'M^W^J

THE IBIS,

L MAGAZINE OF GENERAL ORNITHOLOGY.

EDITED BY

PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER, M.A.,

FELLOW OF CORPUS CHRISTI COLLEGE, OXFORD;

SECRETARY TO THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON;

ELLOW OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY ; nONOKARY MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL

SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, OF THE LYCEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY OF NEW YORK,

AND OF THE GERMAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' SOCIETY ; ETC.

VOL. II. I860.

Ibimus mdomiti venerantes Ibida sacrani,
Ibimns incolumes qua prior Ibis adest."

LONDON:

N. TRUBNER AND CO., PATERNOSTER ROW.

Paris. I Leipzig. i New York.

B. Westermann & Co.,

Fr. Klincksieck,
11, Rue de Lille.

F. A. Brockhaus.
1860.

440, Broadway.

riilNTED UY TAYT.OR ANn FRANCIS. UEH LION COVKT. FLEET STREET.

PREFACE.

It is with no small degree of pleasure that the members
of the British Ornithologists' Union offer the second
volume of ' The Ibis ' to the public. Their satisfaction
arises from the successful issue of the experiment, upon
which they have ventm^ed. It was hoped in the first
instance that there might be found a body of supporters
sufficient to carry on a Magazine exclusively devoted to
Ornithology. It was also hoped that this end might be
attained without interfering in any way Avith Journals
already established. Both these expectations have been
entirely fulfilled. Every copy of the first volume of
'The Ibis' has been disposed of; and while it is cer-
tain that the number and scientific value of the Ornitho-
logical papers in other periodicals have in no respect
diminished, it is believed that their circulation has suf-
fered no loss through the establishment of the present
Journal.

Since the publication of the last volume of ' The Ibis,'
two meetings of the members of the ' Union ' have been
held, one in London in the month of November 1859,
the other at Oxford on the 29th of June in the present
year. At the latter, Mr. R. F. Tomes was elected to the

IV PREFACE.

vacancy in the list of members caused by the decease of
Mr. John Wolley. At the same time it was deter-
mined, in order to mark the appreciation by the * Union '
of the favourable reception accorded to their project by
Naturalists abroad, to elect ten Ornithologists, not re-
siding in the United Kingdom, as honorary members.
The names of these gentlemen will be found following
the list of ordinary members.

It remains for the founders of * The Ibis ' to return
their grateful thanks to all who have aided their under-
taking, and especially to those who have so materially
assisted the object in view by contributing additional
illustrations. Had it not been for the liberal assistance,
both of pencil and pocket, thus kindly exercised towards
us, it would have been impossible to have exceeded the
number of plates originally contemplated to be given
with each part.

For the future, no efforts will be spared to render
this Journal worthy of the flattering encomiums which
have hitherto been passed upon it, and it is hoped that
Naturalists of all countries will continue to second our
endeavours by contributing to its pages articles and in-
formation of every sort relating to Ornithology. Such
assistance will materially lighten our labom's, and tend
to render ' The Ibis' subservient to the best interests of
the fascinating study which it is our object to promote.

PHILIP LUTLEY SCLATER

{Editor).
11, Hanover Square,
Oct. 1st, 18C0.

LIST OF MEMBERS

OF THE

BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION.

1860.

EoBEET BiBKBECK, F.Z.S. ; 65 Lombard Street, London.

Hej^kt Maurice Drummond-Hay, Lieutenant-Colonel, Royal Perth
Rifles ; Cliuiie, Perthsliii'e.

Thomas Campbell Eyton, F.L.S., F.Z.S., F.G.S., &c. ; Eyton Hall,
Salop.

Frederick DuCane Godman, F.Z.S. ; 55 Lowndes Square, London.

Percy Saitdon Godmajj, B.A., Corr. M.Z.S. ; Borregaard, Sarpsborg,
Norway.

John Henry Gueney, M.P., F.Z.S., &c. ; Catton Hall, Norfolk.

Eev. William Henry Hawker, M.A., F.Z.S.; Green Hook, Horn-
dean, Hants.

Arthur Edwarb Knox, M.A., F.L.S. ; Trotton, Sussex.

Edward Clough Newcome ; Feltwell Hall, Norfolk.

Alfred Newton, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., &c., Fellow of Magdalene
College, Cambridge.

Edwaud Newton, M.A., Corr. M.Z.S. , Assistant Colonial Secretary,
Mauritius.

John "William Poavlett-Orde, late Captain 42nd (Royal Highland)
Regiment ; Kolmorey, Argyllshire.

Hon. Thomas Lyttleton Powys, F.Z.S. ; Lilford Hall, Northants.

Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.Z.S. ; 11 Hanover Terrace, Regent's Park,
London.

Philip Lutley Sclater, M.A., F.L.S., Sec.Z.S., &c., FeUow of Cor-
pus Chnsti College, Oxford ; 11 Hanover Square, London.

Alfred Forbes Sealy, M.A., F.C.P.S., &c. ; Trumpington Street,
Cambridge.

Wilfred Huddleston Simpson, M.A., F.Z.S.; 21 Gloucester Place,
Portman Square, London.

Rev. Edward Cavendish Taylor, M.A., F.Z.S.; Oxford and Cam-
bridge Club, Pall Mall, London.

Robert Fisher Tomes, Corr. M.Z.S.; Welford HiU, Stratford-upon-
Avon, Warwickshu'e.

Eev. Henry Baker Tristram, M.A., F.L.S., Corr. M.Z.S., Master of
Greatham Hospital, Durham.

HONORARY MEMBERS

BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION.

Professor Spexcer F. Baird, Assistant Secretary to the Smithsonian

Institution, Washington.
Doctor Edeard Baldames, Pfarrer zu Osternienburg bei Cothen,

Sekretar der deutschen Omithologen-Gesellschaft.
Edwaed Bltth, Curator to the Museum of the Eoyal Asiatic Society

of Bengal, Calcutta.
Doctor Jean Cabanis, Erster Gustos am Konigl. Museum der

Friedrich-Wilhehn's Universitat zu Berlin.
John Cassen, Academy of Natm'al Sciences, Philadelphia.
Doctor GusTAv Haetlaeb, Bremen.

Leopold Edgar Layard, South African Museum, Capetown.
Professor J. Reinhabdt, Kongelige Natiu-historiske Museum, i Kjo-

benhavn.
Jeles Verreaex, Eue St. Louis au Marais, no. 17, k Paris.
Alfred Russel Wallace, now travelling in the East Indies.

CONTENTS OF VOL. II. (I860.)

Number V., January.

Page

I. Notes on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands, and the
Provinces of Albania proper, Epirus, Acarnania, and Monte-
negro. By the Hon. Thomas L. Powts, F.Z.S. (Part I.) . 1

II. On Birds collected or observed in the Republic of
Honduras, with a short Account of a Journey across that
country from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. By Geoege
Cayendish Tatloe, F.E.G.S. (Part I.) 10

III. On the Eggs of two Raptorial Birds from the Falkland
Islands. By Philip Lutlet Sclatee. (Plate I.) . . . 24

IV. Note on Wallace's Standard-wing {Semioptera wal-
lacii). By Philip Lutlet ScLATEE. (Plate II.) ... 26

Y. Contributions to the Ornithology of Guatemala. By
OsBEET Salvia and Philip Lutlet Sclatee. (Plate III.) 28

VI. The Ornithology of Amoy (China). By Eobeet
SwiNHOE, of H.M. Consular Service 45

VII. On the Ornithology of Northern Africa. By the
Rev. H. B. Teisteam, M.A., E.L.S. (Part III. The Sahara
continued.) G8

VIII. Note on the Migratory Habits of the Song Thrush
{Turdusmusicm). By Alfeed Newton, M.A.,E.L.S.,F.Z.S. 83

IX. Recent Ornithological Publications: —

1. Enf/lish Puhlicaiions-.— Vrocvtd'iuga of the Zoological

X CONTENTS.

Page
Society ; Annals and Magazine of Natural History ; Sir J.
Emerson Tennent's ' Ceylon ' ; Freeman and Salvia's ' Fal-
conry'; Darwin's ' Origin of Species'; Drs. Adams on Orni-
thology as a branch of liberal Education ; Swinhoe's Papers
on Chinese Ornithology ; Blyth's Eeport for May 1859 ;
Eyton's ' Osteologia Avium' ; ' The Zoologist' ; The ' Zoolo-
gist' List of British Birds ;' Sporting Magazine ' .... 85

2. French Puhlications : — Eevue et Magasin de Zoologie ;
Blauchard's ' Osteologie des Oiseaux' 93

3. German and Russian Puhlications : — Cabanis' ' Journal' ;
Bulletin de la Societe des Naturalistes de Moscou ... 94

4. American Publications : — Proceedings of the Academy of
Natural Sciences of Philadelpliia ; Dr. Bryant's ' Birds of the
Bahamas' 97

X. Notices, Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, &c. : —
Death of Mr. John Wolley ; Letters from Mr. Blyth, Mr.
O, Salvin, and Mr. G. D. Eowley ; Birds collected by the
' Novara ' Exploring Expedition ; Occurrence of the Eufous
Sedge Warbler in Devonshire ; Sir William Jardiiie on
Euphonia cyanodorsalis ; Mr. Cassin on Ictinia ; Forthcoming
Works on Ornithology 98

NuMBEE VI., April.

XL On the Addition to the British Fauna of PaUas's
Three-toed Sand-Grouse {SyrrJiaptes paradoxus). By Tho-
mas John Mooee, Keeper of the Free Public and Derby
Museum, Liverpool. (Plate lY.) 105

XII. On Birds collected or observed in the Eepublic of
Honduras, with a short Account of a Journey across that
country from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. (Part II.)

By George Cavendish Tatlob, F.E.G.S 110

XIII. On the Nidification of certain Birds in North-
Eastern Africa. By Baron Eichard Konig-Waethausen.
(Plate V.) 122

XIV. Additions and Corrections to the " Ornithology of
Amoy." By Egbert Swinhoe, of H.M. Consular Service . 130

CONTENTS. XI

Page

XV. Notes on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands, and the
Pro\'inces of Albania proper, Epirus, Acarnania, and Monte-
negro. (Part II.) By the Hon. Thomas L. Powts, F.Z.S. . 133

XVI. The Ornithology of Northern Celebes. By Alfred
EussEL "Wallace 140

XVII. On an undescribed species of Hawk from New
Granada. By Philip Lutlet Sclater. (Plate VI.) . . 147

XVIII. On the Ornithology of Northern Africa. By the
Eev. H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S. (Part IV.
Lake Halloula.) 149

XIX. Ornithological Notes of the Voyage of ' The Pox ' in
the Arctic Seas. By David Walker, M.D., late Naturalist

on board ' The Fox ' 165

XX. On the Eggs of tlie Nvitcracker and Parrot-billed
Crossbill. By the Eev. H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S. . . 168

XXI. Note on the Eggs of the Eared Vulture and the
Wedge-tailed Eagle. By J. H. Gurnet, M.P., F.Z.S. . . 171

XXII. Memoir of the late John Wo LLET 172

XXIII. Eecent Ornithological Publications : —

1. English Publications : — Zoological Society's Proceed-
ings ; Gray's Catalogue of the Birds of tlie Pacific Islands ;
Swinhoe's ' Birds of Formosa ' ; Blyth's Eeport for Sept. 1859. 185

2. French Fullications: — Malherbe's 'Picidse'; 'Arcana
Natvirse ' ; Eevue de Zoologie ; Memoires de la Societe Lin-
neenne de Normandie 187

3. German, Dutch, and Scandinavian Puhlications : — Hart-
laub's ' Bericht ' ; Grassner's ' Vogel Deutschland's' ; Ba-
deker's 'Eier'; Schlegel's Monograph of Corvus; Acta
Societatis Indo-Neerlandicse ; Ofvers. af Kongl. Vet.-Akad.
Forhandlingar 189

4. American Publications : — Proceedings of the Academy

of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 192

XXIV. Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices,
&c. :—

Letters from Messrs. Eraser, Blyth, Salvin, AVallace, Tay-
lor, Eowley, E. Newton, and AV.H. Sim])Sou; The BalcBniceps ;
Birds from Smyrna ; Buteo eri/thrunotus 192

CONTENTS.

Number VII., July.

XXV. On Birds collected in the Colony of Natal, in South-
Easteru Africa. By John Henbt Guenet, M.P., P.Z.S. . 203

XXVI. On Birds collected or observed in the Eepublic of
Honduras, with a short Account of a Journey across that
country from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. By Geoege
Cavendish Tatloe, E.E.G.S. (Part III.) 222

XXVII. Notes on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands,
and the Provinces of Albania proper, Epirus, Acarnania, and
Montenegro. By the Hon. Thomas L. Powts, E.Z.S.
(Part III.) 228

XXVIII. On the Habits of the Swallow-tailed Kite
{Elandides furcatus). By Eobeet Owen, C.M.Z.S. . . . 240

XXIX. On Birds collected in the Somali country, Eastern
Africa. By Capt. J. H. Speke, E.E.G.S. (Plate VII.) . 243

XXX. History of the Derbyan Mountain- Pheasant {Oreo-
pliasis derUanus). By Osbeet Salvin, M.A., E.Z.S. . . 248

XXXI. Eecollections of the Swans and Geese of Hudson's
Bay. By Geoege Barnston 253

XXXII. Notes on the Humming-birds of Guatemala. By
OsBEET Salyin, M.A., E.Z.S 259

XXXIII. Contributions to the Ornithology of Guate-
mala. By Osbeet Salvin and Philip Lutlet Sclater.
(Partll.) .272

XXXIV. Note on the Egg and Nestling of the Cali-
foruian Vulture. By Philip Lutlet Sclater. (Plates
VIII. and IX.) 278

XXXV. Ornithological Notes fit'om Mesolonghi and
Southern ^tolia. By W. H. Simpson, M.A., E.Z.S, . . 279

XXXVI. Eecent Ornithological Publications : —

I. English Fuhlications : — Zoological Society's Proceed-
ings; Bree's 'Birds of Europe'; Journal of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal 297

CONTENTS. Xm

Page

2. French Publications : — Eevue et Magasin de Zoologie ;
Cornay ' siir la Coloration des CEufs '; Des Murs' ' Oologie' 298

3. German, Dutch, and Scandinavian Publications : —
Museum Heineanum, pt. ii.-; Joui'ual fiir Ornithologie ; An-
nual of Zoological Society of Amsterdam ; Sclilegel's ' Dieren
van Xederland ' ; Professor Eeinhardt on Crotophaga and on
Pieus tridactylus 298

4. American Publications : — Proceedings of the Academy

of ^Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 301

XXXYII. Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, No-
tices, &c. : —

Letters from M. O.Des Murs, Mr. A. E.Wallace, Mr.Blyth,
and Mr. E. Newton ; Mr. A. Newton on Birds from the Virgin
Islands ; Sale of the late Mr. Wolley's duplicate Eggs ; Owls
drinking oil ; Professor Baird on proceedings of American
Collectors; New Struthious Birds living in the Zoological
Gardens 302

Number VIIL, October.

XXXVIII. On Birds collected or observed in the Eepublic
of Honduras, with a short Account of a Journey across that
country from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. By George
Cavendisu Taylor, P.Z.S., F.E.G.S. (Part IV.) . . .311

XXXIX. Eemarks on the Internal Structure of theBearded
Titmouse {Calamophilus biarmicus). By Eobert F. Tomes,
C.M.Z.S 317

XL. Note on the Birds of Prey of New Guinea. By
Philip Lutlet Sclater. (Plate X.) 322

XLI. Note on Edible Birds'-nests. By Edward Blyth,
Curator of the Eoyal Asiatic Society's Museum, Calcutta . 323

XLII. Eeview of M. O. Des Murs' ' Oologie Ornitho-
logique' 325

XLIII. The Penguins of the Falkland Islands. By Capt.
C. C. Abbott, of the Falkland Islands Detachment . . . 336

XIV CONTENTS.

Page
XLiy. Notes ou Birds observed iu the Ionian Islands,
and the Provinces of Albania proper, Epirus, Acarnania, and
Montenegro. By the Hon. Thomas L. Powrs, F.Z.S.
(Part IV.) 338

XLY. Further Corrections and Additions to the Ornitho-
logy of Amoy, with some Remarks on the Birds of Eormosa.
By Egbert Swinhoe, of H.M. Consular Service .... 357

XL VI. A few Leaves from a Naturalist's Note-book in
Eastern Algeria. By the Eev. H. B. Tristram, M. A., F.L.S.
(Plate XL) 361

XL VII On the Nesting of Aq^uila imperialis and Falco
sacer. By W. H. Simpson, M.A., P.Z.S. (Plate XII.) . . 375

XLVIII. Further Observations on some of the Birds of
Western Greece. By W. H. Simpson, M.A., F.Z.S. . . 378

XLIX. Contributions to the Ornithology of Guatemala.
By OsBERT Salvin and Philip Lutlet Sclater. (Part
III.) (Plate XIII.) 396

L. Letter from Dr. G. Bennett respecting a new species
of Cassowary. (Plate XIV.) 402

LI. Remarks on the Anas (Aiiser) erythropus of Linnaeus.
By Alfreb Newton, M.A., F.Z.S 404

LII. On new or little-known Birds of North-Eastern
Africa. By Hofrath Theodor von Heuglin. (Part I.)
(Plate XV.) 407

LIII. Remarks on Mr. A. Newton's " Suggestions for
forming Collections of Birds'-eggs " 415

LIV. Recent Ornithological Publications : — ■

1. English Piihlicat ions: — The Zoologist ; Eytou's 'Osteo-
logia'; Bree's ' Birds of Europe ' ; More's 'Outlines of the
Natural History of the Isle of Wight ' ; Journal of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal 418

2. French Puhlications : — Revue et Magasin de Zoologie ;
INIalherbe's ' Picidce " 420

3. German. Ptiblications : — Journal fiir Ornithologie ;
Pelzeln's ' Ornithology of Norfolk Island ' 421

CONTENTS. XV

Page
4. American Publications : — Proceedings of the Academy
of Natural Sciences of Pliiladelpliia ; Baird, Cassin, and Law-
rence's 'Birds of North America'; Cooper and Suckley's
' Natural History of Washington Territory ' 423

LY. Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, &c. : —
Letters from Mr. Swinhoe, Herr Theodor von Henglin,
Mr. T. Beaven Bakes, Mr. G. E. Twinn, Capt. C. C. Abbott,
and Baron E. Konig-Warthausen 428

ERRATA.

Page 122 ef seq., Baron Eichard Konig-Warthausen's name is misspelt Kiinig

Ton Wai'tliaiisen throughout the article.
Page 129, line 27, for " tridactus" read " tridactylus.''
Page 1G6, line 10, for " mintita" read " onaritima."
Page 172, line 11, /o»- " 1824" read "1823."

Page 270, line 10 and last line of note, for " dumerilUi " read " devillii.'"
Page 281, Kne 1, for " stapezina " read " stajpazina."
Page 322, last Une, for " G. H. Gurney " read " J. H. Gurney."
Page 366, line 8 from bottom, for " Erithacus'' read " Ert/fkacns."

PLATES IN VOL. II.

Page
I. Eggs of Buteo eiythronotus, Cathartes aiira*, and Mil-

vago aiistralis 24

II. Semioptera wallacii 26

III. Chjetiu-a rutila 28

IV. Syrrliaptes paradoxus 105

V. Eggs of Sterna affinis and S. velox 127

YI. Accipiter collaris 148

YII. Notauges albicapiUus 246

VIII. Egg of Cathartes californianus 278

IX. Cathartes californianus, juv 278

X. Accipiter poliocephahis 322

XI. RuticiUa moussieri 364

XII. Eggs of Aquila imperialis and Falco sacer 375

XIII. Pionns haematotis 401

XIV. Head of Casuarius uno-appendiculatus 402

XV. Circaetus zoniirus 410

* See correction at page 432.

THE IBIS.

No. V. JANUARY 1860.

I. — Notes on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands, and the Pro-
vinces of Albania j)roper, Epirus, Acarnania, and Montenegro.
By the Hon. Thomas L. Powys, F.Z.S.

The following notes were taken between the beginning of Ja-
nuary 1857 and the end of July 1858, They are almost entirely
the results of my own observation ; and in the few instances in
which this is not the case, the information was given me by
persons on whose accuracy I could depend. My observations
were chiefly made during shooting expeditions in the winter, as
I had not become sufficiently inured to the summer heats in

1857 to explore the marshes of the mainland, or the olive-groves
and Arbutus-coverts of Corfu ; and during the same season of

1858 I was prevented from so doing by indisposition. These
causes necessarily render my list of summer migrants very imper-
fect I may also mention that I had no work on ornithology to
refer to, except Temminck's ' Manuel,^ and only one friend and
companion who was at all interested in the subject of birds and
their habits. I therefore claim the indulgence of the readers of
' The Ibis ' for the many imperfections which they will doubtless
discover in the following notes, and, " unaccustomed as I am to
public writing," for deficiencies and rawness of style.

1. Griffon Vulture. {Gijps fulvus.)

This Vulture is very abundant in Epirus, and indeed in all
parts of the mainland which I have visited during the winter
months. At Butrinto, a favourite shooting resort from Corfu,
I have observed great numbers, particularly during the rainy

vol.. II. B

2 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

weather of January and February of 1857, when they were
attracted by the quantities of horses and cattle which died, and
were left to decay in the marshes. Having mentioned to a (or,
more properly speaking, to the) bird-stuffer of Corfu that I
should like to have one of these birds alive, he in a few days
procured me four from the mainland. They were all wounded,
apparently by swords or knives, and three died soon after I first
saw them. I administered gin-and-watcr and bullock's liver
internally, and olive-oil externally to the fourth, who soon re-
covered sufficiently to lacerate my hands whenever I attempted to
touch him, and eventually escaped with about five feet of stout
rope attached to his leg. I never could discover that these
Vultures bred in the neighbourhood of the coast ; but a pair or
two are to be observed at almost all seasons in the vicinity of
Santa Quaranta, Tre Scoglie, Butrinto, Ptelia, Pagania, Livi-
tazza, and Phanari, small harbours on the coast of Epirus fre-
quented by sportsmen from Corfu.

2. Cinereous Vulture. ( Vultur monachus) ?

I once, and once only, observed a very large black-looking
Vulture engaged on the remains of a horse, near Butrinto, in
the winter of 1857. It certainly was not Grjps fulvus. The
Corfu bird-preserver told me that he had seen a Black Vulture
from the mainland, but that it was very rare. This species is
common in the island of Sardinia.

3. Egyptian Vulture. [Neophron per cnoptei'us.)

Very common in summer on the mainland. A pair bred in
1857 in a low sea-cliff" near Ptelia, about seven miles from Corfu,
across the channel which separates the island from Albania, or
more properly Epirus. I have been assured that it also breeds
on San Salvador in the island of Corfu. The first I recognized
was near Prevesa, in the Gulf of Arta, on the 15th of March,
1857. I have never observed them later than the beginning of
September, and I never saw a specimen except in the white
adult plumage.

4. Bearbed Vulture. [Gypaetus harbatus) ?

I can speak almost confidently, though not with complete
certainty, of having observed this species on three separate

observed in the Ionian Islands, i>;c. 3

occasions in Epirus and ^Etolia. The first instance was on the
29th December, 1857, when shooting near the village of Kinon-
ria, at the head of the lake of Butrinto. I then noticed a large
vnlturine-looking bird with a wedge-shaped tail, sailing at a
considerable height, among a party of Griffon Vultures ; his
flight struck me as much lighter and more falconine than that
of his companions ; I noticed also the rich tawny-red colour of
his breast. The only reason I had to doubt to what species he
belonged arose from his small size, and I went on my way, after
he had disappeared, deeply pondering on what he could be.
The second time I noticed a Lammergeyer was at Phanari, on
the coast of Epirus. This time he came within twenty yards of
us, as we were woodcock shooting, and received three barrels of
No. 8 with no apparent effect. I was again in this instance
struck by the small size of the bird ; but there was the wedge-
.shaped tail — and what could he be but " Barbuddu," as the
Sardes call him ? The third instance was in Acarnania, near
Port Platea, not far from the town of Tragomesti. This time
there were a pair, and nothing to complain of as regards size.
They were enormous birds and very dark coloured ; in fact, till
they came well over my head, I fancied they were specimens of
Vultur monachus ; but the cuncate tail set my mind at rest. I
may mention that I have since noticed this species in Sardinia,
and never observed any individuals either so small as the first here
mentioned, or nearly so dark-coloured as the second or third. I
especially call the attention of ornithologists visiting Turkey and
Greece to these facts, as my own conviction is that there is a new
species akin to G. barbatus to be discovered in those countries.

5. Golden Eagle. {Aquila chrysaetos.)

This species is not very common, as far as my own observation
goes, in Albania and Epirus. I have not seen it more than
twice — both times near Butrinto.

6. Imperial Eagle. {Aquila heliaca.)

Not rare in winter on the coasts of Epirus. I have often
observed it near Butrinto, and on the 18th of January, 1857,
picked up a very fine specimen, dying from wounds, on the
l)anks of the Butrinto river. A friend found another dead in

b2

4 IIoii. T. Tj. Povvys 07i Birds

the winter of 1858, in the great marsh between Santa Quaranta
and Belvino in Epirns, abont twenty miles north of Corfu.
The Corfu bird-preserver assured me that this sj)eeies breeds in
the precipices of San Salvador in the island of Corfu. I have
seen an individual of these species seize and carry off a Golden-
Eye [Anas clangula), which had been wounded a few minutes
previously by one of our party, whilst woodcock shooting near
Butrinto. This is a much less wary species than the preceding,
and will often allow one to approach within gunshot when
perched on a tree looking out for wild-fowl, which seem to form
its principal food in Albania.

7. Spottkd Eagle. [Aquila navia.)

Very abundant, in January and February 1857, in all the
marshes of Epirus ; less so, though still common, in the follow-
ing winter. As soon as a gun is fired in any of the marshes
about Butrinto, one or more of these birds is sure to appear, and
keep flying about from tree to tree, apparently on the watch for
prey, though I never saw them pursue any bird, and imagine
that they feed chiefly upon rats, frogs, and such " small deer."
I have seen this species several times in Corfu. I never ob-
served it in summer, and, as far as I could find out, it is a
regular winter visitor in Epirus, appearing in that country
about the latter end of September, and remaining until the
middle or end of March. I never saw one of this species except
in or near marshes, and it is certainly the most tree-loving Eagle
with which I am acquainted. It is not, according to my own
observation, so common in Acarnania as in Epirus.

8. BoNELLi's Eagle. [Aquila honellii.)

I was shown a stuffed s])ecinien of this Eagle at Corfu which
was said to have been shot on the mainland, and I have several
times observed bii'ds in that country which 1 novi believe to
have been of this species. A pair haunted the precipitous face
of a hill near Butrinto in the winter months of 1857 and 1858,
and were the terror of any vultures or other birds of prey which
jiassed near their abode. They were generally to be observed
in fine weather, soaring at a great height in the air, and swooping
fiercely at any bird larger than a pigeon which ventured to

observed in the Ionian Islands, &;c. 5

linger in their neighbourhood. I have seen them drive away
Vultures, Imperial and Spotted Eagles, Ravens, Crows, and even a
Peregrine Falcon. They are at once distinguishable from every
other species of Eagle with which I am acquainted by their
falcon-like swoop, square-cut tail, and very shrill and piercing
scream. I have been lying in wait in a thick reed-bed, watch-
ing the flocks of divers species of ducks, coots, and other water-
birds which enliven the Albanian lakes and marshes, and have
often remarked that whilst the said wild-fowl would take no
notice whatever of the numerous Marsh- Harriers which are per-
petually hanging about the skirts of the lakes, and would merely
lift their heads and utter a warning quack on the appearance of
a Spotted Eagle, — immediately that one of these eagle-teasers (as
we nicknamed the present species) was visible, the coots would
rise and scutter into the reeds, the necks of the ducks would
be extended flat along the surface of the water, and the inces-
sant screaming of the waterhens and rails be hushed till the
tyrant had passed over. I have twice seen this species settle
upon and begin to devour mallards which I had wounded, and
which flew to some distance before falling dead, but I never suc-
ceeded in getthig a shot at the robbers. I have observed this spe-
cies near Butrinto, as before mentioned, at Livitazza, at the mouth
of the Kalamas, and at Phanari at the mouth of the Acheron. I
always observed it in pairs and haunting rocks near the marshes,

9. White-tailed Eagle. {Haliaetus albicilla.)
This species is often to be seen, though not abundant, in Epirus
and Acarnania. A pair were almost always to be observed about
the Bay of Butrinto in the autumn and winter. I watched a pair
in February 1858 soaring and playing at a great height near the
mouth of the Achelous on the mainland of Greece, about twenty
miles east from the island of Ithaca. My Greek servant took two
eggs of this species from a nest situate in the top of an old ash-
tree in a wood on the banks of the Luro river, which runs into
the Gulf of Arta, near the ruins of Nicopolis, and not far from
the town of Prevesa: this was on the 17th of March, 1857.
The old birds were very bold, and often came within gunshot of
us ; but I would not fire at them, as I did not want a specimen,

6 lion. T. L. Powys on Birds

and the shepherds begged us not to kill them, as they bred
there year after year, and kept away other birds of prey which
were destructive to their lambs. When my servant was within
a few feet of the nest, a large snake put his head out of a hole
and hissed fiercely at him, but he having crossed himself and
implored the aid of St. Spiridione, the patron of Corfu, went
)x)ldly on and took the eggs, which are now in the possession of
]\Ir. Alfred Newton. All the birds of this species which I ob-
served in Turkey and Greece were in adult plumage.

10. OsPREY. [Pandion haliaetus.)

Appeal's in Corfu and Epirus in March and September in
considerable numbers.

11. Short-toed Eagle. {Cir cactus gallicus.)

I saw a Short-toed Eagle near Paleocastrizza in the island of
Corfu, on the 7th of June, 1858. This was the only occasion on
which I observed it in that part of Europe. I had previously
become acquainted with this species near Tunis, and have since
observed it, and obtained a specimen near Nice. I may here
mention that I received a fine specimen of this bird alive from
the Crimea in 1856. The favourite food of this individual was
fish; and from what I have observed of the habits of these birds
in a wild state, I should say that their food consists chiefly of
reptiles and small fish, which they catch in the shallow lagoons
and marshes. My bird was very fierce and untameable ; and I
have been informed by persons who have kept this species in
captivity that it is generally wilder and more intractable than
any other raptorial bird.

12. Honey Buzzard. {Pernis apivora.)

There is an immature specimen of this bird stuffed at Corfu,
which was killed in the island by a friend of mine who has re-
sided many years in the Ionian Islands and is fond of orni-
thology. He assured me it is the only one of this species that
he ever saw, or heard of, cither in the islands or in Albania. I
saw a bird which I can assign to no other species, in an olive-
grove near Prevesa in Epiius on the 21st of March, 1857.

13. Common Buzzakd. [Buteo imlgnris.)

This bird was very coinnion in Corfu and Epirus during the

observed in the Ionian Islands, &;c. 7

early part of 1857. It disappeared about the end of February;
and I did not see a Buzzard again till the 7th of November,
1858, when I killed a fine specimen in the island, about six miles
from the town of Corfu. • I saw very few, either in the island or
on the mainland, during the ensuing winter, but I observed one
near Govino in the island in June 1858. It frequents the olive-
groves in the island and the old woods of the mainland. A
pair haunted the citadel-rock of Corfu during the first winter
I passed there.

14. Peregrine Falcon. {Falco peregrinus.)

Common in Epirus in winter, where it is of great assistance
to the wild-fowl shooter. Occasionally breeds in the island of
Corfu, where I have observed it near Pelleka in April 1857.
The friend mentioned above as having shot the Honey Buzzard,
assured nie that in the island of Cerigo this Falcon is very
abundant, and feeds almost entirely on insects ! Can he have
mistaken La Marmora^s Falcon [Hijpotriorchis eleonora;) for
this species ?

15. Hobby. {Hypotriorchis subbuteo.)

Common in Corfu in spring and autumn. I have an imma-
ture specimen which was shot by an officer of the 3rd Buffs on
the roof of Fort Neuf Barracks at Corfu in April 1857. I saw
a Hobby near Cettinje, the chief town of Montenegro, in August
1857.

16. Merlin. [Hypotrioixhis cesalon.)

Of frequent occurrence in Epirus during the winter months.
I have seen a Merlin shot in the Val di Roppa, a marshy valley
about seven miles from the town of Corfu, much frequented by
sportsmen for snipe-shooting. All the Merlins that I saw, dead
and alive, during my stay in Greek waters were in the adult
male plumage. I have seen as many as five wounded snipes
carried off by a bird of this species in an hour^s snipe-shooting
near the mouth of the Butrinto river.

17. Kestrel. [Tinnunculus alaudarius.)

Not common, according to my own observation, in Epirus and
Corfu. I have seen one or two Kestrels in the island in April

8 lion. T. L. Powys on Birds

and May, and once shot one near Santa Quaranta in the winter
of 1857.

18. Little Kestrel. {Tinnunculus cenchris.)

Visits Corfu and the mainland in spring. I killed a specimen
near Prevesa on the 20th of March, 1857, and bought a good
pair in the Corfu market in the month of April of the following
year. This and the following species are seen in small flocks
of from five to ten or twelve, and appear to feed exclusively on
insects.

19. Orange-legged Hobby. {Erythrojms vespertinus.)
Arrives in Corfu, occasionally in great numbers, about the

latter end of April. In the spring of 1857 I did not hear of, or
see, more than two specimens in the Corfu market ; but in April
1858 this species was very abundant in the Ionian Islands,
particularly at Fano, a small rocky island to the north of Corfu,
celebrated as a favourite resting-place for immense flights of
quails during their vernal migration. This Hawk appears to be
very fearless of man. I have watched a flock of five or six for
upwards of an hour, during which time they often approached
within ten or fifteen yards of where I sat, though I was in no
way concealed. As far as my own observation goes, this species
only remains for a few days in Corfu on its passage northwards.
I have never heard of its occurrence in the island except in
April and May. The stomach of a specimen which I saw
skinned contained the remains of large night-flying moths.
Both this species and the Common Hobby are to be observed on
the wing as late as 8 or 9 p.m. This bird often alights on the
ground, and runs with great ease and speed.

20. Goshawk. {Astur palumharius.)

Not very common. I have observed it twice only in Epirus :
the first time near Kinouria, where it stooped at a woodcock
which I had wounded ; this was on the 29th of December, 1857 ;
and again at Butrinto, on the 2nd of January, 1858. Both these
were immature specimens. I saw a fine pair of Goshawks
stuffed at Santa Maura in March 1857, which had been killed
in that island not many weeks before. I am told that this
species is common and breeds in Albania proper, Montenegro,

obserfed in the Ionian Islands, ^c. 9

and Bosnia, in which last province it is trained for taking-
hares. The Goshawk seems to be an object of special aversion
to rooks, magpies, jays, &c., who will allow a bnzzard, harrier,
or falcon to remain nn molested in their haunts, but imme-
diately pursue this species with loud cries, and every appearance
of excessive hatred and deiiance.

21. Sparrow Hawk. [Accipiter nisus.)

Veiy abundant in winter in Epirus, Acarnania, and Corfu. A
few remain to breed.

22. Kite. [Milvus regalis.)

Not common in Epirus. I did not see a single specimen
during the first winter that I passed among Greek Seas. I no-
ticed a pair several times about Butrinto during the very severe
frosts of December 1857 and January 1858, and found the
species rather abundant in Acarnania in the last-named and fol-
lowing months. Among the fine oak forests in the neighbour-
hood of Tragamesti, a pair or two were generally to be seen,
soaring in circles at a great elevation, and occasionally swooping
down near the tree tops. The bird-stufier at Corfu did not
recognize this species by its Italian, Greek, or English names,
and told me that he had never seen or heard of any hawk with a
forked tail. The Greek shepherds in Acarnania, when we pointed
out this species to them, said they had never before noticed it.
From these circumstances I think we may infer that this species
is a rare and only occasional visitor to these parts, though it is
very common and a constant resident in Sicily and Calabria.

23. Marsh Harrier. {Circus aruginosus.)

Perhaps the most abundant of the Raptores in these parts.
It seemed to be less common during the last winter than in the
first which I spent in these counti'ies ; but from two to a dozen
were almost always to be seen in every marsh in Epirus,
Acarnania, Albania, and Corfu. Very few remain to breed in
these parts, the main body making its appearance in the begin-
ning of November and disappearing in March. I once counted
twenty-six of these birds on the wing together near Butrinto.

24. Hen Harrier. [Circus cyaneus.)
Common, and breeds in Corfu and Epirus.

10 ]\Ir. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

25. Montague's Harrier. {Circus cineraceus.)

Less common than the last species, but not rare in Epirus in

winter. The great marsh of Livitazza is a favourite haunt of

this Harrier.

[To be continued.]

II. — On Birds collected or observed in the Republic of Honduras,
with a short Account of a Journey aci'oss that country from
the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. By George Cavendish
Taylor, F.R.G.S.

I PURPOSE giving some account of the birds collected or ob-
served during a journey across the Central American Isthmus,
from Fonseca Bay, on the Pacific Ocean, to Omoa, on the At-
lantic, made in the winter of 1857-8, in company with Lieut. -
Colonel Stanton, C.B., of the Royal Engineers, Mr. Amory
Edwards, of New York, and others.

But before entering into a detailed account of the birds met
with, I think it will be advisable to give such a description of
our route, and of the country passed through, as may serve to
render intelligible many allusions made in the subsequent notes.
On meeting Colonel Stanton in New York, he informed me
that he was going, under the direction of the Foreign Office, to
Honduras, to report upon the feasibility of a scheme for con-
structing a railroad between the Gulf of Fonseca, on the Pacific,
and Porto Caballos, on the Atlantic. To assist in the survey,
three Sappers of the Royal Engineer Corps had been sent with
him, one of whom was Corporal Church, lately returned, in
company with Dr. Barth, from Kuka and Lake Tchad in Central
Africa. Church carried a photographic apparatus with him, and
made a large collection of photographs during our progress
through the country.

Mr. Amory Edwards was connected with the promoters of the
railroad, and having been previously in Honduras, and speaking
Spanish fiuently, was of the greatest service in carrying out the
objects of the expedition. I hardly know how we should have
got on without him. He was also of great assistance to mc in
my ornithological researches, as he had a taste for natural his-

01- observed in the Republic of Honduras, 6jC. 11

tory, and during his former residence in Honduras had made
a considerable collection of birds.

Colonel Stanton proposed to nie to accompany him, and as
so favourable an opportunity of visiting a little-known country
was rarely to be met with, I immediately accepted the offer.

\\c left New York by different routes. Mr. Edwards and the
Sappers went by sea. Colonel Stanton and I descended the Mis-
sissippi to New Orleans, and joined the former at Havana, whence
we proceeded to Aspinwall. At Havana I first observed the
Frigate Pelican [Frcf/ata aqui/a). We crossed the Isthmus from
Aspinwall to Panama by the railroad. The line passes through
some of the finest forest scenery I have met with during my stay in
the tropics. I there saw Parrots, Macaws, and Humming-birds
in a state of nature. The jungle gi'ows close up to the edge
of the railroad, and the trees often overhang the line. Wherever
the train stopped, I observed Humming-birds among the flowers
and trees. Monkeys are abundant in the forests ; but I was told
that since the line was opened they seldom showed themselves in
its vicinity, being, no doubt, alarmed by the noise of the trains.

The day after our arrival at Panama we sailed in the screw-
steamer ' Columbus ' for La Union, in the Gulf of Fonseca, where
we were to land. The voyage occupied the best part of six
days. We stopped at Punta Arenas, at San Juan del Sur,
and Realejo. At the first- mentioned place we were delayed
fully twenty-four hours, xit each place I went ashore, and
did not fail to see Doves, Macaws, Parakeets, Anis {Crotophaga
sulcirostris), Cuckoos {Pimja), and various others of the com-
mon species inhabiting Central America. The sea was uni-
formly calm during our voyage. I observed a great number
of Yellow Snakes*, about 3 feet long, basking on the sur-
face of the water. I also saw some Flying Fishes [Exocoetus).
On our voyage from Havana to Aspinwall the latter were very
numerous. Large numbers of them would rise from the water
near the bows of the ship and scatter themselves in all directions.

* All the Sea-snakes at present known to science are confined to the
Eastern seas. It would be very desirable to procure specimens of these
Western Sea-snakes, as they would doubtless be of new species, and ])ro-
bably of a different form from the Hydrophiidai of the East. — Ed.

12 ]\Ir. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

It does not appetu- to me, after much observation, that these
animals have the power of turning in the air, but that they can
only fly in a direct line, unless they happen to assume a new
direction, by ricocheting from the edge of a wave.

The ' Columbus ' passed between Quibo Island and a smaller
island, further to seaward, which, the captain informed me, is
chiefly inhabited by Monkeys and Peccaries.

The Gulf of Fonseca is a tine sheet of water; it is studded
with volcanic islands, densely covered with wood to their very
tops. About sunset, on the 23rd of December, we arrived at La
Union, and disembarked immediately. We remained there
only throe days, and crossed on the 26th to the island of
Tigre in a boat. La Union is, no doubt, a good locality for
bird-collecting ; it is built at the foot of the mountain of Con-
chagua, formerly a volcano. Mr. Hardcastle, an Englishman
residing in New York, who was a fellow-passenger with us in
the ' Columbus,* and who subsequently travelled extensively in
Central America, ascended the mountain and saw quantities of
monkeys. The ascent is easy and may be performed on mules.
I was sorry to be unable to go, the more so as he had a splendid
view of the surrounding country.

We remained twelve days in Tigre Island, and during that
time lived in a deserted house on the sea-shore, which was full
of the nests of multitudes of red wasps. These, however, caused
little annoyance beyond their constant presence. The Sappers
lived in another house at the edge of the jungle; it abounded
(rather too much to please me) with scorpions and large hairy
spiders {Mygale). Not a day passed that the Sappers did not
kill some of these monsters. On one occasion I saw a large
spider 3 or 4 inches in diameter driven from under some furni-
ture and killed with a sword !

Tigre Island is a volcanic mountain, and densely wooded, ex-
cept a small bare space at the summit. I did not go up, as one
cannot ride, and walking up a mountain in this climate and
through dense bush is not to be thought of. I used to get
many birds near an old crater, now a lagoon, full of long reeds
and floating grass, to which they resorted to drink, morning
and evening.

or observed in the liepnhlic uf Honduras, ^c. 13

Tigre Island was not a good place for bird-collecting, as the
hush was too dense, and the walking very bad. Several other
islands were not far off, where, no doubt, much might have been
done ; but, except the visit* to the island frequented by the
Frigate-birds {Fregata), my excursions were confined to near
home, as boats were not easily obtained ; and, moreover, I had
as much to occupy me there, during the time I remained, as I
could well get through. One cannot do so much in a hot
climate as in a cool one. Energy diminishes with heat and loss
of strength, and one feels inclined to take things easy, finding
that lying in a hammock during the heat of the day is a
pleasanter occupation than skinning birds. However, I was
generally out soon after break of day, and again in the evening.
Another great drawback are the ticks and Agarrapatas, about
which I shall presently say more. A large island opposite to Tigre,
called ' Saccate Grande,' is reputed to be full of Jaguars {Felis
onca). They do much damage among the cattle. The usual
mode of hunting them is to use dogs, which drive the jaguars
to tree, when they are easily shot. It was proposed that we
should devote a day or two to hunting them, but, owing to
circumstances over which I had no control, the scheme was
necessarily abandoned.

We left Tigre on the 9th of January, and went by boat to La
Brea, some fifteen miles. There we took mules, and having
crossed an open plain to Nacaonie, halted for the night. Next
day we rode to Langui. On the way I saw Deer cross the path,
and Rabbits (Lepus), to all appearance much resembling English
Rabbits {Lepus cuniculiis). The country about Langui is roll-
ing, and not much encumbered with trees.

The next day we went through Aremecina to Caridad, and the
day following to San Juan. The day after that, we reachqd
Lamani, at the southern extremity of the plain of Comayagua.
After leaving Aremecina, where we began to get into the
mountains, until we reached the plain of Comayagua, I saw
but few birds. Upon one occasion, when high up, a fine deer
crossed the road about a hundred yards before me; and on
another occasion, while halting for breakfast, I went out with
* For an account of this, see vol. i. (1859) p. 150.

14 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

a gun, and saw a black animal, about the size of a fox, with a
bushy tail*, jump out of a patch of sugar-cane, just out of gun-
shot. Among the pine ridges on the summit, 3000 feet above the
sea, I observed very few birds, except a covey of small Partridges
{07'tijx). These, by the way, I used frequently to see, but was
not able to obtain, as they generally frequented thick bushes,
and were difficult to find and raise. With the aid of a good dog,
I have no doubt that I might have shot some, and other game as
well. We had with us a dog called ' Dash,' miscalled a setter,
which Mr. Edwards had brought with him from New York ; his
accomplishments, however, extended no further than barking, or
scratchins; at the innumerable fleas and ticks which infested him.
So useless was he, that we left him at Comayagua when we
started for the Atlantic coast.

I should have obtained many more birds, but our journey was
so unnecessarily hurried, that I could shoot only a few of such
as I saw close to the roadside. Skinning them was out of
the question. It was as much as I could do to take a brief de-
scription of the few I killed, and the halting-places were so
wretchedly bad, that it was often with difficulty I did that. I
saw many birds which I did not shoot, because I knew that I
could not turn them to account, either by describing or skinning
them. By proceeding leism*ely, I should have had many more
opportunities of procuring specimens. I might also have got
birds at La Union, and have considerably increased my collec-
tion of Grallatures along the estuaries in the Gulf of Fonseca, if
I could have remained longer on the Pacific coast.

We remained a night at Lamani, and rode the next day into
Comayagua, over the plain, which is tolerably level, open in
places, but mostly covered with forest. The day after our arrival
I was taken ill with fever and ague, and was not able to go about
for ten days. As we only remained seventeen days at Coma-
yagua, I lost thereby much valuable time, and when I was able
to go out, my excursions were considerably curtailed by debility
resulting from the fever. There is much to be done about Coma-
yagua. The vicinity of the town consists of open level plain with
cactus-bushes on one side, dense jungle intersected by rivers
* Perhaps an Antcatcr {Myrmecophnga).

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, S^c. 15

and a rugged wooded country on the other. There are also
swamps in the jungle in the rainy season. At the edge of the
town are numerous orange-gardens. The plain of Comayagua
is bounded by high mountains covered with trees. It was in
these mountains that Mr. Edwards saw the tail-feathers of the
Quesal [Pharomacrus paradiseus) .

On the 1st of February we started for the Atlantic coast.
Instead of going by the most direct route, we decided to make
a detour by the Lake of Yojoa. hitherto unknown to Europeans,
and undescribed. Our first marcb was to Opoteca, where we
remained the whole of the following day. The country about
Opoteca is exceedingly mountainous, all up- and down-hill — so
much so, that I could do nothing in such very hot weather.
On the third day we rode to Siquatepeque. Our route lay over
the tops of some of the highest mountains in the neighbour-
hood, 5000 feet above the sea-level. The vegetation consisted
chiefly of long grass and pines. I saw nothing here but Blue
Birds {Sialio wilsoni) and Crows (Cort'Ms). Siquatepeque is situate
in a beautiful open plain eight or ten miles long, 3600 feet above
the sea-level, and suiTOunded by mountains. Here I shot several
fresh birds, and would willingly have remained some days, but
the morning following we proceeded on our journey to Taulevi.
The country passed through was principally undulating ground,
covered, not too thickl)-, with pine trees, and having a very
park-like appearance. Before reaching Taulevi we had to
descend, by a zigzag path, the face of a high and very steep hill.
Shortly after leaving Siquatepeque, I saw some Deer escape from
a large plantain-patch in a hollow. During the day I obtained
nine new species of birds. We remained a whole day at Taulevi.
It is picturesquely situated in a hollow in the mountains, closely
surrounded by dense vegetation, and is, I should think, an un-
healthy locality. Our delay there was in order to make neces-
sary arrangements for our journey the next day to the Lake of
Yojoa, the route to which lay through dense forest, and was
seldom travelled. An essential part of these aiTangements con-
sisted in sending forward men to clear a path through the forest,
and to engage boats for our passage down the lake. In the evening
we sent out some boys to catch an Armadillo [Dasypus), which

16 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

animals are plentiful thereabouts. Next morning they returned,
bringing one [Dasypus 7iovem-cinctus*?) alive in a net. We ordered
it to be shelled, and dressed for cooking, and took it along with us.
It was covered with a layer of fat fully an inch thick. At a tole-
rably early hour next day we started for the Lake of Yojoa, some
three leagues distant, but in difficulty of transit fully equal to
double the distance. For some way our route lay through open
savannahs and across wooded hollows. It was in many places
overgrown with bush, and consequently we were well covered
with Agarrapatas before we had been long out. We then crossed
a broad and rapid stream and entered a dense forest, through
which the path, owing to disuse, had become almost obliterated.
It was obstructed by fallen trees of all sizes, and the young
vegetation had grown over them. If we had not sent forward
a party to clear the way, we should never have got through.
The men had cut a way through the forest. Owing to the
iiumber of fallen trees, the uiud-holes, being sheltered from the
sun, had not dried up. To avoid these, they had been frequently
compelled to deviate from the old path and open a fresh one.
Everywhere the track was full of the stumps of the young trees
which had been cut away. However, the mules got well through
it, and the baggage followed, greatly to my surprise. The forest
was full of large and lofty trees, many of them IMahoganies
[Sioietenia] . Most of the large trees had those buttresses at the
base, which are so remarkable in tropical forest scenery. The
underbrush was not very thick, but still too much so to make
walking in the forest pleasant work.

After a ride of some hours we emerged into a small clearing
with a few huts upon it, about half a mile distant from a river
flowing from the lake, where we were to embark in canoes. It
was an unhealthy and unpleasant locality, abounding in malaria
and mosquitoes, so we were anxious to remain as short a time
as possible. About half an hour before sunset we moved down
on the mules to the bank of the river. The track was through
one deep and continuous mud-hole. The whole party assembled

* Lichtensteiu says that the Armadillo of Mexico is perfectly identical
with the South American Dasypus noi^em-cinctus (Abh. Akad. Berlin, 1827,
p. 101).— Ed.

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, i^c. \7

on the bank. A fire was lighted ; and we niade a hurried meal
on tea and armadillo. The flesh looked and tasted much like
that of a young pig. Edwards was loud in its praise; but I
did not eat much, as it was too fat and rich. I do not want to
accuse any animal without good cause ; but I was quite well
when I ate it, and for two days afterwards was unwell, and had
to take a strong dose of medicine to remove a bilious attack.
This might have been occasioned by lying out all night in a
canoe; but I think the armadillo is as likely, or more so, to
have been the cause.

It was nearly dark when we embarked. The river flowed out
of the lake, which was perhaps a couple of miles distant. There
was very little current in it. The water was deep and still, and
had a very alligatory appearance. The banks were covered with
dense forest and lofty trees, which completely overhung and
overshaded the river. In our way we disturbed numbers of
Night Herons, whose cries, added to the croaking of innume-
rable frogs, made no inconsiderable noise. Every bush and
bough contained fireflies ; and the scenery was tropical in the
extreme. I should have much liked to go along this river
by daylight ; it was evidently good bird-ground. The shores
of the lake are covered with floating reeds ; and, the wind
being ahead, and occasionally too strong for us to proceed, we
made fast to them until it lulled again. We had only some twelve
miles to go, and by early dawn had arrived at our destination.
While our luggage was being disembarked, I went ofi" in a canoe,
with Corporal Church, after some Ducks {Dendrocrjgna autum-
nalis) which I saw among the reeds. As they were not used to
being shot at, they were not wild, and at the first shot I picked
up three ; a second discharge produced two. I was within easy
distance of several of them, sitting well together, with their
heads up, and had calculated on four or five at least, when,
owing to the exceeding dampness of the air (for the fog had not
yet cleared ofi"), my gun missed fire. They had by this time
become more wary ; so, as the morning felt very aguish, and I
was tired and hungry, I went in.

We remained two days at the Lake of Yojoa, putting up at a
hacienda situated a few hundred yards from the edge of the

VOL. II. c

1 8 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

water, called ' Agua azul^ or 'Blue water/ from a large spring
of deep blue tint which rises a short distance behind the house
and flows into the lake. In one place it forms a deep basin
surrounded by thick grass and water-plants, which float on the
surface of the water. The people at the hacienda told us that
it was full of alligators, and that they came ashore daily to bask
in the sun. Accordingly, as soon as the sun was high enough,
we went down with gun and rifle loaded, and saw an alligator
12 or 15 feet long, lying on the bank at the edge of the water.
We were perhaps eighty yards away, and could not approach
nearer. Col. Stanton fired at him, and, I think, missed, as I
did not hear the thud made by a ball striking its object. The
alligator, however, ])lunged in at once among the floating grass,
and we saw no more of him. He moved so quickly that I had
not time to fire my gun. Either the same or other alligators *
came out again several times during the day, on to the same
bank, and again the day following ; and several shots were fired
at them, but without any evidence of success.

Every tree and blade of grass near the hacienda swarmed
with agarrapatas. We could not go twenty yards without catch-
ing these tartars. They were more numerous here than in any
other place where I have been before or since. There were
a great number of cattle about ; and the number of agarrapatas
is corroborative of the assertion that they most abound where
there are cattle.

Next day I went out in a canoe to shoot among the reeds
on the lake, taking with me Nicazio, our rascally bad cook, to
paddle. It was the only sort of sport that could be followed
without danger of agarrapatas. Owing to the villainous paddling
of Nicazio, whose performances afloat were even worse than his
cooking, I was not very successful. I saw several different species
of Ducks in considerable numbers, Anhingas {Plotus), and Cor-
moi-ants; also plenty of Coots {Fulica) , Gallinules, and Jacanas
{Parra) in dozens. There were likewise various kinds of Herons
[Ardeida). I also saw some alligators floating with their heads

* The Alligator {Alligator mississipensis) being only found in North
America, the animal referred to here is probably a Crocodile (Crocodilus
iimericunus).^ED.

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, <Sfc. 19

raised above the surface, like the head of a dog when swimming ;
but they sank before the canoe got near them. The reeds and
grass were frequently growing in a* great depth of water, in many
places twenty feet at the .very least ; and our passage was often
obstructed by mud-banks, as well as by the thick growth of lilies
and other water-plants.

The lake is surrounded by high mountains, and the scenery is
beautiful. Much in the way of ornithology might have been done
there, with good health and fewer agarrapatas ; but I was forced
to proceed in company with my party. Leaving the lake, our
first day's march was to the town of Yojoa, principally over savan-
nahs and open ground. From Yojoa we proceeded to Potrerillos,
an unhealthy locality, enclosed by lofty hills, which shut out
the breezes and prevent the necessary ventilation of the town.
From the neighbourhood of Yojoa to the Atlantic, palm-trees
and bamboos were common in the forests; and our route fre-
quently lay for miles together through long vistas of them,
where we were completely shaded from the sun by their feathery
branches, which drooped over the path and had a most pic-
turesque effect. Although the shade was pleasant, it was pro-
ductive of some inconvenience ; for, as the rays of the sun could
not penetrate, the track was in these spots obstructed by deep
mud-holes which never dry up. Between Yojoa and San Pedro
we halted for the night at a hacienda by the roadside. I have
every reason to remember it well ; for, while I was asleep, one of
the women there thought fit to drink a quantity of a solution of
corrosive sublimate in spirits of wine, which I kept for my bird-
skins, under the impression that it was aguardiente. She for-
tunately drank too much, and vomited it up again ; or nothing
we had at hand could have saved her. As it was, she had a nar-
row escape from death, and was exceedingly ill in consequence,
and still more frightened than hurt.

Near San Pedro I saw Monkeys for the first and only time in
Central America. There were not many of tlicm ; but the sap-
pers, who were riding a little ahead of us, saw forty or fifty
together; they were of a large size, brown, with white faces
and long tails. Soon after leaving San Pedro we crossed a high
range of mountains, and arrived at Omoa on the 14th of Feb-

c2

20 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

ruary. As it was Colonel Stanton's intention to remain on the
Atlantic coast only a few days, and to return to La Union by the
most direct route and with few stoppages, I did not consider
that it was worth my while to go twice over the same ground,
especially as in such rapid travelling I could do but little in
bird-collecting. Accordingly as soon as I arrived in Omoa I
engaged a schooner, and sailed the same night for Belize, to be
in time for the monthly departure of the mail steamer to Jamaica.

I should much have liked to remain some time longer
in Honduras, and especially to have gone to Porto Caballos,
the proposed Atlantic terminus of the Interoceanic line, where
Waders and Water-birds w^ere said to be plentiful ; but a month
would have been too long for me to remain on the Atlantic
coast after my friends had left; and to return to the Pacific
was out of the question. So I was forced to depart at once,
and leave much undone, to my great regret. The passage to
Belize occupied three days, as the winds were light and con-
trary. I saw no birds on the voyage, except a few Pelicans and
Boobies.

During my stay in Honduras I only met with two Snakes :
one was near Omoa. Mr. Edwards pointed it out, slowly wind-
ing up a bank close to the road ; he said it was a Corral Snake
and poisonous. It was small, and, as far as I could see through
the thick vegetation, barred with yellow and black. The other
was near the lagoon in Tigre Island ; it darted into the water
from under a decayed tree on which I stepped. Lizards and
Iguanas were common, especially on the Pacific slope. The
latter were often of large size j they would run up the trees like
cats, and sit on the branches watching us. They are said to be
good eating ; but of course a good cook is indispensable, and
ours was all but useless.

Monkeys I believe to be plentiful ; but, as I have already
mentioned, I only observed them once.

Jaguars {Felis onca) and Peccaries {Dicotijles) are common
throughout the country ; but 1 did not see any. One day, while
riding through one of the palm forests on the Atlantic slope,
a good-sized Tiger Cat crossed the path some distance ahead
of my mule. I heard talk of Tapirs and Pumas. In such a

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, &^'c. 21

country as Honduras^ where the population is scanty, where
there are no roads besides mule-tracks^ and where the forests
are so dense and extensive, there may be any number of animals
living unseen, unless they happen to cross or be near the track
while the traveller is passing. Deer are not uncommon. 1 saw
two kinds : one was small, of a pale fawn-colour ; the other about
the size of the North American Deer {Cei-vus virginianus) , and of
a dark colour, like a Roe-deer in its winter coat. Armadillos
are abundant, but are rarely seen, as they lie underground in
the daytime, burrowing like rabbits.

But although the passing traveller in Honduras does not see
much animal life, he will feel its influence, to his ample annoy-
ance. He will be bitten by fleas, lice, mosquitos, sand-flies, ants,
jiggers, ticks, and ayarrapatas. At Tigre, where we used to
say that everything bit, we could not enter the sea without
being attacked by small shrimp-like animals. Even the fishes
persecuted us. When bathing in a small stream near San Pedro,
hundreds of them, about the size of minnows, dashed at our legs,
and caused such an irritation as to drive us out of the water.
Standing on land, we sufi'ered from the bites of numberless mos-
quitos until our clothes were hurried on again. As for the
ants, their name is legion. I do not know whether they should
be called buccaneers or filibusters ; but they appropriate every
thing they can get at, and locate themselves everywhere. They
are wonderfully industrious in carrying out their predatory views,
and display a great contrast to the inhabitants of Honduras,
who do not know what industry means, and abhor continuous
labour. There are two colours of ants — black and red — and
a great variety of sizes. Some of the large black ones are half
an inch long. Those in the houses are generally of the smaller
sizes. Every tree and bush is infested with some kind or other
of them. If you shoot a bird, and do not speedily pick it up,
it will be covered with them. If you lay a bird down for a few
minutes, beware how you take it up ; for, if you do so incau-
tiously, they will be on your hand in no time, and resent your
claiming your own, by instant biting. They are most savage
little wretches when interfered with or molested. Take care
also how you sit down, either in the forest or anywhere out of

22 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

doors, or you may jump up again quicker than pleases you. The
house we occupied at Comayagua was overrun by ants. They
were constantly occupied in excavating the walls, and depositing
the earth, in the shape of pills, in large heaps on the floor below.
Nothing would stop them. Gunpowder was tried, and arsenic
mixed with sugar was poured down their holes ; but to no purpose,
still the mining went on. The tables and food were overrun,
and the latter damaged by them. They got into tea, beer, wine,
and every thing else that was left exposed. If a piece of bread,
meat, or fruit was left on a table for an hour or so, they would
find it out and would soon be »een, in a long stream, passing to
and fro over the floor, and up the legs of the table. The only
way we could keep our bread from them was by putting it in a
basket suspended from a beam by a single string. 1 was obliged
to do the same with the bii'ds shot ; for if left on a shelf or table,
the ants would quickly find them.

I have not been able to make out at what season the birds
breed in Honduras. The Frigate Pelican was breeding on the
1st of January ; and on the Pacific Slope I found a few fresh nests
of Tyrannidce. I also noticed a pair of large hawks making a
nest near Comayagua; but these were the only instances observed.
I saw no nests whatever on the Atlantic slope, although I was
always on the look-out for them. But the density of the bush,
the thorns, and the certainty of being covered with ants, ticks,
and other ferocious insects upon attempting to penetrate it,
restricted my researches in this particular. During my stay in
the country, my constant attention was given to ornithology. I
often sat up a great part of the night, to skin birds I had killed
during the day.

Butterflies of every size and colour are innumerable in
Honduras. Mr. Edwards always carried a net with him, and
obtained many diffei-eut species, some of them of great size and
rare beauty. The ants used to commit great depredations upon
his collections.

But ants, wasps, mosquitos, and indeed all these united, were
not half so noisome as the ticks and agarrapatas. These may
truly be considered the curse of the country. The ticks are
aljout the sii'.c of the common dog-tick. They hold on tight to

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, S)C. 23

the flesh and gorge themselves with blood, until swollen to the
size of small peas, when they drop off.

The agarrapatas^, which are of much more diminutive pro-
portions, being not larger, than grains of fine sand, attack one
by hundreds, burrowing in the pores of the skin, and caus-
ing a most intolerable itching. We all suffered more or less
from them ; and many of us were covered with sores caused
by their bites. I suffered more than others, from going so
much more among the bushes. There is no escaping agar-
rapatas, even when riding along the mule-path. They are
brushed from the bushes and grass which grow by the side of
the road, on to the traveller's clothes, and soon work their way
through to his skin. They are the greatest possible drawback to
comfort, and considerably damp the energies of au ornithologist.
Their annoyance might be considerably lessened, if, on coming in
from the woods, it were possible to make a comfortable toilet, take
a bath, and put on a fresh change of clothes. But, roughing it
as I was, and often going to sleep in the clothes worn during
the day, they completely destroyed my peace of mind and body,
I have been told that they were first introduced and bred in the
cattle ; and they certainly were most numerous where cattle most
abounded, as at Agua Azul. Edwards told me that they only
abound during the dry season, and that, during his residence
after I had left, as soon as the rains began they disappeared.
I know, however, that in Jamaica I was covered with them on
some of the wettest days I ever recollect ; and Waterton says
that the " bete rouge," which abounds in Demerara, and which
is probably pretty much the same thing, is most plentiful in the
rainy season. I leave the reader to reconcile these conflicting
statements, and ask pardon for introducing such a subject in a
magazine devoted to ornithology ; but, in fact, birds and insects
are inseparably connected in the tropics ; whoever pursues
the former is sure to meet with the latter, and will find that they
create an interest far more deep and lasting than agreeable.

The dress 1 should recommend to a traveller going where
these pests are found, is a pair of loose white linen trowsers
fastened tight round the ancles, so as to prevent them crawling

* The agarrapata is a small speeies of tick, of the genus Ixodes. — £d.

