Elwes) ; Kumaon {Brooks) ; Simla [Beavan) ; Nepal [Hodgson) .

Head, breast, wings, and back black. The feathers of the back are each tipped with a white mark or lunule, which run together on the neck, and form a mottled collar of black and white ; round patch on forehead, belly, rump, flanks, and tail- coverts white ; wing-bar conspicuous ; bill black ; feet and legs fleshy white; irides dark brown. Length 10 to 10^ inches; wing 4; tail 5f ; bill, from gape, f ; tarsus 1^. The immature bird is of a dull black, without white forehead or spots. The female has the top of the head tinged with brown.

The Spotted Fork-tail is one of the most characteristic Himalayan birds, and, being common in the neighbourhood of the hill-stations at an elevation of 6000 or 7000 feet, is known to most Anglo-Indians. Its habits have been well described by Adams and also by Jerdon, to whose invaluable work I refer those who wish to know more of them. It has been found, by Dr. Stoliczka, in the Sutlej valley, at elevations of from 5000 to 11,000 feet; but it does not extend, in that locality, eastward of the large forests into the Thibetan climate. Adams says (P. Z. S. 1859, p. 179) that it is common on the mountain- streams southwards of the valley of Cashmere. Its nest was taken by the late Mr. Home, near Nynee Tal, on the 27th of May. It was placed in the side of a rocky watercourse; and the eggs, which were three or four in number, wei-e 1 inch by •625, white, with a faint shade of green, and speckled rather sparingly with rusty brown.

Mr. H. J. Elwes on the Genus Henicurus. 261

9. Henicurus guttatus.

Enicurus guttatus, Gould, P. Z. S. 1865, p. 664, et Birds of Asia, pt. xviii.; Blyth, Ibis, 1867, p. 29.

H. maculatus, Godwin-Austen, J. A. S. B. 1870, p. 109 ; Jer- don. Birds of India, ii. p. 212; Beavan, Ibis, 1868, p. 75 (in pai't) .

Hab. Nepal [Hodgson) ; Sikim {Elwes) ; Khasia [Godivin- Austen) ; Aracan ? [Blyth); Burmah [Jerdon).

Head, breast, and back black ; the latter marked with round or oblong white spots, from the size of a No, 4 shot on the lower back to that of a pea on the neck, where they are closer together, and form a collar, less conspicuous than in H. maculatus ; a cir- cular patch on forehead, belly, flanks, tail-coverts, and wing- bar white.

Female the same, with a tinge of brown on the back of the head. Irides dark brown ; legs and feet fleshy white ; bill black.

The young is of a dull brownish-black, and has no white on the forehead or back.

Length 9^ to 10^ inches; tail 5 to 6; bill, from gape, f ; tarsus Ig; wing 4.

This species was not distinguished from H. maculatus until 1865, when it was separated by Mr. Gould under the appro- priate name of H. guttatus. Though several other distinctive marks are given by which it is said to differ from its western representative, such as its smaller size, narrower tail-feathers, and smaller patch on the forehead, I am unable, after com- paring a large series, to find any constant diff"erence except in the shape and arrangement of the white spots on the back; and I believe that when a large series is procured from diff"erent parts of Nepal, it will be found impossible to define the limits of the two forms. Mr. Hodgson procured both in the central Himalayas ; but as his collectors travelled over the whole of Nepal, which extends about 500 miles from east to west, and no localities are given with any of his specimens in the British Museum which I have examined, it is at present impossible to say how far to the north-west H. guttatus ranges, and whether it interbreeds with H. maculatus or not. Mr. Hodgson him- self never distinguished the two species ; and he was by no means

262 Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius.

backward in separating supposed species when any appreciable difference could be discovered between two birds.

As, however, I have been able, without looking at the labels, to separate a considerable number of specimens of these repre- sentative forms when mixed together, I feel hardly justified in refusing specific rank to H. guttatus. I have observed it in Sikim at elevations of from 3000 to 7000 feet in the outer ranges of hills only, and found it paired on the 17th of May, when, from the appearance of the sexual organs, breeding must have commenced. Dr. Jerdon's account of the habits of H. maculatits applies equally well to this species.

XXXII. — On the Genus Colius, its Structure and Systematic

Place. By Dr. James Murie, F.L.S. &c. ^Py^o^,

M^, 19 or (Plate X.) r-^^V '

By whatever motive we are impelled to study ornithology in its ciassific aspect, when first the characters of two species are pointed out to us, they appear clear and readily discernible. Proceeding to genera, they too dwell in our mind's eye as axioms, and so on to larger groups.

But soon the time comes when we acknowledge distinctions which are not so obvious. Instead of that sharp definition which we had believed was the attribute of birds in their relations to each other, we are compelled to admit that there is often an interweaving of form, difficult to disentangle and hard to express in words.

The subject of this paper is representative of a group of birds (the Colics) requiring nicety of reasoning to appreciate the value of its characters and their degree of relation ship to those of other forms.

I. Position assigned by various writers to the

COLIES.

The birds in question are by no means showy, so far as their dress is concerned. The familiar name of " Mousebii'ds," which the Dutch colonists of the Cape and others have bestowed on

Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 263

them, is not inapt. It expresses their pervading or dominant colour, and suggests their odd propensity to creep amongst the branches.

A resume of the chief ornithologists who have treated of Colius systematically, dates from Brisson^. He it was who stamped the name on the genus, and classed it amongst the Passeres, after the Buntings and Larks [Emberiza and Alauda), and before the Bullfinches [Pyrrhula). Buffonf subsequently placed it between the Bullfinches and the Manakins.

Levaillant^s work on African ornithology contains a very elegantly written little chapter respecting the characters and habits of the Colics J — one worthy of perusal to those who would take a leaf out of nature's book. That eminent naturalist brings them in between the Woodpeckers and Orioles ; whilst he asserts that they do not belong to the Bullfinches, as Buffon had marked them.

No hint from the above fellow countryman seems to have been taken by Cuvier§, who, depending on beak-character, re- tained it in the Sparrow tribe — Pyrrhula and Corythus ranging on the one side, and Buphaga on the other. The traveller Burcheliy suggested its proximity to Corythaix. Vieillot^f about the same time saw likeness in it to the Rollers. Lesson ** gives in sequence the Crossbills {Loxia), Colies, and Plant-cutters {Phijtotoma). A slight remove from the last was made by Swainsonftj who gave Phytotoma precedence to Colius — the true Plantain-eaters (subfam. Musophaginse) coming after, and all three under the family Musophagidse.

In his ' Genera of Birds 'J J, the late Mr. G. R. Gray adopted, almost without change, an arrangement like the last, as did Bonaparte in his ' Conspectus.' In the much more recent 'Hand List'§§, Gray's final ornithological labour ere called away from amongst us, the classification runs : — Alaudidse,

* Ornithologie, tome iii. p. 304.

t Hist. Nat. Des Oiseaux, tome iv. p. 400.

X Oiseaux d'Afrique, tome vi. p. 32. § Eegne Animal.

II Travels in South Africa, vol. i. p. 214 (footnote).

H Encycl. Meth. p. 864. ** Manuel, tome i. p. 334.

tt Nat. IHst. and Classif. of Birds, vol. ii. p. 296. \X Vol. ii. p. 302. §§ Vol. ii. 1870, p. 123.

264 Dr. J. Marie on the Genus Colius.

ColidEB, Musophagidse, Opisthocomidse, and Bucerotidae. Riip- pell's ' Monograph ' * deals more with the specific forms of Colius, and no fresh discussion of its affinities is entered into. Hartlaub f retains it among the Musophagidse, and near the Pyrrhulinse.

Most of the foregoing writers either have taken for granted that the Passerine characters were genuine, and its affinities tolerably clear, from general outward appearance, or on the same principle saw fit association with the Plantain-eaters. Nitzsch|, in assigning it likeness to the latter and to the curious Opistho- comus, broke new ground m his reasons, besides seeing likeness to the Hornbills and others ; whilst Wallace^, from an entirely different point of view, deduced association of a novel kind ; which has been uttered with so much perspicuity that I may be pardoned for here quoting his words in full.

" We have now only one more group to introduce into our Scansores ; but it is one of extreme interest, as tending in some degree to fill up the wide chasm which separates the Psittacidse from all other birds. This we believe is done by the Coliidse, a small group of birds peculiar to Africa, and which have been generally classed as Finches, from their small size and thick beak. The particulars which Le Vaillant gives of their habits are, however, exceedingly curious, and show a resemblance to the Parrots which no other birds exhibit. They live entirely on fruits, never touching either seeds or insects ; they never perch or jump ; they walk with the whole tarsus applied to the ground, creeping, as it were, upon their belly ; they are vei-y fleshy, and weigh twice as much as another bird of apparently the same size ; for their feathers are so short and so closely laid upon their body that they are really much larger than they appear. They have also very weak wings, and can fly a very short distance. They climb up to the top of a tree or bush to fly to another, and in doing so lose elevation so as generally to arrive at the foot of it. They climb one foot after the other, and help themselves on with their beaks.

* " Monog. der Gattung Ctjgnus, Ceblepiji-is, und Colius," Mus. Senc- kenb. p. 41. t Syst. der Ornith. Westafiika's, p. 155.

\ Pterylographie. § Ann. and Nat. Hist., Sept. 1856, p. 213.

Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 265

" Now, almost the whole of this description Avill apply to some of the Parrot tribe and to no other birds. Their bill is an approach to that of the Parrot, the upper mandible being thick, much curved, and acutely pointed, while the lower is much smaller, and nearly straight. Their feet are very peculiar, the hind toe being small and capable of being turned forward. The tongue is described as cartilaginous and flat — one step from the ordinary horny-tipped tongue to the fleshy one of the Psitta- cidse. We consider therefore the Coliidse to be more nearly allied to the Parrots than any other birds, and to be an isolated link serving to connect them with the other Scansores in the direction of the Musophagidse."

On very different grounds, M. Emile Blanchard*, a good authority respecting the osteology of birds, offers the following opinion : — " Un petit groupe d^oiseaux d^Afrique, les Colious {Colius, Briss., Coliid(E,Bp.) ont ete generalement classes parnii les Passereaux. Au contraire, plusieurs zoologistes, d'apres la consideration de leur plumage, ont cru devoir les rapprocher des Musophages. Or je ne connais pas le sternum des Colious, ce qui est vraiment facheux ; mais M. Ed. Verreaux m'ayant obligeamment donne un individu eti peau de Tune des especes de ce genre, j'ai pu etudier les caracteres des membres et delatete. Cette etude, on le verra par la suite, me conduira a etablir que les Colious sont etroitement lies aux R-olliers."

Prof. Huxleyt, without assigning any explicit reason further than " The first toe turned forwards, as well as the others," locates the Coliidse as a separate family of his Coccygomorphae.

I might quote LayardJ, Blanford§, and Dr. Otto Finsch|| as among recent writers who have had something to say regarding the Colies ; but they all associate them either alongside or under the family Musophagidse^. As to the Colies^ habits they mainly substantiate the earlier authorities. Layard, however, mentions

* Ann. des Sciences Nat. tome xi. p. 138.

t " On the Classification of Birds," P. Z. S. 1867, p. 466.

t Birds of South Africa, p. 221.

§ Observations on the Geolopfy and Zoology of Abyssinia, pp. 66, 317.

II Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vii. p. 276.

H I regret omitting Schlegel's paper on Coitus, Amsterdam, 1857, and Eyton's notice, neither of which I could conveniently lay hands on.

266 Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius.

that, according to the natives, several birds lay their eggs in one nest — a remarkable circumstance, if true. Mr. William Jesse, who accompanied the Abyssinian expedition, and whose speci- mens have been described by Dr. Otto Finsch, notes (/. c.) that the contents of the stomach are chiefly fruit and berries, but in one specimen mimosa-seeds were found. The latter fact is at variance with Levaillant's observations.

II. Pterylosis and points of interior Organization.

Nitzsch*, above all others a most skilled observer of plumage, says that Colius "has a remarkable arrangement of the feathers, and can only be compared in this respect with Buceros."

He ranges it under his group of Amphibolse, in which Corythaix and Musophaga precede and Opisthocomus follow. From the first two of these it is distinguished by the stems of the inferior tract being dilated, and no diverging outer branch ; from the third by its dorsal tract being dilated on all sides and sparsely feathered.

The rectrices are 10, the two outermost exceedingly small ; remiges 19, ten inserted on the pinion, 5th longest, the first four graduated.

According to Johannes Miillert, Co/?v/s has a simple thick vocal muscle; Corythaix has no muscle to the inferior larynx. Owen's notes on the Purple-crested Touraco [C. porphyreolopha, Vig.)J and my own observations coincide.

The tongue is said to be flat and cartilaginous, with horny papill8e§, therefore differing alike from the Musophagidse and the Finches.

Of the stomach, Riippell says, it is of a semimuscular kind. AVhether cseca are present or absent in the intestines has not been recorded, so far as my search amongst the literature extends.

III. Description of the Skeleton or C. kucotis, Riipp. 1. Bones of the Chest. — In proportion to the size of the bird,

* Pterylograpliie, Engl. Trans. Ray Soc. 1867, p. 107.

t Bericht d. Akad. d. Wiss. zu Berlin, 1841, p. 179. Miiller's Archiv, 1842, p. 11 ; and Abliand. d. Kcinigl. Akad. Berlin, 1845-47, p. .330 &c., pi. v. figs. 9 to 12.

X P. Z. S. 1834, p. 4. § Riippell, Monog. already quoted, p. 41.

Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 267

the breast-bone or sternum is long and remarkably shallow. Indeed this want of depth is a striking feature, especially as regards the pectoral plates : these are flattish and chevron- shaped ; their united cross diameter is barely more than half their length. In one specimen (PI. X. fig. 13) I found the outer edges of the breast-plate possessed three denticulations, giving a serrate appearance to each margin ; but in another, obtained from the same locality, the borders were only slightly sinuous and free from notching.

On each side are two long delicate bony rods, the " xiphoid processes," an " external " and an " internal,'' the tip of the breast-plate being named the "middle'' one. The latter is a trifle the shortest, the former two pairs terminally pedate. The external xiphoid process runs on almost to the rib-facets ; the internal process is shorter. The keel shallows gradually back- wards with a very gentle curvature. Its anterior upright margin is larger, below moderately produced, and above running into the prominent sharp rostrum. This latter is indented, but barely cleft, at the tip, and has a small fossa internally at its base, which connects the shallow grooves lodging the coracoids. The elongate triangular costal process, partially overlapped by the coracoid, has four facets for as many ribs.

The furcula (clavicle) at the sternal end possesses an inter- mediate inflected process, the interclavicle or " hypocleidium." The lower half of each furcular limb is flattened from above downwards -, the upper half, on the contrary, is laterally com- pressed, and widens out at its scapular junction into what goes by the name of " prsecoracoid."

The bladebone (scapula) is narrow, thin, and ensiform, with a very slight terminal curvature.

The shaft of the coracoid is on the whole rounded. Its sternal end, the " epicoracoid " of writers, may be compared to the blade of an oar. Superiorly the bone is united to the sca- pula with moderate enlargement ; and there is a short depending process of bone, the " mesocoracoid " of Parker, Each coracoid is a trifle shorter than the sternal plate.

There are eight ribs on either side of the thorax. The first and second are short, and do not reach the sternum. The third

268 Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius.

to tlie sixth are sternally attached. Recurrent processes obtain from the second costa to the sixth.

2. VertebrcE and Rump-bones. — The neck-vertebrse ai*e eleven or twelve, according as we accept the last one (with a very short riblet) as belonging to this series or not. In the back or dorsal region (that is, as far as the pelvic bones) there are eight verte- brae. The spinal portion of the pelvis appears to be composed of ten or eleven closely united vertebral elements. These seg- ments are indistinct, and appreciable only by the markings of transverse processes, visible from above. Of free tail-vertebrse seven obtain. The final one of all, or, as it has been termed, " pygostyle,'' possibly consists of a couple or more pieces, but so consolidated together that they may, for all practical purposes, be recognized as but one.

Put in formula, therefore, the numbers would run : —

11 or 12 Ce; 8 D ; 10 or 11 Ls; 7 Cd =36 or 38.

The rump-bone, or pelvis*, has been taken into considera- tion but by few ornithologists; and yet it is not devoid of characters.

The iliac bones chiefly occupy the dorsal region. The rear halves of these in Colius are together wide and quadriform, with a smooth moderately convex surface. The fore halves narrow considerably, are concave, and set obliquely towards the spine. The latter is defined from the ilia quite in front ; but coalesces with them posteriorly. A line drawn through the foramina of the hip-joints (acetabula) gives an area in front, " prseacetabular,'' that behind being termed the " postacetabular.^^ In Colius, the former is narrower than it is long ; the reverse obtains in the latter. The interior, or renal surface is flat, shallow, and corre- sponds in outline to that described above.

The ischium forms a lateral flank, posterior to the acetabulum ; and, whilst long and produced into a tapering process behind the " tuberosity," is nowhere very deep. Below it is the " pubis,"

* Eyton (' Osteologia Avium ') duly notes its importance. Huxley, "On the Classification and Distribution of the AlectoromorphiB and HeteromorphfB," P. Z. S. 1868, p. 298, seizes its taxonomic points. Alph. Milne-Edwards appreciates diversity of conformation in his great work ' Oiseaiix Fossiles.'

Dr. J. Marie on the Genus Colius. 269

a delicate lengthened osseous rod. Above each acetabulum is a small eminence and facet, from which a line drawn backwards marks the junction of the ilium and ischium — this being sharp but not specially overarching. The ischial foramen beneath is of a long oval figure.

3. Wing- and Leg-pieces.— Oi the wing-bones, the humerus is short and relatively stout, both in the head, which is capacious, and in the rounded shaft. The pneumatic foramen, as usual, opens under the head. A small tubercle juts out above the outer lower condyle.

The bones of the forearm barely exceed the humerus in length. The radius, more usually slender, in this case has proportionally a stout shaft compared with the ulna. Metacarpals and pha- langes are each and all of goodly thickness ; and the first meta- carpal is broad. A delicate plate, or partial bridge of bone, passing from the first to the second metacarpal at their upper (proximal) ends is noteworthy.

The femur is by no means so powerful as the humerus, their length being almost identical. Its trochanter is rather rounded, and not prominently ridged.

The tibia, again, far exceeds the ulna in magnitude ; and the fibula is diminutive and spicular. The upper anterior tibial tube- rosity (or " cnemial " ridge) is not prominent as in some birds. Inferiorly, there is a small intercondylar bridge of bone, through which the extensor tendons pass at the joint ; but some of these are also restrained by ligamentous bands situated obliquely. A tiny tubercle of bone above the external condyle marks the outer attachment of the latter.

The tarsus, or, as more frequently named by anatomists, tarso-metatarse, is about two thirds the length of the tibia, and has a more antero-posteriorly compressed shaft. In front a longitudinal, but somewhat oblique convex ridge traverses from the upper outer margin to the lower middle and partially inner digital knuckle. Behind, the fluting of the shaft is straighter and to the inner side. The proximal or articular end of the bone, which plays against the bottom of the tibia, is concavely incised at the middle of its fore border. At its hind border is the so-called " calcaneal " eminence — in this case small, semi-

270 Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius.

lunar, and pierced towards its inner side by a foramen. The distal or inferior articular end of the tarso-metatarse is relatively wide, and provided with three grooved knuckles (condyla), of nearly equal length, for as many of the outer toes.

That which is named the metatarsus is a diminutive canary- seed-shaped ossicle, which lies a trifle behind the inner lower- most end of the shaft of the tarsus. It is so placed that the axis of the first or inner toe (hallux) is directed partially for- wards and inwards.

Although all the four toes of Colius are afiirmed to be dii'ected forwards, I find that the inner (hallux) is perfectly capable of being thrust nearly backwards. This may not be its natural condition ; the joint, however, displays ready movement in a semicircle. I think it can hardly be doubted that for those habits which the Colics possess in perfection (clambering along branches and stems, traversing sideways, and suspension) it will be admitted that a certain amount of opposition of the digits is necessary. Unlike the Perchers, which require grasping-power attained by complete reversion of the first toe, and the true Scan- sores, with the fourth toe also turned behind so as to seize the slightest inequality, the Colics have the inner toe capable of wide abduction. It may therefore be compared to a human hand strongly clawed, which, by a kind of griping or squeezing of the digits, securely fastens to the slightest inequalities of surface.

The inner toe is shortest, the third longest, and the second and fourth subequal. All are armed with strong, laterally com- pressed, curved claws, which are iuferiorly grooved. The usual avine number of the phalanges obtains, viz. 2, 3, 4, 5 respectively, in the digits, counting from within outwards.

The segments of bones comprising the wing and leg of birds bear a certain ratio of length the one to the other. When closely investigated, it appears they often tally with the avine grouping drawn from other characters. I shall, in this place, only record the absolute length, in inches and decimals, of one species of the Colics examined by me. I give elsewhere* the proportions and comparisons in full, so need not trouble the

* " Anatomy of the Alcedinidpe " (Kingfishers), now in the press.

Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 271

reader beyoud an after statement of probable alliances drawn

therefrom.

C. leucotis, Riipp.

Meta- Mid pha- Total

Humerus. Ulna. carpus. langes. length, in. in. in. in. in.

Wing 0-95 0-9 0-55 0-45 2-85

Tarso- Mid-toe Total Femur. Tibia, metatarse. phalanges, length. Leg 0-9 1-35 0-95 08 40

4. Skull and Mandible. — Both the tip of the latter and the whole of the beak are eusheathed with what, in the dried speci- men, is a very hard, terminally thick, horny case. In the beak it projects with a slight hook, less or more marked according to the species. In the lower jaw, as in Parrots, besides clothing the bony contour, it pouts at the symphysis in a deflected narrow gutter, which, however, is overlapped by the upper mandible.

The bones of the lower mandible are not very strong, being thin and laterally compressed, but of some depth. Each half or ramus has a low antero-posterior arch, the bend being most perceptible at the narrowed apex. There is an elongate fissure or imperfect ossific space about the middle of the bone, at what is termed the " dentary " division by embryologists. At the joint or articular end the bone is moderately developed. The cavity wherein fits the " quadrate " is deepish. There is a well- marked internal angular process. Postarticular process is well- nigh obsolete; but there is a pronounced angle quite at the inferior extremity of the jaw.

The skull does present certain points in common with some of the Musophagidse ; but it is also undeniable that it closely resembles some of the Finches', not alone in size but in each exterior aspect !

The hinder segment, or that containing the brain, is broad, full, and rounded, and of considerable depth. At the same time the top of the skull is not so very high, the ascent from the beak having a gradual slope.

Superiorly the frontal space between the orbits is of medium width, and rather short on account of the postfrontals coming well forwards. It is deeply hollowed. The prefrontal processes

272 Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius.

do not protrude much ; and the postfrontal processes are like- wise short, as are the zygomatic. The septum orbitale has a considerable open space below ; and each orbital plate is par- tially membranous.

As regards the bones which surround the occipital foramen, and that in front, which has been named " basitemporal " by Parker*, I need only say they are plump.

The articular or quadrate bone has a short orbital process. Its inferior or distal end is unlike the Parrots', and similar to some of the Raptores' in the internal and external knuckles being subequal in depth, the former compressed and set ob- liquely inwards, whilst the posterior knuckle is short and flat. The pterygoid bars are of medium stoutness and length, and directed well inwards. Jugal rods slender.

The most important features of the base of the skull have yet to be mentioned, namely the palatal construction. I regret to say, however, that slight injury to the parts makes me speak with a degree of caution ; but I believe, and as far as I could make out, they are as I shall describe. Quite in front the in- ferior surface of the prsemaxillse forms a short, somewhat trian- gular or arrow-headed concave area. Widely apart from this start rearwards the palate-bones. The fore half of each of these, as in the Finches and some of the Raptores, is narrow, rod-like, and convex superficially, and nearly horizontal, or with a trifling outward tilt. The hind half widens out into a great thin plate of bone, truncate posteriorly, and with a decided inward obliquity. The inner margin possesses a longitudinal o-roove, and meets its fellow of the opposite side, they together lying on the long central beam inferiorly dividing the orbital cavities and termed the " rostrum of the basisphenoid."

The maxillaries do not appear to obtrude much into the basal aspect of the beak, at best only to be detected on the outside of the prsepalatals. The inward processes from these, called " maxillo-palatines " by Huxley f (which in many birds contribute

* Fully traced in its development in many birds ; see his numerous im- portant memoirs to the Royal, the Zoological, and the Ray Societies.

t Vide P. Z. S. 1867, p. 419 (footnote). Nitzsch, fully half a century ago called attention to the Knochenkapsel or Mmchelhcin as analogous

Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 273

much to form the roof of the mouth), are in Colius relatively small. They may be spongy or slightly lamellar ; but this I can- not aver with certainty from the condition of the specimen ; at all events they intrude but a slight way beyond the palatal rods, and leave a wide middle space betwixt them. As respects the presence of a vomer, there is apparently a short one, tapering rather than abruptly truncate anteriorly, and not visibly deeply cleft behind.

Lastly, the hinged beak is perforated by large and wide nasal apertures, which extend well forwards ; the lachrymal or tear- bone is nearly perpendicular, its inferior limb spongy ; and there is no depending spicule or crotchet bone*, nor any backward upper orbital process.

IV. Structural Comparisons and Affinities.

From the great majority of the Passeres (Coracomorphie of Huxley) Colius is trenchantly separated by its possessing two pairs of notches on the sides of the sternum. Neither is its sternal manubrium deeply forked, nor do the pectoral plates correspond in figure &c. to them. Even in Scytalopus and Pteropiochus, aberrant Passerine genera, with four clefts and xiphoid processes, these and the pectoral surfaces are very different from the Coly type ; besides other details, their rostrum is deeply cleft. Phy- totoma, though classed by some among the Musophagidse, Blanchardf says has the sternum like those of the Finches.

The wing-bones of Colius are relatively shorter and stouter than those of the Finches, Larks, and Orioles it has been associated with. In these latter and the Sparrow-tribe gene- rally, six canals for the flexor tendons perforate the tarso-meta- tarse ; their first toe is strong and turns backwards. The Coly therein differs.

By the non-truncation forwards and want of cleavage behind in the vomer, by the diffei'encc in the maxillo -palatines (if I inter- to the " antrum Higmori " of the human cheek-bones (Osteographische Beitrage zur Naturgeschichte der Vogel, p. 26).

* See paper by Prof. Reinhardt "Om en hidtil ukjendt knogle i Hoved- skallen hos Turakoerne (Musophagides, Sunder. )," Copenhagen, 1871.

t L. c. p. 90. SER. III. VOL. II. X

274 Dr. J. Murie 07i the Genus Colius.

pret these correctly), by the brevity of the orbital limb of the quadrate, and relative diminution of the articular knuckles, it cannot be classed with them. If these reasons apply to one division of the Passeres, it equally holds good with Phytotoma and the Orioles.

The Passerine tongue, vocal apparatus, and feathering are sensibly modified in Colius.

From the Psittacidse our genus is as much distinguished — the Parrots having two sternal foramina instead of clefts, and cla- vicles either absent or disunited and always without hypo- cleidium. They again excel in the proportion of all the seg- ments of the bones of the wing, but possess a humerus dimin- ished in comparison with the wing's length. In contrast, the Coly far exceeds the Parrots in the proportion of each leg-bone to the femur, but shows inferiority when the entire length of the leg is the standard, save its long tarso-nietatarse. In Parrots the outer lower articulation of the latter has two facets, and the fourth toe is permanently turned backwards. The Psittacine inferior mandible differs in several respects. Their lachrymal bone has a long inferior backward limb ; they have a single laterally compressed inferior articulo-quadrate facet ; their pterygoids are more elongate, their maxillo-palatines more ex- tensive ; prsemaxillffi greatly curved over lower mandible, and other specialities (pterylosis and inferior laryngeal muscles), — all in contrast to Colius.

As to the Musophagidse (supposed allies of our form in ques- tion), their characters break down when compared with Colius in detail. Although their sterna have two pairs of notches and processes, yet each of these is relatively short, the latter thick, not pedatc, and the middle xiphoid terminally wide and abruj)tly truncate: the breast-plates are quadriform and deeper; rostrum abbreviate ; five, not four, costal facets ; furcula narrow above, and without hypocleidium ; a supracoracoid foramen, not a simple groove ; coracoids relatively shorter and stouter ; epi- coracoids unusually wide, and, in some cases, overlapping ; sca- pula nearly straight.

Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 275

One less caudal vertebrae, and the coalesced lumbo-sacrals apparently in excess of Colius. The latter has advantage in metacarpo-phalangeal length ; an external inferior condyloid tu- bercle, and an osseous bridge betwixt the metacarpals ; in other respects the wing-elements correspond. In leg-proportion of the Colyto the Touracoit resembles the Parrots (as above stated), the metatarsus being greatly in excess. Femoral trochanter and cnemial ridge of tibia large and prominent. The other grooves and articular surfaces agree ; but the set and anterior position of the toes are most unlike — the Musophagidse having fourth and first backwards; in Colius they are all forwards.

The pelvis of the Turacoes has the fronts of the ilia united into an arch, and the lumbo-dorsal muscles and tendons pass beneath ; the iliac blades expand forwards (as in the Cuckoos) ; and the proportion of the prseacetabular area is longer, the post- acetabular area is narrower in proportion to length ; the ilio- ischiac junction forms a prominent shelf; and there is great depth of the ischium itself. In all these particulars, therefore, the pelvis is dissimilar to that of the Coly.

An outward resemblance in the skull of the two groups of birds compared is not substantiated by the basal plan of the maxillo-palatal segment and other particulars. Nearly, if not all, of the Plantain-eaters have a development, and sometimes a curious one, of the crotchet bone (infralachrymal). This is absent in the Colies. The Musophagine spongy maxillo- palatines meet in the middle line ; their palatal plates are less wide apart, broader fore than aft, and throughout horizontal; cut sharper off posteriorly, and inwardly have not the charac- teristic valley of Colius. Their prsemaxillse possess a high cul- men, in some of the genera forming quite a nodosity ; nasal orifice small, round, and placed well forwards ; beak terminating in a long deflected point, that of Colius being shorter, and the nares very large.

Both the tongue and the vocal apparatus of the Touracoes disagree with those of the Coly ; and so even do the plumage and coloration to a degree.

The Rollers {Coracias), as Vieillot and Blanchard both sur-

x3

276 Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius.

mise, exhibit a relationship to our form, but, like the last- mentioned, very considerably modified. Their sterna have quadruple notching ; but the shortness and strength of the xi- phoids, depth of pectoral plates, occasional want of intercla- vicle, supracoracoid foramen, &c. define them most trenchantly from Colius. Their pelvis, however, has a form approaching nearer to the latter than that of the Musophagidse. On the other hand, a longer-beaked skull, the cranial vertex high, and praemaxillse give a totally different contour. There are rudiments of basipterygoids in Coracias* ; the zygomatic spicule reaches thejugal; praeniaxillary hinge almost deficient; interorbital sep- tum totally ossified; maxillo-palatine construction more like Turacus than Colius ; mandibular and other points are all signi- ficant of separation of cranial character.

The whole of the leg-bones of the Roller are shorter through- out, and especially that important one the tarso-metatarse. This fact even comes out stronger when the homologous pieces of the leg and wing of the genera compared are studied ; for Coracias, be it observed, has a long ulna.

There are some points in one genus of the Rollers which point to alliance, even if otherwise subdued : I allude to Colaris. In this form there is a progressive shortening of the beak, a wider separation of the maxillo-palatines and palatal plates, and, anteriorly, presence of hypocleidium and a short thickish tongue.

One short notch on each side of a massive sternum, a great prow formed from keel, bifid manubrium, absence of intercla- vicle, &c. distinguish the Bucerotidse. These have one dorsal vertebra less. Their pelvis is vastly different in shape, propor- tional length to breadth of prse- and post-acetabular areas, ischial shortening, flattening, and an additional external marginal pro- cess evince complete separation. Their skull is quite as sin- gular ; and in limb-bones more especially, the shortening of tarso- metatarsus, position of toes, and syndactylism offer the reverse of coincidence to the Coly tribe,

* Huxley states there are none, " Classification of Birds," P. Z. S. 1867, p. 448.

Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 277

The equally remarkable Opisthocomus, although placed in close apposition to Colius by Nitzsch on pterylographic grounds, presents remoteness from this form osteologically. The very numerous points of difference I need not dwell upon, but in- stead refer the reader to Huxley^s* terse and graphic descrip- tion. Even a comparison of the present plate with his woodcuts will suffice.

As regards the fictitious brothei'hood of the Colies with the Woodpeckers, possibly from their branch-creeping propensities — their organization is of a most opposite kind. Neither the shape of the skull, its constituent upbuilding, the sternal and shoulder-girdle configuration, the number of the terminal spinal vertebrae, the shape of the pelvis, disposition and length of toes, tarsal proportion, tongue and visceral structure, nor the ptery- losis displays conformation which would suggest their being ranked together.

I might extend my comparisons ; but I fear I have already drawn them out to an inordinate length. I presume, however, that my evidence will be sufficient to show that Colius con- sistently is not a true Passerine (or Coracomorph) — a verdict already arrived at by ornithologists studying external characters alone. No more do I find from my observations that it is either a true Parrot (Psittacomorph) or an aberrant one, as the shrewd reasoning of Wallace from habits &c. would imply. As little does its organization comport with the WoodpeckeiV [Celeomorphce), the Hornbills^, or that of the Hoaziu [Opisthocomus, a Hetero- morph). To the Rollers and the Touracoes (Coccygomorphs) undoubtedly there are many structural traits which suggest affinity. But so, on the other hand, might we as well assume it to be a Finch, from the remarkable simifarity of the one skull to the other.

The facts are these : if we take one set of regional characters — the feet, the head, the breast- bones, the pelvis, and so on — we can place it in as many different groups ; we can even trace Raptorial kin ; so that it is hard to say where Colius could not be

* Chapter III. " On the Affinities of Opi^sihocomus," in his paper in P. Z. S. 1868, p. .304.

278 Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius.

wedged in, and plausibly too. Not only is it entitled to be con- sidered aberrant, but to aflford the strongest proof of the inter- linking of type — not in the chain- series so often advocated, but, like- the Isle of Man tripodal coat-of-arms, kicking its legs about, and whichever alighting upon, there it stands.

But if, in the true spirit of ornithology, we take the bii-d in its completeness, it will be allowed it does not so closely re- semble any acknowledged individual group as to come under its definition.

Without advocating its proper place, I propose equally to exclude it from the old Fissirostral and Scansorial, and the Passerine groups, the recent Coccygomorphse and Coracomor- phse. It, as I conceive, is equally with tlie Woodpeckers and Goatsuckers, Celeomorphse and Cypselomorphse, annectent be- twixt the Coccygomorphse and Coracomorphse.

Professor Huxley, in his severely heterodox arrangement (Z. c), gave a brief diagnosis of his Coccygomorphre. With several of its essentials the Coly does not agree, no skeleton having pro- bably been seen by the above writer. With prescience he hints the said groups may hereafter be required to be divided ; and in this I acquiesce, the Coliidse here being the first slice I have removed, the Todiidse* partly taking its place.

Before adding characteristics of the Coliomorphse I may curtly allude to genera of the Colics. Apart from synonyms, Colius, Briss., Urocolius, Bp., Rhahdocolius, Bp., and Hypocolius, Bp., are admitted by some. Skins and stuffed specimens of the first three of these I have carefully examined. To ornithologists these genera may be good; but I think, if bird-genera are so feebly defined. Heaven help the coming generation of workers !

Characters of the ColiOxMorph^.

In these the rostrum is arched, slightly bent at the tip, and with a frontal movable hinge. Nares large ; external aperture basal, naked, linear, and oblique. Maxillo-palatines diminutive, wide apart. Palatines are narrow, rod-like in front, and posteriorly expand into large, partially horizontal, truncate plates. Only

* Paper lately read bj- mo before the Zoological Society, May 1872.

Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius. 279

slight ossification of the nasal septum, with extensive naso-pala- tine space. Vomer short, acuminate anteriorly, and without cleft posteriorly. No basipterygoid processes. Absence of crochet or infralachrymal bone. Quadrate with a short orbital process; articular knuckles subequal in depth, the inner one laterally compressed and obliquely set. Mandibular rami deli- cate, deep ; a large dentary space ; internal angular process well developed ; a pronounced postinferior angle. Sternum 4- notched; xiphoids very long and slender. Keel and pectoral plates shallow, the latter occasionally denticulate. Four rib- facets. Eostrum indented, but not deeply cleft. A large inter- clavicle present; and prsecoracoid moderately wide. Pelvic postacetabular area wide and square ; prseacetabular without special median contraction; the iliac margins do not form spinal bridges. Ilio-ischial junction without special outward shelving ; ischial tuberosity lengthened. Tarso-metatarse long, the calcaneal process pierced by one foramen. All four toes turned forwards, and furnished with acute slender claws. Tongue flat, cartilaginous, with horny papillae. A simple inferior laryn- geal muscle. Stems of the inferior feather tract sparse, dilated on all sides, and no diverging outer branch.

DESCRIPTION OF PLATE X.

The skeleton, minus the ribs and some of the vertebrae, of the Bejook Colitis (JRhabdocolius, Bp.) leiicotis, Rtipp. The bones are di-awn as nearly as possible of their natui-al dimensions, excepting figs. 7, 8, 26, and 27, which are enlai'ged to double their size.

Fig. 1. Upper cranial surface.

Fig. 2, The lower suiface of the skull.

Fig. 3. Profile of the cranium.

Fig. 4. The lower jaw or mandible in side view.

Fig. 5. Upper or oral sui'face of the same.

Fig. 6. Occipital surface of skull without the mandible.

Fig. 7. The quadrate or articular bone on its outside and anterior aspect.

Fig. 8, The same bone of the right side, from below. Each twice nat. size.

The following lettering applies throughout to the corresponding parts of the skull in the above figures : —

pynx, prsemaxilla ; n, nasal ; I, lachrymal ; p, palatine ; mxpy maxillo- palatine ; vo, vomer ? ; po, postfrontal process ; z, zj'gomatic process ; pt, pterygoid ; ju, jugal ; q, quadrate ; fm, foramen magnum ; i n, internal

280 Dr. J. Murie on the Genus Colius.

angle ; a, angle of mandible ; d s, dentary space ; o /, orbital limb ; and » k, internal knuckle of the quadrate.

Fig. 9. The runip-bouea and tail, or pelvis and caudal vertebrae, shown

laterally. Fig. 10. Interior view of the same parts. Fig. 11. Upper or dorsal surface of the same.

Points in the anatomy of the pelvis &c. are specified as subjoined : — il, il*, ilium, its anterior and posterior divisions ; is, ischium ; t, tube- rosity ; sp, spine of same ; p, os pubis ; a, acetabulum ; f, facet ; o, obtu- rator notch or foramen ; if, ischiatic or thyroid foramen ; sa, coalesced sacral vertebrae ; cd, caudal vertebras ; p)/, pygostyle ; dotted line indi- cates its natural position.

Fig. 12. A side view of the sternum and shoulder-girdle. Fig. 13. The inferior pectoral surface of the same.

The parts lettered in these two figures are : —

k, keel ; r, rostrum ; m x, middle xiphoid ; i x, internal, and e x, external xiphoid process, the spaces corresponding ; c^j, costal process ; co, cora- coid ; ep, epicoracoid ; /, furcula ; hy, hypocleidium ; sc, scapula ; g, gle- noideum or articular facet.

Fig. 14. Left upper wing-bone or humerus, seen from behind. Fig. 15. Its superior end (shoulder-joint). Fig. 16. Its lower end (elbow -joint). Fig. 17. The remainder of the wing-bones. Fig. 18. Upper radio-ulnar articulation.

Letters have the undermentioned signification : —

h, head of humerus ; pn, pneumatic foramen ; u, ulna ; r, radius ; c' and c^, first and second carpal bones ; m^ and wt^, first and second meta- carpals; d^, d^, and cP, digits, first, second, and third, respectively.

Fig. 19. Thigh-bone of the right side, front view. Fig. 20. The left tibia in profile, outside view. Fig. 21. Tibia and fibula, anterior aspect. Fig. 22, Posterior aspect of the same. Fis:. 23. Posterior surface of the left tarso-metatarse. Fig. 24. Profile of the same, seen from without. Fig. 25. The left tarsus and foot, seen from behind. Fig. 26. Upper articular surface of the tarso-metatarse. Fig. 27. Lower articular end of the same. This and preceding enlarged to about double their natural dimensions.

The lettering runs : —

t, tibia ; /, fibula ; e, bony eminence or tuberosity ; tin, tarso-meta- tarse ; m, metatarsal piece ; i, ii, iii, iv, digits ; ca, calcaneal tuberosity or " hypotarsus."

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Two Months* Bird-collecting on the Gold Coast. 281

XXXIII. — Two Months' Bird- collecting on the Gold Coast. By Captain G. E. Shelley and T. E. Buckley.

We left England on the 12th of January, 1872, to study the rich and, as yet, very imperfectly known avifauna of the Gold Coast.

After a rough passage, we anchored in the beautiful bay of Funchal, the capital of Madeira. The town itself is prettily situated at the foot of the hills (of rugged and bold outline), which are terraced with vines &c. almost to their summits. Behind the town, halfway up the mountains, stands a con- vent, one of the most conspicuous objects on entering the harbour.

As yet we had seen but few birds ; for Gulls were not veiy abundant, the two commonest species being the yellow-legged Herring-Gull and the Kittiwake. Near the Canary Islands sea-birds were more numerous ; and we saw quantities of two species of Shearwater, one of which appeared to be P. anglorum. Between TenerifFe and Sierra Leone we frequently met with Petrels, probably the two species P. pelagica and P. oceanica, both of which appear to be equally abundant on the west coast of Africa.

While within fifty miles of TenerifFe a Hoopoe came on board, and some hundred and fifty miles further south we shot a spe- cimen of Lanius algeriensis which had alighted on the rigging. As the weather was fine and the sea calm after passing the Canaries, we were often on the look-out ; and though we saw but little of interest ornithologically, yet whales, porpoises, and innumerable nautili relieved somewhat the monotony of our sea voyage.

On approaching the pretty harbour of Sierra Leone we first sight Africa. Freetown, its capital, is situated at the mouth of a broad river, and is a thriving place ; in the background the hills rise abruptly over the town, and are densely wooded; while the low ground and the opposite side of the river, which is likewise flat, are covered with thick bush, with here and there occasional large trees.

In the harbour we saw many Gulls and some Terns ; among

282 Messrs. Shelley and Buckley on a

the latter we recognized S. bergii, S. cantiaca, and S. leuco- pareia-, these we met with abundantly throughout our tour when near any lagoons. Of land birds we saw but two species, Budytes flava and Passer simplex, both very common throughout the Gold Coast.

After leaving Sierra Leone we kept the land in sight nearly the whole way ; but the scenery was most uninteresting ; it con- sisted of one continuous flat densely wooded country, the out- line scarcely broken except by the rocky promontary of Cape Palmas, a pretty little spot belonging to the Americans. Here we waited for an hour to land the mails, and took the oppor- tunity of visiting the missionary station, which is very creditably conducted, though the lighthouse attached to the establishment is lamentably deficient in light.

At length, on the 29th of January, we landed at Cape-Coast Castle. The most prominent object is the castle itself; a large white building, washed on one side by the sea ; it was built for holding slaves in former days, but is now used as barracks. Behind the castle, and near the centre of the town, stands Government House, and most of the larger buildings, all white- washed; the native dwellings are square mud huts, with flat roofs, but much more comfortable and better built than we ex- pected to find them. Altogether the town has a picturesque appearance ; the palm trees here and there break the outline of the square-built houses ; while the immediate neighbourhood of the town, unlike the general coast-line, is surrounded by small hills, on which are situated a lighthouse, powder-magazine, and a look-out.

The country is covered with low, dense bush, interlaced with creepers, which form an impenetrable network, so that we were almost entirely confined to the narrow paths, two of which aspire to the name of roads — one the Ashantee road, running inland to the north-east, by the foot of Connor's Hill; the other, leaving the town westward, leads to Denkera, by way of Abro- bonko and Bula.

The climate is too well known and justly abused to require any comments from us, though we were neither of us laid up with fever during our short stay in the country, which was pro-

Two Months' Bird-collecting on the Gold Coast. 283

bably owing to the precautions we took and the hospitality shown us by the many friends we found out there, which ob- viated the necessity of our having to " rough it." We cannot pass over the kindnesses we received while on our travels, and the assistance which was always so heartily given us, without offering our warmest thanks to the friends we met with at Cape- Coast Castle and Accra.

The year out here may be divided into two seasons — the summer or wet season, and the winter or dry season : the first is the most dangerous, on account of fevers, though the best time for collecting; while the latter, at which period we were out, is, towards its close, the worst for dysentery ; and on long excursions the want of good water is a serious drawback. The wet season is ushered in by tornadoes; and, owing to their being rather earlier than usual, we had several during our stay at Cape Coast. These storms, though of short duration, are very heavy, and are accompanied by a downpour of rain such as is rarely seen in more northern climes, while the lightning is in- cessant. At other times the nights are damp, and the days close and muggy, which causes the least exertion to be felt. The sun's rays are very powerful ; and the risks of over-fatigue or taking a chill were so frequently brought before our notice, that we were rarely out of doors after ten in the morning or before three in the afternoon.

No assistance can be obtained from beasts of burden; for they cannot live in these bushy parts of the west coast, owing to the " Tsetzi Fly," while at Accra, seventy miles to the east, where the country is more open, there are a few horses — though they cannot be taken far inland even here, on account of this pest. At Cape Coast there are a few light carriages, drawn by natives ; but the usual mode of progression is in a hammock.

On the 30th of January we started at 5 a.m. in a carriage drawn by six men, for Abrobonko. The road leads out of the town by an avenue of cocoa-nut palms, then turns off by the side of the Salt Pond, and is soon enclosed on each side by dense bush. On reaching Abrobonko (a small village of square mud huts thickly thatched with grass) we met with the first large trees we had seen in Fantee ; some of these are at least

284 Messrs. Shelley and Buckley on a

150 feet high, and are generally without a bough to within some 50 feet of the top. These large trees are the resort of a few birds of prey, chiefly Buteo desertorum, Milvus eegyptius, and Neophron pileatus. This latter species, though extremely abun- dant at Cape Coast, is never met with at Accra ; and where it breeds is not yet known, although it is numerous all the year round at Cape-Coast Castle.

Small birds are plentiful at Abrobonko, and wonderfully varied ; but on this occasion our special object was to collect the Sunbirds, which were abundant round the tulip-trees, at- tracted thither by their large red flowers. These trees, however, were not particularly picturesque; for though covered with flowers, they were entirely devoid of leaves. In half an hour we had collected some twenty specimens of Nectariniidse belonging to seven species. The habits of all the Nectariniidse are very similar: they seek their food (which consists of small insects) among the flowering trees and shrubs, and are lively and active in their pursuit, and appear to glory in the sunshine ; for they rarely hide themselves in the shady bushes.

At Cape-Coast Castle, Connor^s Hill, within ten minutes' walk of Government House, we found a very good spot for col- lecting, especially in the morning, after rain ; and here we ob- tained most of the European forms, as Phyllopneuste trocliilus, P. sibilatrix, &c. Fort William, on the opposite side of the town, was particularly good for collecting Swifts and Swallows, while the Lighthouse Hill is the only spot where Chaetura ussheri has yet been obtained. The avenue of cocoa-nut palms along the road to the Salt Pond was, in the morning, a great attraction for the Nectariniidse, while the Salt Pond itself abounds with Waders and Terns. The Abrobonko road beyond this was, perhaps, one of the best grounds for general collecting, as here and there spaces had been cleared in the bush.

On February the 5th we left Cape-Coast Castle, on board the Government steam-yacht, for Accra, intending to ascend the Volta in her ; but our plans were frustrated by her boilers getting out of order.

The country round Accra is much more open than at Cape Coast, the plain being covered with high grass and scattered

Two Months' Bird-collecting on the Gold Coast. 285

bushes, together with innumerable red-clay hills of the white ants.

On the 11th we made up a party to go to Quamin-fio, some ten miles inland, where we remained two days ; here we col- lected several good birds, among others Caprimulgus longipennis, Hirundo senegalensis, Nilaus hrubru, and CEdicnemus senegalensis. Had we devoted our time entirely to sport, we might here have made a very fair bag of antelopes and Francolins.

To the west of Accra, beyond the Salt Pond, the country is also good for antelopes, especially the harness-back ; and here we also found three species of Francolins plentiful.

On the 18th we started for Abouri, in the Agua-pim district. After travelling about eight miles, the country became densely bushed, so that we had to keep entirely to the path. Towards the outskirts of the plain of Accra we passed a small spring ; and here birds were extremely numerous and varied. We put up for the night at Abokobi, with the German missionaries ; and as it was late when we arrived, the glow of innumerable fire-flies lighted up the ground. We remained here the follow- ing day ; but the bush was so dense that we could obtain but few birds ; so we devoted some of our attention fo the butter- flies, which were so abundant that we collected nearly fifty species in one morning.

On the morning of the 20th we left Abokobi ; and after two hours' tedious journey along a level, narrow path, we came into much finer scenery as we ascended the hills of the Agua-pim range, and finally arrived at Abouri about mid-day, where we again put up with the German missionaries, who were most hospitable, and rendered us every assistance they could in col- lecting.

Having now concluded our journal, it may be thought not out of place for us here to make a few remarks from our per- sonal notes upon the distribution and habits of some of the birds which have already been recorded from the Gold Coast, while we shall keep in a separate list, at the end, all the species we obtained which have not hitherto been mentioned by Mr. Sharpe in his numerous papers in this Journal on the birds of Fantee. Scotornis climacurus is very abundant throughout the district ;

286 Messrs. Shelley and Buckley on a

during the day they crouch close to the stems of the bushes, and are very hard to detect or disturb, while towards dusk they frequent the paths, rising close before one from the bare ground, and alighting again a few paces distant.

Cypselus apus, C. affinis, and C. parvus are very abundant, the latter species frequenting the palm trees, in the folded-up leaves of which it was breeding in February, always in colonies.

We obtained three species of Merops. Merojjs albicollis is extremely abundant and evenly distributed throughout the country, while M. pusillus is confined to the more open districts, where it frequents the low bushes; it was always in pairs in February.

Eurystomus afer is plentiful at a short distance inland from Accra, but has not been met with, to my knowledge, near Cape- Coast Castle, where its place appears to be taken up by the nearly allied species E. gularis.

Ceryle rudis we observed hovering over the Salt Pond at Cape Coast. Ispidina picta we obtained at Abrobonko and at the foot of Connor's Hill. Halcyon malimbica and H. cyanoleuca we met with at Abrobonko.

Buceros albocristatus we found very abundant about Abouri, where it frequents the highest trees, and on the wing looks very graceful as it floats easily through the air. At Quamin-fio we obtained a pair of Toccus nasutus, which were feeding in the cassava-fields when we saw them : their irides are red, while those of the former species are dark brown.

Corythaix macrorhyncha frequents the thick bush ; it has a peculiar loud jarring song. Schizorhis africana is plentiful near Accra, where it may generally be seen perched upon the very topmost bough of some large tree in the more open country, and is very difficult to approach. The irides are dark brown.

Coccystes glandarius we killed near Accra. C. caffer is not uncommon throughout the district. The beautiful Golden Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus, we shot on Connor's Hill. Ce7i- tropus senegalensis is extremely abundant throughout the west coast. Its song is rather pleasing, consisting of a regular scale of notes, commencing with the highest one. The irides are red.

We only met with Barbets in the dense forests of the Agua-

Two Months^ Bii^d- collecting on the Gold Coast. 287

pirn district, where we killed Iricholama hirsuta, Xylobucco du- chaillui, X. scolopacea, X. subsulphurea, and Gymnobucco calvus.

Of the Picidse we obtained three species, mostly near Abouri, where Campethera gabonensis is not uncommon.

We shot several examples of the genus Criniger, one new to the Gold Coast. In habits they rather closely resemble Campe- phaga, and frequent the dense forest, where their dull colours render them very hard to observe.

We never passed a day without seeing Pycnonoius barbatus, which we met with breeding at Abouri in February. Craterojms reinwardti was not uncommon near Accra, where we found it singly or in pairs. The irides are white.

Cossypha verticalis is tolerably abundant throughout the dis- trict ; it usually frequents the thick detached bushes, rarely showing itself in the open. When driven out of one bush it flies close along the ground to the nearest covert. The irides are brown, C. cyanocampta, a much rarer species, we obtained both at Abouri and Cape Coast.

Pratincola rubetrais extremelycommon throughout the district.

Of Drymoecce, the following are very evenly distributed throughout the more open country — D. navia, D. fortirostris, D. brachyptera, D. melanorkyncha, D. schwarzi, D. erythro- ptera, and Cisticola schcenicola ; while such Warblers as Sii- phrornis badiceps, S.prasina, S. erythrothorax, Eremomela pusilla, Camaroptera concolor, and C. brevicaudata we only met with in the more densely wooded districts of Abrobonko and Agua-pim.

Of the Nectariniidse, so well represented in these parts, we obtained the following, N. verticalis, N. cyanocephala, N. adel- berti, N. chloropygia, and N. obscura, plentiful in the wooded districts — N. superba and N. Johanna only at Abouri. N.cuprea, a very abundant species, frequents the more open country, while N. splendida was equally abundant everywhere.

Butalis grisola, B. epulata, and B. comitata are not uncommon ; the latter two, however, are more confined to the wooded parts. Elminia longicauda we met with on Connor^s Hill, where we saw a pair. Bias musicus we shot at Abouri. Platystira melano- ptera is plentiful at Cape Coast : on the approach of danger it hops leisurely into the denser part of the bush.

288 Messrs. Shelley and Buckley un a

Psalidopi'ocne holomelcena is very plentiful throughout the country, especially in the more wooded districts, where during the heat of the day flocks may be seen sitting together on the more shaded dead boughs of the large trees, and may frequently be met with after the sun has set, still in pursuit of insects. Hirundu rustica is very abundant in February. We only occa- sionally met with H. leucosoma. H. senegalensis we found near Accra, especially at Quamin-fio ; they were paired in February, and probably breeding in the large hollow trees, the topmost boughs of which they usually frequented. H. gordoni is plen- tiful throughout the district, and generally met with in pairs perched on the top of some low bush or on the coarse grass of the plains. H. puella is also abundant everywhere.

Dryoscopus major frequents the dense bush, which resounds with its soft silvery notes, as pairs keep answering each other at short intervals. Laniarius barbarus, alike conspicuous for its pleasing notes and bright-red breast, is extremely abundant throughout the district. L. sulphureipectus is more sparingly distributed, and is difficult to drive out of the bush ; its notes are rough and not musical. Nicator chloris frequents the more densely wooded districts ; and we only met with a few specimens at Abouri and Abrobonko. Sigmodus caniceps we obtained on Connor's Hill. Lanius smithi is constantly to be seen on the topmost bough of some bush or on a mound of the white ants. Corvinella corvina is not uncommon : in habits it closelv re- sembles true Lanius, from which it appears rather improperly separated. Telephonus erythropterus is very abundant, especi- ally amongst the more detached bushes : they have a peculiar way of rising in the air, like our Sky-Lark, when the flapping of their wings may be very audibly heard. T. ininutus is apparently rather rare ; for we only once met with it at Cape-Coast Castle.

At Abouri we obtained one specimen of Campephaga quisca- lina. C. phceuicea is also met with at Abouri : they are both forest-birds.

In the same locality we found Oriolus brachyrhjnchus and 0. nigripennis plentiful, and occasionally shot them both out of the same tree.

Pholidauges leucogaster we saw near Accra, where they were in.

Two Months' Bird- collecting on the Gold Coast. 289

flocks; and in similar localities found Lamprocolius auratus. These handsome birds are strong on the wing and generally to be met with in flocks in the open country. Their irides are yellow.

Corvus scapulaius closely resembles the Hooded Crow in its habits, and is plentifully distributed throughout the country.

Hyphantorms castnneofuscus generally frequents the more wooded districts, where it is very common : the irides are yellow in the males and brown in the females and young. H. textor is even more common : it selects some tree of moderate height close to a village for breeding, which it literally covers with pendent nests. H. vitellina, a nearly allied species, is far less abundant, though rather evenly distributed. H. brachjpterus we met with usually in pairs. H. pcrsonatus, known as the Palm-bird, suspends its nest from beneath the leaves of the cocoa-nut trees, as many as four or five sometimes hanging from one frond. All these species of Hyphantornithes differ in the plumage of the sexes. Malimbus cristatus and M. nitens we ob- tained at Abouri, where they were plentiful, frequenting the large trees. Nigrita emilice and N. bicolor also inhabit the more wooded districts, where they are not uncommon. The irides of both species are red. Foudia enjthrops,Euplectes fran- ciscana, and E. flammiceps are common, usually in flocks, in the more open districts. The red plumage of the two latter species is assumed about April. Vidua principalis we found plentiful on the road to Abrobonko. In the dry season the long tail- feathers, so characteristic of this species, are absent, and the ge- neral plumage is mottled brown and black. Coliostruthus ma- crurus frequents the more open country about Accra. The winter plumage is mottled brown and black ; and in some of the specimens we shot the yellow patch on the carpal joint is absent, the birds being probably immature.

Spermestes bicolor we only met rather sparingly at Abouri, while S. cucullata was very common at Cape Coast. Lagono- sticta rufo-picta, is extremely abundant about Cape Coast, where they are generally met with in small flocks, frequenting the paths and adjacent bushes.

Pytelia hypogrammica. We shot a specimen of this rare bird at Abokobi, in the dense bush.

SER. III. VOL. II. Y

290 Messrs. Shelley and Buckley on a

Estrelda melpoda is abundant, usually met with in small flocks on the roads about Cape Coast.

Crithagra chrysopyga is a very common species and usually in large flocks. Spermospiza hcematina is not very abundant, and, as it keeps very much to the thick bush, is difficult to pro- cure. Passer simplex resembles our House-Sparrow in all its habits, and is extremely common.

Anthus gouldi and Macronyx closeiis are abundant on the plains of Accra, while Budytes flava is common everywhere.

Milvus (Egyptius is common throughout the country, and often met with at sea, preying probably upon dead fish, which we ob- served them devour while on the wing, like a Gull.

Elanus melanopterus we once observed at Accra, and at the same locality killed Scops senegalensis on the 28th of February, when we found its nest containing three eggs.

Treron calva, Turtur senegalensis, T. semitorquatus, T. ery- ihrophrys, and Peristera afra we met with plentifully throughout the country.

Francolinus bicalcaratus is sufficiently common about Accra to afford fair sport. Turnix lepurana is also very abundant on the plains.

Eupodotis melanogastra we often saw near Accra, where they are not shy.

^gialitis intermedia and ^. marginata are common at the Salt Ponds both of Accra and Cape Coast.

Ardea schistacea is plentiful at Accra.

Numenius arcuatus, N.pJmopus, and Tetanus calidris we saw on several occasions.

The following list is intended to form a suite to Mr. R. B. Sharpe's papers in *' The Ibis ' "On the Birds of Fantee," and are numbered accordingly. A dagger (f) is appended to the names of such species as we believe to be hitherto unrecorded from Fantee.

t272. Caprimulgus fulviventris, Hartl. We shot two specimens of this rare Goatsucker at Quamin-fio, near Accra, on the 11th of February.

t273. Cypselus apus (L.). Abundant throughout the country.

Two Months' Bhd-colleding on t/te Gold Coast. 291

t274. Merops malimbicus, Shaw.

Met with in considerable numbers at Abouri about the middle of February.

t275. ToCKUS NASUTUS (L.).

t276. Criniger serinus, Verr.

We shot a specimen of this bird at Abouri on the 19th of February.

t277. Crateropus platycercus, Sw.

Frequently met with near Accra, and always in parties of ten or twelve. They keep up an incessant chatter, their notes some- what resembling that of the common Fieldfare.

t278. ])rym(eca fortirostris, Jard.

Very abundant and evenly distributed throughout the country.

t279. Camaroptera coxcolor, Hartl. We shot a specimen at Abouri in February.

t280. Hypolais salicarius, Retz.

We obtained a specimen of this Warbler at Abouri in February.

t281. Phyllopneuste sibilatrix (Bechst.). Plentiful throughout the country in February ; shot on Con- nor's Hill and at Abouri.

t282. Phyllopneuste trochilus (L.)..

Plentiful, and met with in similar localities as the last species.

t283. Daulias luscinia (L.).

The Nightingale is plentiful throughout the country in Feb- ruary. We collected specimens from Cape-Coast Castle and Abokobi.

t284. Sylvia hortensis, Gm.

We shot one specimen at Abouri on the 22nd of February.

t285. Sylvia cinerea, Bp.

We shot one specimen at Accra on the 8th of February. Neither this, nor the Nightingale, nor the last species has ever, I believe, been hitherto recorded from any part of West Africa.

y2

292 Two Months' Bird-collecting on the Gold Coast.

t286. Megabias flammulatus, Verr.

We shot three specimens of this rare Flycatcher at Abouri in the middle of February. Irides red, tarsi and feet pink.

t287. Nilaus brubru (Lath.).

We shot one specimen at Quamin-fio from the top of a high tree in the more open country. Irides brown, legs and base of the lower mandible pale slate-grey.

288. Lanius auriculatus, Miill.

Not uncommon throughout the country. We obtained three specimens.

t289. IIyphantornis tricolor, Hartl.

We killed three specimens at Abouri in the middle of Feb- ruary. This is a very rare species in collections, but appears not to be uncommon in the Agua-pim district.

t290. BUDYTES flava (L.).

This is an extremely abundant species throughout West Africa.

291. Neophron pileatus, Burch.

Abundant at Cape Coast, where they are never molested, but not met with at Accra.

t292. BuTEG desertorum, Daud.

Plentiful in the more wooded districts, where they frequent the high trees.

293. Circus pallidus, Sykes.

Common at Accra, and also met with at Cape-Coast Castle.

t294. Ptilopachus VENTRALis (Valcnc).

Very plentiful near Accra, where we met with it always in pairs in February. Naked patch round the eyes, legs, and basal half of the beak vermilion; end of the beak bluish pink ; irides hazel.

t295. CoTURNix COMMUNIS, Bonu.

We shot one specimen near Accra, but did not preserve the skin.

t296. CEdicnemus senegalensis, Sw. We shot a specimen of this Thick-knee on our way from Quamin-fio to Accra on the 13th of February.

Mr. D. G. Elliot on a new Humming Bird, 293

t297. jEgialitis minor, Mey.

298. ^GIALITTS PECUARIA, Kittl.

