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A Rail from Tonga, Rallus philippensis ecaudata Miller, 1783 ... a 74 MACDONALD, J. D. The Races in South-West Africa of the Orange River Francolin — 34 MACKWORTH-PRAED, C. W. See under GRANT, Captain C. H. B. MANLEY, G. H. Autumn Migration of Narcissus Flycatcher in China ... _ bh 73 MANSON-BAHR, Sir PHILIP On the Migration of the Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica fulva) The Eastern Bar-Tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica baueri) and other Limicole ... 7a 50 Reverse Vintation in “Ducks evatiard = New Zealot Gray Duck) 9: 61 MatTTHEws, Dr. G. V. T. : The Theory of Migration ... es a re at res oe 50 MAVROGORDATO, J. ; Methods of trapping Oriental Hawks ihe es ts i F3 59 XI MEINERTZHAGEN, Colonel R. On the validity of Saxicola torquata hibernans Hartert ... On some West Irish Birds and a suggestion for the use of the Cline A new geographical race of Shrike, Lanius excubitor Linneus ... MoreEAu, R. E. On the Status of Zosterops phyllicus Reichenow REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ... REVIEWS The Origin and History of British Fauna, by B. P. Bierne Estuary Saga, by Jeffery G. Harrison ; RIMINGTON, Professor C. Abnormally Pigmented Egg of Domestic Duck SAGE, BRYAN L. An old record of the Blue-winged Teal Anas discors L. in Hertfordshire On some unusual Ba aE ay variations in the Mallard, Anas nae hynchos platyrhynchos Linnzus ae ee a : : Scott, PETER. The Birds of Patagonia and the High Andes Sims, R. W. On the Status of Cyanoramphus magnirostris Forbes and Robinson, Bull. Liverpool Mus.1, p. 21, 1897: Tahiti Society Islands ... = Be Simms, ERIc. Some aspects of Bird Vocabulary in relation to Field Recordings THOMSON, Sir LANDSBOROUGH. ; Opened discussion on The Theory of Migration VAURIE, CHARLES. Geographical Variation in Garrulax erythrocephalus in Central and Western Himalayas with Description of a New Race from Nepal a) Waite, C. M. N. The Races of Coqui Francolin in South and Central Africa A Revision of Sylvietta ruficapilla Bocage Wid Systematic and Distributional Notes on African Birds ve A note on Rhinomyias brunneata (Slater) Variation in Str eptopelia decipiens (Finsch and Hartlaub) Notes on some African Larks of the genus Mirafra Notes of the taxonomy of the Guinea Fowls Systematic Notes on African Birds ILLIAMS, J. G. Cinnyris mediocris. A revision of the eens and Description of a New Race : at Be at On the status of Cinnyri is er -ikssoni Trimen : On the Nest and Eggs of Anthreptes reichenowi yokane On the Status of Cinnyris chalybeus capricornensis ILLIAMSON, KENNETH Gave a talk on Migration and the Weather Map Redwing Passage in Autumn at Fair Isle SEtens, Herr H. E. A new name for Euplectes (Diatropura) progne ansorgei Neumann Page 104 The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, Sevenoaks BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON. Volume 73. : January, | No. I. - 1953. 2Is. Od. 3 = 2s. 6d. Annually Per Copy Printed a pebined by. pees san cutie H. F.&G. WITHERBY LTD., 5, Warwick Court, High Holborn, London, W.C.1 for THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. 1953 SBIR OEDAREND | Vol. 73 17 Jar 1953 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Volume 73. No. I. The five-hundred and seventeenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, S.W.7, on Wednesday, 17th December, 1952, following a dinner at 6.30 P.M. Chairman: Str Puinie Manson-Banue. Members present, 28; Guests 16; Guest of the Club, Mr. K. Williamson; Total 45. The Gavel, originally presented to the Club by Colonel R. Meinertzhagen, has had added to it the Godman-Salvin Medal recently presented to Colonel Meinertzhagen. The medal was specially struck in two halves. Mr. KennetH WituiaMson read a paper on “‘Migration and the Weather Map’’. A paper will be published in a subsequent Bulletin. A New race of the Jay Garrulus glandarius from Scotland. By AurreD HazELwoop and Eric Gorton. (Exhibited to the Club on 17th December, 1952.) A series of Jays from the neighbourhood of Pitlochry, Perthshire, demonstrates that the breeding birds in at least the Highland zone of Scotland are not Garrulus glandarius rufitergum Hartert. Through the kindness of Colonel Meinertzhagen, we have been able to examine topotypical series not only of G. g. rufitergum but also of fresh skins of the nominate race and can come to no other conclusion but that the Scottish birds belong to a quite well defined and hitherto undescribed form. Garrulus glandarius caledoniensis ssp. nov. Description.—Differs from the nominate form in being markedly darker dorsally due to a purplish suffusion which extends over the whole mantle but is strongest on the nape and hind neck. The sides of the neck and the ear-coverts are more vinous, not so warm reddish- brown and the underparts are less uniform having the sides of the breast and the flanks a deep vinous pink. The under wing-coverts and axillaries are more vinous, not so nut-brown. Published 14th January, 1953. PRICE 2/6. Vol. 73 2 1953 The pattern afforded by the primary and outer secondary coverts differs in having the deepest blue band narrower and the paler portion diminishing almost to white proximally so as to give the effect of less even and more contrasted barring, paler overall. The wing averages longer than in any other known form. Compared with G. g. rufitergum, G. g. caledoniensis is appreciably larger, darker and without the rufous tinge which characterises the former and which is almost ochreous on the underparts of some examples. It may be noted that the Irish race G. g. hibernicus seems more closely related to the Scottish form than to G. g. rufitergum though smaller and with the vinous colour much deeper overall. Distribution.—Type locality Perthshire. From the history of the Jay in Scotland it seems likely that the new form was indigenous to the old Caledonian Forest, that its range became restricted wy the clearing of most of the forest and that it is now increasing with some rapidity in replanted areas. Jays from Scotland are rare in collections but we have examined four old skins from Loch Lomond and one from Dumbartonshire (all in the Royal Scottish Museum Collections) which agree with the Perthshire birds. Type.—A male, Pitlochry, Perthshire, 25th September, 1951. In the Bolton Public Museum Collection. Cotype.—A female, Pitlochry, Perthshire, 29th October, 1951. Same collection. TABLE OF MEASUREMENTS. Wing Tail Bill Tarsus G. g. caledoniensis (14 ¢@Q Perths.) 184—20Imm. 153—169mm. 35—38mm., 40—46mm. G. g. rufitergqum (10 dQ Tring & Devon) 174—183mm. 1387—153mm. 33—37mm. 38—42mm. G. g. glandarius (7 gQ Uppsala) 178—196mm. 147—160mm. 33—36mm. 40—43mm. (There is no sexual differentiation in size, birds of either sex occurring at both extremes of the range, but males tend to be larger.) In addition to Colonel R. Meinertzhagen, we are indebted to Dr. A. C. Stephen of the Royal Scottish Museum and to Mr. C. D. Deane of the Belfast Museum for the loan of specimens as well as to Dr. J. M. Harrison for an early comparison and encouragement. Colour Variation in Sturnus Sinensis (Gmelin). By Mrs. B. Ps Hari, The occurrence of a pinkish colour phase in the White-shouldered, or Chinese Myna, Sturnus sinensis, seems to present an interesting problem in colour variation in birds. The problem does not seem to have been fully investigated, possibly because the species is not well represented in collections. Very little relevant field data has been: ‘recorded. I have approached the problem entirely from a study of 1953 | 3 : Vol. 73 preserved skins. Although it has not been possible to get together significant samples from the breeding areas it seems that some tenta- tive conclusions can be drawn. Preliminary chemical tests have amplified these conclusions which suggest that the pink coloration may be due to an unusual colouring agent. It seems worth while to record the conclusions if for no other reason than to stimulate further interest in the matter. My observations are based on a series of 112 specimens in the British Museum together with 51 specimens from Sir Walter Williamson’s fine collection from Siam. I am very grateful to him for permission to include data on these specimens, and also to Professor J. Berlioz, Dr. H. G. Deignan, and the late Dr. J. L. Peters, who kindly sent me data on the specimens in the Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, the United States National Museum, Washington D.C., and the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The species breeds in south China and winters in Burma, Malaya, Siam, Indo-China, and the Philippines, with some birds remaining in the north in China and Formosa. The series I have examined shows that, while the majority of birds are plain grey and white, others have the white parts deeply suffused with salmon pink, while various stages of intermediates are found. In a highly coloured specimen this pink suffusion is very marked on the forehead, crown, lores, chin, flanks and upper and under tail coverts, tail, wing coverts and under wing coverts. It fades almost to white in the centre of the abdomen and throat, is barely noticeable on the grey feathers of the mantle and upper breast, and is not visible in the metallic colours of the wings and tail. The pink is found in both sexes but the seventeen most deeply suffused specimens I have seen are sexed as males, or have the | appearance of males. This may be due to the female being a greyer bird, for the pink is not apparently present in such quantities in grey feathers as in white. In some places the pink has the appearance of a surface stain, being unevenly distributed on the feathers and showing signs of coagulating the tips; in others it appears a natural colour extending evenly over the feather. It is sometimes also visible as a stain in the joints of the tarsi and round the nostrils. _ The apparent combination of an external and internal cause of the pinkness first attracted my attention. Another curious feature was revealed when the series was laid out geographically. In the summer months in their breeding quarters the pink and white birds were mixed, while in the winter months in the non-breeding areas they were segregated, but in no obvious geographical pattern. The accompany- ing table illustrates this and includes data supplied to me from other collections as well as from those I have seen. 1953 Vol. 73 MT dp Mz |'*' ouvimoy, dy] dy] ‘+ TUNOJUOY MT NOFIR MT sueplepyy MT MT MT | dz dq “T | ony ‘O ‘ureuuy MT "* UBYO USTA ‘N ‘SsoeyT dy] AT dt dy eel se “ URUTe Ey dy MT VIN TeYL, “UryUOT, MT MOOV AT MT zysueyy ‘UeuUN x MT MT MZ ig “ eSOULLO MT MT | dZ MT JUeM-nNosyp],-Sueuo0yy MT a" “* MOYBT, dz “-nesuniy dT nesur[ny d[ eyg Sue MT eT 1H MT MT I, SURAT MT * OVORT dz eoduey MM dy MI | dT mz enyg ueg M[| dT MZ “* TOJURD MT MT MT dz me | dztT dz MI Aowyw MT | MZ dz mpi dy, MZ MOYOOO “eUlyO d Sse Wide Sede ad Md Se Ae le ma oe me i | LOMT | ‘92g Uv? 997 00 NT 2990 | yday | ‘bnp | fynp | sung | hogy | cadp fquyno0T SISUdUIS “SY HO SNHWIOUdTS MNIG GNV ALIHAA JO NOILNATULSIG] MOHS OL ATAVT, 73 Vol. 1953 dz M]| dT d{ dz dt MZ ME MT yuid—d i dq AT dz dT dT dz MG MG AG df MT MT “eULING roe sua “eke srodeiiung eso 9.10 as nt the Sea et 13 a e s SUON Seated as Sees =f SUOTYOTAL ) “weg dg aac e2, 5 We N Pe uaiqe an “ oRtyy ac | yeroy yy - * Suoyery = “ Teyyoyug os | og a ae a2 i a © dont wo Toor) eee Su ———— ——$$———_——_—— — Leen Ene ————— mM | d 190 "00 NT -———<$<—<— ——_—_—_— hyujno0T Ud Vol. 73 6 1953 In the breeding areas it shows both white and pink birds at most localities in April and May. Too much stress should not perhaps be placed on these figures as they cover the migration period. How- ever the figures for Amoy also show a mixed population in June. After June no pink specimens are found in China and all those that are found there, or in Formosa, in the winter are white. Further south in Indo-China there is little data, but such figures as there are show that populations are mixed only in the migration months. It seems that along the coast of south and central Annam (Nhatrang, Faifoo, Hué, Tourane) white birds are found, while at some of the inland localities (Kontoum, Baram, Tay Ninh) pink birds are found. It is, however, in Siam that the really significant figures are shown. Of 42 specimens taken in and around Bangkok and Sam-Kok none show any trace of pink, while in South-East Siam, not more than 100-200 miles away, all of nine specimens are pink, three being very deeply suffused. Further south in South-West and Peninsular Siam there is one record of a white bird from Nong Kae, from all other localities they are pink. It is only in the extreme south of the range, at Singapore, that a mixed population is found, with two white birds and five pink. One of these pink birds is only very slightly tinged and is the earliest to show any pink in the post-breeding months; it was taken on 8th October. The haphazard distribution of ‘‘pink’’ localities and the fact that birds are segregated in winter, but not in breeding areas, precludes the possibility of this being a normal racial variation; theories that it is a normal colour phase, an age character, or breeding plumage are all equally untenable owing to the geographical segregation. It is unfortunate that there are so few specimens in the months of post- breeding moult, and none of those that I have seen in moult is a pink specimen so there is no evidence as to whether pink feathers are again replaced by pink or not; the figures suggest that this is not the case as the only pink specimen recorded between July and November is the October one from Singapore. The only suggestion I can make to fit the facts shown is that some extraneous factor found in limited localities in south-east Asia produces this pigmentation and that birds in their normal state are grey and white. Thus after moult no pink birds are found in the north until the return of the spring migration. The main body migrates south as white birds, some going to areas where the colouring factor is not present, such as the Bangkok area, others to ‘‘pink’’ areas, where they are quickly transformed. That their reaction to this colouring factor is speedy is shown by two November birds being very heavily suffused. This could also account for white and pink specimens having been found at Singapore since migrants could arrive 1953 T : Vol. 73 there by different routes, some having come via “‘pink’’ areas such as South-East Siam and becoming coloured, others by Central Siam and avoiding “‘pink’’ areas. If this is the case it can be reasoned that the colouring factor is present in South-East Siam, on the south-west coast of Cambodia, in Luzon and Hainan; it is probably present in some inland localities in Indo-China and in the Lower Pegu district of Burma, though in all these latter places the birds may have become coloured during migra- tion. It is not present in South China, Formosa and Central Siam, or at some localities on the coast of Indo-China. It should perhaps be mentioned here that some specimens of the closely allied Sturnus malabaricus nemoricola in Indo-China and Siam show the same type of pink suffusion, and these pink specimens are found in the main in the same general areas as those of S. sinensis. However, for the sake of clarity, I have not included statistics of S. malabaricus among those of S. sinensis as it is a bird which presents many different problems, being a widespread species, mostly non- migratory, with many races outside the range of S. sinensis. Further- more there is a ferruginous colour present in greater or lesser degree on the underparts of S. malabaricus which has the appearance of a natural colour and tends to obscure the salmon pink. In suggesting an extraneous colouring factor I had in mind either some superficial staining from coloured soil or water, or else some pigment absorbed in the food such as that found in the crustaceans from which the pink in flamingoes derives, which might be found in either an insect or a plant. The fact that the pink is sometimes in the tarsi and is never on the centre of the abdomen did not seem to fit with either of these possibilities. A third idea was that the colouring after being absorbed in food was concentrated in the oil- gland and deposited on the feathers in the course of preening; the position of the pink areas on the body and the concentration of colour | at the base of the bill lent some weight to this argument. At this stage in my research I was fortunate enough to interest Dr. L. Auber of the Biology Department, Wool Industries Research Association, Leeds, in the problem; he very kindly offered to submit the feathers to some chemical tests in the hope of identifying the pigment. A summary of the report of his experiments is included as an appendix, and, as can be seen, the results are not compatible with any of my ideas on the source of this pigmentation. The results also convinced me that the solution of the problem is more likely to be found in the field than in the museum. I have therefore recorded the facts as I have found them in the hope that interest in this myna will be stimulated, as it seems certain that a close study of its habits, combined with first hand knowledge of the different conditions prevailing in “pink”’ and ‘‘white’’ areas, should provide an answer. Summary of Report on Chemical Tests carried out on Feathers of Sturnus sinensis by Dr. L. Auber, Biology Department, Wool Industries Research Association, Leeds. sie Vol73 8 1953 _The salmon colour in Sturnus sinensis appears to be due to neither of the usual pigments which may cause similar shades in bird-feathers (viz. melanins and carotenoids). The pigment is non-granular and not extractible with dilute alkali; thus it differs from brown melanins which cause similar shades in, for example, the Brown Leghorn fowl. In its apparently diffuse distribution it agrees with carotenoids but differs from them by being lipocyan-negative (giving no blue coloration with concentrated sulphuric acid). Its non-solubility in dilute alkah also excludes the remote possibility of it being related to turacin. Its regular distribution in the plumage and its resistance to being washed out with xylene make it unlikely to be an effect of the oil- gland secretion, and the fact that it does not produce Turnbull’s Blue with potassium ferrocyanide excludes the possibility that the shade is due to contamination with iron oxide from drinking water. In the salmon-coloured feathers remnants of the keratinized residual tissue, which still adhere to barbs and barbules, also show the salmon colour. In white and grey feathers of the same species, these struc- tures transmit a pale yellowish light. The pigment might or might not be related either to turacoverdin or to Voelker’s (Zool. Anz. (Suppl.), 12, 1939, 895-396) “fluorescent pigment’’. The pigment is not the same as that found in the pink feathers of Sturnus roseus which is lipocyan-positive. Cinnyris Mediocris. A revision of the Species and Description of a New race. By Mr. J. G. WituiaMs. The following revision is based on a large series of Cinnyris mediocris from localities throughout the species’ range in Kenya Colony and Tanganyika Territory, and on material in the collections of the British Museum, which includes many specimens from Nyasaland and adjacent areas collected by C. W. Benson and J. Vincent. I wish to express my thanks to the staff of the Bird Room, British Museum, for much assistance afforded me during the preparation of this review; to Mr. C. W. Benson for examples of Cynnyris mediocris from Nyasaland; and to Mr. G. H. Swynnerton, Game Warden of Tanganyika, for permission to collect and for help in the field. Mr. R. E. Moreau and Captain C. H. B. Grant have kindly examined the C. mediocris series and agree with my treatment of the species. Sclater and Moreau (Ibis, 19383, pp. 214-215) revise Cynnyris mediocris and allow five races, C. m. mediocris Shelley, C. m. ' usambaricus Grote, C. m. moreaui W. Lh. Selater, C. m. loveridgei MHartert, and C. m. fulleborni Reichenow. C. m. loveridgei and C. m. moreaui have been shown to be distinct species (Grant, Bull. B.O.C. 64, 1948, p. 10; and Williams, Ibis, 1950, pp. 645-647). 1953 ; 9 , Vol. 73 Grant (Bull. B.O.C. 64, 1948, p. 10) treats C. m. usambaricus as a synonym of C. m. mediocris, In addition to the above two further races of doubtful status have been described, C. m. keniensis Mearns, and C. m. garguensis Mearns. Consideration of races of doubtful status. CO. m. keniensis Mearns, Smiths. Misc. Colls., vol. 56, No. 14, p. 4, Dec. 23, 1910: West Forest Station, Mt. Kenya, Kenya Colony, 7,000). This race is described as being similar to the nominate form, but slightly larger; metallic upperparts less golden green; breast paler and more bricky red; belly paler more yellowish olive-green. The female is stated to have paler, more greenish upperparts and paler and yellower underparts. Measurements of type, adult male, wing 56; culmen 18.2; tail 46.5 and tarsus 17.7mm. In the extensive series available I find there is considerable individual variation in plumage in birds from both Mts. Kilimanjaro and Kenya, and none of the colour characteristics given for C, m. keniensis are valid. . Measurements .— Mt. Kenya Mt. Kilimanjaro Exposed Exposed Wing culmen Tail Wing culmen Tail Adult males: 54—59 17--18.5 41—48mm. 54—57 = 15—17.5 38—42mm. (26 measured) (11 measured) Adult females: 51—53 15.5—17 36—39mm. 48—51 14—16 31—37mm. (19 measured) (4 measured) In size Mt. Kenya birds tend to be slightly larger, and many have longer tails than in most topotypical Kilimanjaro specimens. However, in view of the considerable overlap in measurements and the absence of any distinguishing plumage character, O. m. keniensis Mearns is considered a synonym of C. m. mediocris Shelley. | C. m. garguensis Mearns, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., 48, p. 387, 1915: Mt. Gargues, Northern Kenya Colony, 7,100 ft. The characters given for this race are paler underparts than C. m. mediocris or C. m. keniensis in the male, and much greyer plumage in the female. Measurements of type, adult male, wing 53, culmen 17.5, tail 40, and tarsus 17.5mm. In the four examples available (two adult males, two adult females) this race cannot be distinguished on plumage characters from certain Mts. Kilimanjaro and Kenya birds. Measurements.— C. m. mediocris C. m. garguensis Exposed Exposed Wing culmen Tail Wing culmen Tail Adult males: 54—59 =15—18.5 388—48mm. 56 18—18.5 47mm. (37 measured) (2 measured) Adult females: 48—53 14—17 31—39mm. 50 15—16 38—40mm, (23 measured) (2 measured) Vol. 73 10 1953 C. m. garguensis Mearns, cannot be distinguished on plumage or size characters, and must be considered a synonym of C. m. mediocris Shelley. C. m. usambaricus Grote, Orn. Monatsb., 1922, p. 86: Mlalo, Usambara Mts., Northern Tanganyika Territory. This race was described as lying between the nominate race and C. m. fulleborni. I find that C. m. usambaricus is immediately separable from both C. m. mediocris and C. m. fulleborni in having a much narrower red breast band, 6-8mm. in width against 10-13mm. in C. m. mediocris and 12-16mm. in C. M. filleborni. The metallic upper tail coverts are violet as in C. m. fulleborni, not steel blue as in C. m. mediocris, and the belly is a distinct greyish-olive, quite different from that of both the other races. The female is greener than C. m. mediocris, but greyer than C. m. fulleborni, with well marked whitish flecking on throat. Measurements.— J. m. medtocris C. m. usambaricus Exposed Exposed Wing culmen Tail Wing culmen Tail Adult males: 54—59 15—18.5 38—48mm. 538—58 18.5—20.5 37—43mm. (837 measured) (14 measured) Adult females: 48—53 1417 31—39mm. 48—53 16.5—18 32—34mm. (23 measured) (7 measured) C. m. usambaricus Grote, must be considered a well-defined valid race, both on plumage characters and size of bill. Consideration of Southern birds. C. mediocris fulleborni Reichenow, Orn. Monatsb. vii, p. 7, 1899: Loc. Kalinga, Iringa District, Tanganyika, is a well defined race with a very broad red breast band, and a bright olive-golden green belly. Upon comparing a series of Tanganyika birds with material identified as C. m. fiilleborni, but collected in Nyasaland, Portuguese East Africa, and Northern Rhodesia, it was at once apparent that southern birds were easily distinguishable from Tanganyika specimens. I have pleasure in naming this new race Cynnyris mediocris bensont ssp. nov. in honour of Mr. C. W. Benson who collected most of the specimens upon which this new race is based. Description.— Adult male. Resembles C. m. fulleborni but underparts below breast band much darker, brownish olive-green, not golden olive-green; breast band also darker red than in C. m. fulleborni. Adult female. Resembles C. m. filleborni, but darker above and below. oC —— 1953 11 | Vol. 73 Measurements .— C. m. fulleborni C. m. bensoni Exposed Exposed Wing culmen Tail Wing culmen Tail Adult male: 58—57 18—22.5 42—46mm. 55—59 19—21.5 42—48mm. (26 measured) (28 measured) Adult female: 50—52 165—19 33—36mm. 50—53 17.5—19 34—38mm. (12 measured) (9 measured) Distribution.—Specimens examined from the following localities :— Nyasaland: Mlanje Mt., Vipya Mts., Masuku Range, Dedza Mt., Nyika Plateau. (Note: Some examples from Nika Plateau, near Nchena-chena, are intermediate between C. m. fulleborni and bensoni.) Northern Rhodesia/Nyasaland border: Mafinga Mts. and Nyika Plateau. Portuguese East Africa: ‘Chiperoni Mt., Njesi Plateau and Namuli Mt. Type specimen.—Adult male; loc. Dedza Mt., Nyasaland, 7,000 ft. 19 July, 1951; collected by C: W. Benson. Collector’s No.: N.5781. In British Museum collection. Brit. Mus. Reg. No. 1952.48.1. Measurements of type.—Wing 55; exposed culmen 19; tail 43; tarsus 17 mm. Distribution of Cynnyris mediocris. Cynnyris mediocris is shown to be separable into four well-defined races, with the following distributions :— C. m. mediocris, Kenya Colony, north to Mt. Kulal, south to northern Tanganyika, to Mt. Gerui (Hanang) and North Paré Mts. (but not South Paré and Usambara Mts.). C. m. usambaricus, confined to South Paré and Usambara Mts. in N. EK. Tanganyika. C. m. fulleborni, from Central Tanganyika (Dabaga Highlands), | south to 8. W. Tanganyika (Songea, Mt. Rungwe, Poroto Mts.) and Northern Nyasaland (Mussissi, Karonga District). C. m. bensoni, Nyasaland to highlands Portuguese East Africa and Northern Rhodesian border. Note:—No material is available from the Livingstone Range, southern Tanganyika, and it is not known which race—if any—occurs in this area. On the status of Cinnyris erikssoni Trimen :— By Mr. J. G. WitutaMs. Through the kindness of Mr. C. W. Benson and the Director of the South African Museum, Cape Town, I have had the opportunity of examining the three co-types (2 adult males, 1 adult female) of Cinnyris erikssoni Trimen, P.Z.S. 1882, p. 451: Shella, Mossamedes Prov., Angola. I have compared these specimens with an adult male Vol. 73 12 1953 and female, C. afer ludovicensis Bocage, in the British Museum collection. In plumage C. erikssoni is indistinguishable from C. afer ludovicensis, adult males possessing the very broad red breast band (21 and 24 mm. in width) characteristic of that race. (Benson, Bull, B.O.C. vol. 69, 1948, p. 19). Measurements.— Cinnyris erikssont C. afer ludovicensis Males Females Males Females 7 specs.) WV Uwe a aoe tar 58 64 (64-67 in Amer.) De Mus. N.H.) Exposed cuimen...._- 18,17 15.5 17 15.5 aah \ ese sem veep tole 46 50 43 Tarsus m: ue. ae 17 19 17 mm. Cinnyris erikssoni Trimen, cannot be distinguished on plumage or size from Cynnyris afer ludovicensis Bocage. It must therefore be placed as a synonym of Cimnyris afer ludovicensis. On the type of Charadrius pallidus Strickland, the name Hiaticula Heywoodii, and the races of Charadrius marginatus Vieillot. By Captain C. H. B. Grant and Mr. C. W. MackwortH-PRazp. Authors have generally placed Charadrius pallidus Strickland, Contr. Orn. p. 158, 1852, as a synonym of Charadrius marginatus Vieillot. Roberts in the Ann. Trans. Mus. 18, 8, p. 265, 1936, who examined the type is of opinion that this type is a young bird of Charadrius venustus Fischer & Reichenow. In view of this difference of opinion we have examined this type, kindly loaned to us from the Cambridge Museum, and compared it with all the small plovers that occur on the Damaraland coast. We find that Roberts is right in stating that Charadrius pallidus Strickland, and Charadrius venustus Fischer & Reichenow are the same species. Our examination shows that in size and general colour, size of bill, colour and size of feet and toes, the dusky patch on the sides of the chest and the dusky under primary coverts this type agrees with the immature (not the young in first dress) of C. venustus and not with the immature or young of C. marginatus. Charadrius pallidus Strickland, therefore preoccupies Charadrius rufocincta Reichenow, O.M. p. 1238, 1900: Great Fish Bay, Angola, as stated by Roberts, Bds. 8. Afr. p. 99, 1940. We also find that F. Galton & Andersson (J.R.G.S. 22, p. 140, 1852) went inland from Walfish Bay and returned to that place. As this was the only place on the coast where the type could have been collected we consider that Walfish Bay can be given as the exact type locality of C. pallidus Strickland. ~The name Hiaticula Heywoodi occurs as a nomen nudum in Allen & Thomson’s Narrative of the Expedition to the River Niger in 1841, 1953 | 13 | Vol. 73 vol. 1, p. 167, 1848, as stated by Bates, Bull. B.O.C. 58, p. 11, 1982. Gray, Lst. Grall. B.M. p. 69, 1844, gives genus only and no specific name, but mentions a specimen said to be in the British Museum. Sv i. Gray, Hand List Gen. & Sp. Bds. B.M. 3, p. 16, 1871, gives Leucopolius Heywoodi as a synonym of Leucopolius marginatus Vieillot. This nomen nudum has therefore been disposed of by Gray in 1871. | The examination of the type of C. pallidus has caused us to review the races of Charadrius marginatus Vieillot. Roberts, Bds. 8. Afr. p. 99, 1940, has used L. m. nigerius Bates, for eastern Cape Province to Zululand birds, but Vincent, Check List Bds. S. Afr. p. 27, 1952, has correctly stated that this race does occur in ‘South Africa. C. m. hesperius Bates, and C. m. nigerius Bates, are so close together that many specimens cannot be separated and we are of opinion that the latter should be placed as a synonym of the former. We find that Madagascar birds are inclined to be more ashy above than mainland birds, but as several specimens agree with Madagascar birds they should be left as the same race. C. marginatus has a great deal of individual variation in the adults and can only be separated into races by general characters. Specimens from Natal and Zululand are inclined to be rather more tawny above than those from East Africa, the Rhodesias and Nyasaland, but many are indistinguishable. We recognise the following races :— Charadrius marginatus marginatus Vieillot. : Charadrius marginatus Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. 27, p. 188, 1818: Cape Peninsula; of which we place Agialitis mechowi Cabanis J.f.0O., p. 487, 1884: Cuanza River, Angola, as a synonym. Above ashy-grey, often with a slight tawny wash; below, white, often with a slightly tawny wash on chest and breast. Wing 99 to 1112 mm. | Distribution: Angola, South West Africa and Cape Province east — | to about East London. | Charadrius marginatus tenellus Hartlaub. Charadrius tenellus Hartlaub, Faun. Mad. p. 72, 1861: Madagascar. Generally darker above, more tawny or ash-brown; below, chest and breast with a more distinct tawny wash. Wing 94 to 106 mm. Distribution: The Sudan, Abyssinia, Uganda, Kenya Colony, Tanganyika ‘Territory, Zanzibar Island, the Belgian Congo, the |Rhodesias, Nyasaland, Portuguese East Africa, Transvaal, eastern |Cape Province to about East London, Natal, Zululand and Madagascar. | / | | } i Charadrius marginatus pons Neumann. Charadrius alexandrinus pons Neumann, Nov. Zool. 35, p. 212, 1929: Kismayu, southern Italian Somaliland. | Below wholly white. A series may show that this is not a constant character and that C. m. pons is a synonym of C. m. tenellus. Wing 198 to 104 mm. Vol. 73 14 ~ 1953 Distribution: British and Italian Somalilands. Charadrius marginatus hesperius Bates. Charadrius marginatus heperius Bates, Bull. B.O.C. 53, p. 11, 1932: Nana Kru, Liberia, of which we place Charadrius marginalis nigirius Bates, Bull. B.O.C. 58, p. 76, 1932: near Kulikore, Niger River, French Sudan, as a synonym. Generally deeper tawny both above and below. Wing 91 to 101 mm. Distribution: Liberia, French Sudan, Nigeria and French Equatorial Africa. On the type locality of Cursorius rufus Gould. By Captain C. H. B. Grant and Mr. C. W. MackwortH-PRAED. Gould, P.Z.S. for 1836, p. 81, 1837, gives—In insulis Oceani Indici, and we cannot find that any author has given a definite type locality to this species. The next reference is Ayres, Ibis, p. 299, 1869, who states that he obtained it at Potchefstroom in the Transvaal. We therefore propose that the type locality of Cursorius rufus Gould, be designated as Potchefstroom, Transvaal, South Africa. The species is confined to South Africa and does not occur in the Indian Ocean. On the validity of Saxicola torquata hibernans Hartert. By Colonel R. M&INnERTZHAGEN. Hartert described Sazicola torquata hibernans in 1910. He had before him a large series of birds from many parts of the British Islands, including West Scotland and West Ireland and these latter gave the general impression of a darker race. But he unfortunately selected a Tring bird as type. This specimen is now in the British Museum, in shocking condition and so badly prepared that it is impossible to see the degree of white on the underparts. I have in my collection two males and three females from Tring, all in fresh plumage. The type of Motacilla rubicola Linnzus is France. In the Ibis 1940, p. 215, I further restricted it to Seine Inferieure. Brisson’s figure is quite unrecognisable as a Stonechat; it has a white gorget and shows no white on the sides of the neck. The description is taken from a bird in the collection of Monsieur de Réamur of Paris, all trace of which is lost. For many years I have been anxious to see fresh autumn specimens from Seine Inferieure and only recently I have secured two males and three females from near Rouen. On comparing these French birds with Tring specimens, there is not the slightest difference in either colour or measurement. Hibernans must therefore become a synonym of rubicola. —-- 1953 | 15 | Vol. 73 Sazicola torquata therese Meinertzhagen is only slightly darker than rubicola and in its pure form occurs in West Scotland, West Ireland and Ushant. Between therese and rubicola of Kast Anglia there is an imperceptible cline. Some Cornish birds resemble therese whilst others approach rubicola. REVIEWS. The Origin and History of British Fauna. By B. P. Berrne: London, Methuen, 1952, pp. I-X, 1-164, 60 maps. Price 18/-. Tu1s is a fascinating book which commands the attention of all who are interested in the origin, evolution and survival of British fauna. While in the main entomological evidence predominates, that relating to mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and the invertebrates is also used. The various factors, climatic, ecological, environmental and accidental affecting distribution, survival and extinction, as well as speciation and subspeciation are fully discussed. Consideration is given to the effects of the glaciation periods, the subsidence and elevation of land and sea levels while the earlier existence of land bridges are examined in connection with the subject. The theory postulates four main refuges, designated the Channel Land, Cambrian Land, Celtic Land and Dogger Land, which were all continuous with each other geographically. For each of these areas a list of survivors is given, whose origins and ages are deduced from a consideration of their known morphology, distributions and affinities. Greatest importance is attached to the Celtic Land as a refuge, which extended south and south-westwards of the British ice-fields to the north-west coast of France. The importance of land connections is adequately emphasised, though the inter- change of genes which must have occurred during this epoch is, in the opinion of the reviewer insufficiently stressed, for without doubt this interchange still operates even at the present time and its effects are sometimes apparent. It is also surely possible that some forms could have survived in southern England, which remained ice-free. In so far as the ornithological evidence goes the origin of the Puffin and the Guillemot from a North Atlantic land connection is deduced. The origin of the Red Grouse as a boreo-British species is discussed, while the view that it may have evolved from the circum-polar species, Lagopus lagopus is one, which from many . considerations, has much to support it. Inhabiting the northern part of the Celtic Land this population subsequently became divided by a further glaciation, that part to the west, by reason of isolation, being favourably situated for subspecific differen- tiation as L. s. hibernicus in Ireland. The presence in Scandinavia, and in arctic North America of the Ptarmigan and Willow-Grouse as distinct species materially strengthens the view that the Red Grouse is phylogenetically allied to the Willow- Grouse. As Channel Land survivors the similarity of many British and Continental populations is stressed, the Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Great, Blue and Long- tailed Tits, Goldcrest, Song-Thrush, Tree-Creeper, Hedge-Accentor and Robin are mentioned in this connection. It is to be regretted that some careless errors have been allowed to pass, e.g. Sitta undata for Sylvia undata, Fraterculo instead of Fratercula, Strux for Striz, Turdus ericetorum hibernicus instead of T. e. hebridensis (see map, 47, p. 109), where incidentally the unsuspecting might conclude that the Song-Thrush was unknown on the Isle of Wight! Also the unfortunate and indiscriminate interchange of the vernacular names ‘‘vole’’ and ‘‘mouse’’ for the Yellow-necked Mouse is regrettable. Despite these avoidable errors this book is one which deserves close study and although speculative, as it must needs be, it should be read by all biologically minded ornithologists and will give both profit and pleasure in its perusal. J.M.H. Vol. 73 16 1953 Estuary Saga. A Wildfowler Naturalist on the Elbe. By Jerrery G. Harrison. With a foreword by Vice-Admiral The Mackintosh of Mackintosh, President, Royal Naval Bird Watching Society. London. H. F. & G. Witherby Ltd. 1952. 