24 Mr. P. L. Sclater on the Eggs of two Raptorial

up tlie legs. The close texture of the linen prevents them
creeping through, which they can easily do through the more
open texture of cloth or flannel ; and the white surface enables
one to see them and brush them off.

A hip-jacket of linen is also desirable ; and a " solar topee " is
the best head-dress for a hot climate. For riding among agar-
rapatas I should prefer boots with long canvas tops, to draw over
the trowsers, and fasten above the knee. I hope these hints
may be of use to any ornithologist contemplating an expedition
to countries where these animals are met with. The health of
a traveller much depends upon his comfort ; and the bites of
insects are often apt to bring on fever.

I did not see much of the fishes of Honduras. At Coma-
yagua a native went out and shot a few for us, in the river, with
a bow and arrow. At the Lake of Yojoa we caught some, about
half a pound weight : they were excellent eating. Fonseca Bay
is full of fish ; but we had great difficulty in persuading the
natives to go out and catch any, although we promised to
pay them well for all they brought. The exertion was too
great for the lazy rascals.

[To be continued.]

III. — On the Eggs of Two Raptorial Birds from the Falkland
Islands. By Philip Lutley Sclater.

(Plate I.)
For the accompanying plate, representing the eggs of two
species of raptorial birds of which specimens have lately been
received in England for the first time, we are indebted to the
liberality of Mr. J. H. Gurney, who, as many of our readers
know, loses no opportunity of diffusing knowledge concerning
this Order of Birds, to which he has devoted so much attention.
In the 'Proceedings of the Zoological Society' for last year
(1859, p. 93), is a paper by Mr. Gould on " Birds from the
Falkland Islands, with descriptions of the eggs of some of the
species, from specimens collected principally by Captain C. C.
Abbot, of the Falkland Islands Detachment." The specimens

i.bu; 1860.pl:

John Je R t e ns e u

:. 2.

Birds from the Falkland Islands. 25

noo' figured are from a second collection forwarded by the same
gentleman, and belong to the following species : —

1. MiLVAGO AUSTRALis. (Plate I. figs. 1 and 3.)

The small group of Falconidce to which this bird belongs is
strictly American, and mostly confined to the southern portion
of the continent, or Neotropical region, one of them only {Poh/r
boms tharus) extending its range into northern America. Their
carrion-feeding habits and the protrusion of the naked craw
when gorged, in some of the species, have caused them to be
generally arranged next to the Vultures, with, the rank of a
subfamily, Polyborince.

The present bird is only found in the Falkland Islands and
the rocks of Diego Kamirez and adjoining islets, where it is
extremely numerous. Mr. Darwin has given an interesting
a'ccount of its bold and fearless habits. It builds, as he informs
us, on the rocky cliffs of the sea-coast, but only on the outlying
islets. The eggs sent by Capt. Abbott are generally of a deep
red-brown coloui', traversed with dark blotches and scratches,
as in that represented by figure !>, Figure 2 is taken from
what is stated to be " a very rare variety^' of this e^^, being
nearly white, with mere obsolete indications of darker colouring.
It is also larger in dimensions, and more elongated in form, than
the ordinary dark specimens of the egg of this bird.

There are at present two fine specimens of Milvago australis
living in the Gardens of the Zoological Society, and likewise
examples of Polyborus tharus and Milvago chimango, both be-
longing to the same peculiar subfamily.

2. BuTEO ERYTHRONOTus. (Plate I. fig. 3.)

This Buzzard, originally described by Capt. King as Haliaetus
erythronotus *, seems to have a very wide i*ange in the New
World. From jDape Horn and the Falkland Islands it appears
to extend all up the western coast of America into Mexico,
specimens having been procured by Botteri at Orizaba, and
by Boucard in the State of Oaxaca, within the confines of

* Zool. Jouni. iii. p. 424. See Strickland's ' Ornithological Synonyms,'
p. .34, for its other names.

26 Mr. P. L. Sclater on Wallace's 8tandard-wing ,

that republic*, which are apparently referable to this species.
Whether Mr. Cassin's Buteo cooperif of California, founded on
a single immature specimen, is really distinct, is perhaps ques-
tionable. In Brazil and eastern South America, its place is
occupied by the nearly allied Buteo albicaudatus [Falco pterocles,
Temm. PI. Col. 56 et 139), which, however, never seems to
assume the deep-red back characteristic of the adult Buteo
enjthronotus. In the Falkland Islands, according to Mr. Darwin,
this bird " preys chiefly upon rabbits, which have run wild and
abound over certain parts of the islands." As to its manner of
nesting, I regret to say we have no information, the eggs having
been identified by being labelled as belonging to specimens of
the bird sent with it.

As represented in the third figure of our plate, these are of a
greyish white, blotched and marked, principally towards the
larger end, with two shades of umber-brown .

IV. — Note on Wallace's Standard- wing, Semioptera wallacii.
By Philip Lutley Sclater.
(Plate II.}
In accordance with the promise of further information made in
last year's ' Ibis,' a representation is now given of the beautiful
new Paradise-bird (or, as Mr. Gould terms it. Standard-wing)
lately discovered by Mr. Wallace in the island of Batchian. By
Mr. Gould's kind permission, our plate is copied from the figures
of this remarkable bird recently published in the third part of
his ' Supplement to the Birds of Australia.'' And by the same
gentleman's obliging loan of the typical examples, I am enabled
to give a few remarks on its structure and natural affinities.

Mr, G. R. Gray, who first brought the Standard-wing before
the notice of the scientific world at the meeting of the Zoological
Society held on the 22nd of March last, agrees with the discoverer
in considering it to be a Paradiseine form " approaching most
nearly to the King-bird of Paradise" J (Cicinnurus regius). Mr.

* See Proc. Zool. Soc. 1857, p. 211, and 1859, p. 389.
t Pr. Acad. Sc. Phil. viii. p. 253.
X See Proc. Zool. Soc. 1859, p. 130.

Fbis.lSrtO. Pi, 2.

I Jennijns lith.

StaiLfiardi D'jxc

S E M 1 0 P T E RA WALL AC 1 1

Mr. V. L. Sclater on Wallace's Standard-iving. 27

Gould, however, in the ' Supplement to the Birds of Australia/
states his opinion that it is " not a Bird of Paradise, if we regard
Paradisea apoda and P. papuana as typical examples of that
group, but very closely allied to Ptilurhis, — so nearly so, indeed,
as scarcely to be separable from that form." Now, I am not so
fortunate as to be able to agree entirely with either of these
authorities, considering, as I do, that the present bird is some-
what intermediate in its characters between Cicinnurus and
Ptilorhis, and that it is more nearly allied to both of these forms
than to the true PaiHidisea, though I think it probable that all
three genera really belong to the same natural family. In the
narrow and elongated form of the nostrils, and their conceal-
ment by short, stiff, upstanding frontal plumes which advance
far beyond the openings, Semioptera agrees more closely with
Cicinnurus. In Ptilorhis the nostrils are barely covered by the
frontal feathers. In Paradisea the nasal opening is rounded, and
quite uncovered in front. Again, the acrutarsia of Semioptera,
which consist of one smooth undivided scute, are very different
from those of Ptilorhis, which are divided into five or six scutes ;
and they more nearly resemble those of Cicinnurus. The legs
are also much stronger, thicker, and longer than in Ptilorhis,
and in this respect are more like those of Paradisea. The
wing-feathers of the new form are not so much broadened as in
Ptilorhis, nor are the secondaries so much elongated; but ii:
these respects ii is equally unlike Cicinnu?'us. The general con-
formation of the wings of the three species is not essentially
different. It may not be out of place to give comparative
measurements of these three birds.

Long. tota. Alae. Caudse. Tarsi. • .

Semioptera wallacii 10*5 5"8 2*7 1"6 \'7

Ptilorhis paradisea 12*0 61 3*8 1"3 2'1

Cicinnurus regius . 6"5 4*5 1'6 1"1 1*2

On the whole, therefore, it will be reasonable to consider
Semioptera as a vei-y distinct genus; and I must be allowed to
express some svu'prise that JVIr. Gould should have spoken of it as
" scarcely se])arable " from Ptilorhis. The two very shigularly
elongated feathers which spring from the base of the upper

28 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater

wing-coverts and extend beyond the primaries^ not to speak of
other differences, are, in my opinion, sufficient to distinguish it.
So much for Semioptera wallacii. It must have been with
much regret that Mr. Wallace left Batchian without obtaining
the second and finer species of the form which is said to exist
there. Mr. Wallace's notes on the habits and living appearance
of this singular bird are not yet arrived. They may probably
guide us to some more certain conclusion as to its natural affi-
nities. In the mean time those who wish to become better
acquainted with its strange appearance, and to form their own
judgment on the subject, have only to pay a visit to the British
Museum. There, in the Bird-gallery, they will find two nicely-
prepared square glass cases, in which a complete series of each
of the Paradise-birds * obtained by Mr. Wallace is beautifully
mounted and arranged.

V. — Contributions to the Ornithology of Guatemala. By Osbert

Salvin and Philip Lutley Sclater.

(Plate III.)

[Mr. Osbert Salvin's first collection of birds from Guatemala
having arrived, I have carefully examined them, and to the
best of my ability determined the species. I now give a list of
such of them as were not mentioned in our joint article on the
Ornithology of Central America in last year's volume, together
with the whole of Salvin's notes, whether relating to these birds
or to others included in our first catalogue.

I have also taken this opportunity to insert in their proper
places several birds well ascertained to inhabit Guatemala which
were not mentioned in the former list. The total addition thus
made to the number of the birds of Central America amounts to
35 species.

It will be understood that the whole of the field-notes in this
article are from Salvin's pen, while I am responsible for the

* The Great Paradise-bird {Paradisea apoda) from the Arvl Islands ; the
Lesser (P. papuana) from Havre Dorey, New Guinea; and the King
{Cicirinurii!) regiiis) irom the Aru Ishvnds.

oo

I — I

Eh

on the Ornithology of Guatemala. 29

determination of the species and remarks on the nomenclature
and geographical distribution. — P.L.S.]

Fam. TURDID.E.

1. Tardus rufitorques, Hartl., sp. 4*.

Dueilas. Proceeding from Duefias towards Alotenango, this
Thrush is common, but on the northern side of the road from
Ciudad Vieja to Duenas I have never once seen it. This seems
strange, as it may be met with abundantly, almost within shot
of the road, on the southern side.

2. Cathaj-us melpomene (Cab.), sp. 7.

Duenas, July 23. Though hardly so sweet as that of the Robin
of Europe [Erythacus rubecula), the notes of this bird bear no
faint resemblance to those of our familiar songster. Towards
evening it may frequently be heard in the wooded spots near
Duefias; but, owing to its shy habits and the thickness of the
underwood to which it resorts, it is seldom seen. The eyes, bill,
and eyelids of this bird ai'e of an orange hue tending towards
vermilion.

3. Melanotis hypoleucus, Hartl., sp, 12.

Coban and Duenas. A young bird (obtained July 23rd) in
nestling plumage; is of a uniform dull blackish, with the white
feathers beginning to develope themselves on the breast and
belly.— P. L. S.

Fam. SYLVIID^.

4. Sialia wihoni (Sw.), sp. 14.

Coban and Duenas. " Resident all the year at Duenas." —
O. S.

Fam. TROGLODYTIDtE.

5. Campylorhyncus zonatus (Less.) : Cent. Zool. p. 70.
Duefias, July 18th. This bird is not found quite so low

down as Duefias ; but on ascending a short distance, it is com-
mon. It is always found in comjmnies of eight or ten, or even
more, -frequenting the upper parts of the forest. Its cry is loud

* These numbers refer to those of the article in vol. i. of ' The Ibis.'
The names of the species now added to the list are printed in cajjitals.

30 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater

and incessantj but partakes little of the character of that of a
Wren. In its flight indeed it shows some affinity to these birds,
but hardly in any other respect. A nest of this species, to which
I ascended, was composed chiefly of dried vegetable matter,
including dried flowers. It was a large loose structure, about
fifteen inches in depth and twelve in diameter, placed in a fork
of one of the upper branches of a tree, and had a side entrance
near the top. It contained neither eggs nor young ; but before
ascending I saw one of the birds pass in and out several times.
— O. S.

A well-known Mexican species, occurring in MM. Salle's
and de Oca's collections from Vera Cruz, but not previously
known from Guatemala. — P. L. S.

6. Cistothorus elegans, Sclat. et Salv., sp. 18.

I constantly see several pairs of this Wren frequenting a few
spots on the lake of Duenas. I have been unable to discover
the nest, but, as the young are not yet flying about, I may still
succeed this season.

7. Salpinctes obsoletus (Say) : Bp. Consp. p. 224. Vera
Paz (Skinner). In Mr. Gould's collection.

8. Thryothorus maculipectus, Lafr., Rev. Zool. 1845, p.
338. Vera Paz (Skinner). In Mr. Gould's collection.

9. Thryothorus pleurostictus, Sclater, sp. nov.
Umbrino-brunneus, reuiigibus extus et cauda tota nigro trans-

fasciatis ; superciliis a fronte ad nucham distinctis et cor-
pore subtus albis : lateribus a cervice et crisso nigro late
transvittatis : rostri plumbei mandibulse inferioris basi
albida : pedibus pallide corylinis : long, tota 5*2, alee 2'2,
caudse 1*8, rostri a rictu '85, tarsi '9.

Hab. in prov. Verse Pacis, reipubl. Guatemalensis.

Mus. P. L. S.

An example of this pretty Wren in my collection was kindly
presented to me by Mr. Gould, by whom it was received from
Vera Paz through Mr. Skinner. The species is a true Thryo-
thorus, allied to 2\ rufalbus, T. albigularis, &c., but easily di-
stinguishable by its pure white colouring below, broadly and
regularly banded with black all down the sides.

un the Ornithology of Guatemala. 31

Fain. MNIOTILTID.E.

10. HelmixthopSaga peregrina (Wils.) : Baird, Rep.
p. 258.

Coban. In winter (or immature ?) dress.

11. Basileuterus belli (Girand) : Muscicapa belli, Giraud,
B. Texas. Basileuterus chrijsophrys, Bp. Consp. p. 314: Sclater,
P. Z. S. 1857, p. 202.

Coban. Previously known from Mexico.

Fam. VIREONID.^.

12. ViREO solitarius (Wils.) : Baird, Hep. p. 340.
Coban.

13. Vireolanius melitophrys, DuBus : Bp. Consp.
p. 330: Sclat. P. Z. S. 1857, p. 213.

Coban. This is the fii'st example of this beautiful bird that I
have seen from Guatemala. It is scarce in Mexican collections,
one example only having been obtained by M. Botteri, and one
by Senor R. M. de Oca.

Fam. HIRUNDINID.E.

14. Cotyle fulvipennis, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 364.
Dueiias, July 17th, 1859. At this season of the year this

Swallow is common on the open lands and flying about the lake.
—0. S.

Recently described from a single specimen in Senor de Oca's
collection from Jalapa. — P. L. S.

Fam. AMPELID/E.

15. Ptilogonys cinereus (Sw.), sp. 59.
Coban and Volcan de Fuego.

In the Volcan de Fuego, at an elevation of 6000 feet above the
sea-level, I found this bird abundant in the early part of July.
In its manner of taking its food it much resembles a Tyrant-bird
{Tyrannus), but, besides seizing insects in the air, hops about
the branches, apparently in search of other prey.

32 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater

Fam. CCEREBID.E.

16. Chlorophanes atriccqnlla (VieilL), sp. 62.

On comparing Guatemalan specimens of this bird with others
from Trinidad, New Granada, the Upper Amazon, and Cayenne,
I do not find differences sufficient for the estabhshment of specific
separation.

17. CcEREBA CARNEIPES, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 376.
One specimen only obtained, July 9th : a young male assuming

the adult dress.

Fam. TANAGRID.E.

18. PiTYLUS POLIOGASTER, DubuS.

Coban.

Originally described from Guatemalan specimens, but also
occurring in Southern Mexico.

19. Arremon aurantiirostris, Lafr.
Coban.

20. Phoenicothraupis rubicoides (Lafr.), sp. 70.
Yzabal (June) ? .

21. Chlorospingus ophthalmicus (DuBus).
Coban.

22. Pyranga bidentata, Sw.
Volcan de Fuego, alt. 5500 ft.

23. Ramphocelus passerinii (Bp.), sp. 76.

This magnificent Tanager is far from uncommon about the
edges of the forest near Yzabal. The neighbourhood of the
Campo Santo seems to be a favourite locality. I know^ of no
bird that shows itself so brilliantly as it flies from bush to bush.
At Yzabal it is commonly known as the Arrozero, or Bice-bird.
The twenty-one birds collected at Yzabal prove, I think, that
the immediate coast has been comparatively neglected by col-
lectors, and that the series forwarded from Coban and other
parts of the department of Vera Paz do not include many inter-
esting species produced by the districts lying fui-ther eastward.
Of the twelve species procured at Yzabal, only three occur in a

on the Ornithology of Guatemala. 33

collection formed at Coban, which contains over 100 species.
This surprised me more at first than it does now that I have
become more acquainted with the local distribution of the species.
Yesterday (xiugust 14th) I shot, on the Volcan de Fuego, an
hour-and-a-half's ride from Duenas, eight species of birds, of
which seven were new to my collection. Yet this includes 250
species, among which are all but one or two of the common
birds observed about Duenas.

24. Tanagra diaconus. Less., sp. 78.

Duenas, July 3rd. This is the first time I have noticed this
bird at Duenas. It is common on some parts of the coast.

25. Calliste larvata, Du Bus, sp. 80.

In the forest surrounding Yzabal this Calliste is commonly
met with in the month of June, the neighbourhood of the Campo
Santo being the locality in which I found it most abundant.
The first morning that I went out I fancied that I saw it, but
did not succeed in shooting a specimen. However, to make
sure I was not mistaken, I remained another day, and succeeded
in obtaining three specimens, and saw others. I found them
usually in the open parts of the forest, flying about and hopping
from tree to tree in pairs. I noticed nothing peculiar in their
cry. It was feeble, but partook of a Fi-ingilline character. From
the perfect state of the plumage and the size of the eggs in the
ovary, I am led to suppose that, late in the season as it was, no
incubation had taken place.

26. Euphonia affinis (Less.), sp. 82.

Duenas, July 4. This bird is numerous now, but escaped my
observation last year. I usually find it feeding on the fruit of a
tree called the ' Amate.'

Fam. FRINGILLID^.

27. Spermophila corvina, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 379.
Common about Yzabal. No. 227.

28. GuiRACA coxcRETA (Du Bus.), Bull. Ac. Brux. xxii.
p. 150 : Sclat. P. Z. S. 1856, p. 302.

Yzabal, June 21. Only one specimen (no. 235), seen sitting

VOL. II. D

34 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater

on a branch when shot. Hitherto known only from southern
Mexico.

29. HopmophUa rnfescens (Sw.), sp. 96.
Duenas (July 18), no. 288.

30. Chrysomitris mexicana (Sw.), sp. 99.

Is common everywhere about Duenas. I found it on my
arrival. Last year I did not meet with it. — 0. S.

Fam. ICTERID^.

31. Sturnella hippoc7-epis, sp. 101.

Duenas, July 8th. " Still to be met with not uncommonly.^'
— 0. S.

32. Cassiculus prevosti, sp. 104.

Duenas, July 3rd. " Also observed at Yzabal." — 0. S.

33. Icterus mesomelas, Wagler, Isis, 1829, p. 755 :
Sclater, P. Z. S., 1856, p. 301.

Three immature specimens from Coban seem referable to this
species, of which I have specimens from Mexico and New Gre-
nada. One from Duenas (July 25th) is also immature. — P. L. S.

34. Icterus affinis, Lawrence: sp. 112.

In various states of plumage yellow, chestnut, and in transition
from Duenas and Coban. — "Is now (July) numerous about the
willow-trees. I am quite satisfied that all these specimens be-
long to the same species, though I somewhat hesitated about
adopting that conclusion at first. The first time I saw this bird
at Duenas was July 17th." — 0. S.

35. MoLOTHRUs ^NEUS (Wagl.) : Sclater, P. Z. S. 1856,
p. 300.

A male, but not quite in full plumage, if identical with the
Mexican bird, and requiring further comparison. " A very
common species about Duefias.'' — O. S.

Fam. CORVIDJE.

36. Corvus cacalotl, Wagl.?, sp. 114.

"At this season (the middle of August) this Raven is abundant
about the plains of Duenas. A few days ago I shot four.

on the OrnithoJogy of Guatemala. 35

whereas, last year, I never was within shot of one. The man-
ners and habits of this bird are, as might have been expected,
like those of Corvus corax." — 0. S.

The single specimen of. this Raven sent is not in good condi-
tion. It is probably the bird called Corvus cacaloti by Baird
(Rep. p. 563), if really different from C. carnivorus !— P. L. S.

[Fam. ANABATID.E.

37. Anabates cervinigularis, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1856,
p. 288.

Coban. Known from Mexican collections.

38. Synallaxis enjthrothorax, Sclater; sp. 123.
Yzabal, June 19. In the dense forest.

39. Dendromanes anabatinus, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 54, pi.
el. etp. 382: sp. 126.

Coban.

40. ScJerurua mexicanus, Sclater, sp. 129.

Coban. Quite identical with Mexican specimens: not with
Dr. Hartlaub's S. guatemalensis.

41. Dendrornis erythropygia, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859,
p. 366.

Coban.

42. Picolaptes affinis, Lafr. sp. 124.

Calderas, Volcan dc Fuego, July 25th. Salvin is inclined to
think this different from P. affinis, which he obtained the year
before, 4000 feet lower down on the southern slope of the vol-
cano. It is certainly rather smaller than my Mexican speci-
mens, and the feet and bill are paler ; but it is not quite mature,
and I should hesitate to consider it distinct. It was obtained in
the oak-forest. — P. L. S.

43. Glyphorhynchus cuneatus (Max.) ?

Yzabal, June 19th. " Shot ascending a tree." The occur-
rence of this form here is novel and interesting. I doubt
whether there is more than one good species of the genus. —
P. L. S.

D 2

36 INIessrs. Salvin and Sclater

Earn. FOIIMICARIID.^.

44. Cercomacra tyrannina, Sclater, sp. 133.
Yzabal, June 21, mas juv. in bad plumage.

Pam. TYRANNIDaE.

45. Empidonax bairdi, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 301.
Coban. Previously known from southern Mexico. See ' Ibis,'

1859, p. 442.

46. Elainia subpagana, sp. nov.
Ciuerascenti-olivacea; pilei obscurioris, cristati plumis intus

albis : alis caudaque nigricanti-fuscis, tectricibus alarum
albido terminatis, secundariis olivascenti-albido stricte
limbatis : subtus pallide flava, gutture cinerascenti-albo,
pectore et lateribus cineraceo indutis : rostro nigro, man-
dibulee inferioris basi flavida, pedibus obscure fuscis : long,
tota 5 8, alse 3"3, caud?e 3*1, tarsi 0"8.
Hab. in Guatemala.

Two examples of this bird were obtained by Salvin at Duenas
on July 31st. " In habits and cry this species is very like a
Myiarchus ; indeed for several days I mistook these very birds
for Myiarchus laurencii, which is common here." — 0. S.

The present species is certainly a typical Elainia, closely allied
to E.pagana of South America, the type of the genus, but dif-
fering in its larger dimensions, more obscure plumage above,
particularly upon the head, and purer grey throat. — P. L. S.

Fam. COTINGID^.

47. LiPAUGUs UNTRUFus, Sclatcr, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 385.
Coban. Described from Boucard's specimens from Oaxaca ;

previously sent by Mr. Skinner from Vera Paz.

48. Pachyrhamphus major (Cab.) : Sclater, P. Z.S. 1857,
p. 78.

Coban.

49. Pachyrhamphus ?

Coban. A bird of uniform rufous plumage, but with the
second wing-primary shortened, as in the adult males of this

on the Oniitholugij of Gnatcinala. 37

subfamily. It is probably a young male of one of the black
species — P . polychropterus or P. nigriventris.

50. Manacus candcei (Parz.), sp, 170.

Yzabal. (218.) This bird is not uncommon. It sits in
the thick underwood, and is more frequently heard than seen.
The cry it utters begins with a sharp note not unlike the crack
of a whip. This is followed by a rattling sound not unlike the
call of a landrail, from which, however, it differs in being con-
tinuous and not repeated.

Fam. CYPSELID.E.

51. Hemiprocne zonaris (Shaw), sp. 174.

Duefias. " This month (x\ugust) these Swifts may be seen
almost every day, but they usually fly high — far out of gun-
shot. Birds with the collar perfect appear about as numerous
as those in the plumage of the present specimen " (with the
collar defined behind, but hardly marked in front.) — 0. S.

52. Ch^tura rutila (Vieill.) : Hirundo rutila, Vieill. Nouv.
Diet. xiv. p. 528: Enc, Meth. p. 534: Hirundo robini, Less.
Trait. d'Orn. p. 270 : Cha>tura brunneitorques, Lafr. Rev. Zool.
1844, p. 81.

(Plate III. fig. 1 5 , 2 $ .)

" Dueiias, July 25th. On this day I observed a considerable
number of these Swifts flying over the open land near the house.
Those with the rufous collar proved on dissection to be males ;
those without, females. I therefore conclude that they belong to
the same species. ^^ — 0. S.

The occurrence of this beautiful Swift in Guatemala is of
great interest. I have seen New-Grenadian specimens, but they
are scarce. M. Robin is said to have discovered it in Trinidad,
and his specimens, now in the Museum of the Jardin des Plantes,
form the types of Vieillot^s and Lesson^s descriptions. See
Pucheran in Rev. ct Mag. de Zool. 1853, pp. 443, 445.

53. Ch.i^tura ?

Fuliginoso-nigricans, uropygio et caudaj tectricibus su|)erioiibus
dilutioribus, pallidc fuliginosis : subtus pallidc fuligiiiosa,

38 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater

gutture lactescenti-albo, ventre imo crissoque obscurioribus,
nigricantioribus : rostro nigro, pedibus plumbeis : long,
tota 4-3, alse 4 6, caudse 2-4, tarsi 0'45.
Hab. in Mexico et Guatemala.

An imperfect specimen from Coban transmitted by Salvin
seems to be referable to this species, of which I have taken the
characters from two skins obtained by M. H. de Saussure in
Mexico. The bird is nearly allied to two South American
species, Chatura spiriicaucla and C. poUura, but is immediately
distinguishable by its pure white throat, passing into smoky
bi'own on the belly. In C. spinicauda the throat is also whitish,
but the belly is of a bluish ash-colour, and the uropygium is
pale cinereous. In the present bird the uropygium and tail-
coverts are of a pale smoky brown, like the belly.

It is probable that this Swift may be the Cluetura vauxi (Baird,
Report, p. 145) of Western North America, of which I have
never seen specimens. It seems to agree with the figure of that
bird, given in the 10th volume of the Pacific R. R. Reports,
pi. 18.— P. L. S.

Fam. TROCHILID^.

54. Phaethornis adolphi, Gould: sp. 177.

This is one of the commonest species of the family about
Yzabal, and, I think, one of the most restless and active of them
that I have yet met with. It searches the flowers growing from
the ground to the height of about four or five feet.

55. Campylopterus rufus (Less.) : sp. 178.

I saw only one example of this species at Duenas last year. Now
it is abundant in all parts, and instead of being one of the rarest
is one of the most familiar species. There seems to be a slight
difference in the notes of all the humming-birds that have come
under my observation, which is more especially noticeable when
several species frequent the same place. The call-note — if such
it is — of C. rufus is very distinct from those of Thaumasiura
henicura, Amazilia arsinoe, and Cyanomyia cyanocepliala, all of
which are in their turn distinguishable one from another; but
these differences, perceptible as they are to the ear, are not
cajjable of being rendered intelligible in writing. It appears

on the Ornithologii of Guateniala. 39

from dissection of specimens that the males only of this species
have the remarkably strong shafts to the primaries, which are, I
believe, peculiar to the genus Campy lop terus. What habit pur-
sued by the males and not -by the females necessitates this strange
feature ?

The ilowers of the Banana {Musa) arc much resorted to by
this bird.

56. Cyanomyia cyanocephala, sp. 183.

Last year in a cypress-tree near the house at Duenas a pair
of these birds built their nest. This year on looking I found a
branch of the same tree similarly tenanted, the new nest being
a few yards only from where it was last year. To get at it I was
obliged to cut away the branch, and, though in falling the nest
was quite thrown on its side, the eggs, much to my surprise, did
not fall out. This I afterwards found was owing to the lip of
the nest, which in its natural state turns in considerably. This
last week another pair have been building somewhere near the
house, and the male bird frequently comes while I am preparing
skins in the corridor and takes pieces of cotton almost from
under my hand. Yesterday afternoon (Aug. 14) Mr. Wyld
caught it making a descent upon some small object in his room.
He shut the window and called me. The intruder, who was
wearied from fluttering against the window, suffered itself to be
caught. In a very few moments its agitation ceased, and it
seemed to be taking advantage of its comfortable place in my
hand to rest from its fatigues, making no attempt to escape.
Before letting it go I procured a piece of sugar, and dipping it
in water put it to the tip of its bill. Almost immediately its
long tongue was employed in sucking up the liquid. On libe-
rating it, it flew to a tree close at hand, and seemed to take no
further notice of its late captivity. If its nest is not finished, I
have no doubt I shall soon see it again seeking the wool. The
wind produced by the wings of these little birds is considergible,
as I noticed that while hovering over a large piece of wool the
whole surface of the wool was violently agitated. This same
bird makes daily visits to the vases of flowers placed in the

40 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater

57. Delattria viridi-pallens, sp. 188.

Occurs in company with Petasophora thalassina on the Volcan
de Fuego.

58. Thaumastura henicura, sp. 191.

At Duenas the females of this species are much more com-
monly to be seen than the males. Occasionally, when flying, the
elongated tail-feathers are stretched to a considerable angle.

59. Amazilia rieffen, sp. 198.

60. Amazilia arsinoe, sp. 199.

Both common in the forest about Yzabal. A. arsinoe is also
frequently met with about Duenas. I never observed it last
year. As I now find it in one of the spots which I then used to
visit most frequently, I judge that it is a migrant.

61. Thaumantias candidus, sp. 200,

Common on the Atlantic coast-region, about Yzabal, and
thence one day^s ride into the interior.

62. Chlorostilhon osbei'ti, Gould.

A pair of this species resort to the flowers about our house at
Duenas.

One specimen was shot on the Volcan de Fuego at an altitude
of 5000 feet above the sea-level — the highest altitude at which
I have yet observed it.

Fam. GALBULID.F:.

63. Galbula melanogenia, Sclater : sp. 205.
Coban.

Fam. BUCCONID^.

64. Bucco DYsoNi, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1855, p. 193.
Coban. Discovered by Dyson in Honduras_, and accidentally

omitted from the former list.

65. Malacoptila inornata, DuBus, Bull. Acad. Brux. xiv.
pt. 2, p. 107 : Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 249.

Coban.

66. Malacoptila ver/E pacis, sp. nov.
Ferrugineo-rufa, uropygio et cauda unicoloribus, dorso et alarum

tectricibus maculis triangularibus pallidius rufis et ad basin
linca nigricante terminatis crebre aspersis ; pileo canescen-

on the Ornithology of Guatemala. 41

tiore, maculis similibus minoribus variegato : frontis plumis
et mystacibus elongatis albis : lateribus capitis pallido rufo
striatis : subtus inteusius ferruginea^ ventre medio ciuna-
momescentiore : rostri nigri mandibula infeviore ad basin
flavicante : pedibus pallidis : long, tota 7-5, alje 3*4, caudae
3*0, rostri a rictu 1"2.

Cuban, one ex. Tliere are examples of a Malacoptila in
the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila-
delphia, U. S. A., which, according to my notes, agree with this
bird. They are marked as from Vera Paz. The nearest ally of
the present species is Lafresnaye's Malacoptila panamensis, from
which it may be distinguished by the absence of any flammula-
tions below. It is also not generally unlike M. mysticalis of
New Grenada, but is easily distinguished from it by its rufous
tail— P. L. S.

Fam. TROGONID^E.

67. Trogon mexicanus, Sw. sp. 215.

Volcan de Fuego. The colour of the eyelid of this species,
both in the male aiid female, almost exactly corresponds with
the red colour of the breast in each, that of the male being much
more brilliant than that of the female, in fact bearing the same
ratio to it as the colour of its breast to that of the feraale^s breast.
It is probable that in many cases the colour of the soft parts
about the eye, &c., may be determined by reference to some
portion or portions of the plumage where it is exactly repre-
sented. In the Trogons this seems eminently the case. A few
days ago I shot a pair of Trogon caligatus, in which the colour
of the eyelid of the male was exactly represented by the colour
of the yellow breast ; that of the female by the fainter yellow
of its breast. The same is the case with T. jmella. I think,
therefore, that with tolerable safety the eyelids of these American
Trogons may be said to correspond with the colour of the breast.
It certainly is true in all cases which I have noticed. As regards
the theory itself, though of course there must be many excep-
tions, I may here state that the colour of bare skin round the
eye of Aulacorhamphus prasinus is exactly repeated in the under-
tail coverts, that of Rnmphastos carinatus in the throat, the blue
being repeated in the colour of the legs. This practice of re-

42 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater

femng the colours of the soft parts to the permanent colours
of the plumage may occasionally be employed with great
advantage.

On the 24th July Mr. Wyld and I set out for Calderas, a
locality in the Volcan de Fuego well known to my friend as a
favourite resort of many birds not found in the lower districts.
We started at six o'clock in the morning, intending to reach our
destination at an early hour^ but I found so much to attract
attention on the road, that it was past noon ere we ai'rived at
the haunts of the Quesal {Pharomacrus paradiseits) , to obtain
which was the chief object of our ride. Leaving Mr. Wyld to
make a sketch of a magnificent isolated tree of the celebrated
Hand-plant {Chirostemon platandides) , I struck up the mountain,
keeping near to the edge of a deep ravine, or, as it is called here,
" barranco," to serve as my guide. IVhat a contrast are these
elevated forests to those of the coast ! The lofty trees, it is true,
correspond, but how different the vegetation, how different the
climate ! Instead of the incessant noise and buzzing of myriads of
insects, insect life seems almost extinct, and a dead silence reigns,
broken only by an occasional gust of wind. It is the region of
mosses, and every tree, every branch is covered with clustering
and pendent mosses*. Everything reeks with moisture, the
sun being shut out from penetrating below by the closing tops
of the trees. The soil in this region of perpetual damp is of the
richest quality, its excellence being testified as well by the
mouldering ranks of the fallen trees as by the luxuriant growth
of a species of bamboo. It is no easy matter to ascend ; the
fallen trees and the dense jungle of bamboos render the path
tortuous and difficult ; " barrancos" too, innumerable sweep the
mountain on all sides, rendering considerable care necessary to
keep to the one chosen as the guide.

One would think that to ascend a mountain and descend
again were easy enough, and so it is ; but to return to the same
place by the same road is another matter altogether. The forest
entirely shuts out the view of the surrounding country, and con-
sequently landmarks are not available. One ravine is exactly

* Are not these rather epiphytous Tillandsice, belonging to the natural
family -Brome/iacea; ? — Ed.

on the Ornithology of Guatemala. 43

like another : they begin and end almost without one being aware
of it. Nothing is easier than to strike a fresh path and to take
a new guiding " barranco," instead of the one first chosen.

A wide detour to reach, the horses or a night passed in the
forest may be the consequence of a mistake. From the com-
mencement of the lofty trees one seems to be leaving 'the orni-
thological world, and few birds are to be seen or heard ; but the
hour of our visit was ill-chosen, the morning and evening being
the times when the feathered denizens of these forests show
themselves in greater numbers. It was here, however, that I
saw Lamprolama rhami, and a little lower down Selaqjhorus he-
loisce, two species of Humming-birds not easily matched for
brilliancy, even by members of their own family. It was here
that the first specimen of the Oreophasis derbianus was shot,
Mr. Wyld being present on the occasion. Here occurs Trogon
inexicanus, and last, but not least, Pharomacrtis paradisfius, the
emblem of royalty in the times of the old monarchy of Quiche.
I was not fortunate enough to see this most brilliant of Trogons,
but in the region here described it certainly does occur, though
perhaps sparingly. I cannot speak accurately of the elevation
of this forest, but, if I may hazard a conjecture, I should say
that Chirostemon platandides begins to replace the evergreen oaks
at about 7000 feet above the sea- level, and that the forest where
that tree forms the most marked feature extends to perhaps an
elevation of 10,000 or 11,000 feet, it then being itself succeeded
by pines.

Fam. CUCULID^.

68. Piaya thermophila, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1 859, p. 368: sp. 224.
Coban and Yzabal. This species has a wide climatic range.

I have observed it at an elevation greater than that of Duenas.
The same remark applies to Geococcyx affinis and Crotophaga
sulcirostris.

69. CoccYzus AMERiCANUs (Gm.) : Baird, Rep. p. 76. N. A.
Coban.

Fam. PICID^.

70. Centurus pucheranii (Malh.) : sp. 235.
Coban and Yzabal.

44 Contributions to the Ornithology of Guatemala.

71. Chloroneiyes yucatanensis, sp. 239.

Coban. Seems to agree with Mexican specimens.

Fam. PSITTACIDiE.

72. CoNURUs HOLOCHLORus, Sclater, Ann. and Mag. N. H.
(1859), ser. 3, vol. iv. p. 224.

Coban and Duefias. This Parrot is known as 'El Chocoyo.'
At this season it frequents the patches of Maize {Zea mais),
which cover the hill-sides, and commits serious damages on the
crop. It may constantly be seen flying over the plains and
low country at all hours of the day in flocks varying from two
birds to twenty or thirty in number. When any large number
fly together, they usually, I may say almost always, divide them-
selves into couples, though these do not preserve regular order
like a flock of Geese. — 0. S.

73. PsiTTOvius Tovi (Gm.).

Coban. This little Parrot extends into New Granada. I have
seen examples from Cartagena, and it occurs in Bogota collec-
tions. It is readily distinguishable from its near ally Psitt.jugu-
laris, of the Upper Amazon, by its pale yellow under-wing coverts.
—P. L. S.

74. Chrysotis guatemaljE, Hartlaub, in Mus. Bremensi.
Chrysotis, sp. 250, Sclat. et Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 138.

Lsete viridis : pileo cyanescente : primariorum parte terminali
nigricante : secundariorum pogoniis externis ex magna
parte coceineis, inde purpurascentibus : caudse vitta lata
terminali flavicante : rostro corneo, pedibus fuscis : long,
tota 14*0, alse 9*0, caudse 4"5.
Hah. in Guatemala et Honduras.

Having observed a second specimen of this Chrysotis in the
Bremen collection, I have been induced to describe it under the
MS. name given to it by Dr. Hartlaub. — P. L. S.

Fam. FALCONIDiE.

75. Geranospiza ccerulescens, sp. 277.

Found in a forest of low trees near Duefias. In the stomach
were remains of a small mammal. Iris burnt-sienna, the outer
portion being lighter-coloured: legs blood orange: cere black.

Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China). 45

7Q. Urubitinga anthracina, sp. 263.

Duenas, July, changing from immature to adult plumage.

Fam. .COLUMBID^.

77. Chamapelia passerina : sp. 313.

I have found nests of this bird both on the ground and ele-
vated a few feet above it.

78. ScARDAFELLA ixcA, Bp. Consp. ii. p. 85.
Duenas, July 19th, J .

This is the first and only specimen I have met with of this
Ground-dove at Duenas. On the coast it is numerous, resembling
in its habits the common species of this district, Chamapelia
passerina.

Fam. ARDEID.E.

79. Butorides virescens, sp. 333.

I have noticed two other species of Heron about the Lake of
Duenas, but this is the commonest.

Fam. RALLID.E.

80. Fulica americana (Gm.), sp. 361.

A young bird in its first dress. The Coot of the Lake of
Duenas appears to be the F. americana, after all, as I have no-
ticed that the old bird has a spot of the colour of dried blood
above the white frontal plate. In the young bird the bill is
vermilion-red with a lighter spot next to the white point on the
upper mandible. Over the eye is blue, the colour of the eye-ball
evidently showing through. The legs are brown with a faint cast
of green. — 0. S.

VI. — The Ornithology of Amoy (China). By Robert Swinhoe,
of H. M. Consular Service.

As I am about to leave Amoy for a place further down the coast,
a short notice of the species of birds collected by me on this
island and its immediate vicinity during a five years' sojourn
would perhaps find an acceptable place in ' The Ibis.'

The position of Amoy and its relative bearings to the main-

46 Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoxj (China).

land of China may be ascertained from any ordinary map ; a
few words will therefore suffice to explain the nature of the
country in which I have followed my loved pursuit. This island,
the neighbouring shores of the mainland, and the banks of both
the rivers (the larger one leading to Changchow Foo and the
smaller to Tunggan Hien),are all densely populated, and have re-
markably little wood, except occasional Banyan -trees interspersed
amidst the villages. Tbe plains are well cultivated with rice,
maize, sugar-cane, Cucurhitacece, and hemp, during summer, and
during winter with bearded wheat, spinach {Basella rubra), taro,
cabbage, &c. The hills are either composed chiefly of granite
debris, studded with huge black blocks of granite, and extremely
barren ; or of clay, and covered with small stones and scanty
herbage. This character of the country will probably account
for the paucity of our resident species among Land-hirds as
compared with the occasional visitants or stragglers in the same
group. The Wat ei- -birds, however, show a finer list, no doubt,
owing to the suitable feeding- ground afforded them by the large
mud-flat of the Amoy Creek, those of several other inlets and
creeks into the mainland, and the marshes at the mouths of the
rivers.

In identifying the following birds, Mr. Blyth of Calcutta has
rendered me infinite service; indeed, without his valued aid,
I could have done little among the non-European forms. I have
also to thank Mr. Stevenson of Norwich for the help he has
kindly afforded me.

1. BUTEG JAPONICUS, Bp.

A regular winter visitant, and often seen in pairs.

2. Pandion haliaetus (L.) ?

Lives on the rocks at the mouth of the harbour, and comes
occasionally to Amoy ; very shy and unapproachable. I have
never been able to procure a specimen.

3. Falco peregrinus, Linn.

Breeds in the neighbourhood, on the high hill of Lamtaiboo,
and is not unfrequently seen.

4. Hypotriorchis subbuteo (L.).
Occasionally seen during winter ; rare.

Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China). 47

5. TiNNUNCULUS ALAUDARIUS (BvisS.).

Resident all the year ; sevei'al pairs build on the Amoy rocks.

6. MiLVus GoviNDA, Sykcs.

Very common in the harbour dui'ing winter, and living off the
offal thrown from ships. In the summer the majority retire to
breed on a small island called Pagoda Island, about six miles
from the town. I have counted as many as sixty Kites over
this locality, and found several nests in a single evening's stroll.
They are generally placed on a ledge of rock ; but I have also
found them on trees.

7. AcciPiTER ? (probably Falco badius, Gmel.).

Differs from the European bird [A. rdsus) in having white

axillce, as well as in many minor points. Occasionally seen
during winter.

8. Circus cyaneus (Linn.).
Occurs sometimes during winter.

9. Circus iERUGiNosus (Linn.).

Of frequent occurrence in the neighbourhood.

10. Athene scutellata (Raffles).

An occasional winter visitant; found also in summer at
Fouchow.

11. Bubo maximus, Fleming.

Occasionally seen of a winter's evening ; builds somewhere in
the neighbourhood, as every spring the young are sold in the
streets of the town.

12. Scops bakkamcena (Penn.).

Rare. I procured two the same winter, one mottled brown
on the upper parts, the other mottled buff; the first I take to
be the immature plumage. Mr. Blyth informs me that this is
a numerous species in the vicinity of Calcutta.

13. Caprimulgus ?

14. Caprimulgus ?

One species of Caprimulgus occurs at Amoy during the months
of September and October. It is closely affine to C.indicus (Gmel.) ;
but not having had an opportunity of comparing skins, I am

48 Mr. R. Swiuhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China).

unable to state the identity of the two. Another species is found
up the river towards Changchow during the same months, and
is remarkable for having naked tarsi. It is smaller than the one
that visits Amoy.

15. Cypselus vittatus, Jard. & Selb.

Frequent in spring, flying high in fine weather, but darting
about low during rain; does not nestle here.

16. Cypselus affinis, J. E. Gray.

A permanent resident, associating in parties that twitter
together, and then disperse, darting about the sky in all direc-
tions, after a time again assembling. Thus they continue on
wing the greater part of the day. They build their nests under
the rafters of verandahs, shaped like those of the House-martin
[Chelidon urbica) , but composed of straw and other soft materials
glued together in regular strata. In these nests the birds roost
the year through.

17. Ch^etura nudipes, Hodgs.

A straggler in spring during rain-storms.

18. Htrundo gutturalis. Scop.

This bird looks merely like a degenerate variety of the
European species. It is a summer visitant here and pretty
numerous, building mud nests, lined with straw and a few
feathers, over the doors of Chinese hovels. The natives protect
the Swallow, as they believe that good luck attends it.

19. HiRUNDO daurica, Linn.

A few passing flocks spend a day or two in Amoy during
winter. A few build on the mainland ; but in Formosa it is
common, and takes the place of the ordinary species.

20. EURYSTOMUS ORIENTALIS (Linn.).
Very rare.

21. Halcyon smyrnensis (Linn.).

A common resident, called in Chinese " Fei-tsuy." Many of
its feathers, chiefly those of the wing, are cut up into bits and
glued over ornaments worn by Chinese ladies, giving the appear-
ance of turquoise stone.

Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China). 49

22. Halcyon pileata (Bodd.). {A. atricapilla, Gmel.)
Rare. The feathers of this are used for the same purpose as

those of the foregoing, and give a deeper tone to the ornaments.
I have not had the opportunity of comparing this with skins
from other parts, so I am not quite sure of the species.

23. Alcedo bengalensis, Gmel.
A very common resident.

24. Ceryle rudis (Linn.).

Very common on the river, where it is to be found at all
seasons; poises on the wing at a height above the water, and
drops suddenly down to catch its prey. I have however seen it
strike obliquely when Hying close to the surface of the water.

25. Upupa epops, Linn.

Resides all the year, but not common ; nestles in the holes of
walls, and of exposed coffins, and hence called by the natives the
" Coffin-hird:'

26. Orthotomus phyllorrapheus, n. sp.

This species is probably new, as it does not correspond to any
described by F. Moore in his Monograph of the genus, read
before the Zoological Society in February 1854. I extract from
my journal the description of a male shot on the 22nd of February.
Length 4*5 inches, wing 1-9, tail 2 ; bill along culmen -5, to gape
•7; tarsus "8. Bill pale flesh-colom-, dark hair-brown along the
culmen. Legs and toes pale yellowish brown. Iris buff; a narrow
circle round the eye pale yellow. Forehead ferruginous, gra-
dually changing to olive-brown on the head. Back bright olive-
green. Wings and tail hair- brown, the coverts margined with
olive-green, the quills with yellowish olive-brown. Round the
eye and all the under parts, including the shoulder-edge, ochreous
white, darker on the flanks, and buff on the tibiae. The two
central tail-feathers of the male gradually lengthen until May,
when they are about an inch and a half or so longer than the
others, which are all somewhat graduated. I observe that those
lengthened feathers soon become worn, and usually drop after
the first nesting, to be replaced by others only slightly longer
than the rest.

VOL. II. E

50 Mr. R. Swiiihoe on the Ornithology of Amoij (China) .

This bird is found in all the gardens, hedgerows, &c., and is
generally seen in pairs. The tailoring habits of the genus are
well known. Mr. Blyth remarks, " Your Orthotomus, I think, is
new, and constitutes the twelfth species (!) now recognized."

27. Prinia sonitans, n. sp.

I have given the above name from the crackling noise the bird
produces when hopping or flying from twig to twig. A male,
shot the 9th April, I have thus described: — Length 5*3, wing 1*7,
tail 3 ; bill "45, to gape '5 ; tarsus 'S. Bill and inside of mouth
black. Irides orange yellow. Legs buff-colour, browner on the
claws. Head fine deep bluish grey. Chin and cheeks white.
Occiput and back olive-green, blending with the grey towards
the forepart and becoming tinged with sienna on the rump.
Wings light hair-brown, raagined with buff olive-green. Tail
pale brown, margined and tinged with buff olive-green. Breast
pale clear buff, tinged with primrose, deepening on the under
parts, and very deep on the thighs. The female has the head
less bluish than the male.

It is a common resident here and at Fouchow ; it builds oval
nests and lays seven strangely red eggs. Mr. Blyth says — " Your
Prinia from Amoy comes exceedingly close to P. flaviventris
(Deless.), which is common in the Bengal Sunderbunds, Tenas-
serim, &c., and which I have received also from Singapore ; but
yours has a longer tail, wants the bright yellow of the lower parts
below the breast, and there is an admixture of white in the loral
regions and ear-coverts, not seen in our species."

28. Drymoica extensicauda, n. sp.

This bird delights in fields of standing grain, long grass, &c.,
and is often seen standing on a high stalk with its tail thrown
up, at the same time twittering a sharp series of unmusical
notes. The following description is taken from a male, shot on
the 9th of April: — Length 5*1; wing l"9j tail 2*5 long, and gra-
duated, the outermost feather measuring 13 ; bill '4, to gape '6 ;
tarsus "7. Bill deep blackish brown, paler just at the tip, yellowish
flesh-colour at the base of the lower mandible. Inside of mouth
pale flesh-colour. Iris orange-yellow ; margin of eyelids buff.
Legs yellow ochreous, flesh-colour on the upper surface of the

Mr. K,. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China). 51

toes. Upper parts olive-brown. Region of the eye, curve of
wing, and tibiae buff-ochre. Under parts pale ochreous with a
tinge of primrose-yellow. Wings and tail light hair-brown ; the
feathers of the former margined with olive-tinged yellowish
brown on the coverts, and reddish on the quills ; those of the
latter indistinctly varied with a darkish shade.

" Your Drymoica is nearly affine to the common D. fusca of
Bengal, Nepal, &c., represented by DAnornata in Southern India;
but has a conspicuously longer tail, is more decidedly rufescent
on the lower parts and around the eye; and the crown is di-
stinctly striated, in which last respect it approximates to the
Cw/2co/^."— Blyth.

29. CiSTICOLA TINTINNABULANS, n. Sp.

This bird is of very rare occurrence in Amoy, but is frequent
near Shanghai and in Formosa. I have described it as Calaman-
thella tintinnabulans in the 2nd vol. of the Journal of the North
China Branch of the Asiatic Society. It jerks itself about high
in the air while uttering its strange tinkling note.

30. ACROCEPHALUS MAGNIROSTRIS, n. Sp.

This bird abounds from Amoy to Shanghai in all reed-covered
places, and has a powerful musical voice. I take it to be the same
bird as that described in the ' Fauna Japonica' as Salicaria Turdus
orientalis. Mr. Blyth says : '^ Of your Acrocephalus it may be
remarked that (like the two figured in Gould's 'Birds of Australia')
it helps to fill up the gap between the large and small species of
Euroi)e and India respectively ; and that it is remarkable for the
great, disproportionate size of the bill, which equals that of the
European A. arundinaceus (Linn.), or of the Indian A. brunnes-
cens (Jerd.), both of v/hich are much larger birds." Length 7*2 ;
wing 3-1 ; tail 3, graduated; bill -8, to gape 1-1. Upper parts
sienna or yellowish brown; wings brown, margined with the
same ; tail do. and tipped with yellowish grey ; eye-streak and
throat yellowish white. Under parts sienna yellow, with more
or less white.

31. Acrocephalus bistrigiceps, n. sp.

This is a much rarer bird than the foregoing, and may have

E 2

52 Mr. R. Swinlioe on the Orrdthologxj of Amoy (China).

been previously described; but I have not yet been able to
identify it. It may easily be distinguished by a line of black
over a yellowish streak above each eye. Length 5-25 ; wing 2*3 ;
tail 2-1, graduated; bill -5, to gape -6. Upper parts olive-
brown, tinged with sienna, redder on the rump and edgings of
the tail ; wings hair-brown, margined with the prevailing colour.
Throat, belly, and under wing-coverts whitish ; the rest of the
lower parts deeply washed with sienna buff.

32. Arundinax canturians, n. sp.

A mnter species in Amoy, but found in summer at Shanghai
uttering its notes, which are so rich and full as to make the
hearer expect a fine song coming. But, alas ! these three or four
notes are all that the bird possesses ; and, though you strain your
ear in listening, from the same bush you hear at intervals the
same few rich notes.

Mr. Blyth observes on a skin sent him — " This seems very
like a second species of my genus Arundinax. The tail, how-
ever, is obscurely striated across, which I do not perceive in my
A. olivaceus ; and your bird has also a much stronger hind toe
and claw, quite disproportionately so as regards the anterior toes
The white of its wings underneath is remarkable. The tail is
less graduated than in A. olivaceus."

It is probable that this may heSalicaria cantillans of the 'Fauna
Japonica.^ Length 6*5 ; wing 2*8 ; tail 2*9 ; bill '5, to gape "8 ;
tarsus 1*1, middle toe "85 ; hind toe '65. Forehead and crown of
the head rufous brown. Upper parts and tail olive-brown. Wings
hair-brov/n with yellowish brown margins. Throat, under wing-
coverts, and belly white. Eye-streak and remaining under parts
ochreous grey. Bill and feet brownish.

33. Arundinax minutus, n. sp.

This is a most singular miniature of the foregoing bird, resem-
bling it almost exactly in colour, but differing considerably in
size. Length 5; wing 2*2; tail 2*1; tarsus '85; middle toe "7,
hind toe '^. This bird is also more robust in build, and is much
rarer as a winter visitant here. The disproportionate size of the
hind the is not so conspicuous as in its congener.

Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Anioy (China). 53

34. Phylloscopus fuscatus, Blyth.

Common during winter, and stays so late in spring that
I have a strong suspicion that it nidificates in the neighbourhood.
It entertains us during the' early vernal months with its pretty
shake song ; but its most frequent note is " chick-chick."

35. Phylloscopus sylvicultrix, n. sp.

]\Ir. Blyth, on a view of this bird, pronounced it " a new
species, differing from all but the European sibilatrix in the
minute size of its first primary, in which character, however,
sibilati'ix exceeds it." This species is very numerous here in
the months of April and May, but leaves us to breed. Length
4-5; wing 2*5, 1st quill '5, 2nd 1-75, 3rd and 4th 1-9; tail 1*7;
bill '5, to gape '65 ; tarsus "75. Upper mandible brown, with a
yellow edge ; lower yellow, with a patch of brown on the terminal
half. Legs pale yellowish brown, yellower on the under surface
of the toes, and bi'owner on the claws. Upper parts olive-green,
brownish in some lights, especially on the crown. Line over the
eye, a row of feathers on the lower half of the circle round the
eye, and part of the cheeks pale chrome-yellow. Space between
the bill and eye blackish olive. Feathers of the wings and tail
hair-brown, broadly margined with olive-green, and having a
spot of yellowish white on the tip of the outer web of the five
first secondary coverts. Under parts pale yellowish or primrose-
white, varying in depth of tint. The under shafts of all the tail-
feathers white, and the margin of the inner webs of the three
outer tail-feathers faint white. The size of the bill varies a good
deal in different individuals.

36. Phylloscopus tenellipes, n. sp.

This species has very delicate light pink-coloured legs and
feet. Crown of the head, and a streak between the bill and eye
produced over the ear-coverts, blackish olive-brown. Eye-streak
yellowish. Upper parts buff-olive. Under parts pure white, ex-
ce})t the flanks and under tail-coverts, which are buff, and the
under wing-coverts of a primrose-yellow. Culmen of bill dark
brown, the rest pale pinkish yellow. This is a straggling visitant
durini; th(; cool weather.

54 Mr. R. Svvinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China).

37. Phylloscopus coronatus (Temm. & Schleg.).

This species is noticeable from having a faint line of yellow
on the crown, like a Regulus, and is probably the species described
under the above name in the ' Fauna Japonica.' It is sometimes
met with in small parties during spring.

38. Reguloides proregulus (Pall.). {R. modestm, Gould;
R. inornatus, Blyth.)

Winters here, and is of solitary habits. Identified by Mr.
Blyth, who remarks — " Common here (Calcutta) in the cold
season. When newly moulted, has a pale median line along
the crown. '^

39. Reguloides chloronotus, Hodgs.

Identified by Mr. Blyth as the Himalayan species. Often
seen during winter here in pairs, going about from tree to tree
in search of insects.

40. CopsYCHUS sAULARis (Linn.).

A common resident. Native name, " Chuy-kam-chay."

41. Pratincola indica, Blyth.
Winters here.

42. RUTICILLA aurorea (Pall.).

Winters here. A second species occurs, of which I have only
one female, and have therefore not been able to identify it.

43. Nemura rufilata, Hodgs.
Winters here.

44. ThAMNOBIA NIVEIVENTRIS, U. Sp.

This is a lively Chat-like bird, but has a habit of jerking up
the tail like a robin and exhibiting the pure-white anal feathers.
Length 5*2, wing 2*8, tail 2"1, bill -25. Upper parts greyish
brown ; under parts greyish tinged with buff, especially on the
under wing-coverts. Lower belly and vent pure white. Wings
greyish brown, with broad buff tips to the secondary coverts,
forming a transverse bar across the wing; quills edged with
light buff brown, and most of them tipped whitish. Tail black,
the three outer feathers having the basal two-thirds white. Bill
and legs black.

This species is a winter visitant, but not common here.

Mr. R. Swiuhoe on the Ornithology of Amoij (China). 55

45. Parus minor, Temni. & Schleg.

Mr. Blyth tells me that the species prevalent from Hong-kong
to Shanghai is not P. atriceps, but most probably P. minora
lately figured in the 10th" Part of Gould^s ' Birds of Asia/

46. ZosTEROPS jAPONicuSj Temm. & Schleg.

This is most probably the same species as that of the ' Fauna
Japonica.' It is resident on the mainland, and visits Amoy
occasionally in small troops.

47. MoTACiLLA BOARULA, Linn.
A common winter visitant.

48. MOTACILLA LUZONIENSIS, Scop.

Common in winter; a few breed here. Length 7'3, wing3"5,
tail 3-5.

49. MOTACILLA OCULARIS, n. sp.

Distinguishable from the foregoing by a permanently grey
back, larger size, and a black line running through the eye,
past the ear-coverts. Length 7*8, wing 3*7, tail 3*8. On the
other hand, the bill and the head are smaller.

50. BUDYTES FLAVA (Linii.).

I think this is the species ; it is certainly not B. citreola. It
is of rare occurrence here.

51. Anthus thermophilus (Hodgson).

Identified by Mr. G. R. Gray of the British Museum. Common
during winter.

53. Anthus agilis, Sykes.
Common during winter.

53. Anthus richardi, Vieill.
Common during winter.

54. Myiophonus horsfieldii, Vigors ?

Lives among rocky caverns, and is very shy. Its native name
is " Aw-chuy.'^ I have marked the name with a query because
I have not been able to compare our bird with others referred to
that species*.

* It is probably distinct, and should be called M. caruleus (Scop.),
being the Merle bleu de la Chine of Sonnini. — Ed.

56 Mr. R. Swmhoc on tlic Omit/wlufji/ of Ainoy (China).

55. TuRDUS DAULiAS, Temiii., Faim. Japon.

This is our commonest winter thrush. A few are occasionally
found together^, though the bird is not gregarious. One, shot the
23rd February, is described as folows: — Length 9-2; wings 4-9;
tail 3-5 ; bill -8, to gape I'l. Upper parts rich olive-brown, paler
on the breast and flanks of lower parts, and greyish on the cheeks.
A spot under the eye, chin, and throat white, the latter speckled
with olive-grey. Belly and under tail-coverts white, the last
blotched with olive-brown. Bill: upper mandible black, edged
with yellow ; lower mandible, inside of mouth, and skin round
the eye chrome-yellow. Legs pale liver-brown. Quills hair-brown,
margined on the outer webs of the four foremost with white. Tail
hair-brown, margined with olive-green, the two outermost feathers
having large spots of white on the inner webs towards the tip,
and the 3rd feather only a small spot. In spring, the head, neck,
breast, and flanks become deeply tinged with bluish grey, varied
with more or less white in difi'erent individuals.

56. TuRDUs FALLENS, Pallas. {T. pallidus, Gm.).
Not unfrequent during winter.

57. TuRDUs CHRYSOLAUS, Tcmm. & Schleg. Faun. Japon.
This handsome species is closely allied to our T. advena in size

and shape; but the red that marks its plumage is a sure distinc-
tion. Small parties of this bird arrive in early spring, but they
make short sojourn with us.

Four other species of Turdus occur during the winter; but, as
I have no duplicates, I have not had the means of identifying
them.

58. TURDUS MANDARINUS, Bp.

Identified by Mr. G. R. Gray. A common resident, and very
abundant from Amoy to Shanghai.

59. Oreocincla aurea, Bp.

A straggling visitant. Number of rectrices fourteen

60. Petrocossyphus manillensis (Bodd.).
A common resident among the rocks.

Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China). 57

61. Garrulax rugillatus, n. sp.

This large Butcher- thrush is found among bushes on the hills
of the mainland here, and is of common occurrence also at Fou-
chow; I have more than oilce found the remains of small birds in
its gizzard. Length nearly ] foot ; wing 4'7 inches ; tail 5*2 ; bill
•9, to gape 1'3. Back, wings, and tail yellowish brown. Head
and neck yellowish grey. A band of black reaches from one ear-
covert, over the forehead, to the other, forming a broad mark over
the eyes. Under parts pale rufous ochre, but very deep on the
vent. Beak and legs brown.

62. Oriolus chinensis, Linn.

A rare straggler here, but very common in S.W. Formosa.
The female is slightly greener than the male on the back and
wings, and is considerably larger. Another species, not found
here, I have received from Mr. Holt at Fouchow. It has a
spotted breast.

63. Pycnonotus sinensis, (Gmel.). {Turdus occipitalis,
Temm.)

Very common all over the coast from Hong-kong to Shanghai,
and everywhere in Formosa.

64. Pycnonotus h^morrhous (Gmel.).

Found abundantly in some places in this neighbourhood, but
particularly local, seldom straying far.

65. Tchitrea principalis, Temm.

A rare spring straggler ; identified by Mr. G. R. Gray.

66. Tchitrea c^eruleocephala (Quoy et Gaim.) ? ?
Rare, and not identified.

67. Hemichelidon latirostris (Raffles).

{Muscicapa cinereo-alba, Temm. and Schleg., Fauna Japon.)
A common winter visitant. The former name identified by
Mr. Blyth, the latter by Mr. Stevenson.

68. Hemichelidon fuliginosa, Hodgs.
A rare spring visitant.

69. Hemichelidon rufilata, n. sp.

This species approximates to H. latirostris in form, but has
a bill broader at the base. It is a rare spring visitant here.

58 Mr. R. Svvinhoe 07i the Ornitlwlogij of Amoy (China).

Length 4'7j wing 2*9; tail 2 ; bill '4, to gape '6, breadth of gape
•35 ; tarsus '5. Headandupper part of neck blackish gi'ey. Back
and scapulars reddish brown. Wings blackish brown, mar-
gined with burnt sienna. Rump and tail tile-red, the feathers
of the latter more or less marked with blackish. Throat and
fore neck white, yellowish on their sides. The rest of the lower
parts (excepting just the abdomen, which is white) reddish or
burnt-sienna ochre, more or less intense.

70. Xanthopygia narcissina (Temm.). (X chrysophrys,
Blyth.)

A rare spring visitant.