These two species are abundant near Accra and Cape-Coast Castle.

t299. ^GiALiTis TRicoLLARis, Vieill.

We shot one specimen near the Salt Pond at Cape Coast on the 8th of February. The legs and eyelids are pink.

300. TOTANUS STAGNATILIS, Bcchst. t301. ToTANUS OCHROPUS (L.) . t302. ToTANUS GLAREOLA (L.).

303. ToTANUS CANESCENS (Goi.).

All these four species of Sandpipers are plentiful on the Salt Ponds of Accra and Cape Coast.

304. HiMANTOPus CANDiDUS, Bonn.

We saw a pair on the Salt Pond at Accra. It has since been sent home by Mr. J. Smith, of Accra.

305. Tringa minuta, Leisl.

Plentiful on the Salt Pond at Cape Coast.

t306. PODTCEPS MINOR, L.

Very abundant on the Salt Pond at Accra.

t307. Sterna cantiaca, Gm.

We collected several specimens of this Tern both at Accra and Cape-Coast Castle.

t308. Sterna bergi, Licht.

This is the commonest Tern at Accra and Cape-Coast Castle.

XXXIV. — Description of a supposed new Species of Humming Bird of the Genus Eriocuemis. By D. G. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.S,, &c.

There has lately come into my possession a Humming Bird, from an unknown locality, belonging to the genus Eriocncmis, which, in the peculiar coloration of its plumage, differs remark-

294 Mr. D. G. Elliot on a new Humming Bird.

ably from any of the known species composing this well-marked group of the Trochilidse.

Four specimens, precisely alike, were, as I was informed, con- tained in the small collection of birds from which my example was taken ; and, although no locality was given, it is supposed that Ecuador is the habitat of the species. I propose to call it, from its sombre plumage,

Eriocnemis dyselius.

Head, and entire upper parts, black, with a purplish gloss ; upper tail-coverts having a very dark greenish gloss ; throat and underparts black, but not of so deep a shade as the upper parts, purplish on the abdomen ; wings purplish black ; tarsi thickly covered with pure white downy feathers ; under tail-coverts pur- plish black ; tail rather deeply forked, steel-blue, with purple reflections ; the bill is perfectly straight and rather slender.

Total length 4 inches, wings 2^, tail 1|, bill f .

Among the many groups that comprise the great family of the Trochilidse, there are few more strongly characterized than that of Eriocnemis, from the fact that all its members are possessed of very conspicuous tufts of various colours, viz. white, black, brown, or brown and white, which cover the tarsi, and from which the species have obtained the trivial name of Puff-leg.

Thirteen species have been described ; and Mr, Gould, in his beautiful monograph of this family, has divided them into six sections according to their plumage. In this arrangement the present species would take its place among the sombre members of the genus, and would be found with E. Ivgens, E. squamata, and E. aurelia.

The species known as E.isaacsoni has usually been considered a member of this genus, and has been placed, by Mr. Gould and others, close to E. luciani and E. mosquera. The great rarity of this bird has prevented ornithologists from becoming- well acquainted with it. I only know of two examples — one in the Derby Museum at Liverpool, and the other in my own collection. After a very careful examination of the bird, and comparison with those heretofore considered its allies, I have come to the conclusion that it is much nearer the members of the genus Helianthea than it is to those of Eriocnemis. In the

Mr. D. G. Elliot on a new Humming Bird. 295

first place, it does not possess the puffs upon the legs, which all the species of Eriocnemis have to an eminent degree ; and this of itself is sufficient to remove it from the genus ; and, again, it differs in exhibiting a certain amount of brilliancy upon the forehead, as is customary with the species of Helianthea.

Omitting E. isaacsoni therefore from the list, the genus Ei'io- cnemis, including the species here described, contains fourteen members, which may be enumerated as follows : —

1. Eriocnemis cupreiventris. Hob. New Granada.

2. Eriocnemis luciani. Hah. Ecuador.

3. Eriocnemis mosquera. Hab. New Granada.

4. Eriocnemis vestita. Hah. New Granada.

5. Eriocnemis nigrivestis. Hah. Ecuador.

6. Eriocnemis smaragdinijiectus. Hah. Ecuador.

7. Eriocnemis godini. Hab. Ecuador.

8. Eriocnemis d'orbignyi. Hab.' Peru ; perhaps Bolivia.

9. Eriocnemis derbiana.

Hab. Volcano of Puraci, New Granada.

10. Eriocnemis alina. Hab. New Granada.

11. Eriocnemis lugens.

Hab. West side of Pichincha, Ecuador.

12. Eriocnemis squamata. Hab. Ecuador.

13. Eriocnemis aurelice.

Hab. New Granada; Ecuador.

14. Eriocnemis dijselius. Hab. Ecuador ?

296 The Rev. Canon Tristram on a new Sijlviad.

XXXV. — On a new Sylviad from Palestine. By H. B. Tristram, LL.D., F.R.S., &c.

The recent expedition for the exploration of Moab was too limited in time to afford much opportunity for ornithological investigation ; nor could it be expected that any novelties would occur on a highland plateau only separated by a fissure of 20 or 30 miles from the hill-country of Judsea,

A few birds not noticed in previous expeditions were obtained, as Budytes flavus (L,), Querquedula circia (L.), and a hybrid between Anas boschas and Dafila acuta.

All the new or peculiar species obtained in the Dead-Sea basin during my last expedition were obtained or noted again, with the exception of Caprmiulgus tamar^icis, mihi.

When searching among the trees and shrubs at Engedi, where birds are generally plentiful, I noticed consorting with the Black- headed Warbler {Sylvia melanocephala) a pair of another species; and after a long pursuit I succeeded in obtaining both male and female. My attention was at first directed to them by the note, which differs most markedly from that of S. melanocephala.

The bird, in the hand, may at once be distinguished by the irides, which are bright yellow instead of red, the throat and breast, which are black instead of white, and the abdomen, which is cinereous, as dark as the back, without any white. The primaries are deep black instead of rusty brown; and the secondary wing-coverts are black, with a narrow white margin on the outer webs.

The female has the throat black, mottled with white, and the irides yellow as in the male. In the rest of its coloration it resembles the female of S. melanocephala.

I propose for this well-marked species the name

Sylvia melanothorax, n. sp.

S. melanocephala partibus superioribus simillima, at paullo in- ferior statura. Supra cinerea, pileo nigerrimo : subtus thorace et pectore nigris : abdomine cinereo : remigibus nigris, secundariis in parte externa albo limbatis, iridibus laetissime fiavis : long. tot. 4-8, alar. 2-4, caud. 2*3, tarsi •57, rostr. a rictu '55 poll.

Supplementary Notes to ' The Birds of India.' 297

Fern, mari pectore et gutture similis, aliter $ S. melanocephalce similis est iridibus flavissimis.

Hab. in valle Jordan! in hyeme.

XXXVI. — Supplementary Notes to ' The Birds of India.' By T. C. Jerdon, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals, Madras*.

[Continued from p. 139.]

373. Paradoxornis flavirostris.

I have recently found this curious bird rather common in Assam and Sylhet, frequenting reeds and long grass in pre- ference to tree-jungle. It is generally in pairs, and has a very pleasing whistling call. It feeds chiefly on insects ; and I have had it alive, caught by a very ingenious snare baited with a winged white ant, which the goldsmiths of Assam use to catch birds for their own food. One measured in the flesh 8| inches long, extent 10, wing 34, tail 4, tarsus \\, foot nearly 1|. Bill gamboge-yellow ; feet plumbeous green.

374. Paradoxornis gularis.

This species was obtained by Major Godwin-Austen in North Cachar. Legs slaty green.

376. Heteromorpha unicolor.

Beavan states that he saw a small party of this bird hopping about low shrubs and dwarf bamboos near the ground on Mount Tongloo. I recently observed it myself in the same locality, whence, indeed, I formerly had it through shikarees.

377. Chleuasicus ruficeps.

This is Paradoxornis sphenura of Hodgson, MS.

378. SuTHORA NiPALENSis, Gould, B. Asia, pt. iv. pi. 9 (the upper figure) .

The flanks are bright rusty, and the thigh-coverts fulvous ; bill dusky livid, pale at the base of the lower mandible. Extent of wing 6 inches, wing 2.

* [Dr. Jerdon gave us the MS. of this portion of his notes when pros- trated with the attack of illness which ultimately proved fatal. In some respects it was incomplete ; but the omissions have been supplied by Lord Walden, to whom we submitted the MS. and the proof. — Ed.]

298 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

379. SUTHORA POLIOTIS.

The reference to Gould should be pt. iv. pi. 9, lower figure.

380. SUTHORA FULVIFRONS.

Gould, B. Asia, pt. iv. pi. 10.

382. Grammatoptila striata.

This species extends westward as far as Kumaon, Mussoorie, and the Sutlej valley. I saw it up to 10,000 feet in Kumaon ; and Stoliczka states that near Simla he only got it in the winter. Extent of wing of one 17 \, wing 5|, tarsus If, foot 2\. Ac- cording to Hodgson's drawings it builds a compact Jay-like nest, and the eggs are spotless blue.

385. Pyctorhis sinensis.

Layard wrote to Blyth informing him that he bad a second species allied to this, but much larger.

386. Pyctorhis longirostris.

Blyth states of this bird : — " An interesting species, allied to Acanthoptila, but the feathers not spiny, and with a tendency to Chatarrhoea." He suggests that it is the Megalurus verreauxi, Tytler (not described) ; but that is my Graminicola bengalensis, q. V.

387. Trichostoma abbotti.

Blyth states that this species differs but little from HorsfiekPs Brachypteryx sepiaria, and that Trichostoma umbratile (Miiller) also approaches it very closely. These two species, with T. rostratum, form one group, whilst T. magnirostris, T. bicolor, and T. cantori form another.

388. Alcippe nipalensis.

I omitted to notice a white ring round the eye in this bird. One measured in the flesh was 5| inches in length, extent 7\, wing 2|, tail 2\, tarsus |-, foot 1|. The nest is figured by Hodgson deeply formed, the eggs reddish white spotted with deep ferruginous.

389. Alcippe poiocephala.

A supposed new species {Alcippe hrucei) from the Mahablesh- war hills, has been separated from this bird by Fairbank ; but

to ' The Birds of India.' 299

Hume (Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1870, p. 122) refuses to allow its distinctness.

392. Stachyris pyrrhops, Gould, B. Asia, pt. xv. pi. 9.

I give a more correct description than I was enabled to do in

* The Birds of India.^ Colour greenish olive, somewhat brighter on the head and occasionally with a pale rufous tinge ; below light cinnamon or rufescent, paler on the ear-coverts, lower abdomen, and vent ; lores black, as also a small patch on the chin ; wings and tail olive-bi'own, the central feathers of the latter faintly barred ; bill bluish horny, with a tinge of pink ; legs fleshy yellow; irides light red. Length A^ inches, extent 65, wing 2, tail 2, tarsus |.

This species is by no means rare at Mussoorie and in other parts of the N. W. Himalayas as far as Kashmir. Blyth, through some mistaken impression (I imagine) as to what I had written, says : — " This, and not Stachjris chryscea, is the bird obtained by Adams in Kashmir ; '' for it will be seen, on refe- rence to the text, that I distinctly state this.

Stoliczka says that it chiefly frequents the zone from 4000 to 7000 feet, and frequents brushwood and low jungle, with the habits of a Tit. I have heard it occasionally utter a clear, musical, bell-like note.

393. Stachyris ruficeps.

This, it appears, is the Timalia pileata of M'Clelland's list of Assam birds (P. Z. S. 1839, p. 161) — though, as a matter of fact, that species is in reality more abundant in Assam.

394. Stachyris chrys^a.

The colours of this bird fade much and quickly. I give a description of one obtained recentl5Mn freshly moulted plumage. Above bright olivaceous yellow ; forehead and crown deep rich yellow, with black streaks ; ear-coverts greenish ; wings and tail margined with greenish yellow ; legs greenish ochrey. Length 4|- inches, extent 6^, wing 2g, tail 2, tarsus |, foot 1. Hodg- son figures the nest as domed and placed on the summit of a sedge ; the eggs pinkish white.

39d. MiXORNIS RUBRICAPILLA.

• Length of a fresh specimen 5 inches, extent 6|, wing 2 j, tail 2,

300 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

bill from front i, tarsus |, foot 1^^. Irides dull yellow } legs dingy oil-yellow. It is not rare in long grass and brushwood in Assam, in tlocks of eight to ten and more ; and Major Godwin- Austen found it apparently still more common, in flocks from twelve to fifteen, in thick bamboo-jungle in Cachar.

396. TiMALIA PILEATA.

Our bird is distinct from the Javan species, and must stand as Timaliajerdoni, Walden, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, vol. x. p. 61 (1872).

397 & 398. DuMETiA albogularis and D. hyperythra have been figured by Gould, B. Asia, pt. xii. pis. 15, 16. The latter was previously badly figured in Guerin's Mag. de Zoologie, p. 1835, pi. 40.

399. Pellorneum ruficeps.

I found this bird very common in Assam. One measured in the flesh was 7 inches in length, extent 9^, wing 3^, tail 3, tar- sus \-^, foot 1|.

Mr. Beavan says it is called Bulhul postha in Maubhoom. Now Bulbul bostha is the name given by all bird-fanciers to the true Nightingale ; and it was probably wrongly applied to this bird.

399 his. Pellorneum palustre, Jerdon, antea, p. 188.

Upper surface uniform olive-brown ; forehead and upper tail- coverts with indications of ferruginous ; lores, chin, throat, and some of the abdominal feathers pure white ; breast-feathers pure white, with broad olive-brown central streaks, in many the white changing into cream-colour, mixed with pale rusty ; flanks and thigh-coverts olive-brown, tinged with ferruginous ; under tail- coverts and shoulder-coverts bright ferruginous ; cheeks and ear-coverts pale rusty ; wings and tail ferruginous brown, tinged with olive. Wing 2f, tail 2-1, tarsus 1.

I found this new species many years ago near Cherapoonjee. I recently found it not rare in Assam in long grass, and also in bush and low tree-jungle ; and Major Godwin- Austen also got it at the base of the Khasia hills, near Chatak, in grass and reeds by the margin of rivers and swamps.

Pellorneum subochraceum, Swinhoe, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.

to * The Birds of India: 301

vol. vH. p. 257 (1871), from Tenasserim, is pronounced by Mr. Blanford to be Pellorneum tickelli, Blyth.

401. POMATORHINUS FERRUGINOSUS.

The black of the lores and ears is narrowly edged below with white. One measured in the flesh 9 inches, extent 10^, wing 3|, tail 4|, foot l^^.

401 bis. PoMATORHiNUS PHAYRii, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1847, xvi. p. 452.

This very closely allied species (which chiefly differs from the last in the crown of the head being of the same colour as the back, and in the ferruginous tint being less deep) must be added to the Indian fauna, specimens from Nepal, or more probably from Sikkim, being in Hodgson's collections. The irides were pale yellow in one procured by Major Godwin-Austen. Length 9 inches, extent 10|, wing 3|, tail 4, tarsus If, bill from front 1^.

403. POMATORHINUS LEUCOGASTER.

One killed lately in Assam measured in the flesh 9 inches, extent 10|, wing 3|, tail 4, bill from front 1 j^, foot 2^.

405. POMATORHINUS ERYTHROGENYS.

The wings are olivaceous on the outer web, ashy brown on the inner web ; tail olivaceous, obsoletely barred. In winter this bird associates in flocks.

405 bis. POMATORHINUS HYPOLEUCUs (Blyth), Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1844, p. 371.

Pomatorhinus alhicollis, Horsf. MS.; Gray, Gen. of Birds, pi. 57.

The White-bellied Scimitar Babbler.

Entire upper surface, wings, and tail ferruginous brown ; chin, throat, middle of the breast, and belly creamy white; feathers on the sides of the breast creamy white, with ashy edgings ; flanks and under wing-coverts ashy, tinged with the hue of the upper plumage ; thigh-coverts white, mixed with ashy; under tail-coverts bright ferruginous. Wing 4f, bill from nostril If, tarsus 6|-, tail 4f .

This species must be added to the Indian fauna, having been sent by Hodgson (?) probably from Sikkim. It occurs also in

303 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

Assam. Tickell (Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1855, p. 273) notes that the bill in this species is softer than in typical Poma- torhinus, and is subcylindrical ; the sinciput is fiat, the tail broad and fan-like ; and it might, perhaps, with P. erythrogenys, form a peculiar group. It is the type of Orthorhinus, Blyth, /. c.

405 ter. Pomatorhinus m'clellandi, nobis, B. of India, vol. ii. p. 32.

This bird was noted by me [1. c.) from specimens procured on the Khasia hills. I have since found it by no means rare in Assam, down to the level of the river Burrampootra; and Godwin-Austen got it in Sylhet. I add a brief description.

Above ashy olive, appearing faintly tinged with ferruginous in some lights ; forehead distinctly ferruginous ; lores, a large spot at the gape, chin, throat, breast, and abdomen white ; some of the pectoral feathers tipped with pale spots, coloured like the upper plumage ; flanks and some of the abdominal plumes dingy ferruginous ash ; nareal plumes and ear-coverts ferrugi- nous ; thigh-coverts and under tail-coverts bright ferruginous ; a broad stripe following the rami of the mandible. Wing 3|, tail 3^, tarsus -f|-, bill from gape -f.

406. XiPHORHAMPHUS SUPERCILIARIS.

Gould, B. Asia, pt. ix. pi. 9.

A female taken on her nest measured 8i inches, extent 9|, wing 3, tail 3|, bill 2. Irides reddish white, with an outer circle of dull red. The nest was loosely made of grass and bamboo-leaves, lined with fine grass, and contained two fleshy- white effffs.

■'oo"-

407. Garrulax leucolophus.

The tail is very faintly but distinctly barred.

408. Garrulax c^rulatus.

By an error of the pen or press the wings, instead of the flanks, are said to be ashy blue. The eggs are figured by Hodgson as bright blue.

409. Garrulax delesserti. Gould, B. ^sia, pt. xix. pi. 14.

to ' The Birds of India: 303

409 bis. Garrulax gularis (M'Clelland), P. Z. S. 1839, p. 159.

Gould, B, Asia, pt. xix. pi. 15.

Description. — Head and nape dark fuliginous ashy ; throat, cheeks, and upper breast lemon-colour ; chin, lores, streak below the eyes, including the ear-coverts, and a small tuft of feathers on the sides of the mandible near the gape black ; upper plumage cinnamon-brown, brightest on the upper tail-coverts ; lower breast pale lemon-colour, clouded with ashy ; sides of the breast fuliginous ashy, not so dark as the head; abdominal region, under tail-coverts, and under wing-coverts bright ferruginous, deepening into mahogany on the flanks ; the two middle pairs of rectrices rich brown, with a broad terminal band of dark brown ; remaining pairs uniform bright ferruginous ; legs and nares in dried specimens yellow ; bill horn-colour. Wing 4, tail 4, tarsus 1-|, bill from nostril -|-

Gould's figure is taken from a specimen I procured on the Khasia hills in 1862. Godwin-Austen obtained one in the Cachar hills.

410. Garrulax ruficollts.

The eggs are figured by Hodgson of a fine green colour.

411. Garrulax albogularis.

The lateral tail-feathers are barred with dusky, and the tips white.

412 bis. Garrulax merulinus, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1851, p. 521.

Description. — "General colour deep olive-brown; the median part of the underparts pale rufescent whitish brown, and spotted with black on the throat and upper part of the breast much as in Turdus musicus ; a narrow white streak behind the eye ; irides whitish brown ; bill dusky plumbeous ; legs brown, with albescent toes. Length 9^ inches, expanse of wings 12, closed wing 31, tail 3|, bill to gape Ij, tarsi If. Common in Chera Punji.^' (Blyth, /. c.) .

I procured this rare species on the Khasias in 1862, and have not since had an opportunity of observing it.

304 Dr. T. C. Jerdou's Supplementary Notes

414. Garrulax ocellatus.

Captain Bulger mentions the fine, clear, and mellow notes of this bird, which I had previously recorded, and says they sounded to him like "away, away, aivee," whistled in rapid succession. The birds not only (he says) answered one an- other, but they replied readily to the imitation of this call.

415. Trochalopteron erythrocephalum.

The outer wehs of all the wing-feathers are bright greenish yellow, with a rusty tinge, the inner webs being blackish ; the tertiaries are broadly tipped with ashy -, all the tail-feathers have a yellowish green tinge. These remarks by Stoliczka supply a deficiency in my description. Beavan gives the dimensions of one :— Length 10-625, wing 3-75, tail 4-375, extent 10-25, foot 1-875. The irides are greyish brown ; the legs fleshy pink; the bill horny brown.

Hodgson figures the egg as green spotted like that of Turdus musicus. All the other species of this group from the Himalayas have the egg unspotted, except (if my information was correct) T, phceniceum, which was blue, with a few dusky wavy streaks. The Neilgherry species, however {T. cackinnans) , has the egg well spotted.

416. Trochalopteron chrysopterum.

The greater coverts of the secondaries are also chestnut; and the rufous of the breast gradually changes to olivaceous on the belly. One measured in the flesh 10^ inches in length, wing 3^, tail 4|-, extent llf, tarsus If, foot 2fV'

417. Trochalopteron subunicolor. Hodgson figures the eggs as green.

417 bis. Trochalopteron austeni, Jerdon, apud Godwin- Austen, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1870, p. 105.

Description. — Head, nape, and sides of the neck rich rusty brown, each feather with a paler shaft ; back and uropygium olive-brown, tinged with the colouring of the head, but devoid of pale shafts ; middle pair of rectrices and outer edges of quills above deep rich ferruginous; remaining rectrices dark brown, tipped with pure white, the central pairs more or less edged with

to ' The Birds of India.' 305

the colour of the middle pair. General colour of the under sur- face of the body similar to that of the head, but each feather terminated by an albescent border and a penultimate brown band, most prominent on the breast ; ventral feathers almost entirely albescent, with narrow brown terminal edgings ; under tail- and wing-coverts tawny ferruginous, the former faintly tipped with albescent ; major wing-coverts and some of the tertiaries with terminal albescent drops ; bill black ; legs brown. Wing 3i, tail 4-|-, tarsus 1-pV, bill from gape -jL. The pale central streaking of the head- and neck-plumage varies in degree in each individual.

This species was detected by Major Godwin -Austen on Heng- dan peak, in the North Cachar hills, at about 7000 feet of ele- vation.

418. Trochalopteron variegatum.

I first obtained this species in the valley of the Sutlej, and subsequently in various other parts of the N.W. Himalayas up to Kashmir, where it is common in summer in forests at from 8000 to 10000 feet of elevation. My description being taken from a faded specimen, is rather imperfect ; and I add a few particulars and corrections. The white line behind the eye is very minute ; the winglet is black ; the bar on the middle of the wing is situated on the middle of the secondaries ; the edge of the shoulder is pure white ; the lower tail-coverts are rufous ; the middle only of the chin is black ; the outer web of the pri- maries is pearl-grey, sometimes pure, at other times tinged more or less by yellow or greenish yellow or orange; the central tail- feathers are ashy grey, tipped vvith white, and black at their base; and the outer tail-feathers are in some externally pure grey, in others golden yellow, the inner web being dusky or dingy green. Captain Cock has named those with the wings and tail orange or reddish externally Trochalopteron humii ; and Mr. Hume has named those with the primaries and tail-feathers pure grey externally T. simile (Ibis, 1871, p. 408). As these colours are liable to change and fade in this and other species, I consider them to be all of one species, though, perhaps, varying somewhat according to locality as well as to age of

SER. III. — VOL. II. X

306 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

sex*. Stoliczka remarked some females from Lalioul that had the outer webs of the quills only ashy grey tinged with yellow ; whilst some males have the outer edges of the wings and tail-feathers bright rufous ; moreover, some are more olivaceous on the back, others more ashy. Those I got at Gulmerg, in Kashmir, have the wings and tail pure grey, without any orange. Dimensions of one measured in the flesh were: — length 11 inches, extent 13, wing 4g, tail 5|, tarsus li, bill from front |. Irides yellow green ; legs dark yellow ; bill black.

419. Trochalopteron affine.

One measured in the flesh was 10| inches long, extent \2\, wing 4, tail 4|, foot 2^.

420. Trochalopteron squamatum.

The reference to Blyth^s ' Catalogue ' should be 490.

421. Trochalopteron rufogulare.

The reference to Blyth^s ' Catalogue ' here is erroneous ; it should be 489. The quills have the outer webs greyish olive at their base, then black (from the third primary) in an oblique line increasing in width towards the tip ; the secondaries are black- tipped ; and the last two or three primaries have a faint white edging on their outer webs, as have the secondaries also. Length of one in the flesh 9f inches, extent 11, wing 3|, tail 4, tarsus 1|, foot 2^.

423. Trochalopteron cachinnans.

The chin is black, not white (as is, by some mistake, stated in the text).

424. Trochalopteron jerdoni.

In this species also, the chin is black.

424 bis. Trochalopteron fairbanki, Blanford, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xxxviii. pp. 175, 177, pi. 17 a (1869). The Pulney Laughing-Thrush. Description. — Head above dark brown, the margin of the

* These remarks appear to be well founded ; but if there are grounds for establishing two species, there are none for making three. Cinchsoma variegatum, Vigors, was described fi-om an example with gi-ey wings ; therefore the title T. simile, Hume, must be suppressed. — W,

to ' The Birds of India.' 307

colour distinct and not passing into any thing else on the nape, but distinctly contrasting with the olive colouring of the back ; lores, which are small, and a narrow streak running back from the eye dusky ; supercilia and orbital feathers white ; back olive, rather brighter towards the rump ; wings and tail rather darker ; beneath the chin and throat, with the sides of the head below the eyes, rather pale grey, the feathers of the middle of the breast the same, but with dark stripes in the centre ; sides of the neck ashy, this colour passing far back close to the dark brown of the head ; whole of abdomen and lower tail-coverts ferruginous ; flanks and thigh-coverts olivaceous ; beak dusky ; legs dark plumbeous. Dimensions as in T. jerdoni; wing 3-4, tail 3-7, bill at front 0-7.

This species is very close to T. jerdoni, but diff"ers apparently in the want of the black chin, in the head being darker; the rufous colour of the abdomen is paler j and this colour extends to the under tail-coverts, which are olivaceous in T. jerdoni. It abounds in the Pulney range of hills, in Southern India.

7\ jerdoni has hitherto only been found by myself on the peak of Banasore, a hill on the south-western edge of the Tognaad, at a height of between 5000 and 6000 feet ; but it will probably occur in other equally elevated ridges in that mountainous dis- trict or in the conterminous region of Coorg, from which it is not separated by any depression. Banasore is at no very great dis- tance (say 50 or 60 miles) from the western slopes of the Neil- gherriesj and it would not have been at all remarkable had the Neilgherry species extended all along the crest of the Tognaad to Banasore ; but the mass of the heights intervening are mostly at a lower level than this species loves. South of the Neilgher- ries and the Tognaad occurs a great gap in the hill- region, narrow towards the west, but opening out into the plains of the Carnatic eastward. The Pulney hills rise out of this plain ; and they are continued, though at unequal elevation, westward to the Annamally range, which is believed to be still higher, at all events to include certain much more elevated points than.the Pulneys. It will be interesting to find what species of Trochalopteron in- habits this range, whether T. fairhanki, which is perhaps most probable, T. jerdoni, or a distinct race. I trust that some of the

z2

308 Dr. T. C. Jerdon's Supplementary Notes

rising race of ornithologists in the south of India will ere long determine this point, as well as the extension of T. jerdoni to Coorg.

425. Trochalopteuon lineatum.

This is the most common and familiar bird of the group in all the stations of the N.W. Himalayas, from Nynee Tal to Murree and Kashmir. It may be very generally seen feeding on the roads, and allowing a very close approach before it bounds off like a rat down the hill-side. The eggs are pale greenish blue, usually three in number.

4.27. ACTINODURA EGERTONI.

The egg is figured by Hodgson as pinkish white, whilst that of A. nipalensis has been stated to be white, with ferruginous spots. It is not likely that this difference occurs between two such nearly allied species ; and one of the statements is therefore probably based upon erroneous information.

429. SiBIA CAPISTRATA.

The reference to Blyth's ' Catalogue ' should be 504. Mr. Gray, in his ' Hand-list,' p. 273, separates from this species Sibia nigriceps, Hodgson, but, I think, on insufficient grounds.

I accidentally omitted to give the coloration of the wing in this bird. The lesser wing-coverts are black, as are the median coverts ; the greater coverts are white for the basal half, the rest grey on the outer web, black on the inner web, some of the last being white with ashy and rufous tips ; primaries black- grey at the tips and on the first four outer webs ; secondaries dull black, some ashy on the outer webs towards the tips ; ter- tiaries rufous, with pale shafts, ashy on the outer and blackish on the inner margins ; the legs are pale livid brown.

Captain Bulger endeavours to syllabize the call of this bird (Ibis, 1869, p. 164).

429 bis. SiBiA GRACILIS (McClelland), P. Z. S. 1839, p. 159.

The Graceful Sibia.

Description. — Entire under surface white; under tail-coverts pale rusty ; head dark smoke-brown ; back ashy pale smoke- brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts more ashy than brown;

to ' The Birds of India.' 309

tail deep brown or black, broadly tipped with pale grey ; quills brown, the primaries being edged with glossy greenish black for about half their length, the remainder with a narrow border of pale yellowish white ; long tertiary nearest the body pale ashy brown. Wing 3-|, tail 3-i, tarsus 1.

This species replaced T. capistrata on the Khasias and other ranges to the eastward, Godwin-Austen having found it tolerably abundant in North Cachar. He observed it hunting for insects in the flowers of the silk-cotton-tree [Bombax) .

Another species {Sibia auricularis, Swinhoe), from Formosa, has been figured (Ibis, 1866, pi. 4).

431. ACANTHOPTILA NIPALENSIS.

The chin and throat are white; the neck and breast rufesceut brown, with dark stripes ; bill dusky ; legs horny brown.

This interesting species was found by Captain Pinwill in Eastern Kumaon, near Lohoo Ghat. He informed me that it sings well.

432. Malacocercus terricolor.

I have observed, since the publication of the ' Birds of India/ that this species extends over the whole of the N.W. Provinces to the Punjab, and eastwards to Sylhet, w^hich is, I think, its eastern limit. It is therefore the M. somervillii of Boyle^s list of birds.

433. Malacocercus griseus.

Swinhoe gives this as found in Bombay, which is certainly an error, M. somervillii being the only species, I believe, occurring there.

434. Malacocercus malabaricus.

Some of Sykes's specimens of M. somervillii appear un- doubtedly to belong to this species, which Blanford found to re- place the former bird {M. somervillii) a little inland from the edge of the Ghats.

435. Malacocercus somervillii.

Mr. Blanford found this well-marked race to be abundant at Khandalla, on the top of the Bhore Ghat, — I having obtained it in Bombay. This naturalist is the only one who has noticed this species, besides myself, since Sykes's time ; and I think it clear.

310 Dr. T. C. Jerdoa^s Supplementary Notes.

fi'om the description of the latter gentleman, that he had this species before him, though it appears probable that he has con- founded it with the race named M. malaharicus by myself. Mr. Blanford has had the opportunity of observing and procuring specimens of all five species in the space of one year (1867).

436. Malacocercus malcolmi.

This bird is very abundant in the N.W. Provinces from Alla- habad upwards, and is far more familiar in its habits than in the south of India, freely entering gardens and compounds.

438. Chatarrh(ea caudata.

Blyth notices a race from Candahar. doubtfully distinct from the present bird, as C. huttoni, Blyth (Journ. As. Soc. Beug. 1847, p. 476) , whence it was brought by Hutton : wing 3^ inches, tail 5. The same naturalist also remarks that Crateropus ful- vus, Desh., C. chahjheus, Bonap., and C ruhiginosus, Riippell, from Africa, appear to be true species of Chatarrhoea.

439. Chatarrhcea earlii.

This is the Malacocercus geochrous, Hodgson, MS. Extent of foot H inch.

o

440. Megalurus palustris.

Extent of foot 2xV inch. This species is said to extend to the Philippines. Another fine species was obtained by Wallace in Timor, M. timoriensis.

442. Schcenicola platyura.

This rare bird, which has not to my knowledge been procured again since my unique example sent to Blyth (but now lost, I fear), has a considerable general resemblance to Sylvia cettii. The generic name Schcenicola given by Blyth to my bird, has been since applied by Bonaparte to a group of Buntings.

443. EURYCERCUS burnesi.

This generic title must stand Laticilla, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 1845, p. 596, that of Eurycercus having been previously employed by Dr. W. Baird, Ann. Nat. Hist. vol. xi. p. 88 (1843).

Since I procured this bird at Monghyr, I have only seen it again at Kaparthalla, in long grass, whilst out shooting with the late excellent Rajah.

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Birds of Nicaragua. 311

XXXVII. — Notes on the Birds of Nicaragua, based upon a Collection made at Chontales by Mr. Thomas Belt. By Osbert Salvin, M.A. &c.

Though the Coleoptera and Diurnal Lepidoptera of Nicaragua have received considerable attention at the hands of the English residents in the mining-districts of Chontales, birds have as yet been comparatively overlooked, and until now the only bird-skins I have had the opportunity of seeing were sent from there by Mr. E. M. Janson. It was therefore with considerable interest that I examined a collection, comprising 130 skins of 73 species, quite recently made by Mr. Belt, and brought to this country by his wife.

Our knowledge of the birds of this district is extremely limited, and is contained partly in the scattered notes on De Lattre's collections published by Prince Bonaparte in his " Notes Ornithologiques" and in the * Comptes Rendus' for 1853 (vol. xxxvii. pp. 806-810), partly from M. Sailers exploration, who also visited Nicaragua, but of whose collections I am not aware that any account was ever published. The ' Annals of the Lyceum of New York,' vol. viii. pp. 179-185, also contains a paper by Mr. Lawrence on a collection formed at Greytown, Nicaragua, by Mr. H. E. Holland. In this list 61 species are enumerated. In the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' for 1867, pp. 178- 180, a list of Birds collected on the Blewfields River by Mr. H. Wickham is given, drawn up by Mr. Sclater and myself, in which mention is made of 39 species. We have also in our cabinet a few skins from a collection made on the shores of the Lake of Nicaragua by the late Mr. Bridges, better known for his explorations in Bolivia and California, who died in the country. A very few additional species were collected by the officers of the 'Sulphur ' during Captain Kellett's voyage. These are recorded as having been obtained at the port of Realejo, on the Pacific coast, where I also secured a few skins in company with Captain Dow during my passage down the coast of Central America in 1863.

The number of species mentioned in these various papers only amounts to about 150, including the ])rcscnt list compiled from

312 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Birds of Nicaragua.

Mr. Bellas collection. A glance at the riches of the surrounding countries, Guatemala with its 600 species and upwards, and Costa Rica with considerably over 500, shows that we cannot con- sider our knowledge of the bird-fauna of Nicaragua at present anything more than fragmentary ; for, Nicaragua being clothed with rich tropical vegetation, interspersed with open plains, and also possessing a volcanic chain of mountains of no in- considerable altitude, we cannot but anticipate that future ex- plorations will reveal a bird-fauna as rich in specific forms as that we know to exist in the surrounding regions.

Though our knowledge can only be considered imperfect, enough is before us to enable us to form a tolerably accurate opinion as to which of the two subprovinces of the Central- American fauna the eastern or Chontales side of Nicaragua be- longs. These subprovinces are indicated in my two papers on Veraguan Birds, published in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society' for 1867 and 1870. I there endeavoured to show that the district lying on the South-American side of the lake of Ni- caragua, and that included in Southern Mexico and Guatemala^ formed two great faunistic divisions of Central America. The birds noticed in the present paper are from no great distance from the boundary between the two ; but they show pretty con- clusively that the depression of the Isthmus, represented by the great Nicaraguan lakes and their outfall, the Rio San Juan, does not form the actual bo undary between them, but that thisboundary must be sought further north-westwards, towards Honduras. What I suspect to be the case, though I cannot as yet bring evidence to prove it, is that the forests of Chontales spread un- interruptedly into Costa Rica, but that towards the north and north-west a decided break occurs and that this break determines the range of the prevalent Costa-Rican and Guatemalan forest- forms.

There are difficulties connected with the supposition that the Lake of Nicaragua once formed the bed of an interoceanic chan- nel, when viewed with reference to the very peculiar aspect of the freshwater fish of the lake ; but this extension of the southern bird-fauna is by no means incompatible with the theory of the former existence of such a channel, if then (as would appear

Mr. 0. Salvia un the Bi/ds of Nicaragua.

313

to be the case now) the northern forests of Guatemala did not extend continuously to its margin. On the land commencing to assume its present contour the southern forest might have spread with the gradual upheaval of the earth, and can'ied its forest- forms with it.

It is only a small portion of a fauna that gives us a clue to form such hj^otheses as the present ; and the more limited the area investigated the fewer such test-species become. Species of wide range do not help us ; and we are left to form conclusions from the range of such species as stand quite distinct in one district only, and also from such as are represented in both by allied races. The following summary will show how Chontales is connected as regards its bird-fauup,.

Of southern species which here find the northern limit of their range, we have 32 species, which are : —

Basileuterus lU'opygialis. Dacnis cayana. Calliste laviniae. Phoenicothraupis fiiscicauda. Lanio leucothorax. Tachvphonus luctuosus. Pitylus grossus. Embernagra striaticeps. Cacicus microrliynclius. SjTiallaxis pudica. Dendrornis lacrymosa. Phlogopsis macleaunaui. Grallaria dives. Copui'us leuconotu*. Myiozetetes granadensi.'?. Myiarchus nigricapillus.

Pipra leucon-hoa. Cai-podectes nitidus. Chalybura melanorrhoa. Thalurania venusta. Microchera parvirostris. Clais meritti. Momotiis martii. Prionirhynclius platyrhynchus. Trogon atricollis. Monasa grandior. Neomorphus salvini. Ramphastus tocard. Selenidera spectabilis. Odontophorus melanotis. Botaurus pinnatus. Porzana albigularis.

Of northern species ranging no further southwards only seven can be enumerated, viz. : —

Prionirb-sTichus carinatus.

Tyrannuliis semiflavus. Camptostoma imberbe. Heliomaster pallidiceps. Thaiimantias candidus.

Trogon elegans. Conurus astec.

Thus we see that the connexion with Costa Rica and the south is much closer than that with Guatemala and the north. The following: Tabic shows that a similar state of things exists

314 Mr. 0. Salviu on the Birds of Nicaragua.

as regards the species represented by allied forms in the two districts.

Costa Kica. Chontales. Guatemala.

P. fuscicauda. Phoenicothraupis fuscicauda. P. rubicoides.

L. leucothorax. Lanio leucotliorax. L. aurantius.

E. striaticeps. Embernagra striaticeps. E. chloronota.

S. pudica. Synallaxis pudica. E. erytlirotborax.

P. albigiilaris. Porzana albigularis. P. rubra.

T. brunneicapillus, Tyrannuliis semiflavus. T. semiflavus.

H. longirostris. Heliomaster pallidiceps. H. pallidiceps.

One more circumstance remains to be noted. If at present we except Tknjothorus brunneus, which I do not know, and which was described by Mr. Lawrence from an imperfect skin, no species appears to be peculiar to Chontales and Nicaragua. Does not this fact prompt the supposition that the fauna is a derivative one, and that its presence dates from no distant period ?

TURDUS GRAYI, Bp.

Chontales (Janson).

TuRDUS TRISTIS, Sw.

T. leucauchen, Salv. P. Z. S. 1867, p. 133.

Chontales {Belt).

A single specimen of this Thrush has its plumage variegated with white feathers. The normal plumage is very dark, perhaps in consequence, and in this respect is even more deeply coloured than in any of the Vera-Paz specimens we possess, and to which I have already alluded {I. c.) .

Dendrceca blackburni^ (Gm.). Chontales [Belt).

Hylophilus decurtatus (Bp.). Chontales {Belt).

ViREOLANIUS PULCHELLUS, Scl. & Salv.

Chontales {Belt).

A single specimen of this species, which has already been traced southwards through Costa Rica and Vcragua to Panama.

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Birds of Nicaragua. 315

Dacnis cayana (Linn.).

Choutales {Belt, Janson).

Mr. Belt sends one specimen of this species ; and I possess another from the same locality, which was collected by Mr. Jan- son. These approach to a trifling extent rather nearer to Z). ultramarina, Lawr., than the Veraguan specimens already re- ferred by me to D. cayana (P. Z. S. 1870, p. 185). This is the first recorded instance of any member of this genus being found northwards of the Costa-Rica fauna,

Chlorophanes guatemalensis, Scl. Chontales [Belt). Two male examples.

CCEREBA CYANEA (Linn.).

C. carneipes, Salv. P.Z.S. 1867, p. 137, 1870, p. 185.

Chontales [Belt).

I doubt if the differences stated to exist between the Central and South American races can be maintained.

EUPHONIA GOULDI, Scl.

Chontales [Belt).

A single male specimen is in the collection.

Calliste lavini^.

Cassin, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1858, p. 178, 1860, p. 142, t. 1. fig. 1.

Chontales [Belt, Janson).

This species of Calliste was first obtained on the river Truando by Mr. Wood during Lt. Michler's Darien Expedition. Until quite recently it was only known to us from Cassin's description and plate as quoted above. Within the last few weeks, however, two specimens have come into our possession. The first was collected with a few other bird-skins by Mr. E. M. Janson at Chontales ; and the other I picked out of a large series of birds recently brought to this country from Costa Rica by Dr. Van Patten. In addition to these, Mr. Belt's collection contains several examples; so that it would appear that the species is by no means rare at Chontales. The species clearly belongs to the gyrola group of the genus, and is perhaps more nearly allied to C. gyrola of Cayenne itself than (o cither C. f/f/roloides, which

316 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Birds of Nicaragua.

abounds in the country where C. lavinice is found, or C desmaresti of Venezuela. It has, like C. gyi-ola, the under surface green, with the centre of the abdomen blue. Unlike C. gyrola, how- ever, the lesser wing-coverts and the edges of the inner primaries are rufous; and this character forms a distinctive feature in this species. It is also marked by the green colour of the throat reaching up to the mandible, the raentum in the other species being rich rufous, like the head.

Calliste larvata, Du Bus.

Chontales {Belt).

The differences stated to exist between this species and the more southern C. francisccB become almost evanescent when an extensive series of the two are brought together. The Chontales specimens, if any thing, incline to the Guatemalan race.

Tanagra diaconus. Less.

Chontales [Belt).

RaMPHOC(ELUS PASSERINII, Bp.

Chontales {Belt).

RaMPHOC(EI,US SANGUINOLENTUS (LcSS.).

Chontales {Belt).

Pyranga RUBRA (Linn.). Chontales {Belt).

Pyranga ^estiva (Gm.). Chontales {Belt).

Phcenicothraupis fusciuauda. Cab.

Chontales {Belt).

A single male specimen in Mr. Belt's collection and another from Mr. Janson agree accurately with one from Costa Rica, whence Cabanis's type was derived. The species has not hitherto been noticed north of Costa Rica, its place being taken in Guatemala and Mexico by P. rubicoides (Lafr.).

EuCOMETIS SPODOCEPHALA, Bp.

N icaragua ( Bridges) .

Mr. O. Salviu on the Birds of Nicaragua. 317

Tachyphonus luctuosus.

D'Orb. & Lafr. Mag. Zool. 1837, p. 29; D'Orb. Voy. Ois. t. 20.

Chontales {Belt).

This species, already well known in Costa Rica, I now trace to Chontales, whence Mr. Janson has sent a single specimen.

Lanio leucothorax, Salv.

Scl. & Salv. Ex. Orn. p. 63, t. xxxii.

Chontales {Belt).

The range of this species also is now shown to extend north- wards of Costa Rica, three male examples being in Mr. Belt's collection. In Guatemala its place is taken by L. auraatius, Lafr.

Arremon aurantiirostris, Lafr.

Chontales {Belt).

PlTYLUS POLIOGASTER, Du BuS.

Chontales {Belt).

PiTYLUs GROSsus (Linn).

Chontales {Janson).

Mr. Janson's Chontales collection contained an example of this species. It is well known to the Costa-Rica collectors, but has not hitherto been noticed so far north,

GuiRACA CONCRETA (Du Bus) .

Chontales {Janson).

Spermophila corvina, Scl. Chontales {Belt).

Cyanospiza cyanea (Linn.). Chontales {Belt).

Ocyalus wagleri, G. R. Gray.

Chontales {Belt) .

Cacicus microrhynchus, Scl. & Salv. Chontales {Belt).

Icterus baltimorensis (Linn.). Chontales {Belt).

Dendrornis lacrymosa, Lawr. Chontales {Belt).

^18 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Birds of Nicnrayua.

FORMICIVORA BOUCARDI, Scl.

Chontales [Belt).

Phlogopsis macleannani, Lawr.

Chontales [Belt).

Mr. Belt notes that the bare part of the head of this bird is blue. The species has not before been noticed north of Costa Rica.

CopuRUs LEUCONOTus, Lafr.

Chontales {Belt).

Myiozetetes granadensis, Lawr. Scl. & Salv., P. Z. S. 1867, p. .279. Chontales {Belt) .

Megarhynchus mexicanus (Lafr.). Chontales {Belt).

Myiodynastes luteiventris, Scl. Chontales {Janson).

Milvulus tyrannus (Linn.). Chontales {Belt).

Milvulus forficatus (Gm.). Chontales {Belt).

Costa Rica seems to be the southern limit of the range of this northern species.

Tityra personata, Jard. & Selb. Chontales {Belt).

LiPAUGUS UNIRUFUS, Scl.

Chontales {Belt).

PiPRA MENTALIS, Scl.

Chontales (Belt).

PiPRA LEUCORRHOA, Scl.

Chontales {Belt).

This is the first time this species has been met with north of Costa Rica. Mr. Belt sends two specimens.

ChIROXIPHIA LINEARIS, Bp.

Chontales {Belt).

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Birds of Nicaragua. 319

This Isthmean species extends its range southwards into Costa Rica ; but at Chiriqui the continental C. lanceolata supplants it.

Phaethornis longirostris (De Latt.). Chontales {Belt).

Phaethornis adolphi, Bourc.

Chontales {Belt).

Chalybura melanorrhoa, Salv.

Chontales {Belt).

This species has hitherto only been sent from Costa Rica, Two pairs are in Mr. Belt's collection. The female, of which we have had a Costa-Rica skin for some time, does not appear to have been as yet described. It much resembles the same sex of C. isaurce, of which I have given a short description (P. Z. S, 1867, p. 152). It differs, so far as I can see, only in having the tail deeper purplish bronze, and in the crissum being dingy instead of pure white.

Thalurania venusta, Gould. Chontales {Belt).

Mr. Belt's specimens show a further northward extension of the range of this species.

Florisuga mellivora (Linn.). Chontales {Belt).

Microchera parvirostris (Lawr.).

Salv. P.Z. S. 1867, p. 154; Lawr. Ann. Lye. N. Y. ix, p. 122.

Chontales {Belt).

Several males and one female of this beautiful species are in Mr. Belt's collection. The former agree accurately with Costa- Rican examples, and differ from the true M. albocoronata in the manner pointed out by Mr. Lawrence and myself (//. cc). This, again, is an instance of a northward extension of the range of a hitherto purely Costa- Rican species.

Clais meritti (Lawr.). Chontales {Belt).

The difference between this and the southern race C. guimeti is so very slight that I doubt if it will prove to be ultimately

3-0 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Birds of Nicarayua.

separable. The species is known from Costa Rica, but not so far north as the present specimens indicate.

Heliothrix barroti (Bourc). Chontales [Belt) .

Petasophora. delphin^ (Less.). Chontales {Belt) .

Heliomaster pallidiceps, Gould.

Salv. P.Z.S. 1867, p. 155.

Chontales {Belt).

Though I have hitherto hesitated to unite the Mexican and Guatemalan H. pallidiceps with the southern H. longirostris, the differences between them are so extremely slight that I doubt if the two races can be ultimately maintained as distinct. The paler colouring of the head of the more northern bird probably indicates a tendency towards differentiation rathei' than an es- tablished specific difference. However, the Chontales bird agrees with my Guatemalan examples rather than with others from more southern localities, the colouring of the crown being of precisely the same tint.

Thaumantias candidus (Bourc. et Muls.).

Chontales {Belt).

This species, so common in Guatemala, has not yet been no- ticed in Costa Rica; and this is the most southern locality whence I have seen it. Mr. Belt's collection contains a single example-

Amazilia RiEPFERi (Bourc). Chontales {Belt).

Chrysukonia ELICIT (Bouvc. et Muls.). Chontales {Belt).

Centurus pucherani (Malh.). Chontales {Belt).

Celeus castaneus (Wagl.). Chontales {Belt).

MoMOTUs martii, Spix.

Chontales {Belt).

Not before noticed north of Costa Rira.

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Birds of Nicaragua. 321

MOMOTUS LESSONI, LeS3.

Chontales {Belt).

Prionirhynchus platyrhynchus, Leadb. Chontales {Belt).

This species was also procured on the Blewfields River by Mr. Wickham.

Prionyrhynchus carinatus, Du Bus.

Scl. Cat. Am. B. p. 263.

Chontales (Belt).

Quite recently two Guatemalan skins of this rare species have come into our possession, though it entirely escaped my obser- vation during my stay in that country. Mr. Belt's collection contains a single example, so that in Chontales we find both species occurring together. P. carinatus was obtained near Lake Yojoa by Mr. G. C. Taylor, and is evidently a species of much wider northern range than its congener, which, common in Costa Rica and southwards to Panama, has not been known to pass the present district. The two, though strictly congeneric, are easily recognizable as species, P. platyrhynchus having the whole head and neck rufous, these parts being green like the back in P. carinatus.

Ceryle alcyon (Linn.). Chontales (Janson).

Ceryle cabanisi, Tsch. Chontales {Belt).

Galbula melanogenia, Scl. Chontales {Belt).

Trogon massena, Gould. Chontales {Belt).

Trogon atricollis, Vieill.

Chontales {Belt).

I am at a loss to discover any really tangible characters whereby to distinguish the Central-American bird called T. te- nellus by Cabanis (described from an immature male !) from

SER. III. VOL. II. 2 A

322 Mr. 0. Salviu on the Birds of Nicaragua.

the true T. atricoUis of Vieillot, which name must be applied without doubt to the Guiana and Trinidad bird. The mottling of the wing-coverts, the number of bars on the tail, and the precise shade of the colouring of the central tail-feathers, as well as the breadth and squareness of the rectrices themselves, are all somewhat variable characters in this group, upon which it is not safe to place too much reliance in seeking for specific differences. So far as our large series shows, the older the male bird the squarer, broader, and shorter are the rectrices, the greater the number of bars on the tail, and the finer the mottling of the wing-coverts. Compared with a specimen of T. atricoUis from Demerara, a male from Chontales has rather fewer bars on the tail, the colour of the uuderparts is rather more of a lemon tinge, and the two central feathers of the tail have a bluer tint. These differences are barely definite, and are not, in my opinion, sufficient to justify the separation of T. tenellus as a distinct species.

Trogon caligatus, Gould. Chontales {Belt).

Trogon elegans, Gould.

Nicaragua [Bridges).

We have a single skin of this northern species from Virgin Bay, Lake Nicaragua, which was collected by the late Mr. Bridges.

Trogon melanocephalus, Gould. Chontales [Belt).

BUCCO DYSONI, Scl.

Chontales [Belt).

MONASA GRANDIOR.

Scl. & Salv. P.Z. S. 1868, p. 327.

Chontales [Belt).

In our original notice of this species we mentioned its probable occurrence in Mosquitia. A specimen in Mr. Belt's collection confirms this extension of the range of the species beyond the limits of Costa Rica.

Mr. P. L. Sclater on a New Parrakeet. 323

Neomorphus salvini. Scl. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 60, pi. V. Chontales [Belt).

Mr. Belt sends a single skin of this species, whicli I have hitherto only known from Veragua.

PlAYA MEHLERI, Bp.

Chontales {Belt).

Pteroglossus torquatus, Wagl. Chontales {Belt).

Ramphastus tocard, Vieill. Chontales {Belt).

Selenidera spectabilis, Cassin. Chontales {Belt).

Neither this nor the last- mentioned species has been before noticed north of Costa Rica.

Nauclerus furcatus, Vieill. Chontales {Belt).

TiNNUNCULUS SPARVERIUS (L.).

Chontales {Belt).

Leucopternis ghiesbreghti (Du Bus). Chontales {Belt).

Odontophorus melanotis, Salv. Chontales {Belt). A head only.

XXXVIII. On a New Parrakeet of the genus Loriculus /?-o?» the Philippine Islands. By P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S.

(Plate XI.)*

In April 1871 the Zoological Society of London obtained by purchase, of a dealer in Liverpool, a pair of Parrakeets of the genus Loriculus, said to have been brought from the Philippine Islands. These I determined as Loriculus culacissi, that being

* [This Plate will be issued with the October number. — Eb.]

2 a 2

324 Mr. P, L. Sclater on a New Parrakeet.

the species in Dr. Finsch^s excellent Monograph^ with which they appeared to agree most nearly. Along with these birds the Society also obtained a specimen of Tanygnathus luconensis, the Philippine representative of these large-billed Parrots, which was likewise new to the Society's collection.

In the list of additions to the Zoological Society's Menagerie, published in the ' Field ' of 26 May, 1871, and also in my Report on the additions in the month of March 1871 in the Society's 'Proceedings' (1871, p. 479), the pair o? Loriculus are inserted as L. culacissi, as likewise in the ' Revised List of Vertebrates,^ just published (p. 202) f.

Last autumn the female of this pair of Loriculus laid several eggs. Two of these were removed and placed in the nest of an Undulated Parrakeet [Melopsittacus undulatus). In this way one was hatched in the Gardens on the 27th of August last, but did not live to attain maturity.

On his return from the Phihppines,in June last, Dr. A.B.Meyer brought with him, amongst other living birds, a single male example of this same Lon'cw/MS, which I purchased for the Society's Menagerie. Dr. Meyer, on my informing him that I had deter- mined the species as L. culacissi, at once stated that he believed this bird, which he had obtained on the island of Zebu, not to be the true culacissi, and, in order to settle this question, was kind enough to allow me to examine his series of skins of the Parrots of this genus. On comparing them with the descriptions in Dr. Finsch's Monograph I found that Dr. Meyer was undoubtedly correct. Three species are represented in Dr. Meyei-'s Philippine collection — namely, the true Loriculus culacissi from Luzon, Lori- culus regulus from Negros and Pauay, and the present species obtained only on the island of Zebu. The present bird is at ouce distinguishable from its two allies by its golden back, whence I propose to call it

Loriculus chrysonotus, sp. nov. (Plate XI.) Viridis : fronte, uropygio et caudse tectricibus cum mento et

* Die Papageien, monograpliiscli bearbeitet, von Dr. Otto Finsch, 2 vols. Leiden, 18G8.

t Revised List of Vertebrated Animals now or lately living in the Gardens of the Zoological Society of London. London, 1872.

Ibis. 1872 PLII

J.G.Keulemms lifJ-i

M&N.Ha-iLhart imp

LORICULUS CHRYSONOTUS.

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 325

gutture coccineis : capite colloque supero usque ad dorsum medium aureo-flavis : rostro rubro, pedibus flavis. Fern. macula gutturali caret : long, tota 5-9, alse 3'8, caudse 3.

Hab, ins. Zebu, Philippinarum.

Obs. Affinis L. culacissi et L. regulo, sed pileo dorsoque aureo- flavis distinctus.

The Plate represents the pair of this beautiful species purchased by the Zoological Society on the 24th of March, 1871, from a sketch by Mr. Keulemans.

XXXIX. — Letters, Announcements, ^c.

We have received the following letters addressed to "The Editor of 'The Ibis'":—

Sir, — Would one of your readers kindly give a description of

the egg of Eudynamis taitiensis, the long -tailed Cuckoo of

the Pacific ?

Thomas H. Potts.

Ohinitahi, N. Z., Feb. 5, 1872.

[In ' The Birds of New Zealand,' p. 76, Mr. Buller says, " An egg, forwarded to me some years ago by the Rev. R. Taylor, of Wanganui, as belonging to this species, is almost spherical in shape, with a slightly rough or granulate surface. It is of a pale buff or yellowish-brown colour, and measures 1-25 inch in length by I'lS in breadth. I ought to state, how- ever, that it was obtained from a native, and that its authenticity cannot be considered quite certain." — Ed.]

Sir, — Whilst journeying in the dense bush which clothes the western slopes of the middle island, making acquaintance with the Kinei and Kakapo, the note of a bird was heard that was new to us ; it was evidently that of a Genjgone, but differed much from that of our familiar gully-haunting warbler. The habitat was unusual, in the thick bush, between the bluff of Okarito and Lake Mapourilla; whereas our little Riroriro delights in trilling fi-om the shrubs on the creek side or more open country, or in

326 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

flitting about the bushy vegetation of the gullies that fringe or form the outskirts of a forest. Neither my son^ who accom- panied me, nor myself had ever heard a similar note ; with diffi- dence we set it down as a new species ; for the next few days, whilst rambling in that locality, we heard the same note re- peatedly, and saw the birds, but we never observed one of them on the outside of the bush. The diagnosis of a male bird, killed Dec. .20, four miles W. of Lake Mapourilla, is here given. (This bird was in full song.) Upper surface dark oliva- ceous ; wings smoky black, except first two feathers, outer webs fi'inged with yellow; cheek dark grey, darkest in a line from the gape through the eye ; chin grey ; neck and breast pale grey ; abdomen white ; under wing-coverts white ; upper wing- coverts brown, margined with yellow; upper tail-coverts slaty black, tipped with yellow ; tail brown, with a broad baud of black, two centre feathers black, tipped with brown, four feathers on each side tipped with white on inner webs, pale brown on outer web, two outer feathers broadly barred with white, tipped with brown. Bill, black ; both mandibles horn-colour at the point ; legs and feet black ; inside of feet yellowish flesh ; irides bright blood-red. Bill, from gape, 6 lines; wing from flexure 2 inches; tail 2 inches 2 lines; tarsus 9 lines; middle toe and claw 5 lines; total length 4 inches 5 lines.

We hesitate to give this species a new name, having the fear of the cabinet ornithologist before our eyes.

Thomas H. Potts. Oliinitahi, N.Z., Feb. 6, 1872.

[Mr. Buller, to whom we submitted Mr. Potts's letter, has kindly forwarded us the following note respecting this species of Gerygone : — " The bird described by Mr. Potts as possibly a new species of Gerygone is, I believe, Gerygone albofrontata (G. R. Gray, Voy. Ereb. & Terr. Birds, p. 5, pi. 4. f. 2). Mr. Gray remarks (p. 6), " This fine species was brought by Dr. Dieffen- bach from New Zealand ;" but the single specimen in the British Museum on which the description is founded is labelled as having come from the Chatham Islands. The figure of the species in the ' Voyage of Ereb. & Ttrr.' is apt to give a very false idea of this bird. — Ed.]

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 327

Allahabad, ISth March, 1872.

Dear Sir, — Dr. Jerdon, in some additional notes on the Birds of India, in 'The Ibis' for January 1872, p. 11, mentions that " Messrs. Marshall disbelieve in the species Megalama marshal- lorum of Swinhoe." Since the publication of the ' Monograph of the Capitonidse ' we have been fully convinced that the species will hold good. We made mention of it in an Appendix, which unfortunately arrived from this country too late for publication with our last part.

We regret the oversight in the book, and take this oppor- tunity of acknowledging its occurrence.

The plate in the Monograph named M. virens is really M. marshallorum, while of the true M. virens, the Chinese bird, no figure is given. Mr. Swinhoe's diagnosis, published in the Annals (Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, vol. vi, p. 348), suffici- ently points out the specific distinctions ; it is therefore unneces savy to repeat them here.

While on the subject, we would wish to acknowledge the cor- rectness of Lord Walden's remarks in ' The Ibis' for April 1871, page 163, regarding Caloramphus lathami, the true name being

Caloramphus hayi.

Yours truly,

C. H. T. Marshall & G. F. L. Marshall.

Sir, — I am desirous of recording in * The Ibis ' the following miscellaneous notes : —

1st. In a collection of birds of prey recently submitted to me for examination by Mr. Edward Gerrard, jun., were three from the island of Formosa, which I think worthy of notice, viz. : —

iEsALON LiTHOFALCO (Gmel.), an immature male beginning to assume adult plumage. This is the most south-easterly spe- cimen of the Merlin which has come under my notice, though further to the north this species occurs as far eastward as the shores of the Sea of Okhotsk, an example from that locality being preserved in the Norwich Museum, where the present specimen is also about to be placed.

Scops japonicus, Tem. & Schl. — This is the fii-st individual of this species, which, so far as I know, has been satisfactorily

328 Letters, Announcements, ^'c.

identified as a native of Formosa, some confusion having oc- curred between this species and another small horned Owl which also inhabits Formosa, Lempijius hambroecki, described by Mr. Swinhoe in the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History ' for 1870, vi. p. 153, to whose remarks I beg leave to refer.

The type specimen of L. hambroecki is preserved in the Nor- wich Museum, which has also acquired the Formosan specimen of Scops japonicus here referred to.

In the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for 1871, p. 343, Mr. Swinhoe unites Scops japonicus with Scops sunia of Hodg- son, which is a native of India.

This view is also adopted by Professor Schlegel, in the ' Mus. des Pays Bas,^ Oti, p. 20; but I have not had the opportunity of examining a sufficient series of specimens to enable me to form an opinion as to whether the Indian race is really identical with that which occurs in China, Japan, and Formosa, and I there- fore retain provisionally for the latter the distinctive appellation of Scops japonicus.

Brachyotus accipitrtnus (Gmel.). — This is, I believe, the first instance of the almost cosmopolitan Short-eared Owl being recorded from the Island of Formosa.

2nd. I am desirous of ofi'ering a few remarks on the subject of Aquila clanga of Pallas.

The Eagle described by Pallas under this name at p. 351 of his ' Zoographia Rosso-Asiatica ' is probably the large race of Aquila navia, which is so frequently received in collections from Sarepta on the Volga, and also from the countries adjacent to the mouth of the Danube, and which only difl^ers from the typical A. ncevia in its larger size and in having indistinct trans- verse bars of dark grey on the rectrices and also on the inner webs of the secondary wing-feathers. Pallas's description appears by the measurements to have been most probably taken from a male bird of this large race, to which the name of Aquila clanga has therefore been a])plied by most English ornithologists.