1 coloured plate, numerous line drawings, 19 photographs, 2 maps, pp. 121. Price 12/6. This is a book by an already well-known and accomplished ornithologist, who since childhood has been trained by his distinguished father as a wildfowler. The result is an admirable mixture of wildfowl lore and scientific ornithology in which the ingredients have been so cunningly mixed, that this latest effort vibrates with life in every line and raises its author to the pinnacle shared by those giants of the past—Colonel Peter Hawker and Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey. This is much more than an account of organised shooting. It is full of original observations, not only of the many species, but also of facts of great value, as for instance, the tables on the migrations of ducks and geese and of the proportion of sexes in the former, which are designed to aid the labours of the International Wildfowl Enquiry. Dr. Jeffery Harrison possesses a particularly pleasing literary style. The narrative flows lke some limpid trout stream amidst the haunts of Ruff, Godwit, Avocet and Teal. Then again, there are brilliant flashes of combined operational shoots for V.I.P.’s and hair-raising accounts of mud-plodding in fog-bound, frozen marshes. It is not also without a sense of humour of its own and some of the tales, such as the encounter with non-ornithological Customs officials, are excellently told. Further- more, and quite surprisingly, this doctor naturalist emerges as a bird-artist of no mean order. His positional sketches of ducks and geese bear the mark of an original style. In some respects they may be reminescent of the late Frank Southgate, and in others of Peter Scott. There is little doubt that these vivid pictures have come to stay. The notes on the status and habits of the ducks and geese on the Elbe are excellent. Tio have secured the Eastern Grey-Lag Goose and to have seen an Egyptian Vulture on Bishorst Island is no mean feat. The book, which is singularly free from mistakes or misprints, is dedicated to his devoted and united family. Estuary Saga is assured of the successful future which it deserves. P.M-B. ~~, = 2. —— a Es RR Notices. STOCK OF THE “ BULLETIN.” It is proposed to reduce the stock of the “ Bulletin,” but before this is done members are given an opportunity to acquire parts at 2/6 each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. BACK NUMBERS CF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who have back numbers of the “ Bulletin’ which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1953. January 22nd; February 18th; March (in conjunction with the | B.O.U.) ; April 14th ; May 19th ; June 16th ; October 20th ; November ~ 17th ; December 15th. Members should note that from April onwards the meetings will be on a Tuesday and that the January meeting is ona — Thursday. SEPARATES. Contributors who desire six free copies of their notes should state so — on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed — or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, i.e., genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus and no further mention of the author. . If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Meeting, a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. : see = ee Communications are not restricted to members of the British Ornithologists’ Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, Bowerwood House, St. ee Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. . Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14, Elm Place, London, S.W.7. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. pi 3 Gat = ‘ os ey ~~ ASF cb 1955 Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON. Volume 73. i February, No. 2. 1953. 2Is. Od. 2s. 6d. Annually | Per Copy _—— Printed and published by H, F. & G. WITHERBY LTD. .. 5, Warwick Court, High Holborn, London, W.C.1 for THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. ——— . i — BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Volume 73. No. 2. ——. —— The five-hundred and eighteenth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, 5.W.7, on Thursday, wand January, 1953, following a dinner at 6.80 P.M. Chairman: Str Puitie Manson- Baur. Members present, 48; Guests 386; Guest of the Club, Viscount Alanbrooke; Total 85. Field-Marshal Viscount Alanbrooke showed his two new colour films of wading birds on the Dee Estuary and the Flamingoes of the Camargue, both of which were greatly appreciated. The shots of the autumn migrant waders were particularly impressive, and interesting studies were obtained of a Curlew preening with salt water. The Flamingo pictures were obtained only after great difficulty, as aerial disturbance last year had caused them to move from their usual breeding grounds. The film showed the great variation in size that exists between individual Flamingoes and there was considerable discussion afterwards, in the course of which both Field-Marshal Alanbrooke and Mr. Max Nicholson referred to the various development and reclamation schemes that are now threatening the Camargue, any one of which could ruin the area for birds. French ornithologists are_ fully aware of this danger, but they may well require help from others if the area is to be preserved in its present form. Migration and the Weather Map. Mr. KennetoH Wiuuiamson’s talk given to the Club on December 17th provoked much discussion. Mr. C. K. Frankom and Mr. R. F. M. Hay from the Meteorological Office both referred to the help that they might obtain from the ornithologist in identifying air-masses by means of the species and races of birds that they carried with them. As Mr. Williamson’s talk has already been published elsewhere, we are printing a detailed study of the Redwing, in amplification of his more general remarks. Published 16th February, 1953. bs | | Price 2/6. Vol. 73 18 1953 Redwing Passage in Autumn at Fair Isle. By KenNETH WILLIAMSON. (Fair Isle Bird Observatory.) The complexity of Redwing movements at Fair Isle in the autumn season can be resolved into a definite and interesting pattern if interpreted on the basis of the migrational drift concept (see Scot. Nat. 1952, 64: 1-18). This involves the use of two complementary techniques of study which the Bird Observatory is now trying to develop for a number of migrant species: they are the taxonomic examination of trapped birds, with the aim of determining the geographical races concerned, and the application of current meteoro- logical theory to an analysis of the weather conditions governing the successive movements. This information is obtained from a study of the ‘“Daily Weather Report’ of the Meteorological Office of the Air Ministry. Fig. 1. Redwings. Drift ahead of a cold front, Mean weight of 15 trapped, 60 gms. (Very low). 1953 19 Vol. 78 abo0 ans. IBur OCTOBER (450 Pigv2- Redwings. Influx of T.m. coburni, Col condi- tions. Mean weight of 10 trapped, 72.48 gms. On the taxonomic side, it is well known that two recognisable races of the Redwing enter the British Isles: these are the nominate Turdus m. musicus Linnaeus from Scandinavian countries, and the race Turdus m. coburni Sharpe from Iceland. The latter has a more extensive - olive-brown wash on the sides of breast and flanks, with the breast markings often confluent; a warm buffish suffusion on the lighter parts of head, neck and breast (sometimes extending as a pale wash over the belly), and the under tail-coverts heavily marked with brown centres and washed with buff. The red of the underwing is usually darker than in typical T.m. musicus, but this and the mantle colour are too variable individually to have taxonomic value. The Iceland bird is considerably heavier, and averages longer in the wing: it would be a mistake, however, to determine T.m. coburni on wing-length alone, as we have records of Continental Redwings measur- ing 124 mm. and even 125 mm. Weight is important not only in helping to differentiate between the races, but also in indicating the physical | condition of the birds on their arrival, so providing a clue to the kind of weather they have experienced on their journey. Vol. 73 20 1953 A puzzling feature of these Redwing movements before my views on the importance of drift had crystallized was that occasional influxes were apparent on mornings when the wind was SW. or even west, and that birds trapped at such times showed a much lower mean weight than is normal for migrants of this species. At first I supposed that such birds must have come in against the wind on a direct route from Central Norway (taking the orthodox view of the main entry of autumn passage-migrants), their longer spell on the wing being reflected in the greater loss of body-weight. This was not entirely convincing, how- ever, because on some days the wind was quite strong and indeed not very much, if at all, below the flight-speed one might expect from such birds. A retrospective examination of the weather-maps in the hght of the migrational drift theory provided a simple explanation for this apparent anomaly. 1Zoo HRS. OCT. ON 14 ee 1953 21 | Vol. 73 Low pressure systems, which create a good deal of North Sea drift, are characterized by the existence of fronts where considerable precipitation of one form or another takes place. According to the Bjerknes theory depressions are formed when eddies arise in the polar front separating bodies of cold, and therefore dense, arctic air from warmer, and therefore less dense, tropical air. The leading edge of the cold air mass, being denser, wedges itself beneath the rear of the warm air and lifts it off the ground: the warm air cools as it rises, and is no longer able to hold so much moisture, so that some falls as hail or fairly heavy rain along the line of the cold front. At the other side of the warm sector of the depression the warm air climbs above the rear of the denser polar air and precipitation of a less vigorous but more widespread kind takes place. This is the warm front. Gradually, as the cold front overtakes the warm front in the tropical air segment of the depression, lifting it off the ground, the low becomes pro- gressively occluded. ‘Thereafter its vigorous life, during which it may well have moved hundreds of miles with its winds at gale force, draws to a close, and gradually it fills. The fronts are lines of discontinuity in wind-direction and with the passage of a front through a particular point a veer or clockwise shift of wind takes place. A bird coming within the sphere of influence of a depression might avoid the worst of the frontal weather by flying before the wind. But birds cannot always escape the widespread precipitation and must often suffer prolonged wetting of their plumage and the consequent reduction of its efficiency as an insulation against undue loss of body heat. This requires the more rapid combustion of glycogen and carbohydrates to maintain the high metabolic rate, and results in loss of weight. Hence the Redwings that appeared to have come to Fair Isle against a SW. wind had in fact arrived during the night with or slightly ahead of a front, on an easterly wind which had veered to SW. when the front passed through, whilst their loss of body-weight Was excessive because of the bad weather encountered during the | journey. The first large-scale invasion in 1950, during the night of October 13th /14th, was typical of this situation. When observations were made soon after daylight on 14th the wind was SW. at force 4; nevertheless, there were well over a thousand Redwings on the isle. A sample of 15 trapped were all T.m. musicus and their mean weight was very low at 60 gm. Examining this case retrospectively, with the weather-maps at hand, it is clear that the wind did not go SW. at Fair Isle until the early morning, after the passing of the cold front of a depression then centred west of the Faeroe Islands (fig. 1). The 0600 hrs. chart shows a marked SSE. trend in the North Sea winds ahead of the front, and these Redwing arrivals (which were probably considerable in the Shetland-Faeroes region) were due to drift in this airstream from the Skaggerak and coastal “‘guiding-lines’’ farther south, Col migration from Iceland took place during October 17th-18th as Vol. 75 22 | 1953 a depression receded eastwards from that area, and 8 T.m. coburni were trapped at a mean weight of 72 gm. (fig. 2). There had been a previous. instance of T.m. coburni coming through a col on the line Iceland- Faeroes-Shetland on October 11th, the appropriate weather-map being very similar to fig. 2. An interesting fact is that although movement through this new col continued during the night 18th/19th most of the trappings next morning were of 7'.m. musicus, and a consideration of the weather-map and the birds’ good weight points to their being on redetermined passage out of Faeroe and Shetland, which they had entered with the drift of a few days before. The movement, however, was slight, and the reason would appear to be that a warm front (see fig. 2) advancing northwards passed Fair Isle about midnight, bringing rain and a force 6 wind which arrested migration. The crew of the island mail-boat, ‘‘The Good Shepherd’’, returning from Shetland after nightfall on 18th, heard Redwings and other birds about the ship during the crossing of the Sumburgh Roost. The next rush in 1950 was during the night of October 20th/21st with the wind veering southerly from NW. and falling light: we were very near the centre of an anticyclone which had moved in from the west. It should be noted that this anticyclone did not extend to Scandinavia, which remained under the influence of a big depression giving strong northerly winds,—conditions which would inhibit, not induce, migration there (fig. 3). A thousand or more Redwings were at Fair Isle on 21st, and a good sample of 17 trapped showed a high mean weight of 69.5 gm. They were a mixture of T.m. musicus (12, averaging 68 gm.) and T'.m. coburni (5, averaging 72 gm.) and repre- sent, in the first case, the onward flow of the migration which had been deflected to the Shetland-Faeroe region in the earlier phase of October 13th/14th; and, in the second, birds that had come part of the way from Iceland in the col weather of 18th. The Continental birds had been a week ‘‘off passage’ in the islands, re-building their bodily reserves, and were now continuing their journey under the stimulus of the calm weather. This anticyclone continued to move eastwards and it enveloped southern Scandinavia during the evening of 21st. An immediate response to the favourable conditions was a renewed migratory move- ment out of southern Norway, a part of which may have been caught in the easterly airstream below the high and deflected westwards across the North Sea. We estimated a fall of some 5,000 Redwings on 22nd but unfortunately trapped very few: the distribution of their weights, with two at 64-65 gm. and four at 69-72 gm. strongly suggests that two groups were involved, and that the greater part of the invasion was from the islands to the north (fig. 4). There was a similar weather-situation in the case of the first big — Redwing movement in 1949, birds arriving in the easterly airstream of an eastwards-moving anticyclone: 5 T.m. musicus trapped on October 6th had a mean weight of 66 gm., evidence of a good journey un- hampered by frontal disturbances. In that year, when the North Sea 1953 : 23 | Vol. 73 was crossed by a succession of fronts moving to NE. between October 10th-12th a dozen Redwing weights averaged only 62.5 gm. We can assume that these drifts in 1949, as in 1950, carried many hundreds of birds beyond Fair Isle to Shetland and the Faeroe Islands There was renewed movement at Fair Isle between October 20th-22nd, 1949, which is attributable to passage out of Iceland, Faeroe and Shetland via a calm weather bridge lying between two low pressure regions of a complex depression (fig. 5). The real interest of this case is its support of the view that the chief stimulus to mass- migration is the lack of wind, and it is only because such weather is most generally associated with extensive anticyclonic development that migration reaches a peak when the barometer is high. Here we have a@ comparatively rare instance of migration being induced in a large concentration of birds by local calms and light variable weather where the wind-systems of adjoining lows meet and eliminate each other’s effect. Several T.m. coburni, probably direct immigrants from Iceland, were trapped at this period; but there were also T.m. musicus which could not have come from the Continent by drift, and still less by direct approach from Central Norway in the face of a SW. gale which blew in Forties during 20th-21st. I am grateful’ to the Controller of H.M. Stationery Office for permission to reproduce diagrams based on the charts in the ‘‘Daily Weather Report’ published by the Meteorological Office of the Air Ministry. Note on the Weather-maps. Wind-direction follows the run of the isobars (lines of equal barometric pressure, shown in millibars), with an inwards deviation towards the centre of a low, about which the circulation is anticlockwise. Contrary conditions obtain in the case of a high Circles at recording-stations indicate the amount of cloud. A double-circle represents a calm. Otherwise, arrows fly with the wind and each full fléche represents two degrees on the Beaufort wind-strength scale. Warm fronts are marked by half-circles, and cold fronts by triangles, pointing in the direction of . movement of the front, SUMMARY. The autumn movements of two races of Redwing Turdus im. musicus and Turdus m. coburni in 1949-50 are examined in the light of the theory of migrational drift. It is shown that large flocks of Scandinavian Redwings reach the northern islands of Britain and Faeroe by drift from the Skaggerak and the coast-line to the south, either on easterly winds associated with the movement of fronts across the North Sea, or in the easterly airflow on the south side of anticyclonic systems. Birds which pass through frontal weather lose more weight than those which have anticyclonic weather. These drift-migrants remain ‘‘off passage’’, recovering lost weight, until stimulated to continue migration by calm or light wind conditions in the Shetland- Faeroe area: such conditions may be associated with an anticyclone, col, or the region of cyclonic variable winds between two opposing depressions. At such times Turdus m. musicus on redetermined passage and Turdus m. coburni immigrating from Iceland occur together at Fair Isle. The investigation establishes the vital importance of wind as a main weather- factor both at the commencement and during the course of a migratory movement. Vol. 73 24 1953 Abnormally Pigmented Egg of Domestic Duck. By Proressor C. RimMinecTon. A report by Professor C, Rimington, D.Sc., Department of Chemical Pathology, University College Hospital Medical School, London, was communicated by Dr- A. Landsborough Thomson, who had received the specimen from Dr. W. J. Eggeling, a member of the B.O.U. 7 Dr. Thomson exhibited the egg, which has since been given to the British Museum (Natural History). It was stated to have been laid at a farm in Northumberland in June, 1952, by an Aylesbury Duck (Anas platyrynchos Linnaeus, domestic variety). The duck was said to have died about three weeks after the event, suggesting some pathological condition, but no details were available. The contents of the egg, on blowing, appeared to be normal but were not examined. Professor Riminzton’s report on the shell was as follows :— “General appearance. A chocolate brown colour with lighter yellow- brown fine speckling. In places what appears to be normal shell can be seen and it seems that the dark colour is due to a thin covering. The edges of the hole bear out this conclusion. Near one end of the egg there is a coarser material which is definitely an incrustation varying in colour from orange to grey-black. This was examined separately. Under ultra-violet light the whole nai had a very dull deep purple fluorescence. ‘“‘Incrustation scraped off by a glass edge was treated with 25% HCl. It dissolved readily to a deep yellow solution. Tests for ferric iron with thiocyanate and ferrocyanide were both strongly positive. The solution was faintly red fluorescent in ultra-violet light. This fluorescence was extractable by ether from neutral solution and left the ether phase only for 5% HCl, not for 0.1 N HCl. It was thus due to protoporphyrin. ‘“Main pigment of shell.. A small quantity was scraped away from the vicinity of the hole and the above tests all repeated. Teste” Toro eerie SNOW era ee weakly positive. att Daye. PhOrpplagatnodte. comet loka very strong. ecoproporph yan... \...44s6-< negative. ,)"*protoperpmyrin alr...) te. very strong. In conclusion, there is present abundant protoporphyrin and a little free iron. The incrustation contains much iron and less porphyrin ~ but is similar in character to the main pigment material. ‘Whilst I was engaged on the investigation, one of my colleagues called my attention to a report describing a very similar case in a hen’s egg: the pigmented covering was, however, much thicker and ) y 1958 25 . Vol. 73 iron was only present in traces (F. B. Hutt & J. B. Sumner 1952, Science 116: 35). “Tt is interesting to speculate upon the cause of the abnormality. Since protoporphyrin is normally present in most egg shells this might be regarded as an excessive deposition, possibly during long sojourn in the oviduct. However, as intestinal bacteria also convert blood or haemin into proto- (and deutero-) porphyrin, there seems a possibility that, during stasis in the oviduct, an extravasation of blood may have occurred and protoporphyrin have been formed from this by bacterial action (? infection). My finding of free iron rather supports this hypothesis.”’ Brisson’s Nomenclature in His Ornithologie, 1760. By Caprain C. H.B. Grant. This work has been discussed by Mathews in Nov. Zool. 17, p. 492, 1910; 18, p. 1, 1911, and Ibis, p. 212, .1912, wherein he gives the opinions of Hartert, Sclater and Ogilvie-Grant. I have recently re- examined Brisson’s work and find that in Vol. 1, pp. xiv, xv, he states that he recognises 26 Orders, 115 genera, and 1500 species or varieties. His orders in latin are on p. 24, and are numbered I to XXVI. His genera in latin are on the even numbered pages from 26 to 60, and are given latin names as well as being numbered, and in the rest of the six volumes the other names in latin are his species names headed by a French name and a latin diagnosis of the species. It should therefore be clear that Brisson’s genera are only those which | he gives on the even numbered pages from 26 to 60, and that although his species names may appear to be at first sight a combination of genus and species names, they are in fact all species names and all are latin translations of the French names. The only part of his work that can be said to be correct scientific nomenclature is his genera. The combina- tions he has given would read: Columba columba domestica, p. 68, Columba cenus sive vinago p. 86, Columba turtur p. 92, in Volume 1; Scolopax scolopax p. 292, Scolopax gallinago minor p. 804 in Volume 5, to give a few examples. His species names are not accepted and his genera should never have been accepted as no type species can be designated within the work. In the Bull. Zool. Nom. 9, p. 91 & 98, 1952, the genera given as of Brisson, i.e., Bubo, 1, p. 477, Coturnix 1, p. 243, Heretta 5, p. 481, Oriolus 2, p. 320, and Gallinago 5, p. 298, are species names, and Brisson’s combination of these would be: — Asio bubo, Perdix coturnix, _ Ardea egretta, Turdus oriolus and Scolopax gallinago. Oo cen Vol. 73 1S FEB 1953 26 1953 Comment on the Geographical Variation of the Monal, Lophophorus impeyanus Latham. By Monsieur J. DELAcoUR. In this Bulletin, Vol. 72, 1952, p. 72, Col. R. Meinertzhagen has proposed that two races of this Pheasant should be recognized, based on the difference in tone of the females. He states that birds from the Eastern Himalayas are more rufous and more richly coloured above and below, while females from the Western part of these mountains, west of Simla, are grayer. I have re-examined recently the material in the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Although obviously inadequate, it does not completely confirm Col. Meinertzhagen’s conclusion and recognition of a Western subspecies, L.1. chambanus. The fairly fresh female specimens in New York are as follows: 1—203.667—Sandakphu, Eastern Himalaya, collected by W. Beebe, 8.IV.1910. Dark grayish below, with narrow white shaft-lines. 2—203.666—Same locality and collector, 9.1V.1910. Much lighter and redder, with fairly broad white shaft-lines below. 3—543.065—(Rothschild Collection), Chambi Valley, Tibet (near Sikkeni), no date. Very large black markings above; dark and grayish, with broad white shaft-lines below. 4—203.665—Simla, Collected by W. Beebe, 18.V.1910. Dark, but reddish, with broad white shaft-lines below. 5—543.070—(Rothschild Collection), Garwhal, N.W. India, no date. Very dark and grayish, with narrow shaft-lines below. Very black above, like 3. 6—448.756—Nagar, Kulu, Punjab, collected by W. Koelz, 27.X.1981. Medium reddish, dark, with fairly large white shaft- lines below. I have also examined seven females collected by Dr. Koelz in various parts of the Western Himalaya. All are grayish below; five are also grayish above, but two have the upper parts rufous. It appears in this small series that differences are individual, if rather considerable, and not obviously dependent upon geographical — distribution. This is why I have not recognized any subspecies of Lophophorus impeyanus in my ‘‘Pheasants of the World.”’ Pa oan — a Notices. - STOCK OF THE “ BULLETIN.” It is proposed to reduce the stock of the ‘ Bulletin,” but before this is done members are given an opportunity to acquire parts at 2/6 each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. BACK NUMBERS OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who have back numbers of the “ Bulletin’ which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1953. January 22nd; February 18th; March (in conjunction with the B.0.U.) ; April 14th ; May 19th ; June 16th ; October 20th ; November 17th ; December 15th. Members should note that from April onwards — the meetings will be on a Tuesday. SEPARATES. Contributors who desire six free copies of their notes should state so on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by — the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed — or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. — The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, i.e., — genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further — mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus and no further mention of the author. If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Meeting, a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. : | , Communications are not restricted to members of the British Ornithologists’.Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, Bowerwood House, St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14, Elm Place, London, 8.W.7. 16 tAK 1809 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON. Volume 73. a March, - No. 3. | | 1953. 2Is. Od. 2s. 6d. Annually Per Copy Printed and published by H. F. & G. WITHERBY LTD., 5, Warwick Court, High Holborn, London, W.C.1 for THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. 1953 | 27 ’ Vol. 73 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Volume 73. No. 3. The five-hundred and twentieth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, 8.W.7, on Wednesday, 18th February, 1953, following a dinner at 6.30 P.M. Chairman : Str Puttre MAnson-BAHBR. Members present, 33; Guests, 10 ; Guest of the Club, Mr. Eric Simms ; Total, 44. The following is a summary of a talk, illustrated by sound recordings on Some aspects of Bird Vocabulary in relation to Field Recordings. By Mr. Eric Simms. In ornithology today much attention is being paid to the behaviour of individual birds and intensive studies are being made both of particular Species and particular individuals. From many directions comes the invasion of the bird’s world and not the least is that achieved by the use of microphone and recording gear. There has been in recent years a number of technical advances in recording which have enabled improved recordings of birds to be made in the field. By using magnetic tape recorders it has become possible to record the quiet, subdued sounds of nature which before had often been masked by the surface noise of the discs used. The Little Ringed Plover produces several calls which are so subdued that they are audible for a very short distance but these have been recorded on magnetic tape. The great sensitivity of a microphone and the fact that it can be placed within inches of a bird have great advantages over the observer in a hide who may find it difficult to hear clearly the call produced by the bird. Published 11th March, 1953. PRICE 2/6. Vol. 73 28 1953 Tape recording also increases the duration of uninterrupted recording to half an hour or more. If a supply of mains electricity is available there is no limit to the time. These and other factors have meant that the bird has far less chance of going unrecorded and intensive recording of the low conversational calls of birds, especially at the nest, has become possible. Last year I made a detailed study of the Stone-Curlew—a bird which like many others of similar species uses a great variety of calls. My engineer, Mr. Bob Wade, and myself obtained nearly 200 minutes of — usable recordings of the same pair and its family, including all the conversational calls. These included the recognition call at the nest, the nest-relief ceremony, the alarm, and the calls associated with the complete hatch. There is an interesting comparison between the recognition call of the Stone-Curlew and that of the Little Ringed Plover. The recordings which we obtained illustrated the great psychological change which takes place in the adult bird at the time of the hatching of the eggs. This was shown by more agitated though still subdued calling and an interesting mellowing and drop in pitch of the adult’s voice as soon as the first chick was hatched. Other interesting recordings obtained were those of the conversation between the hen and the chick inside the unbroken shell, the hatch of the chicks and the disposal of the broken shells. In 1951 I was able to capture some of the conversational calls of the — Little Ringed Plover using a similar technique to that used for the Stone-Curlew. For these recordings the microphone was placed some 18 inches from the nest and as a result the song of recognition by the hen, which resembles in some respects the laughing call of the Green Wood- pecker, and the change-over at the nest were obtained. Of course, conversational calls occur among all species and one of the more interesting is that associated with the adult Dartford Warbler when feeding fledglings. It has been my intention to indicate the exploratory nature of my recording work rather than to make pronouncements on the nature and comprehensive significance of conversational calls in birds. There are enormous possibilities in this kind of research and with newer techniques it should be possible to increase our knowledge of this important aspect of avian vocabulary. Nevertheless, Gilbert White’s comment of 1770 is equally true today when he wrote, “‘ Though there is endless room for observation in the field of nature, which is boundless, yet investigation (where a man endeavours to be sure of his facts) can make but slow progress and all that one could collect in many years would go into a very narrow compass.”’ Taxonomic Notes on the Himalayan Alpine Accentors. By DEREK GOODWIN. When re-arranging the Himalayan forms of the Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris (Scopoli) in the National Collection I found that there — were doubts as to the identity of some of the races, especially Accentor nipalensis Blyth. In trying to resolve these doubts it was necessary to determine as far as possible the pattern of seasonal and geographical — 1953 ) 29 | Vol. 73 variation. The following series of specimens was examined: 16 from Turkestan (the majority being from Tian Shan area), 16 from Kashmir, 18 from the Punjab, 43 from Nepal and Sikkim, 20 from Tibet, 6 from Bhutan, 16 from western China, and a few odd specimens from elsewhere. In common with most Prunella species the Alpine Accentor shows an appreciable change in colour throughout the year. This seems to be due firstly to a fairly rapid fading in those parts of the feathers containing ‘least melanin, and secondly to the shedding of the feather margins by physical wear and tear. Seasonal variation is illustrated fairly well by a series from south-east Tibet and eastern Bhutan. In birds in new plumage the mantle feathers have broad black shaft-streaks and deep reddish-brown margins. These margins fade to greyish or fulvous brown and later wear off altogether leaving the bird very dark in appearance, even although by that time the black areas have also faded ; /sometimes indeed the black becomes quite grey. The importance of ‘these changes in the determination of geographical variations is illustrated by two rather pale specimens from south-east Lhasa and the Lipu Leh pass. The latter is moulting and to judge from the much darker new feathers is not separable from the dark form which appears to be typical of this region. The bird from south-east of Lhasa, which was incubating, is pale enough to be related to the pale form of the Tian Shan region of Turkestan, but by inference it can be regarded as a worn and faded example of the local dark form. Another point in plumage colour is the presence or absence of white streaks on the chestnut flanks which Stuart Baker (1924) uses in his key to the Himalayan races of the species. These white streaks are caused by white margins to the feathers, which, although in some forms are not present on all the | chestnut feathers, are never entirely lacking, except sometimes in very worn plumage, although in specimens from the Punjab and Kashmir the | white margins are rather narrower and of a less pure white than in those from further east. When allowances are made for seasonal changes geographical variation in the Himalayan regions seems to be according to the following pattern. Birds from the Tian Shan region of Turkestan are relatively pale, the feathers of the upper parts being greyish buff with dull sepia rather than pure black shaft-streaks. These are probably the race rufiliatus Severtzov, described from “Turkestan”, though I am not absolutely certain of the identity of this form. The characteristics of the Tian Shan birds are found in a few of the Kashmir specimens, chiefly from Gilgit, but the majority of the birds from Kashmir and those from the Punjab hills and western Tibet are appreciably darker above and below, but not quite so dark as specimens from eastern Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, south- | east Tibet, Burma and Yunnan. In this latter group certain differences _in the shades of colour of the specimens I have examined appear to come within the range of seasonal variation referred to above and, in my opinion, they can be regarded as a single geographical unit. The name applicable to this group is related to the identity of Blyth’s Accentor _nipalensis (1843). Blyth described this form with reference to its specific characters and his description therefore fits both the darker and paler Vol. 73 30 1953 birds. It is not easy to fix its identity by means of locality or the specimens on which the name was based. The type locality is given as “the Cachar district of Nepal’’. This gives no exact clue to locality nor does it imply that the bird came from the present Cachar district in Assam. Hodgson (1834) used the term Cachar, or Kachar, for the high mountainous regions of Nepal, in contradistinction to lower elevations. As regards the specimens, what appears to have happened was that Hodgson had two specimens to which he gave MS. descriptions under the names of two species nipalensis and cacharensis. Blyth published the description of nipalensis in 1843 but regarded the cacharensis specimen — as merely a worn state of plumage of nipalensis. However, Hodgson re-published a description of both in 1845 and thus brought cacharensis into literature. I think Blyth was right and that the difference between the two specimens can be regarded as due to a degree of wear and fading, although the age and present condition of the skins make it impossible to decide this with absolute certainty. Blyth’s nipalensis is therefore the name for the dark eastern form, extending so far as can be seen from the specimens available from at least eastern Nepal to western Yunnan. Hartert (1910) considered birds from Gyi-dzu-Shan in western Yunnan, to be darker and less reddish and gave them the name ripponi. These differences are not evident in other Gyi-dzu-Shan specimens I have seen and, in any case, they appear to come within the range of seasonal — variation. Stuart Baker kept up the name ripponi for the birds of eastern Tibet and Yunnan, and regarded nipalensis as extending from Sikkim west to Kashmir. That he considered the paler birds, such as are found in the Punjab hills, as true nipalensis is evident from the fact that he described (1915) a new race, whymperi, from Garhwal as being ~ distinguishable from nipalensis by its darker and redder colour and smaller size. Later he doubted the validity of this race and did not include it in his “Fauna”. In my opinion, as mentioned above, there is a group intermediate in colour and distribution between the pale rufiliatus and the dark nipalensis. It can be designated by the name whympert. A word about size. There seems to be little significant variation in size as far as can be determined from the small sample, which includes many unsexed specimens. The maximum variation of the mean of wing length is about 6%. There is some indication that birds from the Kashmir-Punjab area are smaller, and several other similar tendencies are suggested, but not clearly indicated. In summary therefore, the Himalayan races of the Alpine Accentor which are recognisable appear to be as follows :— P. c. rufiliatus Severtzov. Palest. Turkestan and north-west Kashmir. P.c. whympert Stuart Baker. Darker than rufiliatus but not so dark as nipalensis. South Kashmir, Punjab hills to western Nepal. P. c. nipalensis Blyth. Synonyms: Accentor cacharensis Hodgson ; P.c. ruyppont Hartert. Darkest. Eastern Nepal to western Yunnan. I am indebted to Mr. J. D. Macdonald for guidance and useful criticism throughout the preparation of this paper. 1953 | 31 | Vol. 73 REFERENCES. BakeER, 8. (1915) Description of new subspecies of Laiscopus from Gahrwal, Bull. B.O.C. xxxv, pp. 60-61. BaxeEr, S. (1924) The Fauna of British India (Birds), vol. II, pp. 188-191. Biytu, E. (1843) ‘‘ Mr. Blyth’s report for the December meeting 1842’. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. vol. xii (2), pp. 958-9. Hartert, E. (1910) Die Vogel der Pal. Faun. vol. I, pp. 765—766. Hopason, B. H. (1834) Abstract of a paper on the mammalia of Nepal. P.Z.S., pt. II, p. 95. Hopeson, B. H. (1845) Abstract of a paper on Nepalese birds, P.Z.S., vol. xiii p. 34. On the Status and Type Locality of Laniarius hybridus Neumann, J. f. O., p. 403, 1899. By Capr. C. H. B. Grant and Mr. C. W. MackwortH-PRAED. On page 403 Neumann gives as localities Zambesi and eastern Transvaal, and bases his description on birds from these areas ; further on he records a specimen from Langenberg, south-western Tanganyika Territory, as agreeing with the Zambesi and eastern Transvaal specimens. This specimen from Langenberg is labelled as the type of Laniarius hybridus. On page 407 he records this new race as Laniarius aethiopicus hybridus and gives distribution as Transvaal and the Zambesi area. The name, description, and localities on page 404 have priority and, as the author gives Zambesi first, we should accept this as the type locality. | Reichenow, Vog. Afr. 2, p. 584, 1902-3, records only one locality— Shupanga, on the Zambesi River, and we therefore consider that | Shupanga, Zambesi River, east of the mouth of the Shire River, | Portuguese East Africa, should be accepted as the exact type locality for | Laniarius hybridus Neumann. The specimen from Langenberg, which - | is in the Berlin Museum, cannot be the type. On the Status of Heterhyphantes golandi Stephenson Clarke, Bull. B.O.C. 31, p. 32, 1913 : Mombasa. By Carr. C. H. B. Grant and Mr. C. W. Mackworrtnu-PraeEp. The type and only known specimen is a male and was taken by a native collector somewhere between Mombasa and a point 100 miles north of it. Although this coastal belt, and most of the islands along it, have been fairly well worked ornithologically since 1913, no other specimens have been taken. This is in itself suspicious and in these cases it is usually found that such a specimen is an aberrant of some quite common species. This would appear to be so with H. golandi. We have had this in mind and from time to time have compared this type with the species that occur along the seaboard of Kenya Colony. We now express the opinion that it is a partially melanistic phase of Ploceus intermedius intermedius Riuppell, for the following reasons :— | i Vol. 73 32 1953 In size, shape of bill, wing formula, tail and general structional characters it agrees with P. 7: intermedius. The bill is the same length, breadth and depth, the first primary is similar, the inner edge of the underside of the flight feathers agrees, the tail is the same length and shape, the upper tail-coverts are the same length, and the feet and toes are the same length and size. Measurements of this type are: Wing 74, culmen from base 19.5, tail 44, tarsus 22 mm. Measurements of sixteen males of P. 7. intermedius : Wing 70-76, culmen from base 17-20, tail 42-50, tarsus 21-23 mm. No date or colour of soft parts are recorded. In the skin the bill is blackish brown ; feet and toes horn colour. The bill has a rather more distinct ridge than is usual in P. 1. intermedius. The wings and tail in particular show considerable signs of wear. The black of the back of the neck and mantle has a greenish tinge ; the dark green rump and upper tail coverts have a few black edges and tips; the blackish tail has a green wash and greener edges to the feathers ; there is an occasional yellow feather in the black chest feathers and some black ends to the yellow feathers of the breast ; there are a few yellow feathers in the otherwise black legs; the lower belly and under tail coverts are mixed whitish and yellow; the under primary coverts are mixed black and yellow. All the above characters do not show that constancy of colour pattern that would be expected in a species. A new name for Euplectes (Diatropura) progne ansorgei Neumann. By Herr H. E. Wouters. With the inclusion of the genus Diatropura Oberholser in Huplectes Swainson (type, H. orix), as proposed by Delacour and Edmond-Blanc (1933. L’Oiseau et la Rev. Frang. d’Orn. : 521-562, 667-726), Diatropura progne ansorges Neumann (1908) is preoccupied by Pyromelana (=FHuplectes) ansorger Hartert (1899) and is left without a valid name ; therefore I propose to call it Euplectes progne delacourt nom. nov. for Diatropura progne ansorgei Neumann, Bull. Brit. Orn. Cl., 23:45 (1908), not Pyromelana ansorge Hartert, in Ansorge’s ‘ Under African Sun,’ p. 344 (1899), i.e. Huplectes gierowit ansorgei (Hartert). Euplectes gierowwti forms a perfect link between the Long-tailed Widow — Birds of the ardens and jacksoni groups (subgenera Niobella Boetticher and Wolters and Drepanoplectes Sharpe respectively) on the one hand, and the true Bishop Birds on the other, which in turn are connected with Coliuspasser, Urobrachya, and Diatropura by such species as Huplectes capensis. JI prefer therefore to include all these groups in the genus Euplectes ; those who are not ready to do so have to admit at least three — genera, viz. Coliuspasser (including Urobrachya and Diatropura), Niobella (perhaps including Drepanoplectes), and Huplectes. 1953 | 33 | Vol. 73 New name for a Bush-Robin of Formosa. By THE Marquis HACHISUKA. According to the modern classification Janthia, Tarsiger and Pogonocichla are all united to Hrithacus. Therefore, [anthia johnstoniae Ogilvie-Grant (Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, xvi, p. 118, 1906) from the island of Formosa is preoccupied by Pogonocichla johnstoni Shelley (Lbis, p. 18, 1893) from the highland of Nyasaland. Both specific names have been given neither to one person nor are their spellings exactly alike, the Bush-Robin of Africa was named after Sir Harry Johnston while that of Asia after Mrs. Johnstone. Unfortunately however, from the point of view of nomenclature the two must be considered the same. I propose therefore, Erithacus taiwan nom. nov. for the Bush-Robin of Formosa. On the Nest and Eggs of Anthreptes reichenowi yokanae. By Mr. J. G. WILLIAMs. The Coryndon Museum, Nairobi, has recently received from Mr. P. J. R. Saunders the nest and c/2 eggs of Anthreptes reichenowi yokanae Hartert. These were collected in thick secondary forest growth in the Sokoke Forest near Shanzu, ten miles north of Mombasa, Kenya Colony, on 3lst August, 1952. Identification is certain, the adult birds being seen at the nest. The nest, which was attached to an upright thorny branch of a bushy tree, Harrisonia abyssinica, was situated about three feet above the ground, overhung by leaves but not particularly inconspicuous. It is an oval structure without under-hanging attachments, measuring 44 by 24 inches, and with a topside entrance of 14 inches in diameter overhung by a well-defined porch. Externally it is constructed mainly of shredded grass blades intermixed with insect cocoons and fine shivers of bark, rather loosely woven together with spiders’ web. The lining is of fine shredded grass and white plant pappus. The eggs, which were quite fresh when collected, are rather pointed ovals without gloss. In both eggs the ground colour is white, evenly speckled and peppered red-brown with a few underlying mauve freckles, the markings forming a distinct band around the larger end. Measure- ments: 15.5 by 11.2 and 15.4 by 11 mm. In my earlier paper on this sunbird (Bull. B.O.C., vol. 71, No. 7) I suggested, on the evidence of collected specimens, that the species has two well-defined breeding seasons, April-May and October-December. The latter breeding season must now be amended to late August- December. Vol. 73 34 1953 The Races in South West Africa of the Orange River Francolin. By J. D. Macpona.p. I agree with Roberts (1936 : 33 that Smith’s description (1836 : 55) of Perdix levalliantoides fits the Orange River Francolin rather than the Redwing Francolin, F’. levaillanti. In the eastern limits of the range of this species it is usual to recognise three races, levalliantoides, gariepensis and ludwigi. I have not examined their individual claims to racial status, but they are all birds with a relatively great amount of reddish pigment in the plumage ; the upper- parts for example, are blotched with deep chestnut on a mainly buffish- chestnut and grey ground—the grey being relatively inconspicuous—the ground colour of the underparts is light chestnut, =< there is a great deal of chestnut in the wings. In the northern Kalahari Desert and on the west side of the continent the amount of chestnut colour in the plumage is greatly reduced. This reduction is found in varying amounts in different areas and gives rise to several recognisable races. Several specimens taken in the Windhoek and Rehoboth areas show the nearest match in colour to the eastern birds. The general colour of the upperparts is made up of about equal amounts of brownish-grey and buffish-chestnut, the ground colour of the underparts is buff, and the chestnut in the wings is lighter and rather — less extensive. Further north, in the Tsumeb area, there is a further stage in the reduction of chestnut colour, the upperparts beimg quite appreciably ereyer, though the underparts are much the same tone of buff. Specimens from the northern Kalahari Desert are altogether much lighter, the grey above and the buff below being much paler. All these variations, including the forms from the eastern side of the continent are characterised by having a narrow black-and-white gorget on the foreneck below the white throat. But in the Kaokoveld, roughly between the Huab and Cunene Rivers and in Angola this gorget is much wider. Of this group the Angola birds are greyer than those from the Kaokoveld, having very few blotches of chestnut on the upperparts, and the chestnut in the wings is reduced to a very small amount at the base of the feathers. Apart from the broader gorget the general colour appearance of the Kaokoveld birds, both above and below, is more like that of the northern Kalahari birds than those from Tsumeb. One Tsumeb specimen I have examined shows a tendency to have a rather broader gorget suggesting that there is probably a zone of intergradation between narrow and broad gorget forms. Briefly therefore, the general pattern of variation in this species seems to be most apparent in two features. There are graded changes in the extent to which a reddish type of pigment influences the general colour appearance of the plumage (either quantatively or qualitatively). The changes take the form of a reduction of red pigment across the continent — 1958 i 35 | Vol. 73 roughly from south-east to north-west. In the extreme north-west this reduction is accompanied by an increase in the width of the black-and- white gorget. I agree with Sclater (1924: 83, who listed the species under F. gariepennsis) that all these changes take place in what can be regarded as a single species. Roberts (1940: 72) considered that two species should be recognised, apparently regarding narrow and broad gorgets as specific characteristics. The nomenclature of the various races is rather involved. Much depends on the identity of Neumann’s pallidior. The type is in the American Museum of Natural History and it was very kindly compared for me by Dr. Chapin with examples of the Windhoek-Rehoboth, Tsumeb, and Kaokoveld forms which I sent him. He found that a Tsumeb_ - specimen (B.M. Reg. No. 1917: 4: 6:3) most resembled the type except that it was “ a little less mottled with rufous on the feathers of back and rump.’ In my opinion this difference is not of much significance for there is evidence of a good deal of individual variation in the amount of mottling and barring on the upperparts throughout the range of the species. It seems fairly certain therefore that the Tsumeb birds can be identified as pallidior. It is not known with certainty where the type of pallidior was obtained. The type locality is usually quoted as “ south of the Cunene River,” but the area immediately south of the Cunene (in the vicinity of the Ruacana Falls, the usual part of the river reached by expeditions) contains the type locality of Roberts’ broad gorgetted cunenensis. The type of pallidior was obtained by young Eriksson, who accompanied Andersson on his last expedition. The itinerary of this expedition can be determined fairly accurately from Wallis’ biography of Andersson (° Fortune my Foe,’ 1936), but Dr. Chapin tells me that the label on the type does not give any precise locality nor date and that the information “south of the Cunene ” is in Neumann’s handwriting. It seems therefore that this statement could be interpreted as meaning ~ almost anywhere covered by the expedition, which began at Otjimbingwe on the Swakop River. Eriksson and Andersson visited the Tsumeb area and it seems reasonable to me to restrict the type locality to that place. The distinctiveness of the Tsumeb specimens, which are now identified as pallidior, has already been mentioned in literature, by Mr. Mackworth- Praed (Ibis, 1922: 123) and others, although the Windhoek-Rehoboth specimens have hitherto been regarded as more typically pallidior. I think they require a new name and Captain Grant, who has also examined | them, is of the same opinion. The broad-gorgetted Cunene race was described by Roberts (Ann. Trans. Mus. 1932 :22) on two specimens obtained in 1923 near the | Cunene by the South Africa Museum Expedition. Dr. Barnard, who was on the expedition, has very kindly sent me the specimens for examination. He told me that the party was at Otjimbombe, near the | Nanquali Rapids on the Cunene, on the date on which the specimens _were taken. I found that they were matched very closely by topo- typical specimens of Hoesch and Niethammer’s stresemanni described ’ eld © os er ne in a ' ae aa 16 MAK 195 4 Vol. 73 36 1953 from the upper Huab River. In this description no mention is made of cunenensis, possibly because Roberts described it under the species jugularis and not gariepensis (both of which are now in my opinion included in the single species levalliantoides). The following is therefore a summary of the races and nomenclature of the Orange River Francolins in South West Africa :— Francolinus levalliantoides wattii new race. Characteristics.—Reddest of the western races, but much less deeply coloured than the eastern races. General colour of upperparts a mixture of brownish-grey and buffish-chestnut with a few light chestnut and blackish blotches. Ground colour of underparts buff. Light chestnut colour occupies about half the area of the flight feathers and is mainly limited to the base or outer webs. Narrow black-and-white gorget. Distribution.— Vicinity of Windhoek and Rehoboth. Tyye.—An adult male from Windhoek, South West Africa. Collected by C. G. Finch-Davies on 10th June, 1917. B.M. Reg. No. 1917: 9:17 :2. — Wing 178, tail 82, bill 34. Colour of bill, culmen and tip of lower mandible dark brown, remainder yellow ; iris hazel ; legs yellow-ochre. Remarks.—Represented by four specimens, in addition to the type, in the B.M. collection. Named after Dr. J.S8. Watt, Director of Agriculture, South West Africa, who gave a lot of assistance to the British Museum expedition. F. 1. pallidior Neumann. Francolinus jugularis pallidior Neumann, Bull. B.O.C. 21, 1908, p. 45 : Tsumeb (restricted type locality). Characteristics.—General colour of upperparts darker and greyer than in watti, but ground colour of underparts much the same tone of buff. Narrow gorget. Distribution.—Tsumeb area. F. 1. cunenensis (Roberts). Scleroptila jugularis cunenensis Roberts, Ann. Trans. Mus. 15, 1932, p- 22: Otjimbombe, Cunene River. Francolinus garvepensis stresemannt Hoesch & Niethammer, Journ. Orn. 88, Suppl. 1940, p. 89: Kakatswa, near Kamanjab. Characteristics.—General colour of upperparts rather paler grey than in pallidior and ground colour of underparts lighter buff. Black-and-white gorget much broader. Disiribution.—Kaokoveld, from upper Huab River to Cunene River. REFERENCES. MacKWorTH-PRAED, C. W. A short systematic review of the African Francolins. Ibis, 1922 (105-136). Rosperts, A. Preliminary descriptions of Sixty-six new forms of South African birds. Ann. Trans. Mus., 15, 1932 (21-34). RoseEeRts, A. Some unpublished field notes made by Dr. (Sir) Andrew Smith. Ann. Trans. Mus., 18, 1936 (271-323). ScuaTER, W. L. Systema Avium Aethiopicarum 1. 1924. SmitH, A. Report of the expedition for exploring Central Africa, Appendix (44-57), 1836. Notices. STOCK OF THE “ BULLETIN.” It is proposed to reduce the stock of the ‘“ Bulletin,” but before this ¥ is done members are given an opportunity to acquire parts at 2/6 each. @ Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. ¥ BACK NUMBERS OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who have back numbers of the “ Bulletin” which they no | longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, @ Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. . DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1953. January 22nd; February 18th; March (in conjunction with the B.O.U.) ; April 14th ; May 19th ; June 16th ; October 20th ; November 17th ; December 15th. Members should note that from April onwards the meetings will be on a Tuesday. SEPARATES. Contributors who desire six free copies of their notes should state so on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, i.e., genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus and no further mention of the author. : If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Meeting, a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. | Communications are not restricted to members of the British Ornithologists’ Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, Bowerwood House, St. Botola Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14, Elm Place, London, S.W. : BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON. Volume 73. No. 4. 2\s. Od. Annually ) ee Printed and published by a eee Ce ee CLUB. April, 1953. 2s. 6d. Per Copy aes | H. F. & G. WITHERBY LTD., 5, Warwick Court, High Holborn, London. W.C.1 THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. 1953 37 Vol. 73 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Volume 73. No. 4. The five-hundred and twentieth meeting of the Club was held at the Zoological Society, on Wednesday, 18th March, 1953, following a dinner at 6.30 p.m. The meeting was held jointly with the B.O.U. Chairman : Str ARTHUR LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON. Members present, B.O.U. 33; B.O.C. 43; Guests 36; Total 112. v James N Rar ras On the Significance of Variations of Pattern in Birds. by At a Meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club on December 19th, 1945, I exhibited some varieties of the Teal (Anas crecca crecca Linneus), amongst which was one with a very curious facial pattern’. Fuller. reference was made to this specimen in my communication to the Club on January 19th, 1949, on reversionary trends in birds?. To the March Meeting of that year, Major W. H. Payn?, or* exhibited a hybrid between a Shoveler (Spatula clypeata (Linnezus) ) and a Teal (A. c. crecca), a captivity cross, which also presented a facial pattern of particular interest. It is with the peculiar and very similar facial patterns in these two birds that I now wish to deal, and I am grateful to Major Payn for permitting me to comment upon his specimen in this communication. When I originally described the Teal referred to above (loc. cit.) I tentatively suggested that the vertical division of the cheek into two areas was reminiscent of the Baikal Teal (Anas formosa Georgi). That Major Payn’s hybrid specimen also showed the Baikal Teal facial pattern was of great interest to me, while at the Meeting he called attention to the similarity of his hybrid to that of the hybrid Teal (A. c. crecca) and Pintail (Anas acuta acuta Linneus) depicted in Meinertzhagen’s Nicoll’s Birds of Egypt’. Published 31st March, 1953. PricE 2/6. oO) Vol. 73 38 1953 Let us now examine other species groups as to whether any other instances of a similar nature can be discovered. To the Xth International Ornithological Congress at Uppsala in 1950° I submitted certain evidence of this phenomenon, which may perhaps best be described as reverse mutation, in the genera Garrulus, Pica and Dendrocopos, in support of the hypothesis that such variations in pattern, are to be explained on genetic grounds and have great biological significance. REVERSE MUTATION i Met 9 se ee 2 FoRMOsR: » GEORGL ee oe a CRECCA LINN AEYS$ and ANAS AcuT: 4 IMNAE US,» In the case of the first named genus, it was noticed that some juvenile individuals of both the nominate race and Garrulus glandarius rufitergum — (Hartert) exhibited a ‘ ghost’ pattern of the black cap of the N. African — form G. g. cervicalis Bonaparte. | The evidence in so far as the genus Dendrocopos is concerned was evinced by juveniles of D. major anglicus (Hartert), which in some — individuals exhibited characters approaching those of D. leucopterus — Salvadori) and in others an almost exact replica of the facial pattern of D. syriacus (Hemprich and Ehrenberg). What significance, one may rightly ask, have these individual variations, and how is it these similarities occur, sometimes as a result a | 1953 39 | Vol. 73 of hybridisation, but in other instances for no very obvious reason? In other words, why can a spontaneous intraspecific mutation arise and bear a close resemblance to a far distant species or race, or an interspecific cross give rise, as in the cases of the Shoveler X Teal and Shoveler X Pintail hybrids, to progeny resembling a distinct and different species— in this case Anas formosa ? There can surely be only one explanation for such a fundamental phenomenon, viz that of a recombination of genes resulting in a reverse mutation with the reproduction of characters, sometimes only at sub- specific level, but in other cases at the level of the Family, and so tending to a mutation resembling a different species. For the above phenomenon I would suggest—where this is brought about by hybridisation—the term heterophoric reverse mutation, and where it occurs without the effect of that process, autophoric reverse mutation. The fact that in the cases of the two duck hybrids referred to above, much the same mutation found expression in the facial pattern and since, moreover, a somewhat similar mutation occurs spontaneously as an intraspecific mutation in A. ¢. crecca, it would seem possible that A. formosa represents a form of great antiquity in the evolution of the Anatide. J. L. Bonhote’ (1907), in discussing the results of his experimental researches into hybridisation in certain species of the Anatide states that hybrids may show either : Br) Resemblances to one or other of their parents. (2) New variations (a) resembling species other than their parents or (b) resembling no known species. (3) White colouration.” In connection with 2(a) he writes: ‘‘ As instances of the resemblances to species, other than those contained in their parentage, that have appeared in the course of these experiments, we may note a resemblance, especially on the underparts and in size, shown by a young female Pintail trigen |Pintail X Mallard X Spotbill] to a hen Gadwall ;’’ Bonhote (loc. cit.) postulates the existence of “‘ Poecilomeres,”’ or lines and areas where pigmentation is regularly developed, a subject also fully discussed by Hingston® (1933). Beyond stating that these regions are well known and are the areas where specific and subspecific characters in both birds and mammals find expression, and that they have developed in the course of evolution, and function variously as recognition marks, as accessories in cryptic colouration and in threat and courtship displays, etc., there is no need to discuss them further in connection with the purpose of this paper. It is reasonable to enquire why, in individuals whose parentage is known. such as the two duck hybrids with which this communication is mainly concerned, and the “ trigen ”’ of Mr. Bonhote’s researches, the morphological characters of another and totally different species should be expressed ? Vol. 73 40 1953 To account for this, one must, I think, postulate that in the course of evolution the genes of the original genotype of the Family have been dispersed and are carried in the species and its races throughout the global range of the Family, and that in consequence they can by recombination, with or without hybridisation, reproduce to some extent the characters of any species or any race within the Family. Only on some such hypothesis can one reasonably explain the occurrence of mutations which so closely simulate a distant species or subspecies. REFERENCES. [1] Harrison, J. M., 1945. Bull. B.O.C., 66; 24. [2] Harrison, J. M., 1949, zbed., 69; 37-44. [3] Payn, W. H., 1949, zbid., 69; 49, 50. [4] Payn, W. H., 1943, Ibis, 85; 219-220. [5] MEINERTZHAGEN, R., 1930, Nicoll’s Birds of Egypt, II., Pl. XX, 469. [6] Harrison, J. M., 1950, Proc. X. Intern. Orn. Congr., Uppsala, 167-172. [7] Bonnorte, J. L., 1909, Proc. IV. Intern. Orn. Congr., London, 235-264. [8] Hrneston, R. W. G., 1933, The Meaning of Animal Colour and Adornment. An old record of the Blue-winged Teal Anas discors L. in Hertfordshire. By Mr. Bryan L. SaGe. In view of the rarity of this species in the British Isles I consider it | advisable to place on record the results of my investigations into an old — record of the species in Hertfordshire. The specimen in question was shot at Woodhall Park near Hertford, on 26th January, 1938, by Capt. R. Dalrymple. It later passed into the collection at the Letchworth Museum, Herts, where it is now on show. — The Museum Accession Number of this exhibit is 7706. This specimen scems to have escaped notice in the literature until 1943 when the late W. P. Westell gave brief details of it in an article on ‘“‘ Rare Herts Birds in the Letchworth Museum ” (Journal of the Letchworth & Dist. Nat. Hist. & Antiq. Soc. No. 3 (1943) p. 25). It was not mentioned in the “ List of Hertfordshire Vertebrates ” (Trans. Herts. Nat. Hist. Soc. Vol. XXII, pp. 165-257) published in 1947. Immediately this record was brought to my notice I instituted rather — belated enquiries in order to ascertain as far as possible whether or not there was any possibility of the bird having been an escape. The Superintendent of the Whipsnade Zoo informs me that no birds of this — species have ever been kept there. In addition His Grace the Duke of Bedford in a recent letter tells me that it is highly improbable that the bird came from Woburn Park, as all Blue-winged Teal that have been kept there have been pinioned and never reared any young. Considering the facts as they are at present I see no reason why this record should not be accepted. I therefore place this on record as the first occurrence of the Blue-winged Teal in Hertfordshire. 1953 eee | Vol. 73 On some West Irish Birds and a suggestion for the use of the Cline. By Cou. R. MEINERTZHAGEN. It is well known that among many Passerines whose distribution extends from the Urals to the British Islands, there is a tendency towards a darker and richer colour in the extreme western limit of their range—Western Ireland and the Outer Hebrides. The following notes refer only to those species whose range extends throughout the year to Western Ireland and which illustrate the colour- cline. Where distribution is continuous, gene-flow prevents hard and fast boundaries between geographical races. Even the Minch, North Sea, English and Irish Channels do not prevent continuous distribution for in many cases the races in East Anglia and the Low Countries, in West England and East Ireland, in West Scotland and the Outer Hebrides, are similar. There is therefore a continuous cline from the Urals to West Ireland. I have always maintained that intermediate races from intermediate areas should not bear scientific names. In the following notes I have endeavoured to apply the cline to nomenclature. It is not entirely satisfactory but more so than a host of subspecific names for intermediate races. If the use of the cline for British birds alone had been adopted, some thirty synonyms now over-burdening synonymy would have been eliminated. Garrulus glandarius hibernicus Witherby & Hartert. Differs from G. g. glandarius L. in completely lacking the grey on lower back and in having a darker, richer cinnamon above and below. G. g. rufitergum is a strict intermediate between the above two races and is best described as G. g. glandarius cl. hibernicus. G.g. caledoniensis Hazlewood can be . matched exactly by specimens from Tring, the type locality of rufitergum. Sturnus v. vulgaris. L. Probably a recent arrival in Ireland and fairly local on the extreme west coast. Of fifteen resident birds examined, there is not a trace of purple in the head. Swedish (Uppsala) birds show great variation. Of 49 examined, 48 have green mantles, one a -purplish-green mantle. They all have a slight purplish wash on the head -and a few have purplish ear-coverts. In such a case I should be inclined to refer to Swedish birds as Sturnus vulgaris menzbieri cl. vulgaris. Carduelis linaria britannica Schmiedeknecht (Wirbelt. Eur. p. 128, 1906) without exact type locality. The original description reads “ British Islands; in winter in South England, Belgium and France ; near rufescens (cabaret) but darker, browner and more uniform ; breast and vent strongly streaked.”’ The type locality of cabaret is accepted as France. The type locality of britannica should be South England being the first definite locality mentioned. | I have examined three from Blois (Western France) and a long series from Scotland, South England and West Ireland. Irish birds, from the | | Vol. 73 42 1953 end of the cline, are distinctly darker, richer and more heavily marked above and below than continental (French, German and_ Italian) specimens. Most English and Scottish examples resemble French birds but a few from the south of England resemble Irish birds. I therefore propose to accept the name britannica for Irish birds as they differ from French cabaret in precisely the manner indicated by Schmiedeknecht. Carduelis flavirosiris L. Four specimens from West Ireland taken in Co. Kerry in October may or may not be migrants. They more closely resemble C. f. flavirostris than bensonorum. Pipilans is a synonym of C. f. flavirostris, and is not so dark above or so heavily streaked as bensonorum. Carduelis cannabina L. Irish linnets more closely resemble C. c. autochtona Clancey but are variable and it is extremely doubtful if that latter race can be accepted. Fringilla coelebs L. A long series of West Ireland chaffinches, including six adult male residents from Glengariff, the type locality of van Marle’s hibernicus, does not confirm the differences claimed for Irish birds which cannot be separated from genglert. There is great variation in individuals, not so much in the tint of pink or cinnamon on the breast, as in the intensity of colour. I suggest that the north European chaffinches be referred to as F. c. coelebs for Scandinavian birds and fF. c. gengleri for British birds, with F’. c. coelebs cl. genglert for German and Low Country birds. Emberiza calandra. The Common Bunting exemplifies a perfect colour cline from East to West and a further examination of Outer Hebrides and Irish birds confirms the race clanceyi Memertzhagen. I therefore suggest HL. c. buturlini for the eastern race, HL. c. clanceyi for the West Ireland and Outer Hebridean race and L#. c. buturlini cl. clanceyt for all intermediates from intermediate areas. Emberiza citrinella L. A series of eleven birds from south-west Ireland are slightly richer and darker on the upper parts when compared with specimens from the south of England (nebulosa Gengler), whilst under- neath they are more heavily streaked, often with more chestnut streaks ; in this they more closely resemble some west Scottish specimens ; but these characters are neither constant nor of sufficient divergence to justify separation. These differences are what we should expect at the end of the cline. I propose the name F. c. erythrogenys Brehm for western Asiatic and Russian birds and H. c. nebulosa Gengler for specimens from the British Islands, using HL. c. erythrogenys cl. EH. c. nebulosa for all intermediates from intermediate areas. | EHmberiza schoeniclus L. Birds from West Scotland and West Ireland are no doubt more richly coloured than Scandinavian birds and the name © a oo eles EES ne ee EH. s. mackenziei Bird must be accepted. In the case of the Reed Bunting — it is not possible to use the cline as not only colour but size and coarseness of bill are involved in birds ranging from Siberia to Ireland. Alauda arvensis L. This is a typical example of a case where the cline can be used to smother a whole host of intermediate races. The a z 1953 43 ¢ Vol. 73 | skylark is palest in Central Asia, whence it radiates out to a dark race in West Ireland and a dark race in Kastern Asia. I suggest using A. a. cantarella Bonaparte, the oldest name for the pale race, A. a. theresae Meinertzhagen for the West Ireland race and A. a. blakistona Stejneger for the Far Kast race. A. a. cantarella cl. theresae would be used for intermediates from intermediate areas in Kurope, and A. a. cantarella cl. blakistoni for Siberian birds. Anthus pratensis L. I have examined 22 specimens of the Meadow Pipit in fresh autumn plumage from West Ireland. These show a richer plumage than Scandinavian birds in similar plumage. Clancey described A. p. whistlert from Sutherland. I have examined 18 specimens from North Scotland ; most of these cannot be separated from Scandinavian specimens though a few are intermediate between Scandinavian and West Irish birds. I propose, ANTHUS PRATENSIS THERES subsp. nov. Description.—G and 2 autumn. Upper parts richer, a redder brown, with less mustard, than Scandinavian birds; underparts less white, more pinkish buff. Distribution.—Extreme West Ireland. Type.—ad. 2 Achill Island, West Ireland. 12th Jan., 1947. Wing 82mm. In my collection. I suggest that A. p. intermedius Dresser be used for the pale eastern race and that all intermediates from intermediate areas be referred to as A. p. intermedius cl. A. p. theresae. Anthus spinoletta L. In fresh autumn plumage I am unable to separate Faroe, Scottish, English, Irish or Ushant birds either on size or colour. The oldest name is A. s. petrosus Montagu and the type locality has been restricted to South Wales. . Wings Culmen 71 ¢ Faroe, Shetland, Fair Isle. 83.8895 16-19.20 34 2 do. 83-91 15.16-19 39 3 Wales, South England. 78.85-90 13-17 i 2 do. 78.82—85 16-19.20 5 ¢ Ushant. 90-93 12-16 62 do. 82-86. 12-15 Certhia familiaris meinertzhagent Clancey. This West Irish race at the end of the cline deserves recognition owing to its richer colour above, and flanks more distinctly washed buff than in British specimens. I suggest C. f. familiaris as the race from which Palaearctic races radiate, and that the extremes japonica and mevinerizhageni are the terminals of the cline. German and British birds could be referred to as C. f. familiaris cl. meinertzhagent ; and more eastern birds as C. /f. familiaris cl. japonica. Parus ater L. The Irish race hibernicus Ogilvie Grant is by no means constant. Many Irish birds cannot be distinguished from British birds Vol. 73 44 1953 and many West British birds tend to have the characters of the Irish bird. But Irish birds are the extreme of the cline. I therefore suggest that English and Scottish birds be referred to as Parus a. ater cl. hibernicus. Aegithalos caudatus L. West Irish birds (only five examined have a spotted gorget better defined than in most British specimens. The Long-tailed Tit is by no means common in West Ireland. On only three occasions in four months have I seen them. I suggest that central Kuropean birds be referred to as A. c. caudatus cl. rosaceus. Turdus merula L. Females show a great variety of differences on the underparts. Two West Irish females stand out from a large series of Scandinavian and British Island females in having very dark underparts, with scarce a trace of russet on the breast or white on the throat and heavy black streaking on the latter ; but other West Irish females cannot be separated from Scandinavian birds. Turdus philomelos L. The Hebridean race stands out as the darkest. Many Scottish and Irish birds resemble some less heavily marked Hebridean birds and occasional specimens from southern England can be matched by Hebridean breeding birds. I suggest that all British and Irish birds be referred to as 7’. p. philomelos cl. hebridensis. Saxicola torquata L. WS. t. theresae Meinertzhagen from the Outer Hebrides is the darkest race in Europe. S. t. rubicola L. of France is the palest. Birds from S.E. England resemble French birds. West Scottish and Irish birds resemble theresae. Over most of England and Wales and perhaps East Scotland birds can be referred to as S. t. rubicola cl. theresae. Prunella modularis L. The West Irish Hedge Sparrow is a richer red, more foxy, on the mantle than the British race and is not so heavily marked above as in the Hebridean race. In the field they strike one at once as being a redder bird than the British race. But in the dried skin these differences are scarcely recognisable and it were better to treat hibernicus as a synonym of hebridiwm. I suggest that the British Hedge Sparrow be referred to as P. m. modularis cl. hebridium. Cinclus cinclus L. C.c. gularis (Lath.) is a strict intermediate in both characters and habitat between C. c. cinclus and C. c. hibernicus and. it is suggested that it be referred to as C. c. cinclus cl. hibernicus. On the type locality of Cursorius rufus Gould. By Capt. C. H. B. Grant anp Mr. C. W. MackwortTH-PRAED. Colonel O. E. Wynne has kindly drawn our attention to the fact that Peters, Bds. World, 2, p. 300, 1934, has already given the same type locality as we proposed in Bull. B.O.C. 73, p. 14, 1958. 1953 45 7 Vol. 73 BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Report and Accounts for the year ended 3lst December, 1952. REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE. _ FINANCE. The Accounts of the Club for the year 1952 are presented herewith. The Income and Expenditure Account shows a deficit for the year of £61 16s. 7d., which is then reduced by £37 Os. 4d. for Sales of Bulletins of previous years to £24 16s. 3d. This balance has been cleared by a transfer from the Bulletin Fund. The Income for the year has risen by £44 due to increases in Subscriptions of £18, Income Tax Covenants of £11, and Income from Investments of £15. On the other hand, expenditure is up by £178 mainly accounted for by the increased cost of the Bulletin. Printine Costs. In Volume 72 of the Bulletin, 106 pages were published, against 58 in the previous year; also a new cover was provided. Additional copies were printed in certain months and circulated to scientific institutions and museums in this country and overseas. This is reflected in the substantial increase in the cost of printing and distributing the Bulletin. It is, therefore, considered that the net deficit on the year of £24 16s. 3d. should be met by an appropriation from the Bulletin Fund, which was subscribed by members for the purpose of enlarging and improving the Bulletin. Investments. It was felt desirable to place the Club’s investments on a firmer basis, in order to ensure ultimate recovery of the depreciation in their value, consequent upon the change in monetary conditions. This has been done, without any loss of income to the Club, by realising the undated 34% War Stock and investing the proceeds in 24% Savings Bonds redeemable at par in 1964-67 ; while in addition the 3% Defence Bonds are being exchanged into the 33% issue which, at the end of 10 years, will give a profit on redemption of 3%, or £21. The loss on the sale of the 34°, War Stock, viz. £57 Os. 4d. was set against the Investment Reserve of £61 13s. 4d., reducing it to £4 13s. Od. The Reserve has now been raised to £15 by a transfer of £10 7s. Od. from the Accumulated Fund. GENERAL. Meetines. The Club held the usual nine meetings in 1952. The aggregate of attendances again showed an increase to 508, against 434 in the previous year, or an average of 56 per meeting compared with 48 in 1951, 42 in 1950, and 32 in 1949. These figures are strictly comparable 1,123 43 10 70 £1,251 BRITISH ORN INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUN EXPENDITURE. ‘ Bulletin ’? Vol. 72— Cost of publication, distribution, including Editor’s Expenses ... 346 5 7 Less : Sales 4713 7 298 12 0 Notices for Meetings, etc. .. 2 dp od ed Postages and Miscellaneous Expenditure 30 8 5 Hire of Lantern aes Hire of Sound Equipment, ete. Se 9°"9 -9 Contribution—“ Zoological Record ” (2 years) 10 10 O 376174 Balance, Excess of Income over Expenditure, carried down — £376 17 4 Excess of Expenditure over Income brought down GL 16. 7 Surplus for the year carried to Accumulated Fund ... — £61 16, 7 BALANCE SHE] i sito fi Bye ACCUMULATED FUND :— As at 3lst December, 1951 Ll, sh Less : Transfer to Reserve against Investments 1h). Same E112. 16? i. BULLETIN FUND :— As at 3lst December, 1951 pe An. alae Added this year “4 i EOE, sell a cle 97 14 6 Less: Transfer to Income and Expenditure Account 24 16 3 ee i2 18 2a SUBSCRIPTIONS for 1953, paid in advance 10 14 0 CREDITORS for cost of ‘“‘ Bulletin ”’ L337 tie £1,333 1S We have examined the above Balance Sheet and Income an d them to be in accordance therewith, and in our opinion correct. Finspury Circus House, BLOMFIELD STREET, Lonpon, E.C.2. 2nd March, 1953. | IGISTS’ CLUB _ YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER, 1952. 1951 INCOME. = £ oS Gd. fF Sen a Subscriptions :— 183 185 Members Ef: ae Me TOE yO) 10 12 Associates Bd Set a: mi 0 Income Tax recovered under 4] Covenants y : iv a oS O 234 2597/2) 10 Entrance Fees :— 9 16 Members wes sey, sal 16 0 O 6 3 Associates fs ais ee at) oO 19 0 O _ Interest on Bank Deposit ... % ae sd ae Losi 22 Investment Income ... ys = y Oe Leis 32 19 8 | 271 3157 0.9 | Balance Excess oF EXPENDITURE over Income, == carried down si eo ee 5g ed Gl Bois 7 £271 £376 17 4 72 Excess of Income over Expenditure brought down ... — 36 Sales of Bulletin for previous years, less Expenses of De = Transfer from Bulletin Fund seh =e oe 24 16 3 £108 £61 16 7 IECEMBER, 1952. £ 2 Suri. £ Ss. d. | INVESTMENTS, at Cost :— £700 3°%, Defence Bonds... seed 1200. OS 0 £250 24° Savings Bonds, 1964/67 210 12 0 £100 3% Savings Bonds, 1960/70 100 0 0O is 1,056 1,010 12 0 62 Less: Reserve ... ae Ee bk 0" "0 | 994 995 12 0 (Market Value of all securities at date £997) ProJgEcTOR, LANTERN AND SCREEN :— vi As at 3lst December, 1951 a: 5.0 8 1 Stock or ‘“‘ BULLETIN ” Nominal Value ... Aye I 0... 6 22 Desrors for Sales of Bulletin, etc. ae ae 18 15 Il 233 CasH at Bank ou ne ae Le fe SOL 6 | Puitie Manson-Baur, Chairman eee ae | 1.251 C. N. Wauter, Hon. Treasurer. £1333 19 5 a re Account with the books and records of the Club and certify | . W. B. KEEN & CO., Chartered Accountants, Honora A ydita Vol. 73 48 1953 as they do not include members of the B.O.U. and their guests, who totalled an additional 92, making 600 in all. This figure is within 5 of the record attendance of 605 in 1934-35. ° The Committee was glad to welcome the members of the B.O.U. to a second joint meeting in the autumn, and hope that they will be able to improve the arrangements this year. MEMBERSHIP. There was an increase in the membership of the Club during the year of 8 to 191. The Committee very much regret to record the deaths during 1952 of five members—Dr. G. Carmichael Low, Mr. W. E. Glegg, Mr. R. P. Donaldson, Mr. R. G. C. C. Sandeman and Mr. George Brown. The first three had all served the Club in various offices and they are greatly missed. Six members resigned, mainly for reasons of ill-health or change of domicile. We were glad to welcome 19 new members during the year. Back NUMBERS OF THE BULLETIN. Mr. R. A. H. Coombes very kindly agreed to take over the sales of back numbers of the Bulletin and we are indebted to the Trustees of the British Museum for permission to keep the stock at Tring Museum. THE BuuLueTIn. In March, 1952, free copies of the Bulletin with a covering letter from the Honorary Secretary were sent to over 300 museums, libraries and scientific institutions in this country and overseas. The immediate response in new subscriptions was modest, but sales of the back numbers of the Bulletin resulted directly from this approach and revenue from this source was maintained, contrary to expectations and to the falling trend since 1949. The number of outside subscriptions to the Bulletin has increased from 53 in 1950, to 55 in 1951 and to 65 in 1952. ZooLogicaAL REcorD. In accordance with the motion passed at the Annual General Meeting last year, the Committee renewed the sub- scription to the Zoological Record at five guineas per annum. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. The Committee wish to place on record their gratitude to Captain C. H. B. Grant for his five years’ editorship of the Bulletin and to welcome Dr. Jeffery Harrison in his place. Thanks are also due to Lt.-Cdr. C. P. Staples for operating the projector and the lantern at meetings in 1952 and to Messrs. W. B. Keen & Co. in their capacity of Honorary Auditors. gi Pe ht SBMILIP MANSON-BAHR, eee Chairman. ~S APR 1953 7th March, 1953. s E 4 Notices. STOCK OF THE “‘ BULLETIN.” It is proposed to reduce the stock of the “‘ Bulletin,” but before this is done members are given an opportunity to acquire parts at 2/6 each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological — Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. BACK NUMBERS OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who have back numbers of the ‘“ Bulletin’ which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1953. January 22nd; February 18th; March (in conjunction with the B.0.U.) ; April 14th ; May 19th ; June 16th ; October 20th ; November — 17th ; December 15th. Members should note that from April onwards the meetings will be on a Tuesday. 2 SEPARATES. Contributors who desire six free copies of their notes should state so — on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed — or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. — The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, i.e., genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus” and no further mention of the author. . If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Mpeeine a note will be inserted — mentioning the contribution. Communications are not restricted to members of the British Ornithologists’ Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them — to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, Bowerwood House, St. se Ss Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. d Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14, Elm Place, London, 8.W.7. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON. Volume 73. May, No. 5. 1953, “2is. Od. as. 6d. Annually Per Copy Printed and published by H. F. & G. WITHERBY LTD., 5, Warwick Court, High Holborn, London, W.C.1 for THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. 1953 mB oN 49 i Vol. 73 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Volume 73. No. 5. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. Chairman: Sir Puinre Manson-Banr. The Sixty-first Annual General Meeting of the Club was held at 5.45 p.m. on Tuesday, 14th April, 1953, at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, London, S.W.7. The Minutes of the last Annual General Meeting held on 16th April, 1952, were read and passed. The Report and Accounts for the year to 3lst December, 1952, were considered and passed unanimously. A vote of thanks was accorded to Lt.-Col. C. P. Stapies for handling the lantern at meetings, and to the Honorary Auditors, Messrs. W. B. Keren & Co. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. Chairman: Colonel R. MernerrzHacen, D.S.O. Vice-Chairman: Mr. E. M. Nicuouson, C.B. Hon. Treasurer: Mr. C. N. Waursr (re-elected). Hon. Secretary: Mr. N. J. P. Wanptny (re-elected). Committee : Maj.-General C. B. Warnwreicut, C.B. Lt.-Colonel C. R. §. Prrman, D.S.O., M.C. COMMITTEH, 1958. Colonel R. MrrnerrzHacen, Chairman (1953), Mr. E. M. Nicuotson, Vice-Chairman (1953), Mr. C. N. Watrsr, Honorary Treasurer (1950), Mr. N. J. P. Wapiry, Honorary Secretary (1950), Dr. J. G. Harrison, Editor (1952), Colonel O. E. Wynne (1950), Miss C. M. Acnanp (1951), aii C. B. Wainwrieut (1953), Lt.-Colonel C. R. S. Pirman 953). Published llth May, 1953, PRICE 2/6. Vol. 73 50 1953 ORDINARY MEETING. The five hundred and twenty-first meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, 8.W.7, on Tuesday, 14th April, 1958, following a dinner at 6.30 p.m. Chairman: Sir Puitie Manson-Baur. Members present, 30; Guests, 9; Guest of the Club, Dr. G. V. T. Matruews; Total, 40. The Theory of Migration. Sir LanpsporouGH THOMSON opened the discussion with a short history of ideas on the theory of migration. Dr. G. V. T. Marruews then gave a talk on his work at Cambridge, with illustrations from Kramer’s experiments. Sir Landsborough Thomson, Dr. K. B. Rooke, Major Collingwood Ingram and Sir Geoffrey Archer were amongst those who joined in the subsequent discussion. On the Migration of the Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica fulva) The Eastern Bar-Tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica baueri) and other Limicolae. By Sir Partie Manson-Baur, M.B.O.U. The dominant impression on crossing the Pacific ocean by sea, or even by air, is one of boundless immensity of water, bedecked by numerous, minute, but widely separated islets. There are stretches from 2,000-3,000 miles of open sea, without even one foot of terra firma for any human being, or migrant bird, whereon to rest or recuperate. The question immediately arises to mind, by what agency and by what direction were those dots in the great azure blue expanse colonized by man or by birds. This is by no means the first time this subject has been raised for it is bound up with myths and sagas which have passed down through the mists of time by the journeyings of the Polynesians when crossing and recrossing the great Pacific ocean. That there were skilled and cultured peoples at the dawn of history is shown by the remarkable stone monuments of Easter Island and the Marquesas. What the stimulus was which lay behind these voyages and what their methods of navigation, is still, to some extent, conjectural as we possess no written records of travels such as those of the Maories from Hawaii, Tahiti or Rarotonga to New Zealand in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. It is probable that these great seafarers steered at night by the stars, and by day, to some extent, by watching the flight of migrating golden plover and other Limicole (for they _——_" ee i ES, 1953 51 : Vol. 73 were good observers and practical naturalists). It is even asserted that the primitive Hawaiians reached the Sandwich Islands from the Eastern Pacific by means such as these (Bruce Cartwright quoted by Peter Buck). The question of these colossal migrations and the nature of the urge which impells these birds over the vast spaces is also a matter for speculation and in this paper an attempt is made to set down a few observations during a recent visit to the Fiji Islands from January to May, 1950, which may be of some value. The question of the route taken by the human pioneers in the Pacific was opened up once more by the exploits of Thor Heyerdahl and his companions in the Kon-Tiki expedition, of which the scientific background has now been published. (Thor Heyerdahl: American Indians in the Pacific, 1952. London, George Allen & Unwin Ltd.) Another standard book on this subject is ““The Vikings of the Sunrise’’ by Peter H. Buck (Te Rangi Hiroa) 1938. In this latter work it is argued that the human migrants came originally from Malaya and followed the northern route which leads through Micronesia by crossing a series of small islands and low coral atolls which contrast strongly with the mountainous islands of Melanesia. There the line leads through Yap, Palau and the Carolines, N.K. through the Marshall Islands to Hawaii. (Hawaiki or Hawaii is the traditional home of the Polynesians.) The course then branches off 8.E. through the Gilbert and the Phenix Islands to enter Polynesia proper north of Samoa. A Southern route has also been suggested which may be used by migratory birds, but which is not favoured by ethnologists at present as a possible gateway to the Central Pacific. This suggested route twines through the closely-set islands of Indonesia and passes along the North coast of New Guinea, skirting the Kast fringe of the Melanesian chain to Fiji, the islands of which are thought to have acted as a rallying place whence the peoples scattered East, North and South. There must also have been subsidiary movements to the Westward as is shown by the number of islands on the fringe of Melanesia, notably Rennell Islands, which are now inhabited by Polynesian- speaking peoples. The distances of open water between these islands and continental masses are enormous. Easter Island at the apex of the Polynesian triangle is 2,030 miles from the coast of Peru, whilst the Marquesas lie still further away. The attempt to adopt the Americas rather than the Old World con- stitutes a break with orthodox thinking and it would seem that Heyerdahl has amassed a very considerable amount of information | in favour of American colonization of the Pacific. One of the most _ striking piece of evidence is that the Polynesians must have introduced the seeds of the gourd which they imported into Peru, receiving in _ return the sweet potato, or Kumara, which was in this manner distri- buted throughout Polynesia. Vol. 73 52 1953 Other evidence is based upon stature, feature, colour, craniology, tools, implements, customs and traditions. The strongest, however, is based upon blood groups. In Polynesia there is an absence of blood group B which is dominant in Asia. Amongst the Indian tribes of N. W. America there is dominance of O, but hardly any B, which argues against a Polynesian descent from Malaya. It is desirable to present a summary of these apparent irrelevant anthropological data in order to present a proper perspective when considering the extensive migration of comparatively small birds, thus exemplifying physicai efforts both in scope and in performance, which are quite out of comparison with the apparently puny efforts of man. The chief avian protagonist of migration in this area is the Pacific Golden Plover (Pluvialis dominica fulva) a bird which is smaller and more brightly coloured than the American species. This plover breeds on the Arctic coasts of Siberia from the Yenesei to the Bering strait and the Bering Sea Coast of Alaska. There it intergrades with the American form and there is evidence that it hybridizes with the Kuropean Golden Plover. At the Western end of its range it is usually known as the E. Golden Plover by European authors. As regards its migration northwards from the Hawaiian Islands the best paper is by H. V. Henshaw (1910) Auk. 27, 245-262. He observed that during the last two months of their stay in Hawaii, the migrating plover and turnstones become very fat, whilst the individuals who are immature and in poor condition do not attempt the flight. Towards April full plumage is assumed and when the time for migration arrives, small parties of 12, or even fewer, up to flocks of 200 or more, strike boldly northward without any signs of hesitancy. On these occasions they have been seen, shortly after daybreak, to rise to great height, and after circling round a few times as if to orientate themselves, finally disappear in a northerly direction. It is thought that day migration is not the rule. Flocks feed and leave just before nightfall. It is estimated that to cross to the Aleutian Islands on a 2,000 mile flight at 40 m.p.h., would occupy two days. It is not conceivable that this flight could be sustained without food, but it has been suggested without adequate proof that these plovers can alight on the water and, by so doing, could obtain some sustenance from floating masses of seaweed and from refuse left by whales. These birds have frequently been observed fiying far out at sea hundreds of miles from land. It also has been stated that native gunners can detect newly arrived birds by the salty taste of their feathers. These birds leave Hawaii during April and May, but there are no data as to when they reach the Aleutian Islands, but they reach the Commander Islands about the middle of May. ‘The first arrivals are noted at Nijni Kolymsk, Siberia on May 30th and on the Pribiloff Islands as early as April 18th, but usually in the first weeks of May. On its southward passage this plover migrates before it moults; but in spring it moults before it migrates. 1953 : 58 | Vol. 73 The first arrivals in Hawaii in August are adults in practically full breeding dress, but begin to change into winter dress almost immedi- ately. The moulting season is long so that the birds may be found in partial winter plumage in December, though by the beginning of February individuals are already beginning to moult a second time. Those plovers which breed in Alaska migrate over the Bering Sea, halting at the Pribiloff Islands. The first birds leaving in August are adults, the young ones migrate later in September. In September the prevailing wind in the N. Pacific, immediately south of the Aleutians is from the N.W. It is believed that migrating birds prefer to fly on a beam wind. By heading S.W. birds migrating to Hawaii have a N.W. wind abeam till the latitude of 30° where they could pick up a N.E. trade wind. The Hawaiian Archipelago with their chain of low islands and sand spits affords a reasonable chance for successful landfalls. Those birds that breed in Siberia are those that migrate through Mongolia and Japan. Many spend the winter in India, Malaya and Burma, finding their way eventually to the Pacific by the northern island route already described. The most southerly limit of southward migration is New Zealand, but not many arrive there. This plover therefore, shares the credit for this very long journey with the bar-tailed godwit. The total distances involved are enormous, from Hawaii to Nijni Kolymsk is 4,600 miles, from Hawaii to New Zealand 4,800. Its main breeding area from Nijni Kolymsk in Siberia to the Yenesei is another 4,000 miles. Whilst pondering upon these data it is difficult to conceive how the birds manage to fit in their nesting activities so as to allow them enough time to rear their young in the short space of time allotted, so as to enable them to undertake their long southern journey. Though it is generally stated that the young follow their parents on migration, it is obvious that they must forsake the breeding grounds in August before winter overtakes them in these high latitudes. The incubation period of the plover is given as 27 days and the egg dates are for the Bering coast of Alaska as from May 28rd to July 1st, and for Siberia from June 30th to July 5th (Miss D. Haviland (1915) recorded the first nest on the Yenesei on July 4th). On this reckoning the young cannot hatch before August Ist and must be fully fledged for migration before they are a month old. | Taking all the risks and dangers to which they are exposed the losses of the Pacific Golden Plover on migration must be enormous. My first contact with waders in the Pacific was the cheery note of the common sandpiper on Hawaii's Waikiki beach, in the early days of January, 1950. On the airflight across the Pacific from Honolulu the first stop is Canton Island, an isolated coral atoll in the Phcenix group, just south of the Equator. There in the sandy scrub alongside the airstrip, on January 14th numerous semitorpid golden plover in winter plumage were seen, and they apparently remain here in some numbers. Vol. 73 54 1953 On arrival in Fiji on January 16th these birds were much in evidence on open areas, such as the golf course at Suva, on the cricket field of the town park, as well as on the extreme airstrip at Nausori, near the capital. The existence of these open spaces rendered observation of these birds much easier than on my former visit to these islands, forty years ago. All seen at this date were in full winter plumage. Other flocks were found on the small sea-girt islets at the estuary of the Rewa river. There it was remarked that no less than five birds were hopping around on one leg, and in each case it was ascertained that the left member had been neatly divided at the tarsal joint. This mutilation is well known to gunners in Fiji, whilst the same occurs in godwits and tattlers. The cause remains a matter for speculation, but it is suggested that the amputation is caused by the giant clam (Chama gigantea) which, provided with powerful hinges, closes when disturbed, and which abounds on the fringes of the coral reefs in these Pacific islands. The bodies of the birds which were procured at this time were encased in a comprehensive layer of white blubber nearly one-third of an inch in depth. This is a provision, as mentioned by Henshaw, which probably represents the reserve fuel supply for migration. By April 8th these plovers were massing in trips of not more than 20 birds flying up and down in V formation along the shores of Suva harbour. From this date onwards the numbers of birds in black nuptial plumage increased, by April 24th the change was complete and on the next day all had disappeared on their northward migration. From information furnished from reliable sources the first southward bound migrants had returned to the same localities in Viti Levu by September 4th and the majority still retained their breeding plumage. The other great wanderer which undertakes migrations of com- parable nature and extent is the Eastern bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica baueri), This is the Eastern representative of the European L. lapponica to which it bears a close resemblance. It, too, spends a portion of its nesting time in E. Siberia from the Taimyr Peninsular to the estuary of the Kolyma, Kamschatka and W. Alaska. During its migrations it visits the islands of the Indian Archipelago, Australia, Polynesia and New Zealand. Von Middendorf observed these birds in great numbers in North Siberia (74-75°N). They appear in their breeding grounds on June 3rd leaving again at the beginning of August. This bird is the commonest wader migrant to New Zealand and, as related to Buller, N. L. (1873) (A History of the Birds of New Zealand, p. 200), they congregate in the sandy bays North of - Auckland in immense numbers, and their departure on their northern migration provides a most imposing spectacle, and has become an object of popular interest. At the end of March and beginning of April large flocks may be seen congregating on the foreshore. Rising from the beach with much clamour and in serried ranks, they form a broad semi-circle, and flying high into the air, take a course pointing 1953 5D Vol. 73 due north; but sometimes the start is rather confused, and after circling around at a considerable height, they return to reform and to make a fresh one. ‘Their departure from any locality usually com- mences at almost the exact date year after year, and for a week or ten days parties are constantly on the wing. The flight takes place about sunset and sometimes after dark. They do not reappear in winter plumage in New Zealand till the early days of November. In the Fiji group this bird is found on the coral reef and foreshores of the smaller islands lying off the coast of Viti Levu. It does not, like the Golden Plover frequent. the inland pastures. In a series of 12 birds procured on February 12th, 1950, the first traces of red nuptial colouration were observed on the breasts. They were also very fat with accumulation of blubber of creamy white, which was extremely difficult to remove. By April 8th large flocks were observed on the foreshore by the Suva Point. Individual birds were in a state of agitation and appeared to be pairing. Several birds were wheeling around in the air chasing each other in a typical Godwit flight and emitting loud and hoarse cries. The rufous colouration of the plumage was at this time clearly visible. These Godwits leave Fiji at the end of April shortly after the golden plover. Their return visit is also later, early in October. Other waders seen on the reefs of Viti Levu, as well as on the neighbouring islands Ovalau, Taveuni and Rambi were the noisy, chattering and well-named Tattler (Heteroscelus incanus) which is the only species found in Fiji. Some had mutilated legs and it appears that a number of these birds remain throughout the year. Turn- stones (Arenaria interpres) in small numbers associated with the other waders mentioned and also the Papuan ring-necked plover (Charadrius dubius papuanus), specimens of which were secured. ‘Though a migrant from its breeding quarters in New Guinea and New Ireland, its journeyings bear no comparison with other Limicole mentioned in this paper. REFERENCES. Bent, A. C. (1929) Life Histories of N. American Shore Birds II, 193-202. BereMAN, 8. (1935) Tur Kenntnis Ostasiatisches Vogel, 126. 135, 288. Hartert, H. (1912) Vogel Palaarktische Fauna Il, 1641. As it has not been possible to reproduce a map of the Pacific Ocean to indicate the various islands and routes mentioned in this Paper, the reader is advised to consult any standard atlas particularly one published in Thor Heyerdahls ‘* American Indians in the Pacific,’’ 1952. A new race of Woodpecker from Portuguese East Africa. Captain C. H. B. Grant and Mr. C. W. Mackwortu-PRAED described and exhibited the following :— Campethera bennettu vincenti new race. Description.—The female differs from that of Campethera bennettii bennett (Smith) in the lores, streak under eye, ear-coverts, chin and Vol. 73 | 56 1953 throat being pinkish-brown, not chocolate-brown. The male is similar to that of C. b. bennettir. ! Distribution.—Portuguese East Africa from 60 miles north of Tete to Zoubé and Nyasaland from Kapiriuta to Zomba. Type.—Female adult, 60 miles north of Tete, Portuguese Hast Africa 17th March, 1982, collected by Jack Vincent, collector’s No. 578. B.M. Reg. No. 1933. 31. 416. Measurements of type.—Wing 112, culmen from base 27, tail 65 tarsus 21 mm. Remarks.—Two adult males collected in the same locality on 17th and 19th March, 19382, do not differ from the males of C. b. bennettii and an adult female from Zobué, 10th April, 1932, has the colour of the lores to ear-coverts, chin and throat reduced to buff. Named in honour of Mr. Jack Vincent, who was under the impression—as we were also, that the bird was C. b. uniamwesicus (Neumann). Through the kindness of Dr. Stresemann of the Berlin Museum, we have however now seen the type of C. b. uniamwesicus, and the colour of the head and throat does not materially differ from that of C. Db. bennetti, of which we place C. b. uniamwesicus as a synonym. Nomina Conservanda. Bull. Zool. Nom. 9, 1952. I.C.Z.N. Ref. Z.N. (S)1, 525, p. 30. ,, 492, p. 53. 5, 498, p. 62. By Dr. J. M. Harrison, Cononet O. E. Wynne, R. WAGSTAFFE, Lr.