71. Niltava CYANOMELiENA (Temm.), Faun. Japon.

A rare spring straggler.

72. Campephaga cinerea (Blyth) ?

Of a deep bluish grey, with green-black wings and tail ; the
feathers of both tipped more or less with white, the graduated
tail-feathers deeply tipped. Vent white. Bill and legs black.
Length 9 ; wing 4"5 ; tail 3*7. This species occasionally shows
itself here in spring and in autumn.

73. Pericrocotus cinereus, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 94.
(P. motacilloides, mihi.)

A female of this, or of a nearly allied species, appears to have
been described under the name P. cinereus. During the spring a
numerous party of these birds ai'rived, and stayed with us for
several days, the females exceeding the males in number about
live or more to one. The crops of those dissected contained
caterpillars and eggs of the large yellow bug [Tesseratoma de-
lessertii) . These birds had a very pretty thrilling note, like that
of the Canary, only much louder. When the flock was disturbed,
it would rise high, flying round and round in large circles, gra-
dually ascending, the individuals that composed it rising and
falling at irregular intervals, and constantly uttering their
notes. Suddenly, with a sweep, they would all descend into some
tree, and, settling at first on the top, would soon afterwards di-
sperse among the boughs to search for food. They were so
foolishly tame, that at the report of a gun they only hopped on
to another branch, though they witnessed the fall of one or more

Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Oi-nithology of Amoy (China). 59

comrades. Here is the description given by De Lafresnaye : —
"Cendre en dessus; lorums^ ailes et queue noirs; front, une
tache mediane alaire, pli de Paile, bord extreme des remiges
tertiaireSj la presque totailite de trois rectrices laterales et tout
le dessous de corps, blancs. Longueur totale 0™*193. Habite
rile de Lugon (Philippines).^' The female in all mine hdiS greyish-
brown wings ; the black of the lores extends over the beak ; and
four, instead of three, lateral rectrices have a good deal of white
on them. Length 8 ; wing 3'8 ; tail 4, the three outer feathers
being shorter than the rest, equally graduated, measuring H, 2,
and 2| respectively, the six central ones nearly equal ; expanse
10|, bill I, to gape 'B. Bill and feet black.

The male has a broad white forehead and a black crown, which
gradually blends with the bluish grey of the back ; the wings
are also blacker ; and there is more grey on the sides of the
breast. In fact the plumage of the male has great affinity to
that of the wild Motacillce, and also forms a happy transition
from the grey Campephagte to the crocus-tinted Pericrocoti^.

74. DiCRURUs MACROCERCUs (VicilL).

A summer visitant, but by no means common at Amoy.
Remarkably common in S.W. Formosa, where several may be
seen sitting on nests in the same bamboo-tree.

75. Lanius schach, Gm.

A common resident. Has a great habit of shrieking.

7Q. Lanius lucionensis, Linn.

Identified by both Mr. Blyth and Mr. Stevenson. The former
observes : " This is decidedly the true L. lucionensis. Strick-
land (Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1847, xix. p. 132) considers that
all the various allied races are only varieties of the same. My
notion is, that there are three or four cognate races, which may
breed together when circumstances permit of it, and so grade into
one another. Unquestionably a Malayan L. superciliosus is very
unlike L. lucionensis."

This is a common visitant with us.

* There seems to be no doubt of this bird being P. cinereus. It is
figured in Gould's ' Birds of Asia,' pt. ix. — Ed.

60 Mr. R, Swinlioe on the OrnitJiology of Amoy (China).

77. Lanius BUCEPHALUS, Temm. & Schleg.

I have met with but one of these birds here. It had a large
rufous head, without the usual black face-band of the genus.

78. CoRVUs PECTORALis, Gould.

The common Crow here. A permanent resident.

79. Pica sericea, Gould.

Very common. Roosts in company in large trees, whence
parties sally every morning to the country round for food ; at
nightfall they all return again, cackling, curveting, and per-
forming sundry antics in the air. They are much admired by
the natives for their lively habits, and are called by them the
" Birds of Joy."

80. ACRIDOTHERES CRISTATELLUS (Linn.).

A very common species from Hong-kong to Shanghai. Builds
in holes of trees or walls, or makes large oval nests in high
trees. Learns to speak with facility, and soon becomes docile
in confinement.

81. Gracupica nigricollis (Paykull). {Pastor temporalis,
Temm. ; P. biculur, J. E. Gray.)

A common resident, generally seen in pairs, but also asso-
ciating in small parties. It is a very noisy bird. It builds a
magpie-like nest on high trees, and lays three pale-blue eggs.
It is found also in Siam.

82. Temenuchus TURDiFORMis (Wagler). {T.sine7isis,Gime\.)
A common summer visitant. A very restless bird. It builds

in holes of walls. It is found also in Pegu.

83. Temenuchus sericeus (Lath.).

Identified by Mr. Blyth. A winter visitant ; lives, while with
us, chiefly on Banyan-berries.

84. Temenuchus cineraceus (Temminck).

This resembles the foregoing a good deal in form, but is
broader on the back, and generally more robust. It visits us
during winter, in small flocks, to devour the Banyan-berries.
Length 8-7, wing 5, tail 2-8, bill 1, to gape 1"3. Bill tile-red,
blackened on the apical half. Legs orange ochre, claws blackish.

Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China). 61

Irides white. Head and neck blackish brown interspersed with
a few white spots; cheeks white, more or less streaked. Upper
jiarts Hver-brown, tinged with grey. Wings and tail with a
slight greenish gloss ; the foremost secondaries broadly edged
with white, the rest and some of the quills but slightly ; the tail-
feathers are extensively edged with white, and all, except the
two central, more or less deeply marked with white on the apical
portion of the inner web. Breast and flanks bluish grey. Under
wing-coverts, belly, pygial band, and under tail-coverts pure
white. The females are browner, and have little or no grey on
them.

85. COCCOTHRAUSTES MELANURUS (Guicl.).

Found here the winter through, but leaves us before summer.
Breeds in Shanghai.

86. MuNiA MALACCA (Linn.).
Young birds are met with in autumn.

87. Muni A Molucca (Linn.).

Found in the neighbourhood ; scarce. Common at Shanghai
during summer.

88. MuNIA RUBRONIGRA, Blyth.
Scarce.

89. Oryzornis oryzivora (Linn.).

Flocks occasionally met with during winter and spring.

90. Ligurinus sinicus (Linn.).

A small goldfinch-like bird with a greenfinch's bill ; not
uncommon on the hills ; has a pretty, tinkling call-note.

91. Passer montanus (Linn.).

Common everywhere about houses. Resembles in habits the
house-sparrow, P. domesticus (Linn.).

92. Emberiza fucata, Pall.

Met with among standing grain during winter, but difficult
to procure, from its habit of dropping under cover of the grain,
and seldom perching in exposed places.

93. Emberiza pusilla. Pall.
Occasional m flocks during winter.

62 Mr, R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China).

94. Embebiza canescens, n. sp.

Small flocks of these occui* during winter. Male : length 5*1 j
wing 2*9 ; tail 2*5, and somewhat forked ; bill -35. Head and
neck sienna greyj crown^ cheeks, and throat becoming black
and having a frosted appearance. Back and scapulars black,
each feather broadly margined with white, and more or less
tinted with reddish sienna. Wings blackish brown, broadly
margined with tinted white. Under parts and rump white.
Tail blackish brown, having the two central feathers broadly
margined with white, the next hardly at all ; outer feathers white,
except a small basal portion of the inner web ; the second broadly
tipped with the same. The female is deeply tinged with reddish
brown above and reddish ochre beneath. Her wing measures
2-7.

95. EuspizA PERsoNATA (Temm.).

The commonest bunting here during winter.

96. EUSPIZA AUREOLA (Pall.).

Met with in flocks in winter, feeding on the ripening corn.

97. Melophus lathami (Gray).

A common winter species. A few breed in the neighbourhood.

98. Alauda ccelivox, nobis.

I have described this as a new species in the third volume of
the Nortb-China Branch of the Asiatic Society's ' Journal ;' but
further and closer comparison of the bird is needed before the
truth can be arrived at.

99. YUNX TORQUILLA, LiuU.

Common during winter.

100. CucuLUs CANORUS, Linn, ?

A bird of passage at Amoy, arriving in autumn and spring,
and sojourning here only a few days. It breeds in Shanghai.

101. CucuLus TENUiRosTRis, Gray.

A summer visitant ; has a loud-toned whistle, repeated four
times, and then terminating with a run.

102. TuRTUR CHiNENsis (Scop.). {C.tigrina, Temm.)
Common everywhere from Hong-kong to Shanghai.

Mr. R. Swinhoc on the Ornithology of Amuy (China). G3

103. TuRTUR HUMiLis (Temiu.).
A summer visitant.

104. TuRTUR ORiENTALis (Lath.). [C. gelastes, Temm.)
This species is closely affined to T. meena, but is miich larger

and has a black bill. It is found during the months of winter
in this neighbourhood ; I have also seen it in Formosa ; and a
specimen was given to me which had flown on board a ship out-
side the Madjicosima Islands.

105. Francolinus perlatus (Gmel.).

Birds of this species are brought to market by the natives
fx'om some neighbouring part of the country.

106. CoTURxix CHiNENsis (Linn.).

A winter bird here, and by no means common. Met with
occasionally amongst standing corn.

107. Squatarola helvetica (Linn.).

Met with in small flocks on the river mud-flats during winter.

108. iEoiALiTES cANTiANus (Lath.).

A winter visitant, associates in large flocks, and frequents the
sea-coast and mouth of the river. A few stay during summer,
and nestle on the mud-flats of the islands at the entrance to the
harbour.

109. iEGiALiTES pusiLLUs (Horsf.).

Resembles ^. hiaticula (Linn.). It is a winter visitant, and
prefers fields of dry mould to the sea-coast. It lives in small
parties, and rises with a pretty note, " teo-teo."

Another species is occasionally shot, out of mixed flocks of
small sea-birds, resembling a good deal the yE, cantianus in
winter garb, but considerably exceeding it in size.

110. HiEMATOPUS OSTRALEGUS, Liuu.

Occasional winter visitant.

111. Ardea cinereAj Linn.

Common during winter; flocks occasionally pass over during
summer.

64 Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China).

112. HeRODIAS EGRETTA (Liim.) ?

A large white heron is seen occasionally in winter among the
river marshes ; it is not yet identified.

113. Herodias garzetta (Linn.).

The common species here all the year through ; builds
in heronries in large Banyan-trees.

114. Herodias eulophotes, n. sp.

This differs from H. garzetta strikingly in having a yellow bill,
full-crested occiput, and shorter legs. It is a rare and soli-
tary species. Length 27 inches ; wing 9"25 ; bill from tip to gape
3*75 ; tarsus 3'00 ; naked part of the tibia about 1*75; middle toe
2*25, its claw "25. Legs greenish black; feet olive-brown, patched
in places with yellow. Bill orange-yellow, becoming flesh-coloured
and purplish on the lores and round the eye. Irides pearl-
white. A number of loose feathers spring from the occiput,
forming a full ornamental crest, the highest ones being longest
and measuring 44 inches each, the length diminishing gradually
in the lower ones. Long loose feathers also spring from the lower
neck, as also from the back, whereas in H. garzetta they be-
come decomposed into hair-like silky webs curling upwards at
their ends. This bird appears to have considerable affinity with
H. candidissima of N. American ornithology.

115. Herodias asha (Sykes).
One specimen shot in spring.

116. BuPHUs coROMANDUs (Bodd.). {Ardearussataf'Yemm.)
Common in summer, building in flocks on Banyan-trees.

117. Ardeola PRASiNoscELES, n. sp.

Male shot in ]\lay. Apical half of bill black, middle por-
tion chrome-yellow, base and cere indigo-grey. Legs green-
ish chrome. Irides orange- yellow. Head and neck indian
red, gradually changing into purple as it descends to the
back. Throat, median line of under neck, belly, rump, and
wings white. Back having long, loose, bluish-grey feathers,
decomposed and hair-like. Lower part of the neck with feathers
long and hair-like, nearly covering the blue feathers of the
breast. Crest composed of two long subulated feathers 4*25 in.

Mr. R. Swinhoe o/j the Ornithology of Amoy (China). 65

long, with several shorter ones fitting into the groove on their
vinder sides ; these feathers are the same colour as the head. ]\ow
Horsfield states, in his ' Researches in Java/ that the A. speciosa
has "in its complete dress the head ahove, &c. isabella-yellow
with a rufous tint . . . . ; colour of the back intensely black
. . . . ; feet dark yellowish brown .... The crest consists of
from four to six greatly lengthened linear plumes of a very pure
milk-white colour. The bill is dusky at the base.''

This comparison of the adult plumage is surely convincing of
the non-identity of the two birds. The immature plumage would
appear to be more similar ; but even here there are differences.
In the ]\Ialacca species, according to Horsfield, " the wings
and the tail are pure white ;" in ours, they are more or less
dashed with blackish. In his, " the feet, and the upper mandible
throughout its whole length, are black ;" in ours, the former
are bright yellowish green, with bi'ownish claws, and the bill
pale liver-brown, black for 5 inch at the tip ; the naked space
round the eye greenish-yellow, bluish at the base of the bill.
Hence it is plain that ours is not A. speciosa ; and, from the
following remark from Mr. Blyth after comparing skins from
Amoy with some of the ^. leucoptera, it is also evident that it is
perfectly distinct from the Bengal species. Mr. Blyth observes,
"Yours is so exceedingly like our common A. leucoptera in
winter dress, as to be hardly, if at all, distinguishable, but utterly
unlike it in summer garb. Malacca specimens I have only seen
in winter dress."

118. Ardetta cinnamomea (Gmel.).
A summer visitant.

119. Ardetta sinensis (Gmel.). [A.lepida, Horsf.)
Common during summer, among the bushes that line the

banks of the i-iver.

120. Nycticorax manillensis (Vigors).

Seen flying overhead during summer, in the dusk of nightfall,
uttering strange croaks.

121. Platalea leucorodia, Linn.
Occasional winter visitant.

VOL. II. F

66 Mr. R. Svvinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoij (China).

122. NuMENius MAJOR, Temm. & Schleg.

Regular winter visitant. Frequents mud-flats, usually in
large flocks.

123. ToTANUs GLAREOLA (Linn.).

Common on inland marshy ground during winter.

124'. ToTANUs GLOTTOiDES, Vigors.

Common during winter, on mud-flats at the river's mouth.

125. ToTANUs ocHROPUs (Linn.).

Rare ; met with by small streams of fresh water, very seldom
near salt water.

126. Tringoides hypoleucus (Linn.).

The commonest Sandpiper here ; found the greater part of the
year on the sea-shore, mostly on rocky places.

127. Recurvirostra avocetta, Linn.
Occasional winter visitant.

128. Tringa cinclus, Linn.

Frequenting our shores in large flocks during winter.

129. Tringa temminckii, Leisl.

Found in small parties scattered over wet fallow paddy-fields
in the cold season.

130. Scolopax rusticola, Linn.

A few drop on this island during the autumnal and vernal
migrations, but soon resume their flight.

131. Gallinago uniclava, Hodgs.

Our commonest species in paddy-fields or on other wet ground.
Retires in summer to breed.

132. Gallinago stenura (Temm.).
Also common.

133. Gallinago solitaria (Hodgs.) ?

Solitary individuals found in ravines among the hills during
winter. It is a much larger bird than the two above, has the
tail slightly rounded and consisting of twenty nearly equally
long feathers, the eight middle ones broad and terminated ob-
tusely, the six lateral ones narrow, beginning with the first,

i\Ir. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of A mo 1/ (China). 67

which is a little more than •! inch wide, and gradually increasing
towards the outermost of the eight central, which is narrower
than the rest. These narrow feathers end in obtuse narrow
points.

134. PoRZANA PH(ENicuRA (Peun.). [GalUnula javanica,
Horsf.)

A rare spring straggler.

135. AXSER SEGETUM (Lath.).

Frequents the mouth of the river in immense flocks during
winter.

136. Tadorna vulpanser (Flem.).

137. Casarca rutila (Pall.).

138. Anas boschas, Linn.

139. Daftla acuta (Linn.).

140. QuERQUEDULA CRECCA (Linn.).

141. QuERQUEDULA MULTICOLOR (Scop.).

All more or less common in different winters.

142. FULIGULA MARILA (LiuU.).

143. FULIGULA CRISTATA (LiuU.) .

Common winter Sea-ducks here.

144. Mergus serratus (Linn.).

Somewhat solitary in habits, though a common species here.

145. COLYMBUS GLACIALTS, LiuU.

Of frequent occurrence during winter.

146. PoDiCEPS cristatus (Linn.).
Common in winter.

147. PoDiCEPs AURiTus (Linn.).
Frequently occurs during winter.

148. PODICEPS PHILIPPENSIS (BoUU.).

A resident species, found in large rush-covered ponds.

149. DiOMEDEA BRACHYURA, Tcmm.

150. DiOMEDEA FULIGINOSA, Gnicl.

Both species caught by fishermen and brought into the market

p2

68 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

for sale, — the flesh, all musk-flavoured as it is, being devoured
by the omnivorous Chinaman. They go by the name of the
Hai-nan-gong, or "booby of Hai-nan."

151. Larus can us, Linn.

152. Labus fuscus, Linn.

These two, and three other species not identified, are all
winter visitants, and are most abundant in the harbour during
windy or stormy weather.

153. Gavia kittlitzii, Bruch. {L. melanorhynchus, Temm. ?)
Very common during winter.

154. Sterna caspia. Pall.
A winter visitant.

155. Sterna cristata, Steph.

Nestles on some neighbouring rocky islands and in great
numbers at Kelung (N. Formosa).

156. Sterna minuta, Linn.

Rare here; breeds in great numbers on the rock-bound coast
of southern Formosa.

157. Hydrochelidon javanica (Horsf.).
Rare.

158. Pelecanus crispus, Bruch. {P.philvppensis, Gmel.)
A few frequent the mouth of the river every winter.

159. Phalacrocorax carbo (Linn.).

Common in winter, assembles in flocks in spring, which leave
us to pass the summer months elsewhere.

VIL — On the Ornithology of Northern Africa. By the Rev.

H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S. (Part IIL The Sahara,

continued.)

[Continued from vol. i. p. 435.]

99. CoLUMBA LiviA. (Rock Dove.) "Goomri," Arab.

Common in all the rocky gorges, wherever there is a little
vegetation, and often met with in the cultivated patches about
the oases.

Ornithology of Northern Africa. 69

100. COLUMBA (ENAS. (Stoclc DovC.)

I shot several out of a large flock of this bird in the Dayat of
Tihlremet, between El Aghouat and the IM'zab country, in the
month of November. This was the only occasion on which I
met with it in the Sahara, but it is very common in all the
wooded districts of the Atlas.

101. TuHTUR EGYPTiACUS. (Egyptian Turtlc-dovc.) '^ Ham-
mam,'" Arab.

It is singular that whilst the common Turtle-dove [Turtur
risorius), so abundant throughout Algeria in summer, is
never seen except on passage in the Sahara, the Palm- dove,
as this species is well named, remains throughout the year,
but never advances further north than the date-tree, from
which it is inseparable. Among these palms it swarms to an
incredible extent. Whenever we i-ested at an oasis it supplied
us abundantly with our sole animal food. It was unnecessary
to do more than take one's stand in a garden, and tire as fast as
one could load the fowling-piece, till the bag was filled. Every
tree had, not its pair, but several pairs. Their nests are
huddled about the crest at the base of the leaves. Probably
from being undisturbed, these doves are very tame, and will
scarcely take flight at the report of a gun directly underneath
them. At Biskra, where the French officers appreciate the
excellence of their flesh, they are both wild and comparatively
scarce. Their flight is less vigorous than that of the common
Turtle-dove, and they do not expand tiieir tails in the same
manner. The nest of this dove is very slight, and the eggs only
slightly smaller than those of its congener. I was told they
have at least two broods a year.

102. Pterocles arenarius. (Common Sand-grouse.) "El
Koudhre," Arab.

Though less abundant than the following species, the Black-
breasted Sand-grouse is universally distributed throughout the
Sahara, excepting in the extreme south, where it gives place tc
Pterocles senegalus. There is much of the Plover character in
the flight and manner of this tribe ; and the first time I observed
a covey on the wing, I took them for some large plovers, until

70 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

within shot. The flocks of this species are generally smaller
than those of its congener, though all the class appear to be
more or less gregarious even in the breeding season, several
pairs generally nesting close to each other. The P. arenarius
is not so wary as P. alchata, perhaps from its upper plumage
assimilating more closely to the sand in colour; but when
alarmed it crouches to the ground, carefully concealing its dark
breast, and does not take wing until approached very closely.
Then it suddenly rises to a considerable height, and flies often
to a great distance. These birds chiefly feed towards sunset,
when their call-note, resembling that of a partridge, may be
heard incessantly until after dark. As if to show that in some
respects they are a link between Gallince and Cohimbidce, they
never lay more than three eggs, this being the invariable num-
ber of the genus. These are of a character most unlike those
of any other gallinaceous bird with which I am acquainted, being
extremely elongated, compressed in the centre, and exactly the
same size at each end — in fact, perfectly elliptical. This charac-
ter is common to the eggs of five species of Pterocles which I
possess. The eggs are placed two in a line, and the third length-
ways outside them, in a depression in the sand, without any
nest. The bird in sitting, as I have observed, lies on one side,
spreading out one wing to cover the eggs, thus presenting a
grotesque lopsided appearance; but it is a posture for which
the deep keel of her sternum admirably adapts her.

The flesh of the Sand-grouse is extremely white, but very
poor and dry, without any flavour. We never discovered any
mode of cooking by which it could be rendered tasty, or even
palatable. I have seen both the common species thrive well in
captivity, and almost domesticated in the court-yards of Arabs'
houses.

103. Pterocles alchata. (Pintailed Sand-grouse.) "El
Gueteha," Arab.

Though this bird does not approach so near the verge of
cultivation northwards as the former, it is far more generally
abundant, and continues to occur in vast flocks in winter in the
M'zab and T(juarick country, where I ne\er saw P. arenarius.

Ornithology of Northern Africa. 71

Its plumage is far more richly marked, and I think that on
close inspection there is scarcely a bird in nature which sur-
passes the male P. alchata in I'ichness of colouring or delicacy
of pencilling. Alas, that §uch handsome plumage should clothe
such very dry bones ! Except during the breeding-season, it is
very difficult of approach ; and when packed in winter, it is vain
to attempt a second shot, unless well mounted. Its flight is
stronger and more vigorous than its congener's ; and its sharp-
pointed long wings give it all the power of a plover. It is very
garrulous when on the ground, and often betrays itself by its
call-note long before it can be distinguished by the eye from the
surrounding sand.

Its breeding habits are exactly like those of P. arenarius; but
its egg is of a much richer fawn-coloured tint, covered and
sometimes zoned with large maroon-red blotches, while that of
the other is of a paler hue, with obsolete pale brown blotches.

104. Pterocles coroxatus. (Spotted Sand-grouse).
Confined to the more southern portions of the Sahara, where

it supplants the first species. It is a much smaller bird. I
found it only in very small companies of four or five; but this
may be owing to the extreme scarcity of plants in the district
where it roams. The egg is of an ashy white, with a few
almost obliterated pale-brown markings.

105. Pterocles senegalus. (Senegal Sand-grouse).

Also confined to the extreme south, but more plentiful than
the last-named species. I have seen and shot it in company
with Pterocles alchata. I obtained only one nest. The egg has
a ground-colour similar to that of P. alchata ; but it is scarcely
more than half the size, ajid has very faint brown spots. The
Arabs do not seem to distinguish between the two last-named
species.

In all the family the contrast between the plumage of the
sexes is vei*y striking, — in none more so than in this species.

There is a fifth species of Pterocles, whicli I have seen near
^Varegla and in the Chainbu country, but which I was unable to
procure.

72 Rev. H. B, Tristram on the

106. Caccabis PETROSA. (Barbary Partridge.) "ElHadjel,"

Arab.

Long after I imagined we had bid adieu to our familiar friend
of the Atlas, I was astonished at putting up in the Wed N'ga,
south of the M'zab country, a strong covey of this partridge, in a
district where water is found only for three months of the year,
and where vegetation is entirely confined to the narrow gorge of
the Wed. The birds had evidently been reared here, and had
no conception of a world beyond, for nothing would induce them
to take flight towards the plain on either side ; and, flesh meat
being a rarity in our larder, we pursued them up and down
until we obtained five birds. They were much smaller than the
partridge of Algeria, the specimens I preserved being about one-
third less than the average size, and the plumage of a paler and
less distinct hue ; reminding one in the former respect of the
small Grey Partridge of the Scotch hills and the Pyrenees.

107. CoTURNix COMMUNIS. (Common Quail.) "MelVhoua"
Arab.

Occasionally met with in spring, apparently on passage.

108. TuRNix AFRiCANUs. (Andalusian Hemipode.)

I have some doubt whether this bird, so peculiarly a denizen
of the thick scrub of the Atlas, can be reckoned in the Saharan
catalogue ; but French officers have assured me that they occa-
sionally find it in the hills between Djelfa and El Aghouat. I
have not met with it there myself, but so shy and solitary a bird
might easily escape observation.

109. Struthio camelus. (The Ostrich.) " N'hdma"
Arab.

To enter upon a full history of "the pride of the Desert"
would be out of place here, especially if the tales of ihe Arabs
were incorporated in its annals. Unfortunately there is but
little opportunity for testing from personal observation the truth
of the characteristics attributed to the Ostrich by the natives,
who ascribe to it a strange mixture of sagacity and simplicity.
The capture of the Ostrich is the greatest feat of hunting to
which the Arab sportsman aspires, and in richness of booty it
ranks next to the plunder of a caravan. But such prizes are

Ornithologij of Northern Africa. 73

not to be obtaiued without cost and toil, and it is generally
estimated that the capture of an Ostrich or two must be at the
sacrifice of the lives of two horses. So wary is the bird, and so
open are the vast plains o.ver which it roams, that no ambus-
cades or artifices can be employed, and the vulgar resource of
dogged perseverance is the only mode of pursuit. The horses to
be employed undergo a long and painful training, abstinence from
water and a diet of dry dates being considered the best means for
strengthening their wind. The hunters set forth with small skins
of water strapped under their horses' bellies, and a scanty allow-
ance of food for four or five days, distributed judiciously about
their saddles. The Ostrich generally lives in companies of from
four to six individuals, which do not appear to be in the habit,
under ordinary circumstances, of wandering more than twenty or
thirty miles from their head-quarters. When descried, two or three
of the hunters follow the herd at a gentle gallop, endeavouring
only to keep the birds in sight, without alarming them or driving
them at full speed, when they would soon be lost to view. The
rest of the pursuers leisurely proceed in a direction at right
angles to the course which the ostriches have taken, knowing by
experience their habit of running in a circle. Posted on the
best look-out they can find, they await for hours the anticipated
route of the game, calculating upon intersecting their path. If
fortunate enough to detect them, the relay sets upon the now
fatigued flock, and frequently succeeds in running one or two
down, though a horse or two generally falls exhausted in the pur-
suit. The Ostrich, when overtaken, ofl'ers no resistance beyond
kicking out sideways. A skin in full plumage is worth on the
spot from 40 to 100 Spanish dollars; but the Arabs are in the
habit of judiciously thinning the feathers, so that the trader can
rai'ely obtain a specimen on which this tax has not been paid.

I have frequently seen the Ostrich domesticated without being
in captivity. The Bey of Tuggurt kept several in a large court-
yard where they had fri e egress and ingress, but they showed
no inclination to escape. They lived in very good fellowship
with the numerous horses, asses, and camels of the establishment,
but had an admitted precedence, and would stretch their long
necks over the shoulders of any of their companions and select

74 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

corn or dates from the nosebag. If any spirited colt or grum-
bling camel showed an inclination to resist, a side kick in the
ribs very soon brought him to submission. To strange horses
they exhibited a decided aversion, and would walk quietly along-
side one, and then suddenly strike out with one leg at right
angles to their bodies, — a most clumsy-looking but a very
effective mode of attack. I remember seeing another, appa-
rently public property, in the market of Tamerna, who would go
round and levy willing contributions from the venders of dates
and barley, and who slept at night (1 suppose I must not say
roosted) in the open square. But he presented a very beggarly
appearance ; for, in return for the alms he received, he had
yielded to his caterers every feather in his body.

Once, and once only, had I the good fortune to take an
Ostrich's nest ; though fresh eggs were frequently brought in
by the Arabs. There is something irresistible to the Nomad
in the charm of an Ostrich -chase; and, often as our exhausted
horses had suffered from the vain pursuit, it was almost impos-
sible to hold in our servants, when the alarm was given, from
wildly galloping over the plain. On this occasion, however, we
had observed with our telescopes two birds standing for some
time in one spot, and were induced to ride towards them. By
great good fortune we detected their track as we crossed it ; for,
the stride of the Ostrich often measuring, when at full speed,
from 23 to 28 feet, and there being simply the round impression
of his two toes, it is very difficult to discover its course. We
traced these steps back to the spot where we had seen the
birds standing, and where the sand was well trodden down.
Two Arabs at once dismounting began to dig with their hands,
and presently brought up four fine fresh eggs from a depth of
about a foot under the warm sand. I may remark that the egg
of the North African Ostrich seems to differ decidedly from that
of the Cape bird. I have seen hundreds of specimens, and
always found them rather larger than the southern eggs which
we generally see in England, and quite smooth, with an ivory-
polished surface and free froDi any punctures. Until I found
the eggs myself, I was under the impression that they might be
polished by the Arabs ; but this is a mistake. The eggs are

Ornithulogy of Nurthern Africa. 75

applied to various uses by the natives, chiefly as ornaments for
their tents, drinking-cups and vvorkboxes, but above all for the
embellishment of the mosques, where long rows are suspended
from the arches or rafters, and of the burying-grounds, where each
grave, especially at Waregla and Ngoussa, is decorated with an
Ostrich-egg set in mortar at the head and at the foot, the Shieks
being honoured with from twelve to twenty each — sometimes
planted all round the grave, sometimes built into a pyramidal
shape at the head.

The Ostrich appears to lay from the beginning of December
to !March — at least, fresh eggs are to be obtained throughout that
period; but I was unable to ascertain either the time of incuba-
tion or the number of the brood, as no dependence can be placed
on the Arab stories on these points. From all I could learn, the
number of eggs is not less than twelve ; and the young are gene-
rally hatched about the end of February. The hunters all agree,
that, though the parent bird covers the eggs with sand during
the day, she incubates them herself at night, and that her mate
remains in attendance by her.

It will be interesting to ascertain, by a comparison of living
specimens, whether there be any distinction between the bird of
the North and South African deserts, as seems to be indicated
by the eggs*.

110. Otis tetrax. (Little Buzzard.) " Rha'ahd, Rha'ahda,"
Arab.

Found only in the plains on the north of the Sahara, and
seldom beyond the limits of barley cultivation. On its migra-
tion it occurs in the southern oases for a few days together.

111. HouBARA UXDULATA. (Rufflcd Bustard.) " Houbaraj"
Arab.

Occurs throughout the Sahara, but becomes very scarce south-

* When the youug Ostriches from the Cape, presented by Sii- George
Grey to the Zoological Society of London, are as fully grown as their com-
panions from Barbary, in the Gardens of the same Society, this may be
done without difficulty. Prince Charles Bonaparte has already distin-
guished an Ostrich as Strutkio epoastichtis (C. R. xliii. p. H41) ; but I am
not sure that this name is intended for either the Northern or Southern
Bird.— Ed.

76 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

ward, though most abundant in the neighbourhood of the Dayats
and to the edge of the Chebkha M'zab. A description of the
mode of chasing the Houbara is given in ' The Ibis/ vol. i. p.
284. Its nidification does not call for any remarks. The com-
plement of eggs appears to be three, sometimes only two.
Unlike the Little Bustard, it is a permanent resident.

112. ffiniCNEMUs CREPITANS. (Norfolk Plover.) " Khee-
roona," Arab.

Common in the Northern Sahara throughout the year.

113. Grus ciNEREA. (Common Crane.) " Rhernouff," Arab.
On passage in spring and autumn, sometimes halting for a

time in the salt marshes.

114. Anthropoides virgo. (Numidian Crane.)

A small flock of this graceful and interesting bird might
generally be seen quitting one mai'gin of a salt pond as we ap-
proached the opposite edge. My acquaintance being so distant,
I can only add my testimony to the truth of their attachment to
the Terpsichorean art from the habits of four kept in the court-
yard of General Yussuf at Blidah, which I have seen performing
a stately minuet in concert for an hour together.

115. Balearica pavonina. (Balearic Crane.)

I once, and once only, observed a pair of these fine Cranes on
the dry sands of the Guerah-el-Tharf in the month of April.

116. CicoNiA alba. (White Stork.) " Belerdj," Arab.
Respected in the Sahara as in Holland, a welcome visitor and

a cherished friend. It builds on the tops of the " semaurs " or
mosque towers of the M'zab ; but even there, no less than in
chilly Denmark, " the Stork knoweth her appointed times,^' and
retires in November. Its food there consists of Lizards of the
desert. Protected as it is by universal public opinion, it still
shows a considerable degree of anxious suspicion for its young,
and, when introducing them to the feeding-grounds in the salt
marshes, is the first to give the alarm of a stranger's approach to
the Cranes and Herons around it.

Ornithology of Northern Africa. 77

117. Ardea ciNEREA. (Common Hcvon.) '' BouAuk." Ax2ih.
Occasionally to be seen in the ditches and salt marshes of the

oases in winter.

118. Ardea purpurea. (Purple Heron.)

In the same localities, but far more numerous ; never, how-
ever, so far as I know, gregarious in winter.

119. Herodias alba. (White Egret.) " A'i zouch," Arab.
Three or four of these magnificent Herons used to resort to

the salt lake of Waregla. Again, I met with them at Dzouia,
Teraa9in, Tamerna, and Tuggurt, but always in small flocks and
very shy. Never fou.nd, like their congeners, in the ditches or
under palm-trees, but in the wide open marshes and chotts,
where they were extremely wary. They are only winter visitants
to the Sahara. I was informed that they breed near Benzert
on the Tunisian coast, but did not see them there.

120. Herodias garzetta. (Little White Egret.)
Universally distributed in small numbers wherever a suitable

locality exists, and frequenting familiarly the gardens and ditches
of the oases. It breeds in society on the lake Fetzara, and doubt-
less in more southern marshes also. Vide ' Ibis,^ vol. i. p. 358.

121. BuBULCUs IBIS. (Buff-backed Heron.)
Very common throughout the year about oases.

122. BuPHUs co.MATUs. (Squacco Heron.)

In small companies about marshes. Vast flocks resort to the
lakes of Tuggurt, a portion only of which, as I am informed,
remain to breed.

123. Ardetta minuta. (Little Bittern.)
Generally distributed and resident.

124. Botaurus stellaris. (Common Bittern.)

In all the larger marshes, but not in open salt lakes. I shot
one as far south as Ngoussa, in a watered palm-grove.

12;"). Nycticorax griseus. (Night Heron.)
In the palm-forests of Tuggurt. Probably throughout the
whole of the Wed R'hir.

78 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

126. Phce.vicopterus antiquorum. (Flamingo.) " Sha-
hroosej" Arab.

Appears to exhibit a constant aversion to marshes or lakes
partially surrounded by trees^ and consequently does not occur
in the Wed R^hir. A large flock were observed feeding in the
open chott of Waregla. It certainly does not breed there.

127. Geronticus comatus. (Bald Ibis.)

This extraordinary bird I never saw during my second sojourn
in Algeria ; but on my first visit to the Sahara in the spring of
1856 I obtained two specimens in the rocky ridges beyond
Bou Guizoun, on the road to El Aghouat. Unlike the rest of
its family, it resorts only to the most arid and desolate mountain
ranges, where it consorts with the raven and the falcon. Its
food, as I ascertained, consists of lizards and sei-pents; but it is
doubtless ignorant of the flavour of tailless Batrachians. It breeds
in inaccessible holes of the precipices, which I was unable to
reach, though I saw the birds going in and out. Capt. Das-
tugue of the French ' Genie,^ showed me a coarse egg of a deep
blue colour, almost the size of that of the Common Heron, which
he believed to be the egg of this bird. It does not appear to be
gregarious. The bright red legs and feet of a fresh-killed spe-
cimen are peculiarly coarse and rough in the scales, adapted
evidently for rocks and sand, rather than mud and water. The
bare portion of the head and neck is, as well as the bill, of a
brilliant crimson.

128. Falcinellus igneus. (Glossy Ibis.) " Madzet et
Mci " (Devil Crow), Arab.

Two or three of these birds were seen with the Little Egrets at
Tuggurt. They are nowhere common.

129. EuDROMiAS MORiNELLUs. (Commou Dotterel.) " El
Mohr " (rich), Arab.

Vast flocks of Dotterels in winter plumage occurred frequently
during our wanderings wherever Lalpha {Andropogon) or other
desert vegetation harboured beetles. They were very tame, and
in good condition. It is of course only a winter visitant.

130. iEoiALiTES CANTiANUS. (Keutish Plover.)

One of the most universally distributed denizens of the Sahara,

Ornithology of Northern Africa. 79

to be found running rapidly along the sand by all the chotts and
sebkhas in parties of from two to eight. It breeds everywhere,
but, unlike our Ring-Plovei", appears to lay only three eggs,
which are placed on the level sand, without the precaution of
even selecting the impress of a camel's foot.

131. ^GiALiTEs MINOR. (Little Riug-Plover.)

As universally distributed, but not nearly so abundant, as the
last-mentioned. There seems to be this distinction in their
habits, that the Little Plover resorts rather to the weds and
dry water-courses than to the open salt-lakes. Li winter plumage
it is very difficult to discriminate between a large series of these
two birds.

132. CuRSORius GALLicus. (Crcam-coloured Courser.) "Song
e//oe/" C' Camel-pricker''), Arab.

From the small number we observed during winter, I am in-
clined to believe that even in the southern desert the greater
portion migrate. See ' Ibis,' vol. i. pp. 79, 354.

133. Vanellus CRisTATUs. (Lapwing.) " Biheth" Arab.

A few penetrate as far as the Chamba country, where I shot
them in December. Not even a straggler remains in Northern
Algeria after March.

134. Glareola pratincola. (Collared Pratincole.)
Extremely abundant whether near marshes or lakes. Found

at Ain el Ibel, Western Algei'ia, in October, and breeding in the
same district in June, as well as the following year throughout
the Eastern district. See ' Ibis,' vol. i. p. 354.

135. Himantopus melanopterus, (Black-winged Stilt.)
Resorts to the ditches of the oases in winter. Breeds at El

Aghouat, but more abundantly in the Northern Sahara. See
' Ibis,' vol. i. p. 355.

136. Recurvirostra avocetta. (Avocet.)
A few observed at Tuggurt in January.

137. Gallinago media. (Common Snipe.)
In ditches and marshes everywhere in winter.

138. Gallinago gallinula. (Jack Snipe.)
One shot by my companion in the Wed R^hir.

80 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

139. Machetes pugnax. (RufF.)

I shot a solitary Reeve at Tuggurt in December, the only one
I ever saw south of the Atlas. It is a common winter visitant
in the Tell.

140. Tringa alpina. (Dunlin.)

Common in winter on the shores of the salt-lakes.

141. Tringa temminckii. (Temminck^s Stint.)
Extremely common in winter. I never saw Tringa minuta,

which has been found by Capt. Loche.

142. Gambetta calidrts. (Redshanks.)
Not unfrequent.

143. Totanus ochropus. (Green Sandpiper.)
Universally distributed throughout the winter, and by far the

most common of the class. Not a ditch or a pond in a palm
garden without its paii*, but never more than two together. We
found it at Zana to the end of June.

144. Totanus glareola. (Wood Sandpiper.)

Far less frequent than the last, but by no means rare. In
similar localities, but also occasionally in open marshes.

145. Tringoides hypoleucus. (Common Sandpiper.)
Not unfrequent about Tuggurt, Ngoussa, and Waregla.

146. NuMENius TENUiROSTRis. (Slender-billed Curlew.)

I saw one shot by a French officer at Oumache, near Biskra.

147. Rallus aquaticus. (Water Rail.)

One procured in November in a pond at El Aghouat.

148. Gallinula bailloni. (Baillon's Crake.)
In the reeds at Tamerua, Wed R'hir.

149. PoRPHYRio hyacinthinus. (Great Purple Gallinule.)
At Tuggurt, but scarce. Far more abundant in the northern

lakes. In corroboration of its carnivorous character, I may
mention that I saw one in the yard of General Yussuf seize a
young duckling in its huge foot and crush its head with its bill,
after which it ate the brains and left the rest of the carcase
untouched.

Oriiitliulojjy uf Xurtlurn Africa. 81

150. FuLiCA ATKA. (('((111111011 Coot.) " Ghuvra,'' Arab.
Common about Tugg-uvt. Its congener, Fulica cristata, a])-

pears to be continod to a few northern lakes on this side tlie
Atlas.

151. Anser segetu.m. (Bean Goose.) " Onzn," Arab.
I saw one at Temayin recently shot.

152. Casarca rutila. (Ruddy Shieldrake.)

Hundreds of these birds resort to the salt-lakes of Bou Gui-
zoun, Waregla, Tuggurt, &c. AX Bou Guizoun I captured some
half-dozen nestlings of various ages in the downy state, some of
them scarcely more than a day old ; and yet the only place where
they could possibly have bred, and where we had procured a nest
three days previously, was a range of cliffs more than twelve
miles distant. This was in May 1856.

153. Tadorna vulpanser. (Common Shieldrake.)

A few at Tuggurt, but not nearly so abundant as Casarca ru-
tila. Elsewhere I did not observe it until our arrival at Djendeli,

154. Anas boschas. (Common Wild Duck.)

155. Chaulelasjius streperus. (Gadwall.)

156. Rhynchaspis clypeata. (Shoveller.)

157. Querquedula crecca. (Teal.)

158. Dafila acuta. (Pintail.)

159. MaRECA PENELOPE. (Wigcou.)

All of these were more or less frequent wherever there was
water.

160. FuLiGULA CRISTATA. (Tuftcd Duck.)
In immense numbers on all the lakes,

161. FuLiGULA I'ERiNA. (Pochai'd.)
Large flocks near Tuggurt.

162. Nyroca leucophthalma. (White-eyed Duck.)
Very common both in lakes and ditches.

163. Calliciiem rufixa. (Red-crested Whistling Duck.)
Occasionally procured in the Wed R'hir and at El Aghouat.

\OL. II . (i

82 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Northern Africa.

164. Erismatura mersa. (White-headed Duck.)

lu the lake of Bou Guizauo, June 1856 ; Tuggurt, December
1856.

165. Gelochelidon anglica. (Gull-billed Tern.)
Occurs in flocks both in the Western and Eastern Sahara.

Several shot at Bou Guizouu^ and near A'in el Ibel, on the El
Aghouat route, and vast flocks met with round the Zahrez, in
the same country. We found it also breeding at Zana the fol-
lowing spring.

166. Sterna minuta. (Least Tern.)
Occurred at Bou Guizoun. Not plentiful.

167. Hydrochelidon nigra. (Black Tern.)

Resorts to various salt-lakes. I only met with it in the
Western Sahara.

168. Hydrochelidon leucoptera. (White-winged Black
Tern.)

More widely distributed than the last-named.

169. Hydrochelidon hybrida. (Whiskered Tern.)
Abundant on most of the salt-lakes, but never observed in

company with the H. leucoptera. It is in the habit of following
the labourers in the oases in tffe barley patches in pursuit of
insects.

170. PoDiCEPS CRisTATUS. (Great Crested Grebe.)
Observed once at Tuggurt. Apparently only a solitary

straggler.

171. PoDiCEPS AURiTUS. (Eared Grebe.)
In the lakes of the Wed R^hir.

173. PoDiCEPs minor. (Little Grebe.)
Common in the Northern Sahara.

None of the Grebes were noted by me in the South, even in
the most suitable localities.

I here conclude my catalogue of the birds of the Sahara ; and
though I fear the readers of 'The Ibis ' will have found my long-
drawn story as dry as the desert which has produced it, I can-
not presume to think that it is by any means complete. I have

Mr, A. Newton un the Migratory Habits of tJie Song Thrush. 83

confined myself to the birds which fell under my own observa-
tion in a period of two years, of which only a portion was spent
in the true Desert. When again I glance at the list of Waders,
and see how many species Capt. Loche has been able to in-
clude as winter visitants to the Tell, many of whom, we may
fairly presume, straggle into the Desert, I am fully conscious of
my deficiencies.

It will be noted that most of the rarest and most interesting-
forms occurred only in the extreme south, where, from the dan-
ger of wandering far from camp, and from the rapidity with which
we were often compelled to travel, many species might have been
overlooked. To naturalize perseveringly in a desert is no easy
task, especially when at a distance from water ; for the delay of a
day may prove death to a whole caravan. The further we pene-
trated south and east, Nubian and Abyssinian types more fre-
quently occurred, and the scarcer the European forms became.
After the information collected by Riippell, Heuglin and others
on the Ornithology of Eastern Africa, we can scarcely antici-
pate the discovery of many new species in the still unexplored
Touareg country. But the western limits of the Nubian fauna
is a problem still unsolved ; and for its solution we need a careful
observation of the birds on the route from Tripoli to the Soudan
via R'hedames. I believe it will be found that at Waregla we
bid adieu to European species, except as winter visitants, and
enter upon the Ethiopian zone. The Sahara is the debateable
land between the two ; and its southern portion is adapted for
the existence of but few of our European forms.

VIII. — Note on the Migratory Habits of the Song Thrush (Turdus
musicus). By Alfred Newton, M.A.,F.L.S., F.Z.S.

Mr. Tomes, in his excellent paper on White's Thrush in the
last Number of 'The Ibis' (1859, p. 379)y speaks of the Song
Thrush {Turdus musicus) as having " resident habits," and pos-
sessing " organs of flight not adapted for migration." Now,
without pausing to inquire whether the words " resident " and
" migratory " do not in most (if not in all) cases refer to special
localities, and also whether we may not be confusing two very

(;2

84 Mr. A. Newton on the Migratory Habits of the Song Thrush.

dissimilar ideas iu applying these terms indiscriminately to the
collective or particular mdividuals of a species, I wish to remark
that I believe the Song Thrush, throughout by far the greater
part of its geographical range, to be essentially migratory. It is
true that this fact has not been recorded by many writers in this
country ; but to mention the naturalists who have noticed it on
the Continent would be to enumerate almost every European
ornithologist of authority, from Sweden to Sicily. Of British
authors, however, Mr. Selby alludes (Brit. Orn. i. p. 163) to the
" considerable accession in number " which our native Song
Thrushes receive towards the end of autumn from the north, — a
remark which is quoted also by Mr. Yarrell (B. B. i. p. 195).
Messrs. Gurney and Fisher, in their " Account of Birds found in
Norfolk," state (Zool. p. 1306) that "in very severe winters, mawy
of the Song Thrushes appear to leave this district and to go
further south ;" while two foreign naturalists, MM. Dcby and
Duval-Jouve, in local lists which have been printed in this
country, speak in still more unqualified terms of the migration
of this species. The former, in his " Notes on the Birds of Bel-
gium," says (Zool. p. 861) that it is "very common in March and
April in spring, and on its return in September and October,"
and further gives (Zool. p. 1133) "March 24" as the date of this
bird's arrival at Laeken in the spring of 1845. The latter, in his
" List of the Migratory Birds of Provence," not only includes it
among the " Regular Birds of Passage," but says (Zool. p. 1118),
" This is the bird of passage, par excellence, of our country," and
asserts that in its migration it crosses the Mediterranean.

I may add that my own experience tends to show that all
these authors are right in their statements. Since the autumn
of 1849, my brother Edward and myself have paid much atten-
tion to the presence or absence of the so-called "resident''
species of Turdus. The result of our observations is such as to
leave on our minds nt)t the slightest doubt of the regular migra.
tion of the Song Thrush, as far as concerns the particular locality
whence I write. Year after year we have noticed that, as sum-
mer draws to a close, the birds of this species (at that season very^
abundant) associate more or less in small companies. As autumn
advances, their numbers often undergo a very visible increase,

Recent Ornithuluyical Publications. 85

until about the middle of October^ when a decided diminution
begins to take place. Sometimes large, but more generally small
Hocks are seen passing at a considerable height overhead, and
the frequenters of the brakes and turnip-fields grow scarcer. By
the end of November, hardly an example ordinarily appears. It
is true that sometimes, even in severe vv^eather, an individual or
so may be found here and there, leading a solitary life in some
sheltered hedge-bottom or thick plantation which may afford
conditions of existence more favourable than are elsewhere to be
met with ; but this is quite an exceptional occurrence. Towards
the end of January or beginning of February, their return com-
mences. They reappear at first slowly and singly; but as spring
advances, in considerable abundance and without interruption,
until, in the height of the breeding-season, they by far out-
number their more stay-at-home cousins the Blackbirds.

I do not suppose for a moment that these facts are similar all
over England; indeed the testimony of many of my friends assures
me to the contrary. Still I am induced to think that by con-
stant and accurate observers some migratory tendency is to be
detected in other districts ; and as we are often told that the
subject of British ornithology is exhausted (an assertion I much
doubt), I venture to call the attention of naturalists to this point
as one on which it certainly cannot be said at present that we
have '' too much light/'

Elveden, December 1859.

IX. — Recent Ornithological Publications.

1. English Publications.

The second part of the ' Proceedings ' of the Zoological Society
for this year contains all the papers read up to the end of the
last meeting before the summer vacation, amongst which are
many on ornithology, by Dr. Adams, Mr. Bartlett, Dr. Bennett,
and Messrs. Gould, G. R. Gray, and Sclater. The Illustrations
of Birds are four in number, all drawn by Wolf.

The December number of the ' Annals and Magazine of Na-
tural History' (vol. iv. |). 167) records the occurrence on the

86 Recent Oniitlioloyiciil Publicatiuns.

coast of Devonshire of a species of Gull new to Great Britain—
Larus ichthya'etus of Pallas. This " giant of the Black -headed
Gulls was shot by a boatman, in the river off Exmouth, about
the end of May or beginning of June last/' The specimen is
now in the possession of F. W, L. Ross, Esq., who contributes
the notice to the ' Annals.' This bird is common in the Cas-
pian, according to Pallas. Did it come here in company with
the flock of Pallas's Sand-grouse, which arrived from nearly the
same country about the same time ?

Sir James Emerson Tennent's excellent volumes on Ceylon*
give a well-written and interesting sketch of the Ornithology, as
of the other branches of Natural History of that island. The
author does not appear to have been acquainted with Dr. Hart-
laab's paper in Cabanis' 'Journal flir Ornithologie' (1854,
p. 151), where a good resume of our knowledge of Ceylonese
ornithology has already been given ; but he draws his results
directly from the labours of Dr. Templeton, Mr. E. L. Layard,
and Dr. Kelaart, on whose researches Dr. Hartlaub also founded
his notice, and to whose exertions we owe the present compara-
tively perfect knowledge which we possess of the Avifauna of
Ceylon.

" Of the birds of the island," says Sir James Emerson Tennent,
" upwards of 320 species have been indicated, for which we are
indebted to the persevering labours of Dr. Templeton, Dr. Ke-
laart, and Mr. Layard; but many yet remain to be identified.
In fact, to the eye of the stranger their prodigious numbers, and
especially the myriads of water-fowl which, notwithstanding the
presence of the Crocodiles, people the lakes and marshes in the
eastern provinces, form one of the marvels of Ceylon.

" In the glory of their plumage the birds of the interior are
surpassed by those of South America; and the melody of their
song will bear no comparison with that of the warblers of Eu-
rope : but the want of brilliancy is compensated by their singu-
lar grace of form, and the absence of prolonged and modulated

* Ceylou : an account of the Island, Physical, Historical, and Topogra-
phical, with Notices of its Natural History, Antiquities, and Productions.
By Sir James p:mcrson Tennent, K.C.S., LL.D. London, ISSI), 2 vols. 8vo.

Recent Ornithulocjical Publications. 87

harmony by the rich aud melodious toues of their clear and
musical calls. In the elevations of the Kandyau country there
are a few, such as the Robin of Neura-ellia {Pratincola atrata,
Kelaart) and the Long-tailed Thrush {Copsychus macna-us),
whose song rivals that of their European namesakes; but, far
beyond the attraction of their notes, the traveller rejoices in the
tlute-like voices of the Oriole, the Dayal-bird {Copsychus saula-
ris), and some others equally charming, when, at the first dawn
of day, they wake the forests wdth their clear reveille.

" It is only on emerging from the dense forests and coming
into the vicinity of the lakes and pastures of the low country,
that birds become visible in great quantities. In the close
jungle one occasionally hears the call of the Coppersmith
{Megalaima indica), or the strokes of the Great Orange-coloured
^^'oodpecker (Brachijpferniis aurantius) as it beats the decaying
trees in search of insects, while clinging to the bark with its
tinely-pointed claws and leaning for support upon the short
stiff feathers of its tail. And on the lofty branches of the
higher trees the Hornbill {Buceros pica), with its enormous
double casque, sits, to watch the motions of the tiny reptiles and
smaller birds on which it preys, tossing them into the air when
seized, and catching them in its gigantic mandibles as they fall.^'

As we emerge from the deep shade and approach " the
park-like openings on the verge of the low country, quantities of
Pea-fowl [Pavo cristatus) are to be found, either feeding amongst
the seeds and nuts in the long grass, or sunning themselves on
the branches of the surrounding trees. Nothing to be met with
in England can give an idea either of the size or magnificence
of this matchless bird vv^hen seen in his native solitudes. Here
he generally selects some projecting branch from which his
plumage may hang free of foliage; and if there be a dead and
leafless bough, he is certain to choose it for his resting-place,
whence he droops his wings and suspends his gorgeous train, or
spreads it in the morning sun to drive off the damps and dews
of the night.

" In some of the unfrequented portions of the eastern pro-
vince, to which Europeans rarely resort, and where the Pea-fowl
are unmolested by the natives, their number is so extraordinary

88 Recent OrnitJioloyicnl Pub/icafioii^.

that, rc-iiiifdcd as game, it ceases to be ' sport' to destroy tlieni,
and theii' ci'ies at eady morning are so tumultuous and incessant
as to banish sleep and amount to an actual inconvenience.
Their flesh is excellent when served up hot ; but when cold, it
contracts a reddish and disagreeable tinge, and is said to be in-
digestible.

*' But of all, the most astonishing in point of multitude, as
well as the most iuteresting from their endless variety, are the
myriads of aquatic birds and Waders which frequent the lakes
and watercourses, especially those along the coast near Baltica-
loa, between the mainland and the sand-formations of the shore,
and those which resort to the innumerable salt-marshes and
lagoons to the south of Trincomalie. These, and the profusion
of perching-birds — flycatchers, finches, and thrushes — which
appear in the open country, aff'ord suflicient quarry for the rap-
torial and predatory species — eagles, hawks, and falcons — whose
daring sweeps and effortless undulations are striking objects in
a cloudless sky/'

Messrs. Freeman and Salvin's 'Falconry'* does not perhaps
come strictly within the definition of an Ornithological work ;
but we are sure that many of our readers will be glad to have
their attention called to it. We were not aware that cormorant
fishing had been successfully revived in these latter days as well
as hawking !

We do not piesume to enter here upon a criticism of Mr.
Darwin's learned Essay 'On the Origin of Speciest;' but we
mention it as a book which must be read with pleasure by every
naturalist, whether he may participate in the author's views or
not, as a most valuable and interesting contribution to our
knowledge of an important but difficult and generally avoided
subject. One observation, however, we beg leave to offer,
namely that, should Mr. Darwin's views be well founded, it by

* Falconry, its Claims, History, and Practice. By G. E. Freeman and
F. II. Salvin. To which are added, Remarks on Training the Otter and
the Cormorant. London, 1869, 1 vol. Svo.

t On the Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection. By Charles
Darwin, M.A., &c. London, 1H,5!), 1 vol.

Rrconf Oruitholuf/icdl Pii/j/ica/ions. 89

no means follows that \vc should consider species as otherwise
than "finitely" invariable. Specific diiFerences, if produced by
the ordinary laws of generation, can only be arrived at at the
end of series of generations, which may be supposed for all in-
tents and purposes to be infinite. The adoi)tion of Mr. Darwin's
\ icws should therefore by no means discourage naturalists from
the great work of the differentiation of species. And, whatever
amount of success we are inclined to allow to the work, we must
all, I think, allow that Mr. Darwin's theory of " natural selection"
is the only really philosophical attempt which has been made
to explain one of the most anomalous phenomena in nature
— the violation of its ordinary laws caused by the continuous
introduction into the world of new forms of animated life.

Dr. Adams and Dr. A. L. Adams have reprinted, " with a few
verbal alterations," a paper read at the late meeting of the
British Association in Aberdeen, " On Ornithology as a branch
of liberal Education*," containing notes on all the wild birds
which have been discovered in Banchory Ternan by the former,
with remarks upon such of them as have been found in India bv
the latter gentleman.

j\lr. Henry Stevenson of Norwich has kindly lent us the
' Supplement to the China Mail,' No. 670, published at Hong-
kong, on the 17th December, 1857. It contains an article
read by Mr. Swinhoe at a meeting of the Literary and Scientific
Society of Amoy, entitled "A few remarks on the Fauna of
Amoy," which was previously unknown to us. There are some
notices here given of the habits of the birds; but Mr. Swinhoe's
account of the Ornithology of Amoy, which we have the plea-
sure of publishing in our present Number, is in every way more
jjcrfect.

To Mr. Stevenson we are also indebted for the perusal of Mr.
Swinhoe's " Narrative of a visit to the island of Formosa," pub-
lished in the 'Journal of the North China Branch of the Royal
Asiatic Society.' Several birds are mentioned as having been
obser\ed — Alauclu minuta, Sierna caspia and S. minuia, (Jriulus
sinensis, Dicrunts malabaricus, Hirundo daurica, and species of
* Abrrflceii, 185!^ Hvo. pp. ;i(5.

90 Recent Ornithological Publications.

Pumutorfiinus, Hydrochelidon, Centropus, and Cinclus. We hope
that Mr. Svvinhoe may be induced to supply this Journal with a
more perfect account of the birds of this little-known island, and
that he will be able to tell us whether Dr. Pucheran* is correct
in stating that the curious Parrot, Dasijptilus fulgidus, is found
there. The general chai'acter of the ornithology would lead us
to doubt the presence of a Parrot in this locality.

Mr. Blyth's "lleporf' for May, 1859, of the additions made
to the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Calcutta, published in
the 'Journal^ of that Society (for an early copy of which we are
much indebted to the author), contains several notices relating to
Birds. The species from the Andamans have already been men-
tioned in Mr. Blyth^s letter (vol. i. p. 465 ; see also infra, p. 99).
The Burmese Kestrel is Tinminculus saturatus, — not ' atratus,' as
we had given it in 'The Tbis,' vol. i. p. 211. Mr. Blyth now
distinguishes his Macrorhamphus semipalmatus of India not only
specifically but generically from the North American M. griseus,
under the title Pseuduscolopax ; and states, as the result of an
examination of 'a fine adult exauiple of a British Peregrine,^
that it " quite bears out the opinion of Prince Bonaparte, Mr.
Gould, and others, that the Bauri Palcon of India should be
recognized as distinct, by the name Falco calidus, Latham. A
glance suffices to distinguish them."

The Third Number of Mr. Eyton^s ' Osteologia Avium ' has
been delivered to the subscribers. The letter-press finishes the
^second order, denominated by Mr. Eyton Volitores (Volatores?),
which embraces the Trochilidce and Cypselidce, and commences
the third order, Omnivores ( Omnivone ?) .

The last three numbers of ' The Zoologist^ for 1859 contain
(pp. 6709 and 6761) a continuation of Mr. Osburn's " Notes on
the Mountain-Birds of Jamaica," in which he again mentions the
Black Banana-bird {Nesopsar nigenimus), and enters at length
upon the habits of the Swifts and Swallows of those regions.
Mr. Swinhoe's "Description of the small Chinese Lark" (p. 6723),

* Rev. ct Map. de Zool. 1853, p. 156.

Recent Ornilhulugical Pablicatiuns. 91

which lie proposes to name Ahiuda cwlivox, will also be read
with much interest.

A new edition of " The 'Zoologist' List of Birds observed in
Great Britain and Ireland "* is " compiled from the third edition
of Yarrell's British Birds," and, according to the author, " com-
prises all the additions and corrections necessary up to the 1st
of November, 1859."t As it is "particularly requested that
ornithologists will adopt the names here employed," it is per-
haps only reasonable that we, who do not adopt them, should
shortly state our reasons for declining to comply with Mr. New-
man's demands, and for exciting our brother naturalists to join
us in our rebellion.

In the first place, the scientific nomenclature of this list is by
no means in accordance with YarrelPs (as witness Falco palum-
barius and Falco milvus) ; it is also entirely arbitrary as regards
the adoption or non-adoption of generic divisions ; and, with
respect to the names of species, the " golden rule of priority " is
seldom, if ever, attended to. Several species are included which
are omitted by Yarrell, — e.g. the "Greenland Falcon," " Bimacu-
lated Duck," "Paget's Pochard," and " Swift Tern." Two species
at least included by Yarrell are omitted — Schinz's Sandpiper J
and " The American Scaup;" the former resting satisfactorily
on two specimens mentioned by ]\Ir. Yarrell and on a third re-
corded in 'The Zoologist,' p. 6537 (now in Mr. J. H. Gurney's
collection), and the latter on an example in Mr.Tindall's collection,
referred to by Mr. Yarrell, and originally recorded in ' The Zoolo-
gist' (p. 4631). The North American Stint {Tiding a jmsilla, L.)
is included, we suppose as being mentioned in Mr. Yarrell's pre-
face ; but the Mottled Owl {Sirix asio, L.), though mentioned in
the same place, is omitted.

The " Little Owl" is called " Strix passerina, Lth., not Ln.,"
with a note that " this bird is the Strix nudipes of Nillson "
{sic). [It ought to be Nilsson.] Linnseus's unobjectionable
name, Strix noctua (which also has the priority), is thus discarded

* London, 1859, one slieet.

t See advertisement in 'The Zoologist' for December 185!^.

X Trinya scliinzii, Bp.=T. bonapartii, Schlegel.

92 Recent Ornithological Publications.

for uo assignable reason, and confusion is caused by the citation
of two other names which are the pecuUar property of two other
perfectly distinct species.

Why is ''Sylvia suecica" marked with a "*," to signify that
it is an "accidental or occasional visitor" from Europe, while
" S, turdoides " and " S. gulactotes " (it ought to be galactodes)
{yaXaKTcoBiTi ; Th. yaXa, -aKTo<;, lac, and eZ8o9, fades) are left
unmarked, — though the former species has occurred at least
three times as often as either of the latter ?

Picus major is called ''Spotted Woodpecker" instead of
" G7-eai Spotted Woodpecker" — the omission of the first di-
stinguishing epithet not having the sanction of any British
author. The name "Yellow-billed Cuckoo" in the same way
is liable to cause mistakes, unless the word "American" be
inserted, and its omission also is not warranted by the example
of any former writer.

We are left without any information as to the authorities for
the names " Vanellus melanogaste?'," " Himantopus melanopterus"
and " Phalaropus platyrhynchus."