I have hitherto been one of those who have thus used the name of Aquila clanga; but as, on reexamining Pallas's original Hrticle, it appears to me that he was not aware of the distjnc-

Letters, Announcements, &;c. 329

tion between what may be called the smaller and larger races of Aqvila ncevia, it is probable that he considered the descrip- tion of his Aquila clanga applicable to both ; and I would therefore suggest the propriety of using for the larger and cer- tainly distinct race, of which the head quarters appear to be about the mouths of the Volga, the specific name of " orientalis " proposed for it by Cabanis in the 'Journal fiir Ornithologie/ 1854, p. 369 (note).

It should, however, be observed that Aquila orientalis must not be confused with another nearly allied, but yet larger, Eagle which inhabits the country of the Amoor river, and to which Mr. Swinhoe has given the specific name of amurensis. Vide Proc. of the Zool. Soc. 1871, p. 338.

3rd. I am also desirous of calling attention to what appears to me to be an accidental error in Dr. Jerdon^s " Supplementary Notes" in 'The Ibis' for the present year at p. 139, where, under the head of Oreocincla dauma, it is stated that the Thrush obtained in Formosa by Mr. Swinhoe, and named by that gentleman 0. hancii, is now considered by him to be identical with 0. dauma ; but in Mr. Swinhoe's paper on the Birds of China in the Zool. Society's Proceedings for 1871, at p. 368, he give O. hancii as a synonym of the well-known "White's Thrush," O. varia (Pallas) j and the latter identification was also communicated to me in a letter with which Mr. Swinhoe favoured me on the subject,

4th. It is well known that the South-African Ostrich is now largely kept in the colony of the Cape of Good Hope in a semi- domesticated state for the sake of its valuable plumes.

I have recently seen a letter from a gentleman engaged in that colony in this new pursuit of " Ostrich-farming," which gives some particulars respecting the incubation of his tame Ostriches (twenty-seven in number) that appear to me worthy of being recorded in the pages of ' The Ibis.' He says, " Two females generally lay in one nest, and sit from 7 a.m. during the day, the cock keeping guard somewhere near ; at 5 p.m., as re- gularly as possible every night, the hens leave the nest, and the cock takes his turn. They lay more eggs than they can sit upon : there arc often between forty and fifty in a nest; so there

330 Letters, Announcements, &^c.

has been a great want of incubators for the surplus eggs — two very good ones have been invented in the colony."

5th. I have to offer a few observations on the occurrence of Somateria stelleri in the North Pacific Ocean.

In the article on this scarce Duck contained in Part 3 of Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser's admirable work on the Birds of Europe, reference is made to a female of this species purchased by me several years since from a person who sailed as ship's steward in the Arctic Expedition commanded by Captain Collinson.

I regret that owing to my absence from Norfolk, and to the mislaying of a contemporary memorandum which I have since found, the information which I furnished to Messrs. Sharpe and Dresser was not so complete as it should have been ; and I am therefore now desirous of supplementing it by such further par- ticulars as I am at present in a position to supply.

The number of specimens of Somateria stelleri which I pur- chased from Captain CoUinson's steward was not one, but two, both of which were obtained in July 1854, on Flaxman's Island, lat. 70'' 11' N., and long. 145° 50' W.

These specimens appear to be an adult male and female, ex- actly agreeing with European examples in full dress, except that in the male bird the green band on the occiput appears rather narrower, the inner scapulars and the adjoining feathers of the back rather more tinged with brownish, and the buff feathers on the upper part of the breast adjoining the throat somewhat paler and more tinged with greenish brown at the tips than is the case in a full-plumaged European male with which I have compared the American specimen.

I am, Sir, &c.,

Marldon, Totnes, June 1, 1872. J. H. GuRNEY.

Sir, — Captain Hayes Lloyd, in an interesting letter {antea, p. 197) has stated his conviction to be that Cyurnis tickellice, Elyth, is the female of Cyornis jerdoni, G. R. Gray (olim C. banyumas, Horsf., apud Jerd.). Captain Lloyd's observations were made in a part of India ornithologically little known ; and it is therefore not impossible that the Cyornis he refers to is distinct from either of the species he has associated it with. But

Letters, Announcements, S^c 331

for my present purpose it is sufficient to assume that the Cijornis of Gujerat does belong to one or other of the above-named species.

There can be little doubt that the birds Captain Lloyd de- scribes are male and female of one and the same species ; for Dr. Jerdon's surmise that the female of C.jerdoni ( = C. bayumas, ap. Jerd.) is olive^ has not been sustained by subsequent investiga- tion. On the contrary^ the females of C.jerdoni and C. tickelliae are blue, like the males, but of a much paler shade. The young birds also of both sexes change directly from their rust-spotted plumage to the full blue plumages of the adults. Now if this be so, before Captain Lloyd's conclusions can be adopted, the Cijornis male and female of Central India must be compared with the Cyornis male and female of Malabar and Ceylon, This comparison examples of both sexes from Candeish, Malabar, and Ceylon in my collection have enabled me to institute. My results are, that from all those localities the females are paler- coloured than the males ; and this is also the case in C. banyu- mas (Horsf.) ex Java. The females of Candeish individuals (C. tickellia;) are, above, almost ashy grey, tinged with blue. The lazuline hue of the forehead, supercilium, and shoulder is pre- sent, but less intense than in the male. The orange under- surface of the male degenerates into a dull buff in the female. The lores in the female are white, whereas in the male they are black. The cheeks and ear-coverts are palpably darker in the male than in the female.

In Malabar and Ceylon birds [C. jerdoni) the females are darker and bluer than the Candeish females. They closely resemble Candeish males, from which they can only be distin- guished by their ivhite lores. Malabar and Ceylon males are, above, very dark blue, below very bright orange, with the lores and chin black. It may be that an examination of a larger series than I command may not bear out these facts ; but if it does so, it appears to me that we may fairly continue in the belief that C. jerdoni and C. tickellice designate two distinct spe- cies, the male of the last wearing the female livery of the first.

Yours &c.,

Walden.

Chislehurst, June 1, 1872.

332 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

Sir, — In treating of the genus Hieracidea in my ' Birds of New Zealand/ I ventured (at page 4) to assert my belief that " there are in reality two distinct species closely resembling each other in plumage, in both the young and adult states, but differ- ing appreciably in size."

My friend Dr. Otto Finsch, of Bremen, has arrived, however, at a different conclusion, and has noticed the subject in a paper on New-Zealand Birds which he has communicated to the 'Journal fiir Ornithologie ' (March 1872, pp. 87,88). The following is a translation of the passage in question : —

" The following descriptive account is based on a fine series of five specimens, which represent not only both sexes, but the most divergent shades of coloration. I have before me two male birds from Banks's Peninsula, and one male from the west coast of the South Island, all three sent to me by Dr. Haast, and a pair (male and female) received from Captain Hutton, as North-Island specimens. The careful comparison of these ex- amples leaves not the smallest doubt as to the identity of the species. After Dr. Buller, as already stated (/. c), had given proof that the plumage described by Mr. Gould as characteristic of F. hrunnea, was only the immature dress — a fact established by taking the young birds from the nest*, — Gurney advocated ('Ibis,' 1870, p. 535) the recognition of two species, distin- guishing the larger as F. novce-zealandice, and the smaller as F. brunnea. The measurements adduced by him are valueless in decidina; such a question, inasmuch as the determination of the sexes of his specimens is somewhat incomplete or doubtful. It may therefore be inferred, without much hesitation, that the large specimens which Gurney refers to F. novcB-zealandm are invariably females. Dr. Haast (in litt.) is likewise in favour of two species, the Quail-hawk {F.brunnea v. /?roa;), according to his view, being distinguishable from the other by its greater size as well as its different mode of life and the peculiarities of its nesting-habits. But the specimen sent in by him under the latter denomination is, on the contrary, remarkable for its small size. Captain Hutton, in his recent Catalogue, allows but one species, remarking, ' very variable in size ; but a large male can * Trans. N. Z. Instit. 1868, vol. i. p. 106.

Letters, Announcements, i^c. 333

be distinguished from a small female by its more slender legs, which are '6 of an inch in circumference (!) in the male, and •88 of an inch in the female.' No one will attach any import- ance whatever to a criterion of this kind, especially in the case of dried skins. Of far more importance are the measurements which Hutton gives, if, as I must suppose, they are taken from positively ascertained males and females, because they confirm the view that the latter are always large birds, and, with the table of measure- ments compiled by myself, serve to prove that the discrimination of two species differing in size cannot well be maintained/'

There is no doubt on my own mind that the marking of the smaller species as " Quail-hawk" was merely a lapsus calami ; because, in all his correspondence with me on this subject. Dr. Haast has distinguished the larger Falcon by that name, and the smaller one as the " Sparrow-hawk."

With regard to the data furnished in Captain Hutton's Ca- talogue, I would simply remark that there is no evidence whatever of the sex having been, in a single case, determined by dissection. As I have already pointed out in my history of the species, the fact that a male example of my H. novts-zealandicB (carefully sexed by Dr. Haast, and exhibiting the testes fully developed) proves to be actually larger than the female of H. brunnea, is decidedly opposed to the theory of there being only one species.

Mr. Gurney, after a further examination of the specimens in the British Museum, writes me : — " I am sure you are right about the distinctness of the two New- Zealand Hieracidea." In the last letter which I had the pleasure of receiving from Dr. Haast (dated New Zealand, March 10), the following state- ment occurs : — " Concerning the specific distinctness of the Sparrow-hawk and the Quail-hawk, I may tell you that on my last journey into the interior I got two of the former [i. e. the small species). They were male and female; and I secured them at the nest, where they had young ones. The female was a little bigger and lighter than the male bird. Both birds were full-grown, diud showed at a glance the impossibility of their ever developing into the large and perfectly distinct Quail-hawk."

I am yours &c., Walter L. Buller.

7 Westminster Chambers, Victoria Street, London, S.W., June 8, 1872.

334 Letters, Announcements, S^c.

Boston, June 13th, 1872. Dear Sir, — Your interesting monograph of the genus Geo- thhjpis came in opportune explanation of some remarkable phe- nomena in the flight of the Dendrceca castanea along the 42nd parallel during the present spring, and in confirmation of the hypothesis by which we accounted for them. So far as I know, up to the present year this bird has been very rare in Massa- chusetts. Such an indefatigable collector as Mr. Maynard in the course of his life has obtained but one bird. It is not, however, a rare bird in the northern parts of Maine, nor about Lake Superior, abounding there in the breeding-season. Why is this bird so common three or four degrees north of us, yet so rare here ? From Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin came the same story. The D. castanea, unknown there in spring, was this year very common — here between May 25th and 28tJ], there a little earlier. The explanation was, that this Warbler, which passed north the last of the migrants, made a long flight, without stopping or pausing, and went through here in the night — that this year something deranged its flight, so as to make our latitude the area of its halt before its last northern movement. Flocks were seen containing nearly fifty individuals. One of my young friends shot twelve in a single morning. They were all, too, in full song, though unmated, the males bringing up the rear. It was interesting to see bow your statements, as re- gards some species passing by Mexico and Guatemala in their return to the south, seems to confirm our explanation. In Wisconsin D. castanea is not rare in the fall, with us it is so.

Yours very truly,

T. M. Brewer.

Sir, — A small flock of Pallas's Sand-Grouse {Syrrhaptes para- doxus) was observed for about a fortnight on the coast of North Northumberland, opposite the Fern Islands, from the last week in May till about the 6th of June. The birds confined them- selves to the low flats on the mainland, never being observed on the islands. They were much persecuted, and consequently very wild. About the end of the first week of June they dis- appeared altogether. Only one of the flock was obtained. This

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 335

bird was examined by the Rev. C. Thorp, but he did uot ascer- tain the exact particulars of its capture.

I am yours &c.,

H. B. Tristram.

Greatham Vicarage, West Hartlepool, July 8th, 1872,

Sir, — As every thing relating to the reappearance in Great Britain of Pallas's Sand-Grouse may be said to possess unusual interest, I beg leave to send you the following note from a lady whose pursuits are in many respects closely associated with my own, and who has had the pleasure of seeing at least four spe- cimens of that remarkable bird alive in Ayrshire : — " Girvau, July 2. On Tuesday last (25th June), while walking on the sandy pathway leading to the north shore, I saw a strange bird basking on the hot sand a few yards before me. It got up almost immediately on being disturbed, and after a few hurried

steps it darted swiftly over an adjoining wall. A , who was

with me, at once noticed its long pointed wings ; and as we were both satisfied that the bird was a stranger, we hastened through the stile near at hand to see what had become of it. To my great surprise and delight I found it had joined three other birds of the same kind on the other side, and that they were Sand-Grouse. The four, after quietly crouching among the tufts of grass, seeing themselves watched, ran wildly about for a few minutes, and then by short flights led us both some distance after them until I had quite time enough to observe their appearance and plumage accurately. We have no doubt as to our recognition of the birds, having repeatedly got so near them. They looked scared and restless when followed, and had evidently arrived but a short time before, as we had never pre- viously seen them, though we walked almost daily in the same direction. A few days afterwards, namely on Saturday the 29th, we saw another (perhaps one of the four) in the same place ; but it flew off at once and gave us no opportunity of watching its movements. — E. G."

I may add that the locality where these birds were seen, though somewhat exposed as a place of public resort, is one

336 Letters, Announcements, &^c.

likely enough to attract them, the path, which is of considerable breadth, being covered deeply with dry sand and stones, which, on hot days especially, form just such a spot as Sand-Grouse would delight to bask in. There are, indeed, many similar places much more retired between the town of Girvan and the ruins of Turnberry Castle, a distance of six miles ; and I hope yet to be able to report that they have bred in the district.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

Robert Gray.

Glasgow, July 11, 1872.

Sir, — I promised to send you an account of the birds seen during my voyage to Para, as a continuation of the many letters I have sent you on the same subject; I fulfil this promise, if only to record the most desert and bird-forsaken portion of the ocean that it has ever been my lot to traverse.

We left Liverpool in the steamer ' Lisbonneuse ' on the 18th of May, and, passing down the Mersey and the English coast, crossed over to Havre. Half a dozen Gulls and a small flock of Grey Plover, making across the channel for the English side, were all the sea-fowl we saw. A Swift and a Swallow flew round the ship ; and a female Wheatear came on board.

Between Havre and Lisbon, where we arrived on the 25th, I only saw a few Thalassidromce — T. leachi and T.pelagica, I think, from their respective sizes.

On Wednesday the 29th, between Madeira and the Canary Islands, lat. 31° 31' N., long. 16° 20' W .*, we saw two black Petrels, and one grey one, but so far away as to preclude my even guessing at the species.

On Friday the 31st, lat. 25° 7' N., long. 21° 52' W., we first reached the region of flyingfish and Physalia atlantica. Now surely, I thought, we shall see some birds ; but, no ! Saturday, June 1st, lat. 21° 49' N., long. 24° 22' W., only brought us two ThalassidromcE, and the next day (lat. 15° 13' N., long. 29° 26' W.) a grey Petrel in the morning and again at night.

Not a bird did we see after this till the evening of the 5th * Our position at noon each day is given.

Letters, Announcements, &^c. 337

(lat. 8° 40' N., long. 34° 31' W.), vvhen a solitary specimen of my old friend, Procellaria mollis, scudded away southward, as if it wished to get away from such a bird-forgotten place.

On June 7th, at 9 a.m., in lat. 2° 50' N., 30° 50' W. (nearest land, Paranahyba, 350 miles distant), a pair of Gannets came up from the southward, and, without stopping to fish or even to have a look at us, passed on to the northward.

Next day at 11 a.m. we crossed the line. At 10.30 a.m. (lat. 6' S., long. 41° 33' W.) a Ground-Dove flew round the ship, but would not alight, and finally struck ofl" for shore. Capt. Mutton calculated we were at least 180 miles from shore : he told me he heard a Frigate-bird during the night.

Sunday, June 9th. — Land, though not visible, was supposed to be 30 miles a-head at daylight, and a Goatsucker and several Crotophaga ani came and pitched in the rigging. The latter were so exhausted that they dropped to the deck, and we caught several ; the Goatsucker, a fine large grey fellow, rested for a few moments, and then flew away landward. We were now covered with moths, butterflies, dragonflies, &c. Another Ground-Dove visited us, and Terns and Frigate-birds fished around us.

We presently made the mouth of the Maranao River, and came to anchor opposite the town. On landing I soon made the ac- quaintance of Humming-birds and others; but as all the forms of bird-life are new to me I say nothing of them. We reached Para on the night of the 19th ; and the first object that greeted my eyes in the dim grey morning light next day was a Urubu Vulture, perched on the gable of the opposite house, with ex- tended wings, waiting to catch the first rays of the sun to dry up the night dews from his plumage. They are very abundant here (at Maranao I saw none), and act as scavengers.

If you will take the trouble to trace our course on a map, vou will see we made a wonderfully straight course to Maranao. We picked up the N.E. trades far to the northward of Madeira, and never moved a sail till we approached the land on this side. The absence of bii'd-life was curious ; and Capt. Mutton tells me he never observes it otherwise, and he constantly crosses and re- crosses.

SER. III. VOL. II. 2 B

338 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

I expect to get into a house next week, and shall then begin to pay attention to the birds around me; at present I do not care to kill and examine any, as 1 have no means of preserving them. I see two kinds of Humming-birds, two Swallows, a Spiny-tailed Swift, and lots of unknown genera in my morning rambles. Farewell.

E. L. Layard.

Para, June 1872.

Dr. Buller^s work on the Birds of New Zealand"^", which we mentioned in our last issue {antea, p. 194), has progressed to its second part, three more remaining to finish it.

It is not often that thorough practical knowledge, both in the field and at home, is possessed by the author of a work like the present ; but Dr. Buller has studied his subject in both aspects, and the value of his book is clearly enhanced thereby. Moreover, he has set about his task in a way that shows us that he thoroughly appreciates the difficulties sur- rounding it. His personal acquaintance with the birds them- selves has been followed up by a critical and impartial investi- gation of the writings of previous authors ; and, lastly, an independent examination of many of the typical specimens in England has placed him in a position to speak with great pre- cision upon intricate points of synonymy.

The consequences to many of the indigenous birds of New Zealand arising out of its colonization by Europeans seems likely to be so disastrous, that it is high time that authentic histories of them should be put on record before they finally disappear. Dr. Buller^s work, therefore, supplies what might have proved a serious omission in ornithological literature. It is not too late to write a full life-history of those New-Zealand birds whose numbers are rapidly diminishing; but a few years hence it is more than probable such a task could not be accom- plished. Though the present active causes may be novel, the rapid destruction of the indigenous fauna of New Zealand dates back to far beyond historic times ; for though Maori tradition may give an approximately recent time when the Moa still

* A History of the Birds of New Zealand. Parts I. & II. 4to.

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 339

survived, numbers of other similar forms have succumbed whose remains are now found in a semifossilized state, and of these we have not another vestige of record. They, like the Dodo and the Solitaire, seem to have fallen victims to some enemy suddenly introduced into their domain, against which they were powerless to make successful resistance. The remains of these extinct birds have furnished the materials for Prof. Owen's series of ex- haustive memoirs on Dinornis and its allies. Dr. Buller's will form a fit companion work, and thus provide us with a very com- plete record of the birds of New Zealand both past and present. We are promised an account of the structural peculiarities of the more remarkable New-Zealand species; this will doubtless be reserved for the last part. In the mean time the influence these observations may have upon the sequence of the species in their arrangement ought to be borne in mind. The re- tention of Heteralocha in the Picarise and in the family Upupidse is unfortunate ; Mr. Garrod has recently shown, in a paper read before the Zoological Society, that it is certainly a member of the Sturnida^ and a strictly passerine form.

The Annual Report of the Trustees of the Museum of Com- parative Zoology at Harvard College for the year 1871 con- tains some matter which, though more strictly geological, is of great interest to us, in the bearing it has upon the distri- bution of animal life in the vicinity of Panama. Dr. G. A. Maack, who accompanied the recent U. S. Darien Exploring Ex- pedition, brought home with him thirty cases of geological, palse- ontological, and lithological specimens; and in his Report he gives a short abstract of his views of the changes that have taken place in the physical aspect of the isthmus, as suggested by an examination of the material he collected. The point of special interest to us is the indication of two channels between the oceans up to the later Tertiary times, one between the Gulf o^ San Miguel and the Gulf of Uraba, the other between Panama and Aspinwall. Dr. Maack also adds that he has evidence to show that the Pacific Cordillera belongs to a later eruptive period, and that of the Atlantic slope was in a state of tranquillity when the waters of the Pacific Ocean covered the present southern

2b2

340 Letters, Announcements, ^t.

watershed. The picture thus suggested presents a chain of islands in Tertiary times in place of the continuous isthmus now existing. Zoology enables us to discern but faintly the old islands that appear once to have existed in this region. These observations of Dr. Maack's, giving them greater definition, will doubtless enable us to read the history of the present geographical distribution of the birds of the isthmus with far greater precision.

Our valued contributor Dr. Coues is about to publish a * Key to North-American Birds.' The prospectus states that the work will consist of about 300 octavo pages, and will be illustrated by six steel plates and upwards of 250 woodcuts. Its object is to furnish a manual of the birds of North America, in which will be expounded the latest views in ornithology. The introductory part will give a general account of the anatomy and classification of birds, and full explanations of all the terms used in ornithology. A key to the genera and subgenera will follow, in the form of a continuous artificial table, while a synopsis of living and fossil birds will contain concise descrip- tions of every North-American species known to this time, with characters of the higher groups and remarks relating to forms not found in North America.

Since our last issue, ornithologists have lost two of their most zealous colleagues, both of them having worked through a long series of years up to within a short period of their deaths. Another veteran ornithologist has also passed away whose name is familiar to all working at Indian Birds.

The loss sustained by the death of Mr. George Egbert Gray can only be partly estimated by viewing retrospectively the mass of work he accomplished during the forty-one years he remained in charge of the ornithological collections in the British Museum. Mr. Gray contributed greatly to Griffith's enlarged edition of Cuvier's ' Regne Animal,' and also published several works on entomological subjects, including an illustrated catalogue of the genus Pajnlio. In ornithology, Mr. Gray's first work was the ' List of the Genera of Birds,' which was pri-

Letters, Announcements, S^c. 341

vately printed in 1840; a second edition (also privately printed) of this work was called for in 1841, to which an Appendix was added iu 1842. 1232 divisions were recognized in this last edition with its Appendix.

In 1844 the great work on the Genera of Birds was com- menced iu conjunction with the late Mr. Mitchell, who under- took the superintendence of the engravings. This standard work, completed iu 1849, is too well known to need comment here. In 1855 a third edition of the ' List of Genera and Subgenera of Birds ' appeared, in which were incorporated all the additions since the issue of the edition of 1842. Finally, so far as this portion of ]\Ir. Gray's work is concerned, we have the three volumes of the ' Hand-list of Genera and Species of Birds,' the third volume of which was only issued last year. The scope and objects of this final and most laborious under- taking have been fully set forth in these pages, so far as the first two volumes are concerned; the last volume contains the completion of the enumeration of the remaining families, genera, and species, and also a comprehensive index to the whole three volumes, both of generic and specific names. The amount of labour bestowed on this work can be gathered from the state- ment of Mr. Gray's, that of the 11,000 species of birds which are there recognized, no less than 46,000 references had to be made and entered.

The value of the ' Hand-list ' has been at once recognized by working ornithologists ; and references are so frequently made to its pages as to show that it is constantly and necessarily referred to by every one working at the subject. Its utility will remain for some time to come, indeed until, as is the fate of all such compilations, another ornithologist shall arise endued with Mr. Gray's perseverance, and give us another ' Hand-list' with the references fully extended. Such a task will not readily be accomplished.

Comparing the early editions of the ' Lists of Genera' and the ' Hand-list,' a fair epitome of the progress of ornithological science from 1840 to the present time might be formed.

Besides the above works, Mr. Gray's Catalogues of the Col- lections in the British Museum form another scries of useful

342 Letters, Announcements, i^c.

books. These do not comprehend nearly the whole subject, but are restricted to different groups as the requirements of the Col- lection led Mr. Gray to work them out. The British Museum is fortunate in possessing valuable series of birds from the islands of the Paciiic Ocean, and these formed the subject of several useful lists, containing descriptions of many new species, which were published in the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society/ Some contributions from Mr. Gray's pen will also be found in the pages of this Journal.

Mr. Gray's works are concise to a fault; he has usually given us the bare results of his investigations without detailing the steps by which he arrived at those results — the problem and the answer, without the intermediate operations. In some in- stances this is sufficient ; but, as our science moves, or ought to move, by observation rather than authority, many a weary search might have been spared the working ornithologist had an ob- scure reference here and there lightened his task. Perhaps few men have written so much in so few words; and this sparing use of words led Mr. Gray to be even backward in describing many a species upon which he simply bestowed a name, leaving it to others to supply the requisite details.

To those studying the ornithological riches of the British Museum Mr. Gray was ever ready to lend efficient help, and his presence will long be missed by those who are occasionally or regularly in the habit of consulting the collection. Mr. Gray died on the 6th of May, after a short illness, being in the 64th year of his age.

By the death of Thomas Caverhill Jerdon, in his 61st year, the science of ornithology has lost one of its most zealous sup- porters, and at a time too, when, by his return to England after a long sojourn in India, the remainder of a useful life might have been spent in the revision of much valuable work published at dif- ferent times during his residence abroad. But such was not to be; and a glance a few pages back in the present Number of this Journal shows where his hand was arrested. Mr. Jerdon was the son of Mr. Archibald Jerdon, of Bonjedward, Roxburgh, and was born in 1811. In 1835 he entered the service of the

Letters, Announcements, ^'c. . 343

Hon. East-India Company as Assistant Surgeon in the Presi- dency of Madras. In 1844 he pubUshed his first work on zoology, the ' Illustrations of Indian Ornithology.' Mr. Jerdon's name, however, will be best known to ornithologists by his work on the Birds of India, which was published in 1862. This book has unquestionably proved of incalculable service in pro- moting the study of ornithology in India. The edition was speedily sold ; and we believe that it was the author's intention to have published a second edition, incorporating all the mate- rials that he had since collected, both by his own observations and those of others. The " Supplementary Notes " published in this Journal, and continued down to the end of the Timaliidce, were intended to prepare the way for this second edition.

Mr. Jerdon had special facilities granted him by the Indian Government to enable him to bring out the ' Birds of India,' and in collecting the material for his work he visited the greater part of India, and also visited Assam and Burmah. His knowledge of birds was very great ; but he studied them , not by amassing their skins, as is the usual, and perhaps the best, way, but by committing, as it were, their peculiarities to memory, with the aid of copious notes and sketches.

Mr. Jerdon was elected an Honorary Member of our Union in 1864; on his return to England, at his own request he was placed on the list of Ordinary Members. He died on the 12th of June last, after a long and tedious illness originally contracted in Assam, and which not even the change to the climate of Europe enabled him to shake off.

Colonel William Henry Sykes, who died June 16th, in his 83rd year, is better known as a politician and as a statist than for his labours as a zoologist. He was the only son of Samuel Sykes, Esq., of Friezing Hall, Yorkshire, and was born in 1790. In 1804 he entered the Bombay army, and served under Lord Lake at the first siege of Bhurtpore, in 1805. In 1817-18 he commanded a native regiment in the battles of Kirkee and Poona, besides taking part in other military operations. Having retired from the Hon. East-India Company's service in 1837, he was elected one of the Home Directors of that body in 1840, and

344 Letters, Announcements, l^c.

continued as such until the abolition of the Court of Directors, having been Deputy-Chairman since 1856, and annually elected Chairman of the Shareholders since 1858. Col. Sykes was Lord Rector of Marischal College and of the University of Aberdeen in 1854, and was Chairman of the Society of Arts in 1856; in 1858 he was elected President of the Uoyal Asiatic Society, and of the Statistical Society of London in 1863. He was first elected M.P. for Aberdeen in April 1857, and was unopposed in all of the subsequent elections. As a legislator he was chiefly known for his advocacy of the claims of Indian officers.

Col. Sykes was the author of several statistical papers, relating mostly to India, and when on service in the Bombay Dukhun, he studied the zoology of that part of the country, and made collections, which are now deposited in the India- House Museum. His catalogues of the Mammalia and of the Birds of the Dukhun, published in the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society^ for 1831-32, are the earliest systematic catalogues which we possess of those classes in any part of India (properly so called) ; and he subsequently contributed to the ' Transactions of the Zoological Society' papers on the Quails and Hemijjodii (or Turnices) of India, and upon the fishes of the Dukhun, the latter illustrated by figures taken by native artists under his superintendence. In his catalogue of the birds of the Dukhun as many as 56 species are described as new ; and of the specific names which he bestowed upon them, we find that 27 are accepted at the present time. The following is a list of them, but with the modern generic appellations : — Milvus govinda, Circus pallidus, Stjrnium indranee, Ptyonoprogne concolor, Cecropis erythropygia, Capri- mulgus mahrattensis, Hemipus picatus, Hypsipetes ganeesa, Lanius lahtora, Oriolus kundoo, Malacocercus somervillii, Pomatorhinus horsfieldi, Hippolais rama, Prinia socialis, Drymoeca inornata, Motacilla dukhunensis, Pratincola bicolor, Spizalauda deva, ^tho- pyga vigorsii, Leptocoma minima, Palumbus elphinstonii, Turtur meena, Microperdix erythrorhyncha, Turnix taigoor, Herodias asha, Ardeola grayi, Gallinula (?) akool.

THE IBIS.

THIRD SERIES.

No. VIII. OCTOBER 1873.

XL. — The Humming -birds of the West Indies. By D. G-. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c.

The geographical distribution of the various species of the great Family Trochilidse inhabiting the different islands of the West Indies never having been separately worked out, I have thought it would be interesting if a list of the Humming-birds now known to be found in that portion of the world were pub- lished, with the habitats of each, so far as ascertained, and that, the attention of ornithologists having been directed to the sub- ject, additional light might be thrown upon it by futui-e researches.

For many years we have had a more or less perfect knowledge of the avifauna of certain of the larger islands, although, even of these, but few have had the advantage of the presence of a resident practical ornithologist. Of the large number of the small islands, as regards their fauna, we at present actually know nothing. It is not necessary for me to recapitulate here the extent of our information and the means by which it has been acquired, that having been already accurately done by Mr. Sclater in his paper on the birds of Santa Lucia, pub-

SER. HI. — VOL. II. 2 C

346 Mr. D. G. Elliot on the

lisbed ill the Zoological Society's 'Proceedings' for last year ; it will suffice for me to say that, of all the West- Indian Is- lands, we have more or less complete information of the birds inhabiting the following islands only : — Nassau and Long Island of the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, St. Domingo, Porto Rico, St. Thomas, Sombrero, Ste. Croix, St. Bartholomew, Dominica, Martinique, and Santa Lucia. Guadaloupe and St. Vincent possessed resident naturalists; but only fragmentary accounts of their avifauna have ever been published. Here, then, out of the very great number of islands comprising the group known as the West Indies, from only thirteen have ornithologists obtained any information ; and that from some of even them is of a most unsatisfactory description. I do not pretend, therefore, in this paper to be able to give the complete geographical distribution of the Trochilidse of the West Indies, but am merely able to add to what is already known certain other localities regarding which we have of late obtained information. A peculiarity that is remarkable of this group is the fact that cer- tain islands contain species not met with elsewhere, and that but few species of those found in the West Indies are ever seen upon the continent of either North or South America. It will be under- stood that in speaking of the West Indies, I do not include the islands of Tobago and Trinidad, whose fauna is more that of the neighbouring portion of South America than of the scattered islands lying to the northward.

The two islands of the Bahamas mentioned in this paper contain each a distinct species oiDoricha, a genus not found in any other of the West Indies, and the only representatives of which are to be met with in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Veragua. Cuba, besides being visited by the migratory Trochilus colubris, has two species peculiar to itself, Calypte helence and Sporadinus ricordi, the last a genus only found in the Greater Antilles except Jamaica. This latter island possesses three species, two of which, however, are not found elsewhere; and the third, which is the smallest Humming-bird known, and incapable, it would seem, of any continued flight, is nevertheless an inhabitant of St. Domingo. This would seem to show that at one period those two islands were only one, and that this little species, the Mel-

Humming-birds of the West Indies. 347

lisuga minima, has been enabled to preserve its specific distinct- ness in spite of climatic and other influences, although, since the two islands were established as they now are, other and distinct forms of the same family have asserted themselves within their respective limits. Besides the species just named, St. Domingo contains two others which are not found elsewhere. Porto Eico contributes two species to the family, of which it is the only habitat; and this island mai'ks the south-eastern boundary of the genus Sporadinus. Of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas and Ste. Croix are known the best ; in fact they are about the only ones of which we have any full information. The former of these contains three species of Trochilidse, none of which, however, are peculiar to it. It is, however, the northern limit of the genera Orthorhynchus and Eulampis. Ste. Croix has but two species, which are also inhabitants of other islands. Prof. Sun- devall, in his list of the birds of St. Bartholomew, mentions two species of Trochilidse as indigenous to that island, the Orthorhynchics exilis and Eulampis holosericeus. Prom his de- scription of the former, it would seem to be the 0. ornatus (if the differences pointed out by the describer of that so-called species were not so unsatisfactory as to render it exceedingly difficult to make it out), as he mentions a slight amount of blue on the crest. As to the latter, we might naturally look for it in this island, which is in a direct line with the others inhabited by this species.

Sombrero, a mere naked rock, contains at times the Eulampis holosericeus, specimens having been collected by Mr. Julien and sent to Mr. Lawrence. Our next point where any members of this family are known to dwell isthesmallislandof Nevis, which contains two species, one of which, the Eulampis jugularis, is also found in Dominica, Martinique, and Santa Lucia, and possibly in the large island of Guadaloupe, although we have no proof of the fact. Dominica possesses three species of Humming-birds, none of which is restricted to it; but between this island and the more southern one of Santa Lucia, appears to be the stronghold of the genus Eulampis, as both this island and the one last named contain the two species comprising the genus.

Only two species are known in the large island of Martinique, both of which are also inhabitants of Nevis.

2 c2

348 Mr. D. G. Elliot on the

Santa Lucia, of a certain number of whose birds, collected by Mr. J. E. Semper, Dr. Sclater has lately given a list, has three species, all of which are found in Martinique.

Only one species inhabits St. Vincent and Barbadoes^ the Or- thorhynchus crisiatus ; and it is not found anywhere else.

These are all the islands of the West Indies of which we are aware that any member of the Trochilidse is an inhabitant.

From the foregoing it will be perceived that, although the same species may be an inhabitant of several islands, yet they are always contiguous to each other, and that no other species of the same genus ever intervenes, as is the case with some genera in the Indian archipelago, where one species inhabiting two islands will have a distinct form of the same genus living on an intermediate one. The members of the genus Eulampis appear to have one of the widest ranges (only exceeded by the next), ex- tending from the island of St. Thomas to that of Santa Lucia; and we may naturally expect to find it on the islands lying between these, when their avifauna becomes known. Orthorhynchus passes over the greatest extent of latitude, being found from St, Thomas to Barbadoes, one species extending to Dominica, the second to Santa Lucia, and the third to the limit of its dispersion. The remaining genera Lampornis, Aithurus, Doricha, Trochilus, Calypte, Mellisuga, and Spo?-adinus are either (as is thecasewith the first, third, and fourth) casual or outlying representatives of conti- nental divisions of the family, or peculiar forms of most restricted habitats, and which have sprung into existence, in all probability, after this extent of land had been broken up into the dispersed groups by which it is now known to us. The annexed Table (p. 357) will give a more correct idea of the geographical distribu- tion of the various species.

In the following list I have made whatever corrections have ap- peared necessary in synonymy or nomenclature, and referred to their respective places any species which I have considered established upon doubtful or insufficient grounds.

Lampornis viridis.

Trochilus viridis, Aud. et Vieill. Ois. Dor. vol. i. p. 34, pi. xv. (1802).

Humming-birds of the West Indies. 349

Lampornis viridis, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. ii. pi. Ixxviii. ; Tayl. Ibis, 1864, p. 169.

Hub. Porto Rico [Taylor).

This species seems to be entii'ely restricted to the Island of Porto Rico, where it is by no means common ; and among collec- tions of Trochilidaj it is one of the species generally absent.

Lampornis dominicus.

Trochilus dominicus, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 191 (1766), ? ; Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 489 (1788).

Trochilus maryaritaceus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 490 (1788), $ .

Trochilus aurulentus, Vieill. Ois. Dor. pi. xii. (1802).

Pohjtmus margaritaceus, Gray, Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 108, sp. 13.

Lampornis margaritaceus, Bon. Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 72, sp. 5.

Lampornis aurulerdus, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. ii. pi. Ixxix. ; Cass. Proc. Acad. Phil. 1860, p. 377.

Lampornis virginalis, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. ii. pi. Ixxx.

Hah. St. Thomas [Riise, Cassin), St. Domingo, Porto Rico [Bryant) .

This is undoubtedly the species described by Linnaeus, in his twelfth edition, as Trochilus dominicus; for, although it was a female upon which he founded the species, the characters enu- merated by him are too clear, particularly those of the tail, to permit the supposition that some other bird was intended. Be- sides, the account given by Brisson, whom Linnaeus followed, is very full, and shows plainly that the female of the species generally called Lampornis aurulentus was well known to that author ; and it is described by him in his ' Ornithology,^ vol. iii. p. 673. There is no other species which possesses a similarly coloured tail inhabiting the West-Indian Islands ; and it would appear that there is less doubt about the rightful appellation of this species than there is about many of this family mentioned by the earlier writers.

I have said there is no other species of Humming-bird in- habiting the West Indies which may be taken for this. It will be noticed that I have placed among the synonyms Mr. Gould^s Lampornis virginalis, as I have not been able to satisfy myself

350 Mr. D. G. Elliot on the

that it is entitled to specific distinction. The colour of the median tail-feathers, mentioned by Mr. Gould as one great point of difference, does not hold good, as I have seen specimens from St. Thomas with them as dark as can be seen in any ex- ample from St. Domingo ; and the size of the birds from the two islands is not appreciably different.

Dr. Bryant obtained the species in Porto Rico.

Lampornis mango.

Mango-bird, Albin, Birds, vol. iii. p. 45, t. 49. fig. 6.

Trochilus mango, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 191, sp. 10 (1766) ; Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 491 (1788).

Trochilus poiyhyrurus, Shaw, Nat. Misc. vol. ix. pi. 333.

Lampornis mango, Gosse, Birds of Jamaica, p. 88 (1847).

Lampornis po7'phyrurus, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. ii. pi. Ixxxi.

Hab. Jamaica.

This is the species usually known as L. pojyhyrurus of Shaw. Albin, who first gave a description of it, as quoted above, in 1740, states that in the year 1701, when he was in Jamaica, he captured, in the dusk of the evening, one of these birds and her nest ; and as the species generally called Lampornis mango is never found in Jamaica, there can be no doubt to which bird Albin referred. Linneeus, in 1766, in his * Systema Nature,' p. 191, gives Lampornis mango, with a short diagnosis that may well apply to this species, and quotes as the first of his synonyms the Mellivora mango of Albin, which is the bird usually mentioned by authors as L. porphyrurus. Whether or not it is correct to consider the synonym first given as the type of the species an author intends to indicate when writing out his list, is in this case of little or no moment ; for as Linnasus thus quotes the species named M. mango by Albin under this appellation, it naturally takes precedence Qi porphyrurus bestowed upon the bird by Shaw many years afterwards. Brisson, in his description of Polytmus jamaicensis, evidently had the bird from the mainland, the L. mango of authors, before him. Linnseus did not discri- minate the difi'erence between the two birds of Albin and Brisson, but confounded them in his synonymy, which Gmelin tried to rectify by making two classes under the same specific name. The

Humming-birds of the West Indies. 351

term mango, however, is evidently the one applied first to the species from Jamaica ; and if the law of priority has any force, the porphyrurus of Shaw must sink into a synonym, and the present species be henceforth known as Lampornis mango, and the one usually called by that name will bear that of Lamptornis vio- licauda, it being the Trochilus violicauda of Boddaert, L. alhus of Gmelin.

Lampornts calosoma.

Chrijsolampis chlorolcemus, Elliot, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 4th ser. vi. p. 346 (1870).

Hab. ?

I described this species in the ' Annals & Magazine of Natural History ' as above cited, under the name of Chrysolampis chloro- leemus, placing it in that genus after consulting with i\Ir. Gould, who considered it belonged there, on account of the feathers protruding forward upon the bill, somewhat like those in C. mos- chitus. But after further investigation, as suggested by Messrs. Salvin and Sclater, Ibis, 1871, p. 429, I am satisfied that its pro- per position is among the species of the present genus, and comes nearest to the Lampornis dominions ; the specific name of chloro- lcemus, having been already bestowed on a bird of a very closely allied genus, cannot well be retained without danger of creating confusion ; and I therefore propose to substitute for it the appellation of calosoma, so that the species will henceforth be known as Lampornis calosoma.

The habitat of this species is unknown ; but it is not unlikely that it may be a native of some one of the West-Indian Islands of whose ornithology we at present know nothing. If this sup- position should prove to be correct, a fine field still remains unexplored for some enterprising naturalist ; for among the mem- bers of the genus Lampornis the present species is one of the very handsomest, and doubtless many equally fine birds in this and other families are still unknown to science, to reward the re- searches of the explorer. I give a short description of the species, in order to bring it more prominently before ornithologists, in hopes that other specimens may be procured, the type in my collection remaining as yet unique.

352 Mr. D. G. Elliot on the

Top of head and neck light metallic green, in some lights pur- plish ; a black band across the back, rest of upper parts green ; tail fiery copper-colour, feathers margined with blackish purple; throat brilliant emerald-green ; underparts black, flanks white ; tail-coverts chestnut, basal portions black. Length 4 inches, bill '55, wing 3'4, tail 1"3.

EULAMPIS JUGULARIS.

Trochilus jugularis, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 190, sp. 7 (1766); Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 489, sp. 7 (1788).

Trochilus auratus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. p. 487, sp. 29 (1788).

Trochilus hancrofti, Lath, Ind. Orn. vol. i. p. 317.

Eulampis jugularis, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. ii. pi. Ixxxii.

Hah. Island of Nevis {Gould), Martinique, Dominica (Taylor), Santa Lucia [Semper).

This genus comprises, according to my views, two species, the present and the one following. The one now under consideration is among the most beautiful of all Humming-birds ; and although it was formerly common in collections, having been received chiefly from Martinique by the French naturalists, it has become of late years rather scarce. There does not seem to be any difficulty in the synonymy, the species being too conspicuous and well marked to be easily mistaken for any other.

Eulampis holosericeus.

Trochilus holoseiiceus, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 191, sp. 11 (1766).

Eulampis holosericeus, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. ii. pi. Ixxxiii. ; Cassin, Proc. Phil. Acad. 1860, p. 377.

Eulampis chlorolamus, Gould, IVIon. Troch. vol. ii. pi. Ixxxiv.

Eulampis longirostris, Gould, Introd. Mon. Troch. p. 69, sp. 95.

Hab. St. Thomas, Ste. Croix (Newton), Martinique, Dominica (Taylor), Santa Lucia (Semper).

E. holosericeus has been known for many years to ornitho- logists ; and there are few collections that do not contain numerous examples. Mr. Gould, in his well-known work on this family, has named a bird supposed to come from the island of Nevis E. chlorolcemus. With every desire to perceive any spe- cific diff'erence it might exhibit, and although I have examined carefully, by the kindness of Mr. Gould, the specimens in his

Humming-birds of the West Indies, 353

collection, I am unable to consider that there is more than one species of this form. The difference in the shade of colour is what may be seen in many species of Humming-birds, notably in such a one as Calothorax cyanopogon, where the luminous throat- mark in individuals varies greatly, and cannot be deemed a specific character.

Mr. Gould has also described two specimens in his collection as E. longirostris. These were kindly shown to Mr. Salvin and myself: and we compared them carefully with examples of E. holosericeus. They are unfortunately in very bad condition, and the frontal feathers of the best one are wanting ; allowing for this, we ascertained that the bill was but very little longer than those of the common species. Not thinking this a sufficient character to establish the species, I have placed E. longirostris among the synonyms of E. holosericeus.

AlTHURUS POLYTMUS.

Trochilus pohjtmus, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 189, sp. 4 (1766).

Ornismya cephalatra, Less. Ois.-mouch. p. 78, pi. xvii.

Trochilus maria, Hill, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 2nd. ser. iii. p. 258(1849).

Aithurus polytmus, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. ii. pi. xcviii.

"Aithurus fuliginosus, Hill,'^ March, Proc. Ac. Phil. 1863, p. 285.

Hab. Jamaica.

This handsome bird, conspicuous for the lengthened plumes of the lateral tail-feathers, is one of the commonest species of the island of Jamaica, where alone it is found. The female is a plain little bird, with a white breast, the long tail-feathers being absent.

DORICHA EVELYNS.

Trochilus evelyme, Bourc. Proc. Zool. Soc. 1847, p. 44.

Trochilus bahamensis, Bryant, Proc. Nat.-Hist. Soc. Boston, vol. vii. p. 106 (1859).

Doricha evelynce, Gould, i\Ion. Troch. vol. iii. pi. civi.

Hab. Nassau and New Providence, Bahamas {Bryant).

This species still remains very rare in collections, only the dried bodies of the birds having been received; good skins have never yet been sent to Europe.

354 Mr. D. G. Elliot on the

DORICHA LYRURA.

Doricha lyrura, Gould, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 4th ser. vol. iv. p. 112 (1869).

Hab. Long Island, Bahamas [Bryant).

This beautiful species, closely allied to the D. evelyn/e, is one of the last novelties procured by the late Dr. Bryant during his sojourn in the West Indies. It differs chiefly in the remarkable shape of the tail-feathers, which, when they are spread, partake of a lyre-like form ; hence its specific name. It has only been obtained by Dr. Bryant ; and how many islands it may inhabit, or whether it is restricted to the one given above, is unknown.

Trochilus colubris.

Trochilus colubris, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 191, sp. 12 (17G6) j Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. iii. pi. cxxxi., et auct.

Hab. Cuba (Gnndl.), Bermuda (Gould).

The Bermudas, Bahamas, and the island of Cuba appear to be the only ones visited by this little wanderer, which in its annual migrations is found from the plains of the Arctic regions to those of Central America.

Mellisuga minima.

Trochilus minima, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 193; Gmel. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 500.

Trochilus vieilloti, Shaw, Gen. Zool. vol. viii. p. 347.

Onismya catharince, Salle, Rev. Zool. 1849, p. 498.

Mellisuga humilis, Gosse, Birds of Jamaica, p. 127 (1847).

Mellisuga minima, Salle, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1857, p. 233 ; Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. iii. pi. cxxxiii.

Hab. Jamaica {Gosse, March), St. Domingo {Salle).

This plain little bird, if iiot the smallest, is certainly one of the most diminutive of the Trochilidse, and is an inhabitant of the two large islands of Jamaica and St. Domingo, where alone it has been found. It is the only species known of the genus Mellisuga ; and neither sex possesses any conspicuous metallic colouring.

CaLYPTE HELENA.

Orthorhynchu^ helena, Lembeye, Aves de la Isla de Cuba, p. 70, pi. X. fig. 2 (1850).

Humming-birds of the West Indies. 355

Calypte helente, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. iii. pi. cxxxvi.

Orthorhjnchus hoothi, Gundl. J. f. Orn. 1856, p. 99.

Hab, Cuba.

This beautiful species has never been met with elsewhere than in the island of Cuba, and it does not appear to be very abundant even there.

Orthorhynchus cristatus.

Trochilus cristatus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 192; Schomb. Hist. Barb. p. 681.

Trochilus pileatus, Lath. Ind. Orn. vol. i. p. 318.

Orthorhynchus cristatus, Gould, Mon. Trochil. vol. iv. pi. cev.

Hab. Barbadoes [Schomburgk], St. Vincent [Guilding).

This handsome species has as yet only been met with on the islands of St. Vincent and Barbadoes — a distinct species (or at all events a race of the same form) inhabiting the island of Santa Lucia, a little to the northward.

Orthorhynchus exilis.

Trochilus exilis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 484 (1788).

Orthorhynchus exilis, Gould, Mon, Troch. vol. iv. pi. ccvii.

Hab. Dominica {Taylor), Nevis, St, Thomas, Ste. Croix {Newton) .

This species appears to have, so far as our knowledge enables us to say, a much wider range than its allies. It has been dis- covered upon the four islands enumerated above ; but as there are many others lying between Dominica and Nevis (the two nearest together of those named), of the ornithic fauna of which we are in perfect ignorance, it is natural to suppose it may be found also on some of them, especially as the great islands of Guadaloupe and Martinique are among those that intervene. Up to the present time the species is only known from the four islands given.

Orthorhynchus ornatus.

U oiseau-mouche hvppe. Less. Hist. Nat. des Ois.-mouch. p. 113, pis. xxxi. & xxxii. ?

Orthorhjnchus ornatus, Gould, Mon. Troch, vol. iv. pi. ccvi. ; Scl, Proc. Zool. Soc, 1871, p. 272.

Hab. Martinique, Santa Lucia {Semper).

356 On the Humming-birds of the West Indies.

This species, if it is really entitled to such a distinction, is found exactly between O. ci'istatus of Barbadoes and St. Vin- cent, and 0. exilis of the Virgin Islands and Nevis. It has perhaps a little more blue upon the crest ; but if the locality is wanting, it is not an easy matter to separate specimens from O. exilis, to which the present bird bears a very close resemblance.

Sporadinus ricordi.

Orthorhynchus rfcor</2, Dela Sagra, Hist. Nat. de la Isla de Cuba.

Ornismya parzudaki, Less. Eev. Zool. 1838, p. 315,

Hylocharis ricordi, Gray, Gen. Birds, vol. i. p. 114, sp. 23.

Sporadinus ricordi, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. v. pi. cccxlviii.

Hab. Cuba.

The island of Cuba possesses at least two species of Humming- birds not met with elsewhere, the Calypte helence and the one now under consideration. It is rather common in its native place, and has never been known to leave the island.

Sporadinus elegans.

Trochilus elegans, Vieill. Ois. Dor. pi. xiv. p. 32 (1802).

Trochilus swainsoni, Jard. Nat. Lib. Humm. Birds, vol. ii. p. 58.

Hylocharis elegans, Gray, Gen. Birds, p. 114, sp. 18.

Sporadinus elegans, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. v. pi. cccxlvii.

Hah. St. Domingo.

Very strange is the fact that so many of the West-Indian islands appear to possess certain species of this family that are not met with elsewhere. St. Domingo is another proof of this as it is the only spot where the present species has been dis- covered ; and we may be safe in believing that it never leaves that island; for so conspicuous a bird would not likely be over- looked by any ornithologist visiting the neighbom'ing groups in pursuit of their feathered inhabitants.

Sporadinus maug^ei.

Trochilus maugaus, Vieill. Ois. Dor. vol. i. pp. 77, 79, 80, pis. xxxvii., xxxviii.; id. Diet. d^Hist. Nat. vol. vii. p. 368.

Ornismya maugaus. Less. Hist. Nat. Ois.-mouch. p. 194, sp. 68, 69.

Sporadinus maugcei, Gould, Mon. Troch. vol. v. pi. cccxlix.

Hab. Porto Rico.

On the Cranial Peculiarities of the Woodpeckers. 357

One of the very rarest species of Trochilidse. It has never yet been seen elsewhere than in the island of Porto Uico, where I have no reasons for supposing it to be otherwise than abundant.

■i 1

t3 1 — 1 a o

J O

C3 i

o bD a o « -1-2 m

6 o Ph

s C -t-i CO

o O CD m

6 o m

i a 1

o3

o a 3 o

ID (-1

ce i

+-3 ■n

O) o -ci 03 1

Tiflmrtornis viridis

* *

*

* *

* *

* * *

* * *

* * *

*

*

* *

*

* * *

mano'O

* * *

calosonia

Eulampis jugularis holosericeus Aithurus 'Dolvtmus

Doricha evelynas lyrura

*

*

*

Ti'ochilus colubris

Mellisuo'a minima

OalvTite lielenfe

*

Orthorhynclius cristatus . . exilis

ornatus SiDoradinus ricordi

*

*

*

XLI. — Note on some of the Cranial Peculiarities of the Wood- peckers. By A. H. Garrod^ B.A., Prosector to the Zoological Society.

Considering the method adopted by the Woodpeckers for ob- taining their food, it is hardly surprising that they possess cranial features peculiar to themselves ; for it is scarcely con- ceivable that the head, the most delicately constructed portion of the body, should be employed as a powerful hammer or axe whose stroke can be heard at a considerable distance, without some modifications in structure which would assist in increasing its efficiency for the purpose.

Accordingly, we find that the bones are thicker and stronger

358 Mr. A. H. Garrod on the

than in most birds,, and there is only a slight movement possible of the upper jaw on the head proper. The interorbital septum is thick and nearly complete, supporting a median protrusion on the front of the skull which is so considerable as to throw the free extremities of the hyoid bones to one side or the other, thus causing the skull to be slightly un symmetrical. Further, the axis of the upper beak is peculiarly low, being continuous with that of the basicranium ; and this results from the lowness in position of the points of junction of the superior processes of the prsemaxillse with the frontal region of the skull, which renders the angle between the beak and skull less obtuse than is generally the case. In those birds in which there is con- siderable hinge-motion of the upper beak on the head, as in the Parrots, the basispheuoid rostrum is generally long and of uni- form thickness for some distance, and the conjoined palatine bones, with the vomer between them and tlie pterygoids articu- lated behind, form a longitudinal flange along the upper surface of the median junction, which runs backwards and forwards on the rail formed by the basispheuoid rostrum during the move- ments of the beak. In the Woodpeckers any considerable articulation of this kind would reduce the value of the head as an axe ; consequently the posterior ends of the palatine bones are not well developed, and they scarcely unite in the middle line, while further forwards the vomer is not seen in the maxillo- palatine region, and these latter bones also are only slightly developed. A similar tendency among Passeriniform birds to the reduction of the vomer in front is found, combined with a complete absence of the maxillo-palatines, in Menura ^.

Professor Huxley, in his paper " On the Classification of Birds" t, has entered into considerable detail respecting the Woodpecker's palate, and from not finding a vomer present, and observing the peculiar longitudinal bony spicula connected with the inner edges of the palatine bones, opposite to and behind the fenestrse they assist to enclose, is led to think that these

* Since the above has been in print I find that the maxillo-palatines are not absent in Menura, but are long and slender, diifering somewhat from the ordinary passerine type, but separate from one another and from the vomer.

t Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867, pp. 415-472.

Cranial Peculiarities of the Woodpeckers.

359

spicula are the rudiments of the vomer, which has not ossified across the middle line. But in carefully prepared skulls they look much more like the inner edges of the imperfectly ossified palatines, as they are connected completely with them at both ends. Further, in most of the specimens of Gecinus viridis and its allies that I have had the opportunity of examining, I have found a median bone, situated between the palatines, and sup- ported like a vomer on the basisphenoid rostrum, at the anterior end of its broader portion. This bone is small, and shaped very much like a spear-head with the tip directed forwards, whilst posteriorly it gradually becomes fibrous and tends to bifui'cate, but not in the ossified part. It does not extend back- wards quite so far as the pterygo-palatine articulation. The accompanying .sketch will enable its shape and position to be more clearly perceived.

Palate of Gecinus virich's, show- ing the vomer x, between the palatines PI. The pterygoids are marked Ft, and the spine of the basicranium a.

Ft —

Though this bone is situated rather further back than the vomer in most birds, yet it is found similarly placed in some, as in Megalcema, which by the way has the anterior termination of its vomer truncated in front, and produced forwards at the corners, as in the Crow — though in the former bird these pro- cesses articulate, and do not anchylose with the posterior ends of the palatine plates of the maxillo-palatines.

On cutting the palatine bones of Gecinus from the anterior

360 Viscount Walden on u

part of the skull, and disarticulating them from the pterygoids, the bone which I suppose to be the vomer comes away with the palatines, as would be expected, were such the case.

The absence of truncation in the vomer of the Woodpeckers tends by itself to remove them from a close relationship with the Passerine birds ; but, as I before remarked, this peculiarity may depend on their special habits. There is, however, in the shape of the pterygoid bones a character which tends to bring them together again. In Passerine birds the pterygoids extend for- wards for a considerable distance in front of the point of contact or articulation with the palatines. These antei'ior processes are vertically expanded and in contact with the rostrum, and pro- bably sometimes with the crura of the vomer ; they are situated above (that is, deeper than) the posterior internal angles of the palatines, and therefore are not seen while looking at the surface of the palate, but only on a side view\ In the Woodpeckers and other birds related to them these processes are also present, but they are absent in most others, though the Anserine birds possess them. In the Woodpeckers, also, there is a very peculiar anteriorly directed process arising from the upper part of the middle of the body of the pterygoid bone, which is quite inde- pendent of the one above described.

XLII. — On a Collection of Birds recently made by Mr. A. H. Everett in JSorthern Borneo. By Arthur, Viscount Wal- den, P.Z.S., F.R.S.

(Plate XII.)

Having lately had an opportunity of examining a small collection of birds obtained in Northern Borneo by Mr. A. H. Everett, it has occurred to me that a list of the species it included might form an acceptable addition to our knowledge of the avifauna of that island. Hitherto the Bornean collections sent to London by Mr. Everett have been dispersed before being catalogued, and the valuable materials he had contributed to the formation of a complete list of North-Bornean birds were thus rendered un- available. This is the more to be regretted, as most of his spe-

Collection of Birds from Northern Borneo. 361

cimeus have labels attached which give the origin and sex of each example, and other useful information. These notes, when- ever they occur, are here introduced within inverted commas.

Our knowledge of Bornean ornithology dates from compara- tively recent times, and is not extensive. In 1855 Messrs. Motley and Dillwyn* published the first part of a work on Bornean zoology, which, unfortunately, was not continued. The ornithological portion of the subject is well treated. In 1863 Mr. Sclaterf published some observations on the birds of South- eastern Borneo by Mr. Motley, to which he added some valuable original notes. This paper comprises a list of 134 species. These two publications, I believe, embrace all that has been written of a connected character on the Bornean avifauna. Besides, we have nothing but scattered notices of new species by various authors, from Temminck to Salvadori. Indeed it is curious that no Bornean birds were described or enumerated by any of the older authors. Until the island was visited by the Dutch collectors in the time of Temminck, it is doubtful whether a single Bornean bird reached the hands of an ornithologist.

The objects of especial interest contained in Mr. Everett's last collection are Argusianus grayi, Pityriasis yijmnocephalus, of which rare species a considerable number of individuals were obtained, and Setornis criniger, Lesson. Until we possess complete catalogues of the Malaccan, Sumatran, Javan, and Phihppine birds, and all their allied forms have been compared, it will be premature to comment on their geographical distri- bution. For the present all that we are warranted in saying is that the Bornean ornis exhibits a near relationship to the Su- matran and Malaccan, less to the Javan, and still less to the Philippine; while its few ornithic affinities with the neigh- bouring island of Celebes it has in common with the more distant Sunda islands.

PALiEORNis LONGICAUDATUS (Bodd.), Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 53 (1783), ex D'Aubenton ; 0. Fmsch, Papag. ii. p. 77.

Perruche de Malac, D'Aubent. PI. Enl. 887-

* Contributions to the Natural History of Labuan, &c. • Part 1. Lon- don, July 2, 1855.

t Prof. Zool. Soc. 18(53, p. 20G.

SER. III. VOL. II. ^ ^

362 Viscount Walden oii a

Paiaurms malaccensis, Vigors ; Motley & Dillwyn, Labuan, p. 26,

PalcEornis affinis, Gould, B. of Asia, pt. x. pi. — , av. juv. (1858), fide Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 42.

Sarawak {Everett) ; Banjarmassing {Motley) ; Sumatra, Ma- lacca {mus. nostr.) ; Bangka {Sal. Miiller) ; Nias Isl. {v. Rosen- berg).

In a Sumatran example the middle rectrices measure 10| inches.

HiERAx c^RULEscENs (Linn.), S. N. i. p. 125, no. 9 (1766), ex Edwards.

Little Black and Orange-coloured Indian Hawk, Edwards, lUustr. pi. 108, " Bengal.^'

Hierax malayensis, Strickl. Ann. Nat. Hist. xiii. p. 33, " Ma- lay countries ^■' (1844).

" Marup, 2 ■"

Does not diflFer from Sumatran and Malaccan examples. No rufous about the head. The wing measures 3| inches. The writing on the label is indistinct, but seems to read "iris light brown." The Javan bird has yet to be compared.

Spilornis bacha (Daudin), Traite, ii. p. 43 (1800), ex Levaillant.

Le Bacha, Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr. i. p. 68, pi. 15, " South Africa " !

Spilornis cheela (Daud.), apud Wallace, Ibis, 1868, p. 15, " Borneo, small race of the Indian species," nee Daudin.

Falco cheela, Daudin, Traite, ii. p. 44 (1800), to which spe- cies Mr. Wallace (/. c.) referred the small Boruean Spilornis, was founded on Latham^s Cheela Falcon, Syn. Suppl. p. 33,= Falco cheela. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 14. no. 14 (1790), described as from India, where it is known " by the name of Cheela ; size large, and of a very stout make ; length 2 feet or more " (Lath. /. c).

Falco bacha, Daudin {I.e.), is the title Daudin gave io Le Bacha, Levaillant (/. c.) . Levaillant's type is generally sup- posed to have come from Java ; and his plate agrees well with the Javan bird. Falco bido, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 137,

Collection uf Birds from Northern Borneo. 363

IS a synonym {conf. Sundev. Kritisk, Ois. d'Afr. p. 25). This Bornean species appears to be smaller than either of these two Eagles, being about equal in size to S. rufipectus, Gould. The adult plumes that have appeared on the thighs, under the shoulders, and on the abdomen and flanks are much paler than in my Malaccan, Javan, and Cingalese examples of S. hacha. I am inclined to the opinion that it belongs to a distinct and undescribed species ; yet, until a fully adult individual can be examined, I propose to regard these Bornean birds as repre- senting ^. bacha in immature plumage. If it eventually prove to be distinct, I venture to suggest for it the title of Spilornis pallidiis.