-Commpr. C. P. Staptes, Mrs. B. P. Hany, and Caprain C. H. B. GRANT. Nomina conservanda have been unacceptable in ornithology from the days of Hartert and W. L. Sclater. In the B.O.U. List Brit. Bds.p.x,1915, the authors give nine specific and four generic nomina conservanda, but state that unifomity ‘“‘can only be attained by keeping to the strict law of priority’’. These nine specific nomina conservanda have been replaced by earlier valid names in the 1928 list, since when nomina conservanda have been completely discarded for the reason that a nomen conservandum is a synonym, arbitrarily adopted, despite an earlier valid name being available. No such term is to be found in the A.O.U. Code 1886-1908, and at the Meeting of the A.O.U. Check List Committee in Montreal in October, 1951, it was stated that there was no intention to adopt any such procedures as nomina conservanda. It is noted that Dr. Zimmer is also of this opinion (see Bull. Zool. Nom. 9, pp. 34 and 48, 1952). W. L. Sclater, Hartert, Mathews, Bates, Whistler, C. B. Ticehurst, Roberts, Tucker, Glegg and Low did not accept nomina conservanda. Neither have the authors of the 1952 B.O.U.Check List, Bds.Gt.Brit. and Ireland. If a nomen conservadum is adopted a departure has been made from the established date of Ist January, — 1758. 1953 | 57 | Vol. 73 Podiceps caspicus (Hablizl) is a valid name and is in use in recent standard works. The Members of the B.O.U. List Committee individually and in Committee thoroughly investigated this case and this name was unanimously adopted. Coracia is on page 380, vol, 1, of Brisson, not p.3, vol.2, as given by the I.C.Z.N. All or none of Brisson’s genera can be accepted, there is no sound argument for rejecting one and adopting others. Para. 9(11) on page 61 of the Bull. Zool. Nom.9,1952, in favour of retaining the genus Coracia should be adopted for the above reason, and because it is quite clearly based on the Red-billed Chough of Europe. Turdus ericetorum Turton, is not indeterminable as shown by the List Committee of 1934, Ibis, p.163,1951, and Bull. B.O.C.72, p, 72, 1952. This is a valid name for the British Song Thrush and is in all recent standard works for the last nineteen years. The Willughby Society reprints of rare works, Giebel’s Thes. Orn., Sherborn’s Ind. Anim., Neave’s Genera, the Zool. Record, and other such works were carried out to bring published names to the notice of the public, so that the worker can adopt the first valid name after 1st January, 1758 and ensure the avoidance of homonyms. If valid names are ignored, as the I.C.Z.N. now proposes, then the valuable work done by the above is nullified. On the genus Colymbus Linnaeus, |758. Bull, Aool, Nom. 9, p. 6, 1952, 1.C.2.N. Ref. Z.N. (8) 78. By Dr. J. M. Harrison, Cotonen O. EH. Wynne, R. WaGSstTarFFE, Lt.-Commpr. C. P. Staptes, Mrs. B. P. Hatu, and Caprain C. H. B. GRANT. It is noted that the original argument (see B.O.U. List Brit. Bds. p. 399, 1915-16, and Ibis, p. 530, 1948) that Brisson divided the genus | has been dropped and that the ‘‘Law of Elimination’’ has now been invoked. The Linnean genera are valid and the description of the genus Colymbus on pp. 84 and 135, could apply to either the divers or grebes. Latham, Syn. Bds. Suppl. 1, p. 294, in 1787 placed the _grebes in the genus Podiceps. Latham, on p. 295, gives four divers which appear to point to his having used the 1766 edition of Linnaeus, and no doubt he also knew the 1758 edition wherein only one diver is given. Even so Latham was the first author to remove the grebes from the Linnean genus Colymbus and leave in that genus the one species in the 1758 edition and the four species in the 1766 edition. Latham’s action was valid in accordance with Art. 80(k) and Opinion 6. C. arcticus has rightly been accepted by all British systematic ornithologists as the type species of the genus Colymbus. The Commission’s “‘Law of Elimination’”’ is inapplicable to this case and has not been recognised by systematic ornithologists in the designation of type species. Where one valid specific name has been left in a genus it automatically establishes itself as the type species. This is the practical and common-sense view to take. Vol. 73 58 1953 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, Water Bds. N. Amer. 2, p. 425, 1884, use the words ‘‘type by elimination’’ and in their footnote base their action on Sundevall, Met, Av. Nat. p. xxix, 1872, who bases his arguments on the erroneous assumption that Brisson divided the genus Colymbus of Linnaeus. It would appear that under the I.C.Z.N. ‘‘Law of Elimination’’ Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway’s actior is invalid. The arguments put forward by the I.C.Z.N. are, in our opinion, unsound and insufficient to support their case to suppress the valid Linnaeus’ genus Colymbus. We would never agree to the suppression of any of Linnaeus’ valid genera. After Latham’s action in 1787 Colymbus cristatus could no longer be regarded as in the genus Colymbus, and could not in 1884 be selected as the type species of that genus as it had already been established as the type species of the genus Podiceps J.atham, and cannot be divorced from it. If it is to be allowed that any author can remove a type species from a genus it is difficult to see how any genus and its type species can have any permanent standing. It may be mentioned that Gavia first appears in Brisson on p. 171 of vol. 6, as Gavia grisea and Brisson’s system would be Larus gavia grisea. Brisson has no genus Gavia and Gmelin, Reise Russland, I, p. 152, 1770, merely quotes Brisson’s Gavia ridibunda phenicops, and — in doing so has not proposed Gavia as a genus. Gavia, as introduced by Forster, Ench. Hist. Nat. p. 38, 1788, is a name introduced into literature, but not into nomenclature, as no species names are given. It was introduced into nomenclature by Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 24, p. 35, 1908, who gave Colymbus imber Gunnerus, as the type species. It would appear that Gavia is of Allen, 1908, not of Forster 1788, in which case Gavia Allen, 1908, is pre-occupied by Gavia Swainson, Class Bds. 2, p. 373, 1837, type species Gavia leucoceps Swainson. We are of opinion that Gavia is unavailable as a genus for the divers, and that Colymbus should be accepted with C. arcticus as the type species. We agree with Salomonsen, Proc. 10th Int. Orn. Cong. p. 151, 1951, that “‘the use of Colymbus as the name of the divers ought to have been continued,’’ but disagree with his proposal to suppress this genus. é Omission. e: In the April Bulletin on page 37 the name of Dr. James M. Harrison was inadvertently omitted as author of the paper “‘On the Significance of Variations of Pattern in Birds’’. Notices. STOCK OF THE “ BULLETIN.” It is proposed to reduce the stock of the “ Bulletin,” but before this is done members are given an opportunity to acquire parts at 2/6 each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. ae ee ae ee ee ee ee ‘ BACK NUMBERS OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who have back numbers of the “ Bulletin’ which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Ksq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1953. January 22nd; February 18th; March (in conjunction with the B.0.U.) ; April 14th ; May 19th ; June 16th ; October 20th ; November 17th ; December 15th. Members should note that from April onwards the meetings will be on a Tuesday. SEPARATES. Contributors who desire six free copies of their notes should state so on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the ~ MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by — the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed — or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, Le., genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further — mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus and no further mention of the author. If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Meeting, a note will be inserted — mentioning the contribution. 4 ee Ce ee Te Re ee ee ee ee a nee ey eee en Ore ne Seen, eee Oe wie Communications are not restricted to members of the British — Ornithologists’ Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy — and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them ~ to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, Bowerwood House, St. Botolph’s ~ Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. : Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the ~ Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14, Elm Place, London, S.W.7. a a y A eee ian BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON. Volume 73. | June, No. 6. : 1953. m is. Od. 2s: 6d. Annually Per Copy Printed and published by _ 4H. F.& G. WITHERBY LTD., 5, Warwick Court, High Holborn, London, W.C.1 for THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. 1953 X Bore <) Vol. 73 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB. Volume 73. No. 6. The five-hundred and twenty-second meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, S.W.7, on Tuesday, 19th May, 1958, following a dinner at 6.30 P.M. Chairman: Cou. BR. MEINERTZHAGEN. Members present, 27; Guests, 11; Guest of the Club, Mr. J. Mavrogadato; Total, 39. Methods of trapping Oriental Hawks. Mr. J. Mavrogadato gave a fascinating description of trapping hawks in the Orient by means of nets and running nylon nooses, aided by live decoys, which are normally never damaged by the hawk. In a third method that he had used, the lure consisted of a bundle of feathers surrounding a firm core, on which large numbers of small nooses were attached. This is thrown up, held by a trained hawk, in front of a wild hawk, which attempts to take the ‘‘kill’’ away. The danger of this method is that the ‘‘kill’’ and the hawk will both be taken by an eagle. Mr. Mavrogadato brought a trained Saker, Lanner and Barbary Falcon with him to enhance a most interesting evening. Exhibition of a Male Red-headed Bunting from Kent. Dr. James M. Harrison exhibited before the Club on 14th April, 1953, an adult male Red-headed Bunting, Emberiza bruniceps Brandt which had been found alive in Tonbridge on 14th March, 19538. After exhaustive enquiries providing much evidence of the possibility of escape from captivity, the view was expressed that this record should in all probability be regarded as relating to an escaped bird, for this species is imported in vast numbers every year from India, mostly Calcutta. One dealer in the London area sent informa- tion to the effect that between March and July, 1952, he had imported nearly 1,000 Red-headed Buntings, and that many are known to escape from dealers who sell the birds from stalls in the open market. Several other dealers also confirmed the above information, one of them stressing the fact that only cocks are imported. Published 16th June, 1953. PRICE 2/6. Vol. 73 60 1953 From the above, the necessity of critically screening every occurrence of this species in the British Isles is very evident, and indeed this also applies to some other birds which are imported from abroad, before such can be accepted as genuine vagrants and admitted to the British list. Colour Change in a Ruff. By Dr. Jerrery G. Harrison. The Ruff, Philomachus pugnax (Linneus) on exhibition tonight was found moribund on 20th March, 1953, between Canterbury and Westbeare, Kent. It was received and preserved by Dr. James © M. Harrison, through the kindness of Mr. H. E. Axell, of the Dungeness Bird Observatory. Ruffs at this time of the year are seldom available for examination and the reason for exhibiting this specimen tonight is because it is a beautiful example of colour change without moult. Both my father and I made a careful examination of the inside of the skin during preservation. There was early moult on the head and neck, but in the body region, there was none, and yet, when compared with the December example also on exhibition, the following early changes are immediately apparent— (a) a general increase in brown wash on the upper parts. (b) the central black pigment radiating parallel to the shafts of many of the mantle feathers. (c) the early development of the chestnut and black transverse barring in some of the long scapular feathers. Lt.-Commander C. P. Staples and I have already indicated that colour change and moult can take place at the same time in a bird, and it is this that has led to the great controversy over the subject. After studying many wading birds, I am now of the opinion that there is an age factor to be considered and that the amount of colour change varies inversely to the age. Colour change is always the first visible sign of the assumption of spring plumage and in the later stages the position may become obscured by moult. For this reason, examples such as the Ruff tonight, in early spring plumage, are of particular value. On some unusual plumage variations in the Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos Linnaeus. By Mr. Bryan L. SaGe. During recent years I have observed a few unusual plumage © variations in birds of this species, which seem of sufficient interest to warrant their being placed on record. The most unusual record refers to an adult male which was present on the Aldenham Reservoir, Herts, almost continuously from August, 1948 to May, 1951. In this bird the usual white collar round the ~ neck was about two inches in width and joined at the rear. In addition 1953 61 | Vol. 73 ee two white tapering fingers, one on each side of the neck, extended upwards from the collar to the nape, giving a pattern similar to that on the neck of the male Pintail Anas acuta acuta Linneus. This most unusual plumage was retained in full during the period of eclipse. Whilst comparing the above mentioned bird with other males of the species that were present, it was noticed that several of the latter completely lacked the normal white collar. I have subsequently encountered similar cases in widely separated localities. A juvenile Mallard seen at the same reservoir in June, 1952, had a distinct white spot on either side of the base of the bill, as in the male Goldeneye Bucephala clangula (Linneus). No mention of plumage variations of this nature is made in Witherby’s ‘‘Handbook of British Birds’’ or other text books that I have consulted. Reverse Mutation in Ducks. (Mallard—New Zealand Gray Duck.) By Sir Puri Manson-Banur. With reference to the paper by Dr. J. M. Harrison in the Bull. B.O.C. 73, 4.87. On the Significance of Variations of Pattern in Birds, in which attention has been drawn to the recurrence of the facial pattern of the Baikal Teal Anas formosa Georgi which is a dominant character in various hybrids as indicating reversal of mutation. I would like to draw attention to the existence of this peculiarity in quite another hybrid, this time in the Antipodes, in the cross between the Mallard Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos Linneus and the New Zealand Gray Duck Anas superciliosa superciliosa Gmelin. On 17th May, 1950, I watched a flock of these hybrids on a pond in the public garden at Rotorua, New Zealand, where there are a large number of these species in a state of semi-domestication. It was quite obvious that they quite readily hybridize and all gradations between the two can be seen. Many of the hybrids are Mallard-like, but lack the white collar, whilst others bear a close resemblance to the male Gadwall Anas strepera (Linneus) but there was one of special interest, whose facial pattern at once recalled the Baikal Teal A. formosa, a sketch of which was made at the time. There was one particularly fine young drake in which the predominant colour was brown with a greenish-brown head. The superciliary stripe of the grey duck is not usually transmitted to the hybrid drake. These hybrids are very fertile inter se and all intergradations can be observed in them. The hybrid ducks, on the other hand, are not so easy to distinguish, except by the larger size, from those of the Mallard. Sometimes, however, the superciliary stripe of the Gray Duck appears in an emphasized form and so with their bright yellow bills they bear ‘some resemblance to the Indian Spot Bill Anas pecilorhyncha pecilorhyncha J. R. Forster. Most of the drakes had assumed full Vol. 73 62 1953 winter plumage and there were none which might have been con- sidered immature or in eclipse. Some drakes, of the second generation are almost black with grey mottled flank feathers, but with no collar, in fact amongst all these hybrids I saw only one with a trace of. one. Some are bigger than Mallard, but when displaying, the drakes utter not so much the startling whistle of the Mallard as a high-pitched querulous Widgeon-like note. Dr. Bridgeman, at the public Hospital A. platyrhyncha. x. A. superciliosa Rotorua. 17. V. 50. in Rotorua, who is a keen duck-shooter, says that the hybrids now commonly occur in the wild state on the lakes in the neighbourhood of Rotorua and that, on the whole, they are bigger and more vigorous birds than either of the parents. It appears possible that this hybridization may spread to such an extent as to endanger the existence of the aboriginal New Zealand Gray Duck. In recording this remarkable coincidence it can be stated that Dr. Harrison’s paper contains the nucleus of a very important biological principle, and it would appear that the Mallard—Gray Duck hybrids are likely to provide very suitable material for further study of this subject. On A. A. H. Lichtenstein’s Names. Bull. Zool. Nom. 9, p. 32, 1952. I.C0.Z.N. Ref. Z.N. (S8.), 526. By Captain C. H. B. Granrv. A. A. H. Lichtenstein’s Cat. Rer. Nat. Rar. 1793, was republished by the Willughby Society in 1882 and has therefore been available to the — public for 70 years. Meise and Stresemann’s remarks on p. 23, Ibis, 1950, para. 8, are unwarranted as A. A. H. Lichtenstein had as much ~ right as any other worker to describe new birds. Otis caffra 1823 is a ~ homonym of Otis cafra 17938. The 1793 name is not a synonym as they are founded on two different known species. Therefore the 1798 name is acceptable and is in use in recent standard works.. Whether a name is a homonym or not and to which species they apply is a taxonomic question for systematic ornithologists to decide, and in this case a decision has already been made by those interested in African ornithology. Both Cuculus cafer and Cuculus sulphuratus are in use in standard works and to propose to revert to C. clamosus — ial. 1953 7 63 : Vol. 73 and C. flava is merely adopting a synonym when an earlier valid name is available. The majority of systematic ornithologists are not in favour of synonyms, replacing earlier names, and under the accepted date Ist January, 1758, they could have no standing. Lanius flavescens Lichtenstein 1793 is a synonym of C. sulphurata and has priority over Lanius flavescens Ehrenberg, Symb. Phys. fol. C. 1823. Systematic ornithologists in general do not recognise the I.C.Z.N. nomen rejectum nor nomina conservanda and the only names they recognise that have to be rejected are those that are indeterminate or are preoccupied by a similar combination. On Struthio camelus syraicus and Struthio camelus rothschildi. Bull. Zool. Nom. 9, p. 96, 1952. I.C.Z.N. Ref. Z.N. (S.), 633. - By Captain C. H. B. Grant. It would appear that the I.C.Z.N. is in this case raising a taxonomic matter. This is a question of a racial name depending on which type locality is accepted. The acceptance, or otherwise, of races and the designation of type localities is a matter for the systematic ornithologist. Notes on some Minivets in the British Museum. By Mrs. B. P. Hatt. In re-arranging the Minivets in the British Museum several points came to light which supplement and amplify recent work on this group. Much of this work was published in America at a time when material in London was not readily available for examination. (1) Pericrocotus solaris ripponi. Stuart Baker, Faun. Brit. Ind. 2, 1924:327 (Hills east of Stedman, Southern Shan States). Kinnear (Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc. 87, 1984:361) suggested that the type of P. solaris ripponi was an abnormally coloured female of “‘Pericrocotus brevirostris affinis’’ and not a male of P. solaris which it resembles in the orange-red of the underparts. _ Mayr (Ibis 1940:712) showed that the name P. brevirostris had | been used for birds of two very similar species, which he distinguished under the names P. brevirostris and P. ethologus. In the latter species he described a new race P. e. cryptus from northern Siam and the Shan States, differing from P. e. ethologus of China and Yunnan in the richer yellow of the females. Deignan (Birds of Northern Thailand, 1945:276) pointed out that P. s. ripponi might be an older name for this race. The type of P. s. ripponi is in the British Museum: it shows the characteristics listed by Mayr for P. ethologus and not those of P. brevirostris. Mayr, in Burma, and Deignan, in north Siam, have found females of both the pale yellow variety, typical of Vol. 73 64 1953 P. e. ethologus and of the deep yellow variety answering the descrip- tion of P. e. cryptus. They have explained this by suggesting the pale birds may be winter stragglers from the range of P. e. ethologus. There are no specimens in the British Museum at variance with this theory, the only pale females in Burma and Siam being either undated or winter birds, but the presence of a third colour variation, the orange-red, suggests an alternative solution. It may be that the females in this area are polymorphic and the variation is individual not geographical. Polymorphism is also found in the females of the smaller Indo-China race, P. e. annamensis, and abnormally coloutad individuals are not uncommon in other species of Minivet. Only further collecting of adequate series in the breeding areas will show which of these alternatives is correct, but happily the issue does not affect the nomenclature. If no pale females are found breeding in Burma and Siam it must be decided whether it is possible to refer the orange-red type of P. s. ripponi definitely to either the dark resident or the pale migrant form. Since it was collected on the 15th April it seems reasonable to assume it is a resident; the name P. e. ripponi would then replace P. e. cryptus for the dark resident birds, as Deignan suggested. If, on the other hand, the breeding birds of Burma and Siam are found to be variable, and if this variability, with a preponderance of dark females differmg from the consistently pale females of P. e. ethologus, can be accepted as a valid racial characteristic, then P. e. ripponi would still replace P. e. cryptus as the name for the variable race. (2) The Validity of Pericrocotus neglectus as a race of P. brevrostris. Hume (Stray Feathers 5, 1877:189) described P. neglectus as a “miniature representative of brevirostris’’ on five specimens from Moolyit and Meectan, Central Tenasserim. Mayr in his review of the species (Ibis 1940:720) places P. neglectus in the synonymy of P. brevirostris. He had apparently only one specimen from Tenasserim before him. Two of Hume’s specimens are in the British Museum, the type and a female, as well as two males from the Taok Plateau, Tenasserim. The measurements of these as compared with Mayr’s for P. brevirostris are as follows :— | P. neglectus P. brevirostris : Wits Ps 67, 88; 8e 88-96 (once 103) (93.0) — e) 86 93-100 (96.2) Tail 3S 82, 83, 84 85-91 (88.0) ie 84 | 86-90 (87.4) Although these differences are not creat they appear to be constant in a population isolated geographically. Since they illustrate what may be an interesting trend of variation in the species, it seems a pity to lose sight of this variation by not keeping alive the name that is already available. 1953 65 | Vol. 73 (8) Pericrocotus peregrinus in south eastern Asia. _ Deignan (Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 87, 1947:254) reviewed the races of P. peregrinus in south eastern Asia. Lack of material from Eastern Bengal and Assam, and shortages from parts of Burma, left this review in some respects incomplete, and the series in the British Museum can partly remedy this. Before Deignan’s review a single race, P. p. vividus Stuart Baker, was recognised from eastern Bengal, Assam, Burma, Siam and the Andaman Islands. He described two new races in the south of this area and suggested that more material might show a third to be recog- nisable in the Andamans. The material in the British Museum confirms that his race P. p. thai is recognisable on the richness of the colouring on the underparts of the females, though there is some individual variation. It also shows that the range of this race extends through northern Burma, Assam, Bhutan to eastern Bengal where it intergrades with the paler P. p. peregrinus. The slight colour differ- ences between the males of P. p. thai and P. e. vividus which Deignan notes are not evident in the British Museum series. He described P. p. separatus from the coast and islands of Mergui and western Peninsular Siam on males, but suggested that the females, when found, might prove similar in colouring to P. p. saturatus of Java. ‘Two females collected by Robinson and Kloss in 1919 from the Takuapa Inlet and Renong River confirm this, as they differ only in size from P. p. saturatus, having wing measurements 71,72 mm. and bill 14 mm. © I can see no reason for separating a series of eight males and five females from the Andamans from P. p. vividus. (4) Pericrocotus peregrinus galbinus. Van Tyne and Keelz, Occas. Papers Mus. Zool. Univ. Michigan 334, 1986:4 (Bhadwar, Kangra district, Punjab). This race was separated from P. p. peregrinus on slight differences in colour and size. Among a large series of P. p. peregrinus in the British Museum there are eight topotypical males and five females from Ambala, Punjab: these thirteen specimens alone show a con- siderable amount of variation in colour both above and below in both sexes, and a male and female from Kangra can be matched with individual specimens in the series. Measurements show that the topotypical birds average slightly smaller than those from Kangra, as the authors claim, but since individuals are found in other parts of the range of P. p. peregrinus which are as large as any from Kangra I do not feel that the characters on which P. p. galbinus was described are sufficiently distinct to warrant recognition of the race. On the Status of Cinnyris chalybeus capricornensis. By Mr. J. G. WituiaMs. Roberts (Annals Transvaal Museum, vol. 18, 1936, pp. 256-257) describes Cynnyris chalybeus capricornensis, Zoutpansberg, (Wylies’ Poort), northern Transvaal, as differing from the nominate race and Vol. 73 66 1953 C. c. subalaris Reichenow in having a darker grey lower breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts in the male, and being slightly larger in size. Through the courtesy of the Director, Transvaal Museum, I have been lent two adult males and one adult female paratypes of C. c¢. capricornensis, which I have compared with a series of C. c. subalaris most kindly collected on my behalf by Mr. P. A. Clancey, Director of the Durban Museum. Comparison of C. c. subalaris and C. C. capricornensis. Measurements (mm.). Adult Males. C. c. subalaris. C. c. capricornensis. Wing 55—58 56—58 Exposed Culmen 21—24 22—23 Tail 4346 43—45 Tarsus 16.5—17 16.5 (11 measured) (2 measured) Adult Females. Wing 51—538 50 Exposed Culmen 17.5—18 18.5 Tail 36—38 37 Tarsus 16 16 (2 measured) (1 measured) Plumage Characters. As in all other races of Cinnyris chalybeus, there is considerable individual variation in the colour of the breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts in my series of C. c. subalaris males. Five specimens are as dark below as the two C. c. capricornensis paratypes, and one es example, an adult male, Ingeti Forest, Alfred County, Cape/Natal — border, is much larger than either of the C. c. capricornensis males. Females of C. c. subalaris and C. c. capricornensis are not distinguish- able on plumage colour. Conclusions. Cinnyris chalybeus capricornensis (Roberts) cannot be maintained as a distinct race on size or plumage characters, and must be con- sidered a synonym of Cinnyris chalybeus subalaris Reichenow. The Races of Coqui Francolin in South and Central Africa. By Mr. C. M. N. Warts. Francolinus coqui Smith in its various races ranges from the Trans- vaal to southern Ethiopia and to Upper Volta in French West Africa. The more northern races are well defined and the following remarks do not therefore deal with F. c. ruahdae van Someren, F. c. hubbardi Ogilvie-Grant, F. c. thikae Grant and Mackworth-Praed, F. c. maharao Sclater and F’. c. spinetorum Bates, all of which were, however, studied in revising the more southern forms. The races which I can recognise in South and Central Africa are as follows: 1953 67 | Vol. 73 Francolinus coqui coqui Smith (1836. Kurrichaine). Synonyms fF. c. campbelli (Roberts) (1928. Mt. Edgecombe, Natal). . F. c. lynesi Sclater (1932. Tenke, southern Belgian Congo). Males with upper side with rich tawny or russet well developed; below with black barring generally rather broad and mostly extending over belly though a number show an unbarred belly; wing coverts with considerable reddish; underside with a creamy tinge in the white and with lower flanks and under tail coverts warmly buffish. Females not well distinguished from adjacent races. In view of the extensive variation I do not now think it wise to separate the Natal birds as F. c. campbell. I cannot see any constant differences to justify maintaining fF’. c. lynesi. Range: Transvaal to Zululand, Portuguese East Africa, Nyasaland, Southern and Northern Rhodesia, south-east Katanga, Tanganyika Territory except extreme north-west at Bukoba and north near Arusha, Kenya Colony to Tana river and Teita. I have examined the following material in reaching this conclusion. British Museum: Transvaal, 16; Natal, 6; south Bechuanaland, 1; Zululand, 2; Southern Rhodesia, 7; Portuguese Kast Africa, 3; Nyasa- land, 17; Northern Rhodesia, 17; Katanga, 2; Tanganyika Territory, 6; Kenya Colony, 2. Also 7 from the Katanga in the Musée du Congo Belge at Tervuren; a series from Northern and Southern Rhodesia in the National Museum at Bulawayo; the series in the Transvaal Museum from South Africa; series formerly in the collection of EK. Button from Ndola and Solwezi in Northern Rhodesia and now in the Academy of Natural Science at Philadelphia. Francolinus coqui vernayi (Roberts) (1982. Tsotsoroga). A doubtful race which appears paler above than the typical race and rather lightly barred below; more material is needed to ascertain its validity. Range: Ngamiland. 1 in British Museum and 2 in Transvaal Museum examined. | Francolinus coqui hoeschianus Stresemann (1937. Waterberg). Upper side very light and reddish with some grey; below with fine — barring and a duller, less creamy ground colour. Range: Waterberg plateau, South West Africa. 2 examined in British Museum. Francolinus coqui kasaicus White (1945. Luluabourg). Above like nominate I’. coqui but below like I’. c. angolensis Roths- child. An intermediate population of wide range. | Range: Brazzaville and Leopoldville to Kasai and south-west Katanga at Kasaji. 3 examined in British Museum and several at Tervuren. | Vol. 73 68 1953 Francolinus coqui angolensis Rothschild (1902. Bailundu). Synonym, F, bourquii Monard (1934, Kuvangu). Above dark and cold with much increase of black and grey pigment; red pigment reduced and very dark; wing coverts very grey; below with very narrow black barring; ground colour below greyish in tinge without the creamy tinge of the nominate race and with little con- trasting warm fawn on lower flanks and under tail coverts. Range: Angola highlands east to Balovale district of Northern Rhodesia as far as the Zambesi but soon replaced further east by the nominate race. 12 from Balovale examined in my own collec- tion, of which part are now in British Museum and one from Angola in Pretoria at Transvaal Museum. A Revision of Sylvietta ruficapilla Bocage. By Mr. C. M. N. Warts. A revision of the warbler Sylvietta ruficapilla Bocage based on the material in the British Museum, the Musée du Congo Belge at Ter- vuren and my own collection, has revealed considerably more variation than was hitherto suspected and forms the basis of the present note. In place of the two races commonly recognised I find it necessary to include S. rufigenis Reichenow as a third and to describe three additional races. Variation seems best defined by dividing the races into the two groups designated below as A and B. Group A. Characterised by having the upper side grey and the under side without any yellow wash and therefore grey with a white middle to the belly. Sylvietta ruficapilla ruficapilla Bocage. J. Lisboa 6 p. 160. 1877. Caconda, Angola. Crown bright rufous, as bright or nearly as bright as the ear coverts. Range: Angola highlands at Caconda to Missao da Luz and east to meet the next race at Kasaji in the south-west Katanga where some examples are referable to typical S. ruficapilla and some to the next race. Material: British Museum, 2; Musée du Congo Belge, 12. Sylvietta ruficapilla gephyra, new race. Differs from nominate S. ruficapilla in the much paler sandy head top which is decidedly paler than the ear coverts. Type: Male, collected at Mwinilunga, Northern Rhodesia on 26 January, 1940, by C. M. N. White and presented to the British Museum. Range: North-western Northern Rhodesia from Mwinilunga south to Balovale and Kabompo districts and north-east to the Katanga at Lufupa river, Lufira river and Kambove. Material: British Museum, 7; Musée du Congo Belge, 2; White collection, 10. 1953 | 69 | Vol. 73 Sylvietta ruficapilla chubbi O. Grant. Bull. B.O.C. 27 p. 10. 1910. Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia. Differs from the two foregoing in having the head top more or less concolorous with the back and grey or slightly tinged with sandy. Range: Northern Rhodesia from Mankoya and Broken Hill across the north-east to Bangweulu, Serenje and Nyasaland west of the Shire valley, south-east to Furancungo in Portuguese East Africa and north-west to Hlizabethville in the south-east Katanga. Maternal: British Museum, 15; Musée du Congo Belge, 2. Group B characterised by olive wash on upper side, strong yellow margins to primaries and generally markedly yellow on the under side. Sylvietta ruficapilla makayu new race. Head top very dark rufous concolorous with ear coverts; back and wings as defined for group B; belly white with only the faintest trace of yellow. Type: Male collected at Malandje, North Angola by Dr. Ansorge on 18th February, 1909. B.M. Reg. No. 1910. 5, 6. 897. Range: Only known from the type locality. Material: British Museum, 2. This rather isolated population bridges the two groups and makes it quite clear that S. r. ruficapilla and S. rufigenis are conspecific. Sylvietta ruficapilla rufigenis Reichenow. Journ. f, Orn. 1887, p. 215. Leopoldville, Belgian Congo. Head top as in S. r. gephyra and much paler than sides of face; olive of upper side and yellow edges to wings strongly defined and strongly yellow below especially in birds from the lower Congo, Range: Lower Congo and Kasai drainages of western Belgian Congo (Kunungu, Leopoldville, Luluabourg, Luebo, Merode, Kabambaie, Katombe). Material: British Museum, 3; Musée du Congo Belge, 8. Sylvietta ruficapilla schoutedent new race. _ General characters as in S. r. rufigenis but with the crown greyish as in S. r. chubbi. The yellow of the under side rather light in colour like some S. r. rufigenis but not like birds from the lower Congo. Type in Musée du Congo Belge, Tervuren, Belgium. Female col- lected at Tembwe, south-west of lake Tanganyika in February, 1926, by Dr. H. Schouteden. Range: Only known from the type locality, the extreme north- eastern point of the range in the Belgian Congo. Material: Musée du Congo Belge, 4. Note: Size is of little help in distinguishing the races which all have wings about 60-71 except 8. r. rufigenis which is smaller, wings about 57-61 mm. Vol. 73 70 1953 My thanks are due to Dr. Schouteden for permitting me to study the material at Tervuren and to describe the new race named above from Tembwe and to Captain C. H. B. Grant and Mrs. B. P. Hall, who looked at the material in the British Museum with me and are in agreement with me as to the racial subdivision here adopted. On the Status of Zosterops phyllicus Reichenow. By Mr. BR. HE. Mornav. Sclater (Syst. Av. Aeth.) regarded this as a synonym of Z. senegal- ensis genderuensis Reichenow, Bates (Handbk. Bds. W. Afr.) as a valid subspecies of Z.senegalensis, Bannerman (Bds. Trop. W. Afr.) and Grant and Mackworth-Praed (Ibis 1945, p. 9) as a separate species. Serle (Ibis 1950, p. 623) on the other hand thought that the three specimens in the British Museum which had been identified as Z. phyllicus were, in fact, only ‘‘very worn and soiled Z. steno- cricotus’’ Reichenow. (Into the disputed question whether Z. steno- cricotus is conspecific with Z. virens or with Z. senegalensis or with neither, it is not necessary to go in the present connection.) I have ~ recently re-examined all the available material and have had the great advantage of Dr. Serle’s assistance and comments. I have to thank Professor E. Stresemann for kindly examining the type and also for discussing the position of its type-locality, ‘‘Kufum, N. Kamerun.’’ The type of Z. phyllicus is a dark bird, greener above and below than any other named form of West African Zosterops, with very little yellow on the forepart of the head and very little white eye-ring. The three British Museum specimens identified as Z.phyllicus (col- lected by Bates) which were available to previous workers have recently been cleaned (August, 1951). They remain dark and dingy, so that their condition was not necessarily due to dirt, as Serle thought, but they are all poor, worn, specimens and the cleansing may not have been completely effective. The two males (dated 8th and 12th February) are recorded by Bates as having “‘testes very large,”’ the female (80th January) as having “‘ovary granular’; yet two of them would, on apparently unossified skulls, have been thought to be immature. (This character is generally a good one in the African Zosterops.) The female has an eye-ring like that of typical Z. steno- cricotus (and similar black lores). In the male of 12th February, which has only a vestige of white eye-ring, the loss of feathers from the head and throat is so considerable that the eye-ring was in its natural state probably equally like that of Z. stenocricotus. The male ‘‘ohyllicus’’ of 8th February has both eye-ring and black lores poorly developed, but close inspection shows that this is in part (but not wholly) due to loss of feathers from the sides of the head. Dark birds with little yellow on the forehead or above the lores, and some of them with “‘poor’’ eye-rings have been taken by Serle © at Bamenda (6,000 ft., 24th May, moulting remiges), Manenguba (5,000 ft., 80th March) Oku (7,000 ft., 10th June; 7,000 ft., 4th June, very worn), Kumbo (6,500 ft., close to Banso Post, 11th September) 1953 ¥3 71 | Vol. 73 and Kupe Mt. (7,000 ft., 2nd January). The British Museum thus now has 8 specimens of Z. phyllicus type from the British Cameroons, all from localities in which Serle has also obtained typical Z. steno- cricotus (but none from Cameroon Mt. itself). The size range of the “phyllicus’’ and Z. stenocricotus is moreover the same. From the localities in the Bamenda-Banso Highlands (comprising all the locali- ties except Manenguba and Kupe, see map in Ibis 1950, p. 348), the birds of both types have wings 56-61 mm. These northern Z. steno- cricotus are in fact rather bigger than those on Cameroon Mt. (which are 53-57 mm.), and this could account for Bannerman’s statement rather bigger than Z. stenocricotus. Also the series of ‘‘phyllicus’’ now that Z. phyllicus is available does not confirm the view that the beak is longer than in Z. stenocricotus. b The British Museum specimens of “‘phyllicus’’ all come from within the range of Z. stenocricotus and also, with one exception, from the same altitudes. (On Kupe Mt. the dark specimen comes from 7,000 ft. and the typical Z. stenocricotus from 38,000 ft.). It remains to fix Kufum, the type-locality of Z. phyllicus, which does not appear on any map. Stresemann informs me that from the dates on the labels of the collector (Riggenbach) it must be between Babessi and Ntem “in the forest of the Banso range’’, and from local knowledge Serle would place it about 15 miles N.E. of Banso Post (see map in Ibis 1950, p. 848), i.e., also within the range of Z. stenocricotus. Finally, after further experience in the area he is quite unable to perceive any habitat preference or other biological character which would help us to distinguish the birds of Z. phyllicus type from the Z. stenocricotus, which have a wide range of habitat on the mountains (ibid., p. 624) and with which they are found associating. From the foregoing, it is certain that, as others have concluded, “ohyllicus’’ does not replace Z. stenocricotus geographically or ecologically. It seems, indeed, practically certain that the “‘phyllicus birds are only Z. stenocricotus in unusual plumage. Exactly what conditions are connected with this type of plumage is not, however, clear, and it is particularly interesting that an Oku male (12th June) that is moulting its body feathers, the new ones appearing on the under parts are much brighter yellow than the old—i.e., the tendency ~ is to moult from Z. phyllicus type to typical Z. stenocricotus. Never- theless in the absence of soiling, a factor to some extent excluded in the case of the British Museum ‘“‘phyllicus’’ that have been cleaned, it is difficult to see why worn plumage should be much darker than fresh plumage, for the effect does not look as if it were solely due to reduction of lipochrome. Immaturity is likely to be a contributory cause of the darkness of the ‘‘phyllicus’’ birds, because in the African Zosterops generally the immatures tend to be duller-plumaged than adults; but we have the conflicting evidence of Bates that two of his “phyllicus’’ had enlarged testes. »} >) a be; . ate at ee ad | 2 4 ¥ x i OR pr se ry § Yay % p want ‘ . mF * Lv aw a 18 JUN 1953 Vol. 73 72 1953 The British Race of Lesser Redpoll. By Mr. P. A. CLANcEy. Working on a very large series of Lesser Redpolls from all parts of the British Isles I arrived at the decision, in 1950, that the western British populations were distinct from the Continental and that the name already proposed by Schmeideknecht, Carduelis linaria brit- annica, 1906, could not be used because of the earlier Carduelis carduelis britannica, of Hartert. Carduelis flammea disruptis, new race. Description: Similar to C. f. cabaret (Miller) of France but differs in being darker, the feather centres on the mantle and crown blacker, and in having the stripes on the ventral surfaces darker. Wings and tail darker. Similar in size. Distribution: The British Isles, most typically from the Western Scottish Highlands and Ireland. Type: 3g Adult. Collected in Knapdale, Argyllshire, western Scotland, October, 1948. Obtained by P. A. Clancey. In the Clancey collection in Glasgow. Remarks: Meinertzhagen, Bull. B.O.C., vol. 73, No. 4, April 19538, pp. 41 and 42, correctly points out the characters of race here described but confuses the issue by using for the dark western birds the name C, l. britannica, which was given to the unstable populations of southern England and is moreover pre-occupied. Trish birds are in no way darker than those of the western Scottish Highlands contrary to what Meinertzhagen would have us understand, but these populations of the north and west, inhabiting peat areas and birch forest, are unquestionably darker than those of southern England ~ and the Continent. A new geographical race of Shrike, Lanius excubitor Linnaeus. — By Cou. R. MEINERTZHAGEN. Lanius excubitor therese, new race. Description: Differs from L. e. aucheri Bonaparte in being distinctly darker on the mantle. ! Distribution: Only so far known from the hills of Galilee in northern Palestine and around Lake Huleh. Type: In the Meinertzhagen collection. Adult male, breeding. Ist April, 19538. Wing 113 mm. Remarks: Besides the type, five others from Galilee have been — examined and many seen in the field where the dark mantle is very noticeable. This dark race from northern Palestine is not surprising seeing that the rainfall in its“distribution is considerably greater than anywhere within the range/of typical L. e. adn t\ “ | id ri J Notices. STOCK OF THE “ BULLETIN.” It is proposed to reduce the stock of the “ Bulletin,” but before this is done members are given an opportunity to acquire parts at 2/6 each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. BACK NUMBERS OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who have back numbers of the “ Bulletin” which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1953. January 22nd; February 18th; March (in conjunction with the B.O.U.) ; April 14th ; May 19th ; June 16th ; October 20th ; November 17th ; December 15th. Members should note that from April onwards the meetings will be on a Tuesday. SEPARATES. Contributors who desire six free copies of their notes should state so on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE “ BULLETIN.” Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, ie., genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further ~ mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus — and no further mention of the author. If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Meeting, a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. Communications are not restricted ‘to members of the British — Ornithologists’ Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy — and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, Bowerwood House, St. Botolph’s q Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the - Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14, Elm Place, London, 8.W.7. — , ot oe» CF we ns WF aati th A ao “7, as Se . , Bi) $<) 4 ‘3 j J a i é, 4 fis AY [. Z te 3 He: Us i : J fhe BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON Volume 73 _ October, No. 7 1953 ‘ 5 ve ; r tw Rg ee ath Be) ae os Uh awe 1953 ) 73 | Vol. 73 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 73 No. 7 The five hundred and twenty-third meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, S.W.7, on Tuesday, 16th June, 1953, following a dinner at 6.30 p.m. Chairman : COL. R. MEINERTZHAGEN. Members present, 23; Guests 5; Total 28. Col. Meinertzhagen spoke on several aspects of bird migration in Palestine which were noted during a visit during March and April this year. The close-packed migration on definite routes and the broad-front trickle were observed on the same days among the red-rumped swallow (H. rufula) and the turtle dove (S. t. arenicola). Mass migration of the white stork, gulls (Larus fuscus) and many species of hawks was observed in the Dead Sea Depression and over the Gulf of Aqaba, birds using thermals for ascent and then gliding off at great speed to the base of another thermal which in turn was ascended, followed by another glide to another thermal and so on. Autumn Migration of Narcissus Flycatcher in China By Mr. G. H. MANLEY. On the 25th, 26th October 1949, at Shanghai, I recorded a Narcissus Flycatcher Xanthopygia narcissina narcissina (Temminck) in the typical female plumage. The bird frequented a nursery stand of poplar saplings in Jessfield Park just within the city and afforded excellent observation, allowing close approaches averaging five yards. Though relatively abundant on spring migration in China, its return journey from Japan to the Philippines and Hainan appears to be little known, and I believe this to be the first such record from the east-central China coast. La Touche (‘‘Birds East. China’’ I, 1925) has stated that the autumn migration of this flycatcher has never been observed in China, and Sowerby (‘*Birds Shanghai Area’’, 1943: 27) that the route has not yet been discovered. Vol. 73 74 1953 Brisson’s Nomenclature in his Ornithologie, 1760 By CAPTAIN C. H. B. -GRANT In the Bull B.O.C. 73, p. 25, 1953, I pointed out that Brisson’s genera appear only on the even-numbered pages from 26 to 60. Allen, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 28, Art. 27, p. 317, 1910 (which I had overlooked) has also pointed out that Brisson adopted 115 genera and further states on p. 319 that Brisson gave references to 1758, 10th ed. of Linnaeus’ Syst. Nat. only in his Vol. 5 and 6. On p: 90° of the Bull. ‘Zool?"Nom. 9, 1952, the I.-C: Z. i aote sores as a Brissonian genus. This is in the same category as the cases I have given in Bull. B.O.C. 73, 1953, as Grus in Vol. 5, p. 3754s net 2. eenus but a species name and Brisson’s combination would be Ciconia grus. Brisson’s genus Ciconia is on p. 48 of Vol. 1. It has been shown in Ibis, p. 602, 1948, that the genus Grus Pallas, Spic. Zool. 1, 1767, is a synonym of the genus Psophia Linneus. A Rail from Tonga, Rallus philippensis ecaudata Miller 1783 By Miss AveRIL M. LYSAGHT. This rail appears in current literature under two names, Rallus philippensis ecaudata Miller, 1783 and Rallus philippensis forsteri Hartlaub, 1852. The first of these appears to be valid; the use of the second name arose through Tahiti having been wrongly given as the type locality in the first published description. This mistake finally led to an extinct Tahitian rail Rallus pacificus Gmelin, 1789 being regarded as synonymous with the extant Tongan bird, and thus to the latter’s being said to be extinct. The steps by which these errors became incorporated into ornithological literature are briefly outlined below. My attention was drawn to this problem when I was working on the compilation of a catalogue for the Hakluyt Society of the drawings made by Georg Forster on Captain Cook’s second circumnavigation, 1772-1775. Plate 127 of Forster’s Icon. Ined. Brit. Mus. Nat. Hist. is a painting of R. p. ecaudata ; at the bottom of the plate there is a pencil note in Georg Forster’s writing —‘* Namoka @ July Ist, 1774.’’ That date, now only just legible, was two days after Cook left Tonga and may refer to the day on which Forster finished his painting. The synonymy of R. p. ecaudata is as follows :— Rallus ecaudata J. F. Miller, 1783, Var. Subj. Nat. Hist. Pl. 47 (based on Forster’s pl. 127). Tahiti. Philippine Rail, var. A. Latham, Gen. Syn. II, p. 231, p. LXXXVI, 1785. Tahiti. Rallus philippensis, 8 , Gmelin, Syst. Nat. XU, p. 714, 1789. Tahiti. Rallus pacificus var. J. R. Forster, Descrip. Anim. 1844, p. 178. Tonga. Rallus forsteri Hartlaub, Arch. f. Naturg. 18, bd. 1, p. 136, 1852. Tonga. 7 to Bit tes 1953 | 15 | Vol. 73 _ Rallus pectoralis Cuvier. Gray, Birds Trop. Is., p. 52, 1859. Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. Rallus pacificus Gmelin, 1789. Mathews, Syst. Av. Austral. pt. I, p. 904 (footnote), 1930. Tahiti. Miller’s work was overlooked for many years. His plate is an obvious copy of Forster’s although there is no acknowledgment of this in the accompanying description which is accurate enough as far as it goes except that Tahiti instead of Tonga is given as the type locality. Latham drew up his description, and presumably took his illustration too, from a specimen in the Leverian Museum. He repeated Miller’s mistake of the locality and was followed in this by Gmelin. In 1844, when Lichtenstein published the elder Forster’s Descriptiones Animalium, the Tongan bird was described as a variety of the Tahitian species R. pacificus but was given no scientific name. The differences between the two races were pointed out. In 1852 Hartlaub gave the name of R. forsteri to the Tongan rail which Forster had described as a variety of R. pacificus. On p. 136 (op. cit.) it is listed with rails from other Pacific Islands but there is no description :— ** Rallus philippensis L., Forsteri nob. (pacific. var. Forst.) Tonga-gruppe.’’ In 1859 Gray (loc. cit.) placed Hartlaub’s species in the synonymy of Cuvier’s Rallus pectoralis, and also referred G. Forster’s pl. 127 and J. R. Forster’s variety of R. pacificus to that species. That he was incorrect in this and in his localities was pointed out by Finsch and Hartlaub in 1867 (Ornith. der Viti-, Samoa- und Tonga- Inseln, pp. 162-3), who, unaware of Miller’s work, published a detailed description of the Tongan bird based on Forster’s account; they gave Tonga as the locality. When Miller’s work was rediscovered it was not at first realized that his assignation of R. p. ecaudata to Tahiti was incorrect, and Mathews, using the genus Hypotaenidia, in the first part of his Systema Av. Austral. (pp. 82-3, 1927) retained both R. p. forsteri and R. p. ecaudata as separate races, from Tonga and Tahiti respectively, instead of placing the former in the synonymy of the latter and correcting the locality. Three years later, in the second part of the Systema, there is a footnote on p. 904 according to which Mathews seems to regard R. pacificus, an extinct Species from Tahiti, as synonymous with R. p. ecaudata. Peters (Checklist, IH, 1934, pp. 165-6) appears to have followed Mathews but he gives R. ecaudata as a full species from Tahiti and -says that it is extinct, probably through accepting R. pacificus as a synonym; he gives Forster’s variety of the latter as a synonym of R. p. forsteri . from Tonga. In view of Miller’s mistake over the locality it is easy to understand how the later errors arose and were perpetuated. With the above facts in mind it seems clear that the correct name for the Tongan race of the Philippine rail is Ra/lus philippensis ecaudata Miller, 1783, and that Railus Philippensis forsteri Hartlaub, 1852 is a synonym of that subspecies. I have much pleasure in acknowledging my debt to Sir Norman Kinnear for his kind assistance in the preparation of this note, and to Mr. J. D. MacDonald for the facilities he has placed at my disposal in the Bird Room at the British Museum (Natural History). Voli = 76 1953) Systematic and Distributional Notes on African Birds By Mr. C. M. N. WHITE. (1) Variation in Accipiter castanilius Bonaparte. Amadon (Bull. Am. Mus. N.H., 1953: 100: p. 410) has shown that this species may consist of a smaller nominate population from south Cameroons to Gaboon and a larger Congo basin population which could be called A. c. beniensis Lonnberg. He had, however, only the measure- ments of six Congo basin birds. Through the kindness of Dr. H. Schouteden I recently examined a large series of this hawk at Tervuren and measured 37 specimens. The size variation over the whole range is as follows :— Southern Cameroons, Gaboon and Portuguese Congo: wing in male 151-158 mm., in female 84 mm. (5 males and 15 females measured by pe with whi les and 8 females measured by me agree.) i . ‘T60-167 mm., in females 178-198 mm. (13 females, measured by me). Thus all males measured seem ~ e females measured by me from the Congo basin — the wings meastire 185-195 from Tshuapa and Stanleyville, 180-198 from — Uelle and 186-192 mm. from Kivu. Although I doubt the advisability of separating by name any races which differ only in size, if there is an overlap such as occurs here, it seems worth confirming that the size variation does exist. (2) The name of a Green Pigeon. Since it was recently shown that Treron australis salvadorii (Dubois) is the correct name for the greenish tailed Green Pigeons of the southern Belgian Congo and Northern Rhodesia, the grey tailed birds of the eastern Belgian Congo and Uganda have been known as T. a. granviki Grote. There is, however, a considerably earlier name for these birds since Vinago gibberifrons Madarasz, Ann. Mus. Nat. Hungar., 13. 1915 p. 393 Mujenje, Uganda refers to them, and the grey tailed birds should be known as A. a. gibberifrons (Madarasz). (3) Variation in Glaucidium perlatum (Vieilot). Rand (Nat. Hist. Misc. 86, 1951) discussed variation in this owl and recognized three races. As the nomenclature of birds from Northern | Rhodesia was thereby affected, I have examined all the material in the — British Museum and find that undoubtedly the nominate form ranging from West Africa to Darfur and Kordofan with its light and more sandy upper surface and bright tawny head top and marked collar differs from the darker birds found in East, Central and South Africa. The two forms — appear to meet in the Sudan where specimens of both types occur. I — cannot, however, see any constant difference to justify splitting the birds — from Ethiopia south to South Africa, and Rand’s distinctions are not — confirmed by my material. They should all be called G. p. licua (Lichtenstein). oy aside ose el ot oecemented sD aia Maia hi 1953 77 Viol ald (4) The affinities of Apus somalicus (Stephenson Clarke). For many years it has been customary to treat this swift as a smal race of Apus pallidus (Shelley). On examining it recently it appeared that its true affinities are with the small East African A. niansae (Richenow), a species of similar size to the Somali bird but darker; in fact one or two examples of A. niansae are nearly as pale as the Somali birds. I see no reason to keep A. somalicus as a race of A. pallidus and would in future place it asa raceof A.niansae. Itmay be noted that A. apus(Linnaeus) ranges through Africa with breeding populations no smaller than the Palearctic races; it would be remarkable if the closely allied A. pallidus was represen- ted in Africa by a much smaller bird which was unrelated to the small _ Africa Swift (A. niansae). (5) On Pogoniulus bilineatus poensis Alexander. I regard P. bilineatus and races and P. /eucolaima and races as conspecific. Amadon (l. c. p. 421) refers to the doubts about this race and its validity. I have recently examined the series in the British Museum from Fernando Po. They are quite distinct from P. b. leucolaima (Verreaux) in their longer wing 58-63 mm. against 52.57 mm.; larger bill; clearer yellow, less greenish tinted underside and slightly paler lemon rump and upper tail.coverts. (6) Chalcomitra rubescens (Vieilott) in Northern Rhodesia. This sunbird has hitherto been known in the south-west Belgian Congo as far south as Sandoa, Dilolo and Kinda, but appeared to be one of the several species for which the orographically almost invisible Congo-Zambesi watershed was an obstacle. Mr. J. G. Williams has now very kindly pointed out to me that a female of it was collected by me at Mwinilunga in Northern Rhodesia on 4th October 1938, and long remained wrongly identified. It remains to ascertain what its status is in this area, but the record is of considerable importance in the zoogeographic significance of the Congo-Zambesi watershed, which appears to act as a barrier to the distribution of both birds and butterflies, and probably many other forms of life. Geographical Variation in Garrulax erythrocephalus in Central and Western Himalayas with Description of a New Race from Nepal By Mr. CHARLES VAURIE The Red-headed Laughing-thrush Garrulax erythrocephalus is widely distributed from Chamba in the Himalayas eastward to Sikang and the mountains of the Indo Chinese region and Malay Peninsula. It is very variable geographically and has been divided into more than a dozen subspecies, some of which are sharply differentiated. A long series examined from western and central Himalayas which includes, through the courtesy of Dr. A. L. Rand of the Chicago Natural History Museum, a series from west central Nepal, shows that a strong cline of increasing pigmentation runs from west to east, All these populations have hitherto Vol. 73 78 1953 been called nominate G. erythrocephalus Vigors, 1832, Proc. Zool. Soc. London for 1830—1831, p. 171, type locality, Himalayas, but, as shown below, it is desirable to restrict this locality and to separate nomenclaturally the population of Nepal. The geographical variation may be discussed first. The populations examined from the region of Simla westward to Kulu are palest, greyish- olive above with a tinge of brown on the mantle, the crown is bright reddish-chestnut, and the underparts fulvous tinged with pale greyish-olive on the flanks and under tail coverts, the populations from Tehri, Garhwal, and Kumaon becoming increasingly more saturated. East of Kumaon, at a distance of about 250 miles, the nearest population examined is from the Baglung district of west central Nepal. This population can no longer be referred to nominate G. erythrocephalus from which I propose to separate it as follows :— Garrulax erythrocephalus kali new subspecies. Type: Chicago Natural History Museum No. 211554; adult male; Lete, Kali River Valley, Baglung district, west central Nepal; 14th December 1949; R. L. Fleming, collector. Description: Similar to nominate G. erythrocephalus but distinctly — darker throughout, especially below, flanks dark, not pale greyish- — olive, warmer fulvous on the breast, brownish tinge stronger through- out, including the sides of the tail, outer webs of the wing feathers a stronger, darker, golden-yellow, black area on the upper throat purer black and averaging larger, crown darker chestnut, black squamations oui the mantle, sides of the neck, lower throat and upper breast averaging more numerous, larger and blacker. Measurements of the type: Wing 105, tail 116, bill from skull 26. Range: Nepal. Specimens from Kumaon are about intermediate geographically and in their characters between the population of the region of Simla and that of the region of Baglung. In view of the clinal changes they should not, in my opinion, be separated as an additional race and since, taken in series, they are somewhat closer to the characters of the western popula- tions, are best referred to nominate G. erythrocephalus. The type locality of nominate G. erythrocephalus is ‘‘ Himalayas’’ and is unsatisfactory and was restricted by Ticehurst and Whistler (1924, Ibis, pp. 468-473) to the Simla and Almora districts by implication when these authors restricted the type locality of all the birds described by Vigors in the 1832 paper to these regions. This action is open to serious objections (see Mayr, 1947, Jour. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. 47, p. 125) but since they do not concern G. erythrocephalus is acceptable for this species. However, as I have shown, the population of Almora (i.e. Kumaon) differs from that of Simla, and Almora proper is separated from Simla proper by a gap of nearly 200 miles, a distance which in view of the marked clinal variation is almost as significant as the distance which separates Kumaon from the Baglung district of Nepal. Under the circumstances I believe that it is wiser to further restrict the type locality of nominate G. erythrocephalus and I accordingly do so restrict it to Simla. 1953 79 | Vols If, as is to be expected, the clinal increase in pigmentation continues, the populations from central Nepal eastward will be found to be still darker and more richly coloured than typical G. kali but the region in which this red-headed form passes into the gray-headed G. nigrimentumis uncertain. Ripley (1950, Jour. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. 49, p. 395) observed that the species is still red-headed in the region of Katmandu and suggests that since the type locality of G. nigrimentum is Nepal it should perhaps be restricted to the Ilam district of eastern Nepal. However, there is no proof that G. nigrimentum occurs in Nepal. Oates’ G. nigrimentum (see 1889, Fauna Brit. India, vol. I, p. 91) is based on a manuscript name to Hodgson’s figure 820 in the library of the Zoological Society of London and the specimen depicted may have been from Darjeeling for, according to Kinnear (in Ludlow and Kinnear, 1937, Ibis, p. 32), “‘all the specimens of G.nigrimentum in the Hodgson collection were received in 1848 and 1859, after Hodgson had left Nepal in 1843 and gone to live at Darjeeling, and are, therefore almost certain to have come from Sikkim.’’ Garrulax erythrocephalus foxes rapidly but I have tried to exclude such specimens. All the specimens used were collected between November, 1931, to September, 1952, those from Kumaon were taken in 1948 and 1952 and those from west central Nepal in 1949. On the Races of the Frigate Petrel, Pelagodroma marina (Latham) with a New Race from the Cape Verde Islands 3 By Mr. W. R. P. BOURNE. In his recent review of the races of the Frigate or White-faced Storm Petrel R. C. Murphy showed that the populations breeding in high latitudes are dark and heavily marked, while those breeding in lower latitudes where cool water wells up to the surface are progressively paler and have larger bills, wings, tarsi, and toes, and shorter tails with a smaller graduation (American Museum Novitates 1506, 1951). Unfortunately, while he was able to examine adequate series of the Pacific races and of the form described below as P. eadesi from the Cape Verde Islands, Dr. Murphy only saw five birds from each of the typical Atlantic populations, breeding at the Tristan da Cunha group (P. marina (Latham) ) and the Salvages (P. hypoleuca (Webb, Berthelot, and Moquin Tandon) ). He remarks that the Tristan birds are very similar to those from New Zealand, and that those from the Salvages show some characters intermediate between the subantarctic and subtropical forms, but comes to no final conclusion concerning the status of these races. Therefore I have examined the series in the British Museum to test Dr. Murphy’s conclusions. The series demonstrates the sexual dimorphism, and the progressive loss of pigment, increase in size, and shortness of the tail in lower latitudes discussed by Dr. Murphy. In addition the birds from the Tristan da Cunha group and New Zealand appear indistinguishable; since they apparently also have a similar natural history, and exploit a continuous zone of surface water along the subtropical convergence, I suggest the races P, maoriana Mathews and P, marina should be united, The birds from Vol. 73 &0 1953 ’ the Salvages and Tenerife are smaller and darker than those from the * tropical Cape Verde Islands to the south; since this is the type locality of the race P. hypoleuca I propose the name eadesi for the extreme tropical Cabo-Verdian population. The intermediate Australian race P. dulciae Mathews, which is apparently a trans-equatorial migrant in the Indian Ocean (G. C. Jung, Temminckia 4: 100-108, 1941) resembles P. hypoleuca very closely indeed; but since the two forms breed on opposite sides of the world it seems as well to continue to distinguish them. The measurements of the birds in the British Museum are as follows :— Source No. Exposed Tarsus MidToe Wing Tail Exam’d Culmen and Claw Cape Verde 17 19-3 45-2 36:8 162 76°8 Islands (18-20:5) (42-48) (34.5-39) (155-169) (74-80-5) (eadesi) Salvages 12 P72 45-0 36:7 163-4 77.0 (hypoleuca) (16-19) (42-47) (35-5-38) (153-170) (70-83) Australia 6 ie 42-2 33:5 158-3 77:3 (dulciae) (16-18°5) (41-44) (35-37) (155-163) (75-79) New Zealand 8 16-0 40-5 34-2 154 78-0 (‘‘maoriana’’) (15-17:5) (39-43-5) (32:5-36) (149-162) (74-82) Tristan da ‘i 16-2 40:7 34:3 153 78:5 Cunha (16-17) (40-42) (34-38) (152-167) (76-82) (marina) ° It may be remarked that both Pelagodroma marina and the Little Shearwater Procellaria baroli Bonaparte, which has a similar world distri- bution and shows a similar type of variation, may have entered the North Atlantic from the south during the Pleistocene, when the cool currents off West Africa were probably stronger and approached each other on either side of the equator. If this is so the North Atlantic races of these two species can only have been isolated since the change in conditions at the end of the last ice age, so that they are perhaps only of the order of 10,000 years old. The status of the Atlantic races is apparently as follows :— Pelagodroma marina marina _Procellaria marina Latham, 1790, Index Ornithologicus vol. 2, p. 826 (Southern Oceans: off the mouth of the Rio de la Plata). Synonym: Pelagodroma marina maoriana Mathews, 1912, ‘‘ The Birds of Australia’’, vol. 2, p. 24 (Chatham Is.). Remarks : 1 have compared three birds taken from burrows on Nightingale Island and four birds recently taken on Tristan da Cunha itself by Mr. H. F. I. Elliott with eight birds from the New Zealand area. The new Tristan birds are slightly darker on the head and back than the faded older specimens, and the dark patch at the side of the breast is slightly more prominent in some New Zealand birds, but otherwise I am unable to see any differences whatever within the series. The series as a whole is the darkest examined, with the most extensive markings on the head and breast, much streaking on the forehead, the longest, most deeply forked tails, and the shortest bills, wings, tarsi and toes. The habits of the race in the New Zealand area have been summarised 1953 S| 7 MOLINO in detail by Richdale (Tran. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 73: 97-115, 1943) and others; the meagre information for Tristan da Cunha is given by Elliott (Oryx 2: 44, 1953), and apparently eggs or young have never been taken there. The only positive evidence for the start of the Tristan breeding season is the presence of a broken egg in the oviduct of a bird taken by Mr. Elliott on 29th September 1950; in New Zealand laying is general at the end of October. The breeding stations of this race are covered with. dense herbage: the other races nest in open arid situations. Pelagodroma marina hypoleuca Thalassidroma hypoleuca Webb, Berthelot, and Moquin Tandon, 1841, Hist. Nat. Iles Canaries, Zool., Orn., p. 45 (Tenerife). Description : An intermediate form resembling the southern races in the possession of a medium grey back, well defined head markings with some streaking of the forehead in some specimens, and a triangular white cheek patch sharply demarcated by the dark shoulder patch below. Its appearance is exactly intermediate between that of P. marina and P. eadesi, and very similar to that of the Australian form P. dulciae, from which it differs in the presence of slightly more white on the face and breast, and a slightly longer wing, tarsus and toe. Measurements : Four males (two from Salvages, two from Tenerife) Exposed culmen 17-19 (17-6); Wing 153-164 (162); Tail 70-79 (75); Tarsus 42-46 (44); Mid Toe and Claw 35:5—38 (36). Fight females (Salvages, April) Culmen 16-18-5 (17) Wing 163-170 (165); Tail 75-81 (79-3); Tarsus 45-47 (45-6); Mid Toe and Claw 36-38 (36-7). : Range : Breeds on the Salvages, and has been taken in the breeding season on Tenerife. Remarks : This race lays in April (W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Ibis (2) 7 41, 1896) and the young fledge in July and August (R. M. Lockley, Ibis 94, 145-151, 1952): this is a reversal of the southern cycle. Pelagodroma marina eadesi new race. Description : This 1s the extreme tropical form in the Atlantic, and the only one with a clear white face and collar. The mantle is paler and greyer than in any other race at a comparable time of year, and the head and shoulder markings are duller and less extensive than in other races: The white frontal band is not streaked, and extends upwards for at least a quarter of an inch above the culmen; it is sharply demarcated above by a line of feathers with dark bases. The white on the face extends backwards and upwards to join the superciliary stripe behind the ear in a majority of specimens, so that there is no well defined triangular cheek patch. The bill averages two millimetres longer than in any other race; the other measurements are given by Murphy (loc.cit.) and in the table, Type: British Museum Registered No. 1911.12.23.240, an adult female taken on Cima in mid March 1897 by Boyd Alexander (Ibis (7) 13: 74-113, 1898); measurements of type, Culmen 19mm., Wing 162mm., Tail 74mm., Tarsus 43mm., Mid Toe and Claw 32mm. Distribution : breeds on Branca and Cima in the Cape Verde Islands. Vol. 73 82 1953 Remarks ; Dr. Murphy discussed this form in detail under the name P. hypoleuca. The annual cycle differs from that of the temperate races; the bird comes to land in October, lays in February, and the young fledge in June; it is absent during the rest of the year (R. C. Murphy, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 1924, p. 211). It has been named for Mr. and Mrs. E. A. D. Eades, who helped me to visit Cima. On a Petrel New to the Eastern Africa List By Mr. C. W. MACKWORTH-PRAED & CAPTAIN C. H. B. GRANT. Dr. Junge of the Leiden Museum in a letter dated 20th April 1953, has very kindly pointed out that the species Oceanites marina (Latham) occurs on the eastern African seaboard. This record is in Temminckia, 6, p. 103, 1941, under Dr. Junge’s article ‘* Biological Results of the Snellius Expedition’’, which we had entirely overlooked as although this paper is in the Zoological Record no details are given. The actual records are two specimens off Cape Guardafui and one off Socotra Island in June and July: they belong to the race O. m. dulciae Mathews, which breeds on the Islands off the west coast of Australia. This species must now be added to the list of eastern African birds, and we thank Dr. Junge for inviting our attention to this matter. In The Ibis, p. 549, 1953, Mr. C. M. N. White is of the opinion that Procellaria carneipes (Gould) should also be included in the East African avifauna, but the locality given by Junge (lat. 10° N., long. 62° E.) is about midway between India and Africa. This is not within the area as defined by us in our work. On Struthio camelus Linnaeus By CAPTAIN .C,.H. B. GRANT. I am afraid that Mr. White’s note in the Bull. B.O.C. 72, p. 106, 1952, calls for some comment. Priority has been adopted by practically all systematic ornithologists, both past and present, and if we are to be consistent the first given locality (providing the species occurs there) should be accepted. It is not true in nomenclature that Linnaeus described a ‘‘composite of two races’’. Linnaeus gave all the known references to the Ostrich, but by so doing he was not thereby describing a ‘‘composite of two races’’. Rothschild did not and could not “‘split’’ a species. A species with, or without, geographical races remains a species, for a species includes all the individuals of its geographical races, and a geo- graphical race includes all the individuals of the species breeding within a specified area. Article 29 of the I.C.Z.N. is none too clearly worded and would appear to refer only to genera. A genus, as such, cannot be divided, it is an indivisible nomenclatorial entity. Species in a genus, with the exception of 1953 83 ) Vol. 73 _ the type species, can be removed to other genera, but this is not ‘‘dividing’’ a genus. The first sentence in Art. 31 of the I.C.Z.N. would not appear to have any meaning in ornithological nomenclature, nor would it appear that this Article in its proposed amended form (Bull. Zool. Nom. 4, p. 73, 1950) applies to ornithology. Art. 31 does not, in my opinion, apply to Rothschild’s action and I do not think that it is right to say that he is ‘correctly covered’’ by it. There is in this case no question of misidentifi- cation, and ‘‘juggling’’ is not, [ hope, in the curriculum of the systematic ornithologist. The acceptance, or non-acceptance, of Syria as the type locality of Linnaeus’ name rests solely on whether an author follows priority. A Note on Rhinomyias brunneata (Slater) By Mr. C. M. N. WHITE. Vaurie in his recent revision of the genus Rhinomyias (Amer. Mus. Novit. 