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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." 


Ml...!-- 


ibi-  1^7:  PI  :-^ 


CBer-je^xt-litK . 


SilELETOl^l 


Li. US   LEU C OTIS 


MAlS.liiiihd.T  t-  irnj- 


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. 


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Eulampis  jugularis 

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Aithurus  'Dolvtmus 

Doricha  evelynas     

lyrura  

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* 

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 


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. 


S-^^^^Ji 


>^-wA^ 


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 


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. 


THE  EITD. 


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Page 

I.  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  3rd  series,  vol.  i.  1871, 
p.  356.]     (Plate  I.) 1 

II.  On  a  new  species  of  Phylloscopus.     By  "W.  E,  Brooks,  C.E., 

Etawah,  India       22 

III.  On  the  Breeding  of  Beguloides  superciliosus,  Reguloides  prore- 

gulus,  Reguloides  occipitcdis,  and  Phi/Uoscopus  tytleri.     By 
W.  E.  Brooks,  C.E 24 

IV.  On  an  undescribed  Bird  from  the  Island  of  Rodriguez.     By 

Alfred  Newxon,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  &c 31 

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

VI.  A  Revision  of  the  species  of  the  FringiUine  Genus  Sycalis.     By 

P.  L.  ScLATER,  M.A.,  Ph.D.,  F.R.S.     (Plates  II.  and  III.)      39 

VII.  On  Nyctale  Mrtlandi.     By  D.  G.  Elliot,  F.L.S.,  F.Z.S.,  &c.  .     48 

VIII.  Observations  on  Picicorvm  cohnnbianus.     By  Elliott  Coues, 

M.D.,  U.S.A 52 

IX.  Notes  on  the  Birds  of  Novaja  Zemlia  and  "VVaigats  Island.     By 

Th.  von  HEUGLIJf 60 

X.  On  Recent  Collections  of  Birds  from  the  Fantee  Country,  in 

Western  Africa.      By  R.  B.  Sharpe,  F.L.S.  &c.,  Librarian 

to  the  Zoological  Society  of  London 66 

XI.  Letters,  Announcements,  &c. : — 

Letters  from  Commander  Sperling,  Mr.  Howard  Savmders  (two 
letters),  Mr.  A.  Anderson,  JNIi'.  J.  H.  Gumey,  Captain  F,  W. 
Huttou,  Mr.  W.  T.  Blanford,  and  Mr.  Blyth.  Announcement  of 
Dr.  Bessels's  embarkation  with  Capt.  Hall's  North  Polar  Expedi- 
tion ;  Necrological  notice  of  the  late  Mr.  E.  C.  Newcome ;  Mr. 
W.  T.  Blanford's  appointment  on  the  Persian  Boundary  Expe- 
dition :  ]Nir.  Salmon's  new  Expedition  to  the  United  States  of 
Columbia 74 


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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 


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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 

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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. 


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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 


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