The " Esquimaux Curlew," one would suppose, should, from
its name, be marked as a straggler from America rather than from
Europe, — a supposition strengthened when it is found that only
two instances of its occurrence in the Old World have hitherto
been recorded. The " Yellow-shanked [!] Sandpiper" merits
exactly the same sort of remark. On the other hand, " f Steller's
Western Duck " should rather be considered Asiatic. It is known
to breed in Siberia, and not in America. Again, the "* Great
Auk " was certainly as much a British bird as ever it was a
European one. Lastly, the name " White-headed Petrel " is
a misnomer as applied to KuhFs Procellaria heesitata, and
properly belongs to an entirely different species. The correct
English name for this bird is " The Capped Petrel," given to it
by Mr. Alfred Newton, who acted as accoucheur on its first in-
troduction into the British fauna (see ' Zoologist,^ p. 3693), and
afterwards adopted by Mr. Yarrell.

These and such -like criticisms may seem somewhat out of
place in a Magazine which (as we are informed by the gentleman
who is employed to answer the Naturalists' queries in the 'Field'

Recent Ornithulogical Publications, i).3

Newspaper) is " chiefly devoted to technical descriptions of foreign
birds new to science ;" but should they meet the eye of him who
thus veraciously responds to the question whether there be any
Magazine devoted to birds besides ' The Zoologist,' we trust that
they may induce him to reconsider his reply, and to admit that
we sometimes give up our ' technical descriptions ' to notice
even such unsatisfactory compilations as " The ' Zoologist ' List
of British Birds."

In the 'Sporting Magazine' for July and September of last
year will be found some well-written notices of the haunts and
habits of some of the principal Game-birds of the Himalayas, by
* Mountaineer.' They relate to the " Horned Pheasant" [Trago-
pan melanocephala) , the " Monall " [Lophophorus impeyanus), the
"Cocklass" (Pucrusia macrolopha), "Cheer" {Catreus wallichii),
*' Kaleege " {Gallophasis albo-cristatus), and '^' Snow Pheasant"
( Tetraogallus himalayensis) .

2. French Publications
The number of the ' Revue et Magasin de Zoologie ' for Octo-
ber contains M. Pucheran's " Observations sur deux especes de
Passereaux originaires des A9ores," to which we have already
alluded * on their original publication in ' L'Institut.' They
are accompanied by a figure of the new Finch, Fringilla moreleti.
In the same number is the commencement of an Oological article
by M. Moquin-Tandon, entitled "Considerations sur les oeufs
des Oiseaux."

The ' Annales des Sciences Naturelles ' for 1859 contain the
commencement of an important paper by M. Emile Blanchard,
on the Osteology of Birdsf, which merits not merely perusal,
but attentive study. The inti-oduction gives a general review of
the labours of previous writers on this subject. M. Blanchard
then goes on to speak of his own labours and of his * Organisa-
tion du regne animal,' in which he has divided the class Aves
into two orders — Tropidosternii and Hi>inah)sfe7-nii, corrcspond-

• ' The Ibis,' vol. i. p. :S22.

+ " Reoherchcs sur les oaiacteies ()ste()li)t;i»Hies dt.'s Oiseaux, appliquees
a la classification natmelle de ccs aiiiniaux."

94 Recent Ornithological Publications.

ing with the Aves carinat(e and Aves ratitce of Merrem, and
gives his reasons for commencing his subject by treating of the
sternum — without doubt the most characteristic portion of the
bird-skeleton. No one can hesitate to agree with M. Blanchard
as to the importance of determining how far the external cha-
racters of the animals of this class correspond with their osteolo-
gical structure, and as to the value of the coincidences thus
established in guiding us to a truly natural arrangement. It is
with much pleasure we find M. Blanchard's attention in France,
as well as Mr. Ey ton's in our own country, now turned to this
much-neglected subject.

The chapters devoted to the examination of the different
modifications of the sternum of birds follow in order. We give
a list of the names of the Linnean genera which head the several
sections, by which a general idea of the affinities pointed out by
M. Blanchard, as deducible from the examination of the sternum,
may be formed, i. Falco [Helotarsus is hardly different from
true Aquila ; Spilornis is near Buteo, from which also Milvus has
barely sufficient characters to distinguish it) : ii. Gypogeranus :
III. Gypaetus : IV. VuLTUR [Gypohierax resembles Neophron) :
V. Strix {Bubo and Scops resemble Otus and Brachyotus) : vi.
PsiTTACUS : VII. Fringilla, Loxia, Alauda, Parus, Sturnus,
Corvus, Paradisea, Certhia, Motacilla, Turdus, Lanius,
MusciCAPA, PiPRA, Tanagra, and Hirundo (all these have a
very similar conformation of the sternum ; Paradisea most re-
sembles Corvus and Gai'rulus, as also Meliphaga ; Menura is
peculiar) : viii. Cypselus : ix. Caprimulgus : x. Trochilus :
XI. Upupa and Irrisor : xii. Merops and Momotus : xiii.
Alcedo : XIV. Tonus : xv. Galbula : xvi. Capito and Bucco :
XVII. Picus and Yunx: xviii. Ramphastos : xix. Turacus :
XX. Trogon : XXI. Coracias : xxii. Crotophaga and Cucu-
Lus : XXIII. BucEROs. We may state, in conclusion, that we
have the satisfaction of agreeing with M. Blanchard in nearly
every affinity here pointed out.

3. German and Russian Publications.

The third number of Cabanis' ' Journal fiir Ornithologie ' con-
tains an article by Dr. H. A. Bernstein, of Gadock in the island

Recent Ornilhulugical Publications. 95

of Java, upon the nests and eggs of certain Javan birds. The
account of the nidification of the Tree- Swifts {Denclrochelidon
klecho) is novel and strange. The nest resembles in form and
materials that of the little Collocalia or Edible-bird's-nest Swift,
but is still smaller and flatter ! It is a semicircular structure, and
is affixed to a small naked horizontal branch high up in a tree,
the branch forming the flat side of the nest. The walls, scarcely
thicker than parchment, are made of feathers, tree- mosses, and
bits of bark, cemented together by the viscous saliva of the bird.
The nest, which contains a single perfectly oval egg, is so small,
that the bird (as repeatedly observed by Dr. Bernstein) sits upon
the branch and only covers it with her belly.

Henicurus leschenaulti builds on the ground, near water, with
moss and dead leaves, and lays two eggs, greenish or yellowish-
white, spotted with rufous.

We also strongly recommend the perusal of Herr Eug. von
Homeyer's communication, " Ueber einige zweifelhafte Arten
der europaischen Oruis.^^

Dr. Bolle will find, in the last Number of our Journal, some
remarks by Mr. Salvin (p. 361) confirmatory of his theory of
the oophagy of the Rallidce. We beg leave also to refer Herr
Schiiter to our last year's volume for some important contribu-
tions to the discussion as to the mode of reproduction of
Oxylophus glandarius.

The first number of the * Bulletin de la Societe Imperiale des
Naturalistes de Moscou ' for 1859 contains an article * by Baron
R. Konig-Warthausen, on the nesting of the Warblers of the
division Hypolais, which will be of interest to European ornitho-
logists. The species treated of as belonging to this group are the
following: — (1.) H. glivetorum, nests in Greece (Lindermayer
and Von der Miihle) : (2.) II. salicaria {Motacilla hippolais,
Linn. ; H. icterina, Degland ; H. luscinoides, Landbek), nests in
Wiirtemburg and Southern Germany, as observed by the
author: (3.) H. cinerascens, Selys {H. pallida, Gavhc ; H.ari-

* "Zur Fortpflanzungsgeschiohte der Spottsai\ger." Hull. Acad. Nat.
xxxii. p. 238.

96 Recent Ornithological Publications.

gonis, Brehm), nests in Spain (A. E. Brehm t) : (4.) H. elaica
{Sylvia elaica, Lind.; S. amhigua, Schlegel; S. prey Hi, Frauenf.),
nests in Greece (Lindermayer) : (5.) H. pallida {S. pallida,
Ehrenb.), nests in Nubia (Heuglin) : 6. H. polyglotta (-S'.
polyglotta, Vieill.), nidification unknown.

The notes on H. pallida (of which species little was befoi'e
known) are somewhat as follows : —

" The I. R. Austrian Consul at Chartoum in the Sudan
(Hofrath Dr. Th. von Heuglin) found this bird, which is also an
inhabitant of Syria, all the year through in N.E. Africa. The
skins collected by him in Egypt^ as well as his observations on
its habits, agree fully with Ehrenbcrg's. A variety with a
stronger beak was found further southwards, in Nubia.'^

" He, as well as Blasius, believes in the possibility of the
identity of this species with the Grecian H. elaica ; but I do
not hesitate to consider them as different for the ])resent,
because the cpiestion is not yet settled, and, moreover, two Egyp-
tian nests, each with four eggs (for which, as well as for the
observations here given, 1 have to thank Dr. Heviglin's kindness),
are somewhat different from those of the latter species, whether
specifically or climatically need not at present be settled."

" This Warbler, \a Inch, not quite properly (in the same way as
H. olivetorum by Keyserling and Blasius), and chiefly because of
its habits, was formerly united to the Reed-Warblers, delights
mostly in water-ditches and reedy thickets. It nests in the
hedges of gardens or in the thick Mimosa-bush {Mimosa nilo-
tica), if Arundo donax, its favourite resort, is not far off.

"The nests are placed from two to fifteen feet high. Both
mine are from Cairo itself — from the Especchia Place."

After giving an accurate description of the two nests, which
were composed of strips of bass and dried stalks mixed with
woollen threads and horsehair, and lined with fine tendrils of
plants, with some Mimosa-leaves fixed on the outside, the author
says of the eggs, of which there were four in each nest, " Their
ground-colour is dark violet-grey, somctinies greenish-white ;
some are sparingly but uniforndy spotted with minute freckles

• Confer Dr. A. E. Breluu's " Cursory observations on the Birds of
Spain," in the 'Allgeni. deutscho naturhist. Zoitiuig,' Bd. iii. (1857) p- -^^7 ■

Recent Ornithological Publications. 97

of blue-gvey and black ; others with larger round or irregular
blotches, partly obliterated; others again, with a rather light
ground and almost entire absence of the bright under- markings,
are provided with larger dark red-brown points and obsolete
blotches of bright red-brown. In the structure of the shell
they come very near those of the preceding [H. elaica) ; yet the
granulation of most of them is decidedly more elevated and
finer. Keeping this point in view along with their less weight,
smaller size, and more greyish ground-colouring, it would not
be difficult in most cases to separate the eggs of this African
form from those of its Grecian ally."

The same part of the ' Bulletin ' contains likewise (p. 24) an
''Esquisse de PHistoire uaturelle de Kamienietz, Podolski, par
Gustave Belke," in the course of which some account of the birds
of this district of Podolia is given. There seems not much
noticeable, except perhaps that Otis tarda, " tres commune et
en grande quantite, reste chez nous en hiver."

4. American Publications.

The ' Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia,^ which we have received up to p. 270 of last year's
volume, contain, besides Mr. J. Xantus's Catalogue of Birds col-
lected near Fort Teyon, California (p. 189), already noticed, a
paper by Dr. T. Charlton Henry, on the Birds of New Mexico
(p. 104), and a continuation of Mr. Cassin's valuable " Catalogue
of Birds collected on the rivers Camma and Ogobai, Western
Africa, by Mr. P. B. Du Chaillu in 1858, with notes and descrip-
tions of new species '' (pp. 133 and 172). The total number of
species enumerated in this list is 238. The new birds now cha-
racterized are Hi/p hant or nis cinctns and Columbaunicincta. There
are many others of great interest.

To Professor Baird's kindness we are indebted for early copies
of a very interesting communication made to the Boston Society
of Natural History, by Dr. Henry Bryant, entitled, " A List of
Birds seen at the Bahamas from Jan. 20 to May 14, 1859, with
descriptions of new or little-known species.^' * Dr. Bryant gives

* See Proc. Boston Soc. N. H. vii. j). 102.
VOL. II. il

98 Notices, Letteis, Extracts from Correspondence, ^c.

many notes on the habits and nidificatiou of the birds of these
islands — which have, as far as we know, never been before in-
vestigated by a naturahst. We are not surprised at his meeting
with species apparently undescribed. The Humming-bird, Tro-
chilus bahamensis, does not, however, fall into that category, as
it is certainly Trochilus evelyna (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1847, p. 44),
belonging to the genus or section Thaumastura. Had the tail
of the male of this species really only eight feathers, as supposed
by Dr. Bryant, we should consider it even more wonderful than
is indicated by the generic name Thaumastura ; for we do not at
present recollect any exception to the normal number of ten
rectrices in the Trochilida. But a careful examination will, we
have little doubt, prove that the two medial rectrices, though
abnormally diminutive, are not altogether wanting.

The other species described as new are Empidonax bahamensis,
Hirundo cyaneoviridis (allied to Gosse's H. euchrysea of Jamaica),
Laniovireo crassirostris, and Mimus bahamensis (probably the
same as Cabanis^s M. gundlachii). The accounts of the breeding
of Sula fiber and Pha'ethon flavirostris are of much interest.

X. — Notices, Letters, Extracts from Con-espondence, ^c.

It is with much regret that we commence our issue of the
Second Volume of ' The Ibis ' with the announcement of the
death of one of the original promoters of our Journal, and a
most valued contributor to its pages. Our friend and fellow-
labourer John Wolley, having been in declining health for several
months, died on the 20th of November last, at the early age of
36 years, leaving a vacancy in the number of the British Orni-
thologists' Union, which it will be very difficult to fill up. Of
Mr. Wolley's career as a naturalist, and of his many brilliant
discoveries and laborious explorations in various parts of the
world in pursuit of his favourite science, we hope, with the
kind assistance of a gentleman who is well acquainted with many
of the events of his short though active life, to give some account
in our next Number.

Notices, Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, S^c. 99

Mr. Blyth writes to us (from Calcutta, October 8th) —
" Among recent gatherings I have received Palceoriiis erythro-
genys, nobis (P. nicobaricus, Gould), from Port Blair (Andamans).
My name, however, will stand, as erythrogenys of Lesson = lon-
gicauda and erythrogenys of Fraser, is subsequent, and, moreover,
in my opinion, refers to the genuine P. harbatus. Some time ago
a fellow sold me a wholly black Sturnopastor, which he falsely
stated was from Port Blair. The bird has now moulted into the
ordinary plumage of Sturnopastor contra. Varieties of this bird
are not very rare ; and upon one of them Major Tytler founded
his St. moorii. I am rather pleased to hear that I have a living
specimen of my new Kittacincla albiventris now doing well at
Port Blair. Our taxidermist employed there wishes to bring it
with him himself when he returns, fearing to trust it to anybody
else. I have offered him a good price for as many as he can
procui'e for me alive, and am curious to hear the voice of this
species, the Shama {K. macroura) being, as you know, the prince
of songsters in this part of the world. However, I have a Bhrim-
raj [Edolius paradiseus) which imitates the Shdmd's song to such
perfection that you cannot distinguish them apart. I formerly
had another of the same species that did the same ; but there is
nothing that a good Bhrim-raj will not imitate. I had one that
imitated the crow of a cock to perfection, and would set all the
cocks crowing within hearing, taking his turn with the rest most
laughably. Every sound a fowl, a cat, a goat, or sheep can
utter, the cry of a dog being whipped, the cawing of a crow,
the whistling of scraps of tunes, and the song of the best singing
birds, all these were repeated with marvellous accuracy by my
Bhrim-raj. In addition to all this, it is one of the most intelli-
gent of birds (crow-like in this respect), and capable of strong
attachment."

Besides a collection of birds, and valuable notes in this Num-
ber, several letters have been received from Mr. Salvin since our
last issue, from which we give the following extracts : —

"Duefias, August 30th. — I have now before me four very
pretty skins of a Phalaropc, which I shot upon the lake here a
few days ago. The Snipe has not yet arrived, nor have the

h2

100 Notices, Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, t^c.

Ducks. Of Humming-birds I find 12 species here, but none, I
fear, new. I cannot, however, complain of the ornithological
productions of Duenas, for I seldom go out with my gun without
bringing back some addition to my collection. You would be
astonished at the great variety of country concentrated within a
narrow compass. The consequence of this is a very local distri-
bution of species, and at the same time a great variety. Birds
seem to assemble in the valleys and plains ; and little is to be
found either in the more dense forest or on the steep hill-sides.
The Volcan de Fuego is one of my favourite resorts. Scarcely
a week passes that I do not enjoy a ramble in its forests. The
village of Duenas is situated on the north side of a plain, which
skirts the volcano on its eastern side. From it the volcano
rises to a height of 10,000 feet, and to between 14,000 and
15,000 feet above the sea-level, the summit of it being divided
into three peaks, from the most southern of which issues a con-
stant column of smoke, which, though small, is always visible.
Opposite to it is the Volcan de Agua, a very respectable hill with
a single peak, which attains to nearly the same altitude as the
Volcan de Fuego.

" I am adding greatly to my knowledge of the distribution of
the birds of this country; and my theories as regards the inhabit-
ants of the hot and cold regions frequently receive severe blows ;
in course of time I hope they will be replaced by others based on
a surer footing. I find a Humming-bird common atYzabal and
Duenas [probably Amazilia arsinoe is referred to (Ed.)] ; another
is common at Escuintla, on the Pacific coast and near the city
of Guatemala. At the same time it appears that Pyranga ery~
thromelmna, Chiroxiphia linearis, and Amazilia corallirostris are
all Pacific-coast species, and that none of them have as yet been
met with in the Atlantic coast-region. Cotinga amabilis is, I
strongly suspect, a bird of the high region. Momotus lessoni
certainly is so, as also Icterus giraudi. So, you see, there is
plenty to be done in the way of details, all of which require
careful investigation."

" Duenas, October 25th. — Tomorrow I start for San Gero-
nimo, Salaraa, and Cohan. I have long had this expedition in my
mind ; for I am particularly anxious to see and find out where

Notices, Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, ^c. 101

all the Vera Paz collections have been made, and I now go under
very favourable circumstances. Three days hence will take me
to the hacienda of San Geronimo, belonging to an English com-
pany, and where an English gentleman, whose acquaintance I
made a short time ago, is staying. He is now going to Coban,
and has asked me to join him.

"Among birds I have lately got several that have pleased me
much. The Volcan de Fuego is a very fruitful locality, and I
never go there without finding something fresh. I have shot
this last month twenty-four species of Mniotiltidce, not includmg
some which I obtained last year. My Phalaropes are not Phala-
ropiis wilsoni, as I thought at first ; but Constancia has a skin of
that species. There are therefore two Phalaropes which occur
here.^^

Mr. G. D. Rowley writes from Brighton, as follows : —

" For some time past I have been aware of the existence of
two kinds of Ringed Plover at Shoreham Harbour in this vicinity
— a larger and a smaller. This circumstance is so conspicuous as
to have attracted the attention of fowlers and others shooting ; for
on the wing the difference is very observable. I have now a fine
stuffed specimen of each kind before me, both killed in the last
week but one in August, this year, at Shoreham. The larger is
Charadrius hiaticula ; the smaller is no doubt Charadrius minor,
the Little Ringed Plover. Independently of the marked differ-
ence in size, the black beak, much more slender legs and thighs,
and general appearance, there is the black spot on the inner web
of the outer tail-feathers of my small specimen.

" I should be curious to know if this British and real Little
Ringed Plover corresponds with the foreign skins usually sold as
those of that bird ; I fancy not. Our Charadrius minor (of Shore-
ham) arrives in May, when the young of the other species are
running about ; and, as I strongly suspect, sometimes breeds
here. The bird is not by any means so uncommon as repre-
sented by Yarrell. Mr. Swaysland, of the Queen's Road, always
has some on hand. It again appears in autumn, after the
spring migration.

" The migration of birds is a wonderful thing— wonderful even

102 Notices, Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, &;c.

to the closet naturalist, but still more so to the field observer,
little understood by any. Living on the south coast in spring
and autumn, I have good opportunities of marking the arrival
and departure of some birds. I have seen the Swallows [Hirundo),
over the sea, actually arrive and pass straight inland without a
pause or the least show of weariness. Not so the ChiflF-chafFs
and Willow- Wrens, which stay about the shingle at first, till
they recover their strength — at least, I have seen them at five
o'clock of a spring morning within a few yards of the waves. In
autumn, on certain days (varying according to the wind), the
gardens about Brighton are full of Ring-Ouzels, Chifi'-chaflFs,
Willow- Wrens, Redstarts ; on the Downs are Wheatears ; in the
air Goldfinches, Swallows, Green Linnets, &c. I have stood
and watched these birds early on a fine morning (for birds of the
above kinds do not fly in cloudy, dull days), going in continuous
streams down to the sea, following one another as surely in the
same direction as if going by a mariner's compass. The Roman
augurs were not quite so absurd perhaps as one would at first
imagine ; a great many indications may be gathered from the
flight of birds. Their motions appear to the common observer
to be guided by chance ; but the ornithologist knows that each
bird he sees is employed on some particular business, and can
interpret its actions. Birds always travel by night across the sea,
working their way along the coast till a proper wind is blowing,
and flying against any light which may appear on the shore.
In the days of the old watchmen at Brighton, small birds
used frequently to fly against the lanterns which they carried."

Herr August von Pelzeln, of Vienna, informs us that, among
the collections formed during the late exploring expedition of the
' Novara,' which have recently arrived at the capital, are " large
numbers of bird- skins. Among these are an interesting and
tolerably numerous series from the Nicobar Islands, some rare
birds from the smaller Pacific Islands, and many from India and
the Suuda Islands. Among the latter is a species of Bona-
parte's genus Diardigallus. The collection of skeletons and
birds in spirits is of great value; and there are also a consider-
able number of nests and eggs."

Notices, Letters, Ecctracts from Correspondence, ^c. 103

Mr. W. Llewellyn, of Penllegare, writes that he shot a
specimen of Aedon galactodes (the Rufous Sedge Warbler of
YarrelPs Second Supplement) at Start Point, in Devonshire, in
the month of September last. A very strong south wind had
prevailed for nearly a week previously. The bird was not ob-
served until it was shot, at which moment it was flying over a
stone wall, within a hundred yards of the sea. It was exces-
sively thin, and had lost its tail. The specimen was sent to the
British Museum, where it is now preserved.

We find that the occurrence of this example has already been
noticed in the 'Annals and Magazine of Natural History' for
November last (ser. 3, vol. iv. p. 399).

To the Editor of ' The Ibis.'

Jardine Hall, Dec. 13, 1859.
My DEA.R Sir, — Having noticed your observations ('Ibis,' i.
p. 322) upon the Eujihonia ctjanodorsalis of Dubois, I have ex-
amined the specimen, alluded to as in my collection, procured
by Mr. Skinner. It agrees exactly v/ith your description of E.
occipitalis ? (Proc. Zool. Soc. 1856, p. 270), and also with the
figure in DuBus's Esquisses Ornithologiques. On comparing
my specimen \\ith the figure of E. cyanodorsalis in the ' Rev.
Zoologique,' the position of the blue spot upon the head
answers to the term ' occipitalis,' the front of the spot being in
a hne with the posterior angle of the eye. In Dubois' figure
the spot is placed on the centre of the crown. Skinner's bird
appears to be correct as you have named it ; and its range will
extend from Guatemala to Mexico, as Dubois mentions having
also received specimens of it from that country.

Believe me sincerely yours,

Wm. Jardine.

In reply to a question about the specific validity of Ictinia
mississippiensis — a bird wanting in the very full series of Accipi-
tres belonging to the Norwich Museum — Mr. John Cassin, of
Philadelphia, writes as follows : — " Ictinia mississippiensis is cer-
tainly different from 1. plunibeu, though like that species. It is

104 Notices, Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, ^c.

larger and more lightly coloured, and always has the secondaries
widely tipped with very pale ashy, nearly white. The adult has
the tail black, without any trace of white bars. /. plumbea has
always (I believe) transverse white bars on the tail, and the tips
of the secondaries not marked as in /. mississippiensis, but uni-
form. It is also smaller; and specimens are generally much
more darkly coloured than in /. mississippiensis, especially on the
under parts, though I have seen one or two that were nearly as
light, and had the head nearly as pale. There are transverse
bars on the tail in all specimens I have seen of /. plumbea.
There are six specimens of /. mississippiensis in the Academy's
collection, including Alexander Vrilson's original. Three of
these ( c? ? et juv.) are from New Mexico, obtained by Dr.
Woodhouse, and two are without labels. Four examples of
/. plumbea are all from South America/'

It is curious that all Mexican Ictinice which we have seen (col-
lected by Salle, Boucard, &c.) have belonged to the /. plumbea,
of which there is also a specimen in the British Museum, said
to be from North America. Of /. mississippiensis there is one
specimen in the same collection, agreeing with Mr. Cassin's dif-
ferential characters.

We hear of several important additions to Ornithological lite-
rature in progress at the present moment. M. 0. DesMurs is
engaged on a ' Traite d^Oologie/ being a general work on that
interesting subject. Dr. Hartlaub, of Bremen, is occupied on a
Synopsis of the Ornithology of Madagascar, in extension of his
* Gegenwartiger Standpunkt der Ornithologie Madagascars,'
published in D'Alton and Burmeister's ' Zeitung fiir Zoologie,
Zootomie, und Palseozoologie ' in 1848, and has met with several
rich sources of new materials. Professor Schlegcl, of Leyden, has
just completed a review of the genus Corvus, with figures, for the
Society ' Natura artis Magistra' of Amsterdam; and Sir William
Jardine and Mrs. Hugh Strickland are preparing for })ubIication
a further portion of the late lamented Mr. H. E. Strickland^s
Ornithological Synonyms.

THE IBIS

No. VI. APRIL 1860.

XI. — On the Addition to tlie British Fauna of Pallas's Three-
toed Sand-Grouse {Syrrhaptes paradoxus). By Thomas John
Moore, Keeper of the Free Pubhc and Derby Museum,
Liverpool *.

(Plate IV.)

The acquisition of a species new to the British Avi-Fauna is
always an interesting event. In the present instance that inter-
est is considerably increased by several important considerations.
The species named at the head of this paper is not only new
to Britain, but also, I believe, to Europe ; for, though more than
once inserted by Prince Bonaparte in his Lists of European
Birds, no instance to warrant its insertion has yet been put on
record. The family to which it belongs, being especially adapted
to inhabit dry and arid plains, has no representative in Britain,
although two species occur on the Continent {Pterocles alchata and
Pt. arenarius). The genus consisted of the single species in-
habiting the steppes of Tartary, made known by Pallas three-
quarters of a century since, until in 1850 Mr. Gould figured and
described a second, obtained by Lord GifFord on the banks of
the Tsumureri Lake in the country of Ladakh, under the name
of Syrrhaptes tibetanus. Of the latter only a single specimen
was shot by Lord GifFord; but other examples have since been
collected by Captain Speke, and it has also been observed by

* Communicated by Mr. Moore to the late Meeting of the British Asso-
ciation at Aberdeen, and read to Section D.

VOL. II. I

106 Mr. T. J. Moore on

Dr. Adams. The former is still rare in collectious. Its occur-
rence, therefore, in the living state in this country cannot be
regarded otherwise than as an important event in the annals
of British Ornithology, It is with great pleasure that, by the
permission of the Committee of this Institution, I am enabled
to bring under the notice of the British Association a remark-
ably fine adult male specimen lately shot in Wales.

This bird was received at this Museum on the 12th of July
last, ' in the flesh,' that is to say, recently dead and not yet
skinned. It was in excellent feather, and presented only very
slight traces of shot-marks about the head. It had evidently
been dead a day or two, as the body was beginning to smell and
the feathers to become loose : the eyes also were shrivelling up,
and were too far gone to determine their colour, except that it
was very dark.

It was immediately placed in the hands of Mr. Butterworth,
a skilful taxidermist of this town, who succeeded admirably in
skinning and stuffing it, although, as I subsequently learned, it
had been dead fully three days, during which the weather was
excessively hot, and favourable to decomposition.

Dr. Collingwood, Lecturer on Botany at the Liverpool School
of Medicine, kindly examined for me the contents of the pro-
ventriculus and gizzard. He found therein turnip-seed and un-
ripe seeds of the Furze ( Ulex) only, and no trace of insect food.

Our Museum is indebted for this valuable donation to Mr.
Thomas Chaffers, of Great Howard Street, Liverpool, the bird
having been shot by a labourer on a farm held by him on the
estate of T. Madoc, Esq., called Portreuddyn Farm, situate near
Tremadoc, at the north end of Cardigan Bay, on land reclaimed
from the sea.

The account given to ]\Ir. Chaffers by Owen Quin, the labourer
alluded to above, and subsequently also to myself, on a visit
made by Quin to the Museum, is as follows : —

On Saturday, July 9, he was engaged ' scuffling ' turnips in
a field at Portreuddyn Farm, called the Trath. This field con-
sists of loamy sand, is close to the river Glasslyn, and one mile
from the sea at Portmadoc. About three o'clock in the after-
noon he heard at a short distance a cry with which he was not

Pallas' s Three-toed Sand-Grouse. 107

familiar. On looking attentively in the direction from which it
proceeded, he observed three birds running about and pecking
among the drills, and making what he described as a " chat-
tering whistling'^ noise. • They were then all three together,
and, so far as he could observe, all three alike. Having for-
tunately, under a hedge near at hand, a gun with which
to shoot rooks from an adjoining potato field, he fetched and
loaded it. By that time two of the birds had gone some forty
yards further off. These he thought he could kill at one shot,
but to get near enough must have passed and alarmed the
single bird and pi-obably the others. He therefore wisely con-
tented himself with aiming at this, fired, and killed it. Having
only a single-barrelled gun, he could not get a shot at the other
birds, which flew swiftly away at a height of thirty or forty feet
direct eastward across the river into Merionethshire, effectually
preventing him from following them. Another man was work-
ing in the field at the time, but saw nothing of the birds imtii
the dead one was shown to him. Mr. Chaffers has since made
numerous inquiries, but has been unable to hear of any person
having observed them either before or after their appearance in
his field as related above.

The Syrrhaptes j^uradowus, as already stated, was first made
known by Pallas, who described and figured it under the name
of Tetrao paradoxa *. It agrees with other species of Sand-
Grouse in its general form, in its lengthened wings, and in the
shortness of its feet ; but differs from them in the first primary
of each wing terminating in a long filament like the two central
tail-feathers of several species of Sand-Grouse. The most essen-
tial differences, however, are in the legs and feet. The legs,
instead of being feathered only in front, are entirely covered
down to the extremity of the toes with short dense feathers ;
the hind toe is wanting ; the toes in front are much expanded,
being united together throughout their length, and forming a
broad flat foot the sole of which is thickly covered with strong
horny papilhe : they are terminated by equally strong broad and
flattened nails.

♦ See Pallas, Itin. ii. App. p. Ill, tab. F. ; Zoograph. Rosso-Asiat. ii.
p. 74.

i2

i08 Mr. T. J. Moore on

Linnseus included the Sand-Grouse known to him along with
the true Grouse in his genus Tetrao. In 1809 Teinminck pro-
posed to separate them, and established the. genus Pterocles for
their reception. In 1811 Illiger proposed to separate from
these again the bird discovered by Pallas, in a genus which he
named Syrrhaptes. Other generic and specific names have since
been proposed ; but the bird is now generally referred to as
Syrrhaptes paradoxus.

Unfortunately very little is known of the habits of the Sj/r-
rhaptes. M. Delanoue, in the ' Dictionnaire Classique d'Histoire
Naturelle/ vol. viii. p. 182, describes their walk as slow and
laboured ; their flight as rapid, direct and elevated, and but
little sustained. " The nest is composed of the down of grasses
placed among sand and stones under a bush. The eggs are
four in number, of a reddish-white colour, spotted with brown.
The female quits her nest only at the last extremity. The
Khirghiz call these birds Buldruk, and the Russians Sadscha."

Dr. Edward Eversmann, in the first volume of Cabanis's
* Journal fiir Ornithologie,' tells us that this St/n-haptes " in-
habits only the steppes eastwards of the Caspian Sea as far as
the Soongarei. In the west it never passes further to the
north than lat. 46° But eastwards it ranges into higher lati-
tudes, being found also on the high steppes of the Southern
Altai Mountains, on the upper course of the Tschuja, in the
neighbourhood of the Chinese outposts. The Mongols there
call it Nukturu; the Dwojedanzes, Altin; the Kirghiz Tartars on
the Aral Sea, Buldruk." Eichwald, in his ' Fauna Caspio-Cauca-
sica,' merely alludes to the presence of this bird on the eastern
side of the Caspian Sea.

The only localities which have come under my notice whence
the species has been obtained, are the following : — The Kirghiz
Steppe, whence Pallas's specimen* and a male and female in the
Derby Collection were procured, the Gobi Steppe, and Bucharia.

* Pallas says, " In arenosis deserti Kirgisici circa arenas Dshidel-mamut,
aRytschkofio vivse adlatae, exuviae rectricibus carehunt ; neqiie praeterea a
quopiatt. nostromm obseivata fiiit haec avis curiosissima, quain Kirgiso-
tartari jmlverisatam contra insaniam commendant." — Zoograph. ii. p. 75.
—Ed.

PaUds's Three-toed Sond-Grouse. 109

Bonaparte, 1 believe, is the only author who has included it
in the European list. In his ' Geographical and Comparative
List of the Birds of Europe and North America,^ published in
1838, it is placed as No. -281, and " Eastern Europe ^^ given as
its locality. Schlegel, in his ' Revue Critique des Oiscaux
d'Europe/ 1844, p. 90, confesses himself ignorant of the reasons
which led the Prince to insert it, and therefore excludes it. In
another list, ' Conspectus Avium Europaearum,^ appended by
Bonaparte to his ' Revue Critique de FOrnithologie Europeenne
de M. Degland,^ 1850, he himself omits it. But in the 'Cata-
logue des Oiseaux d^Europe/ published by M. Parzudaki in
1856, it again appears, though with a query.

To this last list Prince Bonaparte specially solicited the criti-
cism of M. de Selys-Longchamps of Liege, and of M. de Pilippi
of Turin, — the former of whom, writing in the name of both,
enumerates it with others as being included in error, or without
sufficient warrant ; and although Bonaparte, in his rejoinder to
this critique, insists upon the claims of several of those ques-
tioned by M. de Selys, he does not defend the cause of the Syr-
rhaptes^. Its claim to be inserted in the European list can now
no longer be questioned ; for, in addition to the specimen ex-
hibited, another was killed about the same time in Norfolk
for the knowledge of which I am indebted to Mr. P. L. Sclater
and Mr. A. Newton, but am possessed of no other information
than that it was forwarded to Mr. Leadbeater, of London, for
stuffing f. That it was out of the same original flock as the
Portreuddyn specimen cannot be doubted ; and it will be ex-
tremely interesting to compare the dates of their capture. That

* A^ide ' Revue et Magasin de Zoologie,' 185/, pp. 56, 117 & 134.

t Of this specimen an account has already been given in ' The Ibis,'
vol. i. p. 472. A third specimen, also an adult male, " was shot on the
2.'3rd of July last, near Ilobro, in Jutland ; and it is stated tliat another
example was observed, but not killed, about the same time, some few miles
from the same locality." — Zoologist, 1859, p. 6780. This bird is now, as
we are informed by Mr. Alfred Newton, in the Museum of the University
of (Copenhagen. 13y a letter from Prof. Schlegel, of Ley den, we learn that a
pair of this same bird were observed in the Dunes near that city in August
and September last, and that one of them was obtained. — Ed.

110 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

others have fullcu on their route from Tartary is of course most
probable ; it is to be hoped that they may have passed into the
hands of ornithologists, and that the facts may be made known.

Liverpool Free Public and Derby Museum,
September 14, 1859.

XII. — On Birds collected or observed in the Republic of Honduras,
with a short Account of a Journey across that country from
the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean^. By George Cavendish
Taylor, F.R.G.S. Part II.

[Continued from page 24.]

1. Honduras MocKiNG-KiRD. {Mimus gracilis.)

I did not observe Mocking-birds anywhere except on the plain
of Comayagua. They were very pugnacious, and drove all other
birds away from their vicinity.

2. Blue Bird. {Sialia wilsoni.)

Blue-birds were common among the pine-trees, on the high
ridges, throvighout the line of country we traversed.

3. Hooded Warbler. {Myiodioctes mitratus.)

The only one seen was in an orange-grove adjoining the town
of Comayagua.

4. Painted Fly-snapper. [Setophaga jncta.)

This bird was obtained by Mr. Edwards near Comayagua.

5. Dominican Purple Martin. [Progne dominicensis.)
Swallows were common, especially at Comayagua and in the

neighbourhood of churches.

I shot one on the wing, while standing in the Plaza, in front
of the Cathedral in Comayagua, to the great astonishment of
many of the inhabitants, who had evidently never before seen
anything shot while in motion. It measured 7 inches in length
and 13| in extent. Eyes dark ; beak, legs, feet, and claws black ;
chin and throat grey ; under surface of body white ; whole

* The scientific names used in this list are those ado])ted in Messrs.
Sclater and Salvin's article on the Ornithology of Central America, in
• The Ibis.' 1859.

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, ^c. Ill

upper surface, wings, aud tail steel-blue ; tail forked ; 12 tail-
feathers.

Small brown Martins, not unlike English Sand-Martins (pro-
bably Cotyle serripennis) , were also common. Near San Pedro
I saw also a number of small Black Swifts {Chcetura ?) about the
size of the Palm Swifts of Jamaica.

6. Cedar Bird. [Ampelis cedrorum.)

The only one I noticed and shot was at Siquatepeque.

7. Black- HEADED Orange-eater. {Saltator atriceps.)
Not uncommon near Comayagua, which was the only locality

where I observed them. I shot several, generally while feeding
in the tops of orange trees. The feathers of the head were
usually besmeared with the juice of oranges and other fruits.

8. Scarlet Tanager. {Pyranga estiva.)

I shot one, a female, in an orange garden at Comayagua.
They wexe, frequently observed in other places ; but I had no
opportunity of obtaining more specimens.

9. Red-backed Tanager. [Rhamphocelus passerinii.)
Common near the Atlantic coast.

10. Blue Tanager. {Tanagra diaconus.)

Obtained by Mr. Edwards during his first visit to Honduras.

11. Blue-headed Tanager. {Tanagra vicarius.)

I shot one near the Lake of Yojoa, and saw several more. I
believe they are not uncommon.

12. Rainbow Finch. [Spiza ciris.)

I saw and shot one of these beautiful birds in a garden near
Comayagua.

13. Great Cacique. [Cacicus montezuma.)

First seen at Taulevi ; and from there to the Atlantic they
were very common. Sometimes they were single or in pairs,
but more often in small companies. They were usually very
tame, and would climb unconcernedly about the trees within a
few feet of us.

14. Golden Banana Bird. {Ictei-us gularis.)

This is probably the most beautiful bird in the country. They

112 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

were very abundant on the Pacific Slope. I did not see so many
on the Atlantic side. They are fond of feeding on the fruit of
the cactus ; and the feathers on the head^ and the interior of
the gullet and stomach, are often deeply stained with its crimson
juice.

15. Great Crow-Blackbird. {Quiscalus niacrwus.)
Common, and always to be found in and about the villages.

They appear to be polygamous, as the male birds are generally
attended by several females. A very fine male bird and his
accompanying females used to frequent the court-yard of the
Honduras Railroad Agency House in Comayagua, where we lived.
They generally sat either on the roof of the house, or among
the upper branches of some orange trees which grew in the
yard. They had a most peculiar cry, not unlike the noise pro-
duced by the sharpening of a saw, only more prolonged.

Gosse^s account of the manners and note of the Tinkling
Grackle is applicable to this bird. I shot also at Comayagua
a small Crow-Blackbird, in size and general appearance like the
Tinkling Grackle. These, or other black birds, with shorter tails,
resembling Starlings, were often seen in large flocks near the
villages, and at sundown would collect in black masses on the
tops of low trees close to the houses.

16. Mexican Raven. {Corvus cacalotH)

I saw two Crows of a considerable size on the top of a lofty
pine tree, growing on the highest ridge of mountains between
Opotelma and Siquatepeque, near 5000 feet above the sea. If
my mule had not been refractory, I should have shot one.

17. Black-headed Blue Jay. {Cyanocorax melano-cyaneus.)
The only place where 1 saw these birds was in the pine ti'ees

on the elevated plain between Siquatepeque and Taulevi. They
appeared to be tolerably plentiful.

18. Small Crested Blue Jay. {Cyanocitta coi-onata.)
The above remarks are equally applicable to this bird. After

1 left the country, Mr. Edwards obtained several specimens of
both species.

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, ^c. 113

19. Green AND Yellow Jay. {Cyanocorax guatemalensis.)
Several specimens were obtained by Mr. Edwards after I left

the country.

20. Crested Blue Jay; [Crjanurus gubernatrix.)
Plentiful in Tigre Island, and all the way from the Pacific

coast to the mountains north of the plain of Comayagua, after
passing which I saw no more of them; their place and duties
being then taken up by the Brown Jay {Psilorhinus morio).
They were a continual nuisance, being omnipi'csent, and posi-
tively haunting our path. Every bough was full of them,
eternally shrieking and chattering. As we rode along they fol-
lowed us, from tree to tree, until we reached another troop of
them, who in their turn would take up the pursuit. When out
shooting, they would pursue me in the same way, flying over my
head and betraying ray presence by their chattering. The birds
in Honduras are seldom shot at, and consequently are not wary ;
otherwise these Jays would have effectually put them on their
guard.

The squeak of a penny trumpet, which I often carried in my
pocket, would quickly assemble dozens of them from the recesses
of the woods, even if, at the time I sounded it, there were none
within my sight or hearing.

21. Brown Jay. {Psilorhinus morio.)

This Jay was first seen at Taulevi, and thence to the Atlantic
was very common, generally to be seen or heard shrieking in
the bushes by the road-side ; but the experiment of the penny
whistle was not equally successful with them. From the time
they were first met with, I never saw one of the preceding species.
I regret I had not time to preserve the skin of one of them.

22. The Mexican Large- billed Tyrant. {Scaphorhyncus
mexicanus.)

I did not observe this bird before I got to Taulevi ; but after-
wards it was not uncommon.

23. Grey Tyrant. {Ty r annus inelanc ho licus.)

Common ; usually to be seen in the evening, sitting on the
tree-tops and facing the wind.

114 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

24. Yellow-bellied Tyrant. {Mj/iarchus laurencii.)
Obtained in Tigre Island.

25. Black-headed Long-tailed Tyrant. {Milvulus mo-
nachus.)

This bird was first seen by mc on the plain of Comayagua,
near Langui. Afterwards I saw great numbers at Agua Azul,
near the Lake of Yojoa^ where I obtained several specimens, as
they were sitting on the tree-tops about sundown. The tail-
feathers of some are nearly 12 inches long,

26. Grey-headed Long-tailed Tyrant. {Milvulus forfi-
catus.)

At Langui these birds were very plentiful ; and I also saw
them, in fewer numbers, in other localities. The best time to
obtain these and all the other Fly-catchers was in the evening,
just before roosting-time, when they would assemble on the
tops of favourite trees, and remain until nearly dark. They
then go off into the woods. I generally observed this and the
preceding species on open ground not much encumbered by
trees or brushwood.

27. Ground Night-runner. [Nyctidromus ?)

I obtained two species of this genus in Tigre Island, and also
saw them at Comayagua. They make a great noise, and fly about
under the trees after insects. They are easily distinguished when
flying, by the white marks on their wings. Directly they pitch on
the ground they are invisible. One evening when I was out bird-
shooting in Tigre Island, perhaps half an hour before sunset, I
saw a great number, hunting moths over a large piece of cleared
ground. There must have been some hundreds of them. Their
pace was great, like that of the swiftest Hawks, and their flight
not unlike that of Swallows. All birds of this genus are very
difficult to skin, as their skins are very tender, and their bodies
are generally very fat and greasy ; they are, however, not so bad
in this respect as Trogons.

28. Blue- headed Humming-bird. {Cyanomyia cyanoce-
phala.)

Occasionally seen, but not common. Obtained at Siquate-
pcque.

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, ^c. Ho

29. Brown Humming-bird. {Amazillia corallirostris.)
This Hummiug-bird, of very plain plumage, is the only one
which I observed in any niimbers, and that only in certain
localities. There were some in Tigre Island, and I saw them
hex'e and there in our march across the country. I found them
most abundant near Comayagua, 1900 feet above the sea. They
were very plentiful on the plain near the town, and not far
from the Canipo Santo, where the ground was tolerably open,
and the cactus grew abundantly. There I observed hundreds
hovering about the flowers of the cactus.

Upon the whole I saw very few Humming-birds in Honduras,
and fewest on the Pacific Slope. They are probably more nu-
merous on the Atlantic side, where there is more vegetation
and more flowers, and the atmosphere is more humid. In
Tigre Island there were but few flowers in the woods, and
Humming-birds were scarce. They were usually in lofty
trees, where it was very difficult to see them, and still more
so to find them when shot ; for they fall into the thick bushes,
and are so small that a leaf covers them ; besides, if not
picked up at once, a big ant may carry them oiF. Many that
I shot I was unable to find. It is also by no means easy
to kill them so as to obtain good specimens. I have never
found anything but very small shot answer this purpose; and
even then one may have to kill several before obtaining a
specimen that w'ill yield a really good skin. When in Jamaica,
I made several experiments in shooting Humming-birds. I
could get no fine shot (which, by the way, is an article very
difficult to obtain except in large towns), and was therefore
obliged to look out for an efficient substitute. I first tried rape-
seed ; but it did not answer : it was too light, and had no power
of penetrating, even with a large quantity of powder and at the
shortest distance. Certainly, I sometimes killed birds when I
used it ; but I suspect that it was only when they were struck by
the wadding, for they were so much damaged as to be useless.
For every one I killed, at least three went ofi" unhurt, although
only a few feet from the muzzle. Then I tried emery powder,
and that answered tolerably well. I killed some small birds
with it, and that without materially damaging their plumage.

116 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

but it did not appear to be effective beyond 15 feet or there-
abouts.

I have heard persons recommend ivater for knocking down
Humming-birds. It may answer, but requires an old gun, and
Humming-birds to be far more plentiful than I ever found
them. IMoreover, very close quarters are needful. The Hum-
ming-birds I nsed to shoot were often high up in trees. Now,
if water is to be used, it is obviously essential to success that
Humming-birds be plentiful, and that they frequent flowers
in a garden, or low bushes and shrubs, so that one can ap-
proach very close ; and in such situations they may be more
easily caught in a butterfiy-net. Moreover, when a gun is
charged with water, it will not do to wait half an hour or more
for a chance of discharging it. In Jamaica I found great diffi-
culty in securing good specimens of the minute Vervain Hum-
ming-bird [Mellisuga humilis), and still more in the case of
the Long-tailed Humming-bird {Trochilus polytmus), whose
long tail-feathers were liable to be cut by the shot, while the
remainder of the plumage was left uninjured.

I recommend all persons going on bird-shooting expeditions
to take with them a good supply of the finest shot procurable.
I suffered great inconvenience from the want of it. Large shot
is generally to be obtained in abundance.

30. The White Humming-bird. (Thaumatias candidus.)

I saw but very few specimens of this Humming-bird. The
three species here mentioned are the only Trochilida that came
under my notice while in Honduras.

31. Black-chinned Jacamar. {Galbula melanogenia.)

I did not see these birds until near the Atlantic coast, where
they were pretty common and very tame. They were generally
seen sitting on low bushes, ready to dart on any insects that
might come in their way. They are easy birds to preserve, as
the skin is tough and comes off without difficulty. Waterton
gives a good description of them in his ' Wanderings.'

32. Belted Kingfisher. {Ceryle alcyon.)

Seen on several occasions, but they were wild, so I was unable
to obtain a specimen.

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, i^c. 117

33. Small Green-and-white Kingfisher. [Ceryle ame-
ricana.)

Is about the size of our English Kingfisher. I saw several of
them at the Lake of Yojoa. ■

34. Flat-billed Motmot. {Prionirhynchus carinatus.)
The only bird of this species I saw was in the densest part of

the forest between Taulevi and the Lake of Yojoa. It was
sitting on a low branch of brushwood beneath some lofty Maho-
gany trees. I had some ditficulty in shooting it without running
the risk of entirely destroying the plumage. This I found to
be a very common occurrence ; for the forest is so dense that
often one cannot see birds unless close to them, and they are
so tame that they do not care to move. The difficulty consists
usually, not in approaching birds, but in getting sufficiently
distant from them to shoot, and at the same time keeping them
in sight.

I have every reason to remember this bird ; for I skinned it
by the roadside, on the saddle of my mule, being subject to
the attacks of myriads of mosquitoes — so much so that I was
several times on the point of throwing it away. As it is the
only example known of the species, besides one at Brussels, I
am glad I did not carry my intention into effect. I saw no
other Momotidce in Honduras ; but Mr. Edwards obtained near
Comayagua the Azurc-browcd Motmot [Eumomota superciliaris)
and the Blue-naped jNlotmot [Momutuslessoni). He found them
plentiful, and on one occasion saw seven sitting together on the
same bough.

35. Graceful Trogon. {Trogon elegans.)

I saw several of these birds in the forest on the plain of Co-
mayagua, and have no reason to suppose that they are otherwise
than common.

36. Black-headed Trogon. {Trogon melanocephalus.)
This Trogon was common in Tigre Island. I also obtained

it near Taulevi. Trogons are very difficult birds to skin, their
skins being as tender as damp tissue-paper, and their feathers
dropping off at the slightest touch, even as they fall to the
ground. These birds are usually seen sitting motionless on the

118 i\Ir. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

lower branches of trees^ generally in dense and sliady thickets,
and are to be shot without difficulty. The Quesal [Pharomacrus
paradiseits) is, I believe, found in the lofty mountains to the
south and east of the plain of Comayagiui.

After I left the country, Mr. Edwards returned to Comayagua.
He ascended these mountains, and found a tableland at the top,
covered with forests of high trees, and little or no underwood.
He there saw monkeys, and many species of birds which we
had not met with on the plain below. He also saw the long tail-
feathers of the Quesal lying on the ground ; he shov^ed them
to an Indian hunter who was with him, and was told by him
that he had often shot them. This I consider to be conclusive
evidence.

The forests of Honduras are so extensive and dense, that it
requires a long residence to explore them satisfactorily, and there
is no saying positively what tropical birds may not be found
in them.

37. Long-tailed Cuckoo. {Piaya thermo2jhila.)
Common. They frequent localities where the brushwood is

thick and the trees are moderately high ; they are showy birds,
and easily skinned.

38. Ground Cuckoo. {Piaya erythropygia.)

The only bird of this species which I saw and shot was not
far from Yojoa. It was very tame, and walking beneath brush-
wood on some very stony ground. I could not get a fair di-
stance from it, so was obliged to shoot when too close. The
skin was consequently so damaged that it became spoiled by
the heat of the weather before I had a chance of preserving it.

39. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. {Coccyzus americanus.)

I shot a Cuckoo in Tigre Island closely resembling a speci-
men of this species obtained in Jamaica.

40. Savannah Blackbird. {Crotophaga sulcirostris.)
Very common everywhere and very tame. To be seen in

small companies, from five or six to a dozen, sitting on fences
and low bushes. Perhaps the most common bird in Hondui'as.
Its habits resemble those of C. ani, as described in Gosse^s
' Birds of Jamaica.^

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, ^c. 119

41. Collared Toucan. {Pt&'oglossus torquatus.)

The only Toucan I saw and shot was on level ground not far
from Onioa, where the forest was dense and the trees were lofty.
I heard the cry of a strange bird in a thick tree, and stopped
my mule ; but it was some time before I could distinguish it
sufficiently to shoot. It wps the last bird I shot in Central
America. I heard the cries of more at the same spot, and have
no doubt that Toucans of various species are common on the
Atlantic coast. Mr. Edwards saw a pair of Toucanets near
Yojoa.

42. Guatemalan Woodpecker. [Dryocopus guatemalensis.)
Not common. The one I shot was near San Pedro. This

bird has a long red crest — in the female black on the forehead
and red behind.

43. Scapular Woodpecker. [Dryocopus scapularis.)
Common, especially in Tigre Island. It is smaller than the

preceding ; and its chin is striated with white and black.

44. Barred Woodpecker. (Centurus santacruzi.)

Very abundant wherever I went, and the most eoumion of any
Piciaa in Honduras. They are very fond of feeding on the
fruit of the cactus.

45. Yellow-bellied Woodpecker. {Picus varius.)

I shot this species in some pine trees near Siquatepeque.

46. Jardine's Woodpecker. [Picus jar dinii.)
Shot near the same place as the preceding.

47. Cinnamon Woodpecker. {Celeus castaneus.)

I saw only two of this species ; they were near Potrerillos, on
the Atlantic slope.

48. Red-and-blue Maccaw. {Ara macao.)

This Maccaw is plentiful throughout the whole country, and
generally to be seen in pairs, but sometimes in companies of
from six to twelve. I have seen as many as thirty together
about roosting-time, flying towards some lofty trees situated
in the forest, which no doubt tliey were in the habit of fre-

120 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

quenting at night, having assembled for that purpose. They
are in the habit of feeding in the maize fields, morning and
evening, and are not difficult of approach. If one is wounded,
its shrill screams attract others, and they wheel overhead,
giving opportunities for fresh shots. In this way I shot three
within five minutes, from the back of my mule, and without
moving from one spot. This was near Comayagua. They are
strong on the wmg and high- flyers. Their brilhant plumage
and long tails have a splendid effect in tropical forest scenery,
forming a strong contrast to the deep green of the foliage,
and a brilliant addition to the landscape. I have seen them
up in the pine-ridges, and recollect riding beneath a pair sitting
so close together on the branch of a pine tree overhanging
the road, that I could have killed both at one shot. They were
abundant in Tigre Island. I there shot one out of a flock of
seven flying over my head. He was only winged ; and I did not
know how to handle him so as to save my fingers. I did not
like to rap him on the head, lest I should spoil his plumage ; so
I got his head into a noose of my pocket-handkerchief, and
brought him into the house — not in silence, for he screamed
most vociferously. When there, the difficulty was to kill him.
Some long pins were thrust into his head, but the only effect
was to make him more lively and to squall the louder. At last
I dipped a feather in nitric acid ; and while he was in the act of
climbing up a bedstead, and screaming with beak wide open,
I popped it down his throat. He released his hold of the bed-
stead, gave a few kicks and struggles, turned on his back, and
died.

49. Bkown-breasted Green Parrakeet. [Conurus astec.)
Shot near Comayagua, and not uncommon.

50. Green Parrakeet. {Conurus petzit)

Common. Obtained on the Pacific Slope. Parrakeets are very
numerous in Honduras, but they appeared to resort more to the
recesses of the forest than to the vicinity of habitations. They fly
high, and very fast, with a quick motion of the wings, screaming
all the time, often wheeling in the air like flocks of Sandlarks.
Parrots have a much slower flight, and slower flapping of the

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, i^c. 121

wings. Maccaws fly very high. Their flight is slower than that of
either of the preceding, and the motion of the wings is slow and
hea\'y. Still they are powerful-winged birds, and may often be
seen flying over a widely iu-tervening space between high moun-
tains. Parrots and Parrakeets are good for food ; but good cook-
ing is indispensable to make them palatable, and that is rarely
met with in Honduras. I never tasted INIaccaws ; but the natives
ate those I shot.

This species measures 9 inches in length. Irides yellow, yel-
low skin round the eyes bare of feathers ; beak white, forehead
yellow, top of head blue ; upper surface of body bright green ;
quill-feathers bright blue, green at the bases ; under part of
body greenish-yellow ; tail-featliers green ; feet and legs
whitish.

51. Little Green Parrakeet. {Psittovius tovi.)

I observed flocks of this species in Tigre Island, but not near
the habitations.

52. Small Green Parrot. {Chrysotis albifrons.)

The only place where I saw this species was between Yojoa
and San Pedro. They were assembling in numbers at roosting-
time, when I procured a specimen.

53. Yellow-naped Green Parrot. {Chrysotis auripalliata.)
Very plentiful in Tigre Island, but I did not observe it else-
where, nor did I see any large Parrots after I left the coast until
I arrived at Yojoa, where there is a Parrot much resembling
this in plumage, but rather smaller, with the yellow on the fore
part of the head instead of behind. They were flying in great
numbers towards their roosting-places, and passed close over-
head ; but it was unnecessary to shoot one, as I saw many in the
town in a state of domestication. In common with the other
Psittacidce, they are very noisy early in the morning and in the
evening. At these times they feed in the maize fields, and are
easily shot. In Tigre Island I have seen them fly so close to
the house that I could have shot them from the windows. They
sit on the trees like pigeons, and do not appear to be frightened
by the report of a gun. When they are in the tree- tops
it is difficult for any one standing beneath to perceive them,

vol. II. K

122 Baron R. K. von Warthausen on the Nidification

as theii" green plumage cannot be distinguished from the foliage.
I have often stood beneath a tree full of them, without being
able to see one. They roost in flocks. They have favourite
roosting-places among lofty trees, where they assemble just
before dark, and may be seen making for these common centres
in great numbers, chattering and screaming as they fly.
[To be continued.]

XIII. — On the Nidification of certain Birds in North-eastern
Africa. By Baron Richard Konig von Warthausen.

(Plate V.)
In the following paper, the friends of Oology will receive de-
scriptions of the eggs of certain birds of North-eastern Africa.
They are nearly all as yet undescribed, and may prove to be of
greater interest from the fact that most of them belong to
species common to the European Fauna. Some of them came
into my possession through the special kindness of Dr. Theodor
von Heuglin, Austrian Consul at Chartum in the Sudan, who,
also, has drawn the figures to illustrate the paper * ; whilst the
other specimens were collected by Herr Emile Wilke for me, and
under the direction of Dr. Theodor von Heuglin.

I have used the old French duodecimal measurement in my
descriptions.

1. Falco tanypterus, Licht. \_F. cervicalis, A. Brehm et
Heuglin (non Licht.) : F. biarmicus, Brehm in Naumannia (non
Temm.).]

This bird breeds in Egypt, on the Pyramids of Gizeh (Djiseh)
and Dachschur, and on the Moxatam Mountains. Several nests,
taken between the 14th and 26th of March 1858, contained
from three to four fresh eggs. They are deposited, sometimes
in a cleft on the naked stone, surrounded by a little sand only
or by some small branches ; sometimes in a deserted and restored
nest of Milvus parasiticus, which bird breeds in the same locali-

* We much regret being unable to publish more than one of the nicely
executed plates which were intended to illustrate Baron R. Konig von
Warthausen's valuable paper. — Ed.

of certain Birds in North-eastern Africa. 123

ties. In other cases the bird itself builds a nest of branches,
without much art, rather small and about li inch deep. But
few of the eggs are elongate in shape j some are strongly
rounded, and most of them have a stout oval form. The longest
out of sixteen specimens is 23 ^ lines long, 17^ lines broad ; the
shortest and narrowest 21 lines long and 16| lines broad.

The eggs of this bird, compared with those of Falco peregrinus
from Northern and Central Germany, North-eastern Russia,
and the northern parts of America {Falco anatum, Bonap.), are
generally lighter in colour, less red, and with more delicate
markings. One specimen only, of a small size, is marbled with
dark brownish-red ; most of them are distinguished by a light
ground-colour (sometimes dirty-white, sometimes brownish-
yellow), and by fine, rounded, darker or lighter yeilowish-hrown
spots, dots, and points. By the size alone, they cannot always
be distinguished from those of the Peregrine, though they never
attain to such a size as sometimes occurs in the eggs of that
species. But there is a difference in the structure; for whilst
the pores in the eggs of the Peregrine are less oblong and
rather infundibuliform, those in the eggs of the present bird are
more distinctly marked and serrated. The weight of the empty
shell is between 58 and 73 grains.

The young birds are fledged in the beginning of May, and
resemble those of Falco lanarius. Their tarsi have a remark-
able dark bluish-green colour.

Three other eggs, strongly convex and taken from one nest *,
differ from the former by their beautiful coloration and con-
siderable size. They are 23f lines long, 18 or 19 lines broad,
the ground-colour gradually changing from violet-red to flesh-
colour and then to pale reddish-brown, with obsolete fine dots.
At first I was inclined to consider these as a southern variety of
the eggs of F. lanarius ; but Heuglin assures me that this spe-
cies does not breed in that locality, and that he has met with it
in North-eastern Africa from October to March only. If this
observation be correct, the eggs must belong to F. tanypterus, as
it is impossible to refer them to F. peregrinus.

* There were four eggs in this nest.

K 2

124 Baron R. K. von Warthausen on the Nidification

The notice of a pair of Falco lanarius having bred on the
Pyramid of Cheops in May 1851 (v. Heuglin, ' System. Ue-
bersicht der Vogel N.-O. Afrika's') is erroneous, as has been
admitted by the author of that report.

2. Falco eleonor^, Gene. {Falco arcadicus, Linderm.)

Heuglin observed four adult pairs of this bird in the Archi-
pelago of Dabalak, on the 30th August 1857, on a reef formed
by madrepores, and shot two pairs of them. All the adult birds
which he observed or shot were, contrary to Bonaparte's account
and figure, uniform fumigated-grey with a whitish hue and a
lighter throat.

There were three nests found, two of which were situated
below prominent rocks, immediately above the surface of the
sea, at a height of about 30 feet. The third was in a cleft of
a rock in the middle of the cliff. They were not true nests, but
only rather shallow cavities on the sandy surface, and contained,
the first, two young ones and one egg ; the second, two young
ones ; and the third, one young and one egg.

The only egg in my possession is 16 lines long and 13| broad,
whereas Thienemann (Fortpflanzungsgesch. der Vogel, tab. 52.
8 a, b.), in accordance with the size of the bird, states the length
to be 18i lines and the breadth 15 lines. J\Iy specimen, which
has perhaps been altered by incubation, is of a nearly uniform
yellowish-white, slightly spotted with reddish. I conclude from
its small size that it is not fully developed. It is covered with
dirt, and too imperfect to determine its weight. Fragments of
the eggs from which the young ones were hatched are more or
less distinctly dotted and spotted with reddish-brown, the ground-
colour being reddish-yellow. The shell is delicate, in grain in-
termediate between that of Falco tinnunculus and Falco subbuteo.

The young birds have white down, and the naked parts
of a reddish olive-colour. They all died before the juvenile
plumage was completed ; in this state they very much resemble
Falco subbuteo. A broad black moustache is very distinct ; the
upper parts are dark grey, the margin and tip of each feather
being i-eddish-ferruginous ; the lower parts are reddish-ferru-
ginous, with dark-brown spots along the shafts.

of certain Birds in North-eastern Africa. 125

3. Bubo ascalaphus *, Cuv. et Savign.

This species has been observed by Heuglin in Upper Egypt
and Nubia in pairs and in small companies ; it breeds also in
Lower Egypt, where Wilk.e found two nests on the Pyramids of
Abusir and Sakara on the 26th and 27th of March 1858. Each
of the cavities scratched in the sandy surface^ at a shadowy but
not dark locality, contained three fresh eggs.

The eggs of the one brood are more elongate, those of the
other more rounded ; all having a very regular form, the greatest
diameter passing through the centre, and the profile descending
the poles sometimes in a more gentle, sometimes in a more
abrupt elliptical curve. The length varies between 22 and 24
lines, the breadth between 18| and 20; the largest specimen is
24 lines long and 20 broad, the smallest 22 long and 19 broad;
the weight is 48 to 60 grains.

They differ from the eggs of Bubo maximus in their smaller size
and finer grain. The largest specimens of Si/rnium aluco do not
attain to the size of the smallest egg of our species ; whilst the
largest eggs of B. ascalaphus equal those of Surnia nyctea. The
eggs of the latter species, however, differ in their greater weight
and in their grain, the tubercular prominences in our species
being more separated and not quite so flat, and the pores being
relatively larger and deeper, and sometimes forming congregated
groups.