1570, 1952) suggested that R. b. nicobarica Richmond was a distinct race with a much more rounded wing as well as some colour differences. His findings needed confirmation as he had only seen one specimen of nominate R. brunneata from China, his other material being one from Selangor and a dozen from the Nicobar Islands. A series of ten specimens from Fokien in the Biritsh Museum (Natural History) confirms fully the difference in the wing formula; they also are paler, more olive brown above, much lighter on the upper tail coverts, and have white not fawn under tail coverts as compared with Nicobar birds. Wings 76-83 mm. Three birds from One Fathom Light, Selangor; Trang; and Tampin Hill, Negri Sembilan do not differ in any way from nominate R. brunneata. Vaurie had seen one example only from Malaya which he thought intermediate between R. brunneata and R. nicobarica. Inmy view these birds are migrants from China and R. tardus Robinson and Kloss therefore a synonym of nominate R. brunneata. It seems also most likely that the round winged R. nicobarica is a resident race in the Nicobar Islands, and not a migrant from some unknown breeding place in China. The wing form certainly suggests a non-migratory form, and the Malayan birds examined by me do not suggest any intergradation between the two races. A New Race of Cisticola lateralis (Fraser) By Mr. JAMES P. CHAPIN. All the representatives of Cisticola lateralis living in savannas south of the rain forests of the Gaboon and Congo have usually been assigned to C. /. modesta (Bocage), of which the type locality is Cayo, Loeme River, near the coast of the French Congo. But specimens from this region of the Loango Coast, the Lower Congo, and the Middle Congo up to Lukolela differ but little in color from C. /. antinorii (Heuglin) of the grasslands north of the Upper Congo forest. Vol. 73 84 1953 As I have already pointed out in my “‘ Birds of the Belgian Congo’’ (1953, Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist., vol. 75A, pp. 348, 350), they have very little buffy coloration on the flanks and under tail-coverts. The name C. /. mcdesta should certainly be restricted to them. Farther south and east, from northern Angola to the Kasai and Manyema, presumably also the Katanga, one finds that the back and rump are much more rufous brown, the flanks and under tail-coverts heavily washed with cinnamon buff. This latter population is plainly in need of a new subspecific name, and { am happy to give it one in honor of my friend Colonel Jack Vincent, devoted field assistant to Admiral Hubert Lynes while materials were being collected for his great ‘‘Review of the Genus Cisticola’’ (1930, Ibis, Cisticola Supplement). Cisticola lateralis vincenti, new race. Description : Differs from the other races of C. /ateralis by the more ——— — oxw ruddy brown coloration of back and rump and the heavy wash of buff — on flanks, tibiae, and under tail-coverts. Only the immature examples of the other races are sometimes rufous. Distribution: Savannas from northern Angola to the Kasai and Manyema districts of the southern Belgian Congo, also to the western Katanga. Type : Male adult, 160 kilometers west of Baraka, Lake Tanganyika, Belgian Congo, 16th January, 1908, collected by Rudolf Grauer. Wing 62mm., tail 54 mm., culmen 12:5 mm. Iris brown, feet light brown, bill black. Remarks : In addition to the type and another adult male from the same locality, I have examined six males and three females, not all adult, from Luluabourg, Kasai, collected by the Reverend Father R. Callewaert, as well as two subadult males from Duque de Braganga and one adult male from Bango, Jinga country, Angola, collected by Dr. W. J. Ansorge. In my opinion the race C. /. modesta is scarcely distinguishable from C. 1. antinorii, so there would seem to be only three well-marked races of this species: C. /. antinorii, C. 1. vincenti, and the dark-colored nominate C. |. lateralis of Upper Guinea. The 11th International Ornithological Congress, presided over by Sir Landsborough Thomson, London, will be held in Basel (Switzerland) from 29th May to 5th June 1954. During the week of the Congress, five days will be devoted to meetings and two to excursions. Before and after the Congress (25th—28th May and 7th—19th June) excursions will be arranged to enable members to become acquainted with the Swiss avifauna, especially of the Alps and Lower Alps. The Congress fee is 30 Swiss francs The prospectus, containing registration form and detailed information, will be distributed this summer. Applications to attend, and to contribute scientific papers, should be sent in before 28th February 1954, and addressed to :— XI. INTERNATIONAL ORNITHOLOGICAL CONGRESS, ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, BASEL / SWITZERLAND. which is available for any inquiries needed. Basel, June 1953. a a) ae 4 tk ve) medend ny. 9 Notices BACK NUMBERS OF THE ‘‘BULLETIN’’ Back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ can be obtained at 2/6 each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. Members who have back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., as above. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1953 20th October; 17th November; 15th December. Members should note that the meetings will be on a Tuesday. SEPARATES Contributors who desire twelve free copies of their notes should state so on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE **BULLETIN’’ Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, i.e., genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus and no further mention of the author. If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Meeting, a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. Communications are not restricted to members of the British Ornithologists’ Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, ‘‘Merriewood’’, St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14 Elm Place, London, S.W.7. Twenty-one Shillings Annually. Two Shillings and Sixpence per copy. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent. a 5 Ph e * aie, ‘ : oe 8 Ar Rishi BH, > PUROHAGED 43 ere 4 44 La WYP a My Tel ew bee ed J Send BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ . | Volume 73 No. 8 Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON CLUB November 1953 oe) ng sachin 1953 . 85 7 Vol. 73 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 73 No. 8 The five hundred and twenty-fourth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, S.W.7, on Tuesday, 20th October, 1953, following a dinner at 6.30 p.m. Chairman : Cot. R. MEINERTZHAGEN. Members present, 37; Guests, 17; Guest of the Club, Dr. J. Cendron; Total 55. Dr. Jean Cendron showed slides of the French polar expedition 1950-52, depicting Snow and Antarctic Petrels. This was followed by a remarkable colour film of Emperor Penguins, showing their nesting colonies and the hatching and growth of the young. Finally Dr. Cendron showed a superb colour film of a colony of Adelie Penguins. Variation in Streptopelia decipiens (Finsch and Hartlaub) By Mr. C. M. N. WHITE. This dove is primarily a bird of Acacia woodland in the dryer wooded areas of Africa though in places it penetrates into moister country where the dominant vegetation is not Acacia provided that small patches of Acacia and allied savanna exist. Its distribution is not therefore wholly continuous; nevertheless study of the species as a whole shows that its variation is clinal with intergrading populations. Three groups of races are well defined but within each group the clinal nature of variation makes sharp separation of races a matter of some difficulty in which there will ‘no doubt always be divergence of opinion as to how many races should — be recognized. Group A. whole belly, flanks and under tail coverts grey. S. d. decipiens (Finsch & Hartlaub) (1870). (Dongola). Primaries and alula black. Typically a pale bird, especially above. Birds from the northern Sudan are very pale above and darken as they extend southwards to a dark and rather smaller extreme. It is certainly impracticable to separate Ethiopian birds as S. d. griseiventris (Erlanger) (1905. Artu, northern Somaliland). 19 Sudanese birds have wings 163-176 mm, whilst a few from Khartoum northwards run up to 185mm. 15 Vol. 73 86 } 1953 Ethiopian birds in the American Museum of Natural History have wings 164-176mm. One example from Yavello is developing a white middle to the belly and thus intergrading with group B. Range : Sudan from Dongola southwards, Eritrea, Ethiopia except the east; merges imperceptibly into the next race. S. d. logonensis (Reichenow) (1921. Bokaba, French Equatorial Africa). Darker than the nominate race, especially above. Averages smaller. 6 examples from the west of lake Albert in the American Museum of Natural History have wings 157-164mm, but a little further north in north Uganda and the southern border of the Sudan 7 specimens are already larger, wings 155-172mm. 3 from Kowa Baga near lake Chad are intergrading with the next race in size and have wings 177-183mm. This dark race is easily distinguished from birds from the northern Sudan but gradual intergradation makes it difficult to assign many birds from inter- vening positions. It seems advisable to follow Chapin in recognizing it for the extreme of this cline of variation. Range : Lake Chad to Ubangi, the northern edge of the Belgian Congo and southern edge of the Sudan, to lakes Albert and Edward and north Uganda. S. decipiens population in Darfur. I do not propose to bestow a new name on these birds though with a longer series it seems likely that they could be separated from the other races of Group A. Four examined are very extensively grey below, the grey colour extends up further onto the breast and the pink of the breast is itself more lilac grey in tinge; the wing coverts are more extensively grey, less brown than in the nominate race and size large; wings 171, 178, 180, 183 mm. S. d. shelleyi (Salvador) (1893. Niger R.) Dark grey below and in general much as S. d. Jogonensis in colour but with grey alula and outer edges to primaries and large in size; wing 170-187 mm. Ten examined. Range : French West Africa to Northern Nigeria and north Cameroons. Group B. Whole belly, flanks and under tail coverts white. S. d. perspicillata (Fischer & Reichenow) (1884. Nguruman) A larger population, wings 158—166mm. with pink of breast well defined; it intergrades with the next race in its northern range and no doubt will be found to intergrade completely with Group C. in southern Tanganyika. Ten examined. Range : Central Kenya Colony west to Kavirondo and south to northern Tanganyika Territory from Shinyanga to Longido and Nguruman. S. d. elegans (Zedlitz) (1913. Afgoi, south Somaliland) The smallest and palest extreme with the pink of the breast both pale and reduced in area; wings 144-161mm. Ten examined. Range : Southern Italian Somaliland to northern Kenya Colony and west to the Turkwell River. 1953 87 : Vol. 73 Group C. Generally darker than Group B. below and with flanks at least grey; if under tail coverts also grey, then with white margins. S. d. ambigua (Bocage) (1881. Dombe, south Angola) I group under this name several slightly differing populations. Angola birds are small, wings 152 and 164mm; Ngamiland birds are larger, wings 172-175 mm.; Katanga birds are also smallish, wings 160-165mm; birds from Nyasaland and eastern Northern Rhodesia variable, 160-175 mm. Colour is also variable; Nyasaland birds have appreciable grey on the flanks but much white on the belly, and under tail coverts white or mainly so; the other populations are more extensively grey below, reducing the white on the belly and have grey under tail coverts with white edges. These birds are thus essentially intermediate between groups A and B in characters though far removed in distribution. With large series from various parts of their range it would no doubt be feasible to subdivide races in more detail, though since the whitest birds from Nyasaland are but intermediates between S. d. ambigua and S. d. perspicillata there would be little advantage. Range : South Angola to Ngamiland and the Zambesi valley, ranging up the Zambesi in Barotseland to Mongu, up the Luangwa valley to Lundazi and up the Kafue to Namwala; southern Tanganyika territory and lower levels of Nyasaland through Portuguese East Africa to eastern Transvaal; an isolated population in the Katanga about Bunkeya and the Lualaba valley. Notes on some African Larks of the genus Mirafra By Mr. C. M. N. WHITE (a) Mirafra africanoides A re-examination of the East African populations of this lark shows that three races can be recognized in this area. Mirafra africanoides intercedens Reichenow (1895. Loeru, Kondoa). Study of over forty specimens shows that two colour types occur in this race; one with deep rusty feather edges to the upper side and one with these feather edges of a lighter and more sandy or greyish sandy shade; in both cases the black centres to the feathers are very heavy and more pronounced than in any of the South African races. To some extent these colour variations are geographically separated for birds from Tanganyika, one from Ethiopia and some from western British Somaliland are of the paler type whilst those from Kenya are mainly of the darker and rufous type which is also found in western British Somaliland. I do not think it wise to try to subdivide these populations however and give for this race’s range: Tanganyika in north east from Dodoma and Kibaya to Kilimanjaro, Meru and Longido; interior of Kenya Colony, and north west to Maroto in Uganda; thence evidently across Ethiopia since one specimen is available from Melkadegaga in central Ethiopia and north east to the highlands of western British Somaliland as far as Jifa Medir, Vol. 73 88 1953 Mirafra africanoides alopex Sharpe (1890. Somaliland). Often treated as a species, this is clearly a race of M. africanoides characterized by a light coppery red upperside with almost total sup- pression of the dark streaking. Only known from Bohotleh in south east British Somaliland, south west over the border into Ethiopia, whence came the type. Four examined. Mirafra africanoides macdonaldi new race. Differs from all the other races of the species in the deep vinous. red of the upperside; streaking of mantle perhaps less marked than in M. a. intercedens, that of the head top markedly so.. Type: In British Museum (Natural History) Reg. No. B.M.1946.5. 2826. Male collected by C. W. Benson at Yavello, south Ethiopia on 3rd July, 1941. Only known from the region of Yavello and Mega in southern Ethiopia. Nine examined. Note : The three races do not differ markedly in size; M. a. intercedens has wings 84-93mm; M. a. macdonaldi with wings 85-92mm. is about the same size; M. a. alopex with wings 82-90mm. may be a trifle smaller. Mirafra cordofanica Strickland is very closely allied to M. africanoides in the hand; it might well be a representative of it ranging from the French Sudan about Timbuktu east to Darfur and Kordofan but it has a distinctly smaller first primary and a pale bill contrasting with the dark bill of M. africanoides. It is probably better left as a separate species for the time being. (b) Mirafra rufocinnamomea The opportunity to examine all the material of this species in the British Museum, Congo Museum at Tervuren and Pretoria Museum as well as series in my own collection has brought to light some new facts about its variation. Hitherto opinion has been divided as to how far colour variation was purely geographical and how far due to the presence of colour phases. The truth is clearly that in some areas of its range, the species seems to be tolerably constant with little indication of colour phases whilst in other areas there is much variability in this respect. But even where there is much variability in colour, these colour variations do not normally live side by side but form a patchwork of populations each fairly constant where found. Apart from this, however, sporadic aberrant birds may crop up far from their normal range. As a result the definition of races is not difficult in areas of stability but very difficult in areas of varying populations. i. West Africa: M. r. buckleyi (Shelley) ranges from Gambia to Nigeria and the Shari river; there seems to be no geographical variation in this area, the upperside being of a rather softly dappled pattern with feather margins varying from greyish sandy to reddish sandy; size small, wing 73-80mm. Fifty examined. ii. North East Africa: an area of constant races. M. r. furensis Lynes of Darfur is a light reddish form on the upperside with the black 1953 . 89 , Vol. 73 pattern reduced and on the underside the breast spotting almost obsolete. Wing 7€-83mm. M. r. sobatensis Lynes from the White Nile-Sobat con- fluence is a race with the upperside mainly black, the outer parts of the feathers shading to greyish on the mantle, and with fine apical fringes of cream; underside rather pale with very heavy breast spotting; large, wing 82-87mm. _ M. r. rufocinnamcmea (Salvadori) of northern Ethiopia is a race with a rusty brick red upperside with fairly pronounced angular black pattern, dark underside and moderate breast spotting. Wing 85-89mm.; this race ranges from Gondar and lake Tana to Hiressa whence M. r. degeni O. Grant (type examined) is clearly a synonym. It is noteworthy that the type of M. rufocinnamcmea is an aberrant bright rusty individual. In south west Ethiopia occurs a population which in colour links the nominate race with the melanistic Sobat form. This is M. r. omoensis Neumann. Birds from the region of lake Zwai, lake Abaya and Walamo are character- ised by the greater development of the black feather centres of the upper- side. Two others from the Baro valley near the Bongo fork in west Ethiopia and from between Maji and Mashi are even blacker. All these birds are deeper rusty below than M. r. sobatensis, and slightly darker below than the nominate race. A rather small race, wing 78-86 mm. iii. Deep red races. Birds with deep or bright red uppersides only occur very sporadically outside two areas. In these two areas they seem to be constant. These races are M. r. tigrina Oustalet which ranges from Ubangi and the east Cameroons at Bosum east to the Uelle, southern Bahr-el-ghazal and Wadelai; its eastern limits are about the north end of lake Albert and its upperside is a deep vinous pink with a slight greyish bloom; the black centres are sometimes small, sometimes prominent. Wing 74-82?mm. The second is M. r. torrida Shelley; this differs from the nominate form in its bright rich red upperside with the dark markings smoother and more rounded, less sagittate than in M. r. rufocinnamomea; wing 79-86mm. Of this bird I have seen 4 from Yavello, Burgi and Alghe in south Ethiopia ; eleven from the Kenya highlands east of the Rift valley south to Oldeani, Kilimanjaro and Kibaya; five from Iringa and Njombe in Tanganyika suggest that at Njombe this race is fading into M. r. fischeri; two birds from Didinga mountains in south east Sudan also seem to belong to it. Out of twenty-five birds examined from the above areas all are constant except for one blackish but breeding bird from Arusha. The only equally red birds occuring elsewhere of which I know are the type of the nominate race and one from north east Angola, both in areas where the normal population is quite different. There seems no reason to refuse recognition to M. r. torrida. iv. M.r. kawirondensis van Someren has often been supposed to be a blackish backed race occuring from West Kenya Colony across Uganda to Ruwenzori; this is not quite true. Actually there seem to be two blackish backed populations, one in western Kenya colony and one around Ruwenzori but between them are birds with reddish brown backs which range from Ankole and Mulema to Mpumu, Mubende and north to the Vol. 73 90 1953 Nakwai hills and north west Uganda. Moreover the two black backed populations are not quite identical for the birds from Ruwenzori are more completely black whilst those from Western Kenya Colony are more brownish black above. A bird from Bukoba, west side of lake Victoria is also blackish above; birds from Shinyanga, south east of lake Victoria are also very black above but with dark rusty feather margins which are narrow. Birds from Kigoma are best allied with the red-brown birds of Uganda. Rather small in size, wings of twenty-nine examples measure 75-82mm. In my view this race can only be kept up on the following basis: Black backed type: upperside blacker, less ashy than melanic examples of M. r. fischeri but more brownish black than M. r. sobatensis and without creamy scalloping of the latter. Red-brown type: differs from M. r. fischeri in being decidedly more strongly pigmented above with the black pattern more pronounced and sharper on the upperside; differs from nominate M. rufocinnamcmea in being more brownish clay colour, less brick red above and still less red than either M. r. tigrina or M. r. torrida. v. M._+r. fischeri (Reichenow). Under this title I have grouped a large number of very variable populations. Their common characters are: black pattern of upperside not sharp or sagittate but dull and smudgy as a rule; colour of upperside very variable from greyish brown to brown or reddish brown or sandy brown but always duller and less richly pigmented than the races to the north of it. M. r. fischeri was described from Mombasa: I have seen six from Mombasa, Tanga, Korogwe, Morogoro and Ngomeni; they are all rather small, wings 72-76, once 71mm. (male, Ngomeni). They include greyish, light brown, reddish and rather blackish individuals. A series from northern Portuguese East Africa are all rather greyish brown above and only separable from the similar coloured M. r. fischeri by having wings 77-79 mm. At Zomba in south Nyasaland occurs a melanic popula- tion, near to melanic M. r. kawirondensis, but rather greyer and more ashy black above; wings 75-81mm. It was separated as M.r.zombae O. Grant but cannot be maintained for similar coloured birds are not infrequent in Central Africa (e.g. Kawambwa in Northern Rhodesia, Dilolo in Katanga, and north of Vila Luso in Angola). However if one wishes to keep up the birds from southern and central -Africa as separate from M. r. fischeri as larger in size it could be used: for them. Their wings would be 74-84 in a very long series against 71—-76mm. in M.r. fischeri. Personally I see no point in such a division and would place under M. r. fischeri birds from eastern Transvaal and Swaziland north on coast to south east Kenya, Nyasaland and south west Tanganyika at Ufipa, Southern and Northern Rhodesia, Belgian Congo (Katanga to Kasongo and Kasai and lower Congo), Angola at least from the railway line northwards, Portuguese Congo and adjacent Gaboon. vi. Other races: three other races must be mentioned to complete the survey. M. r. lwenarum White, paler and pinkish sandy, from extreme western Northern Rhodesia; M. r. mababiensis (Roberts) a very pale sandy brown population of Ngamiland and M. r. damarensis Sharpe from Ovamboland, with upperside whitish sandy on feather edges. The last 1953 . 91 Vol. -73 mentioned has sometimes been placed as a race of M. apiata (Vieillot) but is much more close to the southern races of M. rufocinnamomea. However, the two species may well prove to be conspecific. I am much indebted to Captain C. H. B. Grant and Mrs. B. P. Hall who looked at these birds with me at the British Museum. On the validity of nomina nuda contained in synonymy lists By CAPTAIN C. H. B. GRANT. I have carefully studied Stresemann & Mayr’s article in Sencken- bergiana, 32, No. 1/4, pp.211—218, 1951. In the preliminary two paragraphs the status of a nomen nudum is in agreement with the accepted views on such a name, and the last sentences no doubt mean that when it is adopted with a description, or placed in a synonymy its priority date is changed from that when it was introduced into literature to that when it is intro- duced into nomenclature. In paragraph three there seems to be some confusion between a nomen nudum and a MS. name, although it would appear that MS. names are meant. If any author publishes a name from a MS. source the name is of that author, and if he does so as a nomen nudum it has been introduced into literature but not into nomenclature. This is, I think, the interpretation of Opinion 4, and naturally once an author has published a name he is not in a position to repudiate it. It is not the MS. name as such that acquires standing, but the name adopted from a MS. by another. The more usual and desirable practice is for a subsequent author to place a nomen nudum in the synonymy of some known species. The subsequent finding of a specimen which is said to be the type may not be brought forward as evidence of validation of a nomen nudum, as in fact the nomen nudum has been dealt with and in its original publication no type could have been designated. Nomina nuda and MS. names are different, inasmuch as the former has been published and is available to the public, and the latter can have no existence in the sense of availability to the public, for no author other than the person who writes it on a label or in a MS. can have knowledge of it. | “The word ‘‘indication’’ in Article 25 is, I think, rightly interpreted by the authors as ‘‘bibliographical’’, i.e. a bibliographical reference, but I am unable to agree that ‘‘ great confusion’’ has been caused by the use of the word ‘‘indication’’ (hinweis). Iam not quite sure that I correctly interpret the argument on p.212 about Article 21, but presumably the authors are considering the case of an author having adopted a MS. name and, as a matter of courtesy, considers that he should place after the name in brackets ‘‘Jones, MS’’. I do not think he has declined to accept responsibility by this act, for in fact it is his name and not that of ‘‘Jones MS.’’ I think that Article 21, Opinion 53 and 73 are dealing with published and not MS. names. It does not appear to be clear whether the authors all through this article are really discussing nomina nuda and not MS. names, but they ’ Vol. 73 o2 1953 are certainly not right in coupling the two together, yet on p.213 they appear to argue that a MS. name has standing in nomenclature. How can it? It is non-existent from a public point of view, and it cannot be argued that because a MS. name has been written on a specimen, that this speci- men is a type (see Stiles under Opinion 78). It cannot be until it is published and -ecome available to the public. The identity of a nomen nudum does not arise and it therefore cannot be said that when placed in a synonymy that an ‘‘erroneous identification’? has been made. There can be no argument that Alauda dulcivox Gray, 1844, as a nomen nudum has been correctly, not erroneously, dealt with by Horsfield & Moore, 1856, and the action taken by Brookes in 1873 is invalid. In the second example Murphy’s 1925 MS. name was not available to the public and needs no discussion. Alexander, 1928, first brings the name QOceanites chilensis into literature as a nomen nudum. Mathews, 1924, finding this nomen nudum, rightly brings it into nomenclature by placing it in a synonymy. Therefore Murphy’s, 1936, action in re-issuing this name with a description is invalid. It matters not that a name has a geographical or any other meaning, and it has been correctly laid down that a geographical nomen nudum should not be thereby considered that it must te attached to any particular area. The third example given is also that of a nomen nudum, and it is a perfectly clear case. Eurystomus calorynx first appears in print in Gray, Zool. Misc. (6) p.82, 1844, and has been placed by that author in the synonymy of Eurystcmus orientalis (Linnaeus). Sharpe, Cat. Bds. B.M.17, p.38, 1892, gives a reference to Gray, 1844 as above, but deliberately mis-spells the name as ‘‘calonyx’’. Therefore ‘*calornyx’’ and *‘calonyx’’ are the same and not different names. As Eurystomus calornyx had already been disposed by Gray in 1844, Sharpe was incorrect in using it at a later date as the name of another species. I have examined the unpublished Hodgson drawings in the British Museum and the name on Plate 10, figs. 242 & 248 is Eurystomus orientalis only. These drawings did not arrive in England until 1848. Ripley was quite right in giving a new name, but not because ‘‘calonyx’’ was pre-occupied by ‘‘calornyx’’ but because the former is a substitute name for the latter and the latter has already been placed in a synonymy. When discussing ornithological nomenclature we should keep to the nomenclature of that subject and not become involved in, or bemuse ourselves by, the problems of other branches of zoology. Surely no author giving a name to a new genus, species, or geographical race, does so blindly, and of course he is compelled to carry out research work to this effect. It is to help the systematist that Sherborne, Neave, and the many others published their works. I do not see why the publication of a new name adopted from a MS. need lead to any more confusion or create more homonyms than names brought to the notice of the public in the ordinary way. Further, on p.214 surely the authors are confusing a nomen nudum placed in a synonymy and a name originally introduced into nomenclature and which is subject to Article 36, on ‘‘Rejected synonyms’’. 1953 95 | Vol. 73 In their conclusions surely the authors are still confusing nomina nuda and MS. names, and as regards :— (1) It has been universally accepted that a pre-1758 name is not validated by being published after 1757 in its original form. (2) A MS. name is unavailable to the public. If adopted and published it is no longer a MS. name. (3) A conscientious systematist is perforce involved in some biblio- graphical research, and surely the road has been made easier by such bibliographers as Giebels, Sherborne and Neave. (4) The authors do not appear to distinguish between nomina nuda and MS. names. I agree that Opinion 78 is quite unsound, inasmuch that it would appear from the evidence given by the I.C.Z.N. that both Dermacentor occidentalis and Dermacentor venustus were placed in the synonymy of Dermacentor reticulatus by Neumann 1897, and therefore cannot be removed from this synonymy. They have in fact been treated as nomina nuda. They do not come within the proviso of Article 36 on rejected synonyms which cover names properly introduced under Article 25. Fortunately Opinion 78 is not an ornithological decision. Their Recommendations do re-state the principle to which systematic ornithologists subscribe, i.e. MS. names are unavailable to the public and therefore non-existent. Whether an author publishes, and so makes available to the public, a MS. name of his own creation or a MS. name of some other person which he may have found written on a label or ina MS. is of no significance whatsoever, as the result is the same in either case. A published name is not a MS. name. A published name has either been introduced into literature, 1.e. a nomen nudum, or into nomenclature as defined in Article 25. How can MS. names be allocated to any class of names? I feel that the authors, as regards nomina nuda, are creating difficulties that in fact do not exist. The disposal of a nomen nudum is a perfectly simple process that has been in use for many years and has not, to my knowledge, led to either confusion or chaos. Notes on the taxonomy of the Guinea Fowls By Mr. C. M. N. WHITE. (1) The Status of Numida meleagris marchei Oustalet. Recent examination of specimens of this race in the Paris Museum from French Equatorial Africa fails to show how it can be satisfactorily distinguished from N. m. galeata Pallas of West Africa; six examples of G. m. marchei perhaps suggest that the blue wash on the breast tends to be more pronounced in that supposed race but as many West African birds are just as blue, I see no reason to maintain N. m. marchei, Vol. 73 : 94 1953 (2) Geographical variation in South and Central Africa. Examination of large series of N. m. mitrata Pallas convinces me that no valid reason can be found for recognizing N. m. transvaalensis Neumann as distinct from it. All the birds from Southern Rhodesia and the south and east of Northern Rhodesia which were referred to N. m. transvaalensis (in White and Winterbottom: Check List of Birds of Northern Rhodesia) must therefore be assigned to N. m. mitrata. Further west, N. m. papillosa Reichenow seems hardly to differ from N. m. mitrata in more than its nasal papillae; it intergrades with N. m. mitrata in this respect about the Chobe river, and extends west from Ngamiland to the Cunene and the coast of South Angola at Huxe near Benguella whence I have seen specimens which are not separable from it. N. m. papillosa is merely an intergrade between N. m. mitrata and N. m. damarensis Roberts in which the casque is generally longer and thinner. At the south eastern extreme of the range from the eastern Cape province to Natal, the birds which have been examined seem to differ from N. m. mitrata in their broader and more compressed casque, and would indicate that N. m. coronata Gurney was recognizable from this area. Across the plateau of Central Africa from central Angola to the Katanga, north of Northern Rhodesia and east to the northern end of lake Tanganyika occur very distinctive guinea fowls with a bright golden amber casque. Three names are available for these birds, the oldest being N. m. marungensis Schalow. I cannot see any constant difference to justify keeping the birds of the west Angola highlands distinct as N. m. maxima Neumann described from Caconda, for in the numerous birds I have examined from various parts of Northern Rhodesia there is tremendous individual variation in the size and shape of the casque. N. m. bodalyae Bowen described from Chitau in Angola (Proc. Wash. Biol. Soc. 1934. p. 45) must also be put as a synonym of N. m. marungensis. Systematic Notes on African Birds By Mr. C. M. N. WHITE. 