Two examples are sent by Mr. Everett, one without a label. One marked '^' Jambusan, September, $ ," is of a young bird in transition plumage. The feathers of the interscapular region are pale rusty fulvous, with a broad subterminal dark brown band, which is fringed with albescent fulvous. On the lower back and uropygium the feathers are pale brown, terminated with deeper brown and fringed with albescent-fulvous. The feathers of the head, including the crest, which is considerably developed, are white at their insertion, then tawny, with a dark brown subterminal drop with a terminal fringe, much decom- posed, of albescent-fulvous. Below each eye a bold pure white mark ; a narrow black line over the eye, joining the black ear- coverts and cheeks ; chin and throat immaculate tawny. The remainder of the under surface tawny. Some of the pectoral plumes with pale brown central triangular markings ; lower down some with faint central streaks of pale rusty-brown. Abdominal and ventral plumes, the thigh and tail-coverts, and the flanks with numerous cross bars of dilute ferruginous. Axillaries barred with bright pale ferruginous. The primaries are brown above, with black outer webs, deepening towards the tips, which are white, and one or two slanting black bars crossing both webs. Underneath the quills are white, the black bands and ends showing through as pure or mottled pale brown. The rectrices at their base are brown ; then a band of very dark brown an inch and a half deep, followed by a still broader pale

band of albescent brown ; then a narrow subterminal very dark

o ,, •)

/V IJ rv

364 Viscount Walden on a

brown band^ edged by a very narrow border of light brown, and finally fringed with albescent.

The second example, which (from its smaller dimensions) is probably of a male, has put on many of its adult feathers. The chin and throat v/hite, with a few feathers brown-centred. The remainder of the under surface of the peculiar pale earthy brown colour found in S. cheela. The breast unspotted, but the abdo- minal, ventral, and flank feathers, the axillaries, under wing- coverts, thigh, and under tail-coverts more or less spotted with pure white ; the axillaries have their ground-colour more ruddy. The under surface of the quills as in the Jambusan individual; above the black portion of the quills as in that example, but the paler brown replaced by pale earthy brown mottled with albescent. The banding of the rectrices is different and very irregular. The subterminal dark brown band both individuals possess in com- mon ; the pale band above is narrow, irregular, and mottled. Above this, again, the dark brown band occupies less space, and is broken into by mottled pale brown and albescent, above which, again, are indications of a third dark brown band. The plumes of the head and crest are mostly pure white at the base, termi- nated with a broad jet-black band. The white mark under the eye persists ; but the cheeks and ear-coverts are cinereous, with a jet-black shaft to each feather. The back and wing-coverts are of a much paler brown.

Longitndo

		AliB.	Caudae.	Tarsi.
Spilornis	bacha.	. 15-25	10	3-87	Adult, East Java.
»	»?	14-50	10	3-50	„ Java.
»	>?	15-50	10	3-50	Nearly adult, Ceylon.
»	M	15-50	10	3-50	V «
»	J>	14-50	9-80	3-50	» V
>.»	5>	14-50	9-80	3-50	" "
)>	>>	14-75	11	3-25	Adult, Malacca*.
V	»	13-25	10	3-25	2 juv., Jambusan.
»	})	12-62	8-75	3-12	J (?)juv., Sarawak (?).

* The examples noted as adult have the crest pure white and black. The others have the bLick portion of the crest-plumes edged with fen-u- ginous brown. The caudal banding of one Ceylon individual agrees with the banding in the Javan and Malaccan. In the three other Ceylon indi- viduals three dark brown bands are more or less indicated.

Collection of Birds from Northern Borneo.

365

Phodilus RADIUS (Horsf.), Tr. Linu. Soc. xiii. p. 139, "Java" (1820) ; Zool. Kes. Java, pi. — ; Temm. PI. Col. 318, " Java "; Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Striges, p. 23.

No locality given; probably from neighbourhood of Sarawak. Example sent uudistinguishable from Malaccan and Burman (Tongboo) individuals. Sumatrau individuals are considered to belong to the same species (Schlegel, /. c.) .

NiNox BORNEENSis (Bp.), Mus. Lugd. Consp. i. p. 41. no. 23, " Malaiasia, Borneo " (1850) j Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Striges, p. 25.

" Marup."

Although also given by Bonaparte from Malaiasia, the only examples in the Leyden Museum were from Borneo. Of a paler and ruddier brown than Malaccan individuals I have examined. Underneath, the broader centres are almost bright rufous, and occupy more of each feather, less white being thus apparent than in N. scutellatus (Rafl3.) = N. malayensis, Eyton, or in any other of the alHed forms. Dimensions less than those of the Ceylon, South-Indian, Assaui, Burmau, or Malaccan species. Four caudal bands are present.

Longitudu

Alse. Caudee. 5

4-75 4-75 5

5-50 5-50 4-75 4-75 4-50

Meiglyptes tristis (Horsf.), Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 177, "Java" (1820).

Picus poicilophos, Temm. PI. Col. 197. fig. 1, 6 , "Java" (1823).

"Marup, July, J, iris crimson; Simunjon, d, iris crimson; Marup, 2 ."

The example from Simunjon is in the plumage of M. tristis

Ninox hirsutui ....	.. 7-75
»	JJ	7-75
»	17	7-75
V	?>	8
?>	V	8-50
V	}>	8 50
>j	scutellatus . .	.. 7-50
-V	?)	7-50
»	borneensis . .	.. 7-12

Ceylon, five caudal bands.

V	»	»
Coorg,	V	})
V	>>	V
Assam,	5'	>>
Tonghoo,	,"»	J}
Malacca,	four	caudal bauds.
))	V	>>
Marup,	))	})

366 Viscaunt Waldt-n on a

verus, ap. Malh. (Monogr. ii. p. 10) ; and a Banjarmassing spe- cimen displays the same characters. The first, although marked a male, wants the usual red cheek-stripes ; the Soath-Bornean bird displays only traces of red feathers on the cheeks. Ma- laccan examples frequently exhibit one or other of the pecu- liarities insisted upon by Malherbe as being characteristic of M. tristis (Horsf.), notably the dark breast and under surface generally. All the individuals with the under surface coloured fulvous, with brown cross bands, Malherbe has separated under the title of P. yrammithorax {torn. cit. p. 13). That author, however, admits that it is impossible to indicate with precision the separate localities they inhabit. The Marup specimens are in the plumage of P . grammithorax, and they do not differ from some Malaccan and Sumatran examples. The probabilities are that the dark-breasted individuals, M. tristis (Horsf.), are birds not arrived at maturity, and that when in adult plumage they assume the garb which induced Malherbe to regard them as belonging to a distinct species, P . grammithorax^ .

Centrococcyx EURYCEiicus (A. Hay), J. A. S. B. xiv. j). 551, "Malacca" (1845).

Cuculus bubutus, Horsf. apud Raffles^ Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 286, " Sumatra."

Centropus bomeensis, Bp. Consp. Vol. Zygod. p. 5 (1854).

"Marup, ?, iris crimson."

Prince Bonaparte (/. c.) separated the large Bornean Crow Pheasant; but this example agrees so closely with Malaccan and Sumatran individuals that I cannot recognize its specific di- stinction. C eurycercus can always be distinguished from the continental C. rufipennis, Illiger, by its larger size, by the tail of the full-plumaged bird (?) being blue and not green, and by the interscapularij region of the bdck being coloured like the wings. Even in young birds with striated plumage, this part of the back will be found to have some rufous feathers. I have not been

* This view is supported by the fact, above mentioned, that the Simun- jon male wants the usual red cheek-stripes. Mr. Everett's notes of the sexes throughout his collection appear to have been made with scrupulous accuracj'.

Collection of Birds from Northern Borneo.

367

able to determine with any certainty whether the rectrices pass from green to blue^ or blue to green ; but in one stage they are certainly blue, which never occurs in C. rufipennis.

If, on comparison, the Javan Centrococcyx (C. bubutus, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 180, sp. 2) prove to belong to this species, Horsfield^s title will have precedence. Both Moore and Cabanis unite it with the continental form ; but, judging from Horsfield^s plate and description (Zool. Res., C. philippensis, yav. Javanica), it is the Malayan species or else nearly allied to it.

Centrococcyx javanensis (Dumont de Ste. -Croix), Diet. Sc. Nat. xi. p. 144, "Java" (1818); Walden, Tr. Zool. Soc. viii. p. 59.

" Jambusan, $, iris brown."

In almost perfect plumage. Identical with Javan, Malaccan, and Celebean examples.

Penthoceryx pravatus (Horsf.), Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 179, "Java" (1820).

Cuculus 7'ufovitiafus, Drapiez, Diet. Class. d'Hist. Nat. iv. p. 568, "Java" (1823).

Cuculus fasciolatus, Sal. Miiller, Verb. Nat. Gesch. Nederl. Ov. Bez. Land- en Volk. p. 177, note, sp. 4, "Java and Su- matra" (1839-44).

" Sabu, 2 , iris warm brown, legs pale bluish lead ; Busan, $ , iris yellow, October."

The species which inhabits Malacca, Sumatra, Java, and Borneo is considerably smaller than P. sonnerati (Lath.) of India and Ceylon.

Longitude

Penthocen/x sonnei'citi

Penthoceryx jjravatus

it »)

6 2 2

Alse.

4-88 4-75 4-75 4-88 4-25

4-25

3-88

40

40

Caudae. 5-12 4-88 4-62 50 4-37 4-50 4-0 40 4-12

Caudeish.

Ceylou.

Malabar.

Maunbhooui.

Java.

Malacca.

Sarawak.

Busan.

Sabu.

3G8 Viscount Waldeii on a

SuRNicuLus LUGUBRis (Hoi'sf.), Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 179, adult, "Java" (1820); Zool. Res. Java, pi. — .

Cucalus albopundatus, Drapiez, Diet. Class. d^Hist. Nat. iv. p. 570, "Java'' (1823), av. juv.

Pseudornis dicruroides, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. 1839, p. 136, pi. — , " Nipaul."

" Marup, iris brown."

Himalayan, Ceylon, Malaccan, and .lavan individuals do not differ ; and this Marup example also agrees with them.

Longitudo

Alse. Caudae. Surniculus luguhris 5'7o 6 Java, fiill black plumage. „ „ 4'82 5"50 Java, full black plumage.

. ^~ K QT I Malacca, changing from brown to I black plumage ; no spots.

„ „ 5"37 6'88 Valley of Nipaul, full black plumage.

5'75 6'0 Darjeeling, full black plumage. 4'88 6-88 Ceylon, full black plumage. 4'88 5"75 Ceylon, spotted plumage.

1i ' V

« »

„ „ 4-62 5 Mai'up, spotted plumage.

Pelargopsis leucocephala (Gm.), S. N. i. p. 456 (1788); Sharpe, Mon. Alced. pi. 59.

" Marup, c? , ii'is brown, bill and legs scarlet."

Ceyx sharpii, Salvadori, Atti Ac. Sc. Torino, 1869, p. 463, pi. — , " Sarawak ; " Sharpe, Mon. Alced. pi. 63. "Marup, S, ii'is brown, bills and legs pale red." A single example of a beautiful Cej/x in Mr. Everett's collec- tion seems referable to this species, although it does not quite agree with Count Salvadori's diagnosis, nor with that given by Mr. Sharpe. It has the wings of Ceyx tridactyla, and it also possesses the large deep-blue spot on the sides of the head of that species. It is certainly not C. dillwynni, Sharpe^ with the type of which I have compared it.

Alcedo asiatica. Swains. Zool. Illustr. 1st ser. i. pi. 50, "some part of India" (1820-21) ; Sharpe, Mon. Alced. pi. 75.

" Marup, 6 , iris brown, feet claret-coloured ; Marup, 6 , August, iris brown, bill black-brown, feet coral-red."

Collection of Birds from Northern Borneo. 369

Lyncornis temmincki, Gould, Icones Av. pi. 6, "Borneo" (1838)*.

Caprimulgus jjulcher, A. Hay, Madr. Journ. L. Sc. xiii. p. 161, "Malacca" (1844).

" Marup, 2 , July, iris brown."

Identical with Malaccan examples.

Calyptomena viRiDis, Raffles, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 295, d, "Sumatra" (1821) ; Horsf. Zool. Res. Javaf, pi. — , d.

Rupicola viridis, Temm. PI. Col. 216 (August 20, 1823), " Su- matra."

Calyptomena rafflesia, Swains. An. in Menag. p. 296. no. 49, pi. 48. f. a, c? adult (18—?), ex Raffles.

Calyptomena caudacuta, Swains, tom. cit. no. 50, pi. 48. fig. b, S juv. vel $ , " India."

"Marup, S , iris brown, July, not pairing."

Malaccan and Bornean examples do not differ.

CoRYDON suMATRANUs (Rafflcs), Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 303, "Sumatra" (1821).

Eurylaimus corydon, Temm. PI. Col. 297, " Sumatra " (1824).

Corydon temmincki, Lesson, Man. d'Orn. i. p. 177, ex Tem- minck (1828).

"Busau, d, iris light brown, bill and legs purplish."

A young bird changing into adult plumage. Prevailing colour above dingy dark olive-brown.

Malaccan and Sumatran examples exhibit no distinctive cha- racters.

Eurylaimus JAVANicus, Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 170, "Java" (1820) ; Zool. Res. Java, pi. — .

Eurijlaimushorsfieldi, Temm. Pi. Col. 130, ^ ad., 131, av. juv., "Java" (1823).

"Marup, (J , iris yellow ; Jambusan, ^ {av.juv.),\v\% ydXow, bill blue, legs claret; $ [av.juv.), iris yellow, bill blue, legs claret."

Identical with Malaccan examples. The young birds are

* Mr. Goiild (/. c.) quotes P. Z. S. pt. vi. 1838 ; but I have failed to find the reference, t But not known to occur in Java.

370 ' Viscount Walden on a

fairly represented in Temminck's plates. The young of both sexes are in similar plumage. The bill is black in the dried specinieu.

EuRYLAiMUS ocHROMELAs, Raffles, Tr. Linn. Soc, xiii. p. 297, *' Singapore and Sumatra" (1821).

Eurylaimus cucullatus, Temm. PI. Col. 261, " Sumatra " (1824).

Eurylaimus raffiesi, Less. Compl. BuflF. ii. p. 433, ex Raffles (1840).

" Simunjon, $, iris yellowish, bill blue, legs purplish; $ [av.juv.), iris yellow, bill blue, legs pinkish.'^

The young bird has little or no black on the throat, which, with the upper breast, is white ; remainder of under surface yel- low, a few new vinous feathers appearing on the breast. Black collar wanting. Frontal plumes yellow.

A Pinang example in perfect plumage has the black collar interrupted on the breast. According to Sir Stamford Raffles this is peculiar to the female ; and in the adult authentic female examples from Simunjon the collar is likewise interrupted, being almost absent.

Cymbirhynchus macrorhynchus (Gm.), S. N. i. p. 446 (1788), ex Latham.

Great-billed Tody, Lath. Synop. i. p. 664. no. 14, pi. 30, " Leverian Museum," descr. orig.

Todus nasutus, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 268. no. 14, ex Lath. (1790) ; Gen. Hist. iv. p. 94, pi. 65 ; Temm. PI. Col. 154, " lies de la Sonde."

Eurylaimus lemniscatus, Raffl. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 296, "Sumatra" (1821).

Platyrhynchus ornatus, Desm. Hist. Nat. Tang. (Hist. Nat. Platyrinques) livr. iv. ex Lath. (1805).

Erolla nasica, Less. Tr. p. 260, " Sumatra ^^ (1831).

Examples from Malacca, Baujarmassing, and Sarawak do not differ.

The sternum alluded to by Mr. Sclater [anteh, p. 178) and figured (p. 179. fig. 3) belongs to a Bornean example of this species and not to Eurylaimus javanicus.

Collection of Birds from Northern Borneo. 371

PiTYRusis GYMNOCEPHALUs (Teiiim.), Pl.Col.572, "Borueo " (1835).

" Marup, 2, ii'is dark brown, legs pinkish white." Colour of soft parts in the male is not noted. Females seem to diflFer from males by having most of the abdominal and ventral feathers edged with carmine. The wing of this remarkable species is long and powerful. The first quill is about two thirds of the length of the second, which is three fourths of an inch shorter than the third ; the third is equal to the fifth, the fourth being a little the longest. The tail is short and even. The first quill has a round white mark at its insertion, on the inner web. In the next six quills this white mark expands and forms a broad white bar on the inner webs. It is wanting on the secondaries. One, a middle rectrix of a female example, is crossed by a dingy, obscure, carmine mark. In all the other examples the rectrices are uniform dark slate-black.

		Longitudo
	Alse.	Caudae. Tarsi.	Rostr.
6,	5-88	3-50 1-37	1-50
2,	6-	3-50 1-37	1-50

Artamus leucorhynchus (Linn.), Mantissa Plant, p. 524, "ManUla" (1771) ; Waldeu, Tr. Zool. Soc. viii. p. 67. " Marup, S , iris brown, bill bluish white, legs lead-grey." This locality must be added to those given by me (/. c).

Graucalus concretus, Hartlaub, J. fiir. Orn. 186J?, p. 445, $ vel S juv., '' Borneo."

Graucalus fasciatus (Vieill.), apud Hartlaub, torn. cit. p. 444, nee Vieillot.

An example of a female or of a young male Graucalus, but unfortunately without a label, formed part of Mr. Everett^s col- lection. It is not to be distinguished from Malaccau individuals collected by the late Mr. Maingay, and noted by him as being females, excepting that the wing is slightly shorter and the secondaries are not so broadly margined with white. It agrees completely with Dr. Hartlaub's diagnosis (/. c.) of G. concretus. Dr. Hartlaub {torn, cit.) described two distinct species from Borneo : the one he referred to G. fasciatus, Vieill., a title given

372 Viscount Walden on a

to Daubenton's 6,29th plate, and within whose range he includes Sumatra; on the other he bestowed the above title, restrict- its range to Borneo. Without questioning the fact that two dis- tinct species of fasciated Cuckoo- Shrikes may inhabit Borneo, only one is known in the Malay peninsula, which we may by analogy infer to be the same as the Sumatran ; and this species is certainly not Coracina fasciata, Vieillot. Indeed the Malaccan Graucalus has never had a distinctive title bestowed upon it, it having been confounded with the bird figured by Daubenton, pi. 629, a Philippine species and totally distinct. I adopt, therefore, for the Bornean and Malaccan Graucalus, Dr. Hart- laub's title.

Pericrocotus ardens, Boie; Bp. Consp. Av. i. p. 357, " Su- matra" (1850).

"Marup, d, iris brown, July, pairing."

It is with some doubt that I identify the example sent with P. ardens, Boie ; for the Indo-Malayan members of the genus have never been brought together and satisfactorily identified. This Marup bird agrees in all respects with Sumatran and Ma- laccan individuals. In colouring it closely resembles P. speciosus (Lath.), of which it is nothing but a miniature form. Wing 3"18 inches, tail 3*37. Muscicipa miniata, Temm. PL Col. 156. fig. 1, " Java," if not the same species, may be the Javan repre- sentative form. The bird represented (/. c. fig. 2) must be another species.

Pericrocotus minutus, Strickl. Contrib. Orn. 1849, p. 94. no. 22, 6, pi. — , "Borneo."

" Marup, 2 , iris brown, July, not breeding."

Streak over the eye but not extending beyond, cheeks, fore- head, chin, throat, all the under surface of the body, under shoulder-coverts, and underside of the wing-band deep golden. Sides of the head pale ash. Head and back slate-grey ; tips of the rump-feathers orange-red. Upper tail-coverts bright orange- red. Alar bar above orange-yellow. Middle pair of rectrices brown, lateral orange-red. Wing 2*80 inches, tail 2'95.

The style of plumage of this example is certainly never met with in P.peregrinus, which it barely exceeds in dimensions;

Collection of Birds from Northern Borneo. 373

and with little doubt I refer it to Mr. Strickland's species, which, although closely resembling the preceding species, P. ardens, apud nos, is described by him as not exceeding P. peregi'inus in size. P. igneus, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1846, p. 309, may possibly be this form ; for it likewise is described as being barely larger than P. peregrinus ; but it may be equal to P. ardens, apud nos. If identical with this Bornean bird, Mr. Blyth's title will have precedence [conf. BIyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 369, and op. cit. 1867, p. 184).

Philentoma VELATUM (Temm.), PI. Col. 334, 6, "Timor and Java" (1825).

Monacha ceesia, Lesson, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 167, $, ''Su- matra."

Muscicapa pecturalis, A. Hay, Madr. Journ. L. & Sc. xiii. p. 261, s, "Malacca" (1844).

Philentoma unicolor, Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 46, $ , " Borneo."

Vicinity of Sarawak ?

One male in the collection. Sumatran, Malaccan, and Bor- nean examples do not differ.

With doubt I follow Mr. Moore and the late Mr. G. R. Gray, and place this Flycatcher in Philentoma, Eyton.

TcHiTREA AFFiNis, A. Hay, J.A. S.B. 1846, p. 292, ''Ma- lacca."

" Foot of Matang, $ , iris white, legs and bill cobalt ; Marup, cJ, iris brown."

The female is in dingy rufous plumage with a grey throat. The male in pure white, the black of the shafts of the central pair of rectrices extending to their tips. In a white Sarawak male (Wallace) the terminal half of the shafts are white, as in T. pa- radisi, excepting within half an inch of the end, where they are black. In a Pinang example a similar variation is observable. One from Sumatra has the entire shaft black.

Cyornis elegans (Temm.), PI. Col. 596. f. 2, "Sumatra" (1836).

" Marup, in August, 6 , iris chocolate, legs lead-colour." I provisionally identify a single example obtained of a Cyornis

374 Viscount Walden on a

with the Sumatran species, not having had an opportunity of making a comparison.

Chin, the entire throat, forehead, superciliary stripes, upper tail-coverts and shoulders of the wing bright cobalt blue. A patch of pale rufous on the breast. Flanks very dilute rufous, Lower breast, belly, and under tail-coverts pure white. Lores and under surface of rectrices black. Remainder of plumage rich indigo-blue. Of the same tyipe as Cyo7-nis rubeculoides (Vigors), but much more brilliantly coloured. Mr. Blyth (Ibis, 1865, p. 44) considers Muscicapa elegans-=Phcemcura ruheculoides, Vigors; if this be so, the Bornean Cyornis is a distinct species. I very much question the correctness of Mr. Blyth's identification ; for Temminck describes the Sumatran Cyornis as having the chin and cheeks, along with the forehead and shoulders, of a bright azure-blue, a feature not to be found in the continental species.

Erythropitta GRANATiNA (Tcmm.), PI. Col. 506, " Ponti- anak, Borneo " (1830) ; Schlegel, Vog. Nederl. Ind. Pitta, p. 35, pi. 5. fig. 3, S , adult, " Banjarmassing ; '' Mus. Pays-Bas, Pitta, p. 5.

Brachyurus granatinus (Temm.), Elliot, Ibis, 1870, p. 417, partim, tig. 4.

"Marup, d, iris brown, April."

I concur with Mr. Gould in regarding the Bornean bird as specifically distinct from that of Malacca, E. coccinea (Eyton). The following points of diSerence appear to be constant in Ery- thropitta granatina : — The black on the forehead recedes more from the base of the bill and occupies more space, thus dimin- ishing the extent of crimson. The shade of crimson is much darker, being deep cherry-red and not vermilion. The blue stripes on the sides of the head and the blue wing-coverts are distinctly paler ; on the other hand the back is very much darker, and glossed with a totally different shade of purple. The red of the abdominal region and under tail-coverts is conspicuously deeper.

Melanopitta muelleri (Bp.), Consp. Av. i. p. 256, "Ce- lebes," errore (1850), ex MUll. & Schlegel.

Pitta atricapilla, Miill. & Schlegel, nee uuct., Verli. Nat.

Collection of Birds from Northern Borneo. 375

Gesch. Nederl. Ind. Zool. p. 19. no. 19, "Borneo;" Schlegel, Vog. Nederl. Ind. Pittce, p. 31. no. 4, pi. 2. fig. 2, "Borneo meridional/' Mus. Pays-Bas, Pitta, p. 3.

" Marup, S , iris brown ; $ , iris brown.''

Both examples in adult plumage. In the male the first four primaries are tipped with black, the fifth slightly ; the next five quills are pure white to their extremities. In the female exam- ples all the quills are terminated with black, on the first quill the white forming but a narrow bar.

TiMALiA NiGRicoLLis, Temm. PI. Col. 594. fig. 2, " Borneo " (1836) ; Hartl. Rev. Zool. 1846, p. 4.

Timalia erythronota, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1842, p. 793, " Sin- gapore."

Brachjpteryx nigrogularis, Eyton,Ann. Nat. Hist. 1845,p, 228, " Malay peninsula."

" Marup, S > iris crimson ; Matang, S > iris crimson, bill and legs black."

Agrees with examples from Sumatra, Malacca and Pinang.

Macronus ptilosus, Jard. & Selby, 111. Orn. pi. 150 (1835).

Timalia trichorros, Temm. PI. Col. 594. fig. 1, " Sumatra, Borneo" (1836).

"Busan, S , Marup, $, iris brown."

Sexes alike. Bornean examples are somewhat larger than those which inhabit Sumatra and Malacca, and are perhaps somewhat lighter in shade.

'&'

MixoRNis BORXENsis, Bonap. Consp. i. p. 217, "Borneo" (1850) ; Hombr. & Jacquin. Voy. Pole Sud, iii. p. 90, pi. 19. fig. 2, " Banjarmassing;" Sclater, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 215. no. 64, " Banjarmassing."

" Marup, c? ,iris Naples yellow ; $ , bill lead-brown, iris Naples yellow, legs red-brown ; August, not breeding."

This Mixornis is well figured (/. c.) . The Marup examples have the ground-colour of the lower breast and belly of a more lively yellow than a Banjarmassing individual. I am ac- quainted with and have compared five distinct species of this genus, of which the following are the titles : —

376 Viscount Walden on a

1. Motacilla rubicapilla, Tickell, J. A. S. B. 1833, p. 576, " Jungles of Borabhum and Dholbhiim."

lora chloris, Hodgs. MS.; Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1842, p. 794; op. cit. 1844, p. 380, "Lower hills of Nipaul/'

Mixornis ruficeps, Hodgs. P. Z. S. 1845, p. 23.

Mixornis rubicapilla (Tickell) ; Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 23 ; Walden, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 547, " Salween valley."

Nipaul and Bootan Himalayas, Central India {Jerdon) ; Assam {Godwin- Austen) ; Tenasserim (Beavan).

2. Motacilla gularis, Raffles, Linn. Tr. xiii. p. 312, "Su- matra" (1821) ; Walden, I.e.

Timalia gularis (Raffles) ; Horsf. Zool. Res. in Java, pi. — , " Sumatra."

Mixornis sumatrana, Bp. Consp. i. p. 217, "Sumatra" (1850).

Timalia similis, Temm., Mus. Lugd. ; Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 47, " Sumatra."

Mixornis similis, Blyth, G. R. Gray, Hand-list, no. 4723, " Sumatra."

Mixornis sumatrana, G.R.Gray, torn. cit. no. 4720, "Sumatra."

Prinia pileata, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1842, p. 204, " Malay pe- ninsula."

Sumatra {Wallace) ; Malacca {mus. nostr.).

3. Mixornis javanica, Cab.^' Mus. Hein. i. p. 77, "Java" (1850).

Myiothera gularis, Temm. PI. Col. 442. fig. 1, " Java and Sumatra."

Mixoi-nis gularis (Horsf.) ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 217, " Java," uec Horsf. ; G. R. Gray, H.-list, no. 4717, " Java," nee Horsf., nee Hombr. & Jacquin. Voy. Pole Sud, pi. 19. fig. 2.

Java {Wallace).

4. Mixornis bornensis, Bp. ut supra.

5. Timalia flavicollis, Muller ; Bp. I.e. "Java" (1850). A true Mixornis.

Java {Wallace).

* Cmif. Bp. Coll. Delattre, p. 41, note. Notwithstanding the ungenerous observation contained in the reference, Dr. Cabanis is undouljtediy right. He was the first to recognize the fact that Horsfield (Zool. l»es.) figured the Sumatran bird.

Ibis. 1872, PL.XIL

J Cy.KeuTemarLS lifh

M<fcN-Haunliart imp

SETORNIS CRINIGER.

Collection of Birds from Northern Bo7'neo. 377

Oriolus xanthonotus^ Horsf. Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 152, <S , '•Java" (1820) ; Zool. Res. Java, pi. — .

Oriolus leucogaster, Reinwardt ; Tenim. PI. Col. 214, 6)2, "Java" (1823).

Oriolus castanopterus, Blytli, J. A. S. B. p. 1842, 796, $, " Singapore."

An old male; precise locality not mentioned. Does not differ from Malaccan and Banjarmassing individuals.

Setornis criniger, Lesson. (Plate XII.)

Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 167, " Sumatra ;" uec Brachypus criniger, A. Hay, J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 377 (1845) ; nee Setornis (?) criniger, A. Hay, Blytli, Cat. Cal. Mus. p. 212, no. 1283.

" Sabu, J , iris chocolate."

Above fuliginous brown, deepest on the head, and tinged with olive on the back and sides of neck. Quills brown edged with ferruginous. Inner edges of quills white seen from above, al- bescent from below. Rectrices graduated, brown ; all but the middle pair, with the terminal part of the inner web, pure white above for about three quarters of an inch. Lores and a streak passing above the eye, lower part of the cheeks, chin, throat, and upper part of breast white faintly tinted with pale iron-grey. A small space before the eye, and extending behind the eye, dark brown or black. A pale grey space below the eye. Lower breast pale straw-colour, some of the feathers being tipped with pale ashy brown. Remainder of lower surface and under tail-coverts pale straw-colour. Flanks pale fuliginous- brown. Under shoulder-coverts mixed pale yellow and pale brown. Bill horn-brown, shading to pale grey or bluish grey at the tip of maxilla and throughout most of the mandible. Feet very pale pink or flesh-colour. A bunch of fine black hairs springs from the nape. The bill is long, much compressed to- wards the tip : the maxilla has the culmen perfectly straight ; at the tip it bends suddenly downwards, forming a formidable hook and showing a distinct notch. The commissure is also quite straight, and the maxilla rather overlaps the mandible. The gonys is curved. The rictus is armed with powerful and long bristles. The tarsus is short, and the toes are weak. The Krst

SER. III. VOL. II. 2 F,

378 Viscount Walden on a

quill is about two-thirds of the length of the second ; this is half an inch shorter than the third, which, again, is nearly as much shorter than the fourth. The fourth quill is longest and slightly exceeds the fifth, the sixth being somewhat longer than the third.

An example, labelled a female, obtained by Mr. Wallace at Sarawak, and now in his collection, has the under plumage hardly tinted with yellow, the under tail-coverts nearly pure white, and the breast-feathers more decidedly brown. It ex- hibits also a distinct black stripe below each cheek.

Another example ( $ fide Wallace), also obtained at Sarawak, and now in my collection, diflfers by having the upper plumage of a lighter shade of brown, the under plumage more or less pure white, and the bill shorter.

			Longitudo
	Rostr.	Al£e.	Oaudfe. Tarsi.
6 ..	.. 0-88	3-75	3-75 0-62	Sabii.
2 ■■	.. 0-75	3-C2	3-62 0-62	Sarawak (mus. nostr.).
S ••	.. 0-80	3-75	0-62	„ (mus. Wall.)

Notwithstanding the difference of colouring exhibited by these three individuals, I do not doubt that they belong to the same species. Generally they agree so well with the description given by Lesson (/. c.) of S. criniger that, unless the Bornean is a representative form, it will in all likelihood prove to be the same as that hitherto unidentified Sumatran species. I suspect that this is also the type of Trichophuropsis, Bp., T. typus, Bp., Compt. Bend. vol. xxxviii. p. 59, "Borneo" (1854).

Brochypus criniger, A. Hay (/. c.) ex Malacca, is a totally distinct species. It is a small bird (wing 2g inches), with the bill of an Alcippe. Underneath it is bright yellow, above ferru- ginous olive. The rectx'ices are pale ferruginous, with obscure pale yellow tips. Mr. Blyth has identified Criniger sericea, Miiller, Mus. Lugd., with this species (Ibis, 1865, p. 48); Mr. AVallace obtained it at Sarawak. It is probably Tricho- phoropsis viridis, Bp. (/. c), "Borneo" (1854), and Trichophurus minutus, Hartl. J. fur 0. 1853, p. 156, "Malacca" {conf. 0. Finsch, J. fiirO. 1867, p. 19).

Collection of Birds from No7ihe)-n Borneo. 379

Alcurus ochrocephalus (Gm.), S, N. i. p. 821 (1788), ex Brown.

Yellow-crowned Thrush, Brown, lUustr. p. 50, pi. 22, " Cey- lon [errore] and Java.''^

Trichophorus crispiceps, Blytli, J. A. S. B. pp. 186, 204, " Te- nasserim'' (1842).

Ceylonese Stare, Lath. Syn. ii. p. 11. no. 11, "Ceylon."

Sturnus zeylanicus, Gm. torn. cit. p. 804. no. 11 (1788), tx Lath.

Trachycomus ochrocephalus (Gm.), Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 1C9.

Examples from Java, Sumatra, Malacca, Sarawak, and Te- nasserim are identical.

The description of the Ceylonese Stare given by Latham agrees well with this species, although, of course, the Ceylon habitat is erroneous.

Its affinities seem to be with Alcurus striatus, Blyth ; and therefore I do not adopt the genus Trachycomus, formed for it and three other forms of Pycnonotus by Dr. Cabanis (/. c).

KiTTACiNCLA suAVis (Sclatcr), P. Z.S. 1861, p. 185, "Bor- neo meridionalis," op. cit. 1863, p. 216.

"Marup, 6."

This example possesses the three outer pairs of rectrices pure white from their insertion, the fourth pair being only partially black on the inner web. The average length of the wing in Ceylon, Maunbhoom, Hainan, Malaccan, and Sumatran K. ma- croiira is 3"63 inches, in Javan 3*87 ; in this Bornean repre- sentative form it is fully 4 inches. It is interesting to find that the North Bornean bird possesses the distinctive characters first noticed in that from South-east Borneo.

Prionochilus maculatus (Temm.)j PI. Col. 600. fig. 3, S "Borneo" (1836).

" Simunjon, J, iris dark red, bill and legs dark brown." Malaccan examples are identical.

Prionochilus xanthopygius, Salvador!, Atti Ac. Sc. Tor- rino, 1868, p. 416, pi. — . fig. 1 d, 2 $ , "Borneo." " Jambusan, cJ ."

2 e2

380 Viscount Walden on a

A good species, peculiar to Borneo, differing from P. per- cussus (Temm.) by having the uropygium bright yellow.

Dictum chrysorrhceum, Temm. PL Col. 478. fig. 1, (J, "Java/' 1829.

Dicceum chrysochlore, Blyth, J. A. S. B. 1842, p. 1009, P, " Arracan.^^

" Marup, 6 , iris red, bill black.^'

Undistinguishable from Malaccan and Tonghoo examples. In the Hand-list, no. 1417, D. croceoventre, Vigors, is erroneously given as a synonym of this species.

Dictum trigonostigma (Scop.), Del. Fl. Faun. Insubr. ii. p. 91. no. 64 (1786), ex Sounerat; Walden, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 545, "Moulmein."

Le grimpereau siffleur de la Chine, Sonnerat, Voy. aux Indes, ii. p. 210, pi. 117. fig. 2, J.

Certhia cantillans, Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 299, no. 61 (1790) ex Sonnerat; Temm. PI. Col. 478. f. 3, 6, ''China (! ?), Java."

Dicceum croceoventre, Vigors, Memoir of Raffles, p. 673, d", "Sumatra" (1830).

"Marup, iris brown."

Compared with six adult males from Malacca and one from Pinang, this Bornean individual differs by having the entire throat much darker grey, and the breast deeper orange.

iExHOPYGA siPARAJA (RafHcs), Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 299, 6 , adult, "Sumatra" (1821); Walden, Ibis, 1870, p. 33; op.cit. 1871, p. 166.

^thopijga eupogon, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 103, note, "Ma- lacca, Borneo" (1850).

" Marup, 6 , July, pairing ; iris and legs brown. Marup, $ , August ; bill and iris brown ; legs pale red."

In no respect different from Malaccan and Pinang examples. The Sumatran species may differ, in which case this species will have to take Jardine^s title of lathami, unless, indeed, it be the same as the Javan, when mijstacalis, Temm., must be adopted.

The example marked "Marup, S , August," appears to be a young male. Above it is pale olive-green; underneath paler olive-green, but with many of the chin-, throat-, and breast-

CQlleciion of Birds from Northern Borneo. 381

feathers edged with crimson. A young example of an authentic specimen of jE. miles, in my collection, wears an almost similar garb. Some Malaccan examples of immature males (mus. nostr.) have the throat streaked with yellow, the plumage of the neck and back being brown and crimson mixed.

Arachnechthra MACULARiA (Blyth), J. A. S. B. 1842, p. 107, $ , " Malacca."

Nectarinia hypogrammica, Sal. Miiller, Verb. Nat. Gesch, Ned. Over. Bez. Land- en Volkenk. p. 173, note, " Sumatra, Borneo " (1843) ; id. op. cit. Aves, p. 63, pi. 8. fig. 3, 6 (1846) ; Walden, Ibis, 1870, p. 30.

" Marup.'^

Since writing on this species (?, c.) I have received many examples from Malacca and Borneo. They in no way diiFer.

Calornis insidiator (Raffles), Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 307, "Sumatra" (1831); conf. Walden, Tr. Zool. Soc. viii. p. 79. "Belilah*, iris crimson, legs and feet black; Sabu, $ ." The adult male perfectly agrees with a large series of Malaccan individuals, which I refer to the Sumatran species. I do not venture, from want of a sufficiency of Javan examples, to iden- tify the Malaccan with the Javan Calornis, the single authentic Javau individual I have examined appearing to be separable. Adults of both sexes agree in colouring.

Turtur tigrina (Temm.), Knip, Pig. pi. 43 (1811); Wal- den, Tr. Zool. Soc. viii. p. 85.

"Marup, S , ins Naples-yellow, feet crimson." Agrees with Malaccan, Javan, and Celebean examples.

Argusianus grayi (Elliot), Ibis, 1865, p. 423, " Borneo ? " ; Phasianida, pi. xii.

The examples sent by Mr. Everett are unfortunately without labels, but they were undoubtedly procured from some part of northern Borneo f- They belong, as Mr. Elliot was the first tc point out, to a species totally distinct from the Malaccan Argu-

* I am not certain wlietlier I have correctly deciphered the spelling of this locality.

t Conf. De Crespigny, Proc. Geogr. Soc. xvi. p. 173.

382 Viscount Waldeu on Birds from Northern Borneo.

sianus argus (Linn.). The dimensions of the Bornean Argus are considerably less. The feathers of the nape, back of the neck, the interscapulars, and the scapulars have black for their ground- colour, the markings being pure white. In A. argus the ground- colour of these feathers is brown, and the markings are ochreous. The markings in the Bornean species are of a diflferent character, and are most minute and delicate. The throat, upper breast, and centre of the lower breast and of the abdomen are bright ferruginous, whereas in the Malayan species these parts are deep ruddy chocolate. The markings are quite different, and many are white. The other differential characters given by Mr. Elliot are not very apparent in Mr. Everett's examples. The ocellated marks on the scapulars are certainly smaller; but I can find no difference in the colouring or marking of the lateral rectrices.

The following are some of the dimensions, viz. : —

inches. Longest primary, from carpal joint . . 13"50

Middle pair of rectrices 44*50

Longest outer pair of rectrices .... 19'00

EuPLOCAMus NOBiLis, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1863, p. 119, pi. xvi. 6 , "Borneo,^^ Elliot, Phasianidce, pi. xxvii.

Two female examples ; no note of the locality, but probably from the neighbourhood of Sarawak, where Mr. Wallace also obtained an example {fide Sclater, /. c). The hen of this spe- cies is distinguished from that of E. ignitv^ (Shaw) by the rec- trices being dark brown or black.

RoLLULUs ROULOUL (Scopoli), Del. Fl. Faun. Isubr. ii. p. 93. DO. 86 (1786), ex Sonn.

Rouloul de Malacca, Sonn. Voy. Indes, ii. p. 174, pi. 100, J, descr. orig.

Columba cristata, Gm. S. N. i. p. 774. no. 7, 6 (1788), ex Sonn.

Phasianus cristatus, Sparrm. Mus. Carls, fasc. iii. pi. 64, 6 , ''Celebes," errore (1788), descr. orig.

Tetrao porphijrio, Shaw & Nodder, Nat. Misc. iii. pi. 84*.

Green Partridge, Lath. Synop. iv. p. 777. no. 21, pi. 67, ?, ex Mus. Brit., descr. orig.

* I have not been able to ascertain tlie exact date of this volume.

Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 383

Tetrao viridis, Gm. S. N. i. p. 761. no. 46, $ (1788), ex Lath.

Perdix corunata, Lath. Suppl. Ind. Orn. p. 62. no. 1, c? et ? (1801).

Cryptonyx coronatus, Temm. PI. Col. 350, S , 351, $, "Ma- lacca, Sumatra, rare in Java (?)."

" Marup, c5" , iris brown, bill (red at base) black, legs coral- red."

Examples of both sexes, undistinguishable from Malaccaa individuals.

Rhizothera longirostra (Temm.), Pig. & Gallin. iii. pp. 3.23, 721, "Sumatra" (1815) ; Gray & Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. pi. — . fig. 2, 5 .

Tetrao curvirostris, Raffles, Tr. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 323, " Su- matra" (1821). '

"Busan, October, S , $, iris sienna red, bill black, legs white ; Marup, July, § , iris brick-red, legs whitish."

These three examples agree perfectly with as many Malaccan specimens collected by the late Mr. Maingay. That gentleman noted one of his grey-breasted specimens as being a male. The example marked male by Mr. Everett has also a grey breast ; and the two marked as being females are without the cinereous pectoral band. These independent observations coincide with Temminck's statements (/, c).

Hypot^nidia striata (Linn.), S. N. i. p. 262, "Philip- pines" (1766), ex Brisson; Walden, Tr. Zool. Soc. viii. p. 95. "Marup, c?, iris purple-red, legs leaden, bill red-brown." In perfect plumage. Identical with Malaccan examples.

XLIII. — On the Motmots and their Affinities. By Dr. James Murie, F.L.S. &c.

(Plates XIII.-XV.)

" If naturalists, before offering an opinion on the affinities of groups, were but to consider well the totality of characters be- longing to each of those which they suspect to be allied, were but to study all their points of difference as eagerly as they

384 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

catch at those of similarity, the progress of scientific ornitholooy would be greatly accelerated - *. If Mr. Blvth^s contribution, to natural history had been limited even to this single sentence irrespective of his vast additions to its literature for the last forty years he would still be entitled to the acknowledgments of ornithologists; for his words are pregnant of much that yet remains to be done ere the gleaners leave the field.

In the obituary of the last Number of ' The Ibis ^ f Mr. George Gray s worthy life's labours are commented on ; but the writer en passant, gently touches on a peculiarity of the deceased most uncommon in these days, " conciseness to a fault-the problem and answer without the intermediate operations,'' &c.

The above allusions to two experienced toilers in ornithology practically suggest the course to be pursued in the present in- vestigation, VIZ. a review of the osteological organization of the Momotid^ in its completeness, with unbiased comparisons, thus affording the data and their legitimate deductions. The uo-ly barrier to some generalizations concerning groups is the scarcity of dubious or transitionary forms. Hence the halting gait of bird-lore m its anatomical phase, and hence the greater neces- sity for trustworthy descriptive notices of single specimens or as many of a sort as can be got together. My present subjects, osteologically, are far more ample than those dealt with by pre- vious wnters ; yet neither the bones of every species, nor of all the genera, have I been able to lay hands on. That which I bring forward, however, enables recognition of affinities to be traced.

I. The Skull and Sternum o/Momotus lessoni. Dealing with my material as it has come to hand, I may note that the cranium of this species measures 2-Q inches Ion- If this be divided into three segments, the anterior premaxillarv comprises 1-5, the orbital 0-6, and the posterior brain-division 0"5 inch.

From above the outline is long and conical, the lateral edges of the beak, however, being just perceptibly concave. The orbital emarginations are clean crescent-shaped sweeps the pos- terior limb, mayhap, being a trifle the longer. The interorbital * Mag. of Nat. Hist. 1838, vol. ii. p. 318. f Pp. 340-342.

Dr. J. IMurie on the Motmots and thei^ Affinities. 385

segment is low and depressed, the middle premaxillary rods, without great elevation, meeting the former at the transverse cranio-facial hinge. Nostrils moderate-sized, situated well back, but with a broadish portion of nasal bone behind.

In the posterior or occipital face the postfrontal processes {Pf. fig 5) outflank the part behind, and descend, with slight obliquity, outwards. The superior median parietal groove is shallow, the temporal much better marked, leaving a narrow deepish interspace betwixt the postfrontal and zygomatic pro- cesses. The occipital bones are altogether flattish and low.

The inferior base of the skull agrees in contour with the view from the top. The orbital vacuity, here bounded by the jugal, pterygoid, and palatal plate, is long and moderately wide. The pterygoids are situate far back. Basitemporal area decidedly short, though widish, and the foramen magnum comes into full view.

In profile, from the point of the beak to the eye is longer than from the lachrymal to the occiput. There is a gentle steady curve from tip to root of the prsemaxilla, without it being verti- cally deep at any point. Orbit relatively large. The forehead at first rises a little abruptly, and is nearly at full height mid- orbitally. The postfrontal and zygomatic {z, fig. 6) processes and the lachrymal do not encroach much into the orbit. The occipital surface presents a wide and open angle perpendicularly.

In examination of the bones individually, there is noticeable a linear shallow elliptical groove, fully half an inch long at the anterior apex of the palate ; this is continued as a single median sulcus backwards to the maxillo-palatines. The palatal surface of the prsemaxillje, transversely and longitudinally, shows a shallow concavity ; and the maxillary depressions are acutely angular. Maxillo-palatines spongy, large, and meet each other in the middle line without absolute confluence. Their posterior transverse margins are abruptly truncate. The horizontal pa- latal plates cease forwards 0*3 inch on the maxillo-palatines. Each is narrower than the space which separates them. Foi-- wardly they are flat, but reai'wards slope inwards, leaving a lyre- shaped interval 0-2 inch at widest. The postpalatine plates are slightly scooped; their outer borders shear in behind eurvilinearly

386 Dr. J. INIurie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

and without posterioi' external palatine spicules; their approx- imating edges are flanged. The palate-bones are continued half an inch behind the maxillo-palatines, and are thus relatively long.

Correspondingly the pterygoid bars are short, set widely apart from each other, and leave but narrow clefts between them and the basitemporal. Anteriorly the pterygoid joins the rostrum and palatal plate by an upwardly bent hinge, fitting partially against the rostrum of the basisphenoid. The pterygoid rods, though flat and tolerably straight, have a considerable twist on their long axis. Jugals long and slender.

The upper premaxillary surface presents moderate arching and barely a culmen. There is a true beak-hinge transversely cutting the nasals, maxillaries, and naso-premaxillary rods from the prefrontals and lachrymals. The nostrils, each half an inch long, are of a wide oval figure. Nasal septum partially ossified. No definition exists between maxillaries and nasals. It would seem, on ordinary examination, as if the lachrymals were absent or lost in the specimen. But 1 have satisfied myself that they exist in a very rudimentary condition, being merely anchylosed ossicles to the prefrontal processes [f p, fig. 6.). In the dried skull, therefore, the fissure (/) which separates the beak from the prseethmoid is open, and not, as usual, partially hidden by the tear-bones. The same condition of things nearly obtains in some of the Bee-eaters, a membrane occupying the place of or strengthening the delicate spicule or well-nigh absent infe- rior lachrymal limb on each side. There is very marked pitting of the nasal and frontal superficies. The interorbital portion of the frontal is broad, and the triangular prefrontal processes strike well outwards and downwards. Postfrontal and zygomatic processes are subequal in length, but neither reaches the jugal. Temporal groove short, but well impressed. The basioccipitals and basitemporal are not very uneven. Eustachian cavity large, rostrum of basisphenoid short.

Interorbital septum well nigh closed by an ossific plate. There is an orbito-sphenoid ridge. Orbital limb of the quadrate largish, but the bone altogether only moderately high. Inferior knuckles two in number, set at right angles to each other.

Dr. J. Marie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 387

The sternum is short and broad, with two pairs of oval per- forations. In the specimen examined by me the innermost on the left side was reduced to a couple of small foramina. Pec- toral plates flattish, and, so far as can be judged, inclining to a chevron-shape. Keel deep forwards, and well produced in a ploughshare, with shallow middle emarginations. Costal process strong, long, and with four costal facets. Rostrum acuminate, length moderately upturned and interiorly excavated.

Coracoid 1*05 inch, the oblique sternal diameter 0*8 inch, scapula 1'2 inch, and furcula 0''J inch long.

The furcula has no descending process or interclavicle. It has a wide inferior arch, where the bones are very slender ; supe- riorly they are stouter, but have no special expansion. Shaft of coracoid flat, and epicoracoid extension moderate ; the head of the shaft presents little enlargement ; acromion absent. Sca- pula pretty straight, or with only a light curve to the broadish terminal end.

II. Cranium ^c. of Momotus brasiliensis.

This species I have not had an opportunity of examining ; but Mr. Eyton ^ makes a few remarks upon it, which I need not quote, as they agree well with what has been said of M. lessoni. He observes, the head presents some likeness to that of Coracias garrula. His outline of the postpalatals of M. brasiliensis f appears a perfect counterpart of the same region of M. [Banj- phthengus) ruficapillus, a diminutive rod-like vomer being repre- sented.

Of measurements, he gives head 2*8 inch long, breadth 1*2, humerus 1'6, ulna \7, metacarpus 0'7, tibia 1-8, and metat- arus in length 1*2. Save ulna, these closely correspond with the measurement of M. [B.) ruficapillus.

III. Osteology of Momotus (Baryphthengus) ruficapillus.

Levaillant % figured a species of Motmot under the name of "Le Motmot domb6," to which Vieillot § gave the name of

* Osteologia Avium, p. 59. t PI- xii. fig. 12.

X Ois. de Par. i. p. 11.3, pi. .39.

§ Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. t. xxi. p. 258.

388 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

Banjphonus ruficajnllus, and others the names levaillantii, dom- heyeanus, domheyi, tutu, and rubricapilhcs. Dr. Sclater"^ at one time held that the Motmot doinbe was doubtfully referable to Momotus cyanogaster, founded by Vieillot on the "Tutu" of Azara; but at a later datef he followed Dr. Cabanis J in calling the bird Baryphtheyigus ruficapillus.

I mention this circumstance because of my having received, through the kindness of Mr. 0. Salvin, a skeleton labelled by him as belonging to Momotus [Baryphthengus) ruficapillus, from Rio Janeiro, the name of which is therefore authenticated by the last-mentioned ornithologist. I shall institute a comparison of this reputed genus with those treated of in the last sections and Eumomota, to see if the bones bear out the differential value assigned to it by slight variation in the feathering, viz. 10 rec- trices, the middle non-spatulate.

The vertebrae, taken regionally, are : — cervical 13 ; dorsal 6 ; lumbo-sacral 11 or 12; caudal 7; equivalent to a total of 37 or 38.

There are 7 ribs on either side, the hindmost pair being truly lumbar ones. Besides these well-developed costse I also ob- served a pair of rudimentary ribs (or riblets) in connexion with the last neck-vertebrse. Spinal column and ribs appear in num- bers, &c., to resemble those of Eumomota.

To compensate for having only figured a portion of the base of the skull (PI. XV. fig. 44) I may note a few of its ad- measurements. Extreme length 2'8 ; greatest width at the quadrates 1'2; greatest vertical depth without the mandible I'O; transverse diameter at the base of the beak 0-75 ; transverse diameter immediately in front of the nares 0*4; and the man- dible in extreme length 2'5 inches. The cranium, therefore, is longer than that of Momotus lessoni by about 0*2 inch, other measurements yielding increment in proportion.

The cranial configuration agrees with the latter in nearly every respect, the only variation consisting in a trifle moi'e arching of the beak and narrowing forwards, a kind of plough- share-like expansion of the orbital limb of the quadrate, and pos-

* P. Z. S. 1857, p. 2o8. t Cat. Am. B. p. 262 (1862).

X Mus. Hein. ii. p. 114.

Dr. J, Murie on the Mot mots and their Affinities. 389

session of a diminutive rod-like vomer — points which are, I should say, of no more than specific value, the last possibly but evidence of the greater intactness of the specimen after maceration ; for, as I have noted, Eyton shows the existence of a vomer in 31. bra- siliensis. I may take cognizance of the presence of a large ossified sclerotic, which in Momotus [Baryphthengus] ruficapiUas, as in Eumomota sujierciliaris, I have found thin and delicate.

As to sternum and shoulder-girdle, the notches are converted into foramina, as in Momotus and Eumomota, and they are of a size intermediate between these two forms. The extreme length of the breast-bone from the rostrum backwards is 1*4; greatest width posteriorly 1"1 inch. The coracoid is 1*1 inch long, the oblique sternal diameter shorter by 0"1 inch. In this respect it stands midway between the two genera compared, but with proclivity towards Eumomota.

Excepting in dimensions, the pelvis has no feature peculiarly its own. Its characters, as that of Eumomota, are shortness, pos- terior breadth and flatness of the dorsum. The prseacetabular and postacetabular areas are subequal in length. The width of the latter is much greater than its length. The fore ilia lie widely out, and with little obliquity of tilt. There is only an indication of shelving of the horizontal ridge dividing postilium from ischium. The tuberosity, the spine, and the ischiatic space are alike short, the former, however, being widish. The inner ante- rior iliac borders do not meet the neural spine and convert the muscular spaces into foramina, as is the case in the Touracous.

Pelvic dimensions: — extreme length 1"2; greatest width (at ischia) 1 inch.

The humerus is stout, of moderate size, and the shaft is bent upon its long axis outwardly in the upper and backwardly in the lower half. The radius has a thick ish shaft in i-elation to that of the ulna. In pattern the metacarpus is identical with that figured of Eumomota (figs. 26-31), but a little larger. There is a well-marked and roughened process above, where the thumb articulates, and in approximation to the first carpal bone during extension of the wing. The second outer moiety of the metacarpus is laterally flattened, rough, and it appears to be that portion of the united bone which descends lowest.

390 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

The femur is about one third shorter, and more slender than the humerus. The tibia is not equal to the ulna in stoutness of shaft ; but its ends are quite as large. The tibial crest is short, sharp, knife-like, and moderately prominent. The external tu- berosity is fair-sized, and hides the bead of the fibula as looked at from the front. The fibula is short, and its lower half rests against a compressed ridge of bone outstanding from the upper end of the tibial shaft. There is a small bridge of bone between the inferior condyles of the ulna, and through which the ex- tensor tendons pass. The tarso-metatarse (fig. 43) has a tri- angular shaft of goodly extent. The bifid or deeply grooved calcaneal process possesses but a single perforation for the pas- sage of the flexor tendons. The grooving of the shaft on the inner side of this is large and deep ; and the anterior fluting of the upper half of the bone forms also a considerable impression. As regards the three inferior knuckles, they are parallel, and the middle descends a shade the lowest. The metatarsal element of the tarso-metatarse is short, stout, and pyriform. The toe- bones have the usual numbers 2, 3, 4, and 5. The phalanges sensibly shorten distally.

The measurements, &c., of the limb-bones are as under noted : —

Momotus [Baryphthcngns) rujicapillus.

			Meta-	Mid pha-	Total
	Humerus.	Ulna.	carpus.	langes.	length.
	in.	in.	in.	in.	in.
Wing .	1-7	215	0-85	0-6	5-3
			Tarso-	Mid-toe	Total
	Femur.	Tibia.	metatarse.	phalanges.	length.
Lee:	1-2	1-95	1-2	11	6-45

Without wishing to tire by too long and dry detail, I never- theless insert here a series of calculations of the proportional long diameters of the wing- and leg- bones. In my paper on the Green Tody, T. viridis (P. Z. S. 1872), I endeavoured to show in what respect that long- shanked bird bore consanguinity to the Motmots and Kingfishers. In so doing I necessarily laid some stress on the tarsal elongation and other limb-peculiai-ities. I

Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 391

had not theu the Motmots at my command^ and quoted Eylon^s

measurements. I since find the ulnar length he gives o£ M. brasiliensis questionable, and in this place, as appropriate, rectify chance of error in false data and conclusions.

{Baryphthengu3) Eumomofa

ruficapillus. aupereiliarw.

Ulna to Inimerus 126 : 100 126 : 100

Metacai-pus to humerus 50 : 100 48 : 100

Mid digit to liumerus 35 : 100 • 37 : 100

Tibia to Femur 162 : 100 162 : 100

Tarso-metatarse to femur 100 : 100 100 : 100

Mid anterior toe to femur 91 : 100 100 : 100

Humerus to wing 32:100 32:100

Ulna to wing 40 : 100 40 : 100

Metacarpus to -wing 16 : 100 15 : 100

Mid digit to wing 11 : 100 12 ? : 100

Femur to leg 22 : 100 21 : 100

Tibia to leg 35 : 100 36 : 100

Tarso-metatarse to leg 22 : 100 21 : 100

Anterior mid toe to leg 21 : 100 21 : 100

Femur to humerus 70 : 100 59 : 100

Tibia to ulna 90:100 59:100

Tarso-metarse to metacarpus 141 : 100 123 : 100

Mid. ant. toe to mid. dig. of wing .... 183 : 100 160 : 100

Leg to wing 103 : 100 89 : 100

The tongue-bone of birds is usually developed or built up by three centre-pieces in a line, and a pair of retro-current styli- form forks, containing each two or three segments. Altogether they compose the hyoid arch, or are equivalent {ceteris paribus) ' to the branchial arches of fish. In the adult M. ruficapillus the three median elements are soldered together — the fore part (glos- sohyal) being stoutish and truncate, the middle (basihyal) later- ally indented with facets for the articulation of the side- pieces, and the posterior (urohyal) flatter and spatulate. The anterior segments of the side-rods (cerato-hyals) are bony, the smaller tendors piece behind cartilaginous. It is the latter which con-

392 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

nects the arch with the skull, and the median fore piece which enters into the substance of the tongue"^.

Having run through the skeletal peculiarities of this supposed generically distinct Motmot, it devolves upon me to register the assertion that these do not support the assumption. It becomes a question, then, whether the anomaly of 10 tail-feathers, the middle non-spatulate, is sufficient in itself to elevate the bird to the rank of a genus ! — an opinion I certainly for one would uot adopt f.

IV. EuMOMOTA-suPERCiLiARis skeleton generally.

The specimen of this genus at my disposal is one which was presented by Mr. Osbert Salvin to the Museum of the College of Surgeons in 1867. The bones have all been separated during macei'atiou, which admits a good study of them individually. The first glaring fact is that the skull and sternum, to general appearance, are so like Momotus that there is a difficulty in con- veying in words the distinctive shades of difference. When the inequality of size is taken into account the points seem more cogent.

With regai'd to the breast-bone, its sternal plates, like those of its confreres, are widish and shallow; but the clefts or xiphoid spaces are larger and deeper — the pedate processes, however, all

* The technical names of the different bones of the hj'oicl apparatus above given are those in most general use amongst comparative anatomists. But I must be just to my friend Mr. Parker, and mention that in his valuable contribution on Gallus dotnesticus (Trans. Roy. Soc. 18G9) he dissents from the older views as regards the homology and nomenclature of the tongue-bones.

t [We think Dr. Murie hardly puts this fuUy. Up to the present point of the discussion the admissibility of the genus Barypthengus not 'only rests upon the characters of ten tail-feathers, the central ones being non-spatulate, but those characters plus certain osteological ones Dr. Murie has taken pains to point out, and plus certain others which we think will be seen by comparing the maxillo-palatine bones in the two figm'es of B. rnJicapiUus and M. lessoiii.

For specific characters B. rt(ficapillus has no need to appeal to its osseous structure ; and, viewing the Momotidse as a whole, there is no difficulty in defining what may be called its generic characters. This is more than can be said for perhaps one half of the genera of birds. — Ed.]

Dr. J. Murie on the Moimots and their Affinities. 393

joining, so that the spaces are not deprived of the character of foramina. Keel and rostrum as in Momotus, but the costal pro- cesses are proportionally a trifle shorter. Relatively and abso- lutely the coracoid of Eumomota is shorter, being subequal to the oblique sternal diameter j the epicoracoid is broader, and the shaft a grade stouter. The scapula posteriorly tends to increase of curvature.

The beak is exactly of the same length as in M. lessuni ; the latter bird, therefore, has a preponderance in long diameter of the orbito-occipital regions. The premaxillary depth is less in the first, particularly the culmen. Although in Eumomota the breadth of the beak seems greater than in Momotus, this only applies to its anterior half; for in the latter genus its basal seg- ment is decidedly widest. In the former the nostrils come further back or cut more into the nasals. Its horizontal palatal plates are altogether narrower. The breadth of the frontal be- tween the orbits is alike in each genus — therefore, other things being equal, relatively widest in Eumomota. As in the posterior or cerebral segment there is little diflference of fore and aft length between the two forms, it follows that the mid or orbital segment of E. superciliaris is the chief part wherein curtailment of the skull is effected. Momotus undoubtedly has the wider skull occipitally ; but the antero-posterior diameter of this part is little, if at all, over what obtains in Eumomota.

The mandibular length in the last mentioned is 2"15 inches ; of this, the shallow symphysis front-joining portion is 0*85 inch. The bone altogether is low or shallow, and with a slight curva- ture corresponding to the beak-deflection. There is no so-called " dentary space " or median fissure, this being obliterated by an ossific plate. The inner and posterior mandibular angles are each well marked.

The only appreciable change of pelvic formation from M. ru- ficapillus is in the prseacetabular being a shade longer than the postacetabular region ; and there is a small foramen in front of the hip-joint or acetabular perforation.

Concerning the shape of the bones of the extremities, what has been said of the preceding type applies in this case. Pro-

SER III. VOL. II. 2 F

394 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

portions have already been denoted ; the subjoined are the mea- surements from which the calculations are derived.

Eumomota superciliaris.

Humerus. Ulna. Metacarpus. Mid phalanges. Total length.

Wing.... 1-35 inch, 1-7 0-Go 05? 42?

Femiu". Tibia. Tarso-metatarse. Mid-toe phalanges Tot. length.

Leg .... 0-8 inch, 1-35 0-8 0-8? 3-75

I made out, in all, thirty-six vertebrae/free, conjoined sacrally, and otherwise. The numbers regionally I could not determine.

The trachea is composed of complete bony rings, each narrow and delicate. I presume there are in all about thirty ; for I noted twenty-six separate and four or more joined together at the lower larynx. This has no expansion as in some of the Anatidse, &c.

The tongue-bones follow the pattern of Barijphthengus rufica- pillus, but are not so stout ; and the ui'ohyal is less expanded.