4. Sterna senegalensis. Swains.

Heuglin has brought home specimens of birds and of eggs of
this species, hitherto known only from the mouth of the Niger,
Senegambia, Ashantee, and Corisko. He found them on the
shores of the Red Sea, south of the Tropic, where they breed on
cliffs and islands near Souakin, on the Amarat Islands, and on
other isles of the archipelago of Dahalak (that is, between 15°
and 16°N.L.), and probably also further southwards.

The eggs were found in the end of July and in the beginning
of August on flat coral-reefs, close to the beach, in shallow
cavdties of three inches diameter, sometimes without such a

* Bubo ascalaphus oi Egy\»t isvery closely allied to, even if really distinct
from, B. beityalensis of India. — Ed.

126 Baron R. K. von Warthausen on the Nidification

cavity, on pebbles of chalk or fragments of shells. Each of the
nests, found on the 27th of July and the 1st of August 1857, near
Araarat and Dahalak, contained two new-laid eggs. They have
the elongate-ovate or the shorter and somewhat tapering form
by which the eggs of Sterna are always distinguished. Their
usual length is from 17 to 18 lines, their usual breadth 12 to
13 lines; the smallest specimens are 15| to 16 lines long and
12| to 13 broad; the largest ones 16 to 17 lines long and 13g
broad; the longest ones 18 to 18| lines long and 12| to 13^
broad. The broadest eggs are therefore the shortest, and the
longest the narrowest.

The shell is not shining, is very thin, and weighs from 16 to 19
grains; the surface is equally, finely, and prominently granu-
lated. The ground-colour is greenish-yellow, greenish-grey,
greyish-yellow, rarely light-brown or bluish-white, sometimes
with a reddish shade. The spots are sparingly scattered over
the shell, with sharp outlines, small, of a grey, brown, or blackish
colour, the edges frequently having a violet hue ; some of them
are burnt-brown ; the lightest ones are generally the largest, the
darkest ones the smallest, in the form of points, streaks, and
sometimes of lines. A few only out of about eighty specimens
exhibit coarser spots; five are so dark as to resemble those of
Sterna hirundo, and a single one has a uniform bluish greenish-
white colour. They are all transparent bluish-green on the inner
surface. Comparing them with eggs of other species of Sterna,
we find the following differences : —

Their volume is twice or three times as large as that of the
eggs of Sterna minuta, the coloration of both being exactly the
same. Compared with the eggs of S. arctica and S. hirundo, they
are on the average considerably smaller, lighter in weight, difi'er-
ently granulated, with paler (less green and brown) and finer
markings, — the largest eggs of S. senegalensis, however, being
equal to the smallest ones of the two species mentioned. Small
eggs of our species are equal in size to, or even surpassed by
the large ones of S. hybrida ; but these, collected in N.W. Africa,
Hungary, and S. Russia, exhibit the granulations more flattened,
the gi'ound-colour much more intense, and the markings con-
siderably darker and frequently more crowded.

' 1.

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&ROUF 1, E&GS OF STERM ATFINIS
8.3. _ . STEMA YELOX.

of certain Birds in North-eastern Africa. 127

The Arabian fishermen stated that the old birds cover the
young ones immediately after their being hatched.

5. Sterna affinis, Riipp. (Plate V, figs. ], 2, 3.)

This species and the following agree with the former in locality,
season, and other specialities of breeding, — being, however, much
less frequent. They also breed in companies on the shore, but
separately from each other and from S. senegalensis.

The average dimensions of eight eggs, collected near Amarat
and on the island of Lobo (Archipelago of Dahalak), are 23 lines
by 16. The weight of the shell varies between 36 and 44 grains.
There are two principal varieties with respect to coloration : — [A)
white or greenish-white with coarse spots, sometimes scattered,
sometimes arranged in groups. The centre of each spot is violet-
grey or blackish-grey, which colour passes into a beautiful chest-
nut-brown and dark-brown towards the periphery ; the edges
are generally burnt-brown. These eggs resemble those of Cep-
phus grylle. (B) yellowish, sometimes with a reddish shade,
dotted and striolated ; the darkest points, dots, and streaks are
black-brown or brownish-red ; the mai'gins of the spots shining-
brown or I'ed. In one specimen bluish-grey spots form a zone
round the base with many flourishes. All the eggs, held against
a flame, are transparent yellowish-green.

Some of the eggs much resemble those of Sterna cantiaca;
but they are all distinguished by the more variegated coloration,
the smaller size, and the different structure, characterized by
shallow, serrated pores, and by finely granulated rounded tuber-
cles, which render some parts of the shell rather rough.

6. Sterna velox, Riipp. (Plate V. figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.)*
Of this species, which has the same peculiarities of breeding

as the preceding two, I have fourteen eggs in a good state of
preservation and five injured ones, collected on the island of
Lobo, the 1st of August, 1857. They are distinguished from
all the eggs of Sterna hitherto known, by their considerable
size and their beautiful and very variegated coloration. Their

* This is the " Swift Tern " of British Lists, a specimen of it having been
once killed in Ireland, as mentioned in Thomjison's ' Birds of Ireland.' — Ed.

128 Baron 11. K. von Wartliauscn on the Nidijicutiun

length reaches 25-29, their breadth 17|-18| Imcs ; their
weight amounts to 54-70, generally to 60 grains. The ground-
colour is greenish- white, greenish -grey, reddish- white, incar-
nate, or violet-rose. The greenish specimens have, as in Alca
torch, large blackish-brown burnt spots and grey clouds ; the
reddish ones mostly smaller, rounded, sometimes also burnt
spots, the colour changing from the centre to the margin as
stated above, and frequently short and numerous flourishes of a
chestnut-brown (rarely entirely black or light-brown) nearly red
colour. In several specimens the flourishes are as large and as
well-developed as in the finest eggs of Uria troile. Bluish-
grey markings lie deeper in the substance of the shell, and
sometimes little conspicuous in the whitish specimens ; they
generally correspond to the external spots in size, form, and
situation, and appear rarely as larger clouds in dotted eggs.
One specimen is uniform greenish-white. Reddish eggs, held
against a light, are transparent yellowish-green, greenish ones
bluish-green. The granulation is strong, coarse, flat, labyrinth-
ine, with rounded pores and deep pits.

7. Angus tenuirostris. Leach. {Sterna senex, Cranch.)
This species, observed by Biippell in the Red Sea, and by
others in West Africa, was found by Heuglin in about 11° N.L.,
on the Somali (Somauli) coast, on Bur-da-Rebschi (Arab. Djebel-
Tiur), a rocky and very steep island, about 500 feet high.
There thousands of them breed, the most efficient producers of
the guano collected by the Somali fishermen, who state that
their breeding- season is in May or June.

Heuglin found (14th Nov. 1857) some old eggs (which ad-
mitted of an mi perfect preservation only, and some of which
were discoloured by the light-brown adherent guano) on the
surface and on the clefts of the rocks. Eight specimens were
procured, of an elongate-^ovate form, having a length of 21 to 24
lines, and a breadth of 14 to 16 lines. On the average they are 23
lines long and 15 broad; the longest is the broadest. They are
closely allied to the eggs of Anous stolidus with regard to size
and coloration. They have a pale reddish-yellow, flesh-coloured
or whitish ground-colour, and either only a few spots of rather

of certain Birds in North-eastern Africa. 129

large size and of a pale violet-grey or browuish-grey colour, with
some light-brown points besides; or the markings more di-
stinct and numerous, grey and reddish-brown, sometimes shining
dark-brown with lighter edges, or reddish-grey and reddish-
brown, densely dotted on the obtuse end. As in most of the
Laridce, the spots are rounded and laterally produced. The shell,
held against a light, is transparent yellow ; its weight is about
35 grains. Their granulation is flat, somewhat resembling that
of Rhynchops.

8. Larus hemprichii, Bp.

This bird breeds on theAmarat Islands, at a greater distance
from the shore than Sterna senegalensis, in companies of six to
ten pairs. Such a small colony was found by Heuglin on a
plain of sand surrounding a hill and covered with salt-plants
and bushes. The greater part of the young ones were hatched
on the 27th of July, 1857. Three nests only, two with two
eggs, and the third with one, all hard-set, remained. They lay
in the sand beneath some bushes. The eggs, which are from 23
to 24| lines long and 16 to 17| lines broad, equal in size those
of Larus tridactylus, the smallest eggs of Larus canus, and the
largest ones of Larus ridibundus. The pale greyish-yellow, rarely
brownish-yellow, sometimes greenish-grey ground-colour is
speckled, dotted, and striolated with grey and pale-brown. They
are moderately shining, and have a weight of 46 to 48 grains or
more. The granulation is somewhat stronger than in Larus
ridibundus, but not so strong as in Larus canus, and less uniform
than in Larus tridactus.

The old birds endeavoured to lead away the attention of visi-
tors from their offspring. The young birds have whitish down ;
they are hidden in the thick thorn-bushes immediately after their
being hatched, and afterwards, before they are able to fly, brought
into shallow water.

9. Larus leucophthalmus, Licht.

When Heuglin examined the island of Perim (which has
lately become of so great political importance), he found a high
rocky part of it almost exclusively occupied by Larus leuc-
ophthalmus, which had selected that spot for breeding (17th

130 Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China).

Sept. 1857). Two eggs containing mature embryons, which
cannot be referred to any other species, were found under a
bush. One of the specimens, procured for my collection, shows
that the eggs are as closely allied to those of the preceding
species as the birds themselves are to each other. It is 24 lines
long and 13 lines broad; it has a darker and browner ground-
colour, the grey and brown markings, and, besides, it is lineolated
with blackish on the broad extremity. The grain equals that of
the eggs of Larus hemprichii, but appears to be rather more
strongly developed.

XIV. — Additions and Corrections to the "Ornithology of Amoy."
By Robert Swinhoe, of H.M. Consular Service.

Mr. G. Schlegel of Amoy (son of the renowned Dr. Schlegel
of the Leyden Muse\im) having kindly lent me a copy of the
' Fauna Japonica,^ I am enabled to make the following addi-
tions and corrections to my article on the " Ornithology of
Amoy," published in the last number of * The Ibis.^

Caprimulgi, sp. 13 and 14.

The first of these, I find, is akin to C. jotaka of the ' Fauna
Japonica.^ The most striking points of difference are as fol-
lows : — In three individuals of our species the wing is half an
inch and the beak 2 lines longer. Instead of the second,
third, and fourth quills in the male having a white band, ours
has a white spot on the inner web of the fii'st and a band across
the second and third primaries only. The sides of the head, the
greater and lesser wing-coverts, and the scapulars are fronted
with white ; and a narrow line of pure white runs from the bill
to the top of the eye and extends in a broken manner beyond ;
but in most other respects our bird resembles C. jotaka, — the tail
being banded with w^hite, pretty much in the same style, and
the tarsus feathered down to the base of the toes. I have
named it for the present C. dytiscivorus, from its habit of feed-
ing on Dytiscidae, to which family belong several large insects
taken out of the stomach of specimens which I have shot.

Mr. R. Swiuhoe on the Ornithologij of Amoy (China). 131

These beetles had in every case their long hind legs reversed,
and were quite dead.

CiSTICOLA TINTINNABULANS, Sp. 29.

I have compared this spedes with C brunneiceps of the ' Fauna
Japonica/ and note the following differences : — Ours is half an
inch longer in whole length, and five lines shorter in the wing.
The first quill is very short, instead of being nearly equal to the
second. The latter is 1| lines shorter than the third, fourth, and
fifth, which are equal and longest. The bill, too, is longer. The
feathers of the head are bordered with yellowish-brown. No
greyish-brown occurs on the breast ; but the medial line from
the throat to the vent is pure white, more or less margined with
sienna-bufi" on both sides.

Arundinax canturians, sp. 32.

I have compared this with the descriptions of Salicaria can-
tans and ;S^. cantillans given in the ' Fauna Japonica ; ' and though
closely allied to the former, it certainly is not the same. The
S. cantans seems to bear to the S. cantillans the same analogy
that this species bears to Arundinax minutus.

Nemura rufilata, sp. 43.

This is evidently the bird described in the ' Fauna Japonica '
under the term Lusciola cijanura (Pallas), and there stated to be
found in Siberia and Japan.

Parus minor, sp. 45.

This species is certainly that of the * Fauna Japonica.^ It
prevails along the coast of China, from Hong-Kong to Shang-
hai. Parus trivirgatus is common at Shanghai, but is not met
with so far south as this.

ZOSTEROPS JAPONICUS, Sp. 46.

This answers in every respect to the bird described in the
' Fauna Japonica,' except that the first quill, though very minute,
is yet not wanting. The bill and legs are of a slaty-blue when
the bird is alive, and not of a blacUsh-hroion horn-colour (an
error evidently attributable to the description being taken from
a dried skin). The breast and flanks are of a pale dingy colour.

132 Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Orrathology of Amu y (China).

with but very little reddish. This may, however, vary in more
northerly specimens. The iris is of a dark blackish-brown.

TURDUS CHRYSOLAUS, Sp. 57.

After this bird should be inserted, as one of the unrecognized
species of Thrush, Turdus cordis of the ' Fauna Japonica/
This small but handsome bird, so remarkable for the changes
which it undergoes, from the plumage of a true Turdus to that
of a Merula, seeming to form a link between the two subgenera,
visits us chiefly during winter and at the commencement of the
spring. It appears to vary a good deal in size.

LaNIUS BUCEPHALUS, Sp. 77.

The bird mentioned as the only one met with is evidently a
female, answering in every respect to the description of that sex
in the ' Fauna Japonica/

Alauda ccelivox, sp. 98.

This bird differs from the A.japonica of the ' Fauna Japonica '
in being much smaller. The largest specimen that I have is
one inch shorter, though the wing is of the same length. The
inner toe is 1|^ lines longer than the outer, instead of being
shorter ; and the beak is longer.

Our bird is a southern species in China, not being found so
far north even as Shanghai. If, then, A.japonica differs from
A. malabarica, oviv A. ccelivox, I should say, undoubtedly differs
from both.

Ardetta sinensis, sp. 119.

After this should be added as a species Butorides javanica
(Horsf.), a few of which spend the summer in this neigh-
bourhood.

ToTANUs PULVERULENTUS, Miill. & Schleg.

A specimen of this bird is in the collection of Mr. G. Schlegel
of Amoy ; and it should therefore be added to the list after
Tetanus ochropus (sp. 125).

Gallinago solitaria ?, sp. 133.

This is certainly not the species described as Scolopax solitaria
in the ' Fauna Japonica.' In September last I procured another

Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands. 133

large species of Snipe nearly akin to G. major of Europe, but
having eighteen instead of sixteen feathers in the tail.

Larus melanukus, Temm. & Schleg.

This Gull, described in the 'Fauna Japonica/ is by no means
uncommon here during winter, and should be inserted in the
list.

XV. — Notes on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands, and the Pro-
vinces of Albania proper, Epirus, Acarnania, and Montenegro.
By the Hon. Thomas L. Powys, F.Z.S. Part II.

[Continued from page 10.]

26. Barn Owl. {Sti-ix fiammea.)

Common in the island of Corfu, where it breeds in the old
fortifications about the town. I never saw or heard of this
species on the mainland.

27. Tengmalm^s Owl. {Ni/ctale tengmalmi.)

I saw a skin of this Owl at Corfu, which I was assured had
been shot in the island.

28. Long-eared Owl. {Otus vulgaris.)

Common in Corfu, haunting the thick coverts of Arbutus
about Strangili, Govino, and Misonghi. I did not often observe
this species on the mainland ; I shot one, and saw four or five
more on Mavronoros, a mountain near Livitazza in Epirus.

29. Eagle Owx. {Bubo maximus.)

I very often heard, and occasionally saw, birds of this species
in Epirus and Albania proper, in which provinces it is common,
and breeds. One of our party killed a fine specimen near Pre-
vesa, on the Gulf of Arta, in March 1857. I shot a female near
Butrinto in February 1858, and was in at the death of another
near Santa Quaranta shortly afterwards. I was watching a pair
of Bonelli's Eagles one day near Butrinto, when an Eagle Owl
came flying past me in a much more hurried manner than is
its wont, and took refuge in a thorn-bush, about a gun-shot
from where I stood. He had hardly reached this shelter before

134 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

a Peregrine Falcon stooped at him, and, just missing him, rose,
and " made her point." I drove the Owl out, and I was wit-
ness of a beautiful flight across an open plain of considerable
extent ; the Falcon making repeated feints, the Owl flying low,
and dodging round the scanty thorn-bushes, till he at length
reached a hill-side thickly covered with wild olives, amongst
which he plunged, and set his pursuer at defiance. The Alba-
nian and Greek specimens of this Owl which I have examined
struck me as much lighter-coloured and rather smaller than
those from Spain, Sicily, France, Germany, and Norway.

30. Short-eared Owl. {Otus hrachyotus.)

I saw two of this species near Prevesa in March 1857 ; and
two or three were brought into the Corfu market in the latter
part of the same month. I killed one at Butrinto in February
1858. The Corfu bird-stuifer told me that this Owl occasion-
ally visits the island in March in great numbers.

31. Little Owl. [Athene noctua.)

I believe this species to be a summer visitor to Epirus. We
found it nesting in the ruins of Nicopolis in March 1857, and
at Santa Quaranta in May. It is rare in Corfu.

32. Scops Eared Owl. {Scops zorca.)

Very common in Corfu during the summer months, arriving
about the beginning of April, and breeding in the old olive-
groves, which, from that time till the middle of October, resound
with their melancholy and monotonous cry. The favourite food
of a Scops Owl which I kept alive at Corfu for some months
was the Humming-bird Moth, which abounds in the island in
August and September. I observed one of this species in the
island as late as the 17th November, 1857. I was gravely
assured by a Spanish lady that this species and the Barn Owl
enter the chapels and churches in Andalusia to drink the oil in
the lamps which are kept burning in the shrines of the saints,
and that it behoved all good Christians to slay them whenever
they found them, adding, " Son las gallinas del demonio, Senor."

33. AsH-coLouRED Shrike. [Lanius excubltoi'.)

I observed this bird once in Montenegro, in August 1857.

observed in the Ionian Islands, ii^c. 135

34. Great Southern Shrike. [Lanius meridionalis.)

I shot a specimen of this bird iu the island of Corfu on the 29th
April, 1857. It is far from common in these parts. The Corfu
bird-stuffer assured me that ray bird was the only one he had
ever seen.

35. Rose-breasted Shrike. {Lanius minor.)

A rare summer visitor to the island of Corfu, where I obtained
three specimens iu May 1858. Abundant in Montenegro in
August.

36. Red-backed Shrike. [Enneoctomis collurio.)
Arrives in Corfu in small numbers in April, and remains to

breed.

37. Wood Shrike. {Enneoctonus rufus.)

Very abundant in all the islands in the summer months,
arriving about the end of April, and breeding in the olive-
groves.

38. Raven. {Corvus corax.)

Very common in Corfu and Epirus. A pair breed eveiy year
in the citadel rock of Corfu, and are annually robbed of their
young by the soldiers. I observed small flocks of Ravens in
September, haunting the Bay of Corfu, and particularly the
island of Vido. I saw a Raven near Scutari, the capital of
Albania proper, with white wings.

39. Hooded Crow. [Corvus cornioc.)

An occasional winter visitor in Epirus, where I observed it
near Prevesa, in March 1857. Common on the coasts of Al-
bania proper in December ; abundant in Montenegro in August.
Apparently quite unknown in Corfu.

40. Rook. [Corvus frugilegus.)

Arrives in Corfu and Epirus in immense numbers about the
end of October, and disappears about the beginning of February.

41. Jackdaav. [Corvus monedula.)

Common in summer; in Epirus I have occasionally seen a
single individual during the winter months.

42. Magpie. [Pica melanoleuca.)

Very common, and resident iu Epirus and Corfu.

136 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

43. Common Jay. [Garrulus glandarius.)

Abundant, and breeds in Epirus and Corfu. I never could
discover Garrulus melanocephalus in these parts, though I fan-
cied that I sometimes saw, in the thorn coverts of Butrinto, a Jay
larger than the common species. I found a Jay's nest built in
a ruined fort near Butrinto, — a very unusual locality, I fancy, for
this peculiarly thicket-loving species.

44. Alpine Chough. [Pyrrhocorax alpinus.)

I only once observed a pair of this species in Epirus ; this
was in May 1857, when I was chamois-hunting in the Acroce-
raunian Mountains, above Khimara, about forty miles north of
Corfu. I have since had many opportunities of observing closely
the habits of this very graceful bird, in the mountains of Nice
and Piedmont. Often, when I have been crouched behind a
rock waiting for a shot at chamois, they would settle on a point
of rock or ice within a few yards of me, and hop fearlessly
about, occasionally whistling and chattering, as if to inquire of
each other what possible business brought me up to their
haunts. I was on one occasion surrounded by a party of about
a dozen of this species, which kept up an incessant noise for
about half an hour, when one of them suddenly turned his head
towards the sky, uttered a very peculiar croak, and the whole
party immediately crouched close down on the rocks and snow.
I looked up, and a Golden Eagle came whizzing past me with
wings nearly closed, in pursuit, I think, of a Marmot : the
Choughs immediately sneaked off, and paid me no more visits
that day. I have seen a pair of these birds go through a sort
of game of catchball with a small pebble, tossing it up from one
to the other, and catching it in their bills. I have been informed
on good authority that the Cornish Chough [Fregilus graculus)
is not rare on Parnassus and the Pindus range, but I have never
seen it in Turkey or Greece.

45. Common Starling. [Sturnus vulgaris.)

This species visits Corfu and Epirus in October, and remains
till about the middle of March. I observed immense flocks of
Starlings near Port Platca in Acarnania in January 1858.

observed in the lunian Islands, <^r. 137

46. Sardinian Starling. {Sturnus unicolor.)

I shot one of this species in Corfu in May 1857. This was
the only instance in which I observed it in these parts.

47. Rose-coloured Pastor. {Pastor roseus.)

These beautiful birds arrive at Corfu, occasionally in great
numbers, early in June, and haunt the orchards, feeding
almost entirely on mulberries. In 1857 very few visited the
island, and I only obtained one specimen ; but in June 1858,
the mulberry gardens were full of them for some days, and 1
obtained specimens in abundance and in all their different states
of plumage. As far as my own observation goes, they are not
easily approached, and have the same habit as the Golden Oriole
of remaining motionless amongst the thick foliage, allowing the
tree in which they are concealed to be shaken, or beaten, with-
out stirring. These birds remain only a few days on the island,
and are well known to the Corfiote peasantry by the name of
" Mulberry-eaters," aKafjLvocjidyoi,

48. Common House Sparrow. {Passer domesticus.)
Resident, but not very abundant in Corfu and Epirus.

49. Tree Sparrow. {Passer montanus.)

I once observed a pair of this species near Ptelia in January
1857.

50. Hawfinch. {Coccoihraustes vulgaris.)

Common in winter in the thox"n-co verts of Epirus. I have
observed old nests in that country which I am pretty sure be-
longed to this bird, though I never saw it or heard of its
occurrence there during the summer months.

51. Chaffinch. {Frivgilla ccelebs.)

Common in winter in Corfu and Epirus, arriving in October
and disappearing in February or March. The sexes appear to
keep apart, and the females are by far the most numerous.

52. Rock Sparrow. {Petronia stulta.)

1 observed several of these birds in the Acroceraunian moun-
tains in May 1857, and in Montenegro in August of the same
year.

VOL. II. L

138 Hon. T. L. Powys 07i Birds

53. Greenfinch. [Coccothraustes chloris.)
Resident and very common in Corfu and Epirus.

54. Siskin. [Chnjsomitris spinus.)
Very abundant in Epirus in winter.

55. Citron finch. [Fringilla citrinella.)

Common in Corfu and Epirus in summer. I cannot posi-
tively state whether it leaves the island in winter, but it is
certainly less numerous than during the summer.

56. Common Linnet. [Linota cannahina.)
Very common, and resident in Corfu and Epirus.

57. Goldfinch. [Carduelis elegans.)

Common, and breeds in Corfu. I have not noticed it on the
mainland, except in winter ; it is then very common.

58. Bullfinch. {Pyrrhula vulgaris.)

A rare winter visitor to Corfu and Epirus. Common in
December in Albania Proper, about the mouth of the River
Drin, where I observed it feeding on the berries of the Privet.

59. Common Crossbill. [Loxia curvirostra.)

I saw a pair of this species in a cage at Corfu, which I was
assured had been brought from the pine-forests of the Black
Mountain in Cephalonia. It is decidedly a rare bird in Corfu,
though the bird-stufFer assured me he had occasionally seen it.

60. CiRL Bunting. [Ember iz a cirlus.)
Resident, but not very abundant, in Corfu.

61. Ortolan Bunting. [Emberiza hortulana.)

This Bunting arrives in Corfu in April, and remains to breed.
It is rather common. I never observed it in winter.

62. Foolish Bunting. {Emberiza cia.)

I noticed this species only once in these parts. This was a
single bird, seen near Pagania in January 1857.

63. Common Bunting. [Emberiza miliaria.)
Occurs sparingly in Corfu and Epirus in winter.

64. Reed Bunting. [Embe?-iza schceniclus.)

Common in Epirus in winter, but less so than the next
species.

observed in the Ionian Islands, ^c. 139

65. Marsh BuNTixG, {Emberiza palustris.)

Common in Corfu and Epirus in winter. A few remain to
breed on the island.

66. Black-headed Bunting. {Emberiza melanocejjhala.)
Arrives in Corfu and Epirus in great numbers in April, and

remains to breed, disappearing in September ; has an agreeable
song. This bird is known in Corfu by the name of "Ortolano.^'

67. Missel Thrush. {Turdus viscivorus.)

Not very common in Corfu and Epirus in the winter ; more
so in continental Greece.

68. Fieldfare. [Tardus pilaris.)

1, on one occasion only, observed this species in these parts ;
this was near Kataito in Epirus, on the 23rd February, 1858.

69. Song Thrush. [Turdus musicus.)

Very common in winter in Corfu, Epirus, and Acarnania,
arriving in October and disappearing in April ; a few, I think,
occasionally remain to breed in Epirus.

70. Redwing. [Turdus iliacus.)

I have observed this bird occasionally in Epirus during the
winter months.

71. Ring Ousel. [Turdus torquatus.)

I saw one of this species near Scutari, in Albania, about the
middle of liugust 1857.

72. Blackbird. [Turdus merula.)

Abounds in Corfu, Epirus, and Albania, in winter. I ima-
gine, as in the case of the Song Thrush, that a few pairs breed
in Epirus.

73. Blue Rock Thrush. {Monticola cyaneus.)
Resident, and very abundant in Corfu and Epirus, as in all

pai'ts of the jMediterranean shores which I have visited. A bird
of this species, which I bought at Palermo, immediately attacked
and devoured a Willow Wren which came on board our yacht in
a gale off the south coast of Sicily in November 1856.

74. Common Rock Thrush. [Monticola saxatilis.)
Common in May 1857, among the Acroceraunian moun-

l 2

] 40 Mr. A. R. Wallace 07i the

tains^ where I found the nests of this species, among debris
carried down by the melting of the snows, on Ischika, one of
the highest points of that range. I have once or twice observed
the Rock Thrush in the Island of Corfu, where it is highly
prized as a singing bird.

75. Common Wheatear. [Saxicola oenanthe.)

Arrives in Epirus in March ; common during the summer
months.

76. Russet Wheatear. {Saxicola stapazina.)

More abundant than the preceding species in Epirus during
the summer.

77. Eared Wheatear. {Saxicola aurita.)

This is the least common of the three species of Wheatear
that I have observed in these parts. It arrives at the same
time as the preceding.

78. Whinchat. {Pratincola rubetra.)

79. Stone-chat. {Pratincola rubicola.)

Both these species are common in summer, and I have occa-
sionally observed the latter in winter, in Corfu and Epirus.

80. Alpine Accentor. {Accentor alpinus.)
Common in the Acroceraunian mountains in May 1857.

[To be continued.]

XVI. — The Ornithology of Northern Celebes.
By Alfred Russel Wallace *.

I have just returned from a three months^ exploration of
Menado and the surrounding district of Minahassa, forming the
north-eastern extremity of Celebes. My collection of birds is
not a very extensive one, but it comprises some very interesting
species, and I have made some observations on habits and eco-
nomy which I think will be interesting to your readers.

I first visited the most elevated district, taking up my residence
in a village at an elevation of 3500 feet. The weather, howevei*,

* Commuuicated in a letter from Mr. Wallace to the Editor.

Ornithology of Noj-thern Celebes, 141

was very unpropitious, and birds very scaree. The most inter-
esting species was the beautiful Enodes erytkrophrys, Temm.,
which, as far as I could ascertain, is confined to the interior moun-
tain districts, and never abundant. The anomalous Scissirostrum
pagii, Lafr., however, so scarce at Macassar, was here plentiful,
occurring in flocks about the hill-plantations, often setthng on
dead trees, in the holes of which it builds, and keeping up a loud
and almost continual chirping. It, in fact, takes the place of
Lomp7-otornis,Sind is called by the same native name. The beau-
tiful large Wood Swallow, Ai-tamus monachus, Temm., was seen
here ; but I left the place without obtaining a specimen, and
never met with it again, A. leucorhynchus being the common
species of the country. A pretty Zosterops and two or three Ralli
were almost the only other birds I obtained at this elevation.

I then removed to a forest district beyond the lake of Tondano,
at an elevation of about 1500 feet, and, had the circumstances
been favourable, I think I should have obtained a fine collection.
But the weather was worse than before, the sun being often
invisible for eight or ten days together, and both my hunters
were sick and left me, so that it was almost impossible for me
to do anything. Of the few species I obtained, however, several
were new to me ; viz. Ptilonopus gularis, Q. and G,, the noble
Carpophaga forsteni, Temm., a most lovely Cinnyris with scarlet
breast and yellow-striped throat (I hope a new species), and a
rather pretty little Parus (?). A second species of Racket-tailed
Parrot also occurred here, I suppose the Prioniturus discurus,
Vieill., very distinct in both sexes from the P. platurus, which
was found at Macassar as well as here, though more sparingly
than the former. It is a most interesting bird, but in a dozen
or twenty specimens I found only one or two with the tail-
feathers finely developed. These birds attack the Bananas near
the villages, and fly with much screaming after dark, even as
late as nine or ten o'clock.

Returning to Menado, I collected in that neighbourhood and
on to the eastern extremity of the peninsula. The fine Goat-
sucker, Lyncornis macropterus, Temm., is abundant about the
town of Menado, appearing soon after sunset, chasing insects
with rapid evolutions. I now obtained some Kingfishers which

142 Mr. A. R. Wallace on the

seem almost wanting in the mountain districts. Halcyon mela-
norhyncha, Temm., is found near the beech and on rivers ; H.
monachus, Forsten^ in the forest^ being in its insect food allied
to the Dacelones. The beautiful Dacelo cyaiiotis, Temm., oc-
curred only in the central virgin forests. Pitta cekbensis, Forst.,
was scarce ; and I was disappointed in not obtaining either of the
other two species found by Forsten. Many other species also
escaped me, especially the Meropogon forsteni, Temm., which I
had set my heart upon obtaining, but of which I saw no trace.
The beautiful Ground Pigeon, Chalcophaps stephani, Reich., though
not rare, was very difficult to get ; and of the fine Phlegoenas
tristigmata I procured only a single specimen. The birds
which possessed the highest interest for me were, however, the
two Megapodii, about which I have some interesting facts to
communicate.

One of these is a true Megapodius, of small size, and only
remarkable for not making a mound of refuse, like most of the
genus, but, instead of this, scratching out a hole in the rotten
stump or root of a fallen tree, and there burying its eggs. The
species is, I suppose, known, though you do not mention it
among those noticed in your paper* on the Fauna of New
Guinea. The other is the noble Megacephalon maleo, one of
the finest of the Megapodiidce, remarkable for the backward pro-
longation of the cranium into a cellular mass, the short, blunt
claws, and the delicate rosy hue of the under side of the body.

This interesting bird is confined, so far as I am aware, to the
northern peninsula of Celebes, and to the littoral portions of the
island, never being found in the mountain ranges or in the
elevated district of Toudano. It seems particularly to abound
in the forests around the base of the Klabat mountain, feeding
entirely on fallen fruits, which in the crop resemble the cotyle-
dons of leguminous seeds. In the months of August and Sep-
tembei", when there is little or no rain, they descend to the sea-
beach to deposit their eggs. They choose for this purpose certain
bays remote from human habitations. One of these serves for
an extensive tract of country, and to it the birds repair daily by
scores and hundreds. I visited the most celebrated of these
* Journ. Proc. Linn. Soc. Zool. ii. p. 14.9.

Ornithology of Northern Celebes. 143

beaches, but, it being late in the season, did not see so much of
the birds as I might otherwise have done. I made, however, some
interesting observations, and obtained a very fine series of spe-
cimens during my stay of six days.

The place is situated in the bay between the island of Limbe
and Banca, and consists of a steep beach about a mile in length,
of very deep, loose, and coarse black volcanic sand, or rather
gravel, exceedingly fatiguing to Avalk over. It is bounded at
each extremity by a small river wdth hilly ground beyond, while
the forest behind the beach itself is somewhat flat and its
growth stunted, so that it has quite the appearance of being formed
from the debris of an ancient lava-stream from the Klabat vol-
cano, especially as beyond the two rivers the beaches are of
white sand. In the mass of loose sand thrown up above high-
water mark are seen numbers of holes four or five feet in
diameter. In and around these holes, at a depth of one or two
feet, the eggs of the Maleos are found. There are sometimes
only one or two, sometimes as many as seven or eight in one
hole, but placed each at a distance of 6-8 inches from the
others, and each egg laid by a separate bird. They come
down to the beach, a distance often of ten or fifteen miles, in pairs,
and, choosing either a fresh place or an old hole, scratch alter-
nately, throwing up a complete fountain of sand during the
operation, which I had the pleasure of observing several times.
When a sufficient depth is reached, the female deposits an egg
and covers it up with sand, after which the pair return to the
forest. At the end of thirteen days (the natives assert) the
same pair return, and another e,^'^ is deposited. This statement
seems to have been handed down by tradition, having perhaps
originated from the observation of some wounded or singularly
marked bird. I am inclined to think it is near the truth,
because in the females I killed before they had laid, the egg com-
jjletely filled up the lower cavity of the body, squeezing the intes-
tines so that it seemed impossible for anything to pass through
them, while the ovary contained eight or ten eggs about the size
of small peas, which must evidently have required somewhere
about the time named for their successive development. The
colour of the eggs is a pale brownish-red, and their dimensions are

144 Mr. A. R. Wallace on the

4*3 inches long by 2'4 inches wide. When quite fresh they are
delicious eating, as delicate as a fowl's egg, but much richer, and
the natives come for more than fifty miles round to search for
them. After the eggs are once deposited in the sand the parent
birds pay no further attention to them. The young birds on
breaking the shell work their way up through the sand and run
off to the forest.

The appearance of the birds when walking on the beach is
very handsome. The glossy black and rosy white of the plumage,
the helmeted head and the elevated tail, roofed like that of
the common hen, form a tout ensemble quite unique, which
tlieir stately and somewhat sedate walk renders still more
remarkable. When approached they run pretty quickly, and, if
suddenly disturbed, take flight to the lower branches of some
adjacent tree. There is hardly any difference between the
sexes, except that in the male the cranial protuberance and nasal
tubercles are a little larger, and the rosy or salmon tinge of the
breast and belly a little deeper ; but these characters are not so
constant and conspicuous as to make it always possible to distin-
guish the male from the female bird.

When we consider the great distances the birds come and the
trouble they take to place the eggs in a proper situation, it
does seem extraordinary that they should take no further care
about them. It is, however, quite certain that they neither do
nor can watch over them. The eggs deposited by a number of
hens in succession in the same hole must render it impossible
for each to distinguish its own, and the food of the parent birds
can be obtained only by continual roaming, so that if the numbers
which come down to this beach alone in the breeding season
(according to the accounts, many hundreds or even thousands)
were obliged to remain in the vicinity, the greater part would
perish of hunger.

In the structure of the feet of the Megucephaloii we may see a
reason why it departs from the habits of its nearest allies, the
Megapodii and TalegalU, which generally heap up mounds of
earth and rubbish in which to bury their eggs. The feet of the
]\Ialeos are not nearly so strong in proportion as those of the
former birds, while the claws are short and straight, instead of

Ornithology of Northei-n Celebes. 145

being very long and greatly curved. The toes are, however,
slightly webbed at the base, and thus the whole foot and rather
long leg are well adapted to scratch away rapidly a loose sand,
although they could not, without much labour, accumulate the
heaps of miscellaneous materials which the large, grasping feet
of the Megapodii bring together.

The very peculiar habits of the whole family of the Megapo-
diida departing widely from those of all other birds, may also,
I think, be shown to be almost the necessary results of certain
peculiarities of organization. These peculiarities are two — the
size and number of the eggs, and the nature of the food on which
these birds subsist. Each egg being so large as to fill up the
abdominal cavity and with difficulty pass the walls of the pelvis,
a considerable interval must elapse before the succeeding ones
can be matured. The number of eggs which a bird produces
each season seems to be about eight, so that an interval of three
months elapses between the laying of the first and last egg.
Now, supposing the eggs to be hatched in the ordinary way,
they must be laid on the ground (for the general structure of
the bird renders the construction of an arboreal nest impossible)
and must be incessantly watched by the parents during that
long interval, or they would be surely destroyed by the large
lizards which abound in the same district. It seems probable,
however, that the eggs could not retain the vital principle for so
long a time, so that the bird would have to sit on them from the
commencement, and hatch them successively. But the period of
incubation is a severe tax upon all birds even when it is com-
paratively short and food easily obtained. In this case complete
incubation would be most likely impossible, because the parti-
cular species of fruits on which these birds subsist would be soon
exhausted around any one locality, and both parents and ofi"spring
would perish of hunger. If this view is correct, the Megapodiidce
must behave as they do. They must quit their eggs to obtain
their own subsistence, — they must bury them to preserve them
from wild animals, — and each species does this in the manner
which shghter modifications of structure render most convenient.

It has been generally the custom of writers on natural history
to take the habits and instincts of animals as the fixed point, and

146 Mr. A. R. Wallace on the Ornithology of Celebes.

to consider their structure and organization as specially adapted
to be in accordance with them. But this seems quite an arbi-
trary assumption^ and has the bad effect of stifling inquiry into
those peculiarities which are generally classed as " instincts "
and considered as incomprehensible, but which a little con-
sideration of the sh-ucture of the species in question, and the
peculiar physical conditions by which it is surrounded, would
show to be the inevitable and logical result of such structure
and conditions. I am decidedly of opinion that in very many
instances we can trace such a necessary connexion, especially
among birds, and often with more complete success than in the
case which I have here attempted to explain. For a perfect
solution of the problem we must, however, have recourse to Mr.
Darwin's principle of " natural selection," and need not then
despair of arriving at a complete and true " theory of instinct.'*
This subject is, however, far too large to be discussed here ; and
with a few words on the general character of the Ornithological
Fauna of Celebes I must conclude.

I am now acquainted with 140 birds of Celebes, and there
are ten found by Forsten which I have not met with. This
number of 150 species is very small, considering the extent of
the island, yet I do not think that future researches will very
materially increase it. Many of the chief families which swell
the list of species of the western islands are here either alto-
gether absent or very feebly represented. The vast group of
the TurdidcB is almost absent, the BucconidcB, Trogonidce, and
Eurylamida quite so. The Picidce too have almost disappeared,
while even the Laniidce and Muscicapidce furnish us with only
two or three species. There are indeed a number of very pecu-
liar genera and species, but no extensive groups to make up for
the deficiencies which I have noticed. The characteristic groups
of the Moluccas and New Guinea on the other side are also for
the most part wanting. The fine group of true Lories is not
found here, though these birds occur in the little island of Siao,
a few miles to the north, from whence I obtained the lovely Eos
indicus, Gm. Neither do the genera Eclectus, Geoffroius, Rhi-
pidura, Tanysiptera, or Tr-opidorhT/nchus ever occur.

A very large proportion of the species of Celebes are alto-

Mr. P. L. Sclater on an undescribed species of Hawk. 147

gether peculiar to it. Only eight laud-birds are common to it and
the Moluccas, viz. Merops ornatus, Munia molucca, Eurystomus
pacificus, PtUonopus superbus, Turtur chinensis, Hirimdo javanica,
Todiramphus coUaris, and Scijthrops nova hollandm ; and most
of these are birds of a very wide range in the Archipelago, only
one in fact, the PtUonopus, being a strictly IMoluccan bird, and
that differs almost enough to be considered distinct. The birds
of Java, Borneo, and Timor are, on the other hand, better repre-
sented, as might be expected, from those islands entirely sur-
rounding the southern and western parts of Celebes ; yet not
more than twenty species of these occur, leaving about 100 land-
species altogether peculiar to this island. Such a disproportion
probably occurs nowhere else in the world, even in islands less
favourably situated for receiving immigrants.

On the whole, therefore, though disappointed as to the num-
ber and variety of species, I cannot but consider the island of
Celebes to be one of the most interesting in the world to the
philosophical ornithologist, and well worth the time I have be-
stowed upon it. The Dutch naturalist Forsten having resided
a year and a half at Menado with unlimited means and Govern-
ment assistance, I cannot hope to have made many discoveries ;
I trust, however, that one or two of the smaller species may
prove new.

Amboyna, Oct. 1859.

XVII. — On an undescribed Species of Hawk from New Granada.
By Philip Lutley Sclater.

(Plate VI.)
Although the Accipitres generally are birds of wide distribu-
tion, instances of species being confined to narrow geographical
limits are not wanting even in this group. The mountain-
valleys of New Granada — so fertile in zoological novelties of
every sort — have produced several birds of prey which arc not
known to occur elsewhere. The curious Milvacjo carunculatus^ ,
described from a single specimen, now, we believe, in the
Museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia,

* Phalcobcenus caronculatus, Des Murs, Rev. Zool. 1853, p. 154.

148 Mr. P, L. Sclater on an undescribed species of Hawk.

is from this country, and the beautiful Accipiter castanilitis of
Prince Bonaparte* comes from the maritime portion of the
same EepubUc. The bird we are now about to describe is a
close ally of the latter species. It is an inhabitant of the in-
terior of New Granada, an adult example in the gallery of the
British Museum having been received with other birds from
Bogota in 1854. Dr. Kaup of Darmstadt, who has devoted
much attention to the Birds of Prey, attached to this specimen
some years ago the MS. title ' Micronisus collai'is' but never
published a description of it. I adopt Dr. Kaup's specific term
but prefer to place the bird in the genus Accipiter, to which it
appears quite sufficiently related. The front figure (Plate VI.)
is taken from the typical example. The younger bird in the
background is drawn from a specimen in Mr. J. H. Gurney's
collection, selected out of a large series of Bogotan birds in 1859,
and kindly submitted to my examination. To the same gentle-
man's liberality I am indebted for the plate illustrating this
species, from the pencil of Mr. AVolf. It may be characterized
as follows : —

Accipiter collaris. (Plate VI.)

Micronisus collaris, Kaup, in Mus. Brit.
Supra fusco-niger : subtus albus, vittis latis fusco-nigi-is regu-
lariter transfasciatus : gula immaculate alba : cauda fasciis
quinque, subtus albis supra cinereis apparent! bus : rostro
nigrOj cera et pedibus flavis, unguibus nigris. Long, tota
]0'5, alse 6'75, caudse 5*0, tarsi 2"0.
Hab. in Nova Granada interiore.
Mus. Brit, et Joh. Henr. Gurney.

An irregular white collar at the back of the head shows itself
on disturbing the feathers. The wings underneath are white,
distinctly and broadly banded with black. The tail-bands are
nearly obsolete on each outer rectrix. The wings reach to about
two inches from the end of the tail : the third primary is longest,
the second equals the fourth, and the first is slightly longer than
the fifth.

There is no American species of Accipiter that this can easily
be confounded with, but it somewhat resembles A. minullus of
Southern Africa.

* Compt. Rend, .\xxvii. p. 810.

Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Ornithology of Northern Africa. 149

The young bird referred to above is changing from rufous on
the back to black. The nuchal collar is rather conspicuous.
The bands are distinct on the sides of the breast, but the middle
of the breast and belly are cinnamomeous white; the thighs
deep rufous, the bands appearing round the lower part. The
tail is rufous, with six distinct black bands, v/hich do not show
on the outer rectrices.

XVIII. — On the Ornithology of Northern Africa. By the Rev.
H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S., C.M.Z.S. (Part IV. Lake
Halloula.)

A FIVE hours' drive in the diligence from Algiers, one morning
in May 1856, brought me to the pretty little Arab town of
Koleah, on the southern edge of the Sahel range. I had started
early, and had abundance of time after my arrival to search out
a jMoorish horsedealer, from whom I engaged a steed whose
demeanour gave promise of more docility than spirit. The rest
of the afternoon was occupied in procuring provisions, wine,
and a pair of panniers of grass-matting, for my contemplated
three or four days' excursion. In the year 1856 the road, now
opened out by convict labour from Koleah through the forest to
Cherchell, had no existence, and winding horse-paths, through
which a pocket-compass was the most trustworthy guide, formed
the only access to the lake, about thirty miles distant.

Having made my preparations, I turned in at the little hotel
to toss sleepless through a stifling scirocco night ; but rising
at 3 A.M., saddled my reluctant horse, charged the panniers, and,
wrapped in my burnous for protection from the sujffocating
wind, passed the gate of Koleah before 4 a.m. The air of the
hot, still night, charged with the impalpable sand of the desert,
felt hke the blast from a baker's oven, and augured ill for comfort
in the dense underwood of the forest. The sun had not yet
risen as I passed the tall solitary palm on the brow of the Sahel
which marks the old frontiers of Abd'el Kader's line after his
first treaty with the French, by which all west of a line drawn
from Blidah to the palm-tree of Koleah was conceded to the

150 Rev. H. B. Tristi-am on the

desert chieftain. Strangely has Algeria changed, when, but
twelve years since that epoch, a solitary naturalist can in secu-
rity prepare for a three days' lonely bivouac in the frontier forest.
A well-marked track led me into the forest, not before I had
had sufficient daylight to enjoy the vast panorama of the plain
of the Metidjah stretched beneath, with the dark green orange
groves of Blidah framing the white city in the distance, and the
jagged line of the Atlas beyond, with a patch of thick mist over-
banging a fissure in the mountain line, the famed gorge of the
ChifFa. A Hysena struck across my path as I entered the
thickets, and soon after a pretty little Ichneumon kept running
on almost fearlessly before me. Sitting across my pack-saddle,
I had just missed a snap shot at a rabbit, when a strange scream
from a matted lentisk bush arrested me — " Tschagra, Tschagra,
chugra, chrug ! " most inharmoniously repeated. I dismounted,
approached, but could not see the hidden vocalist, though I
struck the bush several times. At length a stone dislodged
him, and I brought him down ere he had reached the next
clump. It was a fine male specimen of Telephonus cucullatus,
or Tschagra, aptly so named, and was the first I had ever seen.
He is a beautiful bird in flight ; his rich chestnut wings prettily
contrasting with his long expanded fan-like tail of jet black
with a broad white bar at its extremity. In his habits he differs
much from other Shrikes, never showing himself, as they do,
on the extremity of a branch, or in an exposed tree, but always
concealed in the thickest recesses. " Heard, not seen,'' is his
motto. I looked in vain for the nest, which was probably in
the neighbourhood, as I saw another bird gliding through an
adjoining thicket. A few days afterwards on my return I ob-
tained a nest, the only one I ever took, placed in the centre of
an arbutus bush, large and coarsely constructed of twigs with a
thick lining of wool and hair, and containing four eggs. These
were slightly larger than those of Lanius excubitor, of a white
ground, very thickly covered over the whole surface with brown
spots, and a few russet-red blotches, somewhat intermediate in
character between those of the Shrike and the Lark. But for
the closeness of the spots and their reddish hue they might easily
pass for the eggs of Certhilauda desertovum in my collection. The

Ornithology of Northern Africa. 151

Hooded Shrike is not a desert bird, but is only a summer visitant
to the Tell, retiring, however, very late, as I have met with birds
of the year at the end of October. It seems strictly confined to
the forest districts.

The path now diverged somewhat southwards towards the plain,
and I was astonished on reaching the brow of the hill to find
myself approaching a clearing, more like a Canadian back settle-
ment than an Algerian " propriete." A man in a blue blouse
emerged from a side path in front of me, bearing two pails of
water. I rode up to him and inquired in French if I were in
the right road for Halloula. The man turned round and with a
vacant stare from a rosy Saxon face ejaculated, " Eh ? " Startled
as by an apparition (though a very solid one), I exclaimed,
" Why, you are an Englishman ! " " Ees ; I bees from Stafford-
sheere," was the reply; and, entering into conversation with
him, I was astonished to find that I had reached an English
farm, probably the only one in North Africa, the proprietor of
which had a few months previously brought out two families of
agricultural labourers, besides a young man who lodged with
my companion. They had none of them been farther than the
market of Koleah since their arrival, nor had they made any
French acquaintances, having no neighbours except some Arab
workmen who slept in outhouses or tents. Willingly accepting
the invitation to have a talk with the '' missus," I followed him to
the cottage and found two families of bright English children,
for whose sake the mothers sadly lamented the want of the
schools of home. An infant lately born gave me the opportu-
nity of telling them I was a clergyman, of which fact, from my
Arab guise, they seemed at first incredulous, but gladly ac-
cepted my offer to baptize it. After holding a short service
with the two families, who now, like many others, valued the
religious privileges they had slighted at home, and having heard
the children read the Testaments with which they had been
provided before leaving England, I was preparing to depart,
glad that I was able to leave as a souvenir of my visit a pi'ayer-
book and a few tracts, when the women hospitably begged me
to take breakfast as my fee.

The men went off to the fields, and the matrons seemed in

153 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

much alarm for their safety, as a few days previous, on the
women going in the early morning for water, they had met two
leopards in the path, since which neither they nor the children
had ventured to leave the premises. I had some difficulty in
making them believe that for a leopard to attack a human being
unprovoked was, in those countries at least, unheard of; and
they themselves confessed that the leopards ran away as fast as
they did. But as the morning was passing, and I had no wish
to encounter the leopards, with which the forest is well stocked,
alone by night, I started again, with a promise to revisit my
countryfolk and hold another service with them.

Turning back into the forest, I had only to pursue my course
by any path that lay due west, and I should reach the open hills
before nightfall. Again and again the Ichneumon {Genetta afra)
crossed in front of me; and Avherever the trees were sparse, the
Woodchat and the Southern Shrike [Lanius meridionalis) might
be seen ; of both of which I obtained several nests. A pair of
Kites, by their restless movements, betrayed their alarm ; but
finding the thicket round a great cork-tree impenetrable, I was
obliged to be content with noting the spot for a futm-e search,
when I should be provided with a hatchet. Occasionally the
Roller, ' Tschugrug' would rise screaming from a chestnut-tree,
and, after making grotesque gyrations in the air, drop headlong
into the forest out of sight and shot. I had, however, the satis-
faction of obtaining my first " Geai d^Afrique,^^ as the colonists
term the Roller {Coracias garrula). The Algerian Chaffinch and
Titmouse were frequent [Fringilla spodiogena and Parus cai'u-
leanus), and I heard but could not see the Woodpecker and the
Jay {Garrulus cervicalis) ; but, as in most forests, winged life was
not abundant, except at the outskirts. In a lovely glade I dis-
mounted for dinner under a thick ivy-clad oak [Quercus ballotn),
and hobbled and fed my nag. While lying there I obtained
two or three Ringdoves [Columba palumbus), which Buvry has
distinguished under the name of Cohcmba excelsa, from the Euro-
pean bird, though I confess myself wholly unable to detect the
diiferences. Many Turtle Doves of our common species were to
be seen in every open, and I found a Nightingale's nest at
the stump of a decayed tree, and two nests of the Algerian

Ornithology of Xvrtliern Africa. 153

Green-finch [Chlorospiza aurantiiventris, Cab.). Having packed
my treasures, I remounted, and, riding on at a quick pace, reached
the termination of the forest some two hours before sunset, and
had the satisfaction of seeing the tall marsh of reeds which
environs Lac Halloula about three miles before me, and about a
mile to my right, on the slope, the white tents of a party of con-
vict soldiers, who, under the charge of a Zouave guard, were
engaged in the deadly work of cutting a trench from the lake to
drain it to the sea, by taking it to a stream at the base of Mount
Chenoua.

I met with a civil reception from the sergeant commanding
the party, to whom I explained my errand, judiciously using
the name of General Yusuf, with whom I was acquainted ; and
received the agreeable intimation that I could share his tent for
the night. A " Boulet," or military convict, soon picketed my
nag, while I produced nosebag and barley from the panniers,
and the sergeant, being further conciliated by a handful of cigars
and a half bottle of brandy, offered to send a couple of convicts
with me to look for birds in the thickets near the lake. On
inquiry I discovered among the Zouaves a young man who had
formerly worked for MINI. Verreaux at Paris. We fraternized at
once, and sat down together on the ground to skin the speci-
mens I had procured throvigh the day. He raised my expecta-
tions to the highest pitch by telling me what I had not antici-
pated, that, besides the waterfowl, in quest of which I had come,
there was not a richer field in the world for warblers than the
low brushwood and tamarisk thickets at the head of the lake.
It was now dark ; and having subscribed a portion of my pro-
visions to the common stock, I supped with the sergeant and
corporals, and obtained a holiday for my Zouave friend that he
might accompany me in the morning. Before turning in, I
spread in the camp among the convicts an announcement that
for all nests brought me with the bird snared and alive, within
the next three days, I should pay at the rate of one sou
per egg.

As I lay in the corner of the tent wrapped in my burnous, I
was kept awake for some time by a party of Zouaves, whose poli-
tical discussions were too amusing to suffer me to sleep. The

VOL. II. M

154 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

debate turned on the necessity of enlarging the boundaries of
France. " Annex Spain/^ said one. " The Spaniards cannot
fight unless the English help them." " Three regiments of
Zouaves could overrun Spain/' added another. " But what
would our English allies say to it ? " interrupted a third.
" Bah ! let the English send two regiments of Ecossais and
take Portugal for their share. We will spare them that/'
replied the first. [" France is omnipotent, the army is France,
and we are a match for all the rest of the army/' is the idee fixe
of every Zouave.]

Before dawn, my new acquaintance was by my side in fatigue
dress ; and after a hasty cup of coffee and a glass of quinine (a
very necessary precaution), we are in the tamarisk grove. A
little bird, something like a hen Redstart in appearance, glides
through the bushes. " What is that ? " " Becfin Passerinette."
At length my companion brings him down. It is a prize indeed.
The first Sylvia subalpina I have seen, and well shot. Soon we
come on a little flock of them restlessly hopping from twig to
twig ; but no nests are yet to be found. They have evidently
not yet begun to breed. We hear the reeling of Savi's Warbler
[Sylvia luscindides) again and again, but that part of the marsh
is too deep for us to explore without poles. The Thrush Night-
ingale [Sylvia turddides) keeps up an incessant din on all sides ;
and I miss a Bittern as it rises quietly as an owl, almost from
our feet. We turn back to the drier part of the thicket ; and
one, two, three, nests of Hippolais salicaria, with their full com-
plement of eggs, reward us in quick succession. Very differ-
ent is the position and texture of its nest from that of our
Willow Wrens. It is extremely compact and neat, not unlike
that of the Goldfinch in general appearance, and not larger,
placed generally on the bare fork or branch of a tamarisk, with-
out the slightest attempt at concealment. The complement
of eggs rarely exceeds four. As I pass a tall tuft of grass, I
bend its top, and disclose the nest of Sylvia melanocephala, the
commonest but not the least beautiful of the Warblers of North-
ern Algeria, where it is a constant resident. It builds some-
times in hedges or bushes, but more frequently in tall grass or
herbage. The nest is loose, but very neat and round, and com-

Ornithology of Northeim Africa. 155

fortably lined with hair aud wool. The eggs bear some re-
semblance to those of the Robin, but are smaller, and always
more distinctly and brightly spotted; and some approach closely
those of the Grasshopper Warbler.

But let us search this coarse grass and tamarisk bed carefully;
for here, says my guide, we shall find Sylvia cetti. I had the
week before obtained a nest near Algiers, but had had no op-
portunity of watching the habits of the bird. I am again dis-
appointed. The bird has just begun to sit, but has crept away
on the first alarm, aud, though we watch some time in the
neighbourhood, she does not return. I take the nest with its
precious contents of four brilliant red eggs, so strangely different
from those of every other Warbler. In colour they are unique
among eggs, and show no affinity with any allied species. They
form a singular exception to the rule, that a connexion may be
traced in all genera between the eggs of the different species.
There is one constant type for all the other Aquatic Warblers,
The Saxicola, TurditKE, Motacilla, Alaudince, Tyrannida, and
others, however widely the extremes may vary, still bear some
resemblance to the normal type. Not so with Sylvia cetti. Its
affinity seems rather to be with Prinia sonitans (Ibis, ii. p. 50),
and may indicate a closer alliance with that genus than has
hitherto been admitted. The nest is very loose in its construc-
tion, placed in rushes or coarse herbage, its depth more than
double its diameter, composed entirely of coarse grass outside
and finer stems within, but with no lining of hair or feathers.
I afterwards frequently saw the bird, but only for an instant at
a time, as it invariably dips among the rushes, and will not take
flight when disturbed. I never succeeded in noting its song, if
it have one.

Turning back towards the trees, I am attracted by the song
of a bird quite new to me, and, on searching, observe overhead a
little sombre-clad warbler, which I shoot, and discover to be an-
other species I have not hitherto met with — Sylvia eldica, or S.
pallida of Bp. I say or S. pallida ; for though Bonaparte thus di-
stinguishes the Algerian from the Greek bird, and states that it
is smaller, I can discover no material difference in the speci-
mens, and some of my African skins are quite as large as those

m2

156 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

said to be from the East. It is very closely allied to Hippolais
salicaria, but has no tinge of yellow on its plumage. The nest,
larger than that of its congener, and of rather different con-
struction, I first found on this occasion, and have since fre-
quently taken in Algeria ; while the eggs are of a delicate pale
"mauve" colour, spotted and streaked with dark russet. They
are always larger than those of Hippolais salicaria. It builds on
trees about six feet from the ground, preferring, as far as I have
observed, the smooth branches of the olive or tamarisk, and is
very easily discovered. My curiosity was excited by my com-
panion's information that the Pallid Warbler was much larger
and of a darker colour on the hill- sides than in the marshes;
and, anxious to investigate the truth of his story, we left the plain
at once for the wood (chiefly wild olives) which skirts the forest
of Koleah. Here we found the Serin Finch already sitting, — its
nest very like that of the Goldfinch, but scarcely so deep, smaller,
and more warmly lined. There are few songsters to be com-
pared for clearness of note to the Serin, which in Algeria is
often tamed, and breeds freely in confinement. It is, I believe,
a migrant here. While searching in the open wood, I was
startled by a long-tailed blue bird, which I felt certain at once
must be the Blue Magpie [Pica cooki). Not having heard of
it as an inhabitant of Algeria, I went eagerly in pursuit, and
again and again caught sight of it, but never within shot. It
was wild and wary, but took no long flights. I do not feel
the slightest doubt as to its being the Blue Magpie of Spain,
probably only a straggler. The chase had led me some three
miles up the hills, when I lost all trace of the bird, and was
fain to wind my way back to camp, as I had left my companion
below. Howevex*, on the way I shot Sylvia olivetorum, and
thus solved the mystery of the large Pallid Warbler. There
were several birds ; and I afterwards obtained a nest. The
eggs are exactly like those of S. pallida or ela'ica in colour, but
larger, and the nest is much inferior in neatness. A month
afterwards I took a nest of this bird placed near the ground in
brushwood. It appears to select a lower site for nidification
than its congeners.

On reachinsr the tent I found several nests of eggs awaiting

Ornithology of Northern Africa. 157

my arrival, but none of much interest, except a second of C'etti's
Warbler, with the hen bird caught by the foot in a horse-hair
noose. Humanity compelled me (somewhat reluctantly, I must
confess) to release her, after robbing her.

The next day I arranged to devote to the wonders of the lake
itself, well satisfied with my first foray among the Warblers of
Halloula, which had added a new bird to the Algerian catalogue,
and two new birds and three additional sorts of eggs to my
collection.

Soon after daybreak we started on the lake in a decayed punt,
the buoyancy of which we insured by filling it with tightly fastened
bundles of reeds, so that if waterlogged, as it very soon was, it
could not sink. A long pole was all we required for propul-
sion among the mud and weeds, as the open water evidently
contained nothing to repay our researches. Numerous flocks,
indeed, of the Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls [Larus
melanocephalus and Larus ridibundus) were screaming overhead ;
but these had not yet begun to breed (if indeed the scarce Larus
melanocephalus does breed at all in Algeria, of which I never
obtained any actual proof) ; and hundreds of lovely Terns were
hovering about, or dipping headlong into the dark still water.
These likewise were deferring all attention to domestic duties to
the next month. I shot several, and found most of them to be
the Whiskered Tern [Sterna hj/brida) ; but mingled with them
were many of the Black and Lesser Terns [Sterna nigra and
S. minuta). Sterna hybrida is easily distinguished by its note,
which is less shrill and more rapidly repeated than that of S.
nigra ; but in general appearance it very closely resembles the
Sterna arctica, so familiar on our own Northumbrian coasts with
its lake-red bill and feet, its black head and generally sooty
plumage. I looked in vain for Sterna leucoptera and S. anglica,
the former of which is said to be found here, but of the occur-
rence of which at Halloula I never obtained authentic evidence.
But the principal feature of the open water were the myriads
of Crested Coots [Fulica cristata), Wigeons, and Pochards. The
W' igeon never remains to breed ; but flocks of them still lingered,
while a month later not one was to be seen. The Crested Coot
appears in no way to difl'er as to its habits from its well-known

158 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

congener, though its red naked forehead, with the two conspi-
cuous lobes, suffice to distinguish it at a glance. It is some-
what the larger of the two species ; and the eggs run invariably
from a quarter to half an inch longer than those of the Common
Coot. Pushing among the reeds, we soon found two or three
of their nests, some placed among the stumps of old reed-cluraps,
others in little openings ou artificial mounds. I never found
the Common Coot here ; and though it certainly occurs on the
lake in winter in company with its congener, I believe that each
species confines itself to its own nesting-places. Thus, in the
lakes I visited in Eastern Algeria the following summer, while
Fulica atra abounded, Fulica cristata never once came under our
observation.

As in our voyage we pushed and struggled through the reeds,
occasionally the nest of Sijlvia turdo'ides was exposed from two
to six feet overhead, loosely built, and abundantly lined with
feathers, but deep and strong, and elegantly interlaced between
four or five tall reed-stems. Its principles of construction are
exactly like those of the Reed Warbler of England ; but in finish
of workmanship or architectural skill, it falls far short of its
cousin. I searched in vain for the nest of Savi's Warbler {Sylvia
luscino'i'des) , whose singular cadence could everywhere be heard.
I was, however, rewarded by the discovery of a very pretty nest of
Sylvia aquatica, with four fresh eggs. As I obtained the bird,
the identification of this, the first nest of the species I had dis-
covered, was complete. At the time 1 imagined it a very rare
bird in Algeria, and so it is considered by the French natural-
ists ; but I have since found it in small numbers in all suitable
localities. Its shy habits, short and weak song, and its almost
inaccessible resorts, necessarily remove it from notice. The nest
is neat, but not suspended like that of our Reed Warbler [Sylvia
arundinacea) . It is entwined with four or five reeds, generally,
but not always, resting on a tuft, and about two or three feet
from the surface of the swamp. The eggs are for the most part
marked with smaller blotches than those of the Reed Warbler,
but not run together in the coloration like those of the Sedge
Warbler. As it glides through the rushes, the black and yellow
streaks on its head distinguish it at a glance from its congeners.