1. The race of Francolinus sephaena in Northern Rhodesia. The more tropical populations of this francolin from northern South West Africa to the Zambesi valley differ from the nominate race of South Africa mainly in being more lightly vermiculated on the underside; there is also a size cline since in the lower Zambesi valley birds decrease some- what in size. Twelve birds from South West Africa to Ngamiland and Kalomo in Northern Rhodesia have wings 155-180mm., whilst three from Zumbo and the lower Zambesi measure 150-155mm.; on the whole birds from South West Africa average greyer below and those from the Zambesi valley more yellowish but this distinction is by no means constant. The best course seems to be to call all these birds F. s. zambesiae Praed and to put F. s. thompsoni Roberts as a synonym. Other synonyms are F. 5. chobiensis (Roberts) (1932. Kabulabula) and F. s, mababiensis id. (1932. Mababe flats). 1953 95 ) Vol. 73 2. The races of Francolinus bicalcaratus (Linnaeus). Bannerman recognized four races in Bds.Trop.W.Afr.v.i. whilst in 1948 Grote proposed a fifth race. The British Museum now has over 100 skins from all parts of the range of the species; this shows that variation is essentially clinal. The nominate race which is lightest on crown and hind neck, brownest above, whitest and least heavily marked below darkens gradually as it ranges east from Senegal and Gambia to northern Cameroons; the cline of increasing pigmentation increases sharply through the Cameroons to the coast and to southern Nigeria; finally it reaches its extreme of melanism from the Ivory Coast to Sierra Leone so that in the western parts of its range the palest nominate race and darkest race approach each other geographically most closely. It appears to me only practicable to recognize three races. F. b. bicalcaratus (Linnaeus) (1766. Senegal). Palest race. Range : Senegal to Portuguese Guinea and through interior of West Africa to Adamawa, south on coast in Gold Coast. F. b. adamauae Neumann is a synonym for it represents merely clinal darkening of an unstable nature and many birds from the Gold Coast and occasionally even further west are as dark. F. b. ogilvie-granti Bannerman (1922. Jang). Generally darker above, more deeply buffy cream below and with heavier black markings below. Syn. F. b. molundensis Grote (1948. Orn. Ber. p.145. Molundu, S.E. Cameroons). The type locality is very close to the area of the generally paler nominate race, but most birds from the Cameroon highlands are consistently dark, the darkness being more marked as one reaches the coast; some coastal birds again are so dark that they run close to the next race. Range : Cameroons to southern Nigeria at Lagos and Owerri. F. b. thornei Ogilvie-Grant (1902. Sierra Leone). Darkest race. Range : Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast. 3. The status of Rhinoptilus africanus raffertyi Mearns. (1915. Hawash Bridge, Ethiopia). The British Museum now has two examples from the type locality and another from Borharamela in the Danakil country. These birds are all dark brownish grey above and stand out most conspicuously from nineteen specimens from British Somaliland southwards towards Obbia, which are a bright rufous sandy shade above and represent R. a. hartingi Sharpe. There are also five birds collected between Zeyla and Harar which whilst rather paler and more sandy than typical R. a. raffertyi, are quite lack- ing the rufous of Somaliland birds. It follows that these grey birds must be recognized as a valid race under the name which Mearns provided for them. | 1 | Vol. 73 » * 4096 1953 4. The status of Glareola pratincola boweni Bannerman. Doubts which have been cast on the identity of birds of this species from Angola recently led me to re-examine the African breeding birds as a whole. Apart from the pale and grey G. p. limbata in north east Africa, I cannot see any constant characters to justify splitting the dark breeding populations of Africa; I am quite unable to see the characters claimed for G. p. boweni and regard it as a synonym of G. p. fuelleborni Neumann. 5. The race of Poicephalus robustus in Northern Rhodesia. Doubt has always existed as to the identity of the examples of this species collected in the north west of Northern Rhodesia, in case they should be referred to P. r. angolensis Reichenow, described from Angola. Comparison of all the material from tropical Africa in the British Museum shows no difference is discernible from Angola or Ovamboland across Central Africa to Tanganyika territory; P. r. angolensis is clearly a synonym of P. r. suahelicus Reichenow. The nominate South African race with head yellowish brown, not grey is well marked; the West African P. r. fuscicollis (Kuhl) is just separable from P. r. suahelicus in its more bluish green less yellowish green underside; but occasional birds from the range of P. r. suahelicus are just as dark and bluish below, e.g. two.examined from Nyasaland. 6. The race of Poicephalus meyeri in Northern Rhodesia. There has always been doubt as to the correct identification of the Brown Parrots found in Northern Rhodesia; comparison of considerable new material shows that no constant difference exists to distinguish P. m. neavei C. Grant from P. m. matschiei Neumann and the former must be placed as a synonym. Moreover specimens from Petauke and Feira are scarcely light enough above to be treated as P. m. transvaalensis Neumann; all birds occuring in Northern Rhodesia should be assigned to P. m. matschiei, but material from the south of Barotseland is needed to check the race there. I am indebted to Mrs. B. P. Hall for looking at these birds with me and confirming my conclusions. 7. A new race of Malacocincla fulvescens. Malacocincla fulvescens dilutior new race. — Description: Differs from the nominate race of south Cameroons to Gaboon and Portuguese Congo in being duller and more olive above without the rusty tinge of M. f. fulvescens; below also paler and more buffy, less rusty; throat clearer white with less indication of streaking; bill slightly shorter, in most cases. Type : in British Museum (Natural History) collected at Ndala Tando (now Vila Salazar), north Angola by Dr. Ansorge on 29th December 1908. B.M. reg.no. 1910. 5.6.674. Four specimens compared with long series of the nominate race. Range ; only known from the type locality in north Angola. My thanks are due to Mrs. B. P. Hall who helped to compare these specimens and confirmed the differences in the Angola birds. 4 Py Aves wre path e = Notices BACK NUMBERS OF THE ‘‘BULLETIN’”’ Back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ can be obtained at 2/6 each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. Members who have back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., as above. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1953 17th November; 15th December. Members should note that the meetings will be on a Tuesday. SEPARATES Contributors who desire twelve free copies of the Bulletin containing their notes should state so on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE **BULLETIN”’’ Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, i.e., genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus and no further mention of the author. If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Meeting, a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. Communications are not restricted to members of the British Ornithologists’ Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, ‘‘Merriewood’’, St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14 Elm Place, London, S.W.7. SUBSCRIPTION Twenty-one Shillings Annually. Two , Shillings and Sixpence per copy. f. Published by the BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB and printed by The Caxton & Holmesdale Press, South Park, Sevenoaks, Kent. } + S97 FO" 4 mf e * \ 4, Th ps A Koom = PUROR Sot ADEC 1953. BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Edited by Dr. JEFFERY HARRISON Volume 73 December No. 9 1953 1953 97 ; Voli #3 BULLETIN OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB Volume 73 No. 9 The five hundred and twenty-fifth meeting of the Club was held at the Rembrandt Hotel, Thurloe Place, S.W.7, on Tuesday, 17th November 1953. The meeting was held jointly with the B.O.U. Before the dinner Mr. Peter Scott described his visit to South America in May, 1953, and showed two films taken on the trip. Chairman : COLONEL R. MEINERTZHAGEN. Members present, 46: Guests of the Club, Mr. and Mrs. Peter Scott: Members of the B.O.U., 28: Guests, 22: Total, 98. The Birds of Patagonia and the High Andes Mr. Peter Scott explained that the purpose of the visit to South America was generally to study the South American wild fowl in their natural habitats, and in particular to make closer aquaintance with three species of duck about which little was known—the Black-headed Duck, Heteronetta atricapilla, the Bronze-winged Duck, Anas specularis, and’ the Torrent Duck of Bolivia, Merganetta armata garleppi. The journey was made by air via New York to Santiago, where im- mediate success rewarded the search for the Black-headed Duck, two makes and a female being seen in company with many hundreds of other duck on a lake some fifty miles east of the town. 7 From Santiago the party went to the Magellan Straits and Tierra del | Fuego, where coloured films were taken of many species of duck and goose, including a short sequence of the Bronze-winged Duck. On the return journey, the party stayed at Lake Titicaca, on the borders of Bolivia and Peru. After much searching, at first near the lake and later in the fast running mountain rivers to the east of the lake, the Torrent Duck was found. Owing to the steepness of the gorges through which the rivers dropped, there was less than an hour of sunlight each day in which to film, and few shots of ducks were obtained. Mr. Scott gave a vivid description, however, of two forms of display, in one of which males in pairs, and once females, beat the water with their feet, and Vol. 73 98 | 1953 circled slowly with arched necks and down pointed bills. In the other, the male swam quickly past the female on the water, and flicked a shower of } spray over her with a quick action of the near-six paddle. After dinner, Mr. Scott made a reply to the criticisms, recently published in The Times, of the ringing of Pink-footed Geese by the Severn Wildfowl Trust, and answered many questions from members. A Note on Larus “capistratus’’ Temminck By Mr. ALFRED. HAZELWOOD and Dr. JAMES M. HARRISON. Larus ‘* capistratus’’ (Man. d’Ornithol. 1820, iii. 785-7) was stated by Temminck to occur in Baffin’s Bay, in the Davis’ Strait, as well as in Orkney, and in various isolated localities in Europe. While Hartert (Die Vég. der Paldarkt. Fauna, 1912-21, 1745) places this bird in the synonomy of the Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus Linnaeus commenting that the North American localities mentioned by Temminck are incorrect, it seems unlikely that Temminck confounded his L. ** capi- stratus’’ with typical L. atricilla since the former is characterised by being markedly smaller than L. ridibundus, whereas L. atricilla is stated to be as large or even larger. It is not so certain, however, that variant examples of L. atricilla, similar to those obtaining in L. ridibundus, were not included in the specimens on which the species was erroneously erected. Larus ‘‘ capistratus’’ Temminck was figured in the earlier editions of Yarrell’s History of British Birds and by Meyer in his Coloured Illustrations of Birds and their Eggs, 1842-47, and was included by MacGillivray in his Manual of Ornithology, 1846. In all the later editions of Yarrell, how- ever, it is stated that L. **capistratus’’ was ‘‘ generally admitted to have been based upon small examples of this species (i.e. L. ridibundus)— generally females with hoods only partially developed, or contracted by the make-up of the preserved skins. Many such specimens measure only eleven inches (280 mm.) in length of wing’’. MacGillivray, in his History of British Birds, 1852, (ii, 605-6), clearly accepts the view that the bird is a dwarf mutant of L. ridibundus. He states that it is ‘“A bird considerably smaller than Gavia ridibunda (L. ridibundus), but not much more so than individuals of other species are found to be when compared with others... ’”’ Some confusion still prevailed since Newman in A Dictionary of British Birds (1866), being a reprint of Montagu’s Ornithological Diction- ary (1813), has the following ‘‘(Gull, Masked—see Gull, Laughing.)’’ On referring to the latter, we find (p.161) ‘‘This species is larger than the Black-headed Gull, length eighteen inches. It differs from that bird only in the legs which are black; the bill is, however, stronger, and the head larger. We do not recollect this bird having been noticed in England, or at least recorded in the list of British Birds.”’ To complete the uncertainty and enhance the confusion, the following is added by way of a post-script: ‘Possibly the bird here described is identical with the Black-headed Gull, which see. They may easily be 1953 | 99 : Vol. 73 known from the Black-headed Gull even when flying; the flight is different; the bird appears much larger and the tail shorter in proportion.’’ This cannot, however, have reference to L. ‘‘capistratus’’ sens str., since this ‘‘species’’ was characterized by a finer bill and shorter red-brown legs as well as by being smaller overall than L. ridibundus. ‘capistratus’’; on right a normal L. ridibundus. One may remark here that the present specimen, if seen in the field, would undoubtedly have given rise to difficulties of identification, which might well have led to equally contradictory conclusions, or even to confident but ill-founded diagnoses. This present example was found dead at Silverdale, Lancashire, on 20th February, 1953. It was in a very advanced state of decomposition when received at the Bolton Museum, which rendered it quite unsuitable for detailed anatomical investigation, but it was sexed as a male on the presence of paired sperm ducts. Besides being markedly smaller, the general colouration is decidedly dark, the grey of the mantle being a full shade darker than in L. ridibundus when wholly typical. This darkening is also apparent on the wing-coverts, while the inner webs of the primaries, the scapulars, secondaries, under wing-coverts and axillaries are also grey. Vol. 73 100 1953 The wing-formula agrees with some individual examples of L. ridi- bundus, in which the second primary is some four or five millimetres shorter than the third. The first primary is structurally identical with that of the normal L. ridibundus, but is grey, not white. The pattern of the primaries is normal, as in L. ridibundus, but it should be noted that even the body plumage appears to be slightly suffused with grey. The following are the measurements of this specimen compared with those of a strictly comparable normal example of L. ridibundus : L. “capisiratus ~ L. ridibundus Wing 257 mm. 307 mm. Bill — Length from feather margin 29 mm. 32 mm. Depth at gonys 7mm. 8 mm. Tarsus 40 min. 43 mm. Tail 90 mm. 112 mm. In the absence of a fresh specimen, one can only speculate upon the causation of this dwarf variant of L. ridibundus. One can call to mind the dwarf or ‘‘pigmy’’ Carrion-Crow, Corvus corene corone, but in the case of L. ‘‘capistratus’’ a clue is provided by the increased deposition of melanin, a deposition which affects not only the plumage but also the tarsi and toes, which are brownish-red. It is well-known that an excess of thyroid secretion will produce both dwarfism and hyper-pigmentation, and it may well be that L. ‘‘ capistra- tus’’ and possibly a similar mutation in L. atricilla represent the avian equivalent of that rarity of human endocrinology, the pituitary-thyroid dwarf. 7 It is most desirable that any further specimen should, whilst fresh, be submitted to a full anatomical and histological investigation. Notes on some Petrel Names By Capt. C. H. B. GRANT and Mr. C. W. MACKWorRTH-PRAED. It has been pointed out to us that the name we use in our book on East African birds for the Mascarene Black Petrel is incorrect. We have gone into the question thoroughly again and regret that such is the case. The facts are as follows :— (1) Pterodroma brevirostris Lesson, Traité d’Orn. p.611, 1831: no locality. Bill black, short and well curved, feet yellow, colour brownish-grey, wings and tail deep black. Mathews, Emu, 36, p.97, 1936, gives Kerguelen Island as type locality, and in Bull.B.O.C. 68, p.139, 1948, places P. -aterrima Bonaparte, as a synonym of P. brevirostris Lesson. Dr. Jouanin, in a letter dated 24th April, 1953, kindly informs us that ' the specimen marked as type was taken by Delalande at the Cape of Good Hope in 1820, and gives the wing as 240mm. He gives from the mounted specimen, ‘“Coleur du bec, noir; des pattes, jaunes aves la partie posterieure du tarse, et la partie distale des palmures plus foncées,’’ and is satisfied that this is the bird that breeds at Kerguelen Island. = vith he a ee Fs £953 101 7 Vol. 73 Mr. C. M. N. White has recently been to Paris and examined this specimen and informs us that it is a ‘‘dirty grey bird’’ with a smaller bill than P. aterrima. We can therefore accept P. brevirostris as the species that breeds at Kerguelen Island and this island as the type locality. (2) Pterodroma aterrima Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Av. 2, p.191, 1857: Insula Bourbonica. Small, length 11 poll. wholly grey-black; bill black, feet white and black. Dr. Jouanin has kindly informed us that there are two specimens of this species in the Paris Museum, one from Réunion given by Monsieur de Nivoy in 1834, wing 236mm. and gives from the specimen ‘‘Couleur du bec noir; des pattes, tarses jaunatres, un peu plus foncées en arriére, doigt médian et interne jaunatres (noiratres dans leur partie distale), doigt externe noiratre, palmures noiratres, un peu plus claires a la base.”’ The other has no indication that it came from Réunion. It has a wing of 250mm. and ‘Couleur du bec noir; la couleur des pattes est analogue a celle du specimen précédent, bien que plus foncée.’’ taken from the mounted specimen. Dr. Jouanin says that it is possible that the specimen from Réunion presented by M. Nivoy in 1834 is the type, and this we think should be accepted. It therefore seems clear that P. aterrima Bonaparte, is the correct name — for the Mascerene Black Petrel. (3) Procellaria lugens Kuhl, Beit. Zool. Ver. Ana. Zweite Abh. p.144, 1820: This name is placed by Kuhl in the synonymy of his 15 Procellaria grisea L.p.144, with a description on p.145 and a drawing of a head on Pl.11, fig.9, named P. grisea. Procellaria grisea L. as given, undoubtedly refers to the so-called Gmelin’s edition of Linnaeus, i.e. Gmelin, Syst. Nat. p.564, 1789. The P. grisea of Gmelin is a Shearwater and therefore Kuhl’s description and figure being those of a Petrel can have no standing, he having misapplied Gmelin’s name. P. lugens Kuhl, has a reference to a Parkinson unpublished pencil drawing No. 21, but as these drawings are unavailable to the public P. lugens must be treated as a nomen nudum and remain in the synonymy of P. grisea Gmelin. On p.145 under his No. 20 Kuhl gives Procellaria lugens Forster, and a reference to Parkinson’s drawing No. 21. This is pre-occupied on the previous page and, in any case, is of Kuhl, not Forster. Mathews, Bds. Austral. 2, p.159, 1912, gives P. lugens as based on Solander’s MS. This is P. Jugens Mathews, pre-occupied by P. /ugens Kuhl, and in The Emu, 36, p.97, 1936, states that P. grisea Kuhl, is pre-occupied by P. grisea Gmelin, but we have shown that P. grisea L. in Kuhl is P. grisea Gmelin. We are therefore of opinion that P. Jugens Kuhl, is a synonym of Procellaria grisea Gmelin. We have to thank Miss Lysaght, who is working with Sir Norman Kinnear on the Parkinson drawings, Dr. Christian Jouanin and Mr. C. M. N. White, for all their kindness in helping us to elucidate this nomen- clatorial tangle. Vol. 73 102 1953 Notes on Geographical Variation in the South African Populations of Lybius torquatus (Dumont) By Mr. P. A. CLANCEY. Authoritative opinion is divided as to the advisability of according recognition to other than the nominate race of Lybius torquatus (Dumont) within the limits of the South African sub-continent, and Vincent, in his recent ‘‘Check List of the Birds of South Africa,’’ 1952, p.48, recog- nises only one race as occurring south of the Zambesi. A similar view is expressed by Mackworth-Praed and Grant, ‘‘ Birds of Eastern and North Eastern Africa,’’ vol. 1, 1952, p.703, who place all the populations resident in Angola, the Southern Belgian Congo, and western Tanganyika Territory southwards as L. t. torquatus. Many years ago, Sclater, ‘‘Ibis,’’ 1911, p.729, drew the attention of the scientific world to the fact that the birds resident in the lower Zambesi differed appreciably from typical examples of L. t. torquatus from further south. Roberts, ‘‘Birds of South Africa,’’ 1940, p.176, writes that the birds of ‘‘Southern Rhodesia and the low country to the east are smaller than birds from the Union and seem referable to L. t. pumilio, described from Tanganyika Lake area, the wing measuring 86.5—90, whereas L. t. irroratus from the coastal belt of Tanganyika are still smaller, wing-length only 79-86; such northern birds are not so inclined to freckling of the yellow under parts as in southern ones.’’ In his interesting report on an extensive collection from Northern Rhodesia, de Schauensee, ‘‘ Proceed- ings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,’’ vol. ciii, 1951, p.42, has shown on the basis of two specimens from Ngamiland that the race L. ¢t. congicus (Reichenow) extends southwards into the South African sub-continent. In the same note he refers all his Northern Rhodesian material to this race, which was described by Reichenow in 1898 from Malange in Angola. The findings of de Schauensee are in strict contrast to the opinions of White and Winterbottom, ‘*‘Check List of the Birds of Northern Rhodesia,’’ 1949, pp. 67, 68, who place the bulk of the Northern Rhodesian birds as L. t. torquatus, restricting L. t. congicus and perhaps L. t. pumilio Grote to the northern parts of the territory. In my paper on the birds of the Lebombo Mountains and Tongaland, ‘*Annals of the Natal Museum,”’ vol. xii, 2, 1952, p.244, I record, on the basis of six specimens collected in those parts of northern Zululand, that the resident population reveals a ‘“*tendency to approach the northern races of the species in being a trifle paler on the mantle, the vermiculations a little more prominent, and rather lighter yellow below, the centre of the lower breast with reduced freckling.’’ Two specimens collected near Newington in the eastern Transvaal in August, 1952 (Durban Museum collection), and two other specimens from the Lourenco Marques district of southern Portuguese East Africa (ex Museum Dr. Alvaro de Castro) are similar to the six northern Zululand birds dealt with in the above extract from my paper. This material, when examined in conjunction with specimens from parts of Northern Rhodesia (Katima Molilo, Sesheke district; Lilayi, Lusaka district) and from the Chobe River in northern Bechuanaland, in addition to very adequate series of Natal and Cape 1953 103 | Vol. 73 Province birds in the collections of the Durban and Natal Museums, shows that two broad divisions of South African birds are maintainable. L. t. torquatus (Dumont), 1806: south-eastern Cape Province, is characterised by having the mantle dark olivaceous with inconspicuous vermiculations of black, and the ventral surfaces below the black pectoral cincture dull yellowish generally heavily freckled with brown or grey. There is a measure of individual variation, some examples possessing more densely freckled underparts than others. The populations resident in the eastern parts of the Cape province and Natal show these characters clearly and constantly and constitute the race L. ¢. torquatus. North of Natal, in Zululand, Swaziland, eastern Transvaal, and southern Portuguese East Africa, the birds exhibit paler mantles with the vermiculations more prominent, and clearer yellow under-parts, the characteristic freckling of the more southern populations greatly reduced or entirely absent. These birds often show a great deal of white on the sides of the lower breast, and as I have already pointed out, Joc. cit., tend to be rather smaller. These populations seem scarcely separable from the birds of Northern Rhodesia available to me and which are now generally conceded to be of the race L. t. congicus, but it is clear that further material from the type- locality of L. t. congicus and from many other intervening areas will require to be made available and critically compared in order to establish their true racial status. Closely allied to the last group of populations just dealt with are the small-sized birds of the lower Zambesi area, attention to which was first drawn by Sclater, /oc. cit., and more recently by Roberts in his book. The material available to me from the lower Zambesi is admittedly unsatis- factory, being worn and rather inferiorly prepared, and consists of some five specimens from Zimbiti, near Beira, Portuguese East Africa, collected by P. A. Sheppard. Examination of this material confirms what Sclater and Roberts have written. Birds of the Lower Zambesi differ from those from the high interior of the continent to the west (L. ft. congicus) in being smaller—wing-measurements 84 — 90mm., as against 88 — 96mm. They are very pale ventrally and have the forehead, face and throat a much duller and paler red than the birds of the interior. In one or two examples there is a noticeable tendency to have the red feathers of the head more hackle- shaped than in either L. ft. torquatus or L. t. congicus, this being a racial characteristic of the East African littoral form, L. ¢. irroratus (Cabanis), 1878: Mombasa, Kenya Colony. However, it would appear that these lower Zambesi birds are not referable to L. ¢. irroratus, which is isolated — from them by intrusive populations of birds with the forehead, face, throat and breast blackish spotted with white—the race L. t. albigularis Neumann, 1908: Songea, southern Tanganyika Territory—on account of the duller and paler shade of red of the head and larger size. Judging by what Mackworth-Praed and Grant have written in their book, ‘‘ Birds of Eastern and North Eastern Africa,’’ vol. 1, 1952, p.704, the birds from the Beira district are most closely allied to the southern Nyasaland race of the species, L. t. zombae (Shelley), 1873: Zomba, southern Nyasaland, which is described by these workers as being ‘‘similar to the nominate ‘race, but has the head, throat and chest brick red, or pink. Wing ~ 81-92mm.’’ The recorded distribution of L. ¢t. zombae is the southern Vol. 73 aes 1953 parts of Nyasaland, and on geographical grounds alone one would be naturally inclined to associate the birds from the lower Zambesi with this race, and recourse to such action is strengthened by the fact that as far as my admittedly inadequate material goes the characters shown by the Beira district birds are the same as those enumerated for the race L. t. zombae. To summarize: L. t. torquatus, characterized by the saturated appearance of the mantle and the extensive freckling of the dull yellowish under-parts, is restricted to the extreme south of the species’ wide range in southern and eastern Africa, its distribution being confined to the eastern parts of the Cape Province, Natal, and the southern parts of the Transvaal. From Zululand, Swaziland, and southern Portuguese East Africa north- westwards the birds have the mantle paler, the vermiculations prominent, and on the underside they lack much of the abdominal freckling, and they are a brighter and clearer yellow ventrally and often have a good deal of white on the sides of the lower breast. In our present state of knowledge these populations seem best placed as L. t. congicus, described from Angola. The population of the Lower Zambesi represents a third geographical unit worthy of separate consideration. The birds of this population differ from those of the interior (L. tf. congicus) and of the extreme south (ZL. f. torquatus) in being markedly smaller and in having the red on the head appreciably duller and paler. They seem best associated with the race L. t. zombae of southern Nyasaland rather than with L. t. pumilio of the Lake Tanganyika area, or L. ¢. irroratus of coastal British East Africa, as has been suggested. The recognition of three races of this barbet from the South African subcontinent is in contradistinction to the findings of other recent workers. On the Status of Cyanoramphus magnirostris Forbes and Robinson, Bull. Liverpool Mus. I, p.21, 1897: Tahiti, Society Islands By Mr. R. W. SIMs. Through the kindness of the Trustees of the Liverpool Ruiseun I have been able to examine the type of Cyanoramphus magnirostris, ex Lord Derby’s collection, a species known only from the type and believed to be extinct. In my opinion this specimen appeared to be indistinguishable from the type and a large series of Platycercus cookii Gray, Lst. Bds. Brit. Mus., 1859, Psittacidae, p.13, (new Zealand, error= Norfolk Island), a form now regarded as the Norfolk Island race of Cyanoramphus novaeze- landiae. | therefore place Cyanoramphus magnirostris Forbes and Robinson, as a synonym of Platycercus cookii Gray. It appears that the bird died in Lord Derby’s aviaries on 30th June, 1836 where it had been identified as ‘‘Platycercus pacificus; Habitat; Otaheite & C.’’ It is not difficult to see from this how Forbes and Robinson were misled about sixty years later into believing that the bird had been captured in Tahiti. Therefore, the locality given as Tahiti 1953 3 105 Vol. 73 is in error for Norfolk Island. Salvadori (1907, Ibis, p.315) doubted the validity of the locality given by Forbes and Robinson, but apparently no one investigated this matter. The comparison was made at the request of Dr. J. C. Greenway, Jr., of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass., who asked me if I would arrange to compare Forbes and Robinson’s bird with the series of Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae cookii (Gray) in the National Collection. Both Dr. Greenway and I wish to thank Mr. R. Wagstaffe, of the Liverpool Public Museum, for his kind co-operation. On the Affinities of Apus somalicus (Stephenson Clarke) By Mr. C. W. MACKWoRTH-PRAED and Capt. C. H. B. GRANT. C. M. N. White in Bull.B.O.C. 73, p.77, 1953, is of the opinion that as the size of this bird, wing 148 to 150mm., agrees with Apus niansae (Reichenow) wing 146 to 161mm., A. somalicus should be considered a race of A. niansae and not of Apus pallidus (Shelley). The maps in our Volume One of the Birds of North-eastern Africa, pp. 779 and 780, show that both occur in Kenya Colony though both may have some local migratory movements. A. p. somalicus is pale in general colour and does not agree in this respect with A. niansae, but does agree well with A. pallidus and its races. We cannot find any Apus pallidus that are in general colour as dark as A. niansae. If we had considered A. niansae a race of any species we should have placed it under Apus apus (Linnaeus) to which its general colour is very close. Wings of A. p. pallidus are 161 to 175 and of A. p. brehmorum 165-176mm. Symmetrical Albinism in Birds’ Wings By Dr. JEFFERY G. HARRISON. I have recently come across four examples of symmetrical albinism in the wings of birds and these examples seem to me possibly to represent — some different process to the more usual asymmetrical and haphazard examples that occur so much more frequently. The first example was an adult drake Goosander, Mergus merganser merganser Linnaeus, which I observed on the Elbe Estuary off St. Mar- garethen, N.W. Germany on 22nd January 1950. This bird was absolutely normal in body plumage, including the salmon pink tone of the breast, but had perfectly white wings. The second example was a Golden Plover, Charadrius apricarius, seen on the Firth of Inverness on 31st September 1953, with approximately the first five flight feathers on each wing pure white. A further incidence Vol. 73 106 1953 in a Rook, Corvus frugilegus frugilegus Linnaeus, was exactly similar in pattern. This bird was seen near Laurencekirk, Kincardineshire on 13th October 1953, and both birds were quite symmetrical. The last example was a Curlew, Numenius arquata arquata (Linnaeus) that flew past me off Lunan Bay, near Montrose, Angus on 10th October 1953. This bird, like the Goosander, was perfectly normal as regards body colouration, but had both wings entirel, isabelline, with the normal wing pattern just faintly visible. The methods of colour change in feathers, unaccompanied by moult have been the subject of a number of recent papers in this Bulletin. In this respect it would be of interest to examine some similar examples of symmetrical albinism anatomically. If one is correct in assuming that the white ‘‘colour’’ of the albescent plumage is due to an absence of pigment within the feather, then there must be some abnormality in the wings that is preventing the total or partial development of the pigment, either directly from the blood stream or by means of oxidising agents, absorbed from the exterior to act on colourless prepigments. If this abnormality could be observed, then we would be nearer the solution to the problem of colour change without moult. ? oe ha, | PURCH A 2 =ADEC 1994 : a Wise we ait 0 t c A A a: Vinay Mi oy Mt n in # c ae Nyt oii Ww i v she care 4 oe ah Notices BACK NUMBERS OF THE ‘‘BULLETIN’’ Back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ can be obtained at 2/6 each. Applications should be made to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., Zoological Museum, Tring, Herts. No reply will be sent if parts are not available. Members who have back numbers of the ‘‘Bulletin’’ which they no longer require, are requested to kindly send them to R. A. H. Coombes, Esq., as above. DINNERS AND MEETINGS FOR 1954 19th January, 16th February, March with B.O.U., 20th April, 18th May, 15th June, 19th October, 16th November and 21st December. SEPARATES Contributors who desire twelve free copies of the Bulletin containing their notes should state so on their MS., otherwise these will not be ordered. PUBLICATION OF THE ‘°*BULLETIN”’ Members who make a contribution at a Meeting should hand the MS. to the Editor at that Meeting. As the proofs will be corrected by the Editor, it is essential that the MS. should be correct and either typed or written very clearly with scientific and place names in block letters. The first mention of a scientific name should be spelt out in full, i.e., genus, specific name, racial name (if any), and author. Any further mention of the same name need only have the initial letter of the genus and no further mention of the author. If no MS. is handed to the Editor at the Meeting, a note will be inserted mentioning the contribution. Communications are not restricted to members of the British Ornithologists’ Club, and contributions up to 1,500 words on taxonomy and related subjects will be considered from all who care to send them to The Editor, Dr. J. G. Harrison, *‘Merriewood’’, St. Botolph’s Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. Communications relating to other matters should be addressed to the Hon. Secretary, N. J. P. Wadley, Esq., 14 Elm Place, London, S.W.7. SUBSCRIPTION Twenty-one Shillings Annually. Two Shillings and Sixpence per copy. 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