If Eumomota is worthy to be segregated as a genus, it is well to remember that its osseous specialities are not many, though possibly leading away from those of Momotus in degree rather than kind. To wit, it possesses a shallower skull, though less level frontally ; the orbital circuit tends to diminution ; the beak and lower mandible are relatively wider throughout and not quite so decurved anteriorly ; the xiphoid spaces are somewhat longer, the coracoids shorter ; the proportions that the bones of the leg bear to those of the wing evince shortening.

V. The Alliances of the Momotid^ osteologically considered.

Whilst the group in bony conformation singularly resemble each other, yet there is a serial gradation wherein Prionirhynchus represents one and Momotus the other extreme. In the absence of a thorough examination of the former (or oi Hylomanes), I must perforce refer to Eumomota for detail in exemplification of the broader-billed division.

1 . Comparison with the Todida. — I restrict this family to the Green Tody [Todus viridis) and its immediate species, thus ex- cluding Todirostrum and such like forms of the Tyrannidse which

Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 395

were at one time associated with it. In Todus we have a bird not half the size of Eumomota ; yet, when the skeleton of the former is enlarged to double its natural dimensions, as I have done in plate Iv., P. Z. S., 1872, an excellent comparison can be in- stituted. This much is at once apparent, that the Motmots are stamped with a positive bond of osteological affiliation with the Tody. Therefore this is one direct line of their affinities.

The skeletons of Eumomota and of Todus undoubtedly approach each other in the annexed particulars : —

In shape, relative length, flattening and shallowness of the prsemaxillae ; in position and size of the nostrils ; in ascent and figure of the cranial parts behind ; in condition of post- frontal and zj'gomatic processes; in constitution of the pala- tines and maxillo-palatines ; in the disposition of the pterygoids ; in the mandible as a whole j in four notches to the sternum and in its shape generally; in the nature of the furcula and coracoids; in the relatively short, wide and shallow pelvis; in vertebral numbers ; in torsion of the humerus ; in morpholo- logical development of tarso-metatarse, and especially its extre- mities ; in the proportions of metacarpus to humerus, of tibia to femur, of femur and of tarsus to entire leg; lastly in the arrangement of the toes and syndactyle foot.

Tlie same genera, nevertheless, in their skeletal characters di- verge by the following gradations : —

In the proportionate length of the beak to the skull behind, being longer in Eumomota than in Todus ; in the ossific varia- tion of the interorbital septum — a small space only in the former, none in Momotus, and a large one in Todus ; in Todus having a considerable-sized lachrymal, the lower limb reaching to the jugal; whereas in Eumomota and Momotus prefrontal and eth- moidal processes are well developed, and they are only mode- rately so in Todus ; in the latter bird having broad mid frontals, and they are wide in the former ; somewhat the same relations of parts as regards palatal plates ; in the occiput of Todus being more full and rounded, whilst in Momotus and Eumomota the temporal groove is better impressed. The sternal notches are quite open in Todus, but terminally connected or converted into large foramina in the IMctuiots, Of the pelvis, proportion-

2 p2

396 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

ally, its breadth to length is greater in the latter than in the Tody. In the proportions of limb-bones, the Momotidse and Todidse stand considerably apart as regards length of ulna to humerus, tarsus to femur, tibia to entire leg. In Eumomota the proportional length of the femur to the humerus and of tibia to ulna falls considerably short of what obtains in Todus ; but Momotus precisely agrees with the latter. The Motmots are unlike the Tody as respects length of metatarse to meta- carpus, and of entire leg to entire wing.

Thus, all things considered, the two families have character- istic points in their skeleton denoting formation of a kind further removed than what I hold signifies generic import. At the same time there is unity of type. Thus the two, as I shall again notice, ought to come under one division or group.

2. Comparison with the Coraciidce. — Among ^the Rollers we have extremes analogous to what obtains among the Motmots, viz. narrow and broad-skulled individuals. This repetition is exem- plified in Coracias and in Eurystomus &c. I shall lay more stress on Coracias, which exhibits closer resemblances to Momotus than to Eumomota and possibly Prionirhynchus.

C. garrula aff'ords a familiar example ; and in analyzing its skeleton point by point I observe the subjoined agreements be- tween it and Momotus : —

Fair arching of the premaxillary region ; situation of the nostril and moderation of culmen ; a considerable-sized orbit ; likeness in parieto-temporal grooving and occipital facies ; in- terorbital and postorbital width ; spongy maxillo-palatines, which meet mesially. The horizontal palatal plates posteriorly are spineless and round off at the corners.

On the other hand, so far as the skull is concerned, diflferen- tiation and conti-ast are as plainly exhibited in those particulars which I append.

In Coracias the beak is but half the length of the entire skull. There is no distinct transverse facial hinge, the premaxillary rods running in a wedge-like manner into the prefrontals. The post- premaxillary depth is relatively greater, the anterior moiety of prsemaxillse narrower ; and there is a width and rounding of the top of the beak compared with Momotus. In Coracias there is

Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 397

a separate and large suprauarial foramen ; in Momotus lessuni this is represented only by a minute orifice ; and in M. {Bary- phthengus) ruficapillus it is confluent with the nostril. The cir- cumscription of the orbit through the postfrontal process de- scending to the jugal is a characteristic feature of the Coraciidse. In Coracias, at least, there is a deep prefrontal indent, and the upward obliquity of the skull thence is greater than in that com- pared, as also is the perpendicular occipital surface. Pterygoids proportionally longer than in the Motmots. The prem axillary margin overhangs the mandible ; the rami of the latter are deeper, and the shortening and scooping of the symphysis are markedly stronger, in the Coraciidse.

As to the sternum, it is longer according to width, the notches deeper and not converted into foramina. Coracoids shorter than oblique sternal diameter ; epicoracoids broader. Scapula straighter. The pelvis is narrower in proportion to length, and the ischial portion produced more, than in the Motmots.

In some of the species and genera of the Coraciidse the points of divergence from the Motmots iuci'ease. C. bencjalensis has an interclavicle and postpalatine spines, along with a shorter tarsus. In Eurystomus [E. australis) still greater changes obtain ; and while the beak and skull posteriorly broaden, they are abbreviated.

I find in Coracias abyssinica the proportionate lengths of the tibia, tarso-metatarse, and mid toe to be considerably less than in the Motmots and Tody, and the same diminution to excess in all the bones of the leg to the corresponding ones of the wing.

3. Comparison with the Meropida. — In their sternal appa- ratus the Bee-eaters reti'eat from the previous groups. It is more elongate and narrow in them, has deeper clefts, long- slender xiphoids ; the rostrum (at least in M. apiaster) is trifid, and in M. melanura is not excavated ; in all the keel is less emarginate anteriorly. The coracoid is remarkably short, and inferiorly extraordinarily wide ; furcula expanded above ; sca- pula relatively broader than in the Motmots. Pelvis deeper and longer in proportion to breadth. The inordinate length, curvature, and tenuity of the beak in such forms as Merops cyanotis, M. melanura, &c., doubtless with a certam depth of mandible (as Alph. M. -Edwards, /. c. mfrOy pi. 165, has figured in

1t.i^-^J^

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398 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

t hat of M. amictus), slender palatines and maxillo-palatines, smaller size and forward position of the nostril and other points^ take away from the Momotine type.

But it is also as patent that there are many osteological rela- tions of proximity. There is posterior breadth of the skull, a transverse beak-hinge, interorbital ossification, rounding of post- palatal plates, short pterygoids, a delicate vomer ; the lachrymal is joined to the prefrontal processes, and, inferiorly, is very de- licate, in some species being replaced by membrane below, as in M. melanura (which also, I find, has a minutely sei-rate edge to beak, and the tongue-bones as in Eumomota). The legs are slender ; but the construction of the tarsus is nearly as in Mo- motus, though the calcaneal process is more elongate and sideways but with one basal perforation. The y-toed foot is truly syndactyle.

4. Comjmrison with the Alcedinidee. — Among the Kingfishers, without taking colour into consideration, there are four genera, at least, which carry exterior resemblances pi'omising afiiliation to the Motmots. These are: — the Papuan form Syma; Tanysiptera, also confined to the neighbourhood of the same region ; Myoceyx and Ispidina, African birds. Syma notably has a serrate mandible. Tanysiptera 1 0 rectrices, the median pair long and spatulate. The figure of the relatively shallow beak of Myoceyx and Ispidina, and other general characters, in the same way suggest Motmot resem- blances. It is to be regretted that no skeletons of the first three genera exist in this country. I must confine remarks, therefore, to the fourth, while incidentally glancing at points in Dacelo &c.

The Halcyoninse, and with them Ispidina, possess a skull whose contour and general proportions approximate to Momo- tus and Eumomota, and yet is impressed with a cast peculiarly its own. For instance, the lower mandible is far moi'e acute and bony, its bridge longer — roughly speaking, half the mandibular length in them, and a trifle over one third in the Motmots. The Kingfisher group more immediately under consideration have less curved, more conical prsemaxillse, with a depression ex- isting at the frontal root. The brain-segment of the Motmot skull is decidedly broader, higher, and less rotund than in these Kingfishers. The latter have a large lachrymal, whose inferior

^' _m

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, Bien'.''

Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 399

limb is inflated and spongy. Their interorbital septum has a large unossified space; and there is a groove immediately in front of the postfrontal process — the latter short, the orbit gain- ing accordingly. The temporal grooves in the Kingfisher well nigh meet ; they are mesially wider apart in the Motmots, there- fore causing the occipital facies to be fuller. Instead of a linear separation, with flatness of maxillo-palatines, which characterizes the latter, the former have them thoroughly joined together in- wardly ; and at this point they are deeply grooved, and shoot back and up into the cleft behind. The broader palatal plates spined posteriorly, and reduced postnarial aperture again dis- tinguish Kingfisher from Motmot, besides other minor detail of parts. Still, one thing with another, there is no gainsaying the fact that the two avine types share many features in common in cranial composition and its lineaments generally.

The Dacelonine skull departs in beak-breadth, elongation of upper lachrymal limb, and sundry other particulars. The Alce- dine section run ofi' at an opposite tangent, and therein pursue a course affining them with the Bee-eaters.

The pelvis of the Halcyoninse ofiers strong resemblances to the Motmots. The sternal apparatus, however, has less agreement, this section of the Kingfishers having an upper furcular spur, a greater anterior emarginate ploughshare keel, open notches, and a breastbone longer relatively to its breadth than obtains in the Motmots.

In the proportions of limbs and their segments to each other my researches show that the wing-bones of the Momotidse and Alcediuidse do not widely diffier. Such is not the case with the leg, where in all the latter the tarsus is relatively shorter, and in Cerijle no more than half what obtains in the Motmots. As regards proportions of the entire length of the leg to wing, Eumomota bears towards the Halcyonina ; but this section and Momotus much exceed the rest of the Kingfishers in this respect.

5. Comparisons with other Families — I may asseverate that the foregoing bird-groups, taken all in all, are those which in skeleton come nearest the Momotidse. It is not so essential, then, that I should follow the minutiae of the bony constituents of other presumed allies further than by referring to a few of the more obvious points.

m

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398 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

t hat of M. amictus), slender palatines and maxillo-palatines, smaller size and forward position of the nostril and other points^ take away from the Momotine type.

But it is also as patent that there are many osteological rela- tions of proximity. There is posterior breadth of the skull, a transverse beak-hinge, interorbital ossification, rounding of post- palatal plates, short pterygoids, a delicate vomer ; the lachrymal is joined to the prefrontal processes, and, inferiorly, is very de- licate, in some species being replaced by membrane below, as in M. melanura (which also, I find, has a minutely serrate edge to beak, and the tongue-bones as in Eumomota) . The legs are slender; but the construction of the tarsus is nearly as in Mo- motus, though the calcaneal process is more elongate and sideways but with one basal perforation. The f-toed foot is truly syndactyle.

4. Comparison with the Alcedinidce. — Among the Kingfishers, without taking colour into consideration, there are four genera, at least, which carry exterior resemblances promising affiliation to the Motmots. These are: — the Papuan form Sr/ma ; Tanysiptera, also confined to the neighbourhood of the same region ; Myoceyx and Ispidina, African birds. Syma notably has a serrate mandible. Tanysiptera 1 0 rectrices, the median pair long and spatulate. The figure of the relatively shallow beak of Myoceyx and Ispidina, and other general characters, in the same way suggest Motmot resem- blances. It is to be regretted that no skeletons of the first three genera exist in this covmtry. I must confine remarks, therefore, to the fourth, while incidentally glancing at points in Dacelo &c.

The Halcyoninse, and with them Ispidina, possess a skull whose contour and general proportions approximate to Momo- tus and Eumomota, and yet is impressed with a cast peculiarly its own. For instance, the lower mandible is far more acute and bony, its bridge longer — roughly speaking, half the mandibular length in them, and a trifle over one third in the Motmots. The Kingfisher group more immediately under consideration have less curved, more conical prsemaxillse, with a depression ex- isting at the frontal root. The brain-segment of the Motmot skull is decidedly broader, higher, and less rotund than in these Kingfishers. The latter have a large lachrymal, whose inferior

Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 399

limb is inflated and spongy. Their interorbital septum has a large unossified space ; and there is a groove immediately in front of the postfrontal process — the latter short, the orbit gain- ing accordingly. The temporal grooves in the Kingfisher well nigh meet ; they are mesially wider apart in the Motmots, there- fore causing the occipital facies to be fuller. Instead of a linear separation, with flatness of maxillo-palatines, which characterizes the latter, the former have them thoroughly joined together in- wardly ; and at this point they are deeply grooved, and shoot back and up into the cleft behind. The broader palatal plates spined posteriorly, and reduced postnarial aperture again dis- tinguish Kingfisher from Motmot, besides other minor detail of parts. Still, one thing with another, there is no gainsaying the fact that the two aviue types share many features in common in cranial composition and its lineaments generally.

The Daceloniue skull departs in beak-breadth, elongation of upper lachrymal limb, and sundry other particulars. The Alce- dine section run ofl" at an opposite tangent, and therein pursue a course affining them with the Bee-eaters.

The pelvis of the Halcyoninse ofiers strong resemblances to the Motmots. The sternal apparatus, however, has less agreement, this section of the Kingfishers having an upper furcular spur, a greater anterior emarginate ploughshare keel, open notches, and a breastbone longer relatively to its breadth than obtains in the Motmots.

In the proportions of limbs and their segments to each other my researches show that the wing-bones of the Momotidse and Alcediuidse do not widely differ. Such is not the case with the leg, where in all the latter the tarsus is relatively shorter, and in Cerijle no more than half what obtains in the Motmots. As regards proportions of the entire length of the leg to wing, Eumomota bears towards the Haley onince ; but this section and Momotus much exceed the rest of the Kingfishers in this respect.

5. Comparisons ivith other Families — I may asseverate that the foregoing bird-groups, taken all in all, are those which in skeleton come nearest the Momotidse. It is not so essential, then, that I should follow the minutiae of the bony constituents of other presumed allies further than by referring to a few of the more obvious points.

400 Dr. J. jMurie on the Mutmots and their Affinities.

Concerning the yoke-footed and ^-toed Bucerotidse, as Alph. Milne-Edwards observes ^ : — " II est imjDOSsible de confondre le tarso-metatarsien des Calaos avee celui d^aucun autre oiseau ; cet OS est tres-enfle et remarquable par ^existence de deux pertuis superieurs enormes qui servent en meme temps de trous pneumatiques." Their sternum has but one pair of xiphoid notches ; and in a variety of ways their skull is vastly different from that of the Motmot^s.

The foot of the Trogonidse is ^-toed ; the first and second are those thrust behind. The upper extremity of the tarsus has a most unusual elongate posterior process, and two perforations at the side ; the lower end of the same bone has an enlarged ex- ternal knuckle (trochlea), and the internal one thrust backwards. The pelvis is short and broad to an extreme^ the ischium long. There is an interclavicle (at least in Trogon mexicanus and T. atricollis) ; and the coracoids meet inferiorly. The skull is broad and short, more Swift-like than that of the Motmots. There is a considerable interorbital space. Maxillo-palatines reduced to narrowed extending plates. An extensive palatal and postnarial cleft, and the palate-plates narrower. Basipterygoid processes obtain. All these are most important and trenchant distinctions from the Momotidse.

The skull of the Jacamars^ judged by Galbula leucogastra (the broader-billed section, Jacamerops, &c., not having come under my observation), has a very different form from that of the Motmot^s. There is attenuation of the beak, a short lofty brain- division, descent of the postfrontal process to the jugal, &c. Their sternum, with part likeness to Todus, has great fissures and delicate rods. Their tarsus and the zygodactyle construction of the foot also exclude their close relation to the Motmots, advo- cated by some.

• Lastly, as to the Raraphastidse, Toucans. Their zygodactyle foot coordinate with adaptive alteration of the lower end of the tarsus, peculiar enlargement of the bottom of the femur, pelvic elongation, foi-ward lengthening of sternal keel^ division of the clavicles (united in Pteroglossus) , and upper enlargement

* * Reclierclies sur les Osseaux Fossiles de la France,' tome ii. p. 305, and Atlas, ii. pi. clxix. figs 24, '2o.

Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 401

of each half, great beak, and other cranial peculiarities suffi- ciently distinguish their skeleton from the Motmot type. Doubt- less such a form as Aulacoramphus is considerably modified, especially as regards skull, which en tout ensemble bears a re- semblance to that of Momotus; but a critical review of its com- position less sustains the idea.

VI. Compendium of Facts and Opinions on the Motmots.

The literature having reference to the Motmots may conveni- ently be arranged into six different foci,Avhich I shall curtly review.

1. Figures. — The subjoined list of names* indicates those forms of which good illustrations are extant.

&^

PrionirlijTQclius.

P. carinatus.

P. platyrhynchus. Eumomota.

E. SKperciliaris. flylomanes.

H. momotula. Baryplitliengus.

B. rujicapillus.

Momotus.

M. lessoni.

M. ccerideiceps.

M. mexicanus.

M. swainsoni.

M. hrasiliensis. Urospatha.

U. (M.) martii.

The presumed species Momotus nattereri, M. microstephanus, M. subrufescens, M. aquatorialis, and M. castaneiceips appear hitherto not to have been figured, a description sufficing to es- tablish their identity and closeness to or variation from an acknow- ledged species.

2. Habits. — The travellers Don Fehx Azara f, Levaillant J, Waterton §, and Schomburgk |1, individually, graphically relate facts concerning the live Motmot in its wild state and in cap- tivity. We are also indebted to Swain son % and Sir William

* The synonyms and exact reference to publications are to be found in Sclater's ' Catal. of Amer. Birds,' and P. Z. S. 18o7, and in Cab. et Hein. ' Mus. Hein.' &c. Half of the above have been figm-ed by Jard. & Selby, ' 111. Ornith.'; the remainder by Levaillant, Spix, Swainson, Des Mm-s, Vieill., Gray, Licht., Leadb., and Sclater.

t Apiintamientos para Paxaros del Paraguay. J Ois. de Par. tome i.

§ Wanderings.

II Reis. in Brit. Guiana ; and " Ueber Prionites momota,^^ Naumannia, 1851.

^ Zool. lUus. 2nd ser. ; and Nat. Hist, and Class, of Birds, vol. ii.

402 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

Jardine^ (through Mr. Kh-k, a friend of his) for some inter- esting information on moot points. Other descriptions of a mis- cellaneous kind are tobe found scattered through various volumes.

The birds are solitary, or live in pairs, preferring the shady recesses of the forest. They sit motionless on a low branch, often in nooks near rivulets, wherefrom they dart on their prey. Swainson says they catch their prey on the wing (Fissirostres) ; but Kirk avers that they alight to seize it. Ordinarily their food is insects, reptiles, and fruits. In captivity a bold mistrusting bird, the Motmot will then eat bread, raw meat, oranges, water-melons, small birds, mice, lizards, snakes, cockroaches, &c. On pouncing on these latter, they afterwards strike them violently against the ground or perch. Songless, their only cry is " Houtoo.^^ They breed in holes, and about May lay three or four dusky cream- coloured eggs. Sexes undistinguishable ; and the young scarcely differ except in the more downy texture of their feathers. Pri- maries shed at the first moult. The story has found credence that they nibble off the occasionally absent vanes of the long middle tail-feathers ; but this notion has been contradicted.

3. Structure other than skeletal. — The more important points of their internal organization have been recorded by several ob- servers t- CEsophagus wide ; proventriculus moderate ; stomach small and oval, inner coat coriaceous, muscular wall only of moderate thickness. Intestines narrow : caeca long, and situate near the end of the gut ; cloaca large. Tongue lengthened, bifid for half an inch, and feathered at the sides. Jardine says of the muscles of the larynx that they appeared to him to resemble in number and position those of the Corvidse (?) .

Their syndactyle foot is moderately adapted for terrestrial progression (Blyth). Tarsus scutellate ; mid anterior claw with an expanded inner edge. Beak Corvine, margins denticulate ;

* Ann. of Nat. Hist. 1841, vol. vi. p. 321.

t Among these I may refer to : — Jardine's (/. c.) notice of tlie viscera of Motiiotus Sicainsoni {Prionites bahamcnsis of Swain.) ; Giebel on the tongue, ' Zeitsch. f. Gesam. Naturwiss.' Halle, 1858, p. 27, tab. i. fig. 37 (his figure in outline from above does not show the cleft tip so markedly as in Jardine's woodcut) ; Macgillivray, ' Brit. Birds,' vol. ii. ; Blyth, 'Mag. Nat. Hist.' vol. ii. ; Nitzsch, ' Pterylographie,' &c.

QJ

Dr. J. Muvie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 403

the small round nostril is nearly basal and bare ; rictal vibrissa few and unobtrusive. Plumage loose-webbed ; contour-feathers with an axillary plume ; spinal tract without a space ; wings rather short and rounded. Remiges 21 ; the first four gra- duated, 4th, 5th, and 6th longest; rectrices graduated, num- bering 10 and 12 ; and in nearly, but not all, the central ones are long and with a racket. Oil-gland elongate, oval, and naked.

4. Generic Diagnosis. — The group has been divided into six genera, partly on account of the nature of the tail-feathering, and partly on the conformation of the beak. The characters given are : —

Momotus. Long compressed rostrum ; strongly serrate man- dible ; a long tail, with 12 rectrices, the two middle spatulate.

Urospatha. Mandible like preceding ; 10 tail-feathers, median pair terminally spatulate*.

Baryphthengus. Beak as above ; 10 rectrices, non-spatulate.

Hijlumanes. Weaker somewhat dilate rostrum, less incurved and finely serrate; a short tail) non-spatulate, with 10 feathers.

PrinnirhynchiLS. Long, dilate, carinate, incurved, finely toothed beak; 10 rectrices, median long and spatulate.

Eumomota. Less carinate, dilate, and curved rostrum than last, middle only of margin sei'rate : 10 rectrices, graduated, trun- cate apically, two middle spatulate.

5. Geographical Distribution. — Dr. Sclaterf remarks : — " The Motmots are a purely tropical American family, occupying an area nearly coequal with that of several other characteristic groups belonging to the same fauna. From Southern Mexico, where two species occur, they extend through Central America and some of the more Southern Antilles, over the whole of the eastern portion of South America, as far southwards as south- eastern Brazil and Paraguay, where a single species is found. Their true focus seems to be Central America, where the greatest number of species and the most characteristic for ms occur."

* In the Atti della R. Accad. d. Sci. di Torino, 1809, vol. iv. p. 180, Dr. Salvadori fonns the new genus, Urospatha, limited to one species, the Prionites martii, Spix (Baryphonus and Momotus settiinifus of Sclater). See also notice in ' The Ibis,' 1869, p. 222.

t P. Z. S. 1857.

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404 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

6. Their supposed affinities.— l^ the ' Systema Naturae'* of LinnBeus, Momota comes under Rhamphastos, between the Psittacea and Buceros. Buffonf places in sequence the Anis (Crotophaginse), the Houtou (Motmots), the Huppe {Vpupa) Promerops, and the Guepiers (Meropidse)! Cuvier, in his ' Regne Animal/ ranges under his syudactyles the Bee-eaters, Motmots, Kingfishers, Todies, and Hornbills, in the order here given. Vieillot % says of Prionites : — " Cette famille se compose des genres Motmot et Calao." Latham's arrangement § runs: — Parrots, Toucans, Motmots, Australian Channel-bird {Sci/- throps), Hornbills, Beef-eater {Buphaga) . Lesson ||, who studied the group circumspectly as to specific forms, locates them in the family Buceridees, containing Motmot and Calaos {Buceros) — thus following Vieillot, but altering the title of the group.

Swainson^y took up the subject warmly, and ran a tilt with all and sundry, unquestionably bringing forward cogent reasons for their separation from the Toucans. But he goes to the op- posite extreme in classing them under the Trogonidse, and as the nearest form to the Jacamars(Ga/iM/a). Blyth"^^ strings in linear order his Cylindrirostres, containing Meropidse, Cora- ciidse, and Halcyonidse, his Anguhrostres combining Todidse and Galbulidse, his Serratirostres composed solely of Prionitidse {Motmots), and his Levirostres, wherein are the Bhamphastidse and Musophagidse. He observes : — " Thus_, although no pas- sage exists from the Motmots into the Kingfishers or into the Toucans, and although the Kingfishers and Toucans differ mate- rially, yet the interposition of the Motmots so connects those two other groups, that they cannot be ranged with either of them to the exclusion of the other; and the Toucans, in like manner, combine the characters of the Motmots and Touracos, fee"

Nitzsch'sft pterylographic studies lead him to class in his

* 12th ed. 1788, vol. i. p. 357. t Hist. Nat. 1818, vol. xi. p. 333.

X Diet. d'Hist. Nat. vol. xxviii. p. lo3.

§ Hist, of Bii-ds, 1822, vol. ii. || Mauuel d'Ornith. torn. ii. p. 103.

^ Classification of Birds, vol. ii. ** Mag. of Nat. Hist. 1838, vol. ii. pp. 318 & 422, &c. tt Pterylograpliie, &c., Eng. Trans. Ray Soc. 1867.

Dr. J. Murie on the Mot mots and their Affinities. 405

Picarise a group, the Todidse, comprehending Coracias, Merops, Prionites, Todus, and Galbula. Jardine* thought the Motmot's position would ultimately be found to be that assigned by Swainson, remarking, at the same time, that their analogies towards the Crows are extremely strong.

Bonapartef threw the families thus: — Trogonidse, Galbulidse, Alcedinidse, Meropidse, Prionitidse, Coraciidse, Eurylaimidse, Co- tingidse, and Todidse. Gray and Mitchell J well nigh reversed the order, their Coraciadse containing Coracianse, Todinse, Eurylaiminse, Momotinte, Trogonidse — the Alcedinidse, with Bucconinse, Halcyoninse, Alcedinse, and Galbulin^e following. In his commentary thereon Strickland § says : — " The Momotinae are evidently only the American group of the Bee-eaters, and might, I think, be included with them as a subfamily, Mero- pinse, of the Halcyonidse.^^

The Motmots (Prionitidse) are also closely related to the Trogons, and may be considered an offshoot of them, or of the Bee-eaters, pai*allel to the Jacamars. Such is Wallace's || opinion ; whilst Blanchard^ suggests of the group : — " Se lient evidemment par beaucoup de caracteres aux Guepiers [Bee- eaters] ; ils semblent jusqu'a un certain point representer dans le nouveau monde ces derniers qui n'habitent que Fancien con- tinent." Then follows Alcedo &c. In the Catalogue already quoted, Sclater assigns six families to his sectio Brachychires, ordo Fissirostres. In succession these are Momotidse, To- didse, Alcedinidse, Galbulidse, Bucconidse, and Trogonidse.

The osteological position of Momotus Eyton** makes in his family Buceridse, along with the Hoopoe and Hornbills, the family Alcedinidse, containing Rollers, Tody, Bee-eaters, Jaca- mars and Kingfishers, going before. In Huxley's ft tabular notice Meropidse, Momotidse, and Coraciidse take a place among his |-toed Coccygomorphs. Neither is Alphonse Milne-

* Paper cited. t Conspectus. J Genera of Birds.

§ Ann. of Nat. Hist. 1841, vi. p. 417, and ''Map of the family Alcedi- nidse," vol. vi. pi. 8.

11 Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1856, 2nd Ser. vol. xviii. p. 198. ^ "Ost^ologie des Oiseaux," Ann. d. Sci. Nat. 1859, torn. xi. p. 117. •• "Osteologia Avium." ft P- Z. S. 1867, p. 467.

406 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

Edwards* very explicit, but appears to regard the INlomotidse as allied to the Bucerotides among the Syndactylinse. Rein- hardtf locates Momotus ruficapillus immediately after Ceryle (Kingfishers). SharpeJ, through Ispidina and Myoceyx, hints linear connexion from the Kingfishers to the Todidse and Mo- motidse.

VII. Conclusions derivative from data given.

Definitions of a tentative kind, whereby subdivision of the family may be recognized seem to rae a difficult matter. In short, as much as my research among the group enables me to tender an opinion, the Motmots barely admit of such a thing as stable genera, so intertwined are their structural relations. Regarding figure of the beak, as Plate XV. shows, the gradation from the narrow to the broad variety is the reverse of sudden. The magnitude of the mandibular serrations almost bears a ratio to the size of the bird. The length of the tail-feathers from one form to another is a series from shorter to longer ; even the possession of a racket to the tip of the elongate median rectrices ■ of some is deemed to be but a question of moult and age of the bird. Thus the main differentiation to be depended on is ten rectrices in some and twelve in others. Plumage, as part and parcel of the tegumentary appanage, is notoriously subject to irre- gularities of development dependent on a variety of secondary causes. This circumstance, especially, weighs, as but a modicum of information is known respecting the frequency and succession of changes induced during moult and age in the Motmots.

I have already intimated that Baryphthengus compared with Momotus has no skeletal or organic character other than devia- tion in its tail-feathers ; and this anomaly pertains to Urospatha. The assumed more dilate and finer-toothed beak of Hylomanes is one of slight degree, not kind ; whether its osteology may offer singularity is dubious, reasoning from the similarity of structure in the other forms. Proceeding to the two other as-

* Oiseaux Fossiles, torn. ii. p. 300.

t Bidrag til Kimdskab om Fuglefaunaen i Brasiliens Campos. Copen- hagen, 1870.

\ Map of the Family Alcedinidje, in his Monograph of that group.

Dr. J. Murie on the Mo f mots and their Affinities. 407

signed genera, and taking for granted that their broader carinate beak and osteological variation (as I have noticed in Eumomota) hold good as generic characters, it still does not seem to me advisable to separate Prionirhynchus from Eumomota. If par- tition there needs be, I would propose restriction to four genera : —

Momotus. — Narrow, moderately deep beak, large-toothed ; leg- bones relatively long to the corresponding wing-bones ; rectrices 12, graduated, median pair elongate and spatulate.

Baryphthengus. — With 10 tail-feathers ; otherwise resembling the foregoing. (This genus would include Urospatha.)

Hylomanes. — Beak nearly as in preceding, but with smaller serrations; rectrices 10, very slightly graduated, short and with- out spatulation.

Eumomotus. — Broader, shallower, carinate beak, finely den- ticulate ; leg-bones comparatively short to corresponding wing- bones; rectrices 10, graduated, elongate, two central ones spatu- late. (The so-called Prionirhynchus comes under this heading.)

That the Motmots are entitled to be looked upon as a good family group, I think is attested by the remarkable similarity, dominant in all, and sufficiently distinct from their nearest fra- ternity to permit of their segregation as ordinarily understood in ornithology.

Basing affiliation on the radical type of the skeleton in its detail, on their intei-nal anatomy, on the plumage, on their eggs, nest-construction, and rearing of young, and on their food and habits generally, the birds which best accord with the Motmots are the Tody, Kingfishers, Rollers, and Bee-eaters.

Of these, Todus in preponderance of particulars has the ad- vantage of kinship. Its small size and curt tail affine it to Hylomanes. Its pterylosis (with axial plumes), long and thin tongue, large caeca, serrate beak, weak rictal bristles, habitat, insectivorous food, short flights, living in pairs, breeding in holes, colour of eggs, and osteological constitution generally, are, one and all, in the main essentially Momotinc. Nitzsch very happily made the Prionitidaj and Todidse companions; but Blyth, with a keen appreciation of characters, I think, was less fortunate in yoking Todus to Galbula, evidently being

408 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

misled by, or laying too much stress on, similarity of the di- gestive organs, imperfectly known in the Motmots at the time he wrote.

Next in order the affinities of the Motmots lie between the Alcedinidse and Coraciidse ; and balancing one thing with another, certain genera of the former exhibit more numerous points in their favour, though every thing depends on tlie value attributed to a given set of characters. The Kingfishers, as a group, are wanting in aftershaft to feathers ; usually their tongue is short and somewhat rounded, cseca diminutive, rictal bristles absent, structui'al conditions the opposite of the Rollers' [Coracias), and approximating the latter to the Motmots. In some of the Rollers where there is elongation of the tail-feathei's it is the outer and not inner ones ; they are more often gregarious birds, strong on the wing; and their foot is less syndactylous, thus deviating in Momotine tendency. Again, among the King- fishers, Tanysiptera, in having but 10 rectrices, the two median spatulate, beai's a likeness to Urospatha and to Eumomota and its ally. Cittur'a, in its grooved culmen, repeats Prionirhynchus ;% Myoceyx and Ispidina, by short tail, resemble Hylomanes, whilst Syjna, with serrate mandible and 12 rectrices, offers a counter- part of Momotus. Moreover in its tongue Pelargopsis differs from its brethren, and gains likeness to Momotus. The Bee- eaters (in genera) after the same fashion, approach and recede from the Motmots; but whilst yoke-footed and feathered like them and partly Coracias, they are truly birds adapted in minutiae of structure for rapid aerial flight, and associate in flocks, &c.

The true reading appears to be that certain genera of each of the above families juts prominently towards the Motmots, these latter, in turn, inclining to the contrary dispositions. Thus it is hard to predicate of a family consisting of many members that they bear absolutely nearest relationship to another, the latter being as closely linked in an opposite direction. An ex- l)lanation of these vagaries has been suggested by the theory of geographical representation, the Old- World Rollers, Bee-eaters, and Kingfishers, being represented in the American fauna by the Motmots, Jacamars, and Todies. This, however, leads to

Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 409

reflections away from the direct purport of the present commu- nication *.

From my studies I look upon the Motmots, Tody, Kingfishers, Rollers, and Bee-eaters as a most natural assemblage, whereof one type of structural form is predominant. Skeletally they present a radical agreement ; their pterylosis rests on a nearly uniform base, the soft parts of their anatomy are of a kind im- plying similarity of stock. With this stem to build a genealo- gical tree on, the branches and ofi"slioots of necessity pursue multiform directions, and, where numerous and favoured by secondary influences, impress a character masking their ori- ginal derivation and merging into that of neighbouring tribes. Blyth^s arrangement of the Syndactyli, supported by the general organization of the birds so far as then known to him, is most excellent, although from his insertion of the Galbulidse and separation of the Todidse and Prionitidse I dissent. Elsewhere I shall treat of their rank as a group cutting up Huxley's Coccygomorphse, and in some points rather agreeing with the divisions adopted by Alph. Milne-Edwards. Meantime I re- strict myself to bringing two families into juxtaposition, and suc- cinctly noting their characters. If to these a term is necessary, Blyth's Serratirostres may be accepted.

The Serratirostres.

A section of the Syndactyle birds, composed of two families, and together possessing the subjoined attributes : —

The mandible denticulate; bill long, broadish, and tapering,

* There are other topics hinging on the natural history of the ^lomo- tidse of an equally interesting kind, and well worthy of ventilation and discussion. Mr. Salviu, who drew my attention to Salvadori's genus and has otherwise tendered useful hints, surmises the possibility of a progenitor (Momotus prisons ?) with 12 rectrices, and tells me of many circumstances in elucidation of geographical range, feather-spatulation, &c., which might cause me to modify opinions herein enunciated as to Momotiue genera. On the other hand such conversation evokes latent thouglits of mine re- specting omitho-subdivisions and the physiological bearing of many sub- sidiary points. At all events, I trust he and other competent authorities on the group may supply a fresh chapter incorporating the latest data, be they subversive of my conclusions or the reverse.

SER. 111. VOL. II. 2 G

410 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

but not deep ; a few weak rictal vibrissse ; nostril roundish, bare, nearly basal ; wings rather short and rounded ; feathers with an after-plume; spinal tract without a space; tongue long and thin ; stomach muscular ; intestines with large cseca ; pa- latal bars rounded posteriorly, and without spines ; maxillo- palatines spongy, almost mesially united, and truncate behind ; pterygoids short ; bony nares large, oval ; sternal keel moderately produced forwards, and anteriorly emarginate; coracoids rela- tively long ; pelvis short and wide ; humerus large in propor- tion to femur; calcaneal process of tarsus moderate-sized, and with a single perforation; vertebrae 35; food, chiefly insects; breed in holes, and lay white eggs; are solitary in habit or go in pairs.

All inhabitants of Tropical America.

Fam. MoMOTiD^. — Distinguished by : — a short or moderate tarsus; pronounced beak-serrations; premaxillaries greatly ex- ceeding the length of skull behind ; orbital septum almost entirely ossified ; prefrontals broad ; lachrymals diminutive or absent; temporal groove well marked and deepish; palate-rods of medium width ; sternal notches converted into foramina ; tongue terminally bifid, and laterally feathered ; remiges 21 ; 10 or 12 graduated rectrices, short, moderate, or elongate, and two median occasionally spatulous. ' - "

It possesses six reputed genera, which I am inclined to reduce to four.

Fam. ToDiD^*. — Having a long tarsus; very diminutive mandibular serrations ; premaxillaries only slightly exceeding skull's length behind; a very large interorbital space; pre- frontals narrow ; lachrymals of good size, their inferior limb reaching the jugal ; temporal groove short and shallow ; palate- rods narrow and slender; sternal fissures open; remiges 19; recti'ices 12, and tail short and rounded. A^t-^v^ r^fr

Represented solely by the genus Todus.

* Nitzsch's Todidse comprises five families, and therefore is not equi- valent to the present subdivision.

Dr. J. Mui'ie on the Motmots and their Affinities. 411

DESCRIPTION OF PLATES.

Plate XIII.

Illustrations of the bones of the cranium and shoulder-girdle of Momotu$ lessoni, of the natural dimensions.

Fig. 1. The inferior or palatal sm-face of the skull: w a:^, maxillo-palatine. Fig. 2. Upper cranial view : n, nostril or anterior nares, partially divided

by a septum. Fig. 3. The light quadrate bone, seen from the inside. Fig. 4. The inferior articular knuckles of the same. The letters to this

and the preceding figure are : — 0 1, orbital limb ; i, internal, e, external, and p, posterior knuckle

for articidation with the lower jaw.

Fig. 5. Occipital facies of the skidl : pf, postfrontal process.

Fig. 6. A profile view of the cranium without the mandible : /, fissure or cleft between the ethmoid and maxillary segments ; e/), eth- moidal process ; fp, prefrontal process ; z, zygomatic process.

Fig. 7. Sternum and shoulder-girdle, from the side.

Fig. 8. The same, on its inferior surface.

Fig. 9. Partial view of the inside of the sternum, to show r c, rostral ca- vity or excavation.

Fig. 10. The head and tongue of Momotus swainsoni {Prionites baha- niensis, Swain.), after Sir W. Jardine : t, tongue.

Plate XIV.

The skeleton oi Eumomota superdliaris. Excepting figs, 30, 31, 40, and 41, aU are drawn to natural scale.

Fig. 11. The pelvis, its interior surface. ••

Fig. 12. Dorsal aspect of the pelvis.

Fig. 13. A lateral view of the pelvis.

Fig. 14. Lower or pectoral surface of the sternum.

Fig. 15. The sternum in profile.

Fig. 16. A side view of the skull.

Fig. 17. The mandible, also seen laterally.

Fig. 18. Upper surface of the skuU.

Fig. 19. Its inferior or basal aspect.

Fig. 20. Superior or oral superficies of the lower jaw.

Fig. 21. The right humerus, its posterior surface.

Fig. 22. Its upper articular end.

Fig. 23. Its lower articular end.

Fig. 24. The ulna and radius of the right side, fore and slightly outer

view. Fig. 25. Lower articular end of the same ulna.

Fig. 26. The metacarpal bones of the left wing, outer or exterior surface.

2 o 2

412 Dr. J. Murie on the Motmots and their Affinities.

Fig. 27. Deep or flexor surface of the same bones. Fig. 28. The anterior (thumb or radial) border of the metacarpus. Fig. 29. Posterior or ulnar border of same.

Fig. 30. Upper or articular end of the left metacai-pus, twice natural size. Fig. 31. Its lower digital end, also enlarged to two diameters. Fig. 32. The left femur, from behind.

Fig. 33. Right tibia (t) and fibula (/), their anterior surfaces. Fig. 34. External or fibular side of the same tibia. Fig. 35. Articular surface of its upper end. Fig. 36. The lower articular extremity of the same. Fig. 37. Tarso-metatarse of the left side, shown anteriorly. Fig. 38. The inner or hallucial border of the same bone. Fig. 39. The posterior aspect of the tarso-metatarse. Fig. 40. Its superior articular extremity, magnified to two diameters. Fig. 41. The inferior digital condyles of the tarsus, enlarged to twice the natural size.

Plate XV.

Chiefly designed to show the characters of the feet, beak, and tongue- bones of difierent genera of the Motmots. AU of exact natural proportions.

Fig. 42. Sole of the right foot of Primiirhynchis carinatus, with its cuti-

cular covering &c. Fig. 43. The bones of the right tarso-metatarse and foot of Momotus

{Baryphthengus) riificapillus. In this and fig. 42 the letters i,

ii, iii, iv, respectively mark the great toe and successive digits. Fig. 44. A segment of the base of the skull of Momotus {Baryphthencius)

rufiaqnUns, to illustrate the presence of a small vomer (yo)

lost or absent in the other forms examined : mxp, maxillo-

palatine ; ep, anterior ethmoidal process. Fig. 45. A partial view of the upper or oral surface of the lower jaw of

the preceding species of Momotus, Fig. 46. Outside of the mandibular ramus of the same bird from the

right. Fig. 47. Tongue-bones or hyoidean arch of M. rnficapillus. Fig. 48. The tongue-bones of Eumomota stiperciliaris.

In these two figures the individual osseous pieces are lettered aa follows : —

g h, glosso-hyal ; h h, basihyal ; ti h, uro-hyal ; c h, cerato-hyal, and * its cartilaginous appendage ; t c, tongue-cartilages.

Fig. 49. Beak of Momotus lessoni, in side view and from above. Drawn from a specimen from Veragua.

Fig. 50. Similar views of Hylomanes momotula. From Vera Paz.

Fig. 51. Beak, laterally and superiorly, of Eumomota superciliaris. Spe- cimen obtained at S. Pedro, Honduras.

Fig. 52. Beak-surfaces of Prionirhytichus carinatus^ from Guatemala.

J ."Uiivie .

v 'e

/?'-

' Berjeaxi Iiih.

M&N.Haiftiart . imp ,

MOMOTUS LESSONI.

J, Mitrie

Ibis. 1872. PL.XLV,

23

30^=^'----''*^-3l

41

C Berjeau.lith

Mi-'/N H^nlioi-i imp

EUMOMOTA SUPERCILIARIS.

ibis lo.' Z '

Berjea^A liUx

M & N Hemharb imp

VARIOUS GENERA OF MOTMOTS

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 413

XLIV. — Index to the Ornithological Literature q/" 1871. By OsBERT Salvin, M.A., r.Z.S. &c., aud P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S. &c.

Abbott, Charles C.

Notes on certain inland Birds of New Jersey. Am. Nat. iv. pp. 536-550 (1870).

Relates to certain changes in the Ornithological Fauna of

New Jersey which have taken place during the last few years,

and treats of the decrease in numbers of some species and

the increase of others. The migrations of many species are

commented upon. •

Allen, J. A.

On the Mammals and Winter Birds of East Florida, with an Examination of certain assumed specific Characters in Birds, and a Sketch of the Bird-fauna of Eastern North America. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harv. Coll. ii, pp. 161-450, t. iv-viii.

V. antea, p. 189.

Anderson, A.

Notes on the Raptorial Birds of India. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 675-690.

Gives copious notes on certain Indian Raptores, of which we have heard a good deal of late.

Anderson, John.

1 . On eight new Species of Birds from Western Yunan, China. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 211-315, t. xi.

The new species described are called Suthora brunnea, Cisti- cola melanocephala, Suya super ciliaris, Culicipeta tephrocephalus, H]/psipetes yunanensis, Bamhusicola fytchi. The names of the two remaining species had already been published as Pycno- notus xanthorrhous (P. A. S. B. 1869, p. 265) and Phasianus sladeni. With the last mentioned P. elegans of Elliot is iden- tical.

2. Extract of letter from. Ibis, 1871, p. 371.

Refers to a collection of Persian birds acquired by the Cal- cutta Museum.

414 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater^s Index to the

Arlt, Carl.

Notizen uber den Flussrohrsdvger (Sylvia fluviatilis) und sein Vorkommen in der Ndhe von Breslau. J. f. Orn. 1871, pp. 27-34.

Notice of the occurrence of Sylvia fluviatilis in the neighbour- hood of Breslau, in Silesia, where the author first observed it in 1865, and subsequently in several years. It arrives about the beginning of the second week in May, and breeds at the end of the same month.

Ayres, Thomas.

Additional Notes on the Birds of the Territory of the Trans- Vaal Republic. (Communicated by John Henry Gurney.) Ibis, 1871, pp. 147-157, 251-270, pi. ix.

A continuation of Mr. Ayres's and Mr. Gurney^s papers on

the ornithology of this district. There are several corrections

in synonymy ; and Ardea rufiventris is figured.

Ball, Mr.

Remarks on several Birds captured in the Red and Arabian

Seas. P.A. S. B. 187],p. 249. Four species are mentioned.

Bello y Espinosa, Sefior.

Zoologische Notizen aus Portorico. Zool. Gart. 1871, p. 348.

Dr. v. Martens has " freely translated " from the Spanish some notes of the above-named gentleman on the fauna of Porto Rico. A nominal list of birds is given ; but it is obviously incomplete, and in many cases incori'ect.

Bertaud, — .

Considerations relatives a la Theorie du vol des Oiseau^. Compt. Rend. Ixxii. pp. 588-591 (1871).

Betant, a. H.

Notizen Uber Serinus pusillus, Brandt. J. f. Orn. 1871, p. 229.

Gives descriptions of the various stages of plumage of both sexes of this rare bird, based upon six examples obtained near Smyrna in the beginning of 1866.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 415

Bettoni, Eugenic.

Storla Naturale degli Uccelli che nidificano in Lombardia, ad iUustrazione delta raccoUa ornitologica deifratelli Ercole ed Ernesto Turati, scritta da Eugenio Bettoni, con tavole litografate e colorate prese dal vera da 0. Dressier. 2 vols, fol., Milan.

This fine work is now complete in two volumes, and does great

credit to the liberality and taste of the brothers Turati, at whose

expense, we believe, it has been brought out. The volumes

are dated 1865 and 1868; but the concluding parts have been

only lately received — in this country at least.

Blanchard, Emil.

Remarques sur la Faune de la Principaute Thihetaine du Mou- pin. Compt. Rend. Ixxii. pp. 807-813 (1871).

Contains remarks upon Pere David^s recent zoological disco- veries in this province of China.

Blanford, W. T.

1. Description of a neiv Himalayan Finch, Procarduelis rubescens. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 693-695, t. Ixxiv.

2. Note on Colonel M' Master's List of Birds from Nagpore 6fc. J. A. S. B. xl. part ii. 1871, pp. 216-217.

Calls attention to the interesting circumstance of the occur- rence of several Malabar birds in the Gawilgarh Hills, as observed by Col. M'Master. Mr. Blanford enumerates eight species belonging to this category mentioned in Col. M'Master's list, and mentions parallelisms in the distribution of Land-shells.

3. List of Birds collected or observed in the Wardlia Valley and its vicinity, near Chanda. J. A. S. B. xl. part ii. 1871, pp. 268-277.

This list is important, the specimens having been collected near to the boundaries of three of the subdivisions into which the author believes the fauna of India proper may be divided.

4. Account of a visit to the Eastern and Northern Frontiers of Independent Sikim, with notes on the Zoology of the Alpine and Subalpine Regions. — Part i. J. A. S. B. 1871, part ii. p. 367.

This part contains the narrative of Mr. Blanford's most nteresting expedition, in which he was accompanied by Capt.

416 Messrs. Salvia and Sclater's Index tu the

Elvves. IMany birds are mentioned incidentally ; but the notes on the fauna are reserved for Part ii.

5. Notes on a collection of Birds from Sikim. P. A. S. B. 1871, p. 215.

Abstract of a paper containing a description of a collection

made in Sikim by Mr. L, Mandelli, together with a few notes on

birds obtained by the writer. New species described are Phyl-

loscopus pallidipes, Pellorneum mandellii, and Propasser satu-

ratus.

6. Account of a visit to the Eastern and Northern Frontiers of Independent Sikim, with notes on the Zoology of the Alpine and Subalpine Regions. — Part ii. Zoology. P. A. S. B. 1871, p. 226.

Abstract of the second part of the memoir mentioned above (since published in full, J. A. S. B. 1872, part ii. p. 30). New species described are Montifringilla ruficollis and Otocoris elwesi (scribe Otocorys, ex ou?, wto?, auris, et Kopv;, galea).

BocAGE, J. V. Barboza du.

1. Melanges Ornithologiques. Jorn. Sc. Math. Phys. e Nat. no. xi. 1871, pp. 166-179.

This paper is divided into two parts : the first, entitled '^Description d'un Pelican apparemment nouveau d'Afrique occi- dentale et observations sur quelques especes du meme ge?ire/' gives a redescription of Pelicanus sharpii {cf. Ibis, 1870, p. 4-22), with notes on other members of the genus. The second portion, "Sur V existence et I' habitat du Francolinus rubricoUis {Lath, nee Riipp.)," gives a description of this species, and refers to it Pternistes sclateri, Boc. {cf. Zool. Rec. iv. 115). The species called F. rubricoUis by Riippell must now bear the name F. leuco- scapus, Gray (List of Gallinse, p. 48, 1867). The true habitat of F. rubricoUis, Lath., is Mossamedes and Barra do Dande, to the northward of Loanda, in Western Africa. A list of the fourteen species of Francolinus contained in the Lisbon Museum is added.

2. Mamrniferos e aves do Transvaal offerecidos ao Museu. de Lisboa pelo sr. F. Vanzeller. Jorn. Sc. Math. Ph. e Nat. da Lisb. 1871, pp. 278, 279.

Contains a brief list of ten species of birds.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 417

3. Aves das possessdes Portuguezas da Africa occidental. Jorn. Sc. Math. Phys. e Nat. da Lisb. 1871, pp. 266-267.

This is Prof. Bocage's fifth list, wherein mention is made of 77 species of birds. Falco cervicalis, Licht ?, F. biarmicus, Teram., is fully described ; and Crateropus gutturalis is charac- terized as a new species.

BORGGREVE, B.

Erster Nachtrag zu meiner Arbeit " Ueber die Vogel-Fauna von Nord-Deutschland." J. f. Orn. 1871, p. 210.

A supplement to the author's work on the Bird-fauna of Northern Germany, published at Berlin in 1869. It refers es- pecially to remarks made in reviews of the work by Blasius (in Nordlinger's ' Kritischen Blattern,' vol. lii. p. 78), by Baron Ferd. v. Droste-Hiilshoff (in the ' Bericht iiber die 18te Ver- sammlung der deutschen Ornithologen-Gesellschaft zu Hannover und Hildesheim '), and by A. v. Homeyer (J. f. Orn. 1870, p. 214), but also gives additional inforaiation upon many species.

Brehm, a. E.

Zur Fortpflanzungsgeschichte des Purpurhuhns. J. f. Orn.

1871, pp. 34-39. Contains an account of the breeding of Porphyria smaragjiotus of West Africa in the Berlin Aquarium.

Brooke, Sir Victor.

Exhibition of a British specimen of the Esquimaux Curlew (Numenius borealis). P. Z. S. 1871, p. 299.

Brooks, W. E.

1. Notes on the Ornithology of Cashmir. P. A. S. B. 1871, p. 209.

Abstract of a paper to be published in the Journal. Short characters are given of eight new species, namely : — Sitta cash- mirensis, Certhia hodgsoni, Dwneticola major, Horites pallidas, Phylloscopus tytleri, MotaciUa cashmirensis, Alauda guttata, and Sturnus nitens.

2. Description of a new species of Abrornis. P. A. S. B. 1871, p. 248.

"Abrornis jerdoni," the eastern representative oi A. xantho- schistus ; but no exact locality is given !

418 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater^s Index to the

Bruhin, Th. a.

Ueber Ankuft und Brutezeit einiger nordamerikanischen Zug- vogel. Zool. Gart. 1871, p. 10.

Gives an account of the arrival and breeding- season of some of the regular summer visitants at New-Coin, near Milwaukee (Wisconsin). The author is apparently not well acquainted with the scientific names of some of even the commoner species.

BuLLER, Walter.

1. Critical notes on the Ornithological portion of Taylor's 'New Zealand and its inhabit a7its.' Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1870, pp. 11-14.

Mr. Buller writes to correct numerous errors in a list of New- Zealand birds published in a second edition of Mr. Taylor's work, which we have not seen.

2. Notice of a species of Megapode in the Auckland Museum, Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1870, p. 14.

This notice refers to a note made by Capt. Hutton in 'The Ibis' (1869, p. 353), concerning a species of Megapode from " Nuipo, one of the Friendly Group." Mr. Buller gives a de- scription of the bird, and after discussing the probabilities of its being one of several species the status of which does not seem to be well established, suggests that, if proved new, it should be called Megapodius huttoni. [Cf. Hutton, F. W.]

3. On Zosterops lateralis in New Zealand, with an account of its Migrations. Trans. N.-Zeal. lust. 1870, pp. 15-23, t. iii.

The first appearance of this bird, in the North Island at least, seems to date no further back than 1856. Whether the species migrated from the south or from Australia, Mr. Buller is not prepared to say. According to Dr. Finsch, the New-Zealand is identical with the Australian bird ; but there seem to be grounds for doubting its absolute similarity. The Plate illustrates the head, foot, and wings of Z. chloronotus (fig. 1), after G. R. Gray, and the same portions of Z. lateralis. Judging from these figures it would appear that Mr. Buller had before him birds of two very diff"erent genera.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 419

4. On the Structure and Habits of the Huia (Heterolocha gouldi). Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1870, pp. 24-29, t. iv.

An interesting account of this singular bird, which seems

destined speedily to become extinct {cf Nature, June 23, 1870).

The Plate shows the remarkable disparity which exists between

the bill of the male and that of the female.

5. Further notes on the Ornithology of New Zealand. Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. Inst. 1870, pp. 37-56, t. xii. b.

These notes are chiefly called forth by Dr. Finsch's criticisms

on former ornithological papers of the author. Mr. Buller

defends himself ably as regards many of his previous views. He

gives an interesting and full account of several closely allied

members of the genus Nestor, and finally pronounces his opinion

that Apteryx mantelli of Bartlett will prove to be inseparable

from A. australis, Shaw.

BURMEISTER, Dr. H.

Letter from, containing Remarks on the Cracidse in the Museum of Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 701, 702.

These remarks refer to certain species of Bolivia and the Ar- gentine Republic mentioned in Sclater and Salvin's Synopsis of the Cracidce (P. Z. S. 1870, pp. 504 et seq.).

Cabanis, Dr. J.

1. Locustella ochotensis und Phyllopneuste schwartzi. J. f. Orn. 1871, p. 156.

Dr. Cabanis remarks on these birds, and concludes that the former =L. certhiola, but that the latter is a valid species.

3. Parus cinctus sive sibiricus and P. obtectus. J. f. Orn.

1871, p. 237. Dr. Cabanis remarks on these species and their difierences.

CoLLETT, Robert.

1. Rugekasser for vore nyttige Smaafugle deres Indretning og Beboere. Christiania : 1870. Post 8vo, pp. 36.

2. Supplement til Norges Fugle og deres geographiske Udbre- delse i Landet. Vidensk.-Selsk. Forhandl. 1871, pp. 52-61.

A supplement to the list of Norway birds published in the

same Journal for 1868. \_Cf. Zool. Record, 1868, Aves, p. 39.]

420

Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

3. Ornithologiske Bemcerkninc/er til Norges Fauna. Saersk. Aftr. af Nyt Mag. f. Naturv. xviii. pp. 161-224 (1871).

Contains notes on Norwegian birds.

4. On the Asymmetry of the Skull in Strix tengmalmi. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 739-743.

Illustrated by woodcuts of different aspects of the skull of

this species.

CoOPERj J. G.

The Fauna of California and its Geographical Distribution. Proc. Cal. Acad. Sc. 1870, p. 61.

Contains an instructive outline of the general features of the Californian fauna as regards the Vertebrates, and a list of species believed to be peculiar (birds 14). The author then proceeds to indicate the pi'incipal regions into which the State may be divided, each characterized by more or less peculiar species. These are : —

I. Colorado valley. II. Desert region, westward of Colorado valley. ni. Southern coast-slope. IV. Middle and nortliem coast-

V. Tiilare valley, between 35° and 38° S. 1. VI. Southern Sierra Nevada. Vn. Sacramento valley. Vin. Northern Sierra Nevada.

CoRNELY, Joseph M.

Reproduction et acclimatation du Talegalle d'Australie (Tale- galla (Catheturus) lathami). Bull. Soc. d'Accl. 1871, pp. 528-536.

CouES, Elliott.

1. Notes on the Natural History of Fort Macon, N. C, and Vicinity. Proc. Ac. Phil. 1871, pp. 12-49.

The ornithological portion of this paper occupies considerably the larger portion of it, and contains field-notes on such species as came under the author's personal observation during two years' residence in this locality.

2. Bullock's Oriole. Am. Nat. v. pp. — (1871).

A very complete biography of Icterus bullocki, which came under the author's notice in Arizona and New Mexico.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 421

Cox, T.

First Annual Report of the Geological Survey of Indiana. Indianapolis : 1869. 8vo, pp. 240.

Contains a list of the birds of Franklin County, Indiana,

with a few notes appended to each species by Rufus Hammond,

State Geologist.

Cunningham, Robert.

1. Notes on the Natural History of the Straits of Magellan and West Coast of Patagonia, made during the voyage of U.M.S. 'Nassau' in the 7/ears 1866, 1867, 1868, 1869. Edinburgh : 1870. 8vo, pp. 517.

Notes on the birds observed are scattered throughout the pages of this work. See the lists which have already appeared in this Journal. (Ibis, 1868, p. 183, 1869, p. 283, and 1870, p. 499.)

2. Notes on some points in the Osteology of Rhea americana and Rhea darwini. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 10.5-110, t. vi., vi.a.

Shows several structural differences between these two species.

3. On some points in the Anatomy of the Steamer Duck (Micropterus cinereus). Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. pp. 493- 501, plates Iviii-lxii.

The osseous structure of this species is carefully investigated in this papei', as well as some of the internal organs — the tongue, trachea, and stomach being also figured.

Darwin, Charles.

The Descent of Man, and selection in relation to Sex. 2 vols. London : 1871 . Post 8vo.

Four chapters of the second volume of this remarkable work are devoted to birds and the wonderful diversity displayed in the structure, coloration, and habits of the sexes in this group of animals, or what Mr. Darwin calls secondary sexual characters. The necessarily brief limits of this notice do not permit us to enter into a consideration of any of the details brought forward by Mr. Darwin ; suffice it to say that, whether we agree witli his conclusions or not, a wide field of observation is here pointed out to ornithologists, the pursuit of which cannot but enlarge our knowledge of our special subject and increase its general interest.

4:22 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Indeuj to the

David, Armand.

1. On two new Species of Birds from Moujnn, Western Szechuen. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, vii. p. 256 (1871).

The two species described are called Accentor multistriatus and

Cinclosoma artemisia.

2. Catalogue des Oiseaux de Chine observes dans la partie septentrionale de V empire [au nord du Fleuve Bleu) de 1862 a 1870. Nouv. Arch, du Mus. (Bulletin), vii. pp. 3-14.

A list of 470 species, with the localities indicated where they

were observed by Pere David. There are also notes on five species,

viz. Tanthocincla artemisia, Allotrius xanthochloi'is, Hodgs.*, Al-

cippe cinerea, Paradoxor7iis guttaticollis, and Suthora cunspicillata.

Degreaux, L.

Etudes orrtithologiques : Classification alaire. 8vo. Marseille :

1871. 5 plates. The title of this work is all we have seen of it.

DoDE, Charles.

Exhibition of, and remarks upon, Animals from the Amoor and Turkestan. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 480-482.

Contains notes on Passer ammodendri and Turdus mystacinus of Severtzow's MSS.

DODERLEIN, PlETRO.

Avifauna del Modenese e delta Sicilia. Fascicolo secondo, pp. 61-108 (Palermo, 1870); fasc. terzo, pp. 109-172 (1871).

These papers are extracted from the ' Giornale di Scienze Natural! ed Economiche," published in Palermo, the present numbers being in vols. vi. and vii. They bring the work down to the Glareolidse. Cf. Zool. Record, vi. p. 33.

DoHRN, Dr. II.

Beitrufje zur Orrdthologie der Capverdischen Inseln. Journ. f. Orn. 1871, pp. 1-10.

After noticing the previous authorities on the ornithology of the Cape- Verde group of islands, Dr. Dohrn gives a list of, with remarks on, twenty-one species observed by himself. Calamoherpe brevipennis is a new species, resembling C. elaica (Lind.) in colouring, but remarkable for its short wings. It was found by Dr. Dohrn on San Nicolas and Santiago.

• Subsequeutly described by M. J. Verreaux as A. sophice. See Vek-

BBAUX.

Ornitholuyical Literature of 1871. 423

Dresser, H. E., see Sharpe, R. B. Dresser, H. E.

1. Exhibition of rare European Birds' Eggs. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 102-104.

The eggs exhibited and described belonged to the following

species : — Micronisus brevipes, Motacilla citreola, Turdus fus-

catus, Reguloides super ciliosus, and Ruticilla aurorea.

2. Exhibition of a British specimen of the Araerican Yellow- billed Cuckoo (Coccyzus amencauus) . P.Z.S. 1871, p. 299.

Dubois, Alph.

Conspectus systematicus et geographicus Avium Europcearum, Bruxellis : 1871. Large 8vo, pp. 35.

V. antea, p. 187. Dybowski, Dr.

Zur Fortpflanzungsgeschichte des Kuckuks. J. f. 0. 1871, p. 393.