Ornithology of Northern Africa. 159

The Water Rail and Moor Hen breed here abundantly ; and
we were rewarded by a single nest of the Great Purple Gallinule
{Porphyrio hyadnthinits). A magnificent fellow he is, as he rises
sluggishly from a dense mass of water-weed, showing his rich
purple sheen in the sun-light, and hanging behind him his huge
pink legs and feet. His nest is very like that of the Coot ;
but the number of eggs seems fewer, four being the largest
number I have taken in one sitting, though the complement
was very probably not complete. I need not add anything to
what Mr. Salvin has stated (Ibis, vol. i. p. 361), as to the preda-
tory habits of this bird. The eggs surpass in beauty, to my eye,
those of any other of the class; their rich pink ground, with
their red, russet, and brown spots, are very characteristic.

Every here and there we came upon a nest of the Little Grebe
{Podiceps minor) , and occasionally upon that of the Great Crested
Grebe {Podiceps anstatus) ; but it was rather late for both these
species, which build before the end of April, and already several
broods had been hatched. Still, fifty eggs of one and about
a dozen of the other was not a bad morning's take. At length,
in a little secluded opening, entirely surrounded by tall reeds,
through which we had the greatest difficulty in forcing the
punt, we came upon a colony of Eared Grebes {Podiceps auritus),
the chief object of my search. There appears to be this singular
difference between the Eared and the Crested or Lesser Grebes;
that while the two latter, though abundant thi*oughout the Lake,
are not strictly gregarious, the former builds in societies more
densely crowded than any rookery. It is also later in its nidi-
fication ; for, of nearly fifty nests I examined, not one was incu-
bated, though most contained their full allowance of four or five
eggs. The nests, formed like those of other Grebes, were raised
on artificial islets, frequently almost touching each other, and
sometimes piled on stout foundations rising from more than a
yard under water. The eggs are a trifle smaller than those of P.
sclavonicus, which appear to do duty for them in many collections.
We shot several of the birds, which, of course, were in very fine
plumage, but we were not a little puzzled by the sudden disap-
pearance of several which had fallen dead within twenty yards
of us. At length, on pushing out in our punt into the open

160 Rev. 11. B. Tristram on the

water, 1 detected the water-tortoises carrying off at great speed
our wounded and dead birds ; and following the streak of blood
through the water, at length seized one struggling with his captor,
who maintained so tenacious a grasp that 1 hauled him on board
along with the bird, and took care to secure him, too, for my
collection. With this proof of the carnivorous propensities of
the water-tortoise, I am inclined to believe that the havoc in the
nests of Coots and Ducks may often be attributed to this plun-
derer. Nor are the water-tortoise and the Purple Gallinule the
the only "oophacji " against whom these poor birds have to combat
in the struggle for perpetuating their species. A Water-snake
frequently takes up his abode in a Coot's nest and boldly drives
off the rightful proprietor. An empty nest seems to be his
favourite dwelling-place ; and if a Coot's or Water-IIen's nest
be not tenanted by its owner, it usually supplies free quarters to
a Water-snake.

None of the Ducks had yet begun to breed ; and we searched
in vain on the further or southern edge of the lake for the nests
of the various Herons which were congregated in vast flocks in the
neighbourhood, feeding through the day like rooks in the plains,
and returning to the reeds to roost. I remained till near sunset,
and watched them as they returned — first the graceful little
Squacco, then white clouds of Buff-backs and Night Herons, with
here and there a straggling Purple Ibis, like a black sheep in a
flock, mingled with them ; but we were evidently some weeks too
early for their nests. Laden with booty, we returned through the
stifling reeds as soon as we had seen the Herons safe to roost.
But think not such a day's nesting " a rose without a thorn."
The suffocating heat of the reed-bed, the intolerable stench
emitted by the slightest disturbance of the slime and oozy
matter on which we floated, and, above all, the voracity of the
mosquitoes, penetrating ankles, wrists, face, and neck, im-
pelled one to rush off half blinded, ola-rpoSlvijTO^ Kevrpoia-i
(f)oiTakeoiaiu. Such is the penalty for intruding on the sacred
preserves of Halloula, — not much less severe than j\lr. Taylor's
sufferings in Honduras.

Too wearied to attempt cither to skin or blow eggs that
evening, 1 flung myself down with a towel steeped in viti ordinaire

Ornithology of Northern Africa. l61

over my swollen face^ without even investigating the discoveries
of the " Boulets." The next morning was devoted to making up
the arrears of the last night's work, and looking over the cap-
tures of my scouts, which consisted chiefly of <S^. hippola'is, two
of /S. ela'ica, and one of S. cetti. They, however, brought me
news of a nest of Aquila chrijsaetos in IMount Chenoua, and of
a " digging " of Merops apiaster in a bank hard by. From the
up])er part of Koleah Forest a stream descends and feeds the
Lake. Its banks are steep during the latter part of its course ;
and on working our way through the brushwood to the edge,
we saw the lively Bee-eaters skimming like Swallows up and
down the stream, or plunging into the holes they had burrowed.
Unlike the Kingfisher, the Bee-eater does not show the brilliancy
of his plumage when on the wing ; it is only when perching, as
it often does, on a bough overhanging the bank, that its bright
and varied livery becomes conspicuous. After examining several
holes and finding but one which contained a single egg, while
the greater part of the excavations were as yet incomplete I
resolved to inspect the Eagle's nest ; so after a long tramp
across the Sahel, and much parleying with the natives, for I had
got out of the lines of the soldiery, I was taken to the cliff, where
truly enough the Zouave had in his previous Sunday ramble
detected a nest of " Ogab," which now, as I could plainly
ascertain by my glass, contained two downy young. On my
retiirn in the evening, I was delighted to find two nests of the
exquisite little Fantail Warbler {Cisticola schcenicola) brought in
by some soldiers who had been cutting forage in the neighbour-
hood. This lively and attractive songster, scarcely as large as
our Gold-crested Wren, is by no means uncommon in the moist
meadows of Northern Algeria ; but it is only by chance that its
nest can be discovered, except by the mowers. The Pink-
pink, as the natives call it from its note, constructs its dwelling
about a foot from the ground, by entwining the living stems of
grass with very fine cotton and spiders' webs. These, with the
down of seeds, form the foundation ; and as the nest is long in
construction, the hen bird begins to lay, and even to sit, while
her mate occupies his leisure in weaving higher and higher the
walls of their little dwelling. I had the good fortune once to

162 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the

discover a nest just commenced at the edge of a meadow near
Algiers^ which I was in the habit of passing almost daily, and
thus for more than a month I had a good opportunity of noting
the Fantail's habits at my leisure. When the first egg was laid,
the foundation of the nest was almost transparent, and its filmy
sides not above an inch in height. I occasionally took an egg,
leaving the dam to sit on five out of eight which she had laid ;
and during the whole period of incubation the male continued to
enlarge and strengthen the nest, till, by the time the young were
hatched, it was almost three inches in depth and of a tolerably
compact structure. When completed, it is sometimes, but not
always, half-domed at the top. The eggs, which are very little
larger than those of the Long-tail Titmouse, are of a delicate pale-
green or greenish-white, sprinkled with a few russet spots, not
concentrated towards the lai-ger end. The bird, which is ex-
tremely wary, hovers over the fields with a jerking flight, waving
and expanding its tail, and then suddenly drops like a lark, but
always at a distance from its nest, — which it leaves in the most
cautious manner, dropping from it into the loug grass, and
running concealed for some yards before it takes wing. From
the two nests now brought me I secured only three eggs, as the
whole contents of one, the most complete, had been lost in the
grass when struck by the scythe.

The next morning, having stored my treasures, and left in-
structions for the safe custody of my discoveries until my return
the following month, I started with well though lightly filled
panniers, and, after a halt at my secluded fellow-countrymen's
cottages in the wilderness, returned in health, without any sym-
ptoms of fever, which is so dreaded by visitors to the Lake.

On the 10th of June I returned to Halloula by the same
route to investigate the habits of the Herons and Ducks. This
time, as the soldiers had all been withdrawn from the works for
the summer, I secured the attendance of a professional chasseur,
who was accustomed to resort to the district iu winter for wild-
fowl shooting. I learnt from the Zouaves at Koleali that many
eggs had been amassed for me after my departure, but that an
agent of M. Verreaux, having, unfortunately for me, passed that
way, had secured the whole, the " Boulcts " preferring a franc in

Ornithology of Northern Africa. 163

the hand to a dollar in prospect. We remained for two days
at the Lake, sleeping at night on the hillside in an extemporized
gourhi of brushwood, just sufficiently up the slope to escape the
risk of malaria from the marsh. We found two nests of the
White-headed Duck {Erismatura mersa) among the sedge, con-
taining, the one three, the other eight eggs. These are very
large for the size of the bird, almost perfectly elliptical in shape,
and a line longer and wider than those of the Velvet Scoter, of
an extremely rough texture, unlike that of any other Duck, more
resembling the egg of the Bean Goose, but far more coarsely
grained, and of dull white colour. The habits and flight of the
bird are more like those of a Grebe than of a Duck ; it often
saves itself by diving, and remains under water for a consider-
able time.

I saw several pairs of the Pochard [Fuligula ferina) and one
pair of Red-crested Whistling Ducks {F.rufina), but could not dis-
cover their nests. The White-eyed Duck [F. nyroca) seemed toler-
ably abundant on the Lake, and one nest rewarded our research.
At length we arrived on the southern side of the Lake, and pushed
through to the Heronries. Here we had to leave our punt, and
to struggle through the slime on foot. We soon came on a large
colony of Squacco Herons (Ardea comata), who were just be-
ginning to sit. About thirty or forty nests were scattei*ed about
in various directions, in a dense bed of reeds piled up to the
height of two or three feet from the mud, supported on tufts of
reeds, and composed of great heaps of water-weeds and rushes.
Each nest contained three or four eggs ; and very few were incu-
bated. The birds left as we approached, rising clumsily from
the reeds and making a deafening noise. The bright-green eg^^
of the Squacco is, I presume, well known to all collectors, and
is of exactly the same tint as our Common Heron^s. Plunging
on a little further, we came upon the quarters of the Buff-backs
{Ardea bubulcus), who were in still greater numbers, and their
nests very closely packed. Among them, as they rose, I saw a few
Purple Ibis {Falcinellus igneus). The separate identification of
the uests was of course impossible ; but after some search, we dis-
covered two nests of Ibis, differing from the Herons in their less
lavish expenditure of materials, and containing each three eggs.

164 On the Ornithology of Northern Africa.

They had not been incubated, and the complement was probably
not complete. No one could mistake the rich-blue eggs, so
much rounder and smoother than those of the Herons. I have
been told that a few years since the Ibis was comparatively plen-
tiful, but has been almost extirpated by the French chasseurs,
and I do not believe that there now remained more than these
two pairs. The nests of the Buff-back contained generally four
eggs, sometimes but three, and had for the most part been incu-
bated for a few days.

Further back and to the eastward we found a few nests of
the Night Heron {Nydicorax grisea), — not crowded like the
others, but still in society. They too had been sat on for a
little time. They were well concealed, and not always easy of
detection among the matted roots of the reeds, though almost
on the ground. While the egg of the Buff-back is of a deli-
cate greenish-white, and varies much in size and shape, that
of the Night Heron is of a pale green, far more delicate than
the Common Heron, but somewhat approximating to it. I may
remark that I never in Algeria obtained or saw this bird in the
first year's spotted plumage. All we noticed were in full adult
dress.

The next day I resumed my quest, and obtained a single egg
of the Red-crested Whistling Duck in the open swamp. My
companion shot the bird as it rose from the nest. Fuligula
rufina breeds sparingly at the Lake, but remains there through-
out the winter. The males appear to desert the locality as soon
as the females sit, and are never seen again until the end of
autumn. I have observed that the female erects her scanty
crest in imitation of her mate, and proudly throws back her
head, walking with a stately gait. The nest is like that of the
Coot, but not so large, better concealed, and without the gang-
way of rushes built by the other.

Searching for the nesting- place of the Terns, I was surprised
to find the whole colony of AVhiskered Tern [Sterna hybrida)
breeding in the nests of the Eared Grebes above described, — and
that, apparently, without having at all repaired the nests, which
could have been only a few days evacuated by their constructors,
as we saw hundreds of young Eared Grebes paddling about and

Ornithological Notes of the Voyage of ' The Fox.' 165

diving in the open lake with their parents. My series of eggs
of Sterna hybrida shows a decided tendency to pale green as the
ground-colour, and a type clearly distinguishable from that of
any other Tern, though somewhat approaching the character of
the eggs of Sterna leucoptera, which, however, are much smaller,
and only exceptionally of a greenish ground. The markings are
rarely so large as in the eggs of the Common Tern. A favourite
food with these Terns appeared to be a large hairy caterpillar
which covered the neighbouring marshes at this time in thou-
sands. They were also plunging into the Lake in quest of the
frogs and newts with which it' abounds.

I had now thoroughly seai'ched the recesses of Halloula, but
in returning had to learn that there is " many a slip between the
cup and the lip,^^ for our punt grounded and discharged all
my loosely packed boxes into the mud. I saved, however, suffi-
cient to provide an ample series of those species which I had
taken in any plenty, and returned to Algiers without further in-
cident, laden with spoils such as do not often fall to the share of
a naturalist^s first sojourn in a new locality. I found that the
following year, owing to the success of the drainage, this para-
dise of Herons was almost deserted. By this time I fear that
the glories of Lake Halloula are among the things that were.
The plough will soon efface the traces of our Heronry, and the
Ibis and the Whiskered Tern will be numbered with the Ruffs
of Lincolnshire and the Great Copper Butterflies of Whittlesea,

XIX. — Ornithological Notes of the Voyage of ' The Fox' in the
Arctic Seas. By David Walker, M.D., late Naturalist on
board ' The Fox.'

The steam-yacht ' Pox,' equipped by Lady Franklin for the
final search after Sir John Franklin and his companions, left
Aberdeen on the 1st of July 1857. The different birds met
with on the passage across the Atlantic need not be mentioned.
As we approached Cape Farewell, the most southern point of
Greenland, numbers of the Greater Shear-water {Puffinus majoi-)
were seen. On coming closer to the coast, the Fulmar [Procel-

166 Dr. Walker's Ornithological Notes

laria glacialis) first appeared^ and was thence met with as far north
as the expedition sailed. It being necessary to enter the Danish
port of Frederikshaab^ ' The Fox ' screwed her way through the
Spitzbergen icestream, and, piloted by some Eskimos, anchored
in the harbour. Here some Ravens {Corvus corax) were seen
flying about ; and numbers of the Eider Duck [Anas mollissima)
and King Duck [Anas spectabilis) were shot on the spot. On
landing and passing through the valleys, specimens of the Snow
Bunting [Emberiza nivalis), Lapland Finch [Plectrophanes lap-
ponica), diXidi Sandpipers {Tringaminuta and T. interpres) were met
with. A few Falcons {Falco grcenlandicus and F. peregrinus ?)
were wheeling overhead ; and a specimen of an Eagle {Aquila
alhicilM) was seen. The Snowy Owl {Strix nyctea) was also
observed. Among the sea birds were Jagers {Lestris parasiticus),
Gulls [Larus marinus, L. glaucus, L. tridactylus, L. argentatus),
and Guillemots [Uria troile, and U. grtjlle).

On 31st July we anchored in the harbour of Godhavn, having
passed up the coast of Greenland and having encountered numbers
of ]\Iollymokes [Procellaria glacialis) and Gulls of different kinds
mentioned before, and in addition Larus leucopterus and L.
ehurneus. At Godhavn we obtained specimens of the following
species : —

Tetrao reinhardtii Anas fuligula

Strepsilas interpres A. spectabilis

Tringa minuta A. mollissima

Charadrius pluvialis Colymhus glacialis

Motacilla alba Uria brunnichii

Sterna arctica U. troile

Anser bernicla U. grylle

Anas marila Alca torda

A. acuta A. alle

A. histrionica Phalacrocorax carbo.

A. glacialis
We hove-to off Usserivinck on 6th August. Here two
specimens of an Eagle [Aquila albicilla ?) have been obtained
during the last twenty years, this (73° N.) being the highest
northern locality in which they have been seen. In passing up
Baffin's Bay, and in Melville Bay, myriads of Botches [Alca alle)

of the Voyage of ' The Fox.' 167

were met with. Owing to the prevalence of S.E. winds, unfor-
tunately, we were beset in the ice in Melville Bay, and drifted
south over 1200 miles, until our deliverance in April 1858.
During this dreary winter, we obtained a few specimens of the
Dovekie {Uria grylle) in its winter plumage; once a solitary
Ptarmigan [Tetrao lagopus?) pitched on the ice near the ship,
and was almost immediately devoured by the dogs. On returning
up the coast of Greenland in the summer of 1858, some thou-
sands of Looms ( Uria troile and U. brunnichii) were shot, and in
Melville Bay great numbers of Alca alle. We were so fortunate
as to obtain some of the eggs of this latter bird at the breeding-
place near Cape York. Here we found myriads of them flying
in and out of the stones which form a detritus to the primary
rock. These birds lay a single egg in the hollows between the
stones, where the foxes and gulls cannot reach them. Numbers
of Larus glaucus were flying about ; and one Phalarope {Phala-
ropus fulicarius) was seen.

The only bird worth noticing seen at Pond's Bay, in lat. 72°
on the west coast of Baffin^s Bay, was a Crane [Grus canadensis).
It is rarely met with so far north.

The winter of 1858-9 was spent at Port Kennedy, in the
mouth of Bellot Straits, 72° 11' N., 94° W. During this season
a few Ptarmigan {Tetrao lagopus and T.saliceti) were shot; a
Winter Dovekie {Uria grylle), a Snowy Owl {Strix nyctea), and
some Ravens ( Co?-i'w.9 corax) were seen. The first birds which made
their appearance in May were Snow Buntings {Emberiza tiivalis)
and Lapland Finches {Plectrophanes lapponica). As the month
progressed, a few Burgomasters {Larus glaucus) and Silvery
Gulls {Larus argentatus) were seen, and flocks of Geese {Anser
bernicla) were noticed flying northward. Early in June, Ducks
{Anas mollissima, A. glacialis, and A. spectabilis) began to as-
semble in the pools of water near the shore, and some Divers
{Colymbus arcticus, C. septentrionalis, and C. glacialis) were shot.
Numbers of Tringa minuta and T. inferpres were found breeding
in the marshy valleys; also Plovers {Charadrius pluvialis and C
hiaticula). Several Falcons {Falco peregrinus) were shot. Some
Geese {Anas bernicla) and Gulls {Larus glaucus and L. leuco-
pterus) built their nests on the cliffs which form the sides of the

168 Rev. H. B. Tristram on the Eygs of the

Bellot Strait. No Ptarmigau were obtained in their summei
plumage, as they had all left in April. A peculiarity worth
noticing about these Ptarmigan is the relation between the length
of the intestinal caeca and that of the intestine. Only one spe-
cimen of the Willow Grouse {Tetrao saliceti) was examined; in
this the cseca were 27 inches long, gut 36 inches : in five
specimens of Ptarmigan {Tetrao lagopust) the proportion was
20 : 38, 19 : 43, 21 : 42, 22 : 45, 18i : 39. I subjoin a minute
description of these parts of our Tetrao lagopus. Two caca arise at
the side of the intestine, 5 inches from the anal orifice ; they are
connected to the gut by membrane for 2 inches. Hence (tracing
only one csecum), after these 2 inches it doubles upon itself for
2i inches, the two parts being closely connected, and then is
joined to the intestine for 1^ inch by a broad mesenteric mem-
brane ; it leaves the intestine again, doubling upon itself for
5 inches, and then, very closely tied to the gut, it runs along it for
6| inches, ending in an abrupt point 2 inches long, unconnected
to the gut. Length of caecum, 20 inches ; of gut, 38 inches.
I may remark that Sir James Ross, in the Appendix to Parry's
Third Voyage, states that he found, in the Tetrao lagopus, the
cseca two-thirds of the length of the intestine ; in the above case
they were not one-half.

This paper is not introduced as containing any novelty, as
the ornithology of the Arctic regions is now so well known j
but only as an enumeration of the dififerent species met with.

XX. — On the Eggs of the Nutcrackei- and Parrot-billed Cross
bill. By the Rev. H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S.

I FELT inclined to communicate a few remarks, prior to the
publication of the last Number of the ' Ibis,' on the Review of
recent oological works which appeared in No. 4, but I have
deferred doing so in the hope that Mr. J. Hancock, who had
proposed to supply some notes on the breeding of Loxia pityo-
psittacus, Totanus ochropus, and Fuligula cristata, might by
this time have fulfilled his intention.

All conscientious collectors must, I am sure, most heartily

Eygs of the Nutcracker and Parrot -billed Cross-bill. lf)9

agree with the writer of tliat review in the earnest tone with
which he deprecates the too easy admission into cabinets of
unauthenticated specimens. One or two careless admissions of
spurious eggs deservedly destroy the reputation of a whole col-
lection. Still, while disclaiming any desire to look upon " my
own geese as swans/' I must confess to having assigned a place
in my cabinet to one species which the revaewer considers as
awaiting the exertions of the Alpine Club to bring it to England
for the first time — the Nutcracker. I am not aware that any
other collector in this country pretends to its possession, and
therefore a note of the eggs, and the manner in which I became
possessed of them, may not be out of place in ' The Ibis.'

In the year 1844, which I spent in Switzerland and Savoy,
while yet a very young ornithologist, I became acquainted with a
shepherd and chasseur in the valley of Sixt, with whom I used
to make excursions. I was then ignorant of the rarity of the
Nutcracker's eggs, though I obtained two specimens of the bird,
w^hich I still possess. In the year 1854 I revisited the valley
in the course of a walking tour, and hunted up my old friend,
who rejoiced in the very common cognomen of Balmat. In
conversation I asked him whether he ever collected any eggs ;
he said No, but afterwards told me he had taken a nest of the
' Casse-noix ' in the spring, and had the eggs at home. It ap-
peared that, being in the pine-forest in the month of March (as
far as he could recollect, the second or third week, before the
snow was off the ground), he had discovered the nest of a Nut-
cracker on one of the lower branches of a pine, well sheltered by
another branch closely covering it, and containing four eggs.
The tree he described as growing very close to the side of a pre-
cipice, in descending which he had first descried it. The four
eggs were strung up in his kitchen. As he had never taken a Nut-
cracker's nest before, he would part with only three of them, on
which, however, he set no veiy great value, as he asked but five
francs for the lot. One of these I unfortunately smashed a few days
afterwards, the other two I still possess. They measure 1 '27 inch
in length, '9 inch in breadth, and are of a dun colour, without the
greenish hue of the Magpie's, and are thickly covered at the
larger end with large brown blotches, which become very sparse

VOL. II. N

170 Rev. H. B, Tristram on the Eggs of the Nutcracker, 6^c.

towards the middle of the egg. I certainly never saw any variety
of the eggs of the Common Magpie which would pass for them; and
when I take into consideration that the Nutcracker is a common
bird in the pine-forests of Sixt, for I have never spent a day
there without seeing it several times — that it also does breed there,
for I have seen the young birds scarcely able to fly among the
trees — that Balmat was perfectly familiar with the Nutcracker,
and had no temptation to deceive, since he was evidently igno-
rant of the rarity of the egg, as may be gathered from the price
he asked — that neither the Magpie nor the Jay is found, so far
as I am aware, in those forests — and that my specimens exactly
coincide with authentic German eggs, — I do not think that I am
justly amenable to the criticism of your reviewer if I claim
authenticity for these specimens. The evidence does certainly
appear to me the next best to that of actual capture by oneself.
Human testimony is fallible; but if admissible at all, as Mr.
Wolley admitted it in the case of the Smew, I think it may pass
here.

As to Loxia piti/opsittacus, Mr. Wainwright has sent home
from the southern forests of Sweden the nests and eggs of
several pairs of Parrot Crossbills, with the head of the hen-bird
attached to each. One of these nests, through Mr. Hancock's
kindness, is now in my possession. The nest does not differ,
except in size, from that of the Common Crossbill ; but the eggs,
while similarly marked, are invariably larger. Mr. Hancock in
1858 received a nest which, from the size of the eggs, he sus-
pected must belong to this bird, and consequently sent direc-
tions to have the birds snared in the nests, and forwarded to
him, carefully attached. Both species appear to breed at the
same early period, and the four nests of the Parrot Crossbill
thus identified arrived along with a greater number of those of
the common bird.

Mr. Wainwright has also corroborated Herr Badeker's account
of the Green Sandpiper's sometimes breeding in old Fieldfares'
nests in trees, as he has forwarded eggs, now in my possession,
taken by him in trees, which exactly correspond with those taken
by myself near Bodoe in 1852 in hillocks of grass, and figured
by Mr. Hewitson in his last edition. Mr. AVainwright does not

Mr. J. H. Giiruey on the Eggs of the Eared Vulture, <Sj"c. 171

appear to have found it breeding at all on the ground. Probably
its habits in this respect ai*e determined by the locality.

While on the subject of the Review in No. 4, I may remark
that I cannot condemn Herr Badeker for inaccuracy in extending
the range of the Common Kingfisher to Africa. I have re-
peatedly seen and shot it in Northern Africa, and, unless I am
strangely mistaken, have also watched it in the Island of Rhodes.

XXI. — Note on the Eggs of the Eared Vulture and the TVedge-
tailed Eagle. By John Henry Gurney, M.P., F.Z.S.

A SPECIMEN of the Eared Vulture {Vultur auricularis, Daudin),
formerly in the Surrey Zoological Gardens, and now in my pos-
session, laid an egg on the 15th February, 1859, which is cor-
rectly figured in Dr. Bree's work on European Birds, from a
drawing made by Mr. Reeve of the Norwich Museum. On the
23rd Febioiary in the present year, the same bird laid a second
egg, differing from the first only in being slightly more elongated,
and in the rufous colouring on the obtuse end of the egg being
considerably more intense. In the bird which laid these eggs,
the fleshy folds on the side of the neck (from which this Vulture
derives its specific name) are amply developed, proving that these
appendages ai'e not limited to the male sex.

I have also in my possession a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles
of Australia [Aquila audax, Lath.), which were formerly in the
menagerie at Knowsley. The female of these laid an egg on
the 28th February of the present year. The distribution of the
rufous spots on this egg presented an intermediate appearance
between the two specimens figured in the Zoological Society's
Proceedings for 1850 (Aves, pi. 19. p. 91). As the female
bird appeared desirous of incubating the egg, she was allowed
to retain possession of it till the third day, when it was found
to have been broken, — but how, I am unable to say.

N 2

172 Memoir uf the late John WoUey.

XXII. — Memoir of the late John Wolley.

The memory of the Naturalist whose death makes the first
gap in the small society of the promoters of ' The Ibis/ while
it inflicts on science in general a serious loss, deserves more than
a passing notice in these pages, and the writer of this Memoir,
who was closely intimate v/ith John Wolley during his latter
years, deems it a duty, at once melancholy and pleasurable in no
ordinary degree, to place on record the few bare facts of his
brief career.

Sprung from a Derbyshire family of fair repute and antiquity,
the deceased naturalist was born at Matlock, May 13th, 1824,
being the eldest son of the Rev. John Hurt and Mary his wife,
eldest daughter of Adam Wolley, Esq., of Matlock, a gentleman
well known as a local historian and the donor of a valuable col-
lection of manuscripts, still called after him, to the British
Museum. At the decease of his father-in-law, in 1827, Mr.
Hurt assumed the name and arms of Wolley *.

At an early age John Wolley was sent to Mr. Fletcher's pre-
paratory school at Southwell, which in 1836 he quitted for Eton,
where he remained for the next six years. A love for the study
of natvire showed itself even in the days of his childhood, though
at that time plants and insects shared his attention fully as
much as the higher classes of creation, which at a later period
became mainly the objects of his study. Indeed, while at
Eton, in his own words, he was " always about the country
in all directions in pursuit of Natural History," and he assidu-
ously collected insects and eggs, while he " knew every plant
that grew about." With all this, he was one of the foremost in
every manly sport; and his recollections of having been captain
of a "long-boat" and in " the eight," while also one of the
" oppidan " eleven, and that of " the school " at foot-ball, were
always among those in which he most delighted.

In October 1842 he went to Cambridge, and entered upon

• Mr. Hurt's father married the only daughter of the celebrated Sir
Richai-d Arkwright. Further particulars relating to the families of Hurt
and Wolley will be found in Sir J. B. Burke's ' History of the Landed
Gentry.'

Memoir of the late John Wolley. 173

his residence at Trinity College. For one who had just quitted
the sixth form at Eton and did not intend to take a degree in
honours, not much reading was necessary, and with Wolley^s
tastes, it is not surprising to find that most of his time while at
the University was passed in the Cambridgeshire and Hunting-
donshire fens and woods, which then afforded a rich field for
the researches of a naturalist. In the long-vacation of 1845 he
started on a trip to the south of Spain, and after visiting Cadiz,
Seville, and Gibraltar, crossed the Straits to Tangier. Here he
unexpectedly found a keen egg-collector domiciled, at that
time known to but few naturalists in Europe, and perhaps to
none in England. Though at first only the cabinets of Wolley
himself and his immediate friends were benefited by the dis-
covery, the knowledge of Mons. Favier's readiness to oblige
other oologists soon spread, and to their general advantage. It
is true that the eggs thus rendered attainable to British col-
lectors were such as at present are no longer accounted scarce ;
but the progress of the study is marked by the fact that at that
time an experienced ornithologist like the late Mr. Yarrell con-
sidered such eggs as the Pratincole^s and Stilt's, brought home
by Wolley, as " the rarest he had ever had.'' Mr. Hewitson,
too, was thereby shortly afterwards enabled to give, for the first
time, a correct figure of the egg of the Egyptian Vulture in the
edition of his well-known work then approaching completion.

In January 1846, Wolley graduated as a B.A. and left the
University. He then went to live in London, and entered at the
Middle Temple with the intention of studying law. But more
congenial pursuits chiefly occupied his attention, and though he
kept the terms necessary for a call to the bar, the reading-room
of the British Museum was more frequently his haunt than the
chambers of the special pleader, and the design of following a
barrister's profession was subsequently abandoned. Profiting
by the opportunities he enjoyed, he at this time mostly busied
himself with studying the works of the older naturalists. The
writer has been unable to ascertain precisely at what period the
idea first occurred to Wolley's mind, but it was certainly not
later than this year (1846) that he began carefully to examine
and collate all the historical evidence relating to that extra-

1 74 Memoir of the late John Wolley.

ordinary extinct bird, the Dodo, and in pursuing the search
for authorities he was led to make a minute study of the re-
cords of ancient voyages. This he did without any knowledge
of the labours towards the same end which were then being
prosecuted by the late Mr. H. E. Strickland, for it was not until
the close of the next year that he became acquainted with that
gentleman^s design of immediately bringing out a work on the
subject. Wolley had by that time collected a considerable mass
of materials ; but directly he saw an announcement of the con-
templated publication of ' The Dodo and its Kindred,^ he at
once communicated the principal results at which he had ar-
rived to Strickland, whose admirable monograph bears no un-
willing testimony to his appreciation of the assistance thus
generously proffered and to the value of the knowledge acquired*.

In the summer of 1846, accompanied by one of his cousins,
he made a tour in Germany and Switzerland, throughout which
he neglected no opportunity of acquiring ornithological informa-
tion, while in the course of it he achieved a successful ascent of
Mont Blanc, — an exploit not then of the frequent occurrence that
it has since become.

Towards the end of the next year (1847) he repaired to Edin-
burgh and joined the medical classes at that University, where
he diligently applied himself for the next three years to the
course of study necessary for attaining a physician's degree, and
with so much success that, during his last session (1850-1), he
was elected Senior President of the Hoyal Medical Society, — the
highest mark of respect his fellow-students could bestow on
himf- The vacations, however, he devoted to what now became

* The writer begs leave to acknowledge here the kindness with which
Sir William Jardine has placed at his disposal copies of, and extracts from,
several of WoUey's letters to Strickland, written at this period. It may
be added, for the benefit of any naturalist who, at some time or other, may
tuni his attention to the matter, that Wolley was strongly of opinion that,
assiduously as Strickland had worked, the amount of information to be
yet derived from a more extended research, such as would be afforded by
several of our public and private libraries, was far from being exhausted, —
if indeed their dust did not still bury the knowledge of facts bearing on
this remarkable group of extinct organisms far more interesting than any
that had been resuscitated.

t Kindly communicated to the writer by Professor Goodsir.

Memoir of the late John Wolley. 175

his main object — the desire of forming an oological collection all
the specimens of which should be thoroughly well authenticated,
and by consequence not only really serviceable to, but worthy
of, a study pertaining to the Exact Sciences. To gain this end,
no labom* was too severe — no personal hardship too great for
him to undergo.

Accordingly, the summer of 1848 found him visiting the
northern extremity of our island, and he extended his excursion
to the Orkneys and Shetlands. This was probably more with
the intention of obtaining a personal knowledge of the localities,
to be made use of on a future occasion, than with much expecta-
tion of then adding to his collection, for the egging season was
already far advanced. The chief capture on this tour was that
of a pair of Sea Eagles, which were transmitted to the residence
of a relation at Matlock, where subsequently a mass of rocks,
perhaps in by-gone years tenanted by the other native species,
was wired over, and the plan of the cage thus formed, having
been brought to the knowledge of the late Secretary of the
Zoological Society, suggested the first idea of the fine Eagle
Aviary which now adorns the Gardens in the Regent's Park.

Profiting by the knowledge he had gained the preceding
yeai', he started early in 1849 for the North, and during a
journey throughout Caithness and Sutherlandshire, most of
which was performed on foot, devoted himself to investigating
the habits of the larger birds of prey, which, as he perceived,
the combined efforts of sheep -farmers, game-preservers, and so-
called natural -history collectors were so soon to render nearly
extinct in that district. The principal results of his experience
on this and subsequent occasions were communicated to Mr.
HewitsoD, in the last edition of whose work Wolley's observa-
tions were deservedly embodied, with the prefatory remark,
no less happy than true, that he had " become as familiar with
the king of birds as others are with Crows and Magpies.''*
Leaving the British Islands in the month of June, he visited the
Faeroes, and passed several weeks studying the ornithology of
those islands, for which his activity and fearlessness in rock-
climbing afforded him so great an advantage. An account of
the birds of this interesting group was read before the Natural

1 76 Memoir of the late John Wolley.

History Section of the British Association for the Advancement
of Science at their meeting in Edinburgh the following year,
and the paper will be found printed in full in Sir William Jar-
dine's ' Contributions to Ornithology for 1850.' k.i the next
Cambridge Commencement, Jvdy 1850, he proceeded to the
degree of M.A., and at the close of the winter session 1850-1,
he quitted Edinburgh.

After another expedition to the Highlands, in the course of
which he became acquainted with some Eagle localities in Argyll-
shire and Perthshire of remarkable interest, he again took up
his abode in London, and continued to reside there until the
spring of 1853. During all this time he was thoroughly de-
voted to the object he had most at heart, and while by no means
unmindful of his former literary researches, in which he now
comprised much investigation relative to a species probably
nearly extinct, the Great Auk, he took especial care to extend
his acquaintance among other naturalists, with whom his pecu-
liarly quiet manner and unassuming demeanour speedily ren-
dered him deservedly popular *.

At length, in the spring of 1853, Wolley was enabled to put in
execution a plan the idea of which had for several years haunted
him, and to make an excursion of far greater extent than any he
had hitherto accomplished. Not only had he from his boyhood
rejoiced in the thought of one day visiting the land of Gyrfalcons
and Capercaillies, Bears and Wolves, but, of late, the very un-
satisfactory nature of our knowledge respecting the nidification of
various birds, among which were some of our commonest winter
visitants, had been constantly present to his mind. English
oologists had more than twenty years before visited Iceland
and the coast-region of Norway, making discoveries of remark-
able interest ; it was therefore but reasonable to suppose that
some sort of similar success would attend investigations carried
on in still more northern latitudes. The pages of Mr. Yarrell's

* The writer may perhaps be excused for mentioning here, that it was in
October 1851 that he first became personally acquainted with Mr. Wolley.
For some years previously they had carried on a pretty frequent corre-
spondence on natural-history subjects, and this now led to a closer intimacy,
resulting in a friendship which continued to the last.

Memoir of the late John Wolley. 177

work recorded the results of Mr. Dann's visit to Lapland, and
moreover an acquaintance of Wolley's had only three years
before made a tour in that country, and brought back specimens
and intelligence sufficient to excite the ardour of a moderately
keen naturalist. Then, again, there was the geographical con-
sideration that, from the very configuration of the land, the
country lying between the Arctic Ocean and a large inland sea
like the Baltic would probably be found to offer to many species
of birds peculiar advantages as a breeding station. All this
determined him upon making an expedition to the district lying
at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia. On the 23rd of April he
left Hull for Gothenbui'g, on his way to Tornea, which place he
intended to make his head-quarters. Provided with good in-
troductions, at Stockholm he obtained valuable intelligence from
Prof. Retzius and the late Herr Wahlberg, who has since so
unfortunately met his death in South Africa, and who had been
not long before on a botanical tour in Lapland. Having se-
cured the assistance of a student of the University to act as
interpreter, Wolley started off again, undeterred by the prospect
of a journey of 900 miles in a rough carriage, and at a season
of the year when, the winter-ways being broken up, and the
multitude of wide rivers still choked with rotten ice, travelling
is deemed by Swedes all but impossible. The journey was not,
howeverj without its reward. In the course of it he discovered
the Eagle Owl's nest, his graphic description of which reached
England just in time to be of use to Mr. Hewitson. At length
he arrived at Haparanda, a small frontier village opposite the
Russian town of Tornea. Northwards from this place, Finnish
is the language almost exclusively used, and it therefore became
necessary here to engage a second interpreter. This added
to the difficulties of the expedition ; for those only who have ex-
perienced it can be aware of the trouble and annoyance entailed
by the employment of a third language, especially in making
known to an ignorant population wants of which they have
hitherto had no idea, and by means of interpreters to whom they
are equally strange.

It is not within the scope of this memoir to relate at length
the different stages of Wolley's journey. It will suffice to say

178 Memoir of the late John Wolley.

that, embarking on the river Tornea, he followed its course across
the Arctic circle, until its junction at Kengis with the Muonio,
continuing along the latter stream as far as Muonioniska, — his
intention being to reach Jerisjarvi, a large lake recommended to
him at Stockholm as an advantageous locahty for his operations.
He found, however, that the more immediate neighbourhood of
Muonioniska offered greater facilities, and here accordingly he
passed the short polar summer, working incessantly, often for
more than twenty-four consecutive hours, in the vast marshes
near it, until he had completely exhausted the powers of his two
interpreters and his troop of beaters. At the end of July he re-
traced his steps, intending to return at once to England, but on
arriving at Haparanda he found letters which made him resolve
to pass the winter in Lapland, and accordingly, dismissing his
companions, and entrusting to one of them the spoils of the cam-
paign to be sent to some friends at home, he again ascended the
river and took up his quarters at Muoniovara, the house of a
trader, opposite the Russian village of Muonioniska.

During the winter he occupied himself partly in pursuit of the
scanty stock of game which the dense surrounding forests afforded,
and in unsuccessful attempts at bear-hunting, but more parti-
cularly in visiting every house within a radius of many miles,
inquiring of the inhabitants respecting the birds of the district,
and engaging their services for the ensuing spring. Meanwhile
his boxes of eggs arrived in England, and the reception by the
public of a small portion of them, submitted to sale by the late
Mr. J. C. Stevens, was very encouraging to his future labours ; —
genuine eggs of the Jack Snipe, Broad-billed Sandpiper, and
other birds it had never previously been in the power of British,
or probably of foreign collectors to procure. Towards the spring
he crossed the Kjolen mountains with reindeer into Norway,
and proceeded by sea from Tromsoe to Hammerfest, whence in a
short time he returned with the last snow to his head-quarters
by way of Kautokeino, near which place he successfully scaled
a dangerous rock for a nest of the Gyrfalcon. Arrived at Muo-
nioniska, he soon afterwards had the opportunities of taking the
eggs of the Crane, which he has so vividly described in these
pages (Ibis, 1859, p. 191), and a few days more saw him again

Memoir of the late John Wolley. 179

ascending the river to its parent lake, Kilpisjarvi, among the
mountains. No great success attended him here ; but in his
voyage back, under circumstances of which a thrilling account
was communicated to Mr. Hewitson's pages, he met with rather
better fortune, though he obtained little else than some eggs of
a species, the Scaup Duck, which were already known to col-
lectors. On his return to ]\Iuonioniska, he stayed there only
long enough to ascertain the particulars of the collections which
had accumulated for him, and was off again, this time for Eng-
land, which he reached in August. Depositing his treasui-es,
including eggs of the Shore Lark, Siberian Jay, Spotted Red-
shank, Temmiuck's Stint, and Little White-fronted Goose, with
the same friends as before, he departed in a few weeks a second
time for the North, and travelling by way of Berlin (where he
did not forget to inspect Savery's Dodo-picture) and Stettin to
Stockholm, caught the last steamer for the Bothnian Gulf,
and reached Muonioniska just before the closing of the river
navigation.

The following winter he passed much as he had the preceding
one. The breaking out of the Russian war indeed placed him
within a short distance of the enemy's territory, but fortunately
did not materially affect his movements, which, as regarded in-
cursions on the Finnish side of the frontier, were wisely over-
looked by the local authorities. Still great caution was necessary,
so as to give no possible excuse for any measures that might cir-
cumscribe his operations. In the spring of the next year, 1855,
he repeated his journey to Norway, and, leaving the Muonio and
adjoining valleys to be worked by people whom he had especially
instructed, he proceeded along the coast eastward of the North
Cape to Wadso. From this remote town he crossed the War-
anger Fjord to the outlet of the Patsjoki or Paswig river, ascend-
ing it until he reached the great Lake Enara, which had been the
locality previously assigned by too credulous collectors for many
a fabled rarity. He found its shores singularly destitute of any-
thing ornithological, but on the way there he was rewarded by
the sight of Wild Swans' nests. Returning to Wadso, he joined
Mr. W. H. Simpson and Mr. Alfred Newton, whose arrival
he had been for some weeks expecting, and in company with

180 Memoir of the late John Wolley.

those gentlemen he continued the remainder of the summer,
exploring the shores of the Waranger Fjord and lower district
of the Tana. They then proceeded by the coast to the Lyngen
Fjord, and crossed to Kilpisjarvi, at which famous lake boats
were waiting to take them to Muonioniska. After a month^s
delay here, principally enlivened by the discovery of some nests
of the Pine Grosbeak, the party returned to England by the
usual route.

The winter of 1855-6 Wolley spent at home. In the fol-
lowing spring he set out with Mr. Simpson for the Baltic, and
passed the egging season chiefly in the island of CEland and
on the adjacent coast of Sweden. Mr. Simpson's principal suc-
cess in this expedition has been already recorded by him in the
pages of this Magazine (' Ibis,' 1859, p. 264), and in his narra-
tive of it he attributes to Wolley's suggestions the chief results.
Wolley himself was rather led away from living birds to pay
attention to the barrows, stone-circles, and other relics of a
former age with which (Eland in particular abounds, and he was
at much pains to examine many of the numerous sacrificial and
burial places in that island, and to collect organic remains from
them. While thus employed, he received a pressing invitation
from Prof. Retzius to go with him to the meeting of Scan-
dinavian naturalists then about to be held at Christiania, and
accordingly repaired thither, where he read three papers : — 1st,
"On the Recrystallization of Fallen Snow;" 2nd, ''On the
Swarm of Lemmings in Lapland in 1853, the Birds that accom-
panied it, and their Mode of Breeding ; " and, 3rd, " On the
Improvement of the Breed of the Reindeer." The meeting
over, he returned to Copenhagen, and thence went to Stock-
holm, on his way to Lapland.

On his arrival at the Swedish capital, he received intelligence
of a very unexpected and almost unhoped-for discovery, made a
few weeks before by persons in his employment, — a discovery by
far the most interesting and important to ornithologists that
was destined to result from his labours. He hurried on to
Muonioniska to obtain the details, which he found to be of a
most satisfactory nature. The time may probably come when
oologists will have a difficalty in comprehending with what de-

Memoir of the late Junii Wolley. 181

light the naturalists of this generation hailed the tidings, that
the mystery with which the nidification of the Waxwing had
hitherto been enshrouded was dispelled. At Wolley's especial
request, the intelligence was communicated to but a few of his
most intimate friends at home, one of whom (the late Mr. Yar-
rell), it was his wish, should make public the news. Before,
however, the letters announcing the great event reached Eng-
land, that excellent gentleman had been laid in his grave, and
the discovery was accordingly first announced in a short paper
communicated by AVolley himself to the Zoological Society
of London, and read at the meeting held March 2Gth, 1857.
Soon after, the public had an opportunity of testifying their ap-
preciation of this new acquisition to oology, and the result was,
that a higher price was obtained for each of the three eggs of
the Waxwing — offered for sale at Mr. Stevens's rooms — than had
ever been known before, except in the case of those of a species
presumed to be extinct. The full particulars of the discovery
have yet to be given to the world.

The winter of 1856-7 passed with Wolley much as usual,
though, in his letters to his most constant correspondents, he
complained of being less able than formerly to withstand the
rigours of the climate. In the spring he again set out for Nor-
way ; but this time he chose another route, proceeding through
the almost unexplored country nearly due north of Muonioniska,
until he struck upon the head-waters of the Tana, and, descend-
ing that river, reached the Waranger district, which had been
partially examined by him and his friends in 1855. He was
attracted thither by the report that, some years previously, a
Swedish naturalist had there met with a breeding-place of the
Knot ; but the locality assigned was found on examination to
be a mountain covered with perpetual snow, and Wolley met
with but little to compensate him for his loss of time and labour.
When, towards the end of the season, he again returned to
INIuoniovara, he found a large number of eggs collected for him,
and, before he left for England, he had the additional gratifica-
tion of receiving, from a remote district in Finland, some eggs
of the Smew, the first known to have been obtained by any
naturalist. An account of this, the last great oological discovery

182 Memoir of in° late John Wolley.

he was enabled to make, he contributed to this Magazine {' Ibis,'
1859, p. 69), and it detracts nothing from the value of the other
articles to say that his paper is certainly the most interesting
which appeared in the first Number of ' The Ibis/

He remained in England during the winter of 1857-8, and
began diligently working up the subject which he had long been
considering, and then took seriously in hand — the natural his-
tory of the Great Auk. With the view of seeking information at
the fountain-head, and, if possible, of solving the moot point of
the bird's present existence, in April 1858 he sailed for Iceland,
accompanied by Mr. Alfred Newton. After passing some weeks
at Reykjavik, the capital of that island, they repaired to the vil-
lage of Kirkjuvogr, being the nearest settlement to the Fuglasker
off Cape Reykjanes, where examples of this bird were last seen.
Here they remained two months, in vain waiting for weather
when a landing on these distant and dangerous rocks would be
practicable. The country around possessed but few attractions
for the ornithologist ; but Wolley was indefatigable in seeking
for information from the mouths of persons who had formerly
visited the Skerries, and was successful in procuring from them
many valuable and interesting particulars relating to this bird.
A considerable number of bones of the species, found at various
places along the coast, were also collected, and these, together
with the intelligence just mentioned, were the only results of
the expedition worth recording here ; for, owing to the constantly
unsettled state of the weather, not a single opportunity pre-
sented itself when it would have been in any degx-ee possible to
reach the rocks. After a hasty trip to the celebrated Geysers,
Wolley returned to England, calling on the way home, as he
had done on his outward voyage, at the Faroes, where he not
only renewed his former acquaintance with many of the in-
habitants, but obtained further useful information respecting
the subject to which he was devoting himself.

Soon after his arrival in England, Wolley began to find his
general health, which had hitherto been exceedingly good, fail-
ing, without any apparent reason. He suffered from languor, at
times to a most painful degree, and his former energy seemed to
have departed from him. This did not, however, prevent his

Memoir of the late Jolm Wolley. 183

going to tlie meeting of the British Association held at Leeds in
September. Here he read two papers : one, " On a fresh form of
Crystallization which takes place in the Particles of Fallen Snow
under intense Cold," being the same subject on which he had
remarked two years before at Christiania, and which another
winter in the North had enabled him to study more particularly;
and a second, entitled " Observations on the Arrangement of
small Stones in certain bare Levels in Northern Localities." He
was subsequently present at the Field-meeting of the Tyneside
Naturalists' Club, held at Marsden, October 22nd, being the
last time he was to attend any scientific assembly. The distress-
ing feelings of lassitude continued at intervals throughout the
winter and following spring ; but still neither he nor those about
him were much alarmed by them. As the summer drew on, he
fancied his bodily strength in some degree restored ; but at the
same time he was aware of an occasional loss of memory, which
became now and then very apparent in his letters to his friends.
In the month of July an accidental and trifling occurrence
brought on an attack of a much more serious character, and he
then placed himself under regular medical treatment. No
improvement in his symptoms taking place, it was recommended
that further advice should be sought, and accordingly he went to
London, where the opinion of one of the highest authorities in
the profession — himself since removed by death — was taken. Dr.
Todd (for he was the physician consulted) at once declared that
the case was one in which no hope of recovery could be enter-
tained, that there was an aff"ection of the brain, probably of long
standing, and that a speedy change would take place. These
fatal words were fulfilled to the letter ; not many days passed
before Wolley experienced another violent attack, from which
he only once, and for a short time, rallied. He then seemed
quite aware of his approaching end, and expressed his wishes
respecting the place of his burial and the disposal of his
oological collection. On the 20th of November 1859, after
having for some hours lapsed into a state of complete uncon-
sciousness, he expired without suflFering.

His last wishes have been faithfully carried out. In accord-
ance with them, his remains were interred in the churchyard at

1 84 Memoir uf the lute Jolm Wolley.

Matlock — his birth-place — and his vast collection of eggs has
been handed over to Mr. Alfred Newton, whose intention it is
to publish a full catalogue of the treasures it contains, as a
fitting memorial of him who formed it. Wolley had been for
some time in the habit of sending yearly to the Museum at
Norwich most of the skins of the birds obtained by himself or
his agents in Lapland. Since his decease, his father has hand-
somely presented to the same deserving institution the remaining
portion of the collection, where it will be known as the " Wolley
Donation,'' and where it must always form an object of no
common interest to naturalists, particularly to those engaged in
the special study of the local variation of species, as well as to
those who, through Wolley 's generosity, or his annual sales *,
have become possessed of duplicates of his eggs, many of which
are thereby thoroughly identified. It has been, and always will
be, a matter of regret, that his active mode of life and his pre-
mature death prevented his giving to the world the connected
account of his discoveries, which he had meditated. But it is
hoped that the copious notes which he was so careful to make
on almost every occasion will enable their present possessor to
remedy this deficiency in some degree, in the catalogue which
he contemplates publishing. Wolley had, however, already
made known many valuable results of his experience, which will
be found chiefly in the pages of ' The Zoologist,' and in the last
edition of his friend Mr. Hewitson's admirable work on Oology.
To describe John Wollev's character at any length is not
the intention of the writer. He has attempted, without the
desire of unduly exalting the value of Natural Science, to give
in outline the chief events of a life which, if the study of God's
creatures deserves any encouragement, cannot be said to have
been uselessly spent ; and if unswerving devotion to the cause

* The amount realized at these sales has been greatly exaggerated by
rumour, especially on the Continent. The writer has the best possible
authority for stating that the gross receipts of the seven sales which took
place between 1853 and 1859 inclusive, did not exceed <iC940. From
this must be deducted all expenses, the amount of which is not easily
computed ; but some idea of their extent may be gathered from the fact
that, in one season alone, collecting the eggs of a single species cost Wolley
nearly ^^90.

Recent Ornithological Publications. 185

of Truth merits iuiy praise, must be declared to have been
honourably passed. The f'aets here narrated are left to speak
for themselves; on them must Wolley's reputation rest. It
would add little to them to. state that in the various capacities of
relative, friend, and companion, there was little wanting in him,
for such enconuums are too often applied without due cause.
His good qualities are treasured in the recollection of those who
knew him, and especially of one to whom he gave the last token
of his esteem, and who, having endeavoured (how imperfectly
no one knows better than himself) to discharge a duty owing
to the memory of a deeply lamented comrade, cannot conclude
this sketch without an e\'j)rcssion of gratitude at having been per-
mitted to share so largely the intimacy of such an upright man.
March 18(50.

XXIII. — liecent Ornithological Publications.
1. English 1*ublications.
The concluding part of the Zoological Society's 'Proceedings'
for the past year was issued in February last, and contains, as
usual, a large number of Ornithological papers, by Messrs.
Bartlett, Gould, F. Moore, Sclater, and J. Verreaux, for details
of which we refer our readers to the book itself. The illustra-
tions of this part have not yet been issu(;d, owing to the press-
ure of business upon the artists employed to execute them.

By the kind favour of the author, Mr. G. R.Gray,wc have received
an early copy of the 'Catalogue of the Birds of the Tropical Islands
of the Pacific Ocean in the Collection of the British Museum.'
The object of this list, as we learn from the preface, " has been,
to give a complete catalogue of the species of birds (under their
respective specific names with their synonyms) found on the
numerous islands of the Pacific Ocean which are situated within
the tropics, between the longitudes of 134^E. and 130° W."

" Latham, in his ' General Synopsis,' was the first author who
described the different species of birds of the numerous tropical
islands, specimens of which were obtained or were represented
in the many drawings made by Sydney Parkinson, the Forsters,

VOL. II. O

186 Recent Ornithological Publications.

and Ellis during the three voyages undertaken by the great
circumnavigator Cook. To them are added those recorded in the
Zoological portion of the different foreign voyages of discovery,
as well as others which have been procured by the more modern
collectors."

The Catalogue is certainly a most useful book of reference
for Ornithologists, and must have cost much time and labour
in its compilation.

The number of species enumerated as found within the area
above mentioned appears to be nearly as follows : —

lu B. M. Not

1. Accipitres 2 12

11. Passeres 63

III. Scansores 12

IV. Columbffi 24

V. Gallinffi 2

VI. Cursores 1

VII. Grail* 11

VIII. Anseres 6

121 216 337

It must be remarked, however, that " specimens of some of
the species" noted as not in the British Museum from these
islands are there from other localities ; also that some of the
names included in the list are probably synonyms of others,
such as " Tatare longirostris (?)," which we have already shown to
be = Tatare otaitiensis (Ibis, 1859, p. 327). Some others are
probably due to errors in locality. It would have been a good
plan to have given the name of the authority after each locality.
This, however, can be generally obtained from the accompanying
synonyms.

in B. M.
12

Total.
... 14

80

20

... 143
... 32

35

... 59

9

4

0

1

25

... 36

42

... 43

Besides the " Narrative of a Visit to the Island of Formosa,**
mentioned in our last Number (p. 89), the second part of the
' Journal of the North-China Branch of the Royal Asiatic So-
ciety ' (Shanghai, May 1859) contains a second paper by Mr.
Swinhoe, entitled " Notes on some new Species of Birds found
on the Island of Formosa." The following species are described :
Calamanthella tintinnabulans, C, volitans, Prinia striata, Hydro-

Recent Ornithological Publications. 187

bata marila, Gairulax taewanus, Pomatorhinus musicus, and Cen-
tropus dimidiatus. Calamanthella is a form of the Warblei-s
{MalurincE) allied to Prima and Calamanthus, subsequently (Ibis,
1860, p. 51) united by Mr. Swinhoe to Cisticola. The For-
mosan Dipper {Hydrobata marila) is likely to be the same as the
Japanese bird Cinclus pallasi, but requires comparison.

Mr. Blyth's report of the additions made to the Museum of
the Asiatic Society of Bengal for September 1859 (Journ. As.
Soc. Beng. xxix. p. 411) gives an account of an interesting col-
lection forwarded by Major S. R. Tickell from Moulmein, ob-
tained in the interior of the Tenasserim provinces. We notice
in particular Buceros tickellii, Blyth ; Picus atratus, Blyth ; Sibia
melanoleuca, n. sp. ; Ixulics striatus, n. sp. ; Abrornis super ciliar is,
n. sp.; Pellornium tickellii, n. sp. ; Turdinus guttatus, n. sp. ; Tro-
picoperdix chloropus, n. g. and sp., and specimens of Podica per-
sonata, G. R. Gray. Various Himalayan, and more especially
S.E. Himalayan species, form part of the collection, as already
noticed (Ibis, 1859, p. 466). Besides Palceornis erythrogenys,
Mr. Blyth has also received the following additional species from
the Andamans: Palceornis alexandri. To dirhamjihus collar is, Gi'a-
cula intermedia, and Anous stolidus, and a new Woodpecker,
Picus andamensis.

Mr. Blyth says, " The Garganey and Pintail are the two com-
monest species of Ducks in Lower Bengal during the cold season ;
at least they are brought in by far the greatest numbers to our
provision-bazaars, and are pre-eminently the ' Wild-duck' and
* Teal' of our tables. Our most common Pochard is the White-
eye {Fuligula nyroca). The Gadwall, Shoveller, Wigeon, and
true Teal are tolerably common, as also the Red-crested, the
Tufted, and the Dun Pochards : the Shieldrake is not rare ; but
the Mallard I have never seen yet, though assured that it has
been shot so near as Ranigany. Casarca rutila is common.''

2. French Publications.
The second and third part of M. Malherbe's work upon the
Picida have been issued. We cannot agree with the author in
arranging the East Indian Hemilophus validus with the American

o2

188 Recent Ornithological Publications.

Dryocopi or Campephili. The bird figured and described as " Me-
gapicus sclateri, <? ," is a female, as is shown by the receipt of
further specimens from Mr. Fraser. The male has the front
and sides of the face red. (See P.Z.S. 1860, p. 71.)

To the ' Arcana Naturae/ a work intended to illustrate new
and remarkable natural objects, now in course of publication at
Paris, M. Jules Verreaux contributes a figure and description
of a beautiful new Ortyx — Cyrtonyx sallm (vol. i. pi. 4), allied
to C massena, from Mexico.

In the ' Revue et Magasin de Zoologie ' for November last are
two Oological articles. M. Moquin-Tandon writes general " Con-
siderations sur les (Eufs des Oiseaux." Amongst those species
the eggs of which are of a size disproportionate to those of
the parent, M. Moquin-Tandon might well have mentioned the
Apteryx. In this bird the egg equals in weight nearly one-fourth
of that of the parent (see P.Z.S. 1859, p. 350). M. 0. Des
Murs, in speaking of the egg of the Balaniceps, reprints the
notes published by M. Verreaux in the ' Edinburgh New Phi-
losophical Journal' for 1855. In this we think M. Des Murs
has acted unwisely; for, as we have already shown (Ibis, 1859,
p. 471), there is every reason to believe that M. Verreaux's cor-
respondent was altogether in error on the subject. If the state-
ments of Mr. Petherick, who procured the eggs upon which
M. Des Murs bases his observations, are correct, which we have
no doubt is the case, the Balceniceps does not eat tortoises, but
fishes ! — builds on the ground in the reeds, and not in trees ! —
and certainly does not lay spotted eggs, as M. Des Murs himself
candidly allows !

The same Magazine for January of this year contains a con-
tinuation of M. Moquin-Tandon' s article, and an attempt on the
part of M. Des Murs to prove, upon oological grounds, that our
Common Sparrow does not belong to the Finches {Fringillida},
but to the Weaver-birds [Ploceida) ! We merely remark that
Passer does not present the first short primary, the distinguish-
ing character of the latter family upon which Prince Bonaparte
based the separation of the two groups.

Recent Ornithological Publications. 1 89

The eleventh volume of the ' Meraoires de la Societe Lin-
neenne de Normandie' (1859) contains a note by M. Eudes-
Deslongchamps on the singular Pigeon of the Marquesas Islands,
described by the late Prince Charles Bonaparte as Serresius ga-
leatus (Compt. Rend. xli. p. 6). The peculiarities of the skeleton
are chiefly spoken of.

3. German, Dutch, and Scandinavian Works.
Dr. Hartlaub's " Bericht xiber die Leistungen in der Natur-
geschichte der Vogel wahrend des Jahres 1858" (Report on the
Progress of Ornithology during the year 1858) will be read with
pleasure by every one who takes an interest in this branch of
Zoology. It appears in the well-known German Natural History
Magazine called ' Wiegmann's Archiv fiir Naturgeschichte,' now
edited by Professor Troschel.

We have not yet met with Grassner's ' Die Vogel Deutschlands
und die Eier.' It appears to be a new and revised edition of
Neumann and Buhle^s ' Eier der Vogel Deutschlands.' Two parts
were published at Halle in 1859.

We have received the fifth part of Professor Badeker's ' Eier
der Europaischer Vogel,' of which work we have already given a
lengthened notice (Ibis, 1859, p. 400).

A new number of the ' Contributions to Zoology' of the Royal
Zoological Society of Amsterdam * contains two Ornithological
papers by Professor Schlegel of Leyden, which, it is perhaps
almost unnecessary to say, are, like all the results of his in-
vestigations in Natural History, of great value. The first is
a " Notice sur le genre Corvus," of which Prof. Schlegel is
acquainted with 33 species, as follows : —

I. Rostro maxime elevato, Corvultures.
1. crassirostris, ex Ahyssimsi. \ 2. cq/"er, ex Afr. Merid.

* Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde uitgegeven door het Koningligk Zoologisch
Genootschap Natura Artis Magistra, te Amsterdam.

190

Recent Ornithological Puhlicaiioits.

II. Melanoleuci, Cornices.

3. scapulatus, ex Afr. I 6- comix, ex Europ. et Asia Bor.

4. pect oralis, ex imp. Sinensi. 7- splendens, ex Ind. Peuins.

5. advena, ex Celebes. '

III. CORACES.

corax, ex Eur., As. Bor., et

America Sept.
japonensis, ex Japon.
culminatus, ex Penins. Ind.
corone, ex Europa.
coronoides, ex Austral.

13. umbrinus, ex Afr. Bor.

14. macrorhynchus, ex Java, Bor-

neo, et Timor.

15. orru, ex Nov. Guin.

16. brevipennis, ex ins. Philipp.

17. senex, ex Nov. Guin.

IV. Jffines C. americano.

18. americanus, ex Am, Bor.

19. solitarius, ex ins. Haiti.

20. mexicanus, ex Mex.

V. Frugilegi.

21. frugilegus, ex Eur. et As. Bor.

22. capensis, ex Afr. Merid.

23. minor, ex Arabia et Nubia.

24. validissimus, ex Gilolo.

25. validus, ex Sumatra, Borneo,

et Timor.

26. enca, ex Java.

27. violaceus, ex Ceram.

VI. Ossifragi.

28. ossifragus, ex Am. Bor.

29. leucognaphalus, ex ins. Haiti.

30. affinis, ex Abyss.

VII. MONEDUL/E.

31. monedula, ex Eur., As. Bor., et Afr. Bor.

32. dauricus, ex Asia Orient.

33. neglectus, ex Japon.

The paper is illustrated by twenty-eight drawings of the heads
of different Corvi, which will be of great assistance in deter-
mining the species, and by figures of Corvus advena and Corvus
senex. Of the former Mr. Wallace has forwarded many examples
from Celebes (Macassar), which settles the question of its locality
(unknown to Prof. Schlegel). It is not, however, quite un-
described, being the Gazzola typica (!) of Bonaparte, of which
we have already spoken in these pages (Ibis, 1859, p. 113).
Prof. Schlegel does not appear to be acquainted with Prof.
Baird^s * Report on N. American Ornithology.' There are cer-
tainly more Corvi in America than those contained in Prof.
Schlegel's list. Whatever we may think of the American Ravens

Recent Ornithological Publications. 191

C. cacalotl and C cai-nivorv^, there can be no question that the
Corvus nobilis of Gould, C. cryptoleucus of Couch, and C. ja-
maicensis are good species.