Dr. Dybowski, from his experiences in Dauria, comes to the

conclusion that it is the mother Cuckoo {Cuculus canorus) which

throws the foster-brethren of the young Cuckoo out of the nest.

[But cf Mrs. Hugh Blackburn (Nature, March 14, 1872) as

a modern witness on this point.]

Edwards, Alphonse Milne-.

Recherches anatomiques et paleontologiques pour servir (i UHistoire des Oiseaux fossiles de la France. Tome second. 4to, pis. Paris: 1869-71.

Last year saw the completion of this most important work, the progress of which has been regularly noticed in these pages. [Cf Ibis, 1870, p. 510.] [See also Zool. Record, iii. p. 47, iv. p. 49, V. p. 36, vi. p. 29.]

The concluding chapters, as yet unnoticed, appear to com- mence with ch. xxix., which treats of the skeleton of the " Pas- seres," the various portions of which are illustrated on several plates, the subjects being chosen from living species. Chapter XXX. continues the consideration of the same groups with reference to fossil species. The following are described : — Cryptornis (gen. nov. Bucerotida;?) antiquus (pi. 175) ; Laurilliardia longirostris, a new genus and species (near Promerops) (pi. 161. fig. 1). A new genus, Palagithalus (near Parus or Parula), is made for

424 Messrs. Salvia and Sclater's Index to the

Sitta (?) cuvieri, Gervais (pi. 161. fig. 2) ; Corvus larteti is de- scribed as a new species (pis. 151, 152). Also the following : — Homalopuspicoides, a new genus and species {Picididce ?) (pi. 178. figs. 15-31) ; Necrornis palustris, a new genus and species, allied perhaps to Musophaga (pi. 178. figs. 6-14); Motacilla humata (pi. 158. figs. 7-]l, pi. 159. figs. 10, 11) and M. major (pi. 158. figs. 1-6, pi. 159. figs. 13, 14) are described as new species; also Lanius mioccenus (pi. 159. figs. 1, 2, 3). A genus allied to Upupa is called Linmatornis paludicola, sp. n. (pi. 176. figs. 8-13). Two new Swifts are distinguished as Cypselus ignotus (pi. 177. figs. 9-13) and Collocalia incerta (pi. 177. figs. 1-8) ; and a new Trogon as Trogon gallicus (pi. 177. figs. 18-22) ; also two Woodpeckers as Picus archiaci (pi. 178. figs. 1-5) and Picus consohrinus (pi. 176. figs. 1-7). Chapter xxxi. treats of the Accipitres diurni in general ; and in chapter xxxii. the following fossil species are described : — Palaocircus cuvieri, a new genus and species (pi. 185. fig. 16) ; Palceohierax gervaisii (pi. 183. figs. 1-10) ; Aquila depredator (lege deprcedator), a new species (pi. 183. figs. 14-16, pi. 184. figs. 5-10, pi. 186. figs. 7-12) ; Aquila prisca (pi. 184. figs. 1-4, 11-13); Milvus deperditus, sp. n. (pi. 185. figs. 1-4); Aquila minuta, sp. n. (pi. 185. figs. 5-8); Haliaetus piscator, sp. n. (pi. 185. figs. 9-11); and Serpentarius robustus (pi. 186. figs. 1-6). Chapter xxxiii. relates to the Striges in general, the following fossil species being described in chapter xxxiv. : — Bubo avernensis (pi. 192. figs. 10-23) ; Bubo poirrieri (pi. 192. figs. 24-29) ; and Strix antiqua, sp. n. (pi. 192. figs. 1-9). In chapter xxxv. the general structure of the Psittacidse is considered ; and in chapter xxxvi. Psittacus verreauxii (pi. 200) is described.

In the second part of the work (vol. ii. p. 529) the whole subject is summarized in six chapters ; and the fossil remains of birds, from those of the Trias formation to the Dodo and Solitaire, shortly enumerated according to the strata in which they have been found.

Elliot, D. G.

1. A Monograph of the Phasianidse or Pheasants. Parts ii., iii., iv., V. 1871. Published by the Author. [Cf. Ibis, 1870, p. 519.]

Ornithulogicul Literature 0/ 1871. 425

This grand work is now nearly complete. The four parts published last year contain illustrations of the following spe- cies : — Lophophorus impeyanus, Fucrasia xanthospila, Phasianus reevesi, Euplocamus swinhoii, Gallus sonnerati, Phasianus shawi. Ceriornis temmincki, Polt/plectron thibetanum, Ithaginis geoffroiji, Euplocamus ignitus, Pavo muticus, Polt/plectron chalcurum, Numida meleagris, Numida plumifera. Part iii. Phasianus iasignis, Ar-gus giganteus, Phasianus versicolor, Euplocamus nobilis, Tetraophasis obscurus^', Thaumalea picta, Euplocamus lineatus, Phasianus elegans, Meleagris ocellata, Ceriornis satyra, Euplocamus erythrophthalmus, Polyplectron bicalcaratum, Acryl- lium vulturinum, Numida coronata, Phasidus niger. Part iv. Phasianus mongolicus, Lophophorus sclateri, Ceriornis caboti, Euplocamus horsfieldi, Phasianus colchicus, Gallus varius, Pha- sianus wallichi, Euplocamus pyrrhonotus, Meleagris gallopavo, Phasianus for mosanus, Ithaginis cruentus, Crossoptilon mantchu- ricum, Pohjpilectron emphanum, Numida granti. Part v. Melea- gris mexicana, Phasianus decollatus, Crossoptilon drouyni, Gallus lafayettii, Phasianus torguatus, Euplocamus melanotus, Pavo cristatus, Ceriornis melanocejjhala, Thaumalea obscura, Pucrasia duvauceli, Euplocamus andersoni, Crossoptilon auritum, Numida cristata, Numida pucherani, Argus ocellatus, Argus bipunctatiis. The last two species are described from a few feathers only !

2. Description of a new Genus and Species of Birds belonging to the Family Fringillidse. Ibis, 1871, pp. 402, 403, pi. xi.

The bird here described and figured is called Dolospingus nu-

chalis. It is allied to Spermophila. The specimen is said to

have come from the Orinoco.

3. Desmption of a new Species of Pheasant of the genus Eu- plocamus from Burmah, with a Lifit of the known Species. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 137, 138.

The species described is called Euplocamus andersoni, increasing the number of known species, according to the author, to twelve.

4. Description of an apparently new Bird of the Genus Eury- stomus, with a List of the known Species. Ibis, 1871, pj). 203, 204.

This supposed species was obtained by Mr. Wallace in the * This generic name is here used for the first time, but no characters are assigned.

SER.ITI. — VOL. II. 2 II

*■ *

"t» »-»^

J

426

Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

island of Waigiou ; and Mr. Elliot calls it Eurystomus waigiouen- sis. Eight species of the genus are allowed.

5. Review of the Genus Ptiloris, Swainson. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 580-583.

Four species are here recognized as belonging to this genus.

6. Description of a supposed new Species of Guinea-fowl from Ugogo, Central Africa. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 584.

This supposed new species is called Numida granti, the de- scription being taken fVom a drawing made of a bird shot by Colonel Grant during his expedition with Capt. Speke.

7. Description of an apparently new Species of Pheasant of the Genus Argus. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 119, 120 (1871).

This species, called Argus ocellatus, is based upon four feathers

in the Paris Museum from an unknown locality !

8. Descriptions of two new Species of Humming-birds belonging to the Genus Eupherusa and Cyanomyia. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 266, 267 (1871).

These species are called Eupherusa poliocerca and Cyanomyia

viridifrons. Both are from Putla, in Western Mexico.

FiNSCH, Dr. Otto.

Monographic der Gattung Certhiola. Verb, k.-k, zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1871, t. iv. pp. 739-790.

A very complete monograph based upon a large series of speci- mens. Ten species are admitted, the uudescribed name C clusia of Paul V. Wiirtemberg being adopted for the Haitian species ; another species, from the island of Cosumel, is referrred to (p. 790) as " Certhiola caboti, Baird, MS.,^' but is not described. The synonymy is carefully and fully worked out; every species is described, and the distribution of each traced. A map shows the latter (c/. Ibis, 1871, p. 476).

Flower, W. H.

On the Skeleton of the Australian Cassowary (Casuarius aus- tralis). P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 32-35.

A comparison of a skeleton of this species with that of C. ga- leatus, accompanied by a woodcut showing the skull of the former. Frauenfeld, Georg Bitter von.

1. Der Vogelschutz. Verb. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1871, pp. 1149-1196.

85 to thei:

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Ornithological Literature 0/ 1871.

427

Contains a list of European birds, with notes on each group as to their habits, food, &c., with reference to the question how far they should be protected by law during the breeding-season.

2. Die Grundlagen der Vogelschutzgesetzes. Wien: 1871.

Contains a reprint of the last paper, with introductory remarks.

Fritsch, Dr. Anton.

1. Naturgeschichte der Vbgel Ewopa's. 1vol. 8vo, text (506 pp. and index) ; and Atlas, folio, 64 plates. Frag : 1871.

This work is now complete, the last part of plates bearing

date 1871, the text 1870.

2. Die Vogel Bohmens. J. f. 0. 1871, pp. 161-205, 305- 313 et 378-392.

A somewhat abbreviated reprint of the portion of Dr. Fritsch's

article on the vertebrata of Bohemia, lately published in the

Archiv f. d. naturwissenschaftcliche Landesdurchforschung v.

Bohmen, which relates to the birds of that country.

Gegenbaur, C.

1. Beitrdge zur Kenntniss der Beckens d. Vugel. Leipzig: 1871. 8vo, with three plates. Jen. Zeitschr. f. Med. u. Wiss. vi. p. 157.

An essay on the pelvis of birds and its component parts —

worthy of the author's well-known reputation.

2. Ueber die Nasenmuscheln der Vogel. Leipzig : 1871. 8vo, with 3 plates.

This paper we have not met with.

GiGLioLi, Enrico Hillyer.

Note intorno alia Distribuzione delta Fauna Vertebrata neW Oceano prese durante un viaggio intorno al Globo 1865-68. Firenze : 1870. 8vo, pp. 96.

The portion of this work relating to the oceanic birds observed

during the voyage of the Magenta occupies from p. 24 to p. 71,

and treats chiefly of Spheniscida and Procellariida. Of the latter

family the descriptions given in ' The Ibis' (1869, p. 61 et seq.)

of Puffinus elegans, QLstrelata trinitatis, (E. magentce, (E. armin-

joniann, and (E. dejilippiaua are reproduced. There are also

notes on the LaridtP and Pelicanida observed, as well as one

on Chionis alba. A map shows where each species mentioned

was seen.

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426 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

island of Waigiou ; and Mr. Elliot calls it Eurystomus waigiouen- sis. Eight species of the genus are allowed.

5. Revieiv of the Genus Ptiloris, Swainson. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 580-583.

Four species are here recognized as belonging to this genus.

6. Description of a supposed new Species of Guinea-fowl from Ugogo, Central Africa. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 584.

This supposed new species is called Numida granti, the de- scription being taken ft-om a drawing made of a bird shot by Colonel Grant during his expedition with Capt. Speke.

7. Description of an apparently new Species of Pheasant of the Genus Argus. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser, 4, viii. pp. 119, 120 (1871).

This species, called Argus ocellatus, is based upon four feathers in the Paris Museum from an unknown locality !

8. Descriptions of two new Species of Humming-birds belonging to the Genus Eupherusa and Cyanomyia. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 266, 267 (1871).

These species are called Eupherusa poliocerca and Cyanomyia

viridifrons. Both are from Putla, in Western Mexico.

FiNSCH, Dr. Otto.

Monographic der Gattung Certhiola. Verb. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1871, t. iv. pp. 739-790.

A very complete monograph based upon a large series of speci- mens. Ten species ai'e admitted, the undescribed name C. clusiae of Paul V. Wiirtemberg being adopted for the Haitian species ; another species, from the island of Cosumel, is referi'red to (p. 790) as " Certhiola caboti, Baird, MS.," but is not described. The synonymy is carefully and fully worked out ; every species is described, and the distribution of each traced. A map shows the latter (c/. Ibis, 1871, p. 476).

Flower, W. H.

On the Skeleton of the Australian Cassoivary (Casuarius aus-

tralis). P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 32-35. A comparison of a skeleton of this species with that of C. ga- leatus, accompanied by a woodcut showing the skull of the former.

Frauenfeld, Georg Bitter von.

1. Der Vogelschutz. Verb. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1871, pp. 1149-1196.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 427

Contains a list of European birds, with notes on each group as to their habits, food, &c., with refei-ence to the question how far they should be protected by law during the breeding-season.

2. Die Gi-undlagen der Vogelschutzgesetzes. Wien : 1871.

Contains a reprint of the last paper, with introductory remarks.

Fritsch, Dr. Anton.

1 . Naturgeschichte der Vogel Europa's. 1 vol. 8vo, text (506 pp. and index) ; and Atlas, folio, 64 plates. Prag : 1871.

This work is now complete, the last part of plates bearing

date 1871, the text 1870.

2. Die ViJgel Bohmens. J. f. 0. 1871, pp. 161-205, 305- 313 e/ 378-392.

A somewhat abbreviated reprint of the portion of Dr. Fritsch's

article on the vertebrata of Bohemia, lately published in the

Archiv f. d. naturwissenschaftcliche Landesdurchforschung v.

Bohmen, which relates to the birds of that country.

Gegenbaur, C.

1. Beitrdge zur Kenntniss der Beckens d. Vogel. Leipzig: 1871. 8vo, with three plates. Jen. Zeitschr. f. Med. u. Wiss. vi. p. 157.

An essay on the pelvis of birds and its component parts —

worthy of the author's well-known reputation.

2. Ueber die Nasenmuscheln der Vogel. Leipzig : 1871. 8vo, with 3 plates.

This paper we have not met with.

GiGLioLi, Enrico Hillyer.

Note intorno alia Distribuzione delta Fauna Vertebrata nell' Oceano prese durante un viaggio intorno al Globo 1865-68. Firenze : 1870. 8vo, pp. 96.

The portion of this work relating to the oceanic birds observed

during the voyage of the Magenta occupies from p. 24 to p. 71,

and treats chiefly of Spheniscida and Procellariida. Of the latter

family the descriptions given in 'The Ibis^ (1869, p. 61 et seq.)

of Puffinus elegans, (Estrelata trinitatis, (E. magenta, (E. armin-

joniana, and (E. defilipjjiana are reproduced. There are also

notes on the Larid(e and Pelicanida observed, as well as one

on Chionis alba. A map shows where each species mentioned

was seen.

2h2

428 Messrs. Salvia and Sclater's Index to the

Gillies, T. B.

On the occurrence of Footprints of the Moa at Poverty Bay. Trans. N. Z. Inst. 1871, pp. 127, 128.

Refers to a further examination of the footprints described by Archdeacon Williams [see Williams, W. L.].

GOEBEL, FoBSTMEISTER H.

1. Eine Raise von Petersburg nach Archangelsk ilber Ttver, Taroslaw, Wologda und Ustguy. J. f. 0. 1871, pp. 20-27.

A short account of the author's journey from St. Petersburg to Archangel in the months of May and June, containing remarks on the birds observed on the way.

2. Die in Jahren 1867-9 in Umanschen Kreise beohachteten Vogel. J. f. 0. 1871, pp. 130-151.

Continues and completes remarks on the birds observed in the Government of Kiew in 1867, 1868, and 1869. See J. f. 0. 1870, pp. 440-456. The total number of species observed was 196.

Goodhue, Daniel.

Catalogue of, and Observations on the Birds of Vei'mont. Arch. Sc. & Trans. Orleans County Soc. Nat. Hist. i. pp. 102-105 (1871). Only seven species are as yet mentioned in this paper, with brief notes upon them.

Gould, John.

1. The Birds of Asia. Part xxiii. London: 1871.

Mr. Gould's customary yearly part contains figures of the fol- lowing species: — Polyplectron chinquis,Perdix barbata, Pitta ben- galemis, Pitta oreas,Psaropliolus trailli, Psaropholus ardens, Otidi- phaps nobilis, Accentor moiitanellus, Accentor rubidus, Accentor erythropygius, Zosterops simplex, Z. erythropleura, Parus venus- tulus, Staphida torqueola, Pterorhinus davidi.

2. The Birds of Great Britain. Parts xix., xx. London : 1871.

Mr. Gould figures the following species in these parts, which bear the dates August and September 1871 : — Caprimulgus rufcollis, Machetes pugnax, Perdix cinerea, Fregilus graculus, Turdus atrogularis, Calamodyta aquatica, Carpodacus erythrinus, Cinclus melanogaster, Anser brachyrhynchus, Anser albifrons, jEgialitis minor, Nyroca ferma, Mareca penelope, Laru^ fuscus,

Ornithuloyical Literature of 1871. 429

Ciconia alba, Ciconia nigra, Numenius j)hceopus, Turnix africanus, Tetrao tetrix, Buhulcus russatus, Spatula chjpeata, Ardetta minuta, Dryucopus martins, Oxylophus glandarius, Melanocorypha leuco- ptera, Emberiza rustica, Coturnix communis, Fuligula cristata, Gelochelidon anglica.

3. Exhibition of a Skin of Lady Rosse's Touraco (Musophaga rossise). P. Z. S. 1871, p. 1.

4. Descriptions of six new Humming-birds, P. Z. 8. 1871, pp. 503-505.

The species here described are called Helianthea osculans,

Heliangelus squamigularis, Heliomaster albocrissa, Lesbia chlorura,

Eriocnemis russata, and Polytmus leucorrhous.

5. Desa'iptioii of a new Species of Fruit-Pigeon from the Fiji Islands. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 642, 643.

A beautiful species is here described as Ckrysoena victor.

6. On a new Species of Humming-bird belonging to the Genus Spathura. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp.61, 62(1871) .

This species is called Spathura solstitialis'. It is from E"cuador.

7. Description of two new Species pertaining to the Avifauna of Australia. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser, 4, viii. pp. 192, 193 (1871).

Xerophila pectoralis from Port Augusta and Sternula placens from Torres Straits are the names of two species hex'e described.

8. Description of a new Species of the Family Pittidse. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, vii. p. 340 (1871).

This new species is from Borneo, and is called Pitta {Phcenico-

cichla) arquata. Cf Birds of Asia, part xxiv.

Gray, Robert.

The Birds of the West of Scotland, including the Outer He- brides, with occasional records of the occurrence of the rarer species throughout Scotland generally. Glasgow: 1871. 8vo, pp. 520. V. antea, p. 184.

Gray, George Robert.

1. Hand-list of Genera and Species of Birds, distinguishing those

contained in the British Museum. Part iii. Struthiones,

Grallae, and Anseres, with indices of generic and specific

names. London: 1871. 8vo, pp. 350.

The concluding portion of this valuable work [cf. Ibis, 1870,

430 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater^s Index to the

p. 116; 1871, p. 439 e/Gn^m_,p. 340]. The indices occupy no less than 217 pages, and supply an almost indispensable want towards the completeness of the work, which would have been still further enhanced had the generic names been appended to the specific in the index to the latter.

2. A Fasciculus of the Birds of China. 1871 : pp. 8, t. i.-xii.

[y. antea, p. 188.] The plates illustrate the following spe- cies : — Mijiophonus cceruleus, Hypsipetes leucocephalus, Colhjrio schach, Acridotheres nigricollis, Sturnus sericeus, Coccothraustes melanura, FrancoUnus chinensis, Perdix thoracica, Eulabeornis striatus, Gallinula cristata, Querquedula formosa, and Q. falcata.

3. Note on Ptilornis alberti. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 365,366 (1871).

Refers to some remarks by Mr. Elliot upon a MS. name bestowed by Mr. Gray upon the North-Australian race of P. magnificus.

4. On a new Species o/Caprimulgus. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 428, 429 (1871).

This refers to a tine Madagascar species to which the name C. enarratus is given. A species of Cossypha, also from Mada- gascar, is called C. sharpii.

5. On a new Species o/Buceros. Ann. &Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 437, 438, pi. xvii. (1871).

This species (called B. casuarinus, and supposed to be from

Western Africa), is based upon a head which is represented on

the Plate.

Grayson, A.. J.

Natural History of the Tres Marias and Socorro. Proc. Bost. Soc. N. H. 1871 ^.

This paper, owing to the death of the author, was compiled and edited by Mr. Lawrence from Col. Grayson^s notes. The notes themselves are full of interest, and contain both excellent observations of the physical features of the islands them- selves and also field-notes respecting the birds found on them. Col. Grayson records 52 species of birds as inhabiting the Tres Marias, one of which appears to bear a new name, " Chama- pelia pallescens, Baird." Another is called " Haliplana fuliginosa, * Separate copy kiudly lurwarded by ^li'. Lawrence.

Ornithological Literature of\9)7\. 431

var. crissalis, Baird, MS/' Only 13 species were found ou Socorro, several of which appear, however, to be peculiar to that island. [Cf. Lawrence, G. N.]

GuNDLACH, Dr. Jean.

Neue Beitr'dge zur Ornithologie Cubas. J. f. 0. 1871, pp. 265-295, 353-378.

This " New Contribution to the Ornithology of Cuba," by the veteran ornithologist of that island. Dr. Gundlach, begins with a general review of prior labours on the same subject, commencing with MacLeay's article in the ' Zoological Journal ' for 1827, and ending with the author^s review of Cuban birds, published in Poey^s ' Repertorio fisico-natural de la isla de Cuba' in 1865 and 1866. In the second portion (p. 353) Dr. Gundlach commences a further revised list of Cuban birds, with descriptions of their various plumages, notes on their habits, remarks on their synonymy, and proceeds to the end of the Raptores. [N.B. — Gymnoglaux nudipes (p. 376) should stand as Gymnoglaux lawrencii, Scl. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1868, p. 327.]

Gurnet, J. H.

1. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, p. 103.

Cuculu^ gularis (Ibis, 1859, p. 246) =Cuculus canorus.

2. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, pp. 247, 248.

The Egyptian Gypa'etus is probably G. meridionalis. Occur- rence of Haliaetus albicilla on Lake Menzalah, and notes on Aquila imperialis, A. navioides, A. navia, and A. clanga.

3. Remarks on certain Species of Abyssinian Birds. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 147-149.

Some critical notes on Dr. Finsch's paper on Abyssinian birds in the Transactions of the Zool. Soc. vol. vii.

GuRNEY, J. H. See Ayres, Thomas.

Gurney, J. H., Junr.

1. On the Ornithology of Algeria. Ibis, 1871, pp. 68-86, 289-301, plate iii.

Some useful notes on the birds of a now well-trodden field. Mr. Gurney penetrated into the Mzab country, and obtained many of the species found by Mr. Tristram during his well-

432 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

known expedition. 141 species are mentioned ; and at the end of the article the dates of amval of several migratory birds in Algeria and England are given. The Plate illustrates Parus ledoucii.

2. A Natural History Tour in Spain and Algeria. Trans.

Norf. & Norw. Soc. 1871, pp. 35-48. The notes on birds in this paper are most of them included in the above.

Haast, Julius.

1. Moas and Moa-hunters. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871, pp. 66-107.

In this paper (divided into three parts) the author gives his reasons for assigning an earlier date than that sought to be fixed for the existence of the various species of Dinornis and its allies in New Zealand. His arguments are thus summed up in his own words : —

1. The different species of Dinornis or Moa began to appear and flourish in the Postpliocene period of New Zealand.

2. That they have been extinct for such a long time that no reliable traditions as to their existence have been handed down to \is.

3. A race of autochthones, probably of Polynesian origin, was contemporaneous with the Moa, by whom these huge wingless birds were hunted and exterminated.

4. A species of Wild Dog was contemporaneous with them, which was also killed and eaten by the Moa-hunters.

5. They did not possess a domesticated dog.

6. This branch of the Polynesian race possessed a very low standard of civilization, using only rudely chipped stone implements, whilst the Maoris, their direct descendants, had, when the first Europeans arrived in new^ Zealand, al- ready reached a high state of civilization in manufacturing fine polished stone implements and weapons.

7. The Moa-hunters, who cooked their food in the same manner as the Maoris of the pi-esent day do, were not cannibals.

8. The Moa-hunters had means to reach the northern island, whence they procured obsidian.

Ornithological Litefi'ature of 1871. 433

9. They also travelled far into the interior of this island to obtain flint for the manufacture of their primitive stone implements.

10. They did not possess implements of nephrite (greenstone) .

11. The polishing process of stone implements is of consider- able age in New Zealand, as more-finished tools have been found in such positions that their great antiquity cannot be doubted, and which is an . additional proof of the long extinction of the Moa.

2. Notes on Harpagornis moorii, an extinct Gigantic Bird of Prey, containing Descriptions of Femur, Ungual Phalanges, and Rib. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871, pp. 192-196, plates x., xi.

The bones here described were found with remains of Dinornis, five or six feet below the surface, in the swamp at Glenmark, which has already yielded Dr. Haast such a rich harvest. The author compares the bones with those of Circus, and conjectures that they belonged to a gigantic bird allied to the Harriers. From this he deduces that the Moas, upon which Harpagornis is supposed to have preyed, were diurnal in habits. Further excavations are being made ; so we may hope soon to hear more of this remarkable form.

H ALLEY, J. J.

A Monograph of the Psittacidse, or Parrot Family, of Australia. V. antea, p. 188.

Hamilton, J. F.

Notes on Birds from the Province of Sad Paulo, Brazil. Ibis, 1871, pp. 301-309.

Contains field-notes on forty-five species of birds collected by the author in Brazil.

Hanf, p. Blasius.

Ornithologische Miscellen, Verb. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien,

1871, pp. 87-98. Contains notes on various European birds.

Harting, James Edmund.

1. The Ornithology of Shakespeare. Critically examined, ex- plained, and illustrated. London : 1871. 8vo, pp. 321. V. antea, p. 185.

434 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

2. Hints on Shore-shooting, with a Chapter on skinning and preserving Birds. London : 1871. Post 8vo, pp. 88.

V. antea, p. 185.

3. Exhibition of, and Remarks on a Specimen of the so-called Sabine's Snipe (Scolopax sabinii). P. Z. S. 1871, p. 39.

4. Exhibition of a Red-breasted Goose (Anser ruficollis, Pallas). P. Z. S. 1871, p. 102.

The specimen exhibited was stated to have been shot at

Maldon, on the Essex coast.

5. Catalogue of an Arctic Collection of Birds presented by Mr. John Barrow, F.R.S., to the Universiti/ Museum at Oxford, with Notes on the Species. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 110-123.

This interesting collection is contained in forty-two cases, which Mr. Hartiug takes seriatim, giving notes on the birds in each. A specimen of Eurinorhynchus prjgmceus in summer plu- mage, which has already furnished the subject of a Plate in this Journal (Ibis, 1869, p. 426, t. xii.), appears to be the rarest species in the collection. We notice that Mr. Harting calls the Black- throated Diver in ease 22, from Behring's Straits, Colymbus arcticus. Is it not rather C pacificus of Lawrence ? The spe- cimen in case No. 21, called C. glacialis, has already been as- cribed to C. adamsi {Cf Scl. P. Z. S. 1859, p. 201), which fact, whatever the validity of the species, ought not to have been passed over without comment.

Hartlaub, G.

Bericht ilber die Leistungen in der Naturgeschichte der Vogel

wdhrend des Jahres 1870. Wiegm. Arch. 1870, pt. ii. Dr. Hartlaub's usual review of the ornithological literature for the year 1870. ^

Hartlaub, G., and Pinsch, 0.

On a Collection of Birds from Savai and Rarotonga Islands in the Pacific. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 21-32, t. ii.

Thirteen species were contained in the collection from Savai, one of the Navigator Islands, and seven from Rarotonga, one of the Cook or Hervey group. Both are due to Mr. J. Csesar GodefFroy's exertions in exploring the natural productions of the islands of the Pacific Ocean. A new genus, Pareudiastes, type

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 435

P. pacificus, sp. n., from Savai, is described and also figured. Monarches dimidiatus, Aplonis cinerascens, Ptilinopus raroton- gensis, all from Rarotonga, are described as new species.

Hector, James.

1. On recent Moa Remains in New Zealand. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 187 J J pp. 110-124, plates v.-vii.

Gives an account of tbe bones of a Moa chick found in an egg of some species of Dinornis, near Cromwell. See P. Z. S. 1867, p. 991. Also of a portion of the cervical vertebrae of a Moa, with parts of the skin and some feathers attached, which was found in a cave, with numerous other remains, at the foot of the Obelisk range of hills near Alexandra. Dr. Hector supports the view that the Moa survived until very recent times.

2. On the Remains of a Gigantic Penguin (Palseeudyptes an- tarcticus, Huxley) from the Tertiary Rocks on the west coast of Nelson. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871, pp. 341-346, plates xvii., xviii.

The bones which furnished the subject for this paper were found in a ledge of rock forming part of the Seal Rock in Woodpecker Bay. They are attributed to the species described by Huxley as Palceeudyptes antarcticus in the Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, vol. xv. p. 672.

Heuglin, Th. von.

1. Briefliches ilber eine Reise im europdischen Norden. Journ, f. Orn. 1871, pp. 10-13.

Extracts from letters written during the author's journey along the Norwegian coast northward to Tromso, containing remarks on birds observed.

2. Die Vogel-Fauna im kohen Norden. J. f. O. 1871, pp. 81 -107.

Continues the observations on birds, made during the author's

further journey through Finmark and Spitsbergen in 1870.

3. Nachtrag zu meinem Bericht Uber die Ornithologie Spitz- bergens. J. f. 0. 1870, p. 205.

Further remarks on some of the birds obtained in Spitsbergen,

principally in reference to Prof. Newton's examination of some

of the doubtful specimens, e. g. Lagopus hemileucurus and Cep-

phus columba, Heuglin, which last is not the true C. columba.

436 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

4. Ueber die rothdugige Drossel {Turdus olivacinus, Bp.). J. f. 0. 1871, p. 206.

Describes minutely Turdus olivacinus of the Abyssian high- lands, and distinguishes it from its southern representative T. olivaceus. The Turdus olivacinus of Rtippell and Hartmann, from the coast-region of Abyssinia and the Blue Nile, is not this species, but Turdus pelios, auct. (nee Bp.), which species ought to stand as T. icterorhynchus {of. Cab. J. f. O. 1870, pp. 238-306), the true T. pelios being a Central- Asiatic species. [Cf. Ibis, 1871, p. 424],

5. Ornithologie Nordost-Africas, der Nilquellen und Kuster- Gebiet des Rothen Meeres und des uordlichen Somal-Landes (Fischer, Cassel). Lieff. 18, 19-30, 31.

We have seen up to the 30th and 31st Lieff. of this work ; but, as the parts are not dated, we cannot say exactly what were issued in 1871. The first volume ends with Lieff. 22, 23, and contains pp. 852 and fifteen plates. Lieff. 24, 25 commence an Ap- pendix, in which the author is assisted by contributions from Dr.

0. Finsch. The birds (and eggs) figured in the seven parts are : — Tab. XX. Nigrita arnaudi. xxi. a. 1. Xanthodina dentata ; 2. X. pyrgita. xviii. A. Hyphantornis intermedia ; b. H. tcenioptera ; c. H. vitellina-, d. H. galbula; e. H. guerini. xxxiii. Limnetes crassirosti'is. xiv. 1. Tu7-dus pelios ; 2. T. olivacinus. xlii. 1-3. Textor alecto (eggs); 4. Hyphantornis habessinica ; 5. H. atrogu- laris ; 6, 7. H. guerini; 8-12. H. vitellina; 13-17. H. galbula. xliii. 1. Psalidoprocne pristoptera ; 2. Hirundo athiopica ; 3. Nee- tarinia metallica ; 4-6. Cisticola cvrsitans ; 7. Drymoeca graci- lis; 8. Caprimulgus isabellinus; 9, 10. Cercotrichas erythroptei^a ; 11. Argya acacia; 12. Saxicola isabellina; 13-15. Acrocepha- lus stentoreus ; 16,17. A'edon galactodes; 18. Pycnonotus arsi- no'e. ii. Helotarsus ecaudatus. iv. Noctua spilogastra. xxxvii.

1. Vultur fulvus occidentalis ; 2, 3. Falco concolor ; Haliaetus albicilla. xii. 1, 2, 3. Milvus forskalii [parasiticus); 4, 5. Bubo ascalaphus. xii. b. Saxicola scotocerca. xxi. Philagrus melano- rhynchus.

HOMEYER, E. F. VON.

Monographische Beitrdge. Gennaia und Falco, Kaup. J. f. 0. 1871, pp. 39-56.

Ornithological Literature o/1871. 437

A series of remarks on what the author considers the well- established species of these two divisions of Falco. He does not appear to have examined the Algerian Falcon referred by Salvin to F. barbarus, Linn., and well known to English col- lectors. Falco bahylonicus is considered to be without doubt the young of F. tanypt&rus (i. e. lanarius, auct. plur.).

HORNE, C.

Letter from. Ibis, 1871, pp. 110-112.

On the breeding of Mycteria australis in India.

Hudson, W. H.

1. Tenth Letter on the Ornithology of Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 4-7.

Refers principally to the habits of Larus ciiThocephalus.

2. Eleventh Letter on the Ornithology of Buenos Ayres. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 258-262.

A continuation of Mr. Hudson^s valuable Notes.

3. Twelfth Letter on the Ornithology of Buenos Ayres. P.Z.S. 1871, pp. 326-329.

Treats of the Swallows (Hirundinidse) of the neighbourhood

of Buenos Ayres.

Hume, Allan.

1. Stray Notes on Ornithology in India. No. VI. On certain new or unrecorded Birds. Ibis, 1871, pp. 23-38.

The new species described are Saxicola kingi from Jodhpoor,

Acrocephalus macrorhynchus from the Sutlej valley, and Ploceus

megarhynchus. The other notes apply to skins determined and

compared by Mons. J. Verreaux.

2. St7'ay Notes on Ornithology in India. No. VII. Ibis, 1871, pp. 403-413.

Record is made of the occurrence of Otis tarda and Ni/ctea

nivea at Murdan. The following species are also described : —

Alauda adamsi from Murdan, Caprimulgus unwini from Murdan,

Falco hendersoni, Galerida magna, Saxicola hendersoni, Trocha-

lopteron simile, Podoces humilis, P. hendersoni, Suya alhospecu-

laris, all from Yarkand ; also Sturnus nitens from Cashmere, the

Peshawur valley, and Afghanistan, Geocichla tricolor from Hill

Tipperah, and Cygnus unwini from the Peshawur valley.

438 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

HuTTON, Frederick Wollaston.

1. Catalogue of the Birds of Neio Zealand, with Diagnoses of the Species. New Zealand: 1871. 8vo, pp. 85.

160 indigenous species are mentioned in this Catalogue, a

very brief diagnosis being given of each. A list of 52 species is

also given of birds introduced by European settlers. At the

end of the volume a number of critical notes are added.

2. On the Nests and Eggs of some Species of New-Zealand Birds. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871. pp. Ill, 112.

Five species of birds furnish the materials for this paper, all

but one of which are sea-birds.

3. On the Microscopical Structure of the Eggshell of the Moa. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871, pp. 166, 167, pi. ix.

Capt. Hutton^s observations lead him to the same conclusions as those of Nathusius, viz. that the eggshell of Dinornis is es- sentially struthious in its character, that of Apteryx departing widely therefrom. \_Cf Nathusius, W. v.]

4. On some Moa Feathers. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871, p. 172, pi. ix.

The feathers of the Moa have long aftershafts like those of

the Emu. Its eggshells are like those of Rhea, and thus show

a rather closer relationship to the Australian and South- American

forms of Struthiones than to the African.

5. On the Sailing Flight of the Albatross. A Reply to Mr. J. S. Webb. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871, pp. 347-350.

A reply to certain criticisms upon Capt. Mutton's papers on

this subject.

6. On Megapodius pritchardi. Gray; Megapodius huttoni, Buller. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871, p. 165.

Contains an account of the specimen described by Mr. Buller.

It was procured at Nuifo ( = Niafu or Niufu, as written by Finsch) ,

one of the Friendly group. Capt. Hutton refers it without much

hesitation to M. pritchardi of Gray. \Cf. Buller, Walter.]

Jerdon, T. C.

Supplementary Notes to the 'Birds of India.' Ibis, 1871, pp. 234-247, 335-356, plate x.

These notes were intended to collect all the additional mate-

Ornithological Literature of \^7\. 439

rials which had come to light since the author's 'Birds of India' was published, and to prepare the way to a second edition of that important work. On most of the species included in his work Mr. Jerdon had some additional information to impart. Falco milvipes is recognized as distinct from F. sacer. Ci/pselus infumatus is figured (plate x.).

Jesse, W. See Labouchere, H. M.

Jaycox, T. W., Jun.

'Cornell Era/ 8th Dec. 1871.

This communication we have not seen ; but we gather its contents from a letter signed T. W. J. jr. in a Number of the same Journal dated 13th Jan., 1872. From the latter it would seem that a Grouse had been described as Bonasa johsi, but was subsequently admitted to be a somewhat abnormal variety of B. umbellus.

Koch, Gottlieb v.

1. Synopsis derVogel Deutschlands. Kurze Beschreibung alter in Deutschland vorkommenden Arten. Heidelberg : 1871. Pp. 137, 8 pi.

See Zool. Gart. 1871, p. 316.

2. Die Sanger Mitteldeutschlands. Abbildung und Beschrei- hung der mitteldeutschen Sylvien. Niirnberg : 1870. 8vo, with eighteen plates.

3. Die Stellung der Vogel. Hefte 1, 2. Heidelberg : 1871. 8vo, with twenty plates.

We have seen neither of these papers.

KOSSMAN, ROBBY.

Ueber die Talgdrilsen der Vogel. Zeitschr. f. wiss. Zool. xxi. p. 568.

An essay on the structure and minute anatomy of the oil- gland of birds, without any special reference to classification. This singular organ, however, is very fully described, and excel- lent figures are given to show its form and mode of action.

KrIEGER, 0. VON.

Buteo tachardus sive desertorum zum zweiten Mai in Thiirin-

gen erlegt. J. f. 0. 1871, p. 109. Records a (second) supposed occurrence of this recent addi-

440 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

tion to the European list in Thuringia in 1870. [But see Dr. Cabanis^s opinion of these birds, J. f. 0. p. 154, and p. 236.]

Labouchere, H. M., and Jesse, W.

Bird-life. Bij Dr. A. E. Brehm. Translated from the German.

London : 1871. Parts i., ii., iii. Large 8vo. V. antea, p. 193.

Lanen, — .

Domestication des Autruches au Cap. Bull. Soc. d'Accl. 1871, pp. 524-527.

Lawrence, Geo. N.

1 . Descriptions of new Species of Birds from Mexico, Central America, and South America, with a Note on Rail us longi- rostris. Ann. Lye. N. Y. x. pp. 1-21 (1871).

The new species collected on the Island of Socorro, the Tres Marias Islands, and at Mazatlan by the late Col. A.J.Grayson are here described, with the collector's notes, as follows, viz. : — from Socorro " Harporhynchus graysoni, Baird,'' " Troglodytes insu- laris, Baird," Pipilo carmani, Conurus holochlorus, var. hrevipes, and Zenaidura graysoni; from the Tres Marias Is., Pa7'ula insu- laris ; from Mazatlan, Attila cinnamomeus. The following species are described from other localities : — Cistothorus cequatorialis from Pichincha, Ecuador; Hamophila sumichrasti ivom Juchitan (err. Tuchitan), Tehuantepec, Mexico ; Todirostrum superciliare and Elainea macilvainii from Venezuela ? Empidonax fulvipectus from the city of Mexico; Trogon eximius from Panama (=7". chionurus, nob., cf. Ibis, 1871, p. 468); Chlorostilbon caribceus from the island of Cura9oa ; Leptoptila bonapartii from Mexico ; and " Vireosylvia magister, Baird," from Belize, British Hon- duras.

2. Descriptions of three new Species of American Birds, with a Note on Eugenes spectabilis. Ann. Lye. N. Y. x. pp. 137- 140 (1871).

The species are Mimus nigriloris from Mexico, Buarremon sor- didus from Bogota (which seems to be the yonrig of B. pallidinu- chus (Boiss.), and, as such, has long been in our collections ; cf. Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 69), and Serpophagn grisea from Costa Rica.

3. Descriptions of new Species of Birds of the Families Troglo- dytidse ««</Tyrannidaj. Pr. Acad. Phil. 1871, pp. 233-230_

Ornithological Literature 0/ 1871. ^^ll

A Wren is described as Catherpes sumichrasti from " Mata Bejuco/' Vera Cruz, Mexico, The Tyrannidse are Myiozetetes grandis from Tumbez, Peru [cf. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 753); Empi- donax atynrostris from Venezuela ? and Myiarchus yucatanensis from Yucatan {cf. Sol. P.Z. S. 1871, p. 84).

4. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, pp. 249-251.

Contains notes on the species of Chrysotis mentioned in Mr. Salvin^s paper on Central -American Psittacidse. \_C. farinosa of Mr. Lawrence's Panama List is rightly determined ; and is not C. guatemalcB, as here stated.]

5. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, p. 370.

Maintains the distinctness of Porzana guatemalensis from P. concolor.

6. The Barnacle Goose. Am. Nat. v. p. 10 (1871). Records a second occurrence of this species on the American

continent.

Layard, E. L.

1. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, pp. 102-107.

Contains notes on birds seen during a voyage from the Cape to England in 1870 ; also notes on some birds new to the fauna of S. Africa obtained in St. -Lucia Bay.

2. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, pp. 107-109.

Contains some remarks on Schizorhis concolor by Dr. Exton.

3. Notes on South-African Ornithology. Ibis, 1871, pp. 225-230.

These notes refer chiefly to a collection made by one of Mr.

Layard's correspondents, Dr. Exton. A new Barbatula is called

B. extoni.

Legge, W. Vincent.

1. On the second Species of 7jO%tQvo^% inhabiting Ceylon. Journ. Ceylon Branch, R. A. S. 1870-1.

2. Further notes on the Ornithology of Ceylon. Ibid. AVe only know the titles of these papers.

Lenglier, Ch.

Les couveuses Duhus et Deschamps. Bull. Soc. d'Accl. 1871, pp. 118-129.

SER. III. VOL. II. . 2 I

442 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater^s Index to the

Lewis, Grace Anna.

The Lyre-bird. Am. Nat. iv. pp. 321-331 (1870). Wood- cuts.

A popular account of Menura superba, the structure of the tail-feathers being illustrated by woodcuts.

M'Master, Lieut.-Gol. A. C.

Notes on Birds observed in the Neighbourhood of Nagpore and Kampfee {Central Provinces), Chikalder and Akola in Berar. J. A. S. B. 1871, pt. ii. p. 207.

A series of " rough notes taken during hunting- and shooting- trips from Kamptee," relating to sixty-seven species named after Jerdon's ' Birds.'

Magnus, Dr. Hugo.

Bemerkungen ilber denBau des knochernen Vogelkopfes. Zeitschr. f. wiss. Zool. xxi. p. 1 (108 pp., 6 tabb.).

A full and laborious essay upon the various elementary bones

that enter into the composition of the bird's cranium, illustrated

by six cleverly drawn "plates. The author seems not to have had

a very extensive collection to work upon, and does not go very

deeply into variations bearing upon classification. It does not

appear that he is acquainted with Prof. Huxley's classification of

birds by the bones of the palate (P. Z. S. 1867, p. 415 et seqq.).

Mairet, Alexandre.

Educations d' Oiseaux faites a la Faisandeine du Chateau de Ferrieres en 1870. Bull. Soc. d'Acc. 1871, pp. 593-596. Concerns the breeding of certain Pheasants, Rhynchotis rufes- cens, and a few other species of birds.

Marchant, L.

Catalogue des Oiseaux de la Cote d'Or. Paris: 1870. 8vo, pp. 92.

We have not seen this work.

Marshall, W.

Sur ies Plumes caudales allongees des Oiseaux de Paradis. Arch. Neerland. d. Sc. Ex. et Nat. vi. p. 296.

A short essay on the mode of development of the ornamental

plumes of the Birds of Paradise, and the variations of these

plumes according to age and sex.

Ornithological Literature 0/ 1871. 443

Marshall, C. H. T. and G. F. L.

A Monograph of the Capitonidse or Scansorial Bar-bets. London : 1871.

ICf. Ibis, 1871, p. 451.]

Parts VI. to IX. bring this work to a conclusion. Their contents are : —

Part VI. Pogonorhynchus rolleti, P. diadematus, P. melano- cephalus, Megalcema inornata, Gijmnohucco honapartii, Xantholama malaharica, Barbatula bilineata, B, atroflava, and Capita versi- color.

Part VII. Xantholcema rosea, Megalcema javensis, M. mysta- cophanes, M. humii, and M.franklini, Tetragonops rhamphastinus, Gymnobucco calvus, and Xylobucco scolopaceus.

Part VII I. Megalcema armillaris, M. chrysopsis, M. corvina, Pogonorhynchus vieilloti, P. leucomelas, Capito richardsoni, C. niger, and C. auratus.

Part IX. Pogonorhynchus melanopterus and P. undatus, Barbatula leucolcema, B. pusilla, B. subsulphurea, B. chrysocoma, B. uropygialis, Capito glaucogularis, C. quinticolor, Megalcema lagrandieri, M. duvauceli, and M. cyanotis.

Melliss, J. C.

Letter frotn. Ibis, 1871, pp. 367-370.

Describes the various attempts to introduce several species of birds into the Island of St. Helena.

Meyer, Adolf Bernhard.

Briefliches iiber Merops forsteni. J. f. 0. 1871, p. 231.

Announces the collection of specimens of both sexes of this rare species, near Rurukan in Northern Celebes. It bad not been previously met with since its discovery by Forsten in 1840.

MiTART, St. George.

On the Genesis of Species. London: 1871. Small 8vo, pp. 296.

Though Mr. Mivart illustrates his arguments but sparingly

by reference to birds, his book has such an important bearing on

the wide subject of which our science is only a branch, that we

have no hesitation in including its title in the present ' Index/

Some of the woodcuts representing Birds of Paradise, from Mr.

9 , 9

444 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

Wallace's 'Malay Archipelago/ are reproduced in chapter iii., ou " independent similarities of Structure."

MoBius, Dr. K.

Ein Besuch der Insel Sylt in Mai 1871. Zool. Gart. 1871, p. 193.

On the 29th of May last year Dr. Mobius visited the breeding- place of Sterna caspia on the north-eastern promoutory of Sylt, called the " Ellenbogen." The colony consisted of 17 nests. In 1819 Naumann reckoned it at 300, Fr. Boie subsequently at 200.

MuRiE, James.

1. On the Dermal and Visceral Structures of the Kagu, Smi- bittern, and Boatbill. Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. pp. 465-492, plates Ivi., Ivii. (Read May 9, 1867; published June 1871).

An important contribution to our knowledge respecting these

structures in Rhinochetus jubatus, Eurypyga helias, and Cancroma

cochlearia.

2. Additional note concerning the Powder-doivns o/ Rhinochetus jubatus. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 647-649.

Gives a table of equivalents of the areas treated of by Nitzsch

and the author.

3. On the Sternum and Viscera of Pel's Owl (Scotopelia peli, Temm.). Journ. Anat. & Phys. vi. pp. 170-175, t. xi. (1871).

These notes are drawn up from an examination of portions of the body of a specimen of this rare species which lived for some time in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, and which fur- nished the subject for plate xv. in the first volume of this journal. The skin is now mounted in the Norwich Museum. Dr. Murie's final remarks bear upon the value of the genus and its position amongst the family of Owls.

MURISON, W. D.

Notes on Moa-remains. Trans. New-Zeal. Inst. 1871, pp.

120-124. Refers to the vexed question as to the probable date of the extirpation of Dinornis.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 445

Nathusius, W v.

1 . Die Structur des Vogeleies und deren Beziehungen zur Syste- matik. J. f. 0. 1871, p. 241.

A resume of the several memoirs on the microscopical structure of the bird's egg, and on its importance in classification, which the author has recently contributed to the ' Zeitschrift f. wissen- schaft). Zoologie (vols, xviii. to xxi.). See Ibis, 1871, p. 454. The conclusion arrived at is that a well-defined type of egg- shell structure belongs to certain families of birds, and ren- ders them easily recognizable on examination of the egg-shell under the microscope. In some cases specific differences are also apparent, e. g. between C. olor and C musicus, and between Anser cinereus and A. segetum.

2. Ueher die Eischalen von Jl^pyornis, Dinornis, Apteryx und einigen Crijpturiden. Zeitschr. f. wiss. Zool. xxi. p. 330.

Contains the results of the author's microscopical examination of the egg-shells of jEpyornis, Dinornis, Apteryx, and certain species of Tinamous. His conclusions are : —

1. A decided approach in ^pyornis to Struthionine charac- ters, and distinctness from those of the larger Accipitres.

2. A confirmation of the Struthionine characters of Dinornis already pointed out in a previous memoir.

3. The entire distinctness of the Tinamous (in the characters of their egg-shell) from the typical Gallinse.

4. The resemblance of these characters in Apteryx to those of Grus and Otis, and (rather less so) to those of the Tinamous.

Newton, Alfred.

1. A History of British Birds by the late William Yarrell, V.P.L.S., F.Z.S. Fourth edition. Parts i. & ii. 8vo. London: 1871.

A revised edition of this important text-book, a large part of which has been re-written, and the whole most judiciously en- larged and corrected, so as to render the work complete up to the present date. Part ii. brings the work partly through the Owls.

2. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, p. 249.

Relates to the probable distinctness of Lagopus hemileucurus from L. rupestris.

446 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

3. On some new or rare Bird's Eggs. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 55-58, t. iv.

Contains descriptions of fourteen species of eggs of consider- able interest, eight of which are figured, viz. those of Nume- nius borealis, Calidris arenaria, Numcnius hudsonicus, Larus franklini, Xema sabinii, Chroicocephalus Philadelphia, Chionis minor, and Theristicus melanops.

4. Exhibition of some rare European Bird's Eggs. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 546-547.

Contains a note on supposed eggs of the Sanderling [Calidris arenaria) collected by the German North-Polar Expedition.

5. On a Remarkable Sexual Peculiarity in an Australian Spe- cies of Duck. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 649-651.

The bony enlargement of the trachea is observed to exist in both sexes of Anas ptunctata, though the form differs slightly in each sex. The term Virago is suggested for the group present- ing this peculiarity. Woodcuts of the trachea and posterior end of the sternum of both sexes are given.

6. Exhibition of the Humerus of a Pelican f-om the Cambridge- shire Fens. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 702.

7. On certain Species of Falconidfe, Tetraonidse, and Anatidse. Proc. Ac. Phil. 1871, pp. 94-100.

Relates to Falco gyifalco and its allies, the different species of Grouse allied to Lagopus albus, and to Anser ferus and its allies.

8. On a Method of Begistering Natural-History Observations. Trans. Norf. & Norw. Soc. 1871, pp. 24-34.

A fac-simile sheet, as formerly used by the author, shows the method employed, which, if kept during a series of yeai-s by a competent observer constantly resident in the country, could hardly fail to produce some interesting and perhaps some un- expected results. The observations, we need hardly say, apply chiefly to birds.

Nicholson, Henry Alleyne.

A Manual of Zoology for the use of Students, with a general Introduction on the Principles of Zoology. Edinb. & Lon- don: 1871. 2nd ed., small 8vo.

Six chapters are devoted to the consideration of the Class Aves.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 447

NiNNi, A. p.

Catalogo degli Uccelli del Veneto. i.-iii. Accipitres, Passeres, Columbse, Grallse et Palmipedes. Venezia : 1868-70. 8vo. This work, referred to by Doderlein [op. supra cit.), we have not seen [cf. Zool. Rec. 1869, p. 36).

NoRDvi, A. G.

Anas stelleri in Europa briltend. J. f. 0. 1871, p. 208.

Notice of the discovery of this Duck breeding on the northern coast of Russian Finmark, in the month of June.

Ogden, J. A.

Synopsis of the Genus Chettusia (Lobivanellus)^ with a De- scription of a new Species. Pr. Ac. Phil. 1871, pp. 194-196.

The author recognizes sixteen species of this genus, including

Chettusia nivifrons, which he describes as new. [But cf. Finsch,

ibid, 1872, p. 32.] It is said to be from " Fazoglow " [Qu. Fa-

zoklo, in Abyssinia ?] . Specimens of all but four of the species

under review are in the Museum of the Academy of Philadelphia.

Orde, J. W. P,

Letter from. Ibis, 1871, p. 112. On a QuaiPs nest in North Uist.

Orton^ James.

1. Notes on some Birds in the Museum of Vassar College. Am. Nat. iv. pp. — .

These notes apply chiefly to the type specimens of birds con- tained in the Vassar-College Museum. The types described by Giraud in his " Sixteen new Birds from Texas " were formerly in this collection, but have now passed into that of the Smithsonian Institution. The remaining notes refer to birds recently de- scribed by Mr. Lawrence.

2. On the Condors and Humming-birds of the Equatorial Andes. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 185-192.

Contains an account of Sarcorhamphus gnjphus and of various

species of Humming-birds found in Ecuador.

Owen, Professor.

1. Ou Dinornis (Part xv.) : containing a Description of the

418 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

Skull, Femur, Tibia, and Metatarsus of Aptornis defossor, Owen, from near Oamaru, Middle Island, New Zealand ; with additional Observations on Aptornis otidiformis, on Notornis mantelli, and Dinornis curtus. Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. pp. 353-380, plates xl.-xliv. (Read Mar. 10, 1870, published January 1871.)

2. On Dinornis (Part xvi.) : containing notices of the Internal Organs of some Species, with a description of the Brain and some Nerves and Muscles of the Head of the Apteryx australis. Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. pp. 381-396, plates xlv.-xlvii. (Read May 26, 1870; published Jan. 1871)

These papers are further contributions to Prof. Owen's well- known series on Dinornis. In the first cited the author expresses his long-entertained hopes of receiving the materials for a mono- graph of Notornis before that fast-disappearing form finally departs from amongst living birds. lu this hope we cordially concur. ■ It is in this Raliine form, rather than in Dinornis, that Aptornis vnW perhaps find its nearest ally.

In the second paper the author gives notes upon the brain, cerebral nerves, and cranial capacity of Apteryx, on the brain of Dinornis, on the trachese of Apteryx, Struthio, and Casuarius, on the trachea and larynx of Dinornis crassus, on the trachese oi Dinornis rheides"^. , Dinornis elephantopus"^. , D.ingens?,D.robus-, tus ?, and Aptornis defossor, and on the muscles of the mandible and hyoid of Apteryx.

3. On the Dodo (Part ii.) . Notes on the articulated Skeleton of the Dodo (Didus ineptus, Linn.) in the British Museum. Trans. Zool. Soc. vii. pp. 513-525, plates Ixiv.-lxvi. (Read April 18, 1871; published Nov. 1871.)

In this paper Prof. Owen reviews Messrs. A. & E. Newton's memoir " On the Osteology of the Sohtaire" (Phil. Trans. 1869, p. 327 et seqq.), and institutes many comparisons between the structural peculiarities of the Dodo and Pezophaps solitaria. We remark that he seems to admit of the specific distinction of P. minor, of Strickland, from the last-mentioned bird, the view taken by the ?i'lessrs. Newton being that the remarkable difi"erence in size between the remains of the largest and smallest specimens was simply sexual and not specific.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 449

Pelzeln August von.

1. Ueher die dutch Herrn Baron E. v. Ransonnet von der ost- asiatischen Expedition eingesendeten Sdugethiere und Vogel. Verb. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1871, pp. 99-102.

The birds mentioned in this list are not numerous. They are

from the coast of China and Japan, Saigon, Malacca, and a few

other localities.

2. Ein Beitrag zur ornithologischen Fauna der osterreichisch- ungarischen Monarchie. Verb. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1871, pp. 689-730.

A useful list, accompanied with many notes on the species of birds found in the Austro- Hungarian Monarchy. The speci- cimens contained in the Imperial Cabinet are also mentioned under each species.

Pettigrew, James Bell.

On the PhfjsiologT/ of Wings ; being an Analysis of the Move- ments bij which Flight is produced in the Insect, Bat, and Bird. Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinb. 1870-71, pp. 336-350.

Potts, T. H.

1. On the Birds of New Zealand. — Part ii. "With Illustra- tions. Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1870, pp. 59-109.

Thirty species are treated of in this article, with special refer- ence to their breeding-habits. Outline sketches illustrate the nesting-places of several species, as mentioned below : — Plate ix, is a sketch of an eyry of Falco novce-zelandice ; on plate xii. are figured the nests of Zosterops lateralis and Pogonornis cincta ; plate xi., the nests of Petroica albifrons and Mohoua albicilla ; plate viii., nests of Rhipidura flabellifera and Podiceps rufipec- tus. On plate vii. we find illustrations of the nesting-places of Nestor meridionalis and Ocydrumus australis. Plate vi. repre- sents the heads of Anarhjnchus frontalis, adult and chick (see P. Z. S. 1870, p. 673), and Charadrius bicinctus. Plate x. gives a representation of a nest of Porphyrio melanotus and the surrounding herbage. The notes appear to be full of interesting observations.

2. Notes on an Egg of Alca impennis, Linn., in the Collection of the Writer. Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1870, pp. 109, 110.

450 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

These notes seem to apply to the Great Auk in general rather than to the particular egg in Mr. Potts's collection. It would appear, too, that he has two of these much-prized eggs, having once been the fortunate possessor of no less than three, one of which he sold in 1853 for £30.

3. Notes on a new Species of Rail, Rallus pictus (Painted Rail). Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1871, pp. 202, 203.

4. Note on a new Species of Gull, Larus (Bruchigavia) bulleri. Potts. Ibid. pp. 203, 204.

5. Notes on a new Species of Apteryx (A. haastii. Potts). Ibid. pp. 204, 205.

These papers (published May 1872) have already appeared in

an article in this Journal, entitled " Notes and Descriptions

of some Birds lately added to the Museum, Canterbury, New

Zealand" [antea, pp. 35-39 (Jan. 1872)].

PURDIE, A. C.

On a supposed new Species of Duck. Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst.

1871, p. 213. This supposed new species is pronounced by Dr. Hector to be Dendrocygna eytoni, Gould.

Radcliffe, E. Delme.

Letter from. Ibis, 1871, pp. 363-367.

Chiefly relates to the Falcons mentioned in Mr. Jerdon^s ' Supplementary Notes.^ The identity of Falco atriceps and F. peregrinator is asserted.

Reichenow, Dr. Anton.

Die Fusshildungen der Vogel. J. f. 0. 1871, p. 401.

An essay on the varieties of structure met with in the forma- tion of the foot (pes) of the class of birds. Six principal forms are recognized : — i. pes natatilis, ii. p. vadans, iii. p. raptorius, iv. p. fissus, V. p. arhoreus, vi. p. saliens ; and these and their minor modifications are carefully described.

Reinhardt, J,

1. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, p. 362.

On the occurrence of Ara macao in Mexico.

2. Om en hidtil ukjendt Knogle i Hovedskallen hos Turakoerne

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 451

(Musophagides, Sundev.), med nogle BemcErkninger ora de lignende Knogler hos andre Fuglefamilier. Vidensk. Meddel. Nat. For. Kjob. 1871, pp. 326-341, t. vii. A short memoir on the presence of the os uncinatum in cer- tain Turacoes (Musophagidse). The Plate illustrates portions of the cranium oiCorijthaix musophaga,Musophaga violacea,Sc/ii- zorhis africana, and Trogon viridis.

Rey, Eugene.

1. Die Ornis von Halle. Zeitschr. f. ges. Naturw. 1871, pp.453-489.

Contains an enumeration of and notes upon 253 species of European birds.

3. Ueber Kuckukseier. J. f. 0. 1871, p. 225.

Gives a list of sixty-five Cuckoo's eggs in his collection in a tabular form, together with the names of the birds in the nests of whichthey were found, and remarks on their colour, with reference to the vexed question as to whether the colour of the Cuckoo's egg generally agrees wdth that of the bird's egg in the nest of which it is deposited.

3. Jugendkleider und Eier einiger Vogel aus Klein- Asien. 3. f. 0. 1871, p. 459.

Describes the young and eggs of several rare species of birds lately collected by Dr. Krueper near Smyrna, viz. Sitta krueperi, Sylvia rueppelli, Emberiza cinerea, &c.

Ross, Alexander Milton.

The Birds of Canada ; with descriptions of their habits, food, nests, eggs, times of arrival and departure. Toronto: 1871. Post 8vo, pp. 132.

A publication of little value, either as regards the letterpress or " Plates/' the latter being woodcuts of the roughest description.

Salvadori, Tommaso.

1. Fauna d' Italia. Parte seconda : Uccelli. Fascicolo primo. Milano: 1871. Large 8vo, p. 80.

V. antea, p. 187,

2. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, pp. 248, 249.

The specific distinctness of jEthopijga lodoisia and Pitta bertce reasserted.

452 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

3. Intornu alia Fringilla citrinella, Linn. Atti della K. Ac. Tor. vii. (1871), pp. 259-264.

4. Nuove specie di Uccelli dei generi Criniger, Picus, ed Homo- ptila, nov. gen. Atti della R. Ace. Sci. Tor. vi. pp. 128-131 (1871).

The species here described are Criniger finschi from Borneo, Picus {Dendropicus) leucopterus from Central Asia, and Homoptila decipiens from Brazil. The latter genus diflfers only from Lep- toptila (Columbidse) in the form of the first primary. The spe- cies, except in this particular, precisely resembles L. rufaxilla.

5. Note on Ceriornis caboti. P. Z, S. 1871, pp. 695, 696.

Salvin, Osbbrt.

On the Psittacidse of Central America. Ibis, 1871, pp. 86-100, pi. iv.

The distributionof the twenty-seven species (belonging to nine genera) of Central-American Psittacidse is here fully given, the synonymy having been worked out in Dr. Finsch's volumes, ' Die Papageieu.^ One new species, Conui'us finschi, from Vera- gua, is described and figured.

Saunders, Howard.

1. A List of the Birds of Southern Spain. Ibis, 1871, pp. 54- 68, 205-225, 384-402.

There are 321 species included in this ' List,^ being those

found in that portion of the Spanish peninsula lying southward

of the 40th parallel of north latitude, including those of the

Balearic Islands. The materials for this list were derived chiefly

from the author's own observations, but partly also from those

of Loi'd Lilford. Some Spanish catalogues, of which a list is

given, also furnish some additional species.

2. Exhibition of and Remarks on a Series of Skins of Eagles. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 37-39.

The series of skins exhibited illustrated the supposed differ- ences between Aquila imperialis and A. bifasciata.

SCHLEGEL, Dr. H.

1. Observations Zoolugiques, iv. Nederl. Tijdschr. v. d. Dierk. IV. Afl. i. p. 1 (1871).

In this paper Prof. Schlegcl describes new birds collected for

Ornithological Literature of 1871 . 453

the Royal Museum of the Netherlands by Vou Rosenberg, Van Dam, M. Hoedt, and other travellers.

The species described as new are Noctua hoedti from Mysol, Loriculus catamene from Sanghir, L. aurantiifrons from Mysol, Trichoglossus rosenhergii from Soek, Tamjsiptera schlegeli from Soek, T. Carolina from Mefoor, Nectarinia duyvenbodei from Saiighir, Monarcha hrehmii from Soek, Pitta rosenbei'gii from Soek, Lamproto7-ms magnus from Soek, Ptilopus miquelii from Meosnoum and Jobie, and Leptoptila hoedti from Wetter Island north of Timor.

Several birds are also described as local forms of known species, e.g. : — Nasiterna jyyg'incea geelvinkiana from Mefoor and Soek ; Ptilopus cinctus florensis from Flores, and P. cinctus leltiensis, from Leltie Island, east of Timor ; Ptilopus viridis, stirps geelvin- kiana {=Pt. musschenhroekii, v. R.) , from Mefoor, Meosnoum, and Soek ; Carpophaga pinonjobiensis from Jobie.

Important remarks are likewise given upon the Paradisese and upon other birds previously described.

2. Observations Zoologiques, v. Ned. Tijdschr. v. d. Dierk. iv. Afl. 2 and 3, p. 33 (1871).

In this paper Prof. Schlegel gives an account of the birds dis- covered by H. V. Rosenberg during a new expedition into the in- terior of New Guinea, in which, after several days' march, he is said to have reached an elevation of from 4000 to 5000 feet above the sea-level on the west coast of the great bay of Geelvink. The new species described are : — Nanodes musschenbroeckii, two species of a new genus of Parrots allied to Euphema, Psittacella brehmi, and P. modesta ; a new Myzomela, named M. rosenbergi, after its discoverer ; three new species of a Meliphagine form, Euthyrhynchus {E. griseigula, E. flavigula, and E. fulvigula); several new Muscicapidse [Muscicapamulleriana, Myiagra glauca, Rhipidura brachyrhyncha. and Macheirhynchus nigripectus) ; a new Pachycephala {P. schlegeli, v. R.); a new Rectes {R. nigres- cens); three new Campephagce {C. strenua, C. albilora, and C. leu- coptera) ; a new form allied to Pitta, proposed to be called Me- lampitta lugubris ; Sitta (i. e. Sittella) papuensis, Sericulus xan- thogaster, Ptilorhync/ius inornatus, Ptilopus ornatus, Scolopax ro-

454 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

senhergii, and Rallicula rubra, a new genus and species of Rallidse. An apparently new Gracula is characterized as a new local form with three names, Gracula anais orientalis. As regards the spe- cies described by Schlegel as " Casuarius bennetti '^ from New Guinea, consult Sclater, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 147, pi. ix. Obsei-- vations on several Paradisese, and on the rare Dasijptilus pesqueii, now first obtained by a European collector, are also given.

Sclater, P. L.

1 . A Revision of the Species of the Fringilline Genus Spermo- phila. Ibis, 1871, pp. 1-23, pis. i., ii.

The validity of twenty-four species of this genus is admitted ; and diagnoses for their determination are given. There remain, however, eleven described species, which, being autoptically un- known to the author, are mentioned at the end of the paper. [Of these, we may remark that Spermophila rufirostris, Landb., appears to be the same as Linaria inornata, Lafr. R. Z. 1847, p. 75. There are many cori'cctions of synonymy throughout the paper. The species figured are Spermophila nigro-rufa c? et $ , S. pileata J , S. aurita, and S. ocellata.

2. On the Land-birds of Juan Fernandez. Ibis, 1871, pp. 178-183, plate vii.

Six species only are recorded from the two small islands form- ing this group. Four of these are peculiar to them, the re- maining two being Chilian. The species figured are Anceretes fernandezianus and Oxyurus masafuerce.

3. Remarks on the Avifauna of the Sandwich Islands. Ibis, 1871, pp. 356-362.

These remarks criticise and add to a paper published in the

' Pi-oceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History ' by Mr.

Sanford B. Dole of Honolulu. The new generic name C/i«-

toptila is proposed for Entomyza angustipluma, Cassin.

4. Notes on the Types of Tyrannula mexicana of Kaup, and Tyrannula barbirostris of Swainson. P. Z. S. 1871, pp.

84-85.

T. mexicana is shown to be a Myiarchus identical with M. cooperi of Baird. T. barbirostris is Blacicus tristis (Gosse), with the locality " Mexico" instead of "Jamaica" wrongly assigned to it.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 455

5. Remarks on some Species o/Denclrocolaptidse in the Collec- tion of the Smithsonian Institution. V. Z. S. 1871; pp. 85-86.

The specimens examined included three of Tschudi's types,

and necessitate some corrections in the nomenclature of this

difficult family.

6. Exhibition of a Skin of a Species o/Prinia//-om Ceylon. P. Z. S. 1871, p. 258.

The species is referred to P. socialis, and is the bird left un- determined by Mr. Legge (c/. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 673).

7. On the Birds of the Island of Santa Lucia, West Indies. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 263-273, t. xxi.

The preface of this paper contains a summary of our know- ledge of the bird-fauna of the Lesser Antilles, showing how lamentably deficient it is in many cases. The collection made by Mr. Semper in the island of Santa Lucia shows that twenty- five species inhabit that hitherto imperfectly explored island, of which three are not found elsewhere. One new species. Icterus laudabilis is described and figured.

8. Notes on rare or little-known Animals now or lately living in the Society's Gardens. — Part ii. Birds. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 489-496.

Contains notes on several interesting species. The paper is illustrated by woodcuts of the heads of Buceros suhcylindricus, Cacatua ducorpsi, C. sanguinea, and C. gymnopis. The last-named is described as a new species ; and its habitat is traced to the in- terior of South Australia.

9. On the Birds of the Vicinity of Lima, Peru ; with Notes on their Habits, by Prof. W. Nation, of Lima. Part iv. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 496-499.

A continuation of previous papers on the same subject. Five

species are mentioned, and one described as new under the name

Euscarthmus fulviceps, a cut of the head, foot, and wing being

given.

10. On two new or little-known Parrots living in the Society's Gardens. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 499-500, tt. xl., xli.

Lorius tibialis is described as a new species, and figured. The second species is Trichoglossus mitchelli, G. R. Gray (which is also

456 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

figured) . The precise habitat of neither of these species has been as yet ascertained.

11. Reports on the Additions to the Society's Menagerie for June, Juhj, August, and September 1871. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 623-626.

The arrival of two Turtle-doves is announced from Aldabra Island, probably belonging to a new species, for which the name Turtur aldahranus is proposed. Mention is made of several other interesting birds ; amongst them are Crax dauhentoni and CEdicnemus superciliaris.

12. Additional Remarks on certain Species of Pelicans. P.Z.S. 1871, pp. 631-63U, t. li.

These remarks supplement the author^s previous paper on the Pelicans living in the Zoological Society^s Gardens (P. Z. S. 1868, p. 264), and are accompanied by woodcuts of the heads of P. sharpii and P. philippensis, the former being also figured.

13. Description of a new Species of Dove from the Coral-reef of Aldabra. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 692, 693, t. Ixxiii.

The species previously mentioned as Turtur aldabranus is here

formally described and figured.

14. Remarks on a Collection of Birds' from Oyapok. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 749, 750.

A new species of Ochthoeca is described as 0. murina ; and a list of the species of this genus, sixteen in number (including Mecocerculus) , in the author's collection, is given, A new He- teropelma is described as H. igniceps.

15. Remarks on the Species of the Genera Myiozetetes and Conopias, belonging to the Family Tyrannidse, P. Z. S. 1 871, pp. 751-756,

Eight species of Myiozetetes are recognized, and their syno- nymy given, as well as notes and a key to their determination. To M. luteiventris an amended description is given. Of Conopias three species are allowed, one of which is Myiozetetes inornatus, Lawr.

ScLATER, P. L., and Salvin, O.

A revised List of the Neotropical LaiidjE, P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 564-580.

Ornithological Literature o/1871. 457

Eleven genera, containing 32 species, are recognized in this paper, leaving two of the latter undetermined. Several emenda- tions in synonymy are made, but no new species are described. Woodcuts show the heads of Sterna maxima, S. galericulata, Larus heermanni, L. belcheri, and Leuco'plmus scoresbii.

Sharpe, R. B.

1. A Monograph of the AlcedinidsR or Kingfishers. London: 1868-71.

The concluding parts (xiv., xv.) of this admirable work contain figures of the following species : — Ceryle rudis, Alcyone affinis, A. lessoni, Pelargopsis fraseri, Ispidina lecontii, Halcyon lindsayi, H. hombroni, H. albicilla, H. vagans, H.juUce, H. leu- copygia, Tanysiptera nais, T. galeata, T. sabina, T. emilia, T. ellioti and T. riedeli. These numbers also contain the Intro- duction, Indices, &c., but not the Chapter on Anatomy by Dr. Murie, which we believe is still in course of preparation. The Introduction is carefully elaborated, and contains a concise summary of the classification, geographical distribution, and literature of the Kingfishers, as well as some concluding re- marks on their general affinities to other groups. The latter remarks are illustrated by a "map;^' and the generic characters have also an explanatory plate attached to them.

2. Catalogue of Afiican Birds. London: 1871. 8vo, pp.76.

A useful catalogue of 703 species of birds. Many identifica- tions are made in synonymy; and the localities where the speci- mens in the author's collection were procured are given. Two species are described as new, viz. Alethe castanonota, from Fantee, and Urohrachya bocagii, from Angola. A new name, Criniger verreauxi, is proposed for C. gularis, Sw. nee Horsf., = C. tephro- genys, Finsch, nee Jard.

3. Descriptions of two new Species of African Birds. Ibis, 1871, pp. 100-102.

The species described are called Scotopelia ussheri and Polio-

spiza crocopygia. Both are from Fantee.

•i. On the Coraciida of the Ethiopian Region. Ibis, 1871, pp.

184-203, 270-289, plate viii. Mr. Sharpe includes the aberrant Mascareue forms Atelornis,

SER. III. VOL. II. 2 K

458 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

Brachypteracias, and Leptosoma in the Coraciidse, and divides the family into three subfamilies, Coraciince, BrachypteraciiacE, and Leptosomin/s. Twelve African species are recognized, belonging to six genera, a new generic name, Geobiastes, being proposed for Brachypteracias squamigera. An English description and the synonymy of each species given in full, and copious extracts on the habits &c. of many of them, as well as a table of their geographical distribution make the monograph a very com- plete one. The plate shows the characters of Geobiastes and other genera.

Mr. Sharpe does not appear to have noticed that Leptosoma has zygodactyle feet, so that it is somewhat contrary to ordinary ideas of classification to place it in the same family as Coracias and other genera with three toes in front.

5. On seven new or lately described Species of African Birds. Ibis, 1871, pp. 414-417, pi. xii.

The species here described are Caprimulgus cinnamomeus, from Lagos, hrisor castaneiceps, from Fantee, Crateropus haynesi, from Accra, ^githalus caroli, from Damara Land, Artomyias ussheri, from Fantee, and Laniarius nigritliorax, from Accra. The plate illustrates Scotopelia ussheri.

6. On the Birds of Angola.— Tart iii. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 130-135, t. vii.

This list raises the total number of birds enumerated in this series of papers from 61 to 80. Two species are described as new, viz. Pycnonotus gaboonensis and Hypochera nigeii'ima : the former is figured, together with two- other very closely allied species, P. tricolor and P. barbatus.

7. Contributions to the Ornithology of Madagascar. — Part ii. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 313-320, t. xxxii.

One species is described as new in this paper, viz. Cypselus gracilis; and Corethrura insularis is figured. The remainder of the paper relates to species mentioned in the author's former article.

8. On MaclKErhamphns anderssoni. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 500— 502.

The acquisition by Lord Walden of a Malaccan specimen of M.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 459

alcinus has enabled Mr. Sharpe to compare it with the so-called Stringonyx anderssoni, from Damara Land, and to state that though generically identical they are specifically quite distinct.

9. On the Birds of Camaroons, Western Africa. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 602-615, t. xlvii.

A list of 62 species, with notes, based upon a collection made

by Mr. Crossley in the Camaroons. One new species is described

and figured as Tardus crossleyi.

10. On the American Eider Duck. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 51-53 (1871).

The American Eider Duck is shown to differ from the Euro- pean, the name Somateria dresseri being proposed for the former. Woodcuts show the most salient distinctions.

11. On Me Aiauda bimaculata of M metrics . Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 179-181 (1871).

The distinctions between A. bimaculata and A. calandra are

here shown, the synonymy and range of the former being fully

given.

12. Notes on some African Birds. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 234-238 (1871).

Crithagra leucoptera, from South Africa, is described as a new

species. The paper also contains notes upon Butalis epulata,

Crithagra albogularis, and Spermospiza hamatina.

Sharpe, R. B., and Dresser, H. E.

1. A History of the Birds of Europe, including all the species inhabiting the Western Palcearctic Region. London. 4to. Parts i.-ix. (1871).

A most important work, and one that will tend greatly to place the intricate study of European birds on a more satisfac- tory basis. A critical examination of specimens from every available source has enabled the authors to write with precision not attainable by their predecessors over the same ground. Nine parts were issued during the year 1871, containing figures and descriptions of the following species : — Part i. Cora- cias garrula, Falco vespertinus, Tot anus stagnatilis, Emberiza leucocephala, Lophophanes cristatus, Lanius auriculatus, Querque- dula crecca, Q. formosa. Part ii. Falco tinnunculus, Glaucidium

2 K 2

460 Messrs. Salvin and Sclaler's Index to the

passerinum, Parus major, Lanius excubitor, L. nubicus, Embe- riza casia, Chettusia leucura, Querquedula falcata. Part iii. Somateria stelleri, Ardea melanocephala, Numenius tenuiros- tris, Lanius algeriensis, Calamophilus biarmicus, Dryocopus martins, Embei'iza citrinella, Falco cenchris. Part iv. Falco subbuteo, Athene noctua, Lanius collurio, Etnbe- riza aureola, Melanocorypha yeltoniensis, Gecinus viridis, Terekia cinerea, Somateria mollissima, Larus minutus. Part v. Accipiter brevipes, Picus major, Parus palustris, Emberiza cirlus, Melanocorypha calandra, Tardus musicus, Totanus canescens, Querquedula circia. Part vi. Parus cinctus, Em- beriza striolata, Picus medius, Carpodacus erythrinus, Turdus viscivorus, Alauda arvensis, Squatarola helvetica, Charadrius pluvialis. Part vii. Picus leuconotus, Emberiza hortulana, Fringilla montifringilla, Lagopus hemileucurus, Upupa epops, Tringa temmincki, Tringa minuta. Part viii. Sterna fluvia- tilis, Parus cceruleus, Parus teneriffcs, Emberiza miliaria, Petrocossyphus cyanus, Tichodroma muraria, Melanocorypha bimaculata, Picus numidicus. Part ix. Turdus pilaris, Picus syriacus, Emberiza chrysophrys, Accipiter nisus, Lanius meri- dionalis, Bonnsa betulina, Charadrius fulvus.

2. On two undescribed Species of European Birds. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 436, 437 (1871 ) .

Some of the fruits of the authors' critical examination of

numerous specimens from all parts of Europe for their work on

the birds of that continent. The species are Picus lilfordi, from

Epirus, Macedonia, and Turkey, and Parus britannicus, our

common English Coal Tit.

3. On a neiv species of Long -tailed Titmouse from Southern Europe. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 312, 313.

This species, called Acredula irbii, is founded on Spanish spe- cimens obtained by Major Irby near Gibraltar. It is also found in Piedmont.

Shelley, G. E.

Contributions to the Ornithology of Egppt. Ibis, 1871, pp.

38-54, 131-147, 309-319. There are 236 species mentioned in this paper, most of which

Ornithological Literature uf 1871. 461

came under the author's notice during two visits to Egypt. Short notes on the habits and localities of each species are given. Saxi- cola leucucephala is considered to be the same as S. leucopygia,

Smithsonian Institution.

Annual Report of the Board of Regents, showing the operations, expenditures, and condition of the Institution for the year 1869. Washington : 1871. 8vo, pp. 430.

From page 226 to page 285 will be found a translation of Mons. Marey's important paper on the phenomena of flight in the animal kingdom, originally published in the ' Revue des Cours Scientiiiques.' [Cf Ibis, 1870, p. 266.]

Southwell, Thomas.

On the Ornithological Archaology of Norfolk. Trans. Norf. & Norw. Soc. 1871, pp. 14-23.

Extracts from old records, giving the value of certain birds, as well as illustrating the former prevalence of several birds now rare or extinct in Norfolk.

Stack, J. W.

. Some observations on the Annual Address of the President of

the Philosophical Institute of Canterhury, delivered on the

1st March, 1871. Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1871, pp. 107-110.

These observations refer to Dr. Haast's paper on Moas and

Moa-hunters [see Haast], and to a great extent coincide with

the views there expressed as to the destruction of Dinornis being

of older date than has usually been supposed.

Stevenson, H.

1. On the abundance of Little Gulls on the Norfolk Coast in the Winter of 1869-70.

Records a very unusual frequency of the occurrence of Larus

niinutus on the Norfolk coast.

2. On Pellets thrown up by Rooks. Trans. Norf. & Norw. Soc. 1871, pp. 88-90.

3. Abundance of Quails. Trans. Norf. & Norw. Soc. 1871, p. 90.

SUNDEVALL, Prof. CaRL J.

1 . Svenska Foglarna mcd text af Pi'ofessor Carl J. Sundevall, tecknade och lithographieradc af Peter Akerlund. S tockholm .

462 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

Of tliis excellent work we have received as far as the 22nd part (containing text to p. 352), but are not certain about the exact date of issue, as none is given on the covers.

2. On Birds from the Galapagos Islands. P. Z.S. 1871, pp. 124-130.

The species, 26 in number, included in this list were obtained during a nine days^ visit to these islands by the Swedish frigate ' Eugenie,' and were collected on Chatham, Charles, James, Albemarle, and Indefatigable Islands. Notes tn several are made ; and two are described as new, viz. Ardea plumbea and Spheniscus mendiculus.

SwiNHOE, Robert.

1. On a new Chinese Gull. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 273-275, t. xxii.

The species here described and figured is called Chroicocephalus saundersi. It had, in Mr. Swinhoe's previous papers, been re- ferred to as Larus kittlitzi. It is common in winter at Amov.

2. A revised Catalogue of the Birds of China and its Islands, with Desci'iptions ofneiv Species, References to former Notes, and occasional Remarks. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 337-423.

This comprehensive list, the object of which is suflSciently in- dicated in the title, includes 675 birds as inhabitants of China and its islands. The following are described as new species : — Aquila amurensis, Cecropis arctivitta, Sitta amurensis, Locustella taczanowskia, Motacilla baicalensis, Spizixus cinereicapillus, Su- thora suffusa, Lanius incertus, Dicrurus cathoecus, Alauda wattersi, Alaudula chele'ensis, Areoturnix hlakistoni, Hemipodius viciarius, Hcematopus osculans. One new genus, Herhivox, is instituted, for four species hitherto placed under Calamoherpe and Salicaria, viz. H. cantans, T. & S., H. canturiens, Swinh., H. minuta, Swinh., and H. cantillans, T. & S.

3. On four new Species of Asiatic Bh-ds. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, vii. p. 257 (1871).

These species are called Pellorneutn siibochraceum, from the

Tenasserim provinces {qn.= P. tickelli, Blyth? cf. Blanford, antea,

p. 87), Poecile baicalensis, from Trans Baikal, Mirafra borneensis,

from Borneo, and M. parva, from Flores.

Ornithological Literature 0/ 1871. 463

Taczanowski, L.

1. Nutiz liber die ostsibirischen Numenius-^r/en. J, f. Orn. 1871, p. 56.

Describes a large Numenius, four examples of which were ob- tained in Eastern Siberia by Messrs. Dybowski and Godlewski^ and sent to the Warsaw Museum, and refers it to N. nasicus, Temm. It is larger than N. arquatus, and has a much longer beak. Remarks upon the other Siberian species of Numenius {N. australis &c.) are also given.

2. Nachtrag zur Notiz iiber die ostsibirischen Numenius-^r/en. J. f. Orn. 1871, p. 395.

Describes two young specimens of Numenius australis, from

Siberia.

3. Beleiichtung einiger Fragen, die Herr. v. Heuglin zu meiner Uebersicht der Vogel Algeriens gestellt. J. f. Orn. 1871, p. 61.

Remarks on several questions raised by Herr v. Heuglin con- cerning species contained in the author^s review of Algerian birds (c/. J. f. Orn. 1870, pp. 33, 383). A full description is given of a specimen of a Porzana obtained at Biskra, which was referred by J. Verreaux to P. marginalis of Hartlaub.

Travers, W. T. L.

1. Notes on the Habits of Todiceyis cristatus. Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1870, pp. 113-116.

Relates chiefly to the breeding of this species (P. hectori,

Buller) on Lake Guyon, in the province of Nelson.

2. Notes on the Habits of some of the Birds of New Zealand. Trans. N.-Zeal. Inst. 1871, pp. 206-213.

Some field-notes, made chiefly in the neighbourhood of Lake

Guyon, province of Nelson.

Trippe, T. Martin.

Notes on the Birds of Minnesota. Proc. Ess. Inst. 1871,

pp. 113-119. A list, with notes, of 138 species of birds.

Tristram, H. B.

1. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, pp. 109-110.

Phyllopneuste schwartzi = Phylloscopus viridanus = Abrurnii

464 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater's Index to the

tenuiceps. Phyllopneuste eversmanni of Midd. = P. sijlvicul- trix, Swinh., = P. borealis, Bias.? Three species have been con- founded under the name Phylloscopus fuscatus, viz. Phyllopneuste sibirica, Midd., P. brunneus, Blyth {=P. maacki, Schr.*?), and P. fuscatus, Blyth.

2. Notes on some Passerine Birds, chiefly Palaarctic. Ibis, 1871, pp. 231-234.

The Palsearctic forms obtained by Dall and Bannister in Alaska furnish the subject of some of Mr. Tristram's notes, the specimens having been sent to him for comparison. Phijllopneuste kennicotti=P. borealis. Bias., — P.sylvicultrix, Swinh., P. evers- manni, Midd. nee Bp., and P. flavescens, G. R. Gray, being synonyms. Pynhula coccinea, var. cassini, is a good species. Mr. Tristram accompanies his remarks with a brief synopsis of the nine species of Pyrrhula.

Reguloides occipitalis, J erd., = Phyllopneuste coronata, Temm. Anthus cervinus is recognized as an eastern form of Red-throated Pipit distinct from the western, to which the name A. rufogularis is applied.

3. Notes on Sylviads. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 28, 29 (1871).

The difference between Phyllopneuste brevirostris and P. rufa is asserted. P. major is described from the southern Mediter- ranean coasts. It is Sylvia icterina of Temminck, but not of Vieillot.

TSCHUSI-SCHMIDHOFEN, ViCTOR, RiTTER VON.

1. Nucifraga caryocatactes, L. Aufzeichnung der mir bekannt gewordenen Fdlle von der Auffindung des Nestes und der Eier des Tannenhdhers. Verb. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1871, pp. 81-86.

An account of the nests and eggs of this species taken be- tween the years 1857 and 1870.

2. Die ornithologische Sammlung der k.-k. zoologisch-botan- ischen Gessellschaft in Wien. Verb. k.-k. zool.-bot. Gesell. Wien, 1871, pp. 791, 792.

A short account of some of the contents of this collection,

* A view subsequently corrected (p. 233), Sylvia maacki being placed in Calamoherpc.

Ornithological Literature of 1871. 465

wherein are to be found many of the specimens described by C. L. Brehm.

Verreaux, Jules.

1 . Observations on the Colouring-matter of the Wing-feathers of Touracoes. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 40, 41.

2. Description (Tune Espece nouvelle de VromeroTps. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 135, 136, t. viii.

The species here described and figured is called P. gurneyi.

3. Description de deux Oiseaux de la Collection Zoologique du Museum qui constituent des especes nouvelles. Nouv. Arch, du Mus. Bull. V. pp. 15-17, t. i.

The first of these species is from Cayenne, and is called Cal-

lirhynchus frontalis ; the second, from New Caledonia, is placed

in a new genus, Megalurulus, the proposed specific name being

marice. It is allied to Megalurus. Both are figured.

4. Notes sur quelques Oiseaux consideres comme nouveaux provenant du Voyage de M. VAbbe Armand David dans le

Thibet oriental. Nouv. Arch, du Mus. Bull. v. (1869), pp. 33-36, t. vi.

The species described as new are Lophophorus obscurus (which

is also figured), Trochalopteron formosum, Yuhina diademata,

Callene zonura, Suthora gularis, and Mecistura fuliginosa.

5. Note sur les Especes nouvelles d' Oiseaux recueillis par M. I' Abbe Armand David dans les montagnes du Thibet Chinois. Nouv. Arch, du Mus. Bull. vi. (1870), pp. 33-40, t. 3.

Thirty-two species are mentioned in this paper, four of which were described in the author^s previous paper. One {Paru^ pe- kinensis) has also been previously described in this Journal (Ibis, 1870, p. 155). The remaining twenty-seven are named as fol- lows : — Picus desmursi, Picoides funebris, Sitta sinensis, Siphia hodgsoni, Pnoepyga troglodytdides, Turdus auritus, Merula gouldi, Cholornis paradoxa (the genus being described as new), Suthora alphonsiana, Alcippe poecilotis, Pterorhinus maximus, P. lanceo- latus, lanthocincla lunulata, Trochalopteron ellioti, T. blythi, Arundinax davidiana, Abrornis acanthizoides, Siva cinereiceps, S. ruficapilla, S. striaticollis, Minla ja-doni, Proparus swinhoii, Me- cistura vinacea, Carpodacus edwardsi, C. trifasciatus, C. vina-

466 Messrs. Salvia and Sclater's Index to the

ceus, and Pyrgilauda davidiana (the generic name being new) . The species figured are lanthocincla maxima {qu. = Pterorhinus maximus of text ?) and /. lunulata.

6. Description des Oiseaux nouveaux ou incompletement connus coUectes par M. I' Abbe Arma?id David pendant son Voyage dans le Thibet oriental et la partie adjacente de la Chine. Nouv. Arch, du Mas. Bull. vii. (1871), pp. 25-66, plates i., ii.

In this paper fuller descriptions are given of all the species included in that last mentioned, in addition to which we find the following birds described, brief diagnoses of which have been published in previous papers : — Suthora gularis, Trochalopteron formosum, Yuhina diademata, Parus pekinensis, Mecistura fuli- ginosa, Allotrius sophice, Lusciniopsis brevijiennis, and Alcippe cinerea. Cholornis jmradoxa, Pyrgilauda davidiana, Trocha- lopteron formosum, and Pterorhinus lanceolatus are figured.

VouGA, Capitaine.

Oiseaux rates tues dans le Canton et Bassin du Lac de Neu- chdtel et que fai monies de 1816 a 1870. Bull. Sc. Nat. Neuch. 1871, pp. 2, 3. A list of rare birds observed in the vicinity of the Lake of Neuchatel.

Wahlgren, Dr. F.

Bin Ei im Eie. J. f. 0. 1871, p. 260.

A discussion of the difl'erent modes in which, in the case of the Common Fowl, Duck, and Goose, one egg is occasionally found enclosed in another e^o;.

"OO-

Walden, Arthur, Viscount.

1. Letter from. Ibis, 1871, p. 112.

Prinia alboguIaris,Wald., = P. hodgsoni, Blyth ; Ephialtesjer- doni, Wald., = /Scoj05 malabaricus, Jerdou.

2. Observations on Dr. Stoliczka's "Contributions to Malayan Ornithology.'" Ibis, 1871, pp. 158-177, plate vi.

This paper contains numerous criticisms on Dr. Stoliczka^s

article upon the birds of Province Wellesley. There are, too,

many careful notes in it on intricate points of synonymy, both

in correction of Dr. Stoliczka^s identifications and in exemplifica-

Ornithological Literature 0/ 1871. 467

tion of them. The species figured are Criniger gularis and C. phaocephalus.

3. Notice of, and Introductorij remarks to, a Memoir on the Birds of the Island of Celebes. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 329- 337.

Contains the introductory portion of a paper published in the * Transactions of the Zoological Society/ on the birds of Celebes. The relationships of the bird-fauna, both as to genera and spe- cies, of this island to those surrounding it, and to the Indian and Australian regions generally, are exhaustively discussed.

4. Notice of a new Species of Polihierax from Upper Burmah. P. Z. S. 1871, pp. 627, 628.

The name proposed for this species, with a brief provisional

description, is P. insignis. [It has since been described by Mr.

Hume: see below, p. 471.]

5. Descriptions of three new Species of Asiatic Birds. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, vii. pp. 241, 242 (1871).

The species here described are called Phyllornis chlorocephalus,

from Tonghoo, Turdinus striatus, from the Khassia hills, and

Cisticola rufcollis, from Debrooghur.

6. On a new Species of Trichoglossus from Celebes. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 281, 282 (1871).

Trichoglossus meyeri is the name proposed for this new species.

Williams, Archdeacon W. L.

On the Occurrence of Foot-prints of a large Bird found at Turanganni, Poverty Bay. Trans. N.-Z. Inst. 1871, pp. 124-127, pi. viii.

The plate shows the nature of these foot-prints, which were

found in soft alluvial rock just below high-water mark. They were

made most probably by some species of Moa, and, being of

two sizes, perhaps by old and young birds.

Wood, T. W.

Letter from. Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 4, viii. pp. 67,68 (1871).

A new species of Argus Pheasant is here sought to be estab- lished. The description is based upon a primary wing-feather found amongst some of Argus giganteus. The species is called A. (?) bipunctatus ; and woodcuts sliow the markings of the feather and those of the well-known species.

468 Letters, Announcements, S^c.

Wyatt, Claude W.

Notes on some of the Birds of the United States of Columbia. Ibis, 1871, pp. 113-131, 319-335, 373-384, plate v.

In the first portion of this paper the author^s route is de- scribed and is also set out on an accompanying map (plate v.). The varieties of altitude, climate, and vegetation of that por- tion of the eastern slope of the valley of the Magdalena visited by Mr, Wyatt is also fully entered into. In the list of birds, mention is made of 210 species, specimens of all of which were obtained, and their names determined by Messrs. Sclater and Salvin. Though several species of considerable interest came under Mr. Wyatt's observation, the chief importance of the list consists in the accurate localities given to all the species mentioned. Amongst the notes are the following corrections of synonymy : — Turdus fulviventris, Scl.,= T. eurrjzonus, Du Bus ; Saltator flavidicollis, Sc\., = S. olivascens, Cab.; Cassicus vitel- linus, Lawr., = C. flavicrissus, Scl. ; Trogon eximius, Lawr.jsT. chionurus, Scl. and Salv.

XLV. — Letters, Announcements, ^c.

We have received the following letters addressed to "The

Editor of 'The Ibis ' '^—

24tli June, 1872.

Sir, — Amongst the more interesting additions that I made durmg a recent trip to Scinde, to our Indian avifauna, are the following : — Anas marmorata (very common), Columba livia (rare), "^ Larus dominicanus (common), L. hemprichi (common), Pyrrhula githaginea (common), Podiceps nigricollis (rare), Fte- rocles lichtensteini (rare), P. guttatus (very common), P. coro- natus (rare), ? Sylvia cetti (common), Thalasseus cantiaca (com- mon), ? Tringa crassirostris (common). Those with a note of interrogation prefixed may be doubtful — but if not what I have designated them, are new to science.

Then I got numerous specimens of Certhilauda desertorum, Halia'etus albicilla, Laticilla burnesi, Limosa rufa, Pratincola leucura, Pious scindeanus, Brachypterus dilutus, Pelecanus crispus. Phaeton cethereus, Saxicola kingi (nobis), Phylloscopus

Letters, Announcements, ^c. 469

neglectus (nobis), Sylvia delicatula, Thulasseus bengalensis, T. cristatus, Phalaropus fulicarius, Calidris arenaria, Terekia cinerea, Sylvia melanoj)ogon — besides a Swift, a Cotyle, and a Lestris, none of which I know and which may be new.

I hope before long to publish, in a separate form, my notes on the ornithology of Scinde, which I have worked veiy thoroughly, bringing away 1500 skins.

Yours &c.,

A. 0. Hume.

Assensole, India, lOth July, 1872. Dear Sir, — I wish to make a few remarks upon Mr. Hume's six new species described in ' The Ibis ' for April 1872, p. 107.

1. Chrysomitris thibetana. — Is a true Siskin ; but 1 am not sure of its distinctness from C. spinus $ . I think it would have been better if Mr. Hume had reserved this bird till he had an opportunity of comparing it with female specimens of C. spinvLS. When I was at Simla, we had nothing to compare it with but the descriptions of Macgillivray and Yarrell.

C spinoides is not a Siskin, but a Greenfinch allied to C. chloris. Like the latter bird, it has no regular song; but its call-notes are very similar to those of its ally. In Cashmere I did not observe C. spinoides after passing the first (or Pir-Punjal) snowy range of the Himalayas.

2. DuMETicoLA CYANOCARPA. — We certainly made a mistake iu thinking that a Dumeticola could have any blue about it. Mr. Hume's bird belongs to some other genus, and is much closer to Brachjjiteryx than to Dumeticola. To the best of my recollection I did not agree to this bird being classed as a Dumeticola.

The Dumeticola I procured in Cashmere was not D. affinis, but a species an inch longer and with a much longer bill. It has been described in the ' Journal of the Asiatic Society,' part ii. no. 1, 1872, p. 77, as Dumeticola major. When I mis- named this bird " D. affinis," I had not seen Mr. Hodgson's drawing of that species. By " i). affinis" Mr. Hume refers to my birds ; for neither of us had then seen the true D. affinis.

3. HoRORNis ERYTHROGENYS. — Appcand to mc to be a good

470 Letters, Announcements, Sfc.

species. None of Mr. Hodgson's birds of this genus is so rufous.

4. HoREiTES BRUNNESCENS. — I remember tbis bird, and most decidedly differ from ]\Ir. Hume. The bill is much more pointed than that of Horeites ; and I think the bird should be the type of a new genus. It is a good species, 1 think.

5. SiPHiA MiNUTA is SipMa tricolor, Hodgson. My speci- mens, miscalled " Siphia tricolor,^' to which Mr. Hume refers, were immature males of S. leucomelanura. The latter bird and also lanthia riijilata breed in immature dress precisely resem- bling that of the female. I did not know this when I labelled young male specimens of -S. leucomelanura as S. tricolor. As soon as I saw Mr. Hodgson's drawing, I perceived my mistake, and that j\ir. Hume's new species agreed very well with -S. tricolor.

Some of Mr. Hume's " total lengths " are taken from the skins only, and are thus apt to mislead. I could not imagine a Siphia as small as a Reffiihis, and having a wing 2'2 inches long. In Siphi(P a wing of this length belongs to a bird 4f or 5 inches long. I examined Mr. Hume's bird ; and it was quite as large as my specimens of <S. leucomelanura.

Very httle is known of Mr. Hodgson's Siphia tricolor; and it is probable that the mature male will prove to be ablue-plumaged bird.

6. Drymoipus rufescens is a good species. It breeds sparingly at the old Fort at Etawah. In Bundelcund it is much more common. Jt varies excessively in size.

I remain

Yours faithfully,

W. E. Brooks.

Lisuiullen, Navan, Aug. 12, 1872. Sir, — As Elanus melanopterus (or, as it should rather be called, E. cceruleus) is not, I think, included in the list of British birds, and I have a British specimen in my possession, I think the occurrence is worth noticing. I received the skin in a very rough state, tilled out with hay, from Dr. P. Nicolls, of Navan, who thought it was a Pied Hawk. This you will see from

Letters, Announcements, S^c. 471

the copy I enclose you of a letter received from Dr. NicoUs, who had the skin from the time it was shot until he gave it to me. I have no doubt as to the species, having not only compared it with the plate in Gould's ' Birds of Europe/ but also having sliown it to Mr. A. G. More — who pronounced it to be an im- mature specimen, from the brown feathers on the breast. I have the honour to be. Sir,

Your obedient servant,

John F. Dillon.

[ Copy of Letter.^

Belmount, Navan, 29th Nov., I8G0. "Dear Sir, — It is about ten years since the bird I sent you was killed at Harristown Bay, near Beauparc, by Mr. Horin, of Navan, who killed a Bittern on the same day. I looked upon it as a Pied Hawk, and preserved it.

" Yours sincerely, "To J. F. Dillon:' « P. Nicolls."

Sir, — In the ' Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,' no. V. May 1872, pp. 70, 71, will be found the description of a Falconine bird, termed a " Merlin,'' from Thayet-Myo, by Mr. A. 0. Hume, and entitled by that gentleman Lithofalco (!) fieldeni, or Fielden's Merlin. The species in question belongs to the remarkable genus Polihierax, Kaup, founded for the re- ception of the African Falco semitorquatus, Smith (Illustr. S.-Afr. Zool. Aves, pi. 1), and of which Hypotriorchis castanotus, Heuglin (Ibis, 1860, p. 407), is the male (C/. Sclater, Ibis, 1861, p. 346, pi. 12). The strongly graduated rectrices, the double-notched maxillse, the powerful legs, and the pecuhar colouring of the plumage, diflfering also in the sexes, fully entitle the two known species to generic distinction. The occurrence of this African generic form in Burmah is of the highest interest, more espe- cially when considered together with the fact of Macharamphus being also represented in the Malay peninsula. I have little hesitation in identifying Mr. Hume's new Merlin, notwithstand- ing the genus he has classed it under, as Polihierax insiguis, mihi (P. Z. S. part iii. 1871, p. 627, ex Burmah).

472 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

In the 'Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal/ part ii. no. 1, 1872, p. 76, Mr. W. E. Brooks informs us that " the males of Erythrosterna parva, in the breeding-plumage, have the red on the breast bordered on each side by a stripe of velvet black. In the winter the black border disappears," &c. This somewhat startling fact would have, anyhow, inclined me to conjecture that Mr. Brooks had met with another species; but, fortunately, I have lately had an opportunity of examining one of Mr. Brooks's specimens of his so-called E. parva in nuptial plumage. It turned out to be Siphia [Menetica) hyperythra, Cabanis (Journ. fiir Orn. 1866, p. 391), ex Ceylon, where other examples have been since obtained by Mr. Holdsworth. It may be added that the species seems to be only a winter resident in Ceylon, but that it never loses the black pectoral stripes.

Yours, &c.,

Walden.

Chislehurst, Aug. 27th, 1872.

Sir, — Mr. Andrew Anderson, in the first part of his valuable paper " On the Raptoi'ial Birds of India," published in the ' Pro- ceedings of the Zoological Society of London ^ for 1871, p. 685, calls attention to the difference observed by himself and by another zealous student of Indian ornithology, Mr. W. E. Brooks, between the form of the nostril in Aquila imperialis and in A. ncevioides. I must admit that, for one, I have not hitherto paid sufficient attention to this mode of diagnosis between these two species, — an omission which has partly arisen from the difference being less obvious in specimens that have been long prepared than in those in which the parts in question are recent and less desiccated — the fact being that, in specimens of A. ncBvioides which have been prepared many years, the shape of the nostril becomes modified by long drying, and approaches much nearer to that of A. imperialis than is the case in recently killed A. ncevioides.

My present object in adverting to this subject is to correct an error contained in a letter addressed by myself to ' The Ibis' on February 8th, 1871, in which I mentioned tliat two Spanish

Letters, Announcements, i^c. 473

Eagles preserved in the Norwich Museum, for which Dr. R. Brehm proposed the name of Aquila adalberti, and also a third Spanish Eagle, then in the collection of Mr. J. H, Gurney, Jan., by whom it was subsequently presented to the Norwich Museum, were in my opinion specimens of A. ncevioides.

I have recently reexamined these specimens, with especial re- ference to the mode of diagnosis suggested by Mr. Anderson, and, after doing so, have arrived at the conclusion that all three are, in reality, examples of Aquila imperialis in immature dress, greatly faded by exposure to sun and weather.

I shall therefore feel obliged by your insertion of this correc- tion, and am indebted to the two ornithologists to whom I have already referred for calling attention to the subject.

I am yours &c.,

J. H. Gurney.

Totnes, 9th September, 1872.

Sir, — So little appears to be known about the range of Emberiza huttoni, Blyth, that it may be worth while to record the fact of the species having been obtained in China. Accord- ing to Jerdon, this Bunting is only certainly known from the north-west of India, although it may be an occasional straggler to the western part of that country. Its occurrence, therefore, so far east as Canton is of some interest. The specimen which came into my hands was killed by my friend Mr. Samuel Bligh, now in Ceylon ; and by some accident, either there or in Eng- land, this bird (having no label) was placed with specimens of Ceylonese origin instead of with those collected in China. As no Bunting had yet been obtained in Ceylon, I sent the skin back to Mr. Bligh asking for information about it ; for it was not desirable to include it in my ' Catalogue of the Birds of Ceylon ^ without good authority. He writes to me, in I'eply : — " I recognized the Bunting at once -, I shot it in a dry paddy- field to the north-east of Fatshan, in the province of Canton, China, in December 1868. There were many species in the field; and I think I shot four kinds that morning. They were

SER. III. — VOL. II. 2 L

474 Letters, Announcements, ^c.

scattered all over the field, in small partie8. I thought this one was an immature Ortolan."

Mr. Bligh has never been in India, and is not acquainted with Indian birds generally ; so that I have no doubt he is correct in what he says of the history of this specimen.

I will only add that Mr. H. E. Dresser has kindly examined the skin for me, and is quite satisfied that it is a female of Em- beriza huttoni, Blyth.

Yours, very truly,

E. W. H. HOLDSWORTH.

II Osnaburg Street,

23rd September, 1872.

We regret to have to add another name to the already heavy list of deaths which have occurred amongst ornithologists during the past year. Sir Andrew Smith, whose name is so familiar in connexion with the ornithology of South Africa, died in London in August last, being in his 75th year. His services to orni- thology are of an important nature; and his work on the Zoology of South Africa contains the first connected account of the Birds of Cape Colony and the adjoining countries. He contributed also several articles on the Birds of the same dis- tricts to the ' South-African Quarterly Journal.' On the com- pletion of this work. Sir A. Smith's opportunities for active interest in ornithology seem to have become exhausted; for during the later years of his life he did not again resume the subject, pressing official duties probably affording him but little leisure for such pursuits.

The materials for his great woi-k were collected between the years 1821 and 1838 ; and many of the skins he obtained still exist in various museums. The work in question contains many original descriptions ; and though its completeness has since been impaired by the observations of numerous other explorers, it will ever remain perhaps the most important contribution to South- African Ornithology.

INDEX.

Abrornis acanthizoides,	jEthopyga mystaca lis, 380.	Anneretes fernandezianus.
4G5.	nipalensis, 17.	454.
jerdoni, 417.	satm-ata, 17.	AnarbynchuB frontalis,
tenuiceps, 463.	siparaja, 380.	449.
xanthoschistus, 417.	vigorsi, 344.	Anas acuta, 233.
Acanthis carduclis, 212.	Asrapornis cana, 32.	• boscbas, 233, 296.
Acanthoptila nipalensis,	Aitburus fuligiuosus, 353.	cblorotis, 250.
300.	poljtmus, 353, 357.	• • clypeata, 233.
Accentor erythropyffius,	Alauda adamsi, 437.	flavirostris, 99.
428.	arvensis, 209,460.	marmorata, 468.
montanellus, 428.	bimaculata, 459.	penelope, 64, 233..
multistriatus, 422.	brachydactyla, 209.	punctata, 446.
rubidus, 428.	calandra, 459.	querquedula, 233.
Accipiter brevipes. 460.	cristata, 230.	stelleri, 447.
nisus, 167, 460.	guttata, 417.	strepera, 233.
Aceros nipalensis, 5.	wattersi, 462.	superciliosa, 247.
Acrediila irbii, 460.	Alaudula cbeleiinsis, 462.	Andropadus virens, 69.
Acridotlieres nigricoUis,	Alca impennis, 449.	Anorbinus austeni, 6.
430.	minor, 224.	carinatus. 6.
Acrocepbalus macrorbyn-	Aleedo asiatica, 368.	galeritus, 6.
cbus. 437.	cserulea, 4.	Anser albifrons, 53, 428
— ^ stentoreus, 436.	collaris, 101.	bracbyrbyncbus,
Acrylliuni vulturinum,	euryzona, 4.	428.
425.	grandis, 4.	- — cinereus, 445.
Actinodura egertoni, 90,	• ■ ispida, 169.	ferus, 446.
308.	nigricans, 4.	gambelli, 53.
nipalensis, 308.	Alcippe brucei, 298.	ruflcollis, 434.
A&lon galactodes, 201,	cinerea, 422, 466.	segelum, 63, 445.
436.	nipalensis, 298.	Antliipes moniUger, 110.
jEgialitis cantiana, 53.	poecilotis, 465.	Anthornis auriocula, 243.
biaticula, 62.	poiocepbala, 298.	melanocepbala, 243.
intermedia, 73, 290.	Alcurus ochrocepbalus,	melaniu-a, 243.
marginata, 290.	379.	Anthus aquaticus, 201.
minor, 428.	striatus, 379.	bertbeloti, 163, 176,
nivosa, 53.	Alcyone afBnis, 457,	177.
peeuaria, 293.	lessoni, 457.	campestris, 176.
philippina, 73.	Aletbe castanonota, 68,	cervinus, 61, 201,
tricoUaris, 293.	457.	464.
JSgitbalus caroli, 458.	Allotrius Sophia?, 422.	gouldi, 290.
Msalon lithofalco, 327.	xantbocbloris, 422.	japonicus, 206.
jEtbopyga eupogon, 380.	Alseonax ferriigineus,124.	nova3-zealandiae,245.
gouldise, 16.	latirostris, 124.	obscurus, 201.
ignicauda, 17.	terricolor, 124.	pratensis, 61, 176,
lathami, 380.	Amazilia riefferi, 320.	177.
lodoisia, 451.	Amblyornis inornata,	rufogularis, 464.
miles, 16,381.	114.	trivialis, 176.

2l2

476

INDEX.

Aplonis cinerasoens, 435. Apteryx, sp., 250.

aiistralis, 35, 36,

419, 448.

haasti, 35, 450.

manteli, 36, 419.

oweni, 35.

Aptornis defossor, 448.

otidiformis, 448.

Aquila adalberti, 473.

amiirensis, 329, 462.

bifasciata, 452.

clanga, 328, 431.

— deprsedator, 424.

fiilvescens, 86.

liastata, 24.

imperialis, 431, 452,

472, 473.

minuta, 424.

na!via, 328, 431.

nsevioides, 87, 431,

472,

— orientalis, 329. prisca, 424,

Ara macao, 450, Araclmechthra asiatica,

17.

currucaria, 17, 18.

intermedia, 18.

lotenia, 18.

macularia, 381.

Ardea alba, 232, 250.

cinerea, 221, 232.

melanocepbala, 460.

plunibea, 462.

poiciloptera, 246.

purpurea, 232.

rufiventris, 414.

scbistacea, 290.

Ardeola grayi, 344, Ardetta minuta, 429. Areoturnix blakistoni,

462. Argils bipunctatus, 425,

467.

giganteus, 425, 467.

ocellatns, 425, 426.

Argusianus grayi, 361,

381. Argya acacise, 436. Arremon aurantiirostris,

317. Artamus leucorhynchus,

371. Artomyias fuliginosa, 70.

ussheri, 70, 450.

Arundinax davidiana,465. Asio otus, 167. Asturina scbistacea, 243, Athene brama, 83. noctua, 83,460.

Attila cinnamomeus, 440.

Bambusicola fytcbi, 413, Barbatula atroflava, 443.

bilineata, 443.

cbrysocoma, 443.

extoni, 441.

leucolsema, 443.

— — pusilla, 443.

subsulphurea, 443.

uropygialis, 443.

Baryphonus ruficapillus,

388. Baryphthengiis ruficapil- lus, 387, 389, 390, 394,

397, 401. Basileuterus uropygialis,

313. Bernicla brenta, 63. Bhringa remifer, 121. Bias niusicus, 287. Blacious tristis, 4.54. Bombycilla garrula, 230. Bonasa betulina, 460.

jobsi, 191, 439.

"umbellus, 191, 439.

Botaiu'us pinnatus, 313, Brachyotus accipitrinus,

328. Brachypteracias sqami-

gera, 458. Bracbypternus dilutus,

10, 468.

erytbronotus, 100.

Braohypteryx cruralis,

131,

hyperytbra, 131.

nigrogularis, 375.

stellatus, 131.

Bracliypus criniger, 377,

378". Bracbyurus coronatus,

133,

granatinus, 374.

Broderipus aerorhynchus,

101.

cbinensis, 101.

frontalis, 101.

Buarremon pallidinu-

cbus, 440.

sordidus, 440.

Bubo ascalajobus, 436.

arvernensis, 424.

poirrieri, 424.

Bubulcus russatus, 429. Bucco dysoni, 322. Buceros albocristatus,

286.

atratus, 67.

easuarinus, 430.

Buceros cylindricus, 67.

elatus, 67.

fistulator, 67.

bydrocorax, 95.

subcylindricus, 455,

tiekelli, 5, 6.

Bucbanga albirictus, 118.

annectans, 120.

atra, 119.

catboecus, 119.

flngab, 103.

pyrrhops, 120.

Budytes flava, 53, 282,

290, 292, 296.

viridis, 97.

Burnesia lepida, 237,

238, 239. Butalis eomitata, 287.

epulata, 287, 459.

griseosticta, 124.

grisola, 70, 287.

bypogrammica, 124,

Buteo borealis, 190, desertorum, 284,

292, 439.

barlani, 180.

japonicus, 87.

lineatus, 92, 190,

oxypterus, 190.

pennsylvanicus,

190.

plamipes, 87.

swainsoni, 53, 190.

tacbardus, 439.

vulgaris, 53, 166,

cmerascens, y.

167, 190. Butorides javanica, 105.

Cacatua ducorpsii, 455.

gymnopis, 455.

basmaturopygia, 96.

pbilippinarum, 96.

sanguinea, 455.

Cacicus microrliyncbus,

313. Cairina moscbata, 227. Calamodvta aquatica,

175, 428. Calamoberpe brevipennis,

422.

elaica, 422.

-turdoides, 201.

Calamopbilus biarmicus,

460. Calandrella bracbydae-

tyla, 92, 209. Calidris arenaria, 63,

445, 469. Callene albiventris, 132.

frontalis, 132.

■ hodgsoni, 132.

INDEX.

477

Oallene rufiventris, 132.

zonura, 465.

Callirhynehus frontalis,

405. Calliste desmaresti, 316.

gyrola, 315.

gyroloides, 315.

larvata, 316.

lavinias, 313, 315.

Calorhamphus bayi, 327.

lathamus, 327-

Calornis cantor, 97. — — insidiator, 381.

panayensis, 97.

Calypte helense, 340, 354,

357. Calyptomena caudacuta,

309.

rafflesia, 369.

viridis, 309.

Caniaroptera brevicau-

data, 287.

concolor, 287, 291.

Campephaga albilora,

453.

azurea, 71.

leucoptei'a, 453.

phcenicea, 288.

quiscalina, 288.

strenua, 453.

Campetbera caroli, 68.

gabonensis, 08, 287.

punctata, 08.

Camptostoma imberbe,

313. Caneroma cocblearia,444. Capito aiiratu.s, 443.

glaucogularis, 443.

niger, 443.

quinticolor, 443.

— — richardsoni, 443.

versicolor, 44.3.

Caprimulgus cinnamo-

meus, 458.

enarratus, 430.

europKus, 231.

fossii, GO.

isabellinus, 436.

mahrattensis, 344.

pulcber, 309.

-r— ruficoUis, 169, 428.

tamaricis, 296.

— — unwini, 437. Carduelis elegans, 212,

230. Carpodacus edwardsi, 465.

erytbrinus, 428,

460.

trifasciatus, 465.

vinaceus, 465.

Carpodectes nitidus, 313. Carpophaga jobiensis, 453.

novDB-zealandiffi,

246. Cassicus flavicrissus, 468.

vitellinus, 468.

Casuarius australis, 426.

bennetlii, 454.

galeatus, 426.

Catamenia inornata, 454. Catbartes aura, 234.

percnopterus, 164.

Catberpes sumicbrasti,

441. Cecropis arctivitta, 462.

erytbropygia, 344.

Celeus castaneus, 320. Centrocercus uropbasi-

anus, 154. Centrococcyx eurycercus, .300.

javanensLs, 367.

pbilippensis, 367.

Centropus affinis, 16.

borneeusis, 360.

cbinensis, 16.

monacbus, 68, 87.

pumilus, 16.

rufipennis, 15, 366.

senegalensis, 286.

tolu, 16.

viridis, 16, 86.

Centurus pucberanii, 320. Ceppbus columba, 435.

mandti, 64.

Cercotrichas erytbro-

ptera, 436. Ceriornis caboti, 425, 452.

melanocepbala, 425.

satyra, 425.

temmincki, 425.

Certbia cantillans, 380.

discolor, 20.

familiaris, 19.

— — ■ bimalayana, 19.

hodgsoni, 417.

nipalensis, 19.

vitticauda, 19.

Certbilauda desertorum,

468. Certliiola caboti, 426.

■ clusiffi, 420.

Ceryle alcyon, 321.

cabanisi, 321.

guttata, 4.

rudis, 4, 86, 286,

457. Ceyx dill\\7nni, 368.

sharpii, 368.

tridactyla, 368.

Chfctoptila angustipluma,

454. Cbsetura ussberi, 284. Cbalcoparia cingalensis,

17. Chalybura melanorrboa,

313, 319. Cbamsepelia pallescens,

430. Cbaradrius apricariu9,62. asiaticus, 144, 14.5,

146.

bicinctus, 246, 449. ■ caspius, 144. daniarensis, 144,

145.

fulvus, 105, 460.

jugidaris, 144.

pluvialis, 232, 460.

Cbatorbea acaciae, 87.

caudata, 86, 310.

earlii, 310.

- — buttoni, 310. Cbelidorbyni bypoxan-

tba, 12.3. Cbettusia leucura, 460.

nivitrons, 447.

Cbionis alba, 427.

■ • minor, 446.

Cbiroxiphia linearis, 318. Cblaraydodera cervini-

ventris, 113.

xantbogastra, 113.

Cbloropbanes guatema-

lensis, 315. Chlorornis paradoxa, 466,

466. Cblorospiza cbloris, 469.

erythronota, 48.

plunibea, 48.

Cblorostilbon caribicus,

440. Cbroicocephalus pbila-

delpliia, 440.

saundersi, 462.

Cbrysococcyx cupreus,

286.

lucidus, 246.

plagosus, 246.

Cbrysocolaptes carlotta,

100.

delcsserti, 8.

brematribon, 8, 100.

goensis, 8.

gutta-cri.status, 8.

stricklandi, 8, 9.

sultaneits, 8.

xantbocepbalus, 99.

Cbryswna victor, 429. Cbrysolampis cbloro-

Iffiina, 351.

478

INDEX.

Chrysolampis moschitus,

357. Chrysomitris spinoides,

107, 469. spinus, 107, 212,

469.

thibetana, 107, 469.

tristis, 56.

Chrysonotus tridactylus,

10. Chrysopblegma flavinu-

cha, 9.

malaccensls, 9,

miniata, 9.

Chrysotis farinosa, 441.

guatemalaj, 441.

Chrysuronia elicise, 320. CicJnia alba, 232, 429.

nigra, 429.

Cinclosoma artemisise,

422.

variegatum, 306.

Cinclus aquaticus, 53.

melaiiogaster, 428.

■ — — ■ mexicanus, 53. Circus ajruginosus, 229.

assimilis, 243.

cineraceus, 167.

maurus, 98.

melanoleuciis, 89,

98.

pallidus, 292, 344.

swainsoni, 86.

Cirrepidesmus asiaticus,

144. Cisticola cursitans, 436.

magna, 90.

raelanocephala, 413.

ruficollis, 467.

scboenicola, 287.

Cistothorus sequatoriaKs,

440. Clais guimeti, 319.

meritti, 313, 319.

Cleuasicus ruficeps, 297. Coccothraustes melanura, 430.

vulgaris, 53.

Coccystes caffer, 286.

glandarius, 286.

melanoleucus, 15.

jacobinus, 15.

serratus, 67.

Coccyzus americanus,

423. Coereba carneipes, 315.

cyanea, 3J5.

Coliostruthus macrurus,

289. Colius leucotis, 266, 279. CoUocalia incerta, 424.

Colluricincla ooncinna,

201. CoUyrio schach, 430. Calotboi-ax cyanopogon,

353. Columba afra, 218.

bollii, 217.

cristata, 382.

— — fasciata, 53.

flavirostris, 53.

laurivora, 214, 215,

216, 217.

livia, 53, 218, 468.

palumbus, 216.

trocaz, 214, 215,

216, 217.

tui-tur, 219.

Colymbus adamsi, 434.

arcticus, 53, 64. 4.34.

glacialis, 64, 434.

pacificus, 53, 434.

septentrionalis, 64.

Conurus astec, 313.

breyipes, 440.

finscbi, 452.

bolocblorus, 440.

Copsychus mindanensis,

102.

musicus, 102.

pluto, 102.

saularis, 12, 102. ^

Copurus leuconotus, 31.3,

318. Coracias abyssinica, 397.

bengalensis, 397.

garrula, 3, 205, 230,

387, 396, 459. Coracina fasciata, 372. Coretbrura insidaris, 458. Corvinella corvina, 71,

288. Corvus columbianus, 59.

corax, 213.

. cornix, 230.

frugilegus, 230.

graculus, 214.

larteti, 424.

monedula, 230.

scapulatus, 289.

tricolor, 104.

Corydalla nialayana, 106. Corydon siunatranus,

369.

teminincki, 369.

Corytbaix macrorbyncha,

286.

musopbaga, 451.

porphyreolopba,

266. Cossypha cyanocampter,

287.

Cossypha eharpii, 430.

verticalis, 287.

Coturnix communis, 292,

429.

vulgaris, 232.

Crateropus atripenni9,69.

chalybeus, 310.

fulvus, 310.

baynesi, 69, 458.

orioolides, 69.

platycercus, 291.

reinwardti, 287.

rubiginosus, 310.

Cras daubentoni, 456. Criniger canicapillus, 69.

finscbi, 452.

gidaris, 457.

serinus, 291, 378.

syndactylus, 68.

tepbrogenys, 457.

■ • verreauxi, 457.

Critbagra albogularis,

459.

brasiliensis, 41, 42.

brevirostris, 44.

chloropsis, 46, 47.

cbrysopyga, 290.

hilarii, 44.

leucoptera, 459.

luteiventris, 44, 45.

■ luteocepbala, 46, 47.

pentlandi, 47.

sulphurata, 97.

Crossoptilon aiu-itum,

425.

drouyni, 425.

mantcburicum, 425.

Crotopbaga ani, 337. Crvptolopba auricapilla,

123.

cinereo-eapilla, 123.

Cryptonys coronatus,383. Cryptornis antiquus, 423. Cuculus affinis, 13.

albopmietatus, 368.

bubutus, 366, 367.

canoroides, 12, 14.

canorus, 12, 14, 67,

423, 431.

fasciolatus, 367.

■ ilaviventris, 12. <

flavus, 15.

gularis, 431.

bimalayanus, 12, 13.

borsfieldi, 12.

intermedius, 13.

kelungensis, 12.

libanoticus, 12.

lineatus, 13.

lugubris, 14.

michieanus, 13.

INDEX.

479

Cuculu8 micropterus, 13.

monosyllabicus, 12.

neglectus, 14.

optatus, 12.

poliocephalus, 13.

rochi, 12.

riifovittatus, 367.

saturatus, 12.

sonneratii, 14,

streniius, 14.

striatus, 12, 13.

swinhoii, 12.

— — ■ teleophonus, 12.

tenuirostris, 13, 14.

Culicipeta bvirkii, 123.

teplu-oceplialus,413.

Cuncuma leucogaster, 98. Curruca heinekeni, 174.

nisoria, 229.

Cursorius europsBUS, 220.

isabelUnus, 220.

Cyanocephalus wiedi,

153. Cyanocitta woodhousii,

157. Cyanocorax cassini, 153,

154. Cyanomyia viridifrons,

426. Cyanops cyanotis, 11.

franklini, 11.

Cyanospiza cyanea, 317. Cyanura cristata, 158. Cyanurus macrolophus,

56, 157. Cygnus bewicki, 63.

musicus, 63, 445.

olor, 445.

unwini, 437.

Cyrubirbynchus macro-

rliynchus, 370. Cyornis banyiimas, 125,

197,198,199,330,331. elegans, 125, 373,

374. jerdoni, 125, 330,

331.

magnirostris, 125.

rubeculoides, 125,

374.

ruficauda, 125.

tickellitc, 125, 197,

198, 199, 330, 331. unicolor, 124.

Cypselu3 affinis, 86, 286.

alpinus, 230.

ambrosiacus, 67.

apus, 53, 170, 230,

286, 290.

gracilis, 458.

ignolus, 424.

Cypselus infumatua, 439.

murarius, 170, 199.

— pallidas, 170, 199.

parvus, 67, 286.

unicolor, 170.

Dacnis cayana, 313, 315. Dafila acuta, 296. Dasyptilus pesqueti, 454. Daulias luscinia, 291. Dendrocygna eytoni,

450.

vagans, 99.

Dendroeca blackburnise,

314.

Cffirulea, 152.

castanea, 152, 334.

Dendrophila frontalis,

21. Dendrornia lacrymosa,

313, 317. Dicffiuui chrysochlore,

380.

clirysorrhoeum, 380.

coccineum, 18.

croceoventre, 380.

cruentatum, 97.

obsoletum, 18.

trigonostigma, 380.

Dicrurus balicassius, 103,

119.

cathcecus, 119, 462.

cinerascens, 120,

121.

divaricatus, 87.

himalayanus, 120.

iutermedius, 121.

longicaudatus, 120,

121.

longus, 119. macrocercus, 86,

118,119.

— minor, 119.

— mirabilis, 103.

— pyrrhops, 120. waldeni, 120.

Didunculus strigirostris,

208. Didus ineptus, 448. Dinornis crassus, 448.

curtus, 448.

elephantopus, 448.

ingens, 448.

rlieides, 4i8.

robuatus, 448.