The second paper of Prof. Schlegel is on the Corvus pyrrho-
pterus, discovered by Forst'eu in Gilolo, and the type of Bona-
parte's genus Lycocorax. It is accompanied by a figure. In
this case we think that Bonaparte's generic name should be
used. The bird is no Pica (!), but allied to Barita and that
group. Mr. Wallace has lately forwarded several examples of
it from Batchian.

The third volume of the ' Acta Societatis Indo-Neerlandicse '
(Batavia, 1857), which we have only lately seen, contains an
article by Dr. H. A. Bernstein " Over de zoogenoemde eetbare
Vogelnesten en den Nestbouw van eenige andere javasche
Vogels." This appears to have been the origin of the paper in
Cabanis' Journal alluded to antea, p. 94. The same volume also
contains " Contributions to the knowledge of the Hornbills of
Sumatra" by H. von Rosenberg. In addition to the nine species
enumerated in the * Verhandelingen ' as found in Sumatra, the
author has met with Buceros plicatus and B, cori-ugatus. He ob-
serves also that the B. gracilis of Temminck is the young of
the latter species.

From Sweden we have a ' Comparative List of the Birds of
Scandinavia and Great Britain *,* printed in English and
Swedish, very convenient for the numerous English travellers
who now visit Norway.

In the ' Ofversight af Kongl. Vetenskaps-Akademiens For-
handlingar ' for 1858, Herr Conservator W. Meves has given an
account of a zoological tour in Lappmark, which contains
many notes on birds, and will be intei'esting to such as un-
derstand Swedish. In the same volume will be found some
remarks by C. G. Lowenhjelm on Sylvia tithys and Emberiza
lapponica.

* Cailstad, 1859, 18 pp. London: Triibner & Co.

192 Letters, Extracts from Coirespondence, Notices, 6fc.

IV. American Publications.

The only papers relating to Ornithology which have appeared
in the ' Proceedings' of the Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia since our last issue are upon the birds collected
by Mr. Xantus at Cape S. Lucas, at the southern extremity of
Lower California, by Mr. Xantus himself and Prof. Baird. The
new species are described by Mr. Xantus as Picus lucasanus, Cam-
pylorhynchus affinis, Harporhynchus cinereus, and Brachyrhamphus
hypoleucus. Prof. Baird gives a general list, enumerating forty-
two species. " The Fauna " of this region, he says, " is almost
identical with that of the Gila river, and to a certain extent with
that of the Rio Grande. It is an important fact also, that, while
these relationships are exceedingly intimate, there is almost none
to the coast-fauna of Upper California.''

XXIV. — Letta's, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, S^c.

Mr. Eraser, whom we last noticed as collecting at Babahoyo,
on the river Guayaquil, has forwarded a series of about 360 birds
obtained there during the months of July, August, and part of
September last. They are not generally in a good state of pre-
servation, having been attacked by insects, but there are many
new and interesting species amongst them, of which an account
will be given in the ' Proceedings ' of the Zoological Society. A
letter dated Babahoyo, August 28th, says : " This place is some
200 miles up the river from Guayaquil, and in the wet or summer
season is under water for many months, some four or five feet;
so you may imagine what a nasty, sickly place it is. The in-
bitants are always complaining, more or less, of fever. The
houses are of sticks, with sides of bamboos. At present people
are living on the ground-floor, but as the waters rise they ascend
their ladders and occupy the first floor. All communication
then takes place by canoe, and the cattle are driven off" to the
higher lands. A white butterfly is here in myriads, and always
seems to be going up stream."

Mr. Fraser left Guayaquil for Esmeraldas, higher up the coast,
m the beginning of October, and collected at the latter place

Letters, Extracts frutn Correspondence, Notices, &;c. 193

until the end of December. His last letters (dated Panama,
Jan. 6th & 15th) announced that he purposed leaving by the
Central American mail of the 18th of that month to join Mr.
Salvin in Guatemala.

Mr. Blyth in his last letters (dated Calcutta, Jan. 8th & 21st)
speaks of an apparently new species of Cassowary {Casuarius) in
the aviary of the Babu Rajendra MuUick of Calcutta : " It has
a yellow throat, a single yellow throat-wattle, and a long stripe
of naked yellow skin down each side of the neck. In its pre-
sent (first) plumage, it is of a much lighter colour than the
young of the Common Cassowary of the same size, two of which
are kept along with it ; and from the size of the legs, it is easy to
perceive that when full-grown it is a much smaller species."

The following extracts are from Mr. Osbert Salvin^s last
letters : —

" San Geronimo, Vera Paz,
Nov. 29th, 1859.

" The day before yesterday I arrived here from Coban, having
spent three weeks there altogether, during the whole of which
time I was kept hard at work skinning. The whole number of
skins I obtained reaches to 600, of which I prepared myself
about 400. They were all shot near the town by the boys with
their pea-shooters, and so dexterous are some of these young
rascals, that they would, in one day, sometimes, bring me as
many as fifty. I paid them at the rate of \^d. a piece, but for
larger birds, according to their size. I cannot now give you an
exact summary of the collection, but I will just run through
some of the best. In the first place, I found a man who had,
among some common things, three Cotingce amabiles, which of
course I secured. If what they tell me is true, it would appear
that this species makes a vertical migration, and is found in the
summits of the hills about Coban during the months of January,
February, and March ; the other months it spends on the 'tierra
calicntc.^ The skins 1 have just obtained are from the latter
locality. Of Huunning-birds I obtained sixteen species, one of

194 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c.

which I take to be new : it is a Petasophora ; its general colour
is brownish, and it has a gular stripe running down the throat
of faint blue and green ; the ears are blue*. 1 have also obtained
some good specimens of Lophornis helencs, which pleased me
much ; the rest are common. I enclose a comparative list of
the Humming-birds of Duenas and Coban : when I have time,
I mean to make out a similar list of the birds of the two places
as complete as I can.

" A specimen of a Penelope, which was brought to me, appears
to answer well with P. niger ; it is not at all rare in the moun-
tains. An Ortalida is also found there. A female Euphonia gouldi,
a fine specimen oi Botaurus lentiginosus, a female Gyparchus papa,
and several others which I do not know, form the best part of my
collection. One of the very commonest birds about the town is
Elainia vilissima. I also obtained three specimens of E. placens.
1 think, too, you will be rather pleased with the Mniotiltida and
Vireones; but I hardly know with what amount of satisfaction
you will receive the intelligence that I have certainly three, per-
haps foui', species of Caprimulgida. At Coban the coast-species
and those of the cold country are much mingled, and I think
that after a very careful scrutiny the number of species exclu-
sively belonging to one or the other will prove small in com-
parison. I wish you would look very carefully at a specimen
marked in my collection Trogon puella from the Pacific Coast
region. I cannot help feeling sure that it is not the same as
the bird found in the mountains of Coban, which, as I am as-
sured, is exclusively a bird of the cold region. The species of
Coban has a black ring round the eye ; Pharomacrus paradiseus
has the same ; so I am told by a man who has shot many. I
should also like to know what is the colouring of the chin and
lower parts of Pteroglossus torquatus, as I have a skin from the
Rio Polochic which I fancy is different. I have set two men to
work to collect for me in the coast-country, north of Coban,
and I have great expectations that they will work well for me.
I have made arrangements to return to Coban in January, when
1 hope to shoot some Quesals myself; the bad weather and the
quantity of work the small boys gave me to do prevented me
* It is Petasophora delphincB. — Ed.

Letters, Extracts franc Correspondence, Notices, &^c. 195

from penetrating into their localities this last visit. That I
worked hard you can imagine, when I tell you that I skinned
twenty-seven birds at a sitting. I leave shortly for Duenas,
when I shall set about arranging this collection and despatch it,
as well as the birds I have now there, which amount to some 200.
This place where I am now staying is situated at the western
end of the plain of Salami. The climate is hot, and consequently
I find some * tierra calieute ' species ; Icterus gularis is common ;
I have also Ceryle amazona, and a beautiful species of Momotus^,
of which I do not know the name. Amazilia corallirostris is
also found, and an (Edicnemus, which I have not yet been able
to shoot. It was interesting to hear some of the people at Coban
talk of Delattre's visit, and of what he did and where he went.
It seems that they have been in the habit of shooting and col-
lecting birds ever since that time. Another thing I ascertained
which will be interesting to British zoologists, viz. that Naucle-
rus furcatus breeds in the mountains about Coban, My chief
ally and collector there found a nest with young last year. Of
course, I am making every endeavour to secure the eggs next
season. He tells me I am tolerably certain to obtain them."

Comparative List of Hamming-birds of Duefias and Coban.
DuEXAs. Coban.

Petasophora thalassina. Petasophora delphinae.

Eugenes fulgens. Eugenes fulgens.

Phaethornis adolphi.
Amazilia arsinoe. Amazilia rieiFeri.

Campylopterus rufus.

„ delattrii. Campylopterus delattrii.

„ pampa.

Chlorostilbon osberti.

Cyanomyia cyanocephala. Cyanomyia cyanocephala.

Heliomaster longirostris.

Delattria viridipallens. Delattria viridipallens.

Heliopedica melanotis. Heliopedica melanotis.

Eupherusa eximia.
Myiabeillia typica. Myiabeillia typica.

Trochilus colubris. Trochilus colubris.

Selasphorus heloisae.

* This is Eumomota superciliaris. — Ed.

196 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, i^c.

DUENAS. COBAN.

Selasphorvis platycercus.

Delattria henrici.

Lamprolaema rbami.

Thaumastura henicura. Thaumastura henicura.

Thaumantias candidus.

Lophornis helenae.

" Duenas, Dec. 31st, 1859.
" My trip to Vera Paz terminated a few days ago. As yet, I
have not been able to arrange my collections, which are large,
so as to be able to say more than what I wrote to you by
last mail. I have been, and am exceedingly pleased with the
results, and have gained a vast deal of information as regards
the knowledge of the geography of the country. I fear you
will be rather staggered by the number of birds I anj sending —
some 800 ; but 1 little knew, when I first arrived at Cohan,
what powerful assistance I was going to have when I employed
the small boys and their pea-shooters to bring me birds at
a quartillo [\\d.) a piece. The skins from San Geronimo reach
100, and those I previously had here 250. Of those from the
former place, some are interesting, especially the beautiful Mot-
mot, which is common there; I also found Tryphcena duponti
and Amazilia curallirostris. The plain of Salama is, as you
will see on the map, connected by a tributary of the Rio de la
Passion with the northern coast-region of Yucatan. On the
opposite side of the southern range of hills which bound the
plain, not five leagues from Salama, at a place called Choaeas,
at about the same elevation, the watershed changes into that of
the Motagua or Rio Grande. Consequently I found, on pass-
ing from San Geronimo to this last-mentioned place, some five
or six birds I had never observed at San Geronimo, — and my
list of the birds of San Geronimo includes about 100 species.
The changes of the physical features of this country have sur-
prised and puzzled me much. The divisions seem to be these :
First, the northern and southern coasts, which include the dense
tropical forests; next come the arid plains and hills, such as
those of Zacapa and Salama, also a hot country ; next the table-
lands, which include the Altos ; and apart from these I place the

Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, S^c. 197

Alta Vera Paz, as it is called, of which Coban is the principal
town. This so differs in its contom*, soil, and productions, as
to render it sufficiently distinct from the last division, though
also a cold district. Of birds, some are especially confined to
each of these divisions, but by far the greater number are com-
mon to two or more, and many to all. They seem more di-
stinctly defined by the botanical productions ; Palms, the Cieba,
and mahogany, being characteristic trees of the coast-forests;
Mimosa and Cacti of the second division, evergreen oaks of the
table-lands, and the trees called in Coban Pimienta, Liquidam-
ber, and Palo Santo, illustrating the last.

" My present collection of snakes, lizards, frogs, &c., is not
large, but I intend sending what I have, also the few mammals
and butterflies, so that I may clear out everything this month,
ready for a fresh start, as in the beginning of February I go
again to Coban, intending to collect a little on the Motagua on
my way. At Coban I mean to shoot some Quesals, and go on,
if possible, to Cajabon ; after that, to the mines of Alotepeque
and Copan, and perhaps on to Tequicicalpa in Honduras.

" I cannot find any land-shells, though I have looked for them
frequently ; all I have in that way are some two or three species
of freshwater shells from the Lake of Dueiias.^'

Mr. Wallace's last communications are dated Amboyna, Oct.
22, 1859, whence he has sent us the valuable contributions to
our pages which we have the pleasure of inserting in our pre-
sent Number. He further says, —

" I have just packed up a large collection of Gilolo and
Ternate birds, as well as those from Menado. The former
are a much gayer lot, comprising a fine series of Pitta maxima,
a new Megapodius, I think, handsomely banded on the back,
and a Semioptera, which differs a little from the Batchian spe-
cimens in the much greater length of the breast plumes and
other details. Is the Calcenas the true nicobarica ? If so,
it is a unique case of a true land-bird ranging through the
whole Archipelago, and beyond its limits from the Andamans
to New Guinea. I do not know where Bonaparte got his in-

198 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c.

formation about its being arboreal. Here it is truly terrestrial,
perching only to rest and sleep.

" It is astonishing how little care even professed naturalists
have given to determining localities. The localities of species
given by the ' Dutch Scientific Commission ' are full of errors.
Ptilonopus monachus and P. hyogaster are given to CelebeSj
whereas they are unknown there, but are abundant in Gilolo and
Batchian ; and exactly the same ei'ror is made with Macropygia
reinwardti, which you will see in my collections, but not from
Celebes. Todiramphus funebris is also unknown in Celebes, but
common in Gilolo, so that the Dutch naturalists seem to have
placed all their species of unknown locality in Celebes, acting
as the French have done in giving to the little island of
Vanikoro hundreds of insects which were never found there.

"Among the other interesting species from Gilolo are a
Ptilonopus and a Platycercus — both, I think, new ; the beautiful
lanthcenas halmaheira, Bp., and several fine aquatic birds and
Waders.

" In a few days I commence work in Ceram, where I hope to
make a very fine collection, especially of Psittacida, the Loi'ies
of Ceram surpassing even those of New Guinea in variety and
beauty. I live in hopes too of a new Semioptera, or some equally
interesting form.

"I take every opportunity of purchasing live specimens of
Parrots from the islands I may probably not visit, and hope to
get most valuable materials for elucidating their distribution in
the East, which is in the highest degree interesting. Between
the Lorius garrulus of Gilolo and that of Batchian there is a
constant difierence in the size of the dorsal yellow patch : are
they considered distinct species ?

"The species of Ceram birds mentioned in Bonaparte^s 'Con-
spectus' are very few : how is it, then, that it has such a name
for fine birds ? I know nothing fine from it, but the Lories,
which are superb. However, I hope and believe it will produce
some very fine things — new Pigeons, perhaps. The Cassowary
is said to be abundant in Ceram, and to be the same as the New
Guinea species. The Tanysiptera are very puzzling : which is
the true T. dea, Linn. ? The Dorey and Ternate specimens seem

Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, S^c. 199

almost identical, and in G. R. Gray's list, New Guinea specimens
are put as T. dea. If so, then the larger white-tailed species
found in Amboyna and Ceram is undescribed, and is perhaps
the same as the white-tailed specimens from the Kaisa Islands,
sent with my Batchian collections*. The Carpophaga perspicil-
lata of Amboyna differs also from those of Gilolo and Batchian
in the much lighter colour of the head. Now, I believe in all
these cases, where the difference is constant, we must call them
distinct species. A 'permanent local variety' is an absurdity
and a contradiction ; and, if we once admit it, we make species
a matter of pure opinion, and shut the door to all uniformity
of nomenclature."

To the Editor of ' The Ibis:

Feb. 27, 1860.

Sir, — I wish to correct an error in my paper on Egyptian
birds (Ibis, vol. i. p. 47), where I call the only species of Shrike
I procured or saw in Egypt Lanius excubitor. I have since
shown my specimen to Mr. H. B. Tristram, who declares that it
is Lanius dealbatus, differing from his specimens from the
Algerian Sahara only in having the white of the under parts
less pure. I was unacquainted with Lanius dealbatus when I
was in Egypt six years ago, and when I wrote the paper for ' The
Ibis,' I had not my specimen by me ; hence the mistake. I am
surprised that Mr. Tristram found Pterocles arenarius and P. al-
chata so very unpalatable (Ibis, vol. ii. p. 70). This fact differs
strikingly from my experience in Egypt of Pterocles exustus
and P. senegalensis, which species we used to consider veiy good
eating, the flesh of the thigh especially being peculiarly white
and tender. However, our Dragoman was an artist of no ordi-
naiy culinary skill, which may perhaps in some degree account
for the different opinion Mr. Tristram and I have formed of the
esculent merits of the birds of the genus Pterocles.

Yours, &c.,
E. C. Taylor.

* Mr. Gray has named the Havre Dorey bird T. galatea (P. Z. S. 1859,
p. 154). That from Ternate must be the true T. dea, Ternate being the
locaUty given for the Alcedo dea of the old authors. We beUeve that Mr.
Gray refers the examples from Batchian and from the Kaisa islands to dif-
ferent species both undescribed. — Ed.

200 Letter's, Extracts from Correspondence , Notices, S^c.

To the Editor of ' The Ibis.'

Sir, — I keep an ornithological eye on the south coast, and
report to you one or two incidents of 1859.

Three nests of the Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus, came
under my notice, — one in the cliiF near Seaford, and two at the
back of the Isle of Wight. Four eggs were obtained at Fresh-
water, and both Falcon and Tiercel, alas ! caught in one day.
At Culver there were two young birds and the same number of
addled eggs ; but, strange to say, in addition, a partridge's {Perdix
cinerea). I did not see this, but it was reported to me, as a fact,
by two reliable and distinct witnesses. How can we account for
this unusual circumstance ? Probably the hen partridge, being
on the point of laying, was carried oflf by the Peregrine, and
the operation was terminated, and perhaps hurried by fright, in
the situation found. It would have been curious if the Falcon
had subsequently hatched the egg, though not very likely to
happen, as she had, I suppose, done sitting at the time. Per-
haps your experience can furnish a parallel instance.

The frightful storms of the first week in November last
appear to have been, as usual, destructive to the Laridce, but
particularly to the Fork-tailed Petrels [Procellaria leachii) ;
three specimens were found at or near Seaford — one, Nov. 3rd,
by a beach-comber. I saw this in the meat ; it was in moult,
and had the new black down underneath ; its plumage was
shabby. Nov. 6th, another was captured alive; and the third,
Nov. 8th, also living, by a coast-guard ; the two first ap-
peared to have been starved, but the last was in good condition.
One was also picked up dead, Nov. 7th, at Eynesbury, near St.
Neots, Huntingdonshire. The cause of this mortality, I take
to be, the roughness of the sea, which prevents the Petrels
from feeding; and when weak from fasting they try to shift
their quarters; the wind then overpowers them, and they are
•dashed against cliflFs and rocks. Frequently the plumage of
specimens obtained in this manner is quite worn away by
attrition, as if the birds had endeavoured to rise above some
obstacle, and only succeeded after many efforts.

1 am desirous to mention that on Nov. 14th a curious hy-
brid was taken near Brighton, in the common clap-nets used

Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, &^c. 201

by bird-catchers. It was a cross between the Green Finch,
Fringilla chloris, and the Brown Linnet^ Fringilla cannabina.
This remarkable bird had the large beak, legs, claws, and thick
skull of a Green Finch, with the colours on the breast, back,
and elsewhere of the Brown Linnet, forming together, to an
ornithological eye, a most strange combination. The feathers
of this hybrid were clean and perfect, showing no marks of
confinement ; nor indeed would these birds produce a cross in
captivity.

I may take this opportunity of stating how entirely I concur
with my friend Mr. Alfred Newton in his interesting article on
Turdus musicus, when he says that British Ornithology is not
exhausted; nay, more, though I am only too thankful for such
works as have been so well written by Yarrell and others, I ven-
ture to assert that a complete History of British Birds is, like
that of our country, still a desideratum ; and the authors (for,
that the History may be anything like satisfactory, they must
be many) would have to imitate the patient observation of that
accurate naturalist, the late Mr. Wolley.

Yours, &c.,

George Dawson Rowley.

Brighton, January 16th, 1860.

Several letters and a small box of birds' skins and eggs have
been received from Mr, Edward Newton, now in the Mauritius ;
but, as yet, circumstances have prevented his turning his atten-
tion, as much as he could have wished, to the ornithology of
that island. He announces the existence of a second Tropic-
bird, in addition to the Red-tailed species {Phaeton phcenicurus)
already known to frequent the adjacent seas. Among the skins
sent home by Mr. Newton are specimens of Tinnunculus punc-
tatus, Collocalia francica, Oxynotus ferrugineus, Tchitrea horho-
nica, Zoster ops horbonica, and Z. curvirostris, Turdus ourovang (?),
Foudia madagascariensis and F. errjthi'ocephala, Estrelda astrild,
Serinus ictents, and the cosmopolitan Squatarola helvetica ! Of
Collocalia francica he has likewise transmitted specimens of the
sternum and trachea, which fully confirm the justice of the
opinion in accordance with which that genus has lately been

VOL. II. P

202 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c.

classed among the Cypselida rather than the HirundinidcB*.
We forbear^ at present, to quote any of Mr. Newton's notes
respecting these birds, in the hope that before many months
are passed he will be able to furnish a more complete account
of their habits.

Mr. W. H. Simpson's last letters from Greece, dated ^tolia,
Feb. 29th, announce the taking of a nest of Bonelli's Eagle
[Aquila bonellii) and of some eggs of Pelicanus crispus, concerning
which he promises further particulars. Mr. Simpson hopes to
be able to pass the spring in the Dobrudscha, which is said to
offer an excellent and almost unexplored field for the naturalist.

The Zoological Society of London have just received in their
Gardens in the Regent's Park two living examples of the cele-
brated Shoe-bird or Whale-headed Stork [Balceniceps rex) . These
birds were reared by Mr. John Petherick, H.B.M. Consul for
the Sudan at Khartoum, from eggs obtained on the Bahr el
Gazal and hatched under hens of the domestic fowl. One of
them is a strong bird, and likely to do well ; the other (a younger
specimen) is, we fear, rather weakly. Two examples of the splendid
Stork, Mycteria ephippiorhyncha, as well as other individuals of
the genus Balceniceps were lost during the long journey from
Khartoum to London.

Mr. S. Stevens of 24 Bloomsbury Street, has at present on
sale a series of birds collected at Smyrna and its vicinity by
M. J. G. von Gonzenbach, amongst which are fine examples of
Gypa'etus barbatus, Buteo leucurus, Accipiter sphenurus, Siita
syriaca, Garrulus melanocephalus , and other interesting species.

With reference to the notes on Buteo erythronotus (p. 26) in
our last Number, Mr. J. H. Gurney has called our attention to
the fact that, according to the testimony of d'Orbigny, the
" deep-red back " there spoken of as " characteristic of the
adult " is assumed by the female only of this bird.

* See ' Ibis,' 1859, p. 458.

THE IBIS.

No. VIT. JULY 1860.

XXY. — On Birds collected in the Colony of Natal, in South-
Eastern Africa. By John Henry Gurney, M.P., F.Z.S.

Having received from Mr. Thomas Ayres, of D'Urbaiij Natal,
some additional specimens of birds from that locality, together
with some further notes, T beg leave to communicate, for inser-
tion in ' The Ibis,' the following list of species, with notices by
Mr. Ayres, and with a few comments of my own, the latter
being distinguished by brackets and initials. I begin with
some additional remarks on species included in my former list
{'Ihh; vol. i. p. 234).

Sagittarius secretarius. Scop. Secretary Bird.

The stomach of the specimen sent contained lizards, locusts,
small snakes, and a full-grown R,ed-breasted Lark. These birds
well know how to use their long legs ; they stalk along at a great
pace. A terrier- dog which was with me at the time I shot this
specimen gave chase to it ; but the bird would run two or three
hundred yards before it would trouble itself to rise, when it flew
a short distance, and then ran on in front of the dog as before.
Up-hill appears to make no difference in the speed of these
birds.

CircaIctus THORACicus, Cuv. Black-brcastcd Harrier-Eagle.

The stomach of the specimen sent contained the remains of
lizards, and of a poisonous snake, which could not have been less
than 7 or 8 feet in length.

This snake is called by the CafFres " Armarmba/i." A favourite

VOL. II. X Q

20i Mr. J. H. Gurney's List of a Collection of Birds

dog of ours, bitten last year by a snake of this species, died from
the effects of the poison in less than an hour.

Pernis apivorus, Linn. European Honey Pern.
The specimen sent is (like that in the previous collection) an
adult male ; the stomach contained wasps and crickets.

BuTEG JACKAL, Daud. Jackal Buzzard.
The stomach of the specimen sent contained the remains of
frogs.

AcciPiTER TACHiRO, Daud. Tachiro Hawk.

The stomach of the specimen sent contained brown crickets.

AcciPiTER ExiLis, Temm. Red-bellied Hawk.
The stomach of the specimen sent contained the remains of
small birds.

Circus ranivorus, Daud. South-African Hai'rier.

The stomachs of the two specimens sent were filled with field-
mice.

The flight of these specimens was heavy, and they alighted
often ; but at other times I have seen birds of this species on
the wing for a great length of time, hunting backwards and
forwards over a certain piece of ground, or a hill-side.

Caprimulgus natalensis, Smith. Natal Goatsucker.

The stomach of the specimen sent was full of large and hard
beetles, swallowed whole. These birds roost on the ground
amongst the grass ; if disturbed, they fly a short distance and
alight again ; they feed only at night, and are fond of frequent-
ing roads, or any other bare ground ; they rise from the ground,
and catch any beetle or insect that passes, immediately alighting
again.

The flight of this Goatsucker is noiseless ; its note is extremely
liquid and mellow ; it builds its nest in the grass, and lays two
white eggs.

Halcyon euscicapilla, Lafr. Brown-hooded Kingfisher.

Male. Eye dark brown ; bill crimson, black towards the tip ;
legs dark red. In its crop beetles and grasshoppers.

These birds frequent the bush, generally perching on some dead
or bare bough, not far from the ground ; they do not take their

from the colomj of Natal, in SouiJi-eastern Africa. 205

prey on the wing, but take it from the ground ; they have a
loud chattering note, somewhat similar to the " Laughing
Jackass " {Dacelo gigas) of South Australia, but do not laugh in
the same ludicrous manner; they have a dipping flight, seldom
flying far at once.

Indicator minor, Stephens. Least Honey-Guide.

The stomach of the specimens sent was full of caterpillars.
These birds have a long dipping flight, somewhat similar to the
Emerald and Golden Cuckoos. One of them occasionally comes
and perches close to our beehives, and takes the bees as they
fly out and return home.

Ardea cinerea, Linn. Common British Heron.

Stomach of specimen sent contained an eel. These birds are
generally in pairs ; they are exceedingly shy ; they often feed
with the White Herons, and alight on trees.

Herodias flavirostris, Temm. African Yellow-billed White
Heron.

Male and female. Eye, bill, and skin round the eye light
yellow ; legs, feet, and extreme tip of the upper mandible black.

The stomachs of these birds were crammed full of shrimps
and small fishes.

These Herons are gregarious, frequenting the bays along the
coast ; they feed at low tide amongst the mud and shallow water,
stalking gently along. When they see their prey, they stop sud-
denly, and make a dead point at it, exactly like a pointer dog at
a partridge ; remaining motionless for a few seconds, then gradu-
ally drawing nearer, they dart their long necks suddenly into the
water, and almost invariably catch the unlucky fish. At high
water, or if disturbed, and at night, they always perch on the
upper boughs of the Mangroves, and other trees that fringe the
bay, never roosting on the ground. Their flight is heavy, as is
the flight of all the Herons that I know.

Ardetta mixuta, Linn. European Little Bittern.
Male. Stomach contained caterpillars and a quantity of frog-
bones.

Q 2

206 Mr. J. H. Gurney's List of a Collection of Birds

PoDiCA PETERSii, Hartlaub. Peters's Finfoot. Male and
female.

In the 7nale, the eye light reddish-brown ; legs and feet bright
red ; upper mandible black, with red margins ; under mandible
red, with black margins. In the stomach frog-bones, and a
quantity of bright transparent quartz-pebbles.

In the female, eye whitish-brown ; legs bright red. In the
stomach fish-bones and a few insects.

Both these birds were caught in traps set for Otters. They
have the power of making an extraordinary noise, like the
growling of a wild beast, which they do by drawing the air into
their bodies and forcing it gradually from their throats. Both
of these birds made this strange noise when taken from the
traps, fighting at the same time with all their might. I have
never seen two of these birds together.

[The female bird in this species is nearly one-third smaller
than the male. Judging from the specimens which Mr. Ayres
has now sent, I am disposed to think that it is only the male
bird which assumes the dark lead-colom' on the throat when in
breeding-plumage. — J. H. G.]

The following are additional species, which I have numbered
continuously with the previous list. In this, as in the former
catalogue, a few species from other Natal collections have been
included, for the sake of completing, as far as possible, particular
groups.

65. Gyps ruppelli, Bp. Uiippell's Griffon-Vulture.

Male and female. Eye nearly black; the colour of the skin
of the neck of the male bird was greenish- white, that of the
female black ; bill, feet, and tarsi, also the skin over the eye, and
round the base of the bill, black.

The first of these birds that we shot, we took to be an imma-
ture bird of Gyps fulvus ; but a short time after, a flight of about
thirty of them appeared and devoured an ox that had died close
by. We managed to shoot three of them, two of which we now
send ; we then, of course, saw they were a difterent species.
Gyps fulvus nearly always settles on the ground at some little
distance from the beast off which they intend to make a meal ;

from the culomj of Natal, in South-eastern Africa. 207

but it appears to me that Gyps riippelli prefers alighting on trees,
if there are any near. In other respects these Vultures resemble
Gyps fulvus in their habits, but I have not lieard them make the
unearthly noises over their food that Gyps fulvus does.

[With reference to the very dark colour of the eye in the spe-
cimens of Gyps riippelli obtained by Mr. Ayres, it may be re-
marked that the colour of the irides in this species appears (ac-
cording to the report of different observers) to be subject to con-
siderable variation. Dr. Riippell describes them as " white inter-
mixed with serpentine fibre-like lines of brown ;" Dr. Brehm as
" silvery-grey,^^ and Dr. Vierthaler as " yellowish-brown." Pro-
bably these variations may partly result from differences in age.
The specimens sent by Mr. Ayres, I should suppose, from their
plumage, to be birds of the second or third year. — J. H. G.]

66. Falco biarmicus, Temm. Latakoo Falcon.

Male, adult. Eye lightish brown ; legs and skin round the
eye bright yellow ; cere and base of the bill bright yellow ; centre
of the bill slate-colour ; tip black.

This bird is very rare here. It is exceedingly quick on the
wing when in chase. The specimen sent descended from a great
height, with a succession of rapid twists, but happened to come
within shot before it reached the small birds which it was at
the time pursuing.

Some time back two of these birds attacked a cat, which was
hunting for rats on a bare field not far from the house, and fairly
drove her away from their domain ; the cat was obliged to stop
every now and then to defend herself.

67. Nectarinia natalensis, Jardine. Natal Sun-bird.
Feeds principally on the nectar of flowers ; will also eat the

softer kinds of insects ; generally hangs its nest on the outer-
most twigs of trees, at no great height from the earth, and very
frequently over water.

68. Nectarinia af ra, Linn. Greater Double-collared Sun-
bird.

Habits and food much the same as those of N. natalensis.

69. Nectarinia amethystina, Shaw. Amethystine Sun-
bird.

208 Mr. J. II. Gurney's List of a Collection of Birds

Habits and food the same as N. natalensis, but does not hang-
its nest over water.

70. Nectahinia collaris, Vieillot. Little Blue-banded
Sun-bird.

These little birds are, I think, rather more insectivorous than
the last three species, as I notice they climb about the creepers
and thick foliage a good deal, hunting under the leaves and into
buds for small insects ; but they take the nectar from flowers in
an equal degree. They build a pendulous nest, generally in some
thick bush, hanging it from the leaves and outermost twigs.
They are very fond of building in orange-trees, and others of
equally dense foliage,

71. Drymoica MELANORHYNCHA, Jardine. Black-billed Dry-
moica.

Builds among the stalks of high weeds.

72. Certhilauda africana, Gmel. Serli Lark.

73. Macronyx croceus, Vieill. Yellow-belhed Lark.

74. Macronyx capensis, Linn. Sentinel Lark.

75. Anthus gouldti, Fras. Gould's Pipit.

This species, and the three preceding ones, all nest on the
ground amongst the high grass, frequently under a tuft of the
same, and, like the Larks in England, take but little trouble
with their nests.

76. MoTACiLLA CAPENSIS, Liuu. Cape of Good Hope
Wagtail.

This species is fond of building its nest in a bunch of Bananas,
or in the thick stem of the plant, where the leaves separate from
the stem.

77 . Pratincola rubicola, Linn, British Stone-Chat.
These birds appear to feed entirely on insects ; they frequent

pi-incipally marshy ground, always alighting on the tallest stem
of rush or grass ; they appear to be solitary, and I do not often
see two together ; they do not fly far without alighting ; they
sometimes take insects on the wing, but generally descend to the
ground for them.

from the culony of Natal, in South-eastern Africa, 209

[The specimen sent appears to me to be identical with those
found in Great Britain. — J. H. G.]

78. S.\xicoLA piLEATA^ Gmcl. Imitative Wheatear.

Male. Eye dark brown." Feeds, I beUeve, entirely on insects;
frequents the open country, and is generally to be found perched
on mounds of earth formed by the white ants, and on stones,
though it occasionally alights on low bushes. Its song much
resembles that of the Lark in England ; and it rises fluttering
from the ground in the same manner, singing at the same time,
and descending suddenly as the Lark does. It is not a numerous
species about here.

79. Petrocixcla rupestris, Vieill. South-African Rock-
Thrush.

Frequents the same localities as the previous species. The
stomach of the specimen sent contained some of the Cape
Gooseberries, and some small stones.

80. Oriolus larvatus, Licht. Masked Oriole.

Male. Eye blood-red; bill and legs reddish-brown. Feeds
principally on fruits and berries. Some of the notes of this bird
are extremely liquid and mellow, others altogether as harsh.
This species builds on the outermost boughs of trees, frequently
over water, choosing a forked branch, and hanging the nest be-
tween them, in a very curious and ingenious way.

81. Pycnonotus nigricans, Vieill. Le Vaillant's Bulbul.
These birds live entirely on fruits and berries, and are very

destructive in our garden, devouring indiscriminately Bananas,
Loquats, Peaches, Papaws, Cape Gooseberries, and all other soft
fruits. They are very numerous ; they build generally in a fork
of a tree, towards the top, and lay from three to five eggs. These
birds often get intoxicated by eating fruit that is over-ripe and
has undergone fermentation, more especially the Cape Goose-
berry; and when in this drunken state are easily caught, as
they can fly but a few yards at a time, and then not straight,
soon tumbling to the ground. The berries of the Syringa trees
have the same effect on them, as also the fruit of the Banyan
Fig. Other birds that live on these fruits become intoxicated

210 Mr. J. H. Gurney's List of a Cullection of Birds

in the same way. If a hawk, or other bird of prey, makes its
appearance, these Bulbuls immediately begin to chatter at a
furious rate ; and if he settle, a lot of them will frequently mob
him ; but the hawk, I have observed, takes no notice of them.

82. JuiDA PHCENicoPTERA, Swaiuson. Flame-shouldered
Juida.

Eye bright yellow; legs and bill black. These birds are gene-
rally to be found from three to a dozen together, sometimes
more, excepting in the spring, when they pair off. They build
in holes in the trunks of trees, generally at a good height from
the ground. I have known a pair of these birds take possession
of a Woodpecker's nest, destroying the eggs, and laying their own
instead, which the Woodpeckers seemed rather tamely to submit
to. They feed almost entirely on fruits and berries, and are
destructive to our mulberries and other small fruits. They
sometimes hop about and feed on the ground, somewhat like
the Thrush and Blackbird in England.

83. Platysteira pririt, Vieill. Pririt Flycatcher.

[Mr. Ayres does not communicate any information respecting
the habits of this Flycatcher. — J. H. G.]

84. DiCRURUS MUSiCLS, Vieill. Musical Drongo.

These birds generally build their nests on the outer branches
of trees, about 20 or 30 feet from the ground, in a small fork,
much exposed to wind and rain.

85. Lanius collaris, Linn. Fiscal Shrike.

This Shrike most frequently builds in a fork of a Mimosa or
other low tree, but sometimes amongst shrubs and woody plants.
It impales mice, small rats, lizards, chameleons, locusts, and
other large insects, on the thorns of the bush on which it
perches. It remains frequently for days on the same bush,
making short excursions therefrom, hovering over its victim and
darting down upon it, in a manner very similar to that of some
of the birds of prey.

86. Laniarius quadricolor, Cassin. Four-coloured Shrike.
Male. Eve dark; legs slate-colour. Feeds entirely on insects.

I do not think there is any difference in the plumage of the

from the coluny of Xatal, in South-eastern Africa. 211

female from that of the male. These birds inhabit the dense
bush along the coast, never leaving it; they creep about the
underwood in search of their food, and are easily obtained by
those who can imitate their call, for they will immediately an-
swer, and come to the sportsman if within hearing ; on per-
ceiving their mistake, they make a low chirring noise, as they
do also if they see a cat, snake, panther, or other beast of prey.

87. Telophonus erythropterus, Shaw. Tchagra Shrike.
This species frequently builds amongst a mass of tangled

creeping plants, merely placing the nests on or amongst them,
either not at all adhering to them, or very slightly indeed.

88. CoRvus SCAPULATUS, Licht. White-necked Crow.

Eye dark brown ; legs and bill black. These birds are not to
be found nearer the coast than fifty or sixty miles. They seem to
feed on anything they can pick up, such as ticks [Acari), bits of
bone, berries and insects, and are fond of frequenting roads, in
fact, are scarcely to be found elsewhere.

89. Vidua axillaris, Smith. Epauletted Widow-bird.
Male. The females of these birds are brown. They build

amongst the tall grass, and lay from three to five eggs. I rather
think the males lose their black plumage at one time of the
year, but at that time they are not to be found in this part of
the country. I think they go more to the north during the
winter, coming this way to breed ; in the spring they come in
large flights, and pair off" afterwards. In these flights there
seem to be genei'ally a far greater number of females than males,
and I strongly suspect polygamy is much practised amongst
them. They do a great deal of damage here, in the fields of
oats and other corn (as do also the Maize-birds and other
Finches). The males assume a very peculiar clapping flight
during the breeding season, somewhat similar to the flight of
the Lapwing in England.

90. Vidua rubritorques. Swains. Red-throated Widow-
bird.

Male. The females are brown. Habits very much the same
as the preceding species, and, like it, docs much damage amongst

212 Ml. J. II. Gurncy's List of a CoUectio7i of Bii'ds

the corn-fields. The males have the long tail and black plumage
only during the breeding-months. These birds build amongst
the grass in the open country ; they lay from two to four eggs.
The nest is curiously built : they select a convenient tuft of
grass, and interlace the blades as they stand, without breaking
them off; so that the nest is green during the whole time of in-
cubation, and is very beautiful when thus seen.

91. Vidua erythrorhyncha. Swains. Red-billed Widow-
bird.

Male. Bill red; legs black. Feed entirely on grass seeds.
These pretty birds have the long feathers in the tail during the
summer months only, losing them in the winter. The female is
brown, and never has the long feathers. I have never seen more
than two or three of these birds together. The male of this
species has a curious habit of hovering over his mate when she
is feeding on the ground, bobbing up and down as you see the
Mayflies and Midges do on a summer's evening in England.
This exercise he generally continues for some minutes without
resting.

[In the case of this and of the preceding species, I have used
Mr. Swainson's specific names, as there seems to me to be some
uncertainty with reference to the earlier synonyms. — J. H. G.]

92. Ploceus spilonotus, Vig. Spotted-backed Weaver-bird.
These birds are gregarious; numbers build their nests on the

same tree, generally an Acacia. I have seen as many as fifty or
sixty nests on one tree, generally high, and frequently over pools
of water ; they hang their nests to the very outermost twigs, with
their apertures downwards. The nests are made of strips of the
leaf of the Palm-tree or Banana, which the birds tear off, and
which resemble grass when woven in the nest; occasionally a
small quantity of grass is mixed with the Palm-fibre. The best
way to take these nests is to chop the tree down, or a limb
from it. The eggs vary very much in colour ; we scarcely find
two nests with the same coloured eggs ; green, blue, white, and
speckled white and brown are the general colours. Each nest
is always suspended by a single twig, unless two or three
twigs arc very close together. The extent of the black colouring

from the colony of Natal, in South-eastern Africa. 213

on the heads and throats of the male birds varies very much^
being often partially, and sometimes entirely wanting, and its
place supplied with yellow. The females are always a dull
olive-green.

93. Ploceus ocularius, Smith. Black-lored Weaver-bird.
This species sometimes hangs its nest on the end of a leaf of

a tall Palm, and sometimes from the boughs of the Acacias in
the dense bush — in some cases only a few feet from the ground,
in others far out of reach.

94. Pyrenestes albifrons, Vigors. White-fronted Gros-
beak.

[Mr. Ayres does not mention the habits of this species. —
J. H.G.]

95. IIypochera ULTRAMARiNA, Gmel. Bluc-black Pinch.
The specimen sent is the only one I have seen at Natal.

96. Pringillaria flaviventris, Vieill. Yellow-bellied
Bunting.

Rare in Natal. Has a dipping flight ; alights on the ground,
as vrell as on trees ; stomach contained seeds and small stones.

97. CoLius striatus. Striated Coly.

This species builds in the thick fork of a Mimosa, or other
low tree, well sheltered by creepers and foliage above.

98. CucuLus solitarius, Vieill. Solitary Cuckoo.
[Received by me out of a collection from Natal, but not sent

by Mr. Ayres.— J. H. G.]

99. Campethera chrysura. Swains. Golden-tailedWood-
pecker.

This Woodpecker makes a hole, for the purposes of incuba-
tion, in the trunk of a decayed tree, just large enough at the
opening for the bird to enter, but becoming wider inside, and
reaching downwards to a depth of a foot or 18 inches; it lays its
eggs on the bare wood, without making any nest.

100. Columba arquatrix, Temm. Ramcron Pigeon.
Male and female. Eye light yellow, as are also the bill antl

legs, and skin round the eye.

21-i Ml*. J. H.Gurney's List of a Collection of Birds

These fine birds arc not to be found here all the year round,
but come by thousands in the month of June, leaving again in
August ; they keep to the bush along the coast, only a few
stragglers being found a few miles inland ; they feed entirely
on the berries which abound on the trees in the bush during the
winter months, and are generally in good condition, and are the
finest eating of all the Pigeons. The male specimen now sent
weighed 17 oz. (the average weight of a number of these birds is
16 oz.). I have never seen them alight on the ground; they
are shot here by hundreds, and afford our D'Urban sportsmen
capital sport.

101. CoLUMBA TRiGONiGERA, Wagl. Roussard Pigeon.

[Mr. Ayres does not mention the habits of this Pigeon. —
J.H.G.]

103. TuRTUR SEMiTORQUATus, Swaius. Half-collarcd Turtle.

Female. Legs dark red.

These Doves ai'c generally to be found in pairs, though I
sometimes see half a dozen of them feeding together in the same
field; they prefer cultivated ground, and are especially fond of
buck-wheat ; they are tame, and easily shot, as are most of the
Doves and Pigeons here. These Doves build in the thick fork
of a tree : the nest consists of a few twigs put so loosely together
that it is a wonder that the young ones, of which they rear two,
do not fall out.

[Mr. G. R. Gray, to whose kindness I am indebted for the
identification of several species in this list, writes to me respecting
the specimen of this Dove forwarded by Mr. Ayres as follows : —
" It is very like Turtur semitorquatus of Swainson (Bonaparte's
Conspectus, vol. ii. p. 64) ; and though it is smaller and rather
richer in colour than any of the specimens of that species in the
British Museum, yet I still consider it to belong to that species."
—J. H. G.]

103. Peristera TYMPANisTRiA, Temm. Tambourin Pigeon.
Builds in the thick fork of a low tree ; a few coarse twigs

compose the nest.

104. Francolinus natalensiS, Smith. Natal Francohn.
Male and female. Eye dark brown ; legs and feet red.

from the colony of Natal, in South-eastern Africa. 215

These birds live entirely in the dense underwood that abounds
along the coast. Their food consists of insects and seeds ; their
call very nnich resembles that of the Guinea-fowl ; they run ex-
ceedingly fast, and are shy and difficult to obtain; they roost in
trees at night, and, when on the ground, will fly to them imme-
diately, if chased by a dog, or in any other way suddenly dis-
turbed— otherwise they run.

[The Natal Francolin is well described in Sir Andrew Smith's
work on the Birds of South Africa ; but the colouring of the
plate is not equally accurate. The male bird is there mentioned
as having only a single spur on each leg ; in the male specimen
sent by Mr. Ayres, there is a small rudimentary spur above the
principal one on the right leg, but no corresponding second spur
on the left leg ; judging from the length of the ordinary spurs
on both legs, it is probably an old bird, which ma}"^ be the cause
of this peculiarity. — J. H. G.]

105. Francolinus subtorquatus, Smith. Coqui Francolin.

Male and female. Eye dark; legs brownish-yellow ; bill dark.
In the crop of the female were insects and berries ; that of the
male was quite full of ants.

These birds live in the open country, and are generally di-
spersed all over the colony of Natal ; they are to be found in
coveys, like the Partridge in England ; they roost on the ground
in any convenient thick tuft of grass, and nestle all together.

These birds would be very numerous, were it not for the
burning of the grass, together with the hawks, wild cats, and
snakes which abound here, and are their mortal enemies.

[The female bird sent by Mr. Ayres agrees with the descrip-
tion and figure of this species given by Sir A. Smith, in his
* Birds of South Africa ;' but the male which Mr. Ayres has sent
differs in having the throat a pale rufous, instead of white, and
in the total absence of the black crescent surrounding the
throat and terminating above the base of the upper mandible,
and also of the black line above the eye. Sir A. Smith says,
" The female is without spurs to the tarsi ; in other respects she
exhibits a close resemblance to the male:" but, judging from
the specimens sent by Mr. Ayres, I suspect that Sir A. Smith has
figured and described as a male an old female bird, which, by

216 Mr. J. H. Gurney's List of a Collection of Birds

reason of age, had acquired spurs resembling those of the male ;
and I am the more disposed to think this possible, as the same
distinguished naturalist, in describing an allied species {Franco-
linus levaillantii) , remarks, " In some specimens each sex has the
tarsi armed with a spur ; in others, that appendage is not found
in either.'^— J. H. G.]

106. CoTURNix DACTYLisoNANS, Temm. European Quail.
Male. Eye and bill dark brown ; legs brownish-yellow.

A few of these birds are to be found here all the year round,
nesting in the open country amongst the thick grass ; but the
greater part migrate hci'e in large numbers during the autumn,
in the months of April, May, and June, leaving again in the
early spring. They live entirely on insects and small seeds, are
extremely quick on the wing, and make a great noise when they
rise with their wings, similar to the Partridge, also making a
loud chirping noise as they fly away.

[The specimen sent, on comparison with English specimens,
appears to be slightly smaller, but not otherwise to differ. —
J.H. G.]

107. TuRNix LEPURANA, Smith. South African Hemipode.
Male. Bill dark ; legs brownish-yellow. Feeds on insects and

seeds, principally the latter.

These beautiful little birds appear with the preceding species,
but by no means in such numbers ; the sportsman will seldom
flush more than two at once of these, w^hilst of the others fre-
quently ten or twelve will rise together.

108. EuPODOTis CAFFRA, Licht. Stanley Bustard.

Male. Eye light brown j legs whitish. In its stomach locusts
and caterpillars.

I have found sometimes good-sized snakes and lizards in these
birds. This specimen weighed 9 lbs. There are several kinds
of Bustards here, but I have not yet been able to obtain them ;
they vary in weight from 3 or 4 up to 30 lbs. ; and I believe
there is one species in the Zulu country, frequenting the
bush, which attains the weight of 40 lbs. The flesh of all the
Bustards is excellent eating ; they breed in the interior of the
country, only coming towards the coast as the winter approaches ;

from the colony of Natal, in South-eastern Africa. 217

they always prefer ground from which the grass has recently
been burnt, to hunt for their food. They arc exceedingly shy,
and yet stupid ; for although there is no cover, if the sportsman
take a large circle round and round the bird, gradually nearing,
the Bustard will frequently squat down with his head to the
ground, thinking he will be passed unnoticed, when the sports-
man may run up to within easy shooting distance.

109. (Edicnemus maculosus, Temm. Spotted Thick-knee.
Male and female. Eye bright yellow ; legs yellow ; dark along

the front; bill yellow at the base, black towards the tip.

These birds feed, I believe, entirely on insects. They are very
generally dispersed over the colony of Natal, appearing on the
coast with the Bustards in the month of June. Like the Bus-
tards, they will almost invariably try to hide themselves from the
sportsman by crouching on the ground. When on the wing, the
legs are extended straight out behind, similarly to the Herons.

110. CuRSORius BURCHELLi, Swaius. Burchcll's Courser.
Male. Legs white ; bill black. Contents of the stomach small

beetles.

These birds are scarce here ; they frequent the open country,
and are to be found after the grass has been burnt off, when I
have no doubt they more easily find their food. These birds run
with extraordinary swiftness, much faster than any of the other
kinds of Plovers here, notwithstanding their small size.

111. Vanellus melanopterus, Riipp. Black-winged Lap-
wing.

Male. Eye light yellow; legs and bill black.

Like the preceding species, this Plover feeds in the open
country, and like it, is seldom to be found within ten or twelve
miles from the coast. These birds have a loud harsh note, very
similar to the Green Bee-eater here, and when on the wing they
utter this note almost incessantly, more especially if they see a
dog or other animal, when a lot of them will immediately fly
towards the intruder, circling round and round within a few
feet of it, seemingly with the intention of driving it away, which,
with dogs, they generally succeed in effecting.

[In the 'Atlas' of Dr. Riippell, the legs and feet of this species,

218 Mr. J. H. Gurney's List of a Collection of Birds

and also the irides, are figured and described as red ; in other
respects the figure and description there given agree with the
specimen and note forwarded by Mr. Ayres. Mr. Ayres's speci-
men appears to agree with ' Cliaradrius frontalis' of Sundeval
(Ofvers. 1850, p. 110), which is there described "7?e£?iiMs nigro-
fuscis."

I think it probable, however, that this variation of colour in the
legs and feet may be rather due to differences of age or sex, than
to specific distinction, and the more so as the tibise in the speci-
men sent by Mr. Ayres appear to have been red when fresh, and
as there is a specimen in the British Museum from the Cape
of Good Hope in which the tarsi are red also, as represented in
Dr. Riippeli's plate above referred to. — J. H. G.]

112. J^^GiALiTES MARGiNATus, Vieill. Hcywood's Ring-
Dottrel.

Male. Eye dark brown. Stomach contained small pebbles
and pieces of shell.

This species frequents the sea-shore, and runs with great
swiftness.

113. iEoiALiTES HiATicuLA, Linn. Common British Ring-
Dottrel.

Eye dark brown ; legs yellow. Only sand in the stomach.
This bird also lives on the coast, and is equally swift-footed
with the preceding sjjecies.

114. ToTANUs GLOTTIS, Liun. Green-shank.

Male. Eye dark brown; legs and bill light slate-colour.

These birds are very shy, and are mostly gregarious, but
sometimes solitary. They generally feed and intermix with the
Curlews, frequently walking into the water till it reaches their
bodies. The specimen sent seemed to have the remains of
shrimps in the stomach.

115. NuMENius ARQUATA, Linn. Common European Curlew.
Female. Eye dark brown ; legs bluish. Stomach empty, ex-
cept a piece of shell.

There are great numbers of these birds in the Bay of Natal ;
and I think there are two or three species, as they vary much in
size. They arc exceedingly shy, and difficult to shoot ; they are

fruiii the coIo)nj of Xulal, in South-eastern Africa. 219

gregarious, and feed at low water on the mud-banks ; they utter
precisely the same note as the Curlew in England, and their
habits appear to be the same.

116. Geronticus CALviis, Bodd. South-African Bald Ibis.
Male and female. Top of the head bright red ; bill and legs

duller red ; skin of the neck, and round the eye, greenish-white.

These birds feed entirely on insects, principally beetles. They
frequent the open country, and are invariably to be found on
land from which the grass has been burnt ; they live principally
inland, where they are very numerous, but gradually approach
the coast during the winter months. I have not seen them
nearer the sea than eight or ten miles ; they are exceedingly
war}'', and it is a difficult matter to get within shot of them, as
they generally prefer the bare open plains, without cover, to feed
on ; they walk about very fast, and are constantly on the move
from morning till night. I imagine they must eat a great quan-
tity of food, for they are always in search of it — not resting now
and then, as all reasonable birds do ; they seem to have no time
at all for amusement.

[In Steedmau's ' Wanderings in South Africa,^ vol. i. pp.144
& 174, this Ibis is said to nest in companies, in clefts in the
rocky sides of precipitous mountains — a situation similar to that
selected for nidification by its more northern congener, Geron-
ticus comatus. Vide Rev. H. B. Tristram^s paper in ' Ibis,^ vol. ii.
p. 78.— J. H. G.]

117. Threskiornis ^THiopicus (Lath.). Sacred Ibis.
Male. Eye dark brown ; legs, bill, and skin of the throat

black. Stomach contained a quantity of small crabs and cowries.

These birds frequent the Bay of Natal and the mouths of the
rivers along the coast. They are very shy. They feed with the
Curlews at low water on the mud-banks; but where they roost
I do not know, though I have seen them sometimes sunning
themselves on the uj)per boughs of the Mangroves, together with
Spoonbills, White Herons, &c. In their tlight they usually
form some figure, similarly to the Pelicans, Swans, Geese, &c.

[In my list of a collection of birds from Ibadan, inserted in
the 'Ibis,' vol. i. p. 152, I included this species under Savigny's

VOL. II. 1^

220 Mr. J. H. Gurney's List of a Collection of Birds

specific name of " religiosus ;" but as I believe that " athiopi-
cus " is a prior synonym, I have here adopted it for that reason.
—J. H. G.]

118. CicoNiA ALBA, Briss. White Stork.

[In a collection from Natal, but not sent by Mr. Ayres. —
J. H. G.]

119. Ardea GOLIATH, Teuim. Goliath Heron.
Male. Eye bright yellow.

These birds frequent the mouths of the rivers and the bays
along the coast. They feed entirely upon fish, easily swallowing
those which weigh half a pound, or even more. They wade
about up to their bodies, and dart on the fish as they swim past.
The Bay of Natal affords fine fishing- ground for these birds,
being three miles in diameter, — the greater part shallow, with
a muddy bottom, and myriads of fish entering with the tide.
These Herons M'hen gorged retire amongst the Mangroves to
digest their meal, not roosting on the trees, but on the ground.
They appear to be very solitary birds ; I have seldom seen two
together. The specimen sent measured, when in the flesh, up-
wards of six feet from the bill to the toes.

120. Akdea atricollis, Wagl. Black-throated Heron.

Female. Eye light yellow ; legs and feet black ; upper man-
dible black ; under mandible greenish-yellow, as also was the
skin round the eye. The contents of the stomach were lizards,
locusts, a snake about two feet long, and a large rat — all swal-
lowed whole, and quite fresh.

This bird was shot in a marshy valley about a mile from the
coast, and is the only one of the kind I have seen.

121. Ardea purpurea, Linn. Purple Heron.
Female. Immature; eye light yellow.

In the stomach were some good-sized fish. This species fre-
quents streams and marshes.

[A pair of Purple Herons, which I had in confinement some
years since, were observed to catch rats when they had the
opportunity, and to swallow them whole with great avidity.
The specimen sent by Mr. Ayres appears to me to be identical
with European examples. — J. H. G.]

from the colony of Natal, in South-eastern Africa. 221

122. Herodias garzetta, Liuu. Little Egret.

Male. Eye light yellow; u{)per mandible blackj under mandi-
ble lightish [but black on the sides towards the tip. — J. H. G.];
legs blackj with a few green spots about them ; feet pale green.
Stomach contained a quantity of small fish. This species fre-
quents the Bay of Natal.

123. BuPHUS coMATUs, Pall. Squacco Dwarf-Heron.

The only specimen I have seen. Eye and bill greenish-yel-
low ; ridge of the upper mandible dark ; legs pale green. Sto-
mach contained grasshoppers and beetles.

124. Ardetta gutturalis, Smith. Guttural Dwarf-Bittern.
Male. Eye reddish-yellow ; legs and bill greenish-yellow ;

ridge of the upper mandible dark brown. Stomach contained a
few insects.

I believe that both this species, and also Ardetta minuta, feed
entirely at night, generally hiding themselves in the reeds in
the day, and coming out to feed at dusk.

[I am inclined to think that this species is identical with
Ardetta sturmii of West Africa ; but I have not seen sufficient
specimens to express a positive opinion on the point. — J. H. G.]

125. Parra capensis, Smith. Cape of Good Hope Jacaua.
[Sent from Natal, but not by Mr. Ayres. — J. H. G.]

126. Larus poeocephalus. Swains. Grey-headed Gull.
Male and female. Eye greenish-white; legs, feet, bill, and

eyelids blood-red ; claws black. Contents of stomach, shrimps.
These Gulls frequent the Bay of Natal, frequently alighting
on stakes or dead branches of trees that may be above the water.
They do not appear to be gregarious.

127. Sterna velox, Riipp. Rlippell's Tern.
Male. Eye dark ; legs black.

These Terns frequent the Bay of Natal, generally in pairs,
but sometimes as many as five or six together. When in search
of food, they hover over the water and dart down on fish. Like
the preceding species, they alight on any branch or piece of
wood that may be above the water.

222 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

XXVI. — On Birds collected or observed in the Rejjublic of Hon-
duras, with a short Account of a Journey across that count?'?/
from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. (Part III.) By George
Cavendish Taylor^ F.ll.G.S.

[Continued from page 122.J

54. Turkey Vulture. [Cathartes aura.)

This Vulture is common in Honduras. It docs not, however,
go much into the towns and villages, but is usually seen in the
outskirts and in the forest. It is the only species found in
Jamaica ; and in Kingston is always to be seen sitting on the
roofs of the houses, or feeding on carrion in the streets near the
edge of the harbour. I have frequently been awakened early in
the morning by the noise made by their feet on the shingles
covering the roof of the house over my head. While residing in
Kingston, I used often to puzzle the Vultures by throwing dried
bird-skins stuffed with cotton out upon an adjacent roof. Few
seconds would elapse before a Vulture would pounce down upon
it ; and it was curious to observe its manifest disappointment at
finding nothing to eat in a skin of so natural and promising an
appearance. I once wrapped the carcase of a bird I had skinned
in a piece of paper, and threw it into the top of a thickly- leaved
tree, just opposite to my window. It lodged in the upper
branches; and being partially concealed from above by the
leaves, it remained there for a long time. Frequently the Vul-
tures would sweep within a few feet of it, almost brushing the
leaves of the tree with their wings. Their sense of smell in-
formed them that there was something eatable close by ; but it
is not surprising that their sight failed to solve the difficulty, as
Vultures are not accustomed to have their food done up in paper
like packets of sandwiches. Such carcases as I threw out of the
window on the ground were seized upon by them immediately.
They would dart down from the neighbouring roofs like pigeons
do when grain is thrown for them.

55. Black Vulture. [Cathartes atratus.)

This Vulture is very abundant in Honduras, and, while the
last species chiefly inhabits the forest, this is always to be seen in
the villages, sitting on the roofs of the houses, wheeling in flocks

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, ^'c. 223

higli up in the air^ or feeding on filth and offal in the streets.
These birds are so tame that one might at times kill them with
a stick. I have seen thirty or forty of them together feeding
on a carcase, and have approached within a few feet without
disturbing them. This Vulture is also very common in Charles-
ton, South Carolina, where I have seen them in numbers, hop-
j)ing on the butchers' stalls in the market, and picking up bits
of meat. They abound in all parts of Central America that
I have visited, and are fond of sitting on the houses, or on
trees, with their wings expanded to the warmth of the sun.
Wilson's account of this, and the preceding species, is very good
and accurate, and cannot be improved upon.

56. Caracara Eagle. [Pohjborus tharus.)

Is very common, and generally seen singly or in pairs; is
tame, and easily shot. They are very low-caste birds, and feed
on carrion, offal, &c. One I shot was at the time engaged in
scratching among some half- dried cow-dung.

57. Crested SpiZAJiTus. {Spizaetus ornatus.)

I only saw this bird on one occasion, in the depth of the
forest between Potrerillos and San Pedro. It was perched on
the branch of a lofty tree, and I shot it with ease*.

58. CuRASSOW Hawk. [Ibycter americanus.)

The only time I observed this species was at Taulevi, where I
met with five or six together ; but Mr. Edwards saw others after
iny departure from the country. As this bird has no English
name that I am aware of, I call it the ' Curassow Hawk,' from its
resemblance to the Curassows, and to commemorate the following-
adventure : — While at Taulevi, I was out in the evening with
my gun, and was returning home with a male Trogon melanoce-
phalus, which I had shot, when I met Mr. Edwards, who pointed
out to me some large birds sitting on a tree overhanging a Plan-
tain patch, which he said were Curassows. There were five of
them ; and they certainly did look like Curassows in flight and

* In the list of Mr. Taylor's collection, given in ' Proc. Zool. Soc."
1858 (p. .360), this SpizuHus was wrongly named, having been referred to
S. fyranmis, which latter si)ecies, however, does likewise occur in Central
America. — Eu.

22-i Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

general appearance. The Plantain patch was thickly overgrown
with long grass and weeds ; but on I went, regardless of pro-
bable snakes, and certain swarms of agarrapatas, although I
had been particularly careful all day not to go where I was likely
to carry any off. As for the Trogon, I threw it away in con-
tempt, having so much finer game in view. The Curassows, I
considered, would amply repay me for a sleepless night, endless
scratching, and consequent sores. So I stalked up to them, and
shot one, while the others flew off to a not very distant tree.
From their flight, cries, and general appearance, I still thought
they were Curassows. The bird I had killed fell into a dense
thicket, across a stream. Could I only have got at it, I should
have been spared additional agarrapatas and disappointment.
However, not stopping to pick up the dead one, I followed the
others across the Plantain patch, then forced my way through
an Aloe fence, which presented a perfect chevaux de frise of
spikes, and succeeded in shooting three out of the remaining
four. I now felt proud of what I had done, and of how well I
had provided for our pot, which was in want of supplies at the
time. Edwards, who had been watching me, went to pick them
up. As he took hold of the first, he said, " This is a Hawk !" —
and Hawks they all were, sure enough, to my great disgust
and disappointment. When dead, they still much resembled
Curassows, but were Hawks nevertheless — nothing but great,
black, stinking, red-legged Hawks. However, I was not disap-
pointed in agarrapatas, for I went home well stocked with them,
and in no pleasant humour at having little or nothing to repay
me for the discomfort I had to undergo.