Diomedea exulans, 75,

76, 248. melanophrys, 75.

76, 248. Dolospingus nuchalis,

425.

Doricha ovelyna;, 853,

354, 357.

lyriu-a, 354, 357.

Dromolrea leucura, 200. Drymochares stellatus,

131. Drymoeca adamsi, 85, 86.

brachyptera, 287.

erythroptera, 287.

fortirostris, 287,

291.

gracilis, 436.

inornata, 86, 239,

344.

287.

levaillanti, 90. melanorhyncha,

nrcvia, 287. swanzii, 287.

Drymoepus rufescens,

110, 470. Dryocopus martius, 429,

460. Dryodromas caniceps, 69. Dryoscopus major, 288. Dumetia albogularis, 300.

hyperythra, 300.

Dumeticola affinis, 108,

469.

cyanocarpa, 108,

409.

major, 417, 469.

Edolius lophorhinus, 121.

malabaricus, 121,

122.

paradiseus, 121.

singularis, 121.

Elainea macilvaini, 440. Elanua cceruleus, 72, 470. melanopterus, 86,

290, 470. Elminia longicauda, 287. Emberiza aureola, 460. brasiliensis, 40, 41,

42,43.

cjesia, 460.

chrysoplu-ys, 460.

cinerea, 451.

cirlus, 460.

citrina, 48.

- — citrinella, 209, 460.

hortulana, 460.

huttoni, 473.

leucocephala, 459.

luteocephala, 46.

luteola, 44, 45.

miliaria, 210, 460.

rustica, 429.

striolata, 400.

uropygialis, 47.

480

INDEX.

Embernagra chloronota,	Eiidynamys honorata, 15.	Euscarthmus fulviceps,
314.	nialayana, 15.	455.
striaticeps, 313, 314.	orientalis, 15.	Eutbyrbynchus flavigula,
Empidonax atrirostris,	Eudyptes pacbyrbynchiis.	4.53.
441.	250.	fukigula, 453.
fiilvipectus, 440.	Eudyptila minor, 250.	griseigula, 453.
Enicurus coronatus, 258.	Eiilabeornis striatus, 430.	Excaltactoria cliinensis,
— — diadematiis, 257.	Eugenes spectabilis, 197,	106.
guttatus, 261.	440.
— — beterurus, 256.	Eulampis cbloroltemus,	Falco albicilla, 166.
inimaculatus, 2.54.	352.	ardesiacus. 243.
leschenaulti, 258.	bolosericeus, 347,	atriceps, 1, 2, 450.
nigrifrons, 256.	352, 357.	babylonicus, 437.
ruiicapillus, 257.	jugularis, 347, 352,	bacha, 362, 363.
scbistaceus, 253,	357.	barbarus, 437.
255.	longirostris, 352,	■ biarmicns, 417.
velatus, 253.	353.	bido, 3G2.
Entomobia gularis, 100.	Eumoraota superciliaris,	brunneus, 332.
Entomjza aiigustipluiiia,	389,391,392,393,394,	buteo, 61, 167.
454.	401, 411, 412.	cenchris, 229, 460.
Ephialtes jerdoni, 466.	Eumyias ceylonensis, 124.	cervicalis, 417.
Eremomela pusUla, 287.	melanops, 124, 125.	cbeela, 362, 364.
Ei'iocnemis alina;, 295.	sordida, 124.	cinerascens, 167.
aureliaj, 294, 295.	spilonota, 124.	concolor, 436.
cupreiventris, 295.	Eupherusa poliocerca,	gyrfalco, 61, 446.
derbiana, 295.	426.	• bendersoni, 437.
d'oi'bignyi, 295.	Eupbonia gouldi, 315.	lanarius, 53, 437.
dyselius, 294, 295.	Euplectes tiammiceps,	melanogenys, 2.
godini, 295.	289.	uiicriu-us, 2.
	franciscana, 289.	milvipes, 439.
luciani, 294, 295.	Euplocamus andersoni.	milvus, 166.
lugens, 294, 295.	425.	nisus, 167.
mosquera, 294, 295.	erytbi-opbtbalmus,	nova3-zelandia3, 332,
nigrivestis, 295.	425.	449.
russata, 429.	borsfieldi, 425.	peregrinator, 1, 2,
smaragdinipectus,	ignitus, 382, 425.	450.
295.	lineatus, 425.	peregriuus, 165,
squamata, 294, 295.	melanotus, 425.	187.
vestita, 295.	nobilis, 382, 425.	polyagrus, 53.
Erithacus rubecula, 175,	pyrrhonotus, 425.	rufescens, 166,
200.	swinboii, 425.	sacer, 439.
Erolla nasica, 370.	Eupodotis afra, 78.	semitorquatus, 471.
Erytliropitta coccinea,	■ melanogaster, 73,	severus, 98.
374.	290.	subbuteo, 165, 460.
granatina, 374.	Eurinorbyncbus pygmaa-	sultaneus, 2.
Erythrosterna acornaus.	us, 434.	tanypterus, 437.
129.	Eurycercus burnesi, 310.	tinnuucidus, 165,
erytbaca, 97.	Eiirylajmiis corydon, 369.	229, 459.
leucura, 128.	cucullatus, 370.	— — - vespertinus, 459.
maculata, 127, 129.	borsfieldi, 369.	Ficedula cettii, 201.
parva, 128, 472.	javanicus, 178,369,	cisticola, 201.
pusilla, 129.	370.	elaica, 201.
Estrelda melpoda, 290.	— — lemniscatus, 370.	polyglotta, 201.
Eucometis spodocepbala,	• ocbroiiielas, 370.	Florisuga mellivora.
316.	rafflesi, 370.	319.
Eudromias asiaticus, 144,	Eurypyga belias, 444.	Formieivora boucardi,
146.	Eiu'vstomu.s afer, 286.	318.
morinellus, 62.	australis, 397.	Foudia erythrops, 72,
veredus, 144, 145,	gularis, 286.	289.
146.	orientalis, 3, 100.	Francobnus bicalcaratus.
Eudynamis taiticnsis,325.	waigiouensis, 426. ;	73, 290.

	INDEX.	481
Francolinns chinensis,	Geobiastes squamigera.	Gymnops griseus, 103.
430.	458.	tricolor, 103.
leucoscapus, 416.	Geociclila citrina, 134.	Gymnorhinus cyanoce-
rubricol is, 416.	dissimilis, 135, 136.	phalus, 152.
vulgaris, 80.	erythronota, 137.	Gypaetus meridionalis,
Fraseria ocreata, 71.	layardi, 137.	431.
Fratercula arctica, 64.	obscura, 136.	Glypobierax angolensis,
Fregilus graculus, 214,	tricolor, 137, 437.	72.
428.	unicolor, 135.	Gyps bengalensis, 86.
Fringilla arvensis, 44.	Geococcyx californianus.	fulvus, 86.
brasiUensis, 40.	157.	indicus, 86.
butyracea, 40, 212.	Geotlilypis tequinoctialis,	• rueppelli, 86.
canaria, 212.	147, 148, 149, 150.
carduelis, 212.	chiriquensis, 148,	Hsematopus longirostris,
citrineUa, 196, 452.	150.	246.
coelebs, 212.	macgillivrayi, 149,	moquini, 220.
flava, 41, 43.	151, 152.	niger, 220.
flaveola, 41.	inelanops, 149, 150.	osculans, 462.
lepida, 40.	pbiladelpliia, 149,	Hfemopliila sumicbrasti.
luteiventris, 44.	151, 152.	440.
magellanica, 40.	poliocepbala, 148,	Halcyon albicilla, 457.
montifringilla, 460.	150.	cbloris, 96, 97.
petronia, 210.	rostrata, 147.	cyanoleuca, 286.
spinas, 212.	semiflava, 149, 150.	• — — fuscus, 4.
teydea, 210.	speciosa, 149, 150.	gularis, 96, 97.
tintillon, 211.	■ tricbas, 149.	gurial, 3.
■ xantbori'hoa, 48.	velata, 147, 149,	bombroni, 457.
FuUca atra, 232.	150.	juUffi, 457.
Fuligula cristata, 233,	Gerygone albofrontata.	leucocepbalus, 3, 89.
429.	244, 32(5.	leucopygia, 457.
ferina, 233.	Glareola or ien talis, 105.	• • lindsayi, 457.
rufina, 233.	Glaiicidium passerinum.	malimbica, 286.
	459.	smyrnensis, 4.
Galbula leucogastra, 400.	Gracula calva, 103. 104.	vagans, 457.
melanogenia, 321.	orientalis, 454.	Haliaetus albicilla, 87, 88,
Galerida cristata, 92.	Graculus africanus, 249.	166,229,431,436,468.
— '- magna, 437.	carbo, 249.	leucocepbalus, 87.
Gralgulus indicus, 100.	carunculatus, 249.	leucorypbus, 87, 88.
Gallinago pusilla, 247.	Grallaria dives, 313.	lineatus, 88.
GtiUinula akool, 344.	Grammatoptila striata.	piscator, 424.
— — cristata, 430.	298.	unicolor, 88.
Gallus domesticus, 392.	Graucalus concretus, 371 .	Haliastur indus, 98.
lafeyettii, 425.	fasciatus, 371.	Haliplana crissalis, 430.
sonnerati, 425.	javensis, 117.	Halodroma berardi, 248.
varius, 425.	layardi, 117.	urinatrix, 248.
Garrulax albogularis,	macei, 117.	Hapaloderma constantia,
303.	melanops, 201.	181.
• cffirulatus, 302.	pusillus, 117.	— — narina, 181.
delesserti, 302.	Grus pavonina, 201.	Harelda glacialis, 03.
gularis, 302.	Guiraca concreta, 317.	Harpagornis nioorii, 433.
leucolophus, 90, 302. merulinus, 303.	Gymnobiicco bonapavtii, 113	Harporhynchus graysoni, 110
calvus, 287, 443.	Heliangelus squamigu-
— — oeellatus, 304.	Gymnocepbalus calvus,	laris, 429.
ruficoUis, 303.	104.	Helianthea osculans, 429.
Gecinus squamatus, 9.	Gymnocitta cyanocepha-	Heliomaster albocrissa.
striolatus, 9.	la, 53, 152, 1.58.	429.
tancola, 9.	Gymnoglaux laurencii.	longiro.stris, 314.
viridis, 359, 460.	431.	pallidiceps, 313,
Gelocbelidon angliea.	nudipes, 431 .	314, 320.
429.	Gymnops calvus, 103.	Heliotbrix barroti, 320.
SER. III. VOL. II.		2 M

482

INDEX.

Helotarsus ecaudatus,

436. Hemichelidon fuliginosa,

123.

rufilata, 124.

Hemipodius vicarius,

4()2. Hemipus capitalis, 116.

piciccolor, 1 16.

picatus, 116, 344.

Henicurus chinensis, 258.

coronatus, 251, 258.

frontalis, 253, 257,

259.

guttatus, 253, 255,

261, 262. • immaculatus, 90,

252, 254.

leschenaulti, 253,

259.

leiicoschistus, 254.

maculatus, 253, 261 .

ruficapillus, 2.50,

251, 252, 257, 259. schistaceus, 252,

253, 254.

scouleri, 251, 252,

255, 256.

sinensis, 2.58.

speciosus, 2.58, 259.

• velatus, 250, 251,

252, 253, 258. Herbivox cantans, 462.

cantillans, 462.

canturiens, 462.

minuta, 462.

Herodias asba, 344. Hesperophonavespertina,

53. Heteralocha gouldi, 419. Heteromorpha unicolor,

297. Heteropelma igniceps,

456. Hieracidea brunnea, 333.

nova3-zealandite,333.

Hierax cffindescens, 362.

malayensis, 362.

Hiei'ococcyx flaviyeutris,

14.

fugax, 14.

hvperythrus, 14.

nisieolor, 14.

nisoides, 14.

• pectoi'alis, 14.

radiatus, 14.

sparveroides, 14.

tenuirostris, 13.

rarius, 13.

Himantopus candidus,

293.

Hippolais rama, 344. Hirundo aithiopica, 436.

gordoni, 288.

leucosoina, 288.

puella, 288.

rustica, 61, 71, 170,

230, 288.

senegalensis, 71,

285, 288.

urbica, 171, 230.

Hodgsonius phoenicu-

roides, 132. Homalopiis picoides, 424. Homoptila decipieus,

452. Homraius bicornis, 4. Horeites brunnescens,

109, 470.

pallidus, 417.

Horornis erytbrogenys,

108, 469. Huhua leucosticta, 182,

183.

nipalensis, 89.

orientalis, 89.

Shelley i, 182.

Hydrobates asiatica, 133.

cashmirensis, 133.

Hydrochelidon indica,

81. Hydrocissa afRnis, 5.

albirostris, 5.

coronata, 5.

Hydromis nipalensis,

133. Hylocharis elegans, 356.

ricordi, 356.

Hylomanes momotula,

179, 401, 412. Hylopliilus decurtatus.

314. Hyloterpe philomela,

116. Hypliantornis atrogu-

laris, 436. Hypergerus atriceps, 69. brachyptera, 71,

289.

castaneofuscus, 289.

cincta, 71.

flavigula, 71.

galbvda, 436.

gaerini, 436.

habe«sinica, 436.

intermedia, 436.

personatus, 289.

tenioptera, 436.

textor, 289.

tricolor, 292.

vitellina, 71, 289,

436.

Hypochera nigerrima,

458. Hypolais saliearius, 291. Hypopicus hyperythrus,

7. . Hypotfenidia striata, 383. Hypothymis azurea, 102. Hypotriorchis castanotus,

471.

subbnteo, 98.

Hypsipetes ganeesa, 202,

344.

leueocephalus, 430.

neilgherriensis, 202.

yunanensis, 413.

Hypurolepsis javanica,

97.

lanthocincla artemisiaa,

422.

lunulata, 465, 466.

maxima, 466.

lanthoenas griseogularis,

98, 104. Icterus baltimorensis,

317.

buUoeki, 420.

laudabilis, 4.55.

Indicator radcliffii, 10.

xanthonotus, 10.

Indopicus carlotta, 9. lora cliloris, 376. Irrisor boUii, 67. castaneiceps, 67,

458. Ispidina lecontii, 457. — — • picta, 286. Ithaginis cruentus, 425. geoffroyi, 425.

Ixonotus guttatus, 69. Ixulus castaneiceps, 90. Ixus flavescens, 90.

Juida morio, 97.

Ketupa ceylonensis, 89. Kittacincla macroura,379. suavis, 379.

Lagonosticta minima, 72.

rufo-picta, 289.

Lagopus albus, 446.

hemileucurus, 435,

455, 460.

leucurus, 54.

rupestris, 445.

sp. ?, 62.

Larapornis aurulentus, 349.

calosoma, 351, 357.

dominicus, 349,357.

INDEX.

483

Lampornis mango, 350,	Larus bulleri, 38, 450.	Limnatornis paludicola.
357.	camis, 222.	424.
margaritaceus, 349.	cirrbocephalus, 437.	Liinnetes crassirostris,
porphyrurus, 350.	dominicanus, 141,	436.
violicauda, 351.	248, 408.	Limosa rufa, 468.
virginalis, 349.	eburneus, 65.	uro])ygialis, 246.
viridis, 348, 357.	frankUni, 446.	Linota cannabina, 212.
LamprocoUus auratus.	fuscus, 65, 223, 428.	Liotbrix argentauris, 90.
289.	glaucus, 65.	luteus, 90.
Lamprotornis magnu8.	lieermanni, 457.	Lipaugus unirufus, 318.
453.	hemprichi, 468.	Litbofalco fieldeni, 471.
Laniarius barbarus, 288.	kittlitzi, 462.	Lobivanellus senegalus,
hypopyrrlius, 71.	marinus, 223.	73.
nigrithorax, 71,4.58.	melanocephalus, 79.	Locustella certhiola, 419.
sulpbureipectiis,	melanorhynchus,38.	ocbotensis, 419.
288.	meridionalis, 460.	taczanowskia, 462.
Lanio aurantius, 314.	minutus, 236, 460,	Lophopbanes cristatus,
leuco thorax, 313,	461.	53, 459.
314, 317.	ridibundus, 79.	wollweberi, 53.
Lanius algeriensis, 171,	scopiilinus, 248.	Lopbopborus impeyanus,
281,460.	scopulorum, 38.	425.
antiguanus, 115.	tridactylus, 65, 222.	obseurus, 465.
arenarius, 115.	Laticilla burnesi, 468.	sclateri, 425.
auriculatus, 293,	Laurillardia longirostris,	Lophorhina aurantia,112.
459.	423.	Loriculus aurantiifrons.
caniceps, 114.	Lempijius liambroecki,	453.
cepbalomelas, 115.	328.	catamene, 453.
collaris, 105.	Leptoptila bonapartii.	chrysonotus, 324.
coUurio, 229, 460.	440.	culacissi, 323, 324.
cristatus, 115.	hoedti, 453.	regulus, 324.
dealbatus, 114.	rufaxilla, 452.	Lorius tibialis, 455.
erythronotus, 114.	Leptosoma hasselti, 1 7.	Loxia curvirostra, 88.
excubitor, 171,460.	mniima, 344.	Lusciniopsis brevipennis,
fuscatus, 115.	zeylonica, 17.	466.
hardwickii, 115.	Lesbia chlorura, 429.	Lyncornis temmincki,
incertus, 462.	Lestris catarractes, 248.	369.
isabellinus, 116.	longicaudata, 65.
lahtora,86,114,344.	parasitica, 65.	Macbajrbampbus alcinus.
lucioneusis, 115.	pomatorhina, 65.	459.
lugubris, 115.	Leucocerca albicollis,	. • anderssoni, 458.
magnirostris, 116.	122.	Macheirhynchus nigri-
melant-hes, 115.	albofrontata, 122.	pectus, 453.
meridionalis, 171.	aureola, 122.	Machetes pugnax, 428.
minor, 229.	fuscoventris, 122.	Macrodiptervx lougipen-
miocrenus, 424.	leucogastra, 123.	nis, 285, 290.
musicus, 102.	pectoralis, 123.	Macronus ptilosus, 375.
nasutus, 115.	Leucopbseus scoresbii,	Malacocercus geochrous.
nigriceps, 115.	457.	310.
nubicus, 460.	Leucopternis albicollis.	griseus, 309.
pallens, 114.	242.	malabaricus, 310.
phoenicurus, 115.	ghiesbreghti, 242,	malcolmi, 310.
schwaneri, 116.	323.	somervillii, 309,344.
smithi, 288.	melanops, 242.	terricolor, 309.
, sp., 171.	palliata, 242.	MaUmbus cristatus, 289.
strigatus, 115.	plumbea, 240, ^43.	nigerrimus, 72.
tigrinus, 116.	princeps, 241, 243.	niteus, 289.
vittatus, 115.	scbistacea, 240, 243.	Malurus gracilis, 237,
waldeni, 116.	scotoptera, 242.	239.
Larus argentatus, 222.	semiplumbea, 240,	Mareca penelope, 428.
atricilla, 79.	243.	Mecistura f uliginosa, 465,
belcheri, 457.	superciUaris, 242.	4(i6.

484

INDEX.

Meeistiira glaucogularis,

206.

vinacea, 465.

Megabias flammulatus,

292. Megaltema armiUaris,443.

caniceps, 11.

chrysopsis, 443.

corvina, 443.

cyanotis, 443.

duvauceli, 443.

franklini, 443.

hodgsoni, 11.

humii, 448.

inomata, 11, 443.

jaTensis, 443.

lagrandieri, 443.

lineata, 1 1 .

marshallorum, 11,

427.

mystacophanes,463.

Megalurulus marite, 465. Megaluras palustris, 310.

timorensis, 310.

virens, 11,327.

Megapodius huttoni, 418,

438.

pritchardi, 438.

Meiglyptes tristis, 365,

366. Melampitta higubris, 453. Melanerpes torquatus, 54. Melanocorypba bimacu-

lata, 460.

calandra, 460.

leucoptera, 429.

yeltoniensis, 460.

Melanopitta muelleri,374. Meleagris gallopavo, 425.

mexicana, 425.

ocellata, 425.

Melizopbilus provincialis,

180, 200.

striatus, 180,

Mellisuga hiimilis, 354. minima, 346, 354,

357. Melopsittacus undulatus,

324. Menura superba, 442. Mergulus alle, 64, 224, Mergus albellus, 233.

serrator, 64.

Merops agyptius, 203,

204.

albieollis, 286.

amictus, 398.

apiaster, 3, 203,

230, 397. ■ cbrysocercus, 203,

204.

Merops cyanotis, 397-

daudini, 3.

erytbrocephalus, 3.

forsteni, 443.

• longicauda, 203.

maUmbicus, 296.

melanura, 397.

persicus, 204.

pbilippensis, 2, 203,

205. — — ■ pusilliis, 286.

quinticolor, 3, 203.

ruficoUis, 203.

savignii, 203, 204.

superciliosus, 203.

viridis, 2, 86, 203.

■ viridissimus, 87.

Merula albiceps, 138.

albocincta, 138.

boulboul, 137.

calTa, 103, 104.

castanea, 90, 138.

gouldi, 465.

leucogastra, 138.

■ Tiilgaris, 137.

Mieroceles amaurotis,

207. Microehera parvircstris,

313, 319. Micronisus badius, 86.

brachydactylus, 86.

brevipes, 423.

sphenurus, 87.

Microperdix erytbro-

rhyncba, 344. Micropternis cinereus,

421.

fokiensis, 14.

- — — pbaioeeps, 10, Micnira superciliaris,

130. Milvulus forfieatus, 318.

tyrannus, 318.

Milvus cTgyptius, 284, 290.

afBnis, 1.

deperditus, 424.

forskalii, 436.

govinda, 88, 344.

ictinus, 166.

major, 1.

migrans, 229.

regalis, 166.

Mimns nigriloris, 440. Minla jerdoni, 465. Mirafra borneensis, 462.

parva, 462.

Miro traversi, 245. Mixornis bornensis, 375,

Miiornis rubricapilla, 299, 376.

ruficeps, 376.

similis, 376.

sumatrana, 376.

Mohoua albicilla, 449. Momotus aBquatorialis,

401.

babamensis, 411.

brasiliensis, 387,

391,401.

cseruleieeps, 401.

castaneieeps, 401.

dombeyanus, 388.

dombeyi, 388.

lessoni, 321, 384,

387, 388, 392, 393, 401, 411.

— levaillantii, 388,

— martii, 313, 320.

— mexicanus, 401.

— microstephanus,401.

— nattereri, 401. rubricapillus, 388.

376.

gularis, 376. javanica, 376.

ruficapillus, 387,

38», 390, 391, 412.

semirufus, 403.

subrufescens, 401.

swainsoni, 401,402,

411.

tutu, 388.

Monarclia brelimi, 453.

• cffisia, 373.

Monarcbes dimidiatus,

435. Monasa grandior, 313,

322. Montifringilla ruficollis,

416. Morphnus scbistaceus,

243. Motacilla baicalensis,462.

boarula, 176.

casbmirensis, 417.

citreola, 423.

dukbunensis, 344.

flava, 176.

gularis, 376.

— — humata, 424.

major, 424.

rubricapilla, 376.

speciosa, 258.

sulpburea, 176.

Muelleripicus feddeni, 9.

pulverulentus, 9.

Muuiajagori, 106. Muscicapa atricapilla,

171.

cserulca, 102.

cLnereo-alba, 124.

cyanopolia, 125.

INDEX.

485

Muscicapa elegans, 374.

fuscedula, 124.

hemileucura, 128.

infuscata, 125.

longipes, 132.

ininiata, 372.

mugimaki, 97.

mulleriana, 453.

■ — — occipitalis, 102.

pectoralis, 373.

rupestris, 128.

sibirica, 124.

solitaria, 127.

tricolor, 128.

Muscicapula astigma,

126.

ciliaris, 127.

hemileucura, 126.

leucoschista, 127.

superciliaris, 126.

Musophaga rossiae, 429.

violacea, 451.

Mycteria australis, 437. Myiagra azurea, 122.

glauca, 453.

tytleri, 122.

Myiarchus cooperi, 454. — — mexicanus, 318, 454.

nigricapillus, 313.

yucatanensis, 441.

Myiodynastes granaden-

sis, 313, 318.

grandis, 441.

inornatus, 456.

luteiventris, 318,

456. Myiothera gidaris, 376. Myiopbonus caeruleus,

430.

temmincki, 90, 133.

Myzanthe ignipectus, 19. Myzomela rosenbergi,

463.

Nanodes musschen-

broeckii, 453. Nasiterna geelvinkiana,

453.

pygmaea, 453.

Nauclerus furcatus, 323. Necrornis paliistris, 424. Nectarinia adelberti, 287.

cbloropygia, 287.

cuprea, 287.

cyanocephala, 287.

duyrenbodii, 453.

gabonica, 70.

hypogrammica, 381.

johanntc, 287.

metallica, 193, 436.

obscura, 287.

Nectarinia pectoralis, 18.

splendida, 287.

teplirolsema, 69.

verticalis, 287.

Neomorphus salvini, 313,

323. Neophron ginginianus,

86. percnopterus, 86,

164, 228.

pileatus, 284, 292.

Nestor meridionalis, 449. Nicator chloris, 288. Nigrita arnaudi, 436.

bicolor, 289,

emiliae, 289.

Nilaus brubru, 285, 292. Niltava grandis, 127.

leucotis, 127.

macgregoria;, 127.

sundara, 127.

Ninox borneensis, 365.

hirsutus, 365.

malayensis, 365.

scutellatua, 365.

Noctaa hoedti, 453.

spilogastra, 436.

tengmalmi, 50.

Notornis mantelli, 448. Nucifraga caryocatactes,

53, 464.

Columbiana, 59.

cyanocephala, 153.

Numenius arquatus, 74,

232, 290, 463.

australis, 463.

borealis, 417, 446.

hudsonicus, 446.

- — - — nasicus, 463. phseopus, 74, 232,

290, 429.

tenuirostris, 460.

Numida coronata, 425.

cristata, 425.

— granti, 425, 426.

meleagris, 425.

plumifera, 73, 425.

pucherani, 425.

Nyctale, albifrons, 50.

kirtlandi, 49, 50.

richardsoni, 49, 50.

tengnialmi, 50.

Nyctea nivea, 437. Nycticorax europosus, 74.

griseus, 74.

Nyctiornis athertoni, 89. Nyroca ferina, 428.

Ochthoeca miirina, 4.56. Ocyalus wagleri, 317. Ocydromus australis, 449.

Ocydromus, sp., 2.50. Odontopliorus melanotis,

31.3, 323. CEdemia fusca, 64.

nigra, 64.

CEdicnemus crepitans, 81 ,

220. senegalensis, 285,

292.

superciliaris, 456.

CEstrelata arminjoniana,

427.

defilippiana, 427.

hsesitata, 31.

magenta;, 427.

trinitatis, 427.

Oreocincla dauma, 139,

329.

hancii, 329.

neelgherriensis,139.

molUssima, 139.

Tai-ia, 329,

Oriolus aureus, 112. brachyrhynchus,

288.

castanopterus, 377.

galbula, 87, 229.

kujidoo, 86, 344.

leucogaster, 377.

melanocephalus, 86.

monachus, 87.

nigripennis, 288.

trailli, 90.

xanthonotas, 377.

Ornismya catharinse, 354.

cephalatra, 353.

maugffius, 356.

parzudakii, 356.

Orocetes cinclorhynchus,

134.

erythrogaster, 134.

gularis, 134.

Orthorhynchus boothi,

355.

cristatus, 347, 348,

355, 356, 357.

— exihs, 347,355,356, 357.

— helenas, 354.

— ornatus, 355, 357. ricordi, 356.

Ortygion coturnix, 219. Ortvgometra tabuensis,

247. Ossifraga gigantea, 248. Otidipbaps nobilis, 428. Otis houbara. 219.

tarda, 232, 437.

tctrax, 81, 232.

Otocorys alpestris, 61. elwesi, 416.

486

INDEX.

Otu8 brachyotus, 83. Oxylophus glandarius, 429.

jacobinus, 86.

Oxyurus masafuerse, 454.

Pachycepliala scblegeli,

353. Palseeudyptes antarcticus,

435. Palaigithalus cuvieri, 424. Palaocircus cuvieri, 424. Palajohierax gervaisi,424. Palasornis affinis, 362.

bengalensis, 6.

— eques, 34.

exsul, 33, 34.

longicaudatus, 361.

— — ■ malaccensis, 362.

rosa, 6.

scliisticeps 6.

wardi, 34.

Palumbus elphinstoni,

344. Paradisea aurea, 112. Paradoxornis flaviros-

tris, 297.

guttaticoUis, 422.

Pardalotus pipra, 19. Pareudiastes pacificus,

435. Parisomus daUiousice, 4,

89. Panda insularis, 440. Parus britannicus, 460. ■ cairuleus, 172, 199,

460.

cinctus, 419, 460.

cinereus, 90.

cristatus, 29, 199.

ledoucii, 432.

leuconotiis, 87.

major, 172, 199,

229, 460.

nucbalis, 86.

obtectus, 419.

palustris, 460.

pekinensis, 465, 466.

sibiricus, 419.

teneriff*, 172, 460.

ultramarinus, 172.

vemistulus, 428.

violaceus, 172.

Passer cisalpinus, 201.

domesticus, 210.

bispaniolensis, 210.

salicicola, 210.

simplex, 282, 290.

Passerina flava, 42, 43. Pavo cristatus, 425. muticus, 425.

Pelargopsis burmanica, 3.

floresiana, 3.

■ frasei'i, 3, 457.

leucocepbala, 368.

malaccensis, 3.

Pelicanus crispus, 468.

■ philippensis, 456.

sharpii, 416, 4.56.

Pellorneum mandellii,

416.

palustre, 188, 300.

ruficeps, 300.

siibochraceum, 17,

300, 462.

ti(;kelli, 87, 462.

Peltops blainvillii, 177. Pentboceryx pravatus,

367.

sonnerati, 367.

Perdix barbata, 428.

cinerea, 428.

coronata, 383.

coturnix, 219.

petrosa, 219.

■ rufa, 219.

tboracica, 430.

Perierocotiis ardens, 372,

373.

brevirostris, 118.

elegans, 117.

erythropygius, 118.

flammeus, 117, 118.

igueus, 373.

— minutus, 372.

- — • peregrinus, 89, 118,

372, 373.

roseus, 118.

.Solaris, 118.

speciosus, 117,118,

372. Peristera afra, 290. Petasophora delphinse,

320. Petrocincla castaneicollis,

134.

cyanea, 229.

saxatilis, 91, 134.

Petrocossyphus cyanus,

460.

solitarius, 101.

Petroica albifrons, 449.

dieifenbacbi, 244.

macrocephala, 245.

traversi, 245.

Pezophaps minor, 448.

solitarius, 32, 448.

Phaetbornis adolphi,319.

longirostris, 319.

Pbaeton jutberius, 468. Pbalacrocorax cai-bo, 234. graculus, 234.

Pbalaropus cinereus, 63.

fulicarius, 469.

Pbapitreroa leucotis, 104. Phasianus colchicus, 81, 231, 425.

cristatus, 382.

decollatus, 425.

elegans, 413, 425.

forniosanus, 425.

insiguis, 425.

mongolicus, 425.

reevesi, 425.

sbawi, 425.

sladeni, 413.

torquatus, 425.

versicolor, 425.

wallicbii, 425.

Pbasidus nigei', 424. Pliilagrus melanorbyn-

cbus, 436. Phileutoma unicolor, 373.

velatuni, 373.

Pliilomela luscinia, 200. Pblogopsis niacleannani,

313, 318. Phodilus badius, 365, Phoenicotlu'aupis fusci-

cauda, 3, 13, 34, 316.

rubicoides, 314.

Pboenicura rubeculoides,

374. Pholidauges leucogaster,

280. Pholidornis rubrifrons,

182.

rusbia), 70, 182.

Pbrygilus unicolor, 48. Pbyllopneuste boneUi,

200.

borealis, 464.

brevirostris, 464.

• — - brunneus, 464.

coronata, 464.

eversmanni, 464.

flavescens, 464,

kennicotti, 53, 464.

maacki, 464.

major, 464.

rufa, 174, 200, 464.

scbwartzi, 419, 463.

sibilatrix, 26, 200,

284, 291.

sibirica, 464.

sylvicultrix, 464.

trochilus, 28, 200,

284. Phyllornis chlorocepha-

lus, 467. Pbylloscopus afRnis, 31.

fuscatus, 31, 464.

indicus, 31.

INDEX.

487

Phylloseopug, magniros-

tris, 26, 31.

neglecta, 468.

pallidipes, 416.

tristis, 31.

tvtlei-i, 23, 24, 26,

30, 417.

viridanus, 22, 23,

30, 31, 463. Piaya melheri, 323. Pica caudata, 230, Picathartes gymnocepha-

lus, 71. Picicorvus coliimbianus,

52, 53, 59. Picoides funebris, 465. Picus analis, 7.

archiaci, 424.

assimilis, 6.

atratus, 7.

brunnifrons, 7.

ceyloniis, 9, 10.

cinereigula, 8.

consobrinus, 424.

crawt'urdi, 9.

desmursi, 465.

dimidiatus, 9.

grainmithorax, 366.

himalayanus, 6.

humeralis, 8.

leuconotus, 460.

leucopterus, 452.

lilfordi, 460.

macei, 7,

major, 168, 460.

maj oroides, 7.

medius, 460.

meniscus, 8.

moluccensis, 8.

nanus, 8.

numidicus, 168,460.

pectoralis, 7.

poicilophos, 365.

poliopsis, 7.

scindianus, 7, 468.

scintilliceps, 8.

semicoronatus, 8.

sondaicus, 8.

strictus, 8.

syriacus, 460.

tristis, 365.

wagleri, 7.

westermani, 7.

Pipilo carmani, 440. Pipra leucorrhoa,313,318.

mentaUs, 318.

Piprisoma agile, 18. Pitta arquata, 429.

atricapilla, 374.

bengalensis, 133,

428.

Pitta bertse, 451.

eyanea, 133.

oreas, 428.

rosenbergi, 453.

Pitylus grossus, 313, 317.

poliogaster, 317.

Pityriasis gymnocepha-

lus, 361, 371. Planesticus atrogularis,

138.

fuscatus, 138.

Platycercus auriceps, 245.

• nova3-zealandia;,245.

Platyrhynchus ornatus,

370. Platystira melanoptera,

287. Plectrophanes nivalis, 61. Ploceus megarhynchus,

437. Plotus melanogaster, 96. Pnoepyga caudata, 130.

• ■ longicauda, 90, 130.

pusilla, 130.

squamata, 130.

troglodytoides, 465.

Podiceps auritus, 53, 233.

californicus, 53.

cristatus, 233, 463.

hectori, 463.

minor, 293.

nigricollis, 468.

• rufipectus, 449.)

Podoees hendersoni, 437.

huniilis, 437.

Pcecile baicalensis, 462. Pogoiiorhynchus diade-

matus, 443.

leucomelas, 443.

melanocepbalus,

443.

melanopterus, 443,

roUeti, 443.

undatus, 443.

vieilloti, 443.

Pogonornis cincta, 449. Poliliierax insignis, 467,

471. Polioaetus humUis, 1.

ichtbyaetus, 88.

plumbeus, 1.

Poliospiza crocopygia,

457. Polyphasia flava, 14.

nigra, 14.

passerinus, 14.

pyrommatus, 14.

rufiventris, 15.

tenuirostris, 15.

Polyplectron bicalcara-

tum, 425.

Polyplectron chalcurum,

425.

cbinquis, 428.

emphanum, 425.

thibetanum, 425.

Polytmus jamaicensis,

350.

leucorrbous, 429.

margaritaceus, 349.

Pomatorhinus albicoUis,

301. erythrogenys, 301,

302.

ferruginosus, 301.

laorsfieldi, 344.

■ — — bypoleucus, 90, 301.

leucogaster, 301.

m'clellandi, 302.

pbayrii, 301.

Porphyrio melanotus,

247, 449.

smaragnotus, 417.

Porzana albogularis, 313,

314.

concolor, 441.

guatemalensis, 441.

marginalis, 463.

rubra, 314.

Pratincola bicolor, 344.

ferrea, 15.

bemprichi, 87.

indica, 12.

leucura, 86, 468,

rubetra, 69, 287.

rubicola, 176, 200.

Prinia adamsi, 84.

albogularis, 466.

hodgsoni, 466.

piliata, 376.

socialis, 344, 455.

Prion turtur, 249.

Tittatus, 249.

Prionirhynclius carinatus,

313, 321, 401, 412. platyrbyncbus, 313,

321, 401. Prionites martii, 403,

momota, 401.

Prionocbilus maculatus,

379.

percussus, 380.

xanthopygius, 379.

Procellaria atlantica, 83.

capensis, 76, 249.

gavia, 84.

gigantea, 75, 76.

glacialis, 65.

grisea, 83.

mollis, 337.

— — oceanica, 74, 281 . pelagica, 74, 281.

488

Procellaria tristis, 83. Promerops gurneyi, 465. Proparus swinhoii, 465. Propasser saturatus, 416. Prosthemadera novse-

zealandias, 243. Psalidoprocne holome- Irena, 288.

nitens, 70.

pristoptera, 436.

Psarolophus ardens, 428.

trailli, 428.

Pseudornis dicruroides,

368. Psilorhinus cyanocepha-

lus, 153. Psittacella brehmi, 453.

modesta, 453.

Psittacus philippinarum,

96. rodericanus, 32.

verreauxi, 424.

Ptemistes sclateri, 416. Pterocles arenarius, 219.

coronatus, 89, 468.

guttatus, 89, 468.

lichtensteini, 468.

Pteroglossus torquatus, 323,

Pterorhinus davidi, 428.

lanceolatus,465,466.

maximus, 465, 466.

Ptilonorhynchus holose- riceiis, 113.

inornatus, 1 14, 453.

violaceus, 113.

Ptilopachus ventraUs, 292.

Ptilopus florensis, 453.

geelviukiana, 453.

lettiensis, 453.

miquelii, 453.

ornatus, 453.

rarotongensis, 435.

Ptilorais alberti, 430.

Ptiloskelos amherstii, 89.

Ptyonoprogne concolor, 344.

Pucrasia duvaueeli, 425.

xantliospila, 425.

Puffinus amaiirosoma,83.

angloruni, 223, 281.

assiiuilis, 248.

cinereus, 223.

elegans, 427.

obscurus, 223.

opisthomelas, 84.

tristis, 248.

Pycnonotus arsinoe, 4.36.

barbatus, 287, 458.

gaboonensis, 458.

INDEX.
Pycnonotus hajmorrhous,	Rbipidura flabellifera,
413.	245, 449.
tricolor, 458.	fuscoventris, 123.
Pyctorhis longirostris,	melanura, 245.
298.	nigritorques, 105.
sinensis, 111, 298.	tristis, 245.
Pyranga ajstiva, 316.	Rbizotbera longirostris.
rubra, 316.	383.
Pyrenestes capitalbus, 72.	Ebynchaspis variegata,
Pyrgilauda davidiana.	248.
466.	Rbyncbotis rufescens, 77,
Pyrgita petronia, 210.	442.
Pyropbthalma melanoce-	Rbyticeros plicatus, 5, 6.
pbala, 174.	Rolkilus rouloul, 382.
Pyrrbocorax alpinus, 214.	Rupicola viridis, 369.
graculus, 214.	RuticiUa aurorea. 423.
Pvrrbula eassini, 53.	fuliginosa, 256.
coccinea, 53.	leucocepbala, 90.
githaginea, 213,468.	pboenicura, 176.
Pyrrbulauda modesta,224.	• rufiventris, 90.
nigriceps, 224.	titbys, 200.
Pytelia bypogrammica.
289. '	Salpornis spilonota, 20.
	Saltator flavidicoUis, 468.
Querquedula circia, 296,	olivascens, 468.
460.	Sarcorbampbus grypbus,
crecca, 459.	447.
falcata, 430, 460.	Sasia ochracea, 10.
formosa, 430, 459.	Sauropatis chloris, 101.
	Saxicola aurita, 200.
Rallicula rubra, 454.	deserti, 92.
Eallus aquaticus, 37.	bendersoni, 437.
dieifenbacbi, 247.	isabellina, 86, 92,
inodestus, 247.	436.
pectoralis, 37.	kingi, 437, 468.
pictus, 36, 37, 450.	leucocepbala, 461.
Ramphastus tocard, 313,	leucopvgia, 461.
323.	cenantbe, 229.
Eamphocjelus passerinii.	rubeculoides, 128.
316.	rubicola, 176, 229.
sanguinolentus.316.	scotocerca, 436.
Rectes nigrescens, 453.	stapazina, 200.
Reguloides castaneiceps.	Scbizorbis africana, 286,
31.	451.
erocbroa, 31 .	concolor, 441 .
maculipennis, 31.	Scbcenicola platyura, 310.
occipitalis, 24, 26,	Scolopax galUnago, 220,
27, 29, 30, 464.	221, 232.
proregulus, 24, 25,	gaUinula,220, 221,
26, 29.	232.
superciliosus, 24, 25,	rosenbergi, 453.
26,27,29,30,423.	rusticola, 220, 232.
trocbiloides, 31.	sabinii,434.
viridipennis, 31.	Scops asio, 190.
Rbea americana. 78, 421.	japonicus, 327, 328.
darwini, 421.	maccalli, 190.
Rbinochetiisjubatus, 444.	nialabaricus, 466.
Rhinoplax scutatus, 6.	senegalensis, 73, 290.
Rhipidnra albicoUis, 123.	sunia, 328.
bracbyrbvnchus,	tricbopsis, 190.
453.	Scotopelia peli, 195, 444.

INDEX.

489

Scotopelia ussheri, 72,

457, 458. Scotornis climacurus,

285. Selenidera spectabilis,

313, 323. Sericulus aurantiacus,

112.

aureus, 112.

xanthogastra, 112,

113,4.5.3. Seriloplius lunatus, 4.

i-ubropygia, 4.

Serinus canarius, 212.

hortulanus, 213.

pusillus, 414.

Serpentarius robustus,

424. Serpophaga grisea, 440. Setornis criniger, 361,

377, 378. Sibia auricularis, 309.

capistrata, 308, 309.

gracilis, 90, 308.

nigriceps, 308.

Sigmodus caniceps, 71,

288. Siphia hodgsoni, 465.

hyperythra, 472.

leucomelanura, 27,

110, 126, 128, 470.

minuta, 109, 470.

stropliiata, 128.

superciliaris, 128. tricolor, 110, 127,

470. Sitta amurensis, 462.

azurea, 21.

cashmirensis, 417.

castaneoventris, 21.

cinnamomeiTentris,

21.

cuvieri, 424.

flavipes, 21.

formosa, 21.

himalayana, 19, 20.

himalayensis, 20.

• krueperi, 451.

leucopsis, 20.

sinensis, 465.

vitticauda, 20.

Sittella papuensis, 453. Siva cinereicaps, 465.

ruficapilla, 465.

striaticollis, 465.

Smitbomis rufolateralis,

70. Somateria dresseri, 459.

mollissima, 63, 460.

spectabilis, 63.

stelleri, 53, 330, 460.

SER. III. VOL. II.

Spatbura solstitialis, 429. Spatula clypeata, 429. Spermestes bicolor, 289.

cucullata, 289.

Spermophila aurita, 454.

corvina, 317.

nigrorufa, 454.

ocellata, 454.

pileata, 454.

rufirostris, 454.

Spermospiza hamatina,

290, 459. Spbeniscus mendiculus,

462. Sphenoeacus rufescens,

244. Spilomis bacba, 362, 364.

cheela, 362.

pallidus, 3()3.

rufipectus, 363.

Spizalauda deva, 344. Spizixus canifrons, 90.

cinereicapillus, 462.

Sporadinus elegans, 356,

357.

maugaei, 356, .357.

ricordi, 346, 356,

357. Squatarola belvetica, 105,

460. Stachyris chrysaa, 299.

pyrrbops, 299.

ruficeps, 299.

Stapbidia torqueola, 428. Sterna arctica, 82.

bergii, 282, 293.

cantiaea, 222, 236,

282, 293.

caspia, 444.

fluviatiUs, 460.

frontalis, 248.

galericulata, 457.

birundo, 82, 222.

leucopareia, 81, 82,

382.

macrura, 64. maxima, 457. minuta. 74, 222.

Sternula placens, 429. Stipbrornis badiceps, 69,

287.

erytbrotborax, 287.

prasina, 287.

Strepsilas collaris, 62.

interpres, 221,

Stringonyx anderssoni,

459. Stringops babroptilus,

245. Strix albifrons, 48, 50, 69. antiqua, 424.

Strix flammea, 168, 187.

' otus, 167.

tengmalmi, 49, 50,

420. Sturnus nitens, 417, 437. — — sericeus, 430.

vulgaris, 213, 230.

zeylanicus, 379.

Surnia nyctea, 61. Sumiculus lugubris, 368. Sutbora alpbonsiana,465.

brunnea, 413.

conspicillata, 422.

fulvifrons, 295.

gularis, 465, 466.

nipalensis, 297.

poliotis, 298.

suffusa, 462.

Suya albospecularis, 437.

superciliaris, 418.

Sycalis arvensis, 44.

aureiventris, 47.

auripectus, 41, 42.

brasiliensis, 41, 42,

43.

cbloris, 46.

cbloropsis, 42.

cbrysops, 45.

citrina, 48.

Columbiana, 43.

ei7tbronota, 48.

flava, 43.

flaveola, 41, 42, 43.

bilarii, 44, 45.

lutea, 46.

luteiventris, 44.

luteocephala, 46.

luteola, 44.

minor, 44, 45.

pelzelni, 42,, 43.

plumbea, 48.

uropygialis, 47, 48-

Sylvia aquatiea, 175. atricapilla, 174,

200.

c^ttii, 310, 468.

cinerea, 174, 290,

291.

conspicillata, 175,

200.

— delicatula, 469.

hortensis, 200, 291.

icterina, 464.

maacki, 464.

— melanocepbala, 174, 199, 200, 296.

— melanopogon, 469.

— melanotborax, 296.

— orpbea, 200. rubecula, 175.

rueppelli, 451.

3 N

490

INDEX,

Sylvia rufa, 174.

subalpina, 175.

troglodytes, 173.

Sylvietta virens, 69. Synallaxis erythrothorax,

314. ^ *

pudica, 313, 314.

Symium indranee, 344. Syrrhaptes paradoxus,

334.

Taccocua sirkee, 16. Tacliyplionus luctuosus,

313,317. Talegalla lathami, 420. Tanagra diaconus, 316. Tanygnathus lucionensis, 324.

muelleri, 95.

Tanysiptera carolinse,453.

eUioti, 457.

emiliaB, 457.

galeata, 457.

nais, 457.

riedeli, 457.

.sabin£e, 457.

schlegeli, 453.

Tchitrea afliDis, 86, 373.

— cristata, 105.

melanogaster, 87.

paradisea, 122, 373.

Telephonus erythropte-

rus, 288. ■ — - minutus, 288. Telmatias gallinago, 220. Tephrodomis grisola,116.

gularis, 116.

ocreata, 71.

sordidus, 116.

Terekia cinerea, 460, 469. Tesia castaneo-coronata,

130.

cyaniyenter, 130.

Tetragonops rhamphas-

tinus, 443. Tetrao curvirostris, 383.

porphyrio, 382.

tetrix, 429.

viridis, 383.

Tetraophasis obscurus,

425. Textor alecto, 436. Tlialasseus bengalensis,

469.

cantiaca, 468.

cristatus, 469.

Thalassidi'oma bulweri,

223.

leachi, 336,

leucogastra, 75.

marina, 249.

Tbalassidroma melano-

gastra, 75, 76.

nereis, 249.

pelagica, 223, 336.

wilsoni, 74.

Thalurania venusta, 313,

319. Thaumalea obscura, 425.

picta, 425.

Thaumantias candidus,

313, 320. Theristicus melanops,

446. Thinornis novse-zelandia;,

246. Thriponax jerdoni, 9. Thryothorus brunneus,

314. Tichodroma muraria,

460. Timalia flavicoUis, 376.

gularis, 376.

jerdoni, 300.

nigricoUis, 375.

pileata, 90, 300.

similis, 376.

trichorros, 375.

Tinnunculus alaudarius, 165.

sparrerius, 323.

Tityra personata, 318. Toccus gingalensis, 5.

griseus, 6.

nasutus, 286, 291,

370. Todirostrum superciliare,

440. Todus viridis, 390, 394. Totanus calidris, 65, 74, 290.

canescens, 293, 460.

fuscus, 65.

glareola, 65, 293.

hypoleucus, 221.

ochropus, 65, 232,

293.

stagnatilis, 293,

459. Trachycomus ocliroce-

phalus, 379. Treron calva, 290. Trichoglossus meyeri,

467.

mitchelli, 455.

rosenbergi, 453.

Trichola?ma hirsuta, 287. Trichophoropsis typus,

378.

viridis, 378.

. Trichophorus crispiceps,

379.

Trichophorus minutus,

378. Trichostoma abbotti, 298. Tringa cinclus, 62, 63,

221.

crassirostris, 468.

maritima, 62.

minuta, 63, 293,

460.

pectoralis, 185.

rufescens, 185.

temmincki, 460.

variabilis, 221.

Trocaza bouvryi, 214,

21.5.

laurivora, 216.

Trochalopteron afRne,

306.

austeni, 304.

blythi, 465.

cachinnans, 306.

chrysopterum, 304.

ellioti, 465.

erythrocephalum,

304.

fairbanki, 306, 307.

formosum, 465,

466.

humii, 305.

jerdoni, 306, 307.

lineatura, 13, .'308.

rufogulare. 300.

simile, 305, 437.

squamatum, 306.

subunicolor, 304.

^— variegatum, 309. Trochilas auratus, 352.

aurulentus, 349.

— — bahamensis, 353.

bancrofti, 352.

catharinaj, 354.

colubris, 346, 354,

357.

■ cristatus, 355. - dominicus, 349. elegans, 356.

evelyna?, 353.

exilis, 355.

holosericeus, 352.

jugularis, 352.

mango, 350.

—. — margaritaceus, 349.

■ maria, 353.

maugfeus, 356.

minima, 354.

pileatus, 355.

polytmus, 353.

porphyrurus, 350.

swainsoni, 356.

vieilloti, 354.

violicauda, 351.

INDEX.

491

Trochilus viridis, 348. Troglodytes europEeus,

173.

insularis, 440.

nipalensis, 131.

parvulus, 173.

Trogon atricoUis, 313,

321, 322, 400.

caligatus, 322.

chionurus, 440, 468.

elegans, 313, 322.

eximius, 440, 468.

gallicus, 424.

massena, 321.

melanocephalus,

322.

mexicanus, 400.

— — narina, 181.

tenellus, 321, 322.

viridis, 451.

Turdinus striatus, 467. Turdulus cardis, 135.

■ wardi, 134, 135.

Turdus albonotatus, 134.

arvensis, 137.

atrogiilaris, 138,

428.

auritus, 465.

cardis, 136.

chrysolaus, 136.

.^ crossleyi, 459.

davidianus, 136.

euryzonus, 468.

fulviventris, 468.

fuscatus, 423.

grayi, 314.

hodgsoni, 138.

hortulorum, 136.

icterorhynchus,

436.

interpres, 137.

leschenaulti, 250,

2.51,258. — — leucauchen, 314.

merula, 172.

mindanensis, 102.

modestus, 136.

musicus, 303, 460.

neelgherriensis, 134.

Tiu'dus olivaceus, 436.

olivacinus, 436.

pollens, 136.

pallidus, 136.

pelios, 436.

— pilaris, 460.

ruflcollis, 90.

rufvilus, 136.

tristis, 314.

unicolor, 135.

viscivorus, 139,

460. Turnix africana, 429.

lepurana, 73, 290.

ocellata, 107.

taigoor, 344.

Turtur aldabranus, 456.

auritus, 231.

erythrophrys, 290.

meena, 344.

risorius, 231,

tigrina, 381.

semitorquatus, 290.

senegalensis, 73,

290. Tyrannula barbirostris,

454.

mexicana, 454.

Tyrannulus brunneica-

pillus, 314. semiflavus, 313,

314.

Upupa ceylonensis, 22.

epops, 21, 169, 230,

460.

longirostris, 22.

nigripennis, 22.

Uria bruennichi, 64. Urobrachya bocagii, 457. Urospatha martii, 401. Urubitinga schistacea, 242, 243.

Vanellus cayennensis, 77.

cristatus, 232.

Venilia pyrrhotis, 9. Vidua principalis, 289,

Vireolanius pulchellus,

314. Vireosylvia magister,

440. Vivia innominata, 10. Vultur fulvus, 228, 436.

monachus, 207.

occidentaUs, 436.

Xanthodina dentata, 436.

pyi-gita, 436.

Xantbolsema hfemace-

phala, 12,

indica, 12.

malabarica, 12, 443.

rosea, 100, 443.

Xanthomelus aureus,

112. Xema sabinii, 446. Xerophila pectoralis, 429. Xiphorhamphus super-

ciliaris, 302. Xylobucco duchaillui,

287.

scolopaceus, 443.

subsulphurea, 287.

Yuhina diademata, 465,

466. Yungipicus gymnoph-

thalmus, 8.

bardwicki, 8.

rubricatus, 8.

Yunx sequinoctialis, 90.

indica, 90.

pectoralis, 90.

Zanclostomus tristis. 15. Zenaida graysoni, 440. Zoothera marginata, 90.

monticola, 133.

Zosterops chloronotus, 418.

erytbropleura, 428.

lateralis, 244, 418,

449.

palpebrosus, 86. poliogaster, 87. simplex, 428.

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arranged with a view to supersede the use of Labels for Eggs, By the Rev. S, C. Malan, M.A., M.A.S. On writing-paper, 8vo, 8s. Qd.

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JOHN VAN VOOEST, 1 PATERNOSTER BOW.

CONTENTS OF NUMBER VI.— THIED SERIES.

Page XII, On Birds recently observed or obtained in the Island of Ne- gros, Philippines. By Akthtje, Viscount Walden, P.Z.S,, and Edgae Leopold Latakd, F.Z.S. (Plates IV.-VI.) . 93

XIII. Description of Six new Species of Indian Birds. By Allan

Htjme, C.B 107

XIV. Descriptions of Two Genera of Paradiseidce, with Kemarks on

some of the Species. By D. G. Elliot, F.L.S,, E.Z.S., &c. Ill

XV. Supplementary Notes to ' The Birds of India.' By T. C. Jer- DON, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals, Madras. [Continued from p. 22,] (Plate VII.) 114

XVI, On the Flight of Birds, By Capt, F, W. Htjtton, C.M.Z.S. . 139

XVII, On Charadriusasiaticus and C.damarensis. By Dr. 0, Finsch 144

XVIII. Remarks on the Mniotiltine Genus Geothlypis. By Osbeet

Salvin, M,A., F,L.S., F,Z.S., &e 147

XIX, Contribution to the History of the Blue Crow of America,

By Elliott Cotjes, M,A., M.D., Ph.D,, &c 152

XX. Notes on the Resident and Migratory Birds of Madeira and

the Canaries, By F, Du Cane Godman, F.Z.S, &c, . . 158

XXI, Observations on the Systematic Position of the Genera Peltops, Eurylcemus, and Todus. By P. L. Sclater, M,A., Ph.D., F.R.S 177

XXII, On a new Sylvia from India, By "W, E, Brooks, C.E, . . 180

XXIII, On Three new Species of Birds from the Fantee Country,

By R. B, Shaepe, F.L,S,, F,Z,S,, &e,, and H, T, Usshee, H,B,M, Administrator to the Settlements on the Gold Coast 181

XXIV, New and forthcoming Ornithological Works, &c 183

XXV, Letters, Announcements, &c, : —

Letters from Capt. Hayes-Lloyd (two letters), Major Irby, Capt. F, W. Hutton, Mr. Robert Gray, and Capt. G, F, L. Marshall. Announcement of Canon Tristram's Expedition to Palestine; Discovery of New Pheasants by Mr, Swinhoe in China ; Capt, Shelley and Mr, T, E. Buckley's Expedition to the West Coast of Africa; Mr, A. B. Brooke's Expedition to Sardinia; and Mr, Layard's intended Residence at Para; Note on Didunculus strigirostris 197

Covers for binding last year's Volume may be had on application to the Pub- lisher, at Is. Ad. each.

Communications may be addressed to the Editob, Osbert Saxvin, Esq., 32 The Grove, Boltons, London, S. W, Books for Review, Subscriptions, Adver- tisements, &c, to the Publisher, John Van Voorst, 1 Paternoster Row, Lon- don, E.C,

Members of the B. O. U. are requested to keep the Secretary. F. Du Cane Godman, Esq., 55 Lowndes Square, London, S.W., informed of any change of Residence, that the Numbers of * The Ibis ' may be sent them without delay.

THIRD SERIES.

^ Vol. II. No. 7.

JULY 1872.

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LONDON: JOHN VAN VOORST, 1, PATERNOSTER ROW.

Annual Subscription, payahle before 31st March each year, £1 Is.

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CONTENTS OF NUMBER VII.— THIRD SERIES.

XXVI. Notes on the Resident and Migratory Birds of Madeira and the Canaries. By F. Du Cane Godman, F.Z.S. (fee. [Con- cluded from p. 177.] 209

XXVII. Ornithological Observations in the Crimea, Turkey, Sea of Azov, and Crete, during the Years 1854-55 ; with Eemarks on the Sivash, or Putrid Sea. By Geobge Cavendish

Taxlor, F.Z.S., late of the 95th Regiment 224

XXVIII. On the Nidification of certain Indian Birds. Part I. By

Andkew Anderson, F.Z.S 237

XXIX. A further Revision of the Genus Leucopternis, with a De- scription of a new Species. By Osbert Salvin, M.A. &c.

(Plate VIII.) 239

XXX. Notes on some Birds from the Chatham Islands, collected by H. H. Travers, Esq. ; with Descriptions of two new Species. By Capt. F. W. Hftton, F.G.S 243

XXXI. A Revision of the Genus Henicuras. By H. J. Elwes,

F.Z.S. &c. (Plate IX.) 250

XXXII. On the Genus Colius, its Structure and Systematic Place.

By Dr. James Muhie, F.L.S. &c. (Plate X.) .... 262

XXXIII. Two Mouths' Bird-collecting on the Gold Coast. By Capt.

G. E. Shellet and T. E. Buckley 281

XXXIV. Description of a supposed new Species of Humming Bird of the Genus Eriocnemis. By D, G. Elliot, F.L.S., F.Z.S.,

&c 293

XXXV. On a new Sylviad from Palestine. By H. B. Tristram,

LL.D., F.R.S., &c 296

XXXVI. Supplementary Notes to ' The Birds of India.' By T. C. Jerdon, F.L.S., F.Z.S., Retired Deputy Inspector-General of Hospitals, Madras. [Contimied from p. 139.] . . . 297

XXXVII. Notes on the Birds of Nicaragua, based upon a Collection made at Chontales by Mr. Thomas Belt. By Osbert Salvin, M.A. &c 311

XXXVIII. On a new Parrakeet of the Genus Loriculus from the Philippine Islands. By P. L. Solater, M.A., Ph.D., F.R.S. (Plate XL) 323

XXXIX. Letters, Announcements, &c. : —

Letters from Mr. Thomas II. Potts (two letters), Captains C. H. T. and G. F. L. Marshall, Mr. J. H. Giirney, Viscount Waldeu, Dr. W. L. BuUer, Dr. T. M. Brewer, Rev. Canon Tristram, Mr. Robert Gray, Mr. E. L. Layard ; Review of Dr. BuUer's ' Birds of New Zealand ;' Extract from the Report of the Trustees of Harvard College, Cambridge, Mass. ; Notice of Dr. Coues's ' Key to North-American Birds ;' Obituarv Notices of Mr. G. R. Gray, Mr. T. C. Jerdon, Colonel W. H. Sykes 325

Covers for binding last year's Volume may be had on application to the

Publisher, at \s. M. each. Communications may be addressed to the Editor, Osbert Salvin, Esq., 32 The Grove, Boltons, London, S. W. Books for Review, Subscriptions, Ad- vertisements, &c. to the Publisher, John Van Voorst, 1 Pateruoster Row, London, E.G.

Members of the B. O. U. are requested to keep the Secretary, F. Du Cane GoDMAN, Esq., 55 Lowndes Square, Loudon, S.W., informed of any change of Residence, that the Numbers of' The Ibis' may be sent them without delay.

THIRD SERIES.

Vol. II. No. 8.

OCTOBER 1872.

Frice Qs. I

THE IBIS,

QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY.

EDITED BY

OSBERT SALVIN, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c.

LONDON: JOHN VAN VOORST, 1, PATERNOSTER ROW.

Annual Subscription, payable before Slst March each year, £1 Is.

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CONTENTS OF NUMBER VIII.— THIRD SERIES.

Page XL. The Humming-birds of the West Indies. By D. G. Elliot,

r.L.S., F.Z.S., &c 345

XLI. Note on some of th.e Cranial Peculiarities of the Woodpeckers.

By A. H. Garrod, B.A., Prosector to the Zoological Society . 357

XLII. On a Collection of Birds recently made by Mr. A. H. Everett in Northern Borneo. By Arthttk Viscount Walden, P.Z.S., F.R.S. (Plate XII.) 3(30

XLIII. On the Motmots and their Affinities. By Dr. James Mtkie,

E.L.8. &c. (Plates XIII.-XV.) 383

XLIV. Index to the Ornithological Literature of 1871. By Osbeet Salvin, M.A., F.Z.S,, &c., and Philip Ltjtlet Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., r.E,.S., &c 413

XLY. Letters, Announcements, »fec. : —

Letters from Mr. A. 0. Hume, Mr. W. E. Brooks, Mr. J. F. Dillon, Viscount Walden, Mr. J. H. Gurney, and Mr. E. W. H. Holds- worth ; Obituary N otice of Sir Andrew Smith ....... 468

Index 475

Covers for binding last year's Volume may be had on application to the

Publisher, at Is. 4c?. each.

Communications may be addressed to the Editok, Osbert Salvin, Esq., 32 The Grove, Boltons, London, S.W. Books for Review, Subscriptions, Ad- vertisements, &c. to the Publisher, John Van Vookst, 1 Paternoster Row, London, E.G.

Members of the B. 0. U. are requested to keep the Secretary, F. Du Cane GoDMAN, Esq., 55 Lowndes Square, London, S.W., informed of any change of Residence, that the Numbers of ' The Ibis ' may be sent them without delay.

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