The specimens of Ibycter omericanus in the British Museum
arc badly stuffed, and set up in an unnatural attitude. They
give a very incorrect idea of the appearance of the bird when
alive, or recently killed. One specimen which I shot measured
23 4 inches in length, and 45 inches in extent across the wings.
The irides were orange colour; legs and feet dark orange; claws
black ; eyelids deep orange colour ; beak yellow ; cere light
leaden blue; base of beak and chin nearly bare of feathers,
and deep orange in colour; legs feathered a little below the
knee ; tail long and rounded ; wings rounded, fifth feather

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, &^c. 225

longest ; the whole plumage greenish-black, except the lower
part of breast, belly, and thighs, which parts were pure white.
When alive, the red on the head and the white of the under
parts are most conspicuous.

59. Large Grey Hawk. {Asturina nitida ?)

Appears to be common. When I was at Comayagua in Janu-
ary, I saw a pair making their nest in the top of a lofty cotton-
tree. One I shot in Tigre Island measured 16i inches in length,
and 34 inches in extent. Legs and feet yellow ; beak black ; cere
yellow ; head brownish-grey ; upper surface of body brownish ;
under parts barred with brown and white ; tail-feathers black,
edged with white ; two cross-bars of white on the tail ; fourth
feather of the wing the longest.

60. Eed-winged Hawk. [Asturina magnirostris.)

After leaving Comayagua for the Atlantic coast, I found this
bird abundant ; but I did not observe it on the Pacific slope. I
was unable to preserve a skin, as I had many other birds on
hand which I considered of more importance. One I shot mea-
sured 15 inches in length, and 30 inches in extent. Upper
surface of head and body greyish-brown; under surface and rump
barred with red-brown and white; tail feathers greyish-brown,
with four black bars; primaries red, barred with black, black
at the tips. The red is very conspicuous when the wing is
expanded, and is the most remarkable feature in the bird's
plumage. Fourth and fifth primaries of the same length, and
longest in the wing.

61. Brown Hawk. [Micrastur brachypterus, Temm. ?)
This species also I first observed on the Atlantic or northern

slope of the range of mountains which traverses Central America.
It did not seem to be common.

Length 15^ inches; extent 33^ inches. Top of head dark
brown, showing a good deal of white on the occiput ; whole
upper surface of body dark brown ; feathers barred with white
at their bases ; chin whitish ; neck, throat, and upper part of
breast spotted brown and white ; belly, under tail-coverts, and
thighs dirty white, the latter barred with red-brown ; primaries
with outer edge and tip dark brown ; inner edge white, barred

226 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

with dark brown; fourth primary longest; tail-feathers black,
with three broad bai's of white ; legs feathered to the knees.

62. American Kestrel. {Tinnunculus sparverius.)

Very abundant, and so tame that it may frequently be ap-
proached within a few^ feet.

63. Little Owl. [Glaucidium infuscatum.)

I never observed this species myself; but Mr. Edwards ob-
tained several specimens after I had left the country. He shot
one near Comayagua while in the act of eating a small lizard.

64 Scops Owl. {Scups ?)

I found this bird tolerably abundant in Tigre Island, but did
not observe it anywhere else.

The preceding are all the Raptores I shot in Honduras. I
saw some very large powerful Hawks, apparently of a light
colour below, with dark heads, soaring at a considerable height,
near San Pedro. A large Hawk of a dark lead-colour was
frequently seen, possibly Bnteo aquinoctialis. This last species
was generally sitting perfectly still on the branch of a tree.
Having no spare time to skin so large a bird, I did not even
shoot a specimen, which I might easily have done, as they
were tame, like most of the birds in the country, owing to their
being so seldom molested. On two or three occasions I saw
what appeared to be very small Falcons with light-coloured
breasts — smaller than Tinnunculus sparverius. I shot twice at
them when sitting on the top of very lofty trees ; but owing to
their small size, and the great distance, I was not able to obtain
a specimen. I never saw an Osprcy [Pandion] in Honduras;
but when I was on board a steamer, on the south coast of Cuba,
going from Cienfuegos to Batavano, an Osprey alighted on the
mast-head, and was shot by one of the passengers. It was a very
fine specimen.

65. Red Pigeon. {Columba flavirostris.)

Not uncommon on Tigre Island ; but I did not notice it in
the interior. They are fine handsome birds. Length 13 inches.
Bill white ; cere reddish ; irides yellowish-brown ; head, neck,
and breast pale claret colour; chin whitish; back and wings
brownish-grey ; belly and rump bluish-grey ; a patch of the

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, i^-c. 227

same colour as the neck on each shoukler ; tail-feathers darker
than wings; legs and feet dark pink.

66. White-winged Dove. {Zenaida leucoptera.)
Abundant ; especially near the Pacific coast, and in the envi-
rons of Comayagua. I found this species most plentiful in the
vicinity of houses and corn-fields ; the following species seemed
to prefer the woods and open plains. Both are very good eating,
and I used often to kill two or three at a shot. I found all the
Columbidfc most abundant on the Pacific slope, which is drier and
more rocky than the Atlantic ; the vegetation moreover is not
nearly so dense, and there are fewer Palms, Ferns, and large
trees. I observed very few Doves on the Atlantic slope, and
hardly any as we approached the sea.

This species is common in Jamaica (see ' Gosse's Birds of
Jamaica ') . The time to shoot Pigeons was the morning and
evening; during the heat of the day they keep close under the
shade of thick bushes, and will not leave their shelter. I have
tried to drive them out with stones, but they would only lly a few
yards, and then dive into the thicket again. In the tropics I
found that few birds, except Humming-birds, would face the
sun, consequently morning and evening, especially the former,
was the best time for bird-collecting. To go out in the heat of
the day was useless, and a sacrifice of health and strength.

ai. Sharp-tailed Brown Dove. [Zenaidura carolinensis.)
Common, and generally seen in small flocks of six to ten.
(See preceding remarks.)

68. Short-tailed Ground Dove. [Chamapelia rufipennis.)
I only saw this species in some open country near Comayagua,

where they were not very plentiful.

69. Long-tailed Ground Dove. {Scardafella inca.)
Veiy common, and generally seen in pairs. They are good

eating, but so small as not to be worth shooting for the pot in a
country where amnmnition is scarce, and a watch has to be set
on its expenditure; they are very beautiful little birds. I am
sorry that, with the exception of the last species, I was unable to
preserve specimens of the Co/umbidap of Honduras, owing to
want of time and bad health. All Pigeons arc difficult to prepare,

228 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

as their feathers readily fall off, and their skins are tender and
easily torn.

Length 8^ inches. Irides reddish ; legs and feet pale flesh-
colour ; upper surface of body pale brown, each feather tipped
with darker, forming transverse bars ; chin and breast dove-
colour, feathers tipped with darker; belly buff, feathers with
darker tips; six outer tail-feathers black, with white tips; two
next black, with basal part of the shaft red ; centre feathers
brown; wing-feathers rich chestnut-red, edged with blackish-
brown.

[To be continued.]

XXVII. — Notes on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands, and the
Provinces of Albania proper, Epirus, Acarnania, and Monte-
negro. By the Hon. Thomas L. Powys, F.Z.S. (Part III.)

[Continued from page 140.]

81. Hedge Sparrow. [Accentor modularis.)

Very common in Corfu in winter. I have observed one or two
individuals daring the summer months, and seen some eggs
(which I believe belonged to this species) taken in Epirus.

82. Robin Redbreast. [Sylvia rubecula.)

Arrives in Corfu in great numbers about the end of October,
and disappears in March. Not very abundant on the mainland.

83. Blue-throated Warbler. [Sylvia cyanecula.)

I only once saw a bird of this species in these parts ; this was
in the Val di Roppa, in Corfu, in April 1857.

84. Common Redstart. [Sj/lvia phoenicura.)

Arrives in March in small numbers, remaining, I think, only
a few days.

85. Black Redstart. [Sylvia tithys.)

Common in Corfu and Epirus in winter. A few remain to
breed in the island.

86. White Wagtail. [Motacilla alba.)

Common, and resident in Corfu ; I have not observed it on
the mainland except during the winter months.

obset'ved in the Ionian Islands, ^r. 229

87. Grey Wagtail. [MotaciUa hoarula.)
Common in winter in Corfu and Epirus.

88. Grey-headed Wagtail. {MotaciUa cinereocapilla.)
Arrives in great numbers in Corfu about the middle of April,

at which season it is to be found in small flocks in all the low
meadows and maize-fields of the island. I never could find a
nest of this species, though I have observed a few pairs during
the whole summer.

89. Black-headed Wagtail. [MotaciUa melanocephala.)
Arrives with the above species, but in much smaller numbers,

and only remains for a few days. The locality in which I have
most frequently observed this bird was the marsh at the mouth
of the Kataito river, near Butrinto in Epirus. They appear to
be more arboreal in their habits than the other Wagtails, and
have a very distinct and peculiar note. The Corfu bird-stuffer
told me, on my showing hira one of this species, that he had
never before observed it, and insisted that it was only a variety of
the above ; but there are slight difi'erences of habits, flights, &c.,
which at once distinguish it from that bird, were the plumage
not at once sufficient to settle the question. To myself this
species appears to resemble MotaciUa rayi (which I have never
observed in these parts) in all particulars more than any other of
its congeners.

90. Rock Pipit. [Anthus rupestris.)
Common on the coasts of Epirus and Corfu.

91. Meadow^ Pipit. {Anthus pratensis.)

Very common in Corfu and Epirus in winter. A few arc to be
seen in the island at all seasons.

92. Tree Pipit. {Anthus arboreus.)

Not common. I have now and then observed it in Corfu
during the winter.

93. Skylark. {Alauda arvensis.)
Common in Corfu and Epirus in winter.

94. Woodlark. {Alauda arborea.)

Common in winter in Corfu. A few remain to breed in the
island.

230 lion. T. L. Towys 07i Birds

95. Crested Lark. [Galerida cristata.)

Very common in all seasons in Corfu and Epirus.

96. Calandra Lark. (Alauda calandra.)

A few of this species are to be observed in summer in Corfu,
where they breed. I have never observed this bird on the main-
land.

97. Short-toed Lark. {Alauda brachydactyla.)
Common in winter in Corfu and Epirus.

98. White-necked Flycatcher. {Muscicapa albicollis.)

I observed several of these birds in May 1857 near Pelleka, in
the island of Corfu.

99. Spotted Flycatcher. [Muscicapa grisola.)
Common in summer in Corfu and Epirus.

100. Thrush Warbler. [Sijlvia turdoides.)
Common, and resident in Corfu and Epirus.

101. Rufous Sedge Warbler. {Sylvia galactodes.)

I twice observed this species in these parts ; once in the island
of Corfu, on which occasion a friend killed a fine specimen ; and
a few weeks afterwards near Kataito, in Epirus, vvhere I watched
a pair for some time, but refrained from shooting them, as my
gun was loaded with large shot.

102. Nightingale. {Sylvia luscinia.)

Very common in Corfu and all parts of the mainland that 1
have visited during the summer; at Delvino especially, in May
1857, we could hardly sleep for the multitude of Nightingales
that were singing on the banks of a little stream that ran under
the windows of the house in which we lodged.

103. Olive-grove Warbler. {Sylvia olivetorum.)

I shot one of this species near Corfu in April 1857, and have
seen the skin of another from Zante,

104. Common Whitethroat. {Sylvia cinerea.)

I have occasionally observed this bird in Corfu in September
and October.

observed in the Ionian Islands, i^c, 23i

105. Lesser Whitethroat. [Sylvia curruca.)

I sliot one of this species in Corfu in September 1857. This
is the only instance in vyhich it came under my notice in these
parts.

106. SuBALPiNE Warbler. {Sylvia subalpina.)

A beautiful specimen of this pretty little bird was brought to
me by one of my yacht^s crew, who had picked it up close to the
lighthouse of Santa Maura, on the 24th of March, 1857. I
have occasionally noticed this species in Epirus in February and
March.

107. Black-headed Warbler. {Sylvia melanocejihala.)
Very common, and resident in Corfu and Epirus. I have

found the nest of this species on the citadel rock of Corfu.

108. Orphean Warbler. {Sylvia orphea.)
Occasionally seen in spring, but decidedly not common in

Corfu.

109. Garden Warbler. {Sylvia hortensis.)

I found a nest of this bird, containing eggs, near Khimara in
Epirus, in May 1857. I do not remember to have noticed it
in these parts on any other occasion.

110. Willow Wren. {Phylloscopus trochilus.)

I have occasionally seen this species in winter in the gardens
in the vicinity of Corfu.

111. Chiff-Chaff. {Phylloscopus rufus.)

Common in Epirus in spring and summer. I have occasion-
ally heard it in sunny weather in December.

112. Wood AVren, {Phylloscopus sibilatrix.)

I picked up one of this species on the beach near Govino, in
the island of Corfu, in March 1857. It is decidedly far from
common in Corfu and Epirus.

113. Southern Willow Wren ?

1 have often seen, and once or twice killed, a Willow Wren in
Epirus in winter, which I believe to be the Hypolais salicaria of
Brehm. It certainly does not belong to any of the three pre-
ceding species. I always found a few of these birds among the

232 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

tamarisks at the mouth of the Kataito river in Epirus, in De-
cember and January.

114. Aquatic Warbler. [Calamodyta aquatica.)

This species is to be found in considerable numbers, for a few
days about the beginning of May, on the banks of a reedy pond
near Govino, about seven miles from Corfu. I never noticed it
in any other locality, either in Corfu or on the mainland ; but
from the 2nd and 3rd till the 8th or 10th of May, 1857 and
1858, in the above-mentioned spot, it was very abundant. I
could not observe a single individual after the 10th instant in
either year, and searched in vain for their nest. This species is
very common at Nice in August and September.

115. Cetti^s Warbler. {Calamodyta cetti.)

This species occurs sparingly in Corfu in April. I do not
think that it remains to breed.

116. Fantail Warbler. [Calamodyta cisticola.)
Very common, and resident in Corfu and Epirus.

117. Reed Warbler. [Calamodyta st7'epera.)
Common in winter in Epirus and Acarnania.

118. Common Wren. [Troglodytes europaus.)
Common, and resident in Epirus. I have not noticed it in the

island of Corfu, except during the winter.

119. Syrian Nuthatch. [Sitta syriaca.)

Common in certain suitable localities in Epirus, particularly
amongst the stony and precipitous hills near Santa Quaranta,
where I have frequently observed it in small parties of five or six,
flitting about and busily examining the holes and crevices of the
rocks. It is a lively and restless bird, and has a note entirely
different from that of the Common Nuthatch [Sitta ctesia). I
never observed this bird to perch on a tree or shrub, but almost
invariably found them on the most exposed and barren hill-
sides.

120. Great Titmouse. [Parus major.)
Occasionally seen in Corfu and Epirus in winter.

121. Marsh Titmouse. [Parus palustr is.)
Common, and I believe resident in Epirus.

observed in the Ionian Islands, ^'c. 233

122. Cole Titmouse. [Parus ater.)
Occasionally seen in Corfu in winter.

123. Blue Titmouse. {Parus cceruleus.)
Common, and resident -in Corfu and Epirus.

124. Long-tailed Titmouse. {Parus caudatus.)
Common in winter in Ei)irus.

125. Bearded Titmouse. {Parus hiarmicus.)

I observed several of this species about the banks of the Lake
of Scutari in Albania proper in August 1857.

126. Pexduline Titmouse. {Parus pendulinus.)
Common in the great marshes at the mouth of the Acheron

in Epirus in winter, and I believe resident there. It is curious,
that, though I am acquainted with many apparently equally
suitable haunts for this species in Epirus, the above is the only
locality in that country in which I have ever seen or heard of it.

127. Golden-crested Wren. {Regulus a-istatus.)
Common in the evergreen coverts of Epirus in winter.

128. Dipper. {Cinclus aquaticus.)

Common on the mountain streams of Albania and Epirus.

129. Golden Oriole. {Oriolus galbula.)

This species arrives in Corfu and Epirus about the middle of
April, and is eagerly sought after by i\\e, ' cacciatoi-i ' ioi- the
market. I think very few remain to breed in the island; but I
have often observed them on the mainland in May and June.
1 always found it very difficult to get a shot at these birds ; for
immediately they discover that they are pursued, they ensconce
themselves in the thickest covert at hand, and nothing will
induce them to quit it. They have, besides the musical whistle
from which they take their French, Italian, Spanish, and Greek
name, a very peculiar guttural chatter, which I have often heard
within a few yards, though I could not see the bird, or force it
to take wing. In September they are very abundant in the
gardens of Corfu, and are very fat, and delicious eating. I
never could obtain an adult specimen at that season ; though I
have seen dozens hanging up in the market, they were all birds

234. Hou. T. L. Powys on Birds

of the year. I saw several of this species iu Monteuegro in
August 1857.

130. House Swallow. [Hirundo rustica.)
Very common in summer in Corfu and Epirus.

131. Common Martin. [Hirundo urhica.)
Common in summer in Corfu and Epirus.

132. Sand Martin. [Hirundo riparia.)
Not very common in Epirus in summer.

133. Rock Swallow. [Hirundo rupestris.)

Common, and resident iu Epirus, haunting the high and pre-
cipitous mountains of the interior in summer, and coming down
to the coast during the winter months.

134. Common Swift. [Cypselus apus.)

Common in Corfu in summer, but less so than the next
species.

135. Alpine Swift. [Cypselus melba.)

Arrives in May in great numbers in Corfu, and remains till
the end of September. Several pairs breed annually in the
citadel rock.

136. Cuckoo. [Cuculus canorus.)

Arrives in Corfu in small numbers in April, and remains a
few days ; occasionally seen on its return south in the early part
of September. I once saw a Cuckoo on the mainland in July.

137. Black Woodpecker. [Picus martins.)

I saw two specimens of this Woodpecker at Santa Maura,
which I was assured had been killed on the Black Mountain of
Cephalonia. I caught a glimpse of a bird, which I believe to
have been one of this species, in a wood near the mouth of the
river Drin, iu December 1857.

138. White-rumped Woodpecker. [Picus leuconotus.)

I killed two specimens of this bird in the woods about Bn-
trinto, in the winter. It is not uncommon, but very wary, and
difficult to shoot. Its note and general habits very much re-
semble those of Picus major.

observed in the Ionian Islands, 5fc. 335

139. Little Spotted Woodpecker. {Picus minor.)
Common in winter in the woods of Epirus.

140. Green Woodpecker. {Gecinus viridis.)

I saw a Green Woodpecker near the mouth of the Drin in
December 1857. This is the only instance in which this species
came under my observation in these parts.

141. Grey-headed Green Woodpecker. [Gecinus canus.)
I saw a tine specimen of this bird near Cettinje, in Monte-
negro, in August 1857; he settled on a tree close to me, and I
watched him for several minutes, much regretting that I had
not a gun.

142. Wryneck. {Yunx torquilla.)

Not very common. I only twice observed it in Epirus ; the
first time in the great marsh at Phanari, in March 1857, and
again near Kinouria, at the head of the Lake of Butrinto, in
December of the same year. On the first occasion I mistook it
for Sylvia nisoria, and pursued it through dense thickets of
Tamarisk, till at last I succeeded in shooting it, and was greatly
disappointed when it turned out to be nothing but a " Cuckoo's
mate."

143. Roller. {Coracias garrula.)

Arrives in great numbers in Corfu about the middle of April ;
it only remains for a few days in the island, but breeds on the
mainland. I found a nest in the walls of a ruined house at
Delvino, in May 1857. The birds had quite lost their usual
timidity, and flew round my head chattering and screaming as I
approached the nest, which I suspect was an old one of some
other bird. This species is known to the cacciatori as ' Corvo
marino,' and among the Greek peasantry as 'AXKOKopcovr]. I
discovered another nest, in June 1857, in the banks of the
Kataito River, near the village of Mursyah. In this instance,
the nest was in a hole in the bank, and consisted of a few twigs,
carelessly put together.

144. Common Bee-eater. {Merops apiaster.)

Arrives in Corfu and Epirus in great numbers in April, and
breeds in the latter country on the banks of the Kataito River,
near Mursyah, and many other similar localities. In all the

VOL. II. S

236 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

holes that we examined^ the eggs were laid on the bare sand,
without any attempt at a nest. I several times observed three,
and once or twice four birds fly from the same hole. These
birds leave the country as soon as the young are able to fly.
I have never seen them later than the beginning of August. I
observed also, in August 1858, on the banks of the Guadal-
quivir, near San Juan de Alfarache, where there is a large
colony of this species, that, although the banks were mined in
every direction, and exhibited signs of recent occupation, not a
Bee-eater was to be seen.

145. Common Kingfisher. {Alcedo ispida.)
Very abundant, and resident in Corfu and Epirus.

146. Hoopoe. {Upupa epops.)

Very common in summer in Epirus, arriving about the 20th
March, and leaving the country in September. I do not think
that the Hoopoe breeds in the island of Corfu, though it is
common there in March and August. I once found a nest of
this bird in Epirus on the ground, under a large boulder on a
stony hill-side, but the usual site for it in that country appears
to be the hole of a tree.

147. Common Nightjar. {Caprimulgus eui'opaus.)
Arrives in small numbers in Corfu and Epirus in April, but

does not, I think, remain to breed. I found a small party of
Nightjars at Pagania in September 1857.

148. Ringdove. {Columba pahtmbus.)

I noticed very large flocks of Wood-pigeons near Phanari, in
the plains through which the Acheron runs. This was in March
1857. I have occasionally seen a few in diff'erent parts of
Epirus during the winter months, but it is not abundant in that
province. I never saw it in Corfu.

149. Stock-Dove. {Columba cenas.)

Common about the shores of the Gulf of Arta in March 1857.
I have seen single birds at all seasons of the year near Butrinto
and Kataito, and once or twice in the island of Corfu.

150. Rock-Dove. {Columba livia.)

Very common, and resident on the coasts of Albania, Epirus,

observed in the Ionian Islands, &^c. 237

and Corfu. Near the mouth of the river Kalamo these birds
breed on the bare rocks, after the manner of some of the Gulls.
On the peninsula of Pagania there is a curious natural pit, some
60 or 70 feet in depth, frequented by this species in great
numbers. In this, my servant (who was once lowered into it by
a rope, for the purpose of forcing out the doves) had an en-
counter with a wild cat, which at last retreated into a side gal-
lery and was lost sight of. On throwing stones down this pit, a
dozen or two of Doves, Blue Thrushes, Blackbirds, Little Owls,
and Nuthatches [Sitta syriaca) would often dash out in confu-
sion, with now and then a large Bat ; and on one occasion a
Peregrine Falcon. There are small colonies of Bock-doves in
many parts of the coast of the island of Corfu, particularly at
Paleocastrizza and near Porto Serpente.

151. TuRTLE-DovE. [Columba turtur.)

Arrives in Corfu and Epirus early in April in great numbers,
and remains to breed, disappearing about the end of August.

152. Common Pheasant. {Phasianus colchicus.)

The only localities in which I have myself seen Pheasants in
these parts, w^ere, once on the Luro River, near Prevesa, in March
1857, on which occasion I only saw one, the bird having never
previously been met with in that part of the country ; and again,
in December of the same year, in the forests near the mouth of
the river Drin, in Albania, where it is comparatively common,
and where several fell to our guns. In this latter locality, the
Pheasant's habitat seems to be confined to a radius of from
twenty to thirty miles to the north, east, and south of the town
of Alessio, — a district for the most part densely wooded, and well
watered, with occasional tracts of cultivated ground, Indian
Corn being apparently the principal produce, and forming, with
the berries of the Privet (which abounds throughout Albania),
the chief food of the present species. We heard many more
Pheasants than we saw, as the woods were thick and of great
extent, our dogs wild, and we lost a great deal of time in
making circuits to cross or avoid the numerous small but deep
streams which intersect the country in every direction. This
species is particularly abundant on the shores of the Gulf of

s 2

238 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

Salonica, about the mouth of the river Vardar ; and I have been
informed^ on good authority, that Pheasants are also to be found
in the woods of Vhrakori in /Etoha, about midway between the
Gulfs of Lepanto and Arta.

153. Greek Partridge. {Perdix grceca.)

This is the Common Partridge of Epirus and the Ionian
Islands ; it is not very abundant in Corfu, where it is only to be
met with on the ridge of San Salvador. The Greek Partridge
haunts the stony hill-sides, — never, as far as my own observation
goes, descending to the plain. It is not easy to make a good
bag of these birds, even in localities where they are numerous,
as the coveys disperse on being disturbed; and on alighting, each
bird takes a line of its own, and sets off running to the nearest
covert, which in these parts generally consists of thick evergreen
scrub, from which it is very difficvxlt to flush them. In the
Ionian Islands they are most abundant in Cephalonia, Santa
Maura, Kalamo, Petala, Arkudi, and Meganisi. The flesh of
this species is, to my taste, far superior to that of either of its
congeners, P. rubra or P- petrosa.

154. Grey Partridge. [Perdix cinerea.)

This species is common in the cultivated plains of Albania
proper, in which pi'ovinces I have seen and shot it near Antivari.
In Epirus it is found in considerable numbers near Joannina,
and in the plains of Arta. I have also heard of its occurrence in
the neighbourhood of Avlona, about eighty miles north of the
island of Corfu.

155. Quail. {Coturnix vulgaris.)

A few Quails remain the whole year in Corfu and Epirus ;
but great numbers arrive every year in April, and remain for a
few days. On the little island of Eano especially, they some-
times at that season alight in incredible numbers, often only
remaining a single night. I have occasionally met with good
sport at Quails in the maize-fields of Epirus in September;
these were chiefly young birds that had been bred in the country.
A few are always to be found in winter on the grassy hills of the
mainland opposite to Corfu, particularly on those near the little
harbour of Paqrauia.

observed in the Ionian Islands, ^c. 239

156. Pin-tailed Sa\d-Grouse. {Pterodes alchata.)
Three of this species flew across our bows towards the east, as

I was going from Corfu to Malta, on board H.M.S. Coquette,
on the 1st August, 1858. We had just sighted Sicily when
they passed us. I have never seen or heard of the occurrence of
Sand-grouse in any part of Greece or European Turkey.

157. Great Bustard. {Otis tarda.)

A Great Bustard flew over my head one day in February 1858,
as I was chasing Grebes in the Bay of Butrinto. This is the only
occasion on which I saw this species in these parts ; but I was
shown some of the feathers of one which had been killed in
Acarnania in March 1857; and in the following winter several
were killed near Cape Papas, in the Morea, where they are not
uncommon. Great numbers were brought into Athens in Janu-
ary 1858. The Great Bustard breeds in the Morea, in the
vicinity of Tripolitza.

158. Little Bustard. [Otis tetrax.)

I saw a Little Bustard in the island of Corfu in December
1856, and two more near Livitazza in Epirus in March 1858.
It is far from common in these parts. I only saw one freshly
killed specimen during my stay amongst Greek seas, which was
"shot at Livitazza in January 1857, by an officer of the garrison
of Corfu. The bird-stuffer had never before seen a specimen.

159. Common Pratincole. {Glareola pratincola.)
Arrives in Corfu and Epirus in considerable numbers in April,

and remains a few weeks in the country. I have found that,
though these birds are not easy to approach by walking straight
at them, they will squat, if one makes a circuit round them,
gradually lessening the distance, and will allow themselves to be
nearly trodden upon before taking wing. Large numbers fre-
quent the race-course at Corfu in April. The Corfiote name for
this species is " Pernice di mare." The food of the Pratincole
appears to consist almost exclusively of various species of beetles.

240 Mr. 11. Owen on the Habits

XXVIII. — On the Habits of the Siv allow -tailed Kite (Elanoides
furcatus) in Guatemala. By Robert Owen, C.M.Z.S.

These imperfect notes on the Swallow-tailed Kite, being the
result of personal observation, may (as I believe little is known
of the habits of this species) prove to be of some interest to the
readers of the ' Ibis/ It appears to me, however, indispensable
to diverge somewhat at first, so as to give some idea of the
locality where I made my observations, and of the character of the
country by which I was surrounded. I had passed several weeks
at Cohan (Alta Vera Paz), engaged in a variety of occupations ;
such as puzzling out '' la lengua,'' as the language of the Indians
is termed, collecting birds' skins, and listening to the inter-
minable tales of Indian life and adventure, in which some of the
" Ladinos" {i. e. the mixed race of Spaniards and Indians) are so
well versed. All the time I had been constant in rapid per-
ambulations to keep myself warm. To hurry along at the pace
adopted to get up a reaction after emerging from the clammy
folds of the " wet sheet " at an hydropathic institution, may
seem a strange proceeding in the tropics ; but it must be borne
^u mind that Cohan is essentially a ' tierrafria,' and that during
the * temporales ' (the term applied to a succession of dull rainy
days), which are of pretty frequent occurrence, one feels as damp
and miserable there as in a wet November day in England.
During the whole of my stay at Cohan the sun had only shone
brightly a few times; so, having given up all hopes of fine
weather, I ordered my mules to be saddled, Indians to be looked
up to carry my baggage, and resolved to make the best of my
way towards San Geronimo.

The first day's journey brought me to Tac-tic, an Indian town
about eight leagues from Cohan. One end of a rancho was
placed at my disposal, with much ceremony and profound genu-
flexions, by its owners — a dusky party of the fair sex — whose
hospitality I solicited. It contained a dilapidated four-poster
of the country ; a table in the last stage of decay, with a decided
tendency to launch the wooden image which was upon it head-
foremost into the middle of the hut ; and, lastly, an indescribable
piece of furniture, of which a large party of fowls availed them-

of the Swalloio -tailed Kite. 241

selves as a roosting-place for the night. In spite of their inces-
sant squabbling and the hardness of my pillow (on this occasion
my saddle), morning came quickly, and at an early hour I took
leave of my hostess, who, with the greatest appearance of sin-
cerity, placed herself, family, rancho, and all her earthly goods at
my disposal for any future occasion.

This style of displaying such tender and extreme regard for the
convenience of their fellow-creatures is common throughout the
country, and is a mere ceremony, nothing being farther from
their wishes than that the traveller should avail himself of their
empty offers. We parted with mutual protestations of eternal
friendship. The sun was rising, and numbers of Cha-chas
{Oi'talida vetula) were seen on all sides fluttering through the
bush. This seems to be a favourite place for the Cha-cha, it
being met with in large numbers, which almost deafen one with
their noisy concert. One bird leads off with a few chirps, the
rest then join in gradually and with increasing vigour, flitting
about in the meanwhile from bush to bush. The noise having
reached its climax is deafening in the extreme, but dies down
gradually, until only a few chirps are heard, and soon all is
silent as before.

The character of the country here, as at Coban, is entirely
different from every other part of the State of Guatemala which I
have visited. Undulating hills, clothed to their summits with a
profuse vegetation which has followed the demolition of the pri-
mseval forest^ take the place of the towering and barren moun-
tain-ranges which are characteristic of the district of Salama and
Eabinal. I should mention that a companion made the journey
from Coban with me — a young man of the country, bred to
mountain life, conversant with the language of the Indians, and
enthusiastic in the extreme in everything connected with the
pursuits of a naturalist. Proceeding on our journey, and pass-
ing over the brow of a hill w'hich rose considerably above those
surrounding us, we suddenly saw, on the slope beneath us, a large
number of Swallow-tailed Kites {Elanoides furcatus), gliding
backwards and forwards through the air, directly over the road
which we were pursuing. They were near the ground, many of
them within ten or twelve yards of it, and numbered from 150 to

242 Mr. R. Ovveu on the Habits of the Sivallow-tailed Kite.

twice that quantity. They were closely packed, not one straggling
for a moment from the rest, and reminded one of our English
Swifts [Cypselus apus) as they congregate in flight round an old
and lofty edifice. My companion was surprised, no less than
myself, to find so many of these birds in company ; for, accord-
ing to the experience of the Coban hunters, they generally go in
pairs, although three or four may be occasionally met with toge-
ther. A few yards of precipitous descent brought us imme-
diately under the birds, and into a swarm of bees upon which
they were feeding. The swarm was slowly skirting the hill in
compact order, its persecutors sweeping through and through it,
with wings extended, and their scissor-like tails widely opened.
Their flight was not at all rapid, but steady and powerful, no
movement of the wings being perceptible. Our intrusion upon
their feeding-ground did not cause them the slightest alarm. Not
even when my companion's delight at the novelty of the sight we
were witnessing began to manifest itself in hints and signs, which
I strove in vain to quell, did they seem to take the slightest
notice of us.

At times birds would pass within four or five yards of us, giving
us time to observe their movements accurately. Every now and
then the neck would be bent slowly and gracefully, bringing the
head quite under the body, the beak continuing closed. At the
same time, the foot, with the talons contracted as if holding an
object in its grasp, would be brought forward until it met the
beak. This position was only sustained a moment, during. which
ihe beak was seen to open ; the head was then, with closed beak,
raised again, and the foot thrown back. This movement was
repeated very frequently, precisely the same actions being ob-
servable on every occasion, and this not only in the case of one
bird, but of all of them. The bees, so far as I could observe (for
[ could not catch one for examination), were about the size of
our English Hive-Bee, biit of a brilliant colour, between red and
yellow\ We stayed half an hour or more, when, the swarm
moving ofl" from the road, and the birds following closely upon
them, both were soon lost to us in the distance. Continuing our
joTU'iicy, I qviestioned my companion closely ; but, although bred
in the mountains, he had never seen more than two or three of

Capt. J. H. Speke on Birds collected in the Somali country. 243

these birds in company, nor had he ever been able to approach
them sufficiently near to observe any peculiarity in their method
of feeding. A few hours brought us to an eminence, from which
we could see the plains of Salami and San GeronimOj now burnt
up by the sun. Very little rain falls here after the middle of
October, and the only sign of vegetable life is the beautiful gi'een
of the Sugar-cane, and the ' Nopales,' or plantations of Cactus
{Cactus cochinellifer) , for the breeding of the cochineal insect. I
was glad to get back to my comfortable quarters in the Convent
of San Geronimo, where I am now scribbling, and appreciated
more keenly than ever the good taste of its founders, and my own
particular luck in having access to such a harbour of refuge.

In concluding these notes, I may remark that it was quite clear
that these birds were preying upon the bees ; and that to me it
appeared equally clear that their mode of seizing them was with
the foot, by which the insect was conveyed to the mouth, because
this alone could explain the actions of the foot and mouth as
above described.

San Geronimo, Guatemala,
March 30th, I860.

XXIX. — On Birds collected in the Somali countnj, Eastern Africa.
By Capt. J. H. Speke, F.R.G.S.

(Plate VII.)

]\Iy friend Mr. Blyth of Calcutta has given a Report on the col-
lections which I made during my expedition into the Somali
country in the winter of 1854-5, in the twenty-fourth volume
of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. The following
are some additional notes upon the species of birds of which
I obtained specimens. The nomenclature is nearly the same as
that adopted by Mr. Blyth.

Tour of the 36 birds of which I obtained examples have even-
tually proved to be new to science, namely Amydrus hlythii, Not-
auges albicapillus, Passer castanopterus, and Sypheotides humilis.

1, P(EOCEPHALUS RUFIVENTRIS (Riippell).

This is the only species of Parrot I observed in the Somali
country ; but it appears to have a wide range, for I found it

244 Capt. J. H. Speke on Birds collected

again during my recent expedition into Eastern Africaj as far
south as 6° S. lat. They fly about in large flocks like the
common Parroquets of India^ and make a loud and continuous
chatter. Their irides are red.

3. Helotarsus ECAUDATUS (Daudin). Native name, iVaSorfi.

I have seen this bird also as far south as 6° S. lat. Irides
red. It is said by the natives to be very destructive to small
animals, and to lay only one egg. The specimen obtained had
a nest of small sticks loosely placed together in the upper
branches of a large Mimosa-tree. It was very shy and hard
to kill.

3. Melierax polyzonus (Riippell). Native name, Hat-
kaadag.

Irides red. It flies very swiftly ; with the habit of a Sparrow-
hawk. Shot on the Plateau.

4. Bubo africanus (Temminck). Native name, Shimir-
libah, meaning "the Lion-bird."

5. BucEROs flavirostris, Riippell. Common Somali Horn-
bill ; called there Kudunkutu.

These birds fly about in bodies of five or six together, make a
loud croaking sound, not unlike a frog, and are especially noisy
about sunrise. These also I found six or seven degrees south
of the equator during my recent journey.

6. Irrisor senegalensis (Vieillot).

These birds are also numerous in more southern latitudes.
They fly in flocks of fifteen to twenty, and feed in Acacia-trees.
They have a very ofifensive odour.

7. Irrisor minor, Riippell.

The female is much smaller than its mate, and has a still
more arched bill. Living on the Plateau, they usually frequent
thickly-leaved large Acacia-trees to feed, and make a peculiar,
loud, unmusical noise, but have not the same unpleasant voice as
the Irrisor senegalensis.

8. Denduobates 7ETHI0PICUS (Ehrenberg).

Called by the natives Daudaute, from the sound it makes

in the Somdli country, Eastern Africa. 245

when tapping the hollow bark of trees in search of insects^ which
they shake out and feed on. I shot them on the Plateau.

9. Dendromus hemprichii (Ehrenberg).

This small Woodpecker is commoner than the last, and also
inhabits the Plateau.

10. SCHIZORHIS LEUCOGASTER (Ruppell).

Called by the natives Gobiyun in some places, Fat in others :
it ranges into more southern regions. They feed in thickly-
leaved trees, are very cunning when pursued, and chatter in-
cessantly as they climb about, like Magpies, but with a noise
resembling a cat's cry.

11. OXYLOPHUS GLANDARIUS (L.).

12. CoRVU3 AFFiNis, Riippell. Somali, Tukka.

13. CoRVUs UMBRiNus, Suudcval (?).

I saw several of these birds (perhaps from being in a transition
state) marked with white tips to their front feathers, ranging
from the neck to tlie abdomen in a succession of small semi-
circles. It would appear that disease was the cause of this phe-
nomenon, since scarcely any two of them were marked alike,
some having more white, whilst others had less ; they flew about
in common with the Corvus affinis and their own (I believe) um-
brinous brethren. Blyth says, " Not having seen a description
of this bird, we are not quite certain that it is correctly identi-
fied, especially as the late H. E. Strickland remarked of it, after
noticing C. scapulatus [jihcEOcephalus, Cab.), 'Distinguished by
the length and curvature of the beak, and by the grey-brown
tint of the head and neck.' "

14. Amydrus blythii, Hartlaub, Journ. f. Orn. 1859, p. 32.
I found these birds all over the country ; they follow the cattle

in small flocks, seldom exceeding six or seven in number. Eye
dark.

15. NoTAUGES suPERBUS (Riippcll). Somali, Shiynberload or
Cow-bird,

This beautiful bird I found extending to 7° S. lat. They
move about in large flocks, like the India Maina, following after
the herds of cows, whence its name is derived. Iridcs white.

246 Capt. J, H. Speke on Birds collected

16. NoTAUGEs ALBiCAPiLLUs (Blyth) : fiprco albicapillus,
Blythj Journ. As. Soc. xxiv. p. 301 : Noiauges albicapillus, Hartl.
Somali, Planagur. (Plate VII.)

Mr. Blyth describes this bird, as follows : — " Length about
12 in., of wing 6^ in., and tail 4|in.; its outermost feathers
I in. shorter; bill to gape ly^g- in.; and tarsi If in. Colour
dull metallic green, with a white cap, vent, lower tail-coverts,
tibial plumes, flanks posteriorly, auxiliaries, and under wing-
coverts; rest of the lower parts with narrow brownish-white
mesial streaks to the feathers, which are subacuminate, and but
slightly streaked on the chin and throat; secondaries chiefly
dull white on their exterior webs, forming a large patch on the
wing. Bill and feet black. As compared with the Cape species,
N. bicolor {Lamprotornis albiventris, Swainson), the bill is less
slender and Thrush-like, having more of the Lmnprotornis form ;
and the tarsi are shorter ; but we do not hesitate to refer it to
the same genus." I found these birds feeding and flying about
in the same manner, and on the ground, as the Noiauges su-
perbus, and also in large flocks. Irides white *.

17. BuPHAGA ERYTHRORHYNCHA, Stanley. Somali, Hurio.
Common about the country. They feed chiefly on lice and

ticks, which they find on cattle, and are very annoying to camels
who are galled by carrying baggage, by pecking at and prevent-
ing their sores from healing ; five or six are generally to be seen
clinging to one animal at once. When cattle are sound in skin,
they seem to enjoy being cleansed by these birds, and allow them
to cling about the head and neck in quiet repose. The eye of
this bird is of a light and brownish red.

18. Hyphantornis baglefecht, Vieillot ?

I found this little Baya bird on the Plateau in considerable
numbers, feeding where there were long grasses and plants in
flower, in company with many beautiful little Creepers.

19. Passer castanopterus, Blyth.

This specimen was shot on the Plateau, amongst a large flock.

* The figure (Plate VII.) is copied from an Indian drawing forwarded
to Dr. Hartlaub bv Mr. Blvth.— Ed.

in the Somali countnj, Eastern Africa. 24-7

20. PoLiospiZA TRisTRiATA, Bp. Scrinus tristriatus, Riippell.
Shot on the mountains, where they fly about in flocks like

English Sparrows.

21. Pyrrhulauda leiicotis (Stanley).

This delicate little bird I found only at Bunder Goree, feeding
on the sand in front of the huts. The hen bird has no black
upon the breast.

22. Laniarius CRUENTUs (Ehrenberg). Somali name, /t/a/m>.

23. Platysteira senegalexsis (L.).

24. Saxtcola isabellina, Kiippell.

25. Saxicola melanura, Temminck.
These two Wheatears I found on the Plateau.

26. DiCRURUs LUGUBRis, Ehrenberg.

A King Crow, with habits like the Indian one. Irides red.

27. Nectarinia habessinica, Ehrenberg.

A beautiful species of Honeysucker, whose lustrous metallic
feathers, when flitting in the sun, endeavouring to extract seed
from the bells of flowers, are resplendently gaudy.

28. Nectarinia albiventris, Strickland, Jardine*s Contr.
Orn. 1852, pi. 86, p. 42.

Male and female. These Creepers, like the last, inhabit the
Plateau, and are always found in company with them, flying
about shrubs, plants, and flowers. ]\Ir. Blyth says, this species
has only been obtained in the Somali country.

29. Pterocles senegalensis (Latham). P. giittatus, Licht-
enstein. The Rock-Pigeon or Sand-Grouse. Somali, Fuku.

These birds are found on the Plateau in large flocks, and in
habits correspond with the Indian bird of the same size.

30. Pterocles lichtexsteini, Temminck.

This bird frequents hills, like the Indian Pterocles fasciatus,
the Painted Rock Pigeon of sportsmen, which it generally re-
sembles ; but it is readily distinguishable upon comparison, being
a considerably larger bird, and richer in its markings. At first
sight I mistook it for the Indian bird.

248 i\Ir. 0. Salvia on the

31. Pternistes rubricollis (Latham).

Common Somali Partridge, called by the natives Digrin. It
runs like the red-legged bird, and is very hard to kill ; but the
flavour of its flesh is good, even better than that of any other
game in the country, and repays one well for the trouble of
shooting it.

33. SCLEROPTERA GUTTURALIS (Ruppell).

I shot this Partridge on the mountain, and could not hear of
its existence anywhere else.

33. Sypheotides humilis, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xxiv.
p. 305.

A rioriken with yellow iris, called by the Somali IVaradada.
When frightened, it flies off^, uttering a loud cry like ka-ki-rak,
ka-ki-rok. I found it here on the Plateau amongst low herbage
and grass, but not so numerous as I subsequently did in Central
Africa, south of the equator. The male is smaller than its mate,
and has black feathers, which distinguish it, under the lower
mandible.

34. (Edicnbmus afftnis, Ruppell. Somali, Kedinhitu.
Irides light straw-yellow. In almost all particulars of habit

it corresponds with the common Indian bird of the same size.

35. Chenalopex iEGYPTiAcus (L.). Egyptian Goose. So-
mali, Etal-Jaz ("who lives at wells ").

I found these birds also on the lakes south of the equator.

36. Phalacrocorax lugubris, RUppell. {Carbo melano-
gaster, Cuv., Par. Mus.)

A common sea-bird, which I shot at Bunder Goree.

XXX. — History of the Derhyan Mountain-Pheasant (Oreo-
phasis derbianus). By Osbert Salvin, M.A., F.Z.S.

Though some years have elapsed since the discovery of this
strange bird, little or no additional information has been given
as regards its habits and economy. Having resided for several
months in the neighboui'hood of its only known locality, I shall
offer no apology for entering somewhat at length upon the few
facts that I have been able to pick up, relating both to the

Derbyan Mountain-Pheasant. 249

specimens previously sent and also to those that I have recently
been fortunate enough to obtain.

The first specimen of the Oreop/uisis ever obtained was shot
by Don Joaquin Quinones about the year 1848, when in search,
in company with Mr. Wyld of Dueiias, of the large Pigeons
{Columba/asciafa) , Quails {Ortyx thoracicus, &c.), and other game
found in the forests of Calderas in the Volcan de Fuego in Gua-
temala. This bird was preserved by Mrs. Wyld, and sent as a
present to the late Mr. Klee, of the house of Klee, Skinner & Co.
of Guatemala, and by him forwarded to the late Earl of Derby.
It is now, I believe, to be seen in the Liverpool Museum, and is
the specimen from which the figure in Gray and Mitchell's
' Genera of Birds ' was taken.

A specimen brought to England by Mr. Skinner in the year
1855 I have not been able to trace ; I believe it arrived in bad
condition. For the two skins obtained by the same gentleman
in the following year Mr. Skinner was again indebted to Mr.
Wyld, who employed a man of the name of Jose Ordoiiez, a
native of Duenas (a hunter of deer and peccaries), to procure them.
This man has since assured me that it was not until he visited
the mountain for the third time that he succeeded in shooting
them. The high price Mr. Wyld paid for these two birds, and
the news of their great rarity in Europe, made the Oi-eophasis
more sought after ; and Mr. Rittcher, a resident in Guatemala,
succeeded in obtaining two, which were, I believe, forwarded to
Hamburg. Don Vicente Constancia, of Antigua Guatemala,
also, now has in his collection an indifferent skin.

These seven examples are all that I can hear of as having
been preserved hitherto.

During the six months I spent in Guatemala in 1858, I did
not obtain specimens of the Oreophasis, though Jose Ordonez
was taken into consultation. My collections were made princi-
pally in the plains about Dueilas, and not in the Volcano. Last
year (1859), while absent in Vera Paz, Jose Ordonez brought
one to the house at Duenas ; but no one being there to skin it,
it was lost. On my return I again employed the same man, and
the following morning had the satisfaction to see him walk into
the yard with one tucked under his arm, and again on the sue-

250 Mr. 0. Salvin on the

ceeding day with one under each arm. The first of these was
a male, the other two females, — the three skins which were
exhibited by Mr. Sclater at the Meeting of the Zoological Society
on March 13, 1860. Being particularly desirous both of seeing
the bird alive and of shooting it myself, and having the fruit
taken from the crop of one of the above-mentioned birds, as a
clue to indicate in what trees it would most likely be found, I set
off for the mountain soon after this, with Jose Ordonez for my
guide. We started at six o'clock in the morning at break of day,
reached the forest region at nine, and continued climbing until
we had almost passed out of it into the region of Pines and
coarse grass with which the peak is clothed, but no Oreophasis
was met with. Descending again, we struck the barranco in
which Jose had shot the specimens he brought me ; but with no
better success, except that I found unmistakeable " sign " in the
shape of feathers, and the fruit of the tree I had been in search
of. Though not successful, this expedition was satisfactory in
one respect — I had seen a spot where the Oreophasis certainly had
visited, and where my specimens had been killed. The truth of
the latter fact I have no reason to doubt. From a habit one
acquires of looking upon a Oentral American half-breed as a rascal
till he has proved himself honest, I certainly did at first suspect
that Jose was deceiving me, and that he had no idea of allowing
me to poach upon his peculiar preserve of Oreophases. I regret
that I cannot give any other than Jose's account of the habits of
this bird ; but as his stories bear a semblance of truth, I do not
hesitate in transcribing them. In the early morning he told me
he usually found them in the upper branches of the forest trees,
searching for their favourite fruit, which they eat both ripe and
unripe ; as the day advances they descend to the underwood, where
they remain all day, basking or scratching among the leaves. This
is pretty much what a Penelope or a Crax does, both of which I
have frequently had opportunities of observing in the forests of
the low lands. The cry of the bird he could not describe
satisfactorily.

As the Volcan de Fuego is at present the only known
locality from which the Oreophasis has been obtained, I will
here shortly describe its physical conformation. The north-

Derby an Mountain- Pheasant. 251

ernmost of the three peaks into which the whole mountain is
divided, seems to be, geologically, the most ancient. When this
attained its present elevation (nearly 14,000 feet above the level
of the sea), the fires broke out on its southern side, raising
another peak equal in height to the original one. Again a
fresh crater has opened on the southern side of the second peak,
more nearly at its base, heaping up the vast conical mass, from
the point of which still issues a thin but constant curl of white
smoke. This last is the true Volcan de Fuego, the " volcano of
fii-e," though the term is applied to the whole group. All these
three mountains are united up to a high elevation, the fire-peak
■being connected with the other two by a horizontal ridge, which
probably indicates a third outbreak on the southern slope, of less
magnitude, and antecedent to the existence of the present crater.
All traces of craters have disappeared from the original peaks,
they having been, doubtless, filled up by ashes from subsequent
eruptions. The sides of these mountains, or rather mountain
(as, except very near their summit, they are actually one), are cut
from top to bottom by deep ravines or barrancos. The lower
part of the base, to a height of some 2000 feet above the lloiw
of Duenas, has been cleared of its forests by the Indians for their
fields of maize and frijoles ; but these cleared lands have been
since abandoned, and a thick brushwood has sprung up. The
forest region commences at about 2000 feet above the plain, or
about 7000 feet above the level of the sea. It extends upwards
until its component trees become scattered Pines, which diminish
in number as the elevation increases to the summit. The lower
part of this forest region consists principally of evergreen Oaks ;
these in their turn give way, on ascending, to the Hand Plant
{Chirostemon platanoides) , the " Khanak " of the Indians, with
here and there a patch of Alder. These trees again are succeeded
by Pines and coarse grass in the northernmost peaks, and by loose
ashes and rocky precipices in the fire-peak. A tree called the
" Palo careta," the " Khakhachay " of the Kachiquel Indians,
grows between the line of junction of the Oaks and Khanak, the
fruit of which is sought by the Oreophasis. It is a fine forest-tree,
and usually grows in or near the bottoms of the ravines. It is,
howevei', by no means common. Its fruit is about the size of

VOL. II. T

252 Mr. 0. Salvin on the Derbyan Mountain-Pheasant.

a walnut, has a purple skin when ripe, and a large stone in the
centre : it is ripe in January*. This forest is evidently the home
of the Oreophasis, as the Cracidce (and to this family the pre-
sent bird undoubtedly belongs) are a family of forest- loving birds,
any member of which would feel strangely out of its element in
one of those open sunny savannas in which artists delight to
place them.

In ' The Ibis,' 1859, p. 224, 1 stated that there was good reason
to suppose that the examples of Oreophasis procured by Mr.
Skinner were obtained from the Volcan de Agua. This I find
was not the case, as they were shot nearly in the same spot in the
Volcan de Fuego as my specimens. Strange as it may seem, the
Volcan de Fuego is the sole locality which has produced this bird.
I made every inquiry for it in Vera Paz, where the forests of the
mountain-tops somewhat resemble those of the volcanos, but
could hear nothing of it ; nor is it even known to the charcoal-
burners of the Volcan de Agua. Though its non-occurrence in
localities which might be supposed favourable to its existence
rests on negative evidence, yet it is certain that, whereas to the
Indians frequenting the Volcan de Fuego the bird is well known,
nowhere else can its existence be traced, not even in the Volcan
de Agua. From all I could hear, and from having made three
or four fruitless expeditions in search of it, I am led to conclude
that it is rare even in the single mountain where it is found.
This supposition is borne out by Mr. Wyld, who has frequently
inquired of the Indians of San Pedro Ipocapa and Acatenango
(villages on the southern and western sides of the volcano), but
could hear nothing of it.

The Oreophasis is known to the Indians frequenting the
mountain as the " Khannanay," and to the Ladinos or half-
bred Indians as the " Faisan.'^

The female of O, derbianus was until lately unknown to
science. Owing, I am inclined to think, to the absence of
positive information on the subject, she has been supposed to
bear plumage different from the male (as is the case in C7'ax

* Specimens of the branches and fruit of this tree have been submitted
to Dr. Hooker, who has kindly identified it as a Primus, closely allied to,
if not the same as, Prunus occidentalis of the West Indies.

Mr. G. Barnston on the Stvam and Geese of Hudson's Bay. 253

globicera), and probably to want the standing bony crest which
forms so marked a feature in this species. From the three birds
brought to me by Jose Ordonez, I am able to state that the
female differs in no way from the male except in being rather
smaller in size, and in having the crest on the head rather shorter
and more tapering. All three specimens were adult, and the
ovary of the females very plainly developed. Of the sex of the
male, too, I can speak with equal certainty. Comparing the
sternum with that of Penelope purpurascens, a very marked
affinity is observable. The cranial protuberance is attached to
the skull. It is hollow, the cavity being filled with a cellular
tissue, as in the bill of a Toucan (Ramphastos). The enclosing
bone is extremely fragile, and in the females may easily be
crushed between the finger and thumb. The crest is deep
vermilion in colour, also the legs and toes. The bill is a very
pale straw colour, and the iris white. The male, the day after it
was killed, weighed 5 lbs.

1 1 Hanover Terrace, Regent's Park,
May 25th, 1860.

XXXI. — Recollections of the Swans and Geese of Hudson's Bay.
By George Barnston, of the Hudson's Bay Company's
Service.

Swans, except in a few particular localities, are scarce, rather
than plentiful birds on the shores of Hudson's Bay. They are
seen at the same time as the other migratory birds, winging
their way to the secluded recesses of the North, resting through-
out the interior, and losing units of their number here and
there by the Indian's gun. In the scarcity of their favourite
food (the roots of the Sagittaria sagittifolia) , they have recourse
to those of Equiseta, and the tender underground runners of
some grasses of the northern latitudes. They sometimes breed
in the interior before arriving at the coast. I had two eggs
brought to me from a nest on the banks of a lake near Norway
House ; but I cannot say whether these were of the Cygnus ame-
ricanus or C. buccinator. Towards Eastmain Fort, in James's
Bay, a considerable number of Swans hatch ; and a few are killed

T 2

254 Mr. G. Barnston on the

by the natives there, as they pass up and down narrow rivers com-
municating with the sea-coast and the lakes of the interior. The
numerous flocks that are to be seen in the winter months on the
expanses of the larger rivers that run into the Pacific, embel-
lishing all the larger sheets of water with their silvery strings,
must break up as they enter or advance upon their long spring
journey, for they are generally seen but few together in the
neighbourhood of Hudson's Bay. They may be more united,
however, at the particular haunts where they breed.

Superior to the Swan as an article of food, the Goose, of every
species, is the favourite dish of the Indian of Hudson's Bay.
When the long and dreary winter has fully expended itself, and
the Willow Grouse have taken their departure for the plains of
the North, there is frequently a period of rank starvation to
many, who are on their way from their wintering ground to the
Trading Posts. The first call, therefore, of the large Canada or
Grey Goose is heard with a rapture known only to those who
have endui'ed great privations. The tents are filled with hope,
to which joy soon succeeds, when the happy father or hopeful
son and brother throw down their grateful load.

The Bernicla canadensis, here alluded to, is the largest of our
Geese, and is almost always first seen in the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany's territories, — at first perhaps only one straggler, or two or
three at most together, but soon to be followed by a continuous
flock of fresh immigrants. They are the advanced guard of the
serried legions of other water-fowl. This spring-bird, as if aware
of the general favour in which it is held, spreads itself diffusively
over the whole breadth of the continent. Its disposition has less
of wildness in it than that of the Snow Goose. We find it hatch-
ing in quiet holes and corners where there is placid water and
grass and rushes to afibrd it sustenance. It is at home over the
whole wooded country, as well as on the extensive marshes of
the sea-coast, and the mossy barrens of the Esquimaux and
Chipewyan Lands. During the winter, like the other species,
they take refuge in the more temperate parts of the country,
where they can always have open water. I have seen a small
flock in the strong open current of water above Lachinc, near
Montreal, in the mouth of January or February ; but this is rare.

Sivans and Geese of Hudson's Bay. 255

During the whole of the winter season, before Oregon was settled
in by the Americans, the Company's post of Fort Vancouver
used to be supplied by Indian hunters with Grey Geese, large
and small, as well as an occasional Swan and Snow Goose, —
at times so liberally, that* rations could be furnished to an esta-
blishment of thirty or forty out of the store. Some of these
Geese had been killed by the bow and arrow. They were good
food, but not in equal condition to what they are in the North
after a week's feed. The great mass of the Canada Grey Geese
winter, I have no doubt, to the southward of the Missouri and
Platte waters, in the swamps of Florida and the lower Missis-
sippi, and on the waters of the western side of the continent,
near their confluence with the Pacific. In these last haunts
they are thinned by the Indian's arrow, as they are in the North
by the more deadly gun.

The Lesser Grey Goose {Bernicla hutchinsii) arrives later in
the season than the other, and about the same time as the Snow
Goose {Anser hyperboreus) . They are shot in considerable quan-
tities at Albany and elsewhere along the coast of James's Bay.
I believe they do not incubate, like the large Geese, in scattered
or detached portions throughout the wooded country, but proceed
iu large and united flocks to the extreme North, where they
may have quiet quarters. On their arrival at the coast, about the
beginning of May, they commence feeding in the salt marshes
amongst the soft white- rooted grasses, — continuing there for a
fortnight or three weeks with the " Wavies " or Snow Geese. By
this time they ai-e in good plight, and they take their departure,
not again to appear until their return with the young broods in
the month of September. These smaller Geese are killed in
fewer numbers on their passage to Hudson's Bay than the larger,
which may be accounted for by their habits; but when once
they settle on their feeding -ground, the tables turn upon them,
and the slaughter committed in their ranks, especially at Albany,
is wonderful.

The Brant Goose {Bernicla brenta), the Callewapimaw of
the Coast Crees, is but little looked after or cared for in
Hudson's Bay, being a small species, keeping out to sea on the
shoals near low water-mark, . and aff'ording a less esteemed dish

256 Mr. G. Barnstoa on the

for the palate. They arrive, 1 believe, latest of all the birds of
the genus.

The Snow-Goose [Anser hyperhoreus), although playing a less
conspicuous part in the interior of the country, where it seldom
alights except along the margins of the large lakes and streams,
and the extensive grassy lakes of the praii'ies, becomes, from its
consolidated numbers, the first object of sport in James's Bay.
The havoc amongst them is great, and even the Indian gets
fatigued at the trade of killing. In the fall, on some days when
the flocks of young " Wevois " or Wavies, as they are called, are
numerous and passing southwards, it is no uncommon thing for
a good shot to send a hundred to his lodge between sunrise and
sunset. In such cases he generally has two guns in his willow
and gi'ass stand or concealment, and his wife or son loads, while
he attends to the motions of the Geese, brings them round to the
bush or wooden decoys by calling, and fires as they pass. These
Geese form the staple article of food for rations at the Albany
Factory. They are the last to leave the coast for southern climes;
and this takes place generally towards the end of the month of
September, some weak broods and wounded birds lingering to
the first week of October. They are deliberate and judicious in
their preparations for their long flight, and make their arrange-
ments in a very business-like manner. They leave ofi" feeding in
the marshes for a day or more, keeping out with the retreating ebb
tide, and retiring as it were by steps, unwillingly, at its flow, ad-
justing their feathers continually, and dressing them with their
fatty oil. They are then ready for the first north or north-
westerly wind that blows ; and in 24 hours' time the coast that
had been resonant with their petulant and incessant cries, and
covered patchlike by their whitened squadrons, is silent and
deserted — a barren and frozen shore.

The friendly intercourse that exists between these Geese and
the Blue Wavies (the Anser ccerulescens) has perhaps induced
some to suppose that they were merely varieties ; but this is a
mistake. The young white Wavies arrive fi'om the North with
their parents, without mixture of other geese in the flocks ; and
they have the same white garb as the old birds, but with the
head as if it had been soiled with rust of iron, and the bill, as is

Swans and Geese of Hudson's Bay. 257

well knowu with young birds, tender, soft, and compressible ;
while, on the other hand, the Anser ccerulescens comes down upon
the eastern coast, also in perfectly distinct flocks, the young birds
having a more diffused and darker blue colour, as well as being
of smaller size, with the beak softer and the flesh more tender.
About this there can be no mistake. In the spring, James's Bay
is frequently crossed by both species of the Wavy, at Capes Jones
and Henrietta Maria ; and occasionally two or three Blue may be
seen in a large flock of White on the Albany shore, while two or
three White may be also observed accompanying the full flocks
of Blue on the Eastmain side ; but this is not singular, as their
cry is almost the same, and they are certainly closely allied
species — but not varieties. By Indian report, a great breeding-
ground for the Blue Wavy is the country lying in the interior
from the N.E. point of Labrado, Cape Dudley Digges. Exten-
sive swamps and impassable bogs prevail there ; and the Geese
incubate on the more solid and driest tufts dispersed over the
morass, safe from the approach of man or other than a winged
enemy.

The Anser gamhelii, or Laughing Goose, is seldom seen in the
southern part of the Bay. At York they are less rare, and at
Churchill frequent enough. Although I cannot speak with
certainty, I am disposed to believe that the Laughing Goose is
more an inhabitant of Central and Western America in the winter
months, than of the eastern side, and that therefore, in its progress
northward, it strikes upon the coast westward of James's Bay,
where it is seldom seen. On the Lower Columbia and in Oregon,
or Willamette Valley, they abound, with other wild-fowl, when,
as frequently happens, the winter is mild and there is no snow
on the ground.

Of all the Geese enumerated, the Anser ccerulescens appears to
be the least known, and, it is possible, frequents in summer only
James's Bay and the Eastmain of Labrador, at the extremity of
which peninsula it hatches. Of its winter haunts I cannot
speak with certainty, not having seen them either on the Columbia
or on the noi'th-west coast. It may be that they adopt the sea-
coast in a lower latitude as a home, and are to be found towards
Southern Mexico.

258 Mr. G. Barnston un the Swans and Geese of Hudson's Bay.

It is difficult to form a very accurate idea of the numbers of
that poi'tion of the genus Anser which we have just passed under
review. Of the quantity shot at particular points where they
become a matter of provision for the -Hudson's Bay Company's
establishments, we can arrive at a pretty exact estimate.
Seventeen to twenty thousand Geese are sometimes killed by the
Albany Indians in the fall of the year, and perhaps about half
of that number in the spring, say the end of April and the
month of May, making a total for Albany alone, of all descriptions

of the above-mentioned geese, of 30,000

I cannot speak so decidedly as to the other parts ; but,

at a fair computation from what I know of them,

Moose may afford in some years nearly 6,000

Rupert's River Post 5,000

Eastmain and to the northward 4,000

making a total for James's Bay of 45,000

Along the Hudson's Bay western coast in the northern
department, I should say that far fewer were bagged.

Severn stands well as a hunting-station where Geese
are plentiful and Indians numerous, and I cannot
compute its annual yield at less than 8,000

York Factory frequently fails in procuring any con-
siderable supply, and I therefore would not rate it
as giving more than 2,000

Churchill is generally better than this ; and when the
Chipewyans belonging to the establishment come in
great numbers to the Goose-hunt, we may reckon
upon 2,500

We thus have an annual thinning of the wild Geese

passing northwards and southwards along the coasts

of Hudson's Bay of 57,500

But as many Geese must die wounded, and others be got hold

of by the fox, we may safely make the total loss to the flocks

running the fiery gauntlet as 60,000. Of these perhaps

40,000, or two-thirds, are shot in the fall.

Now supposing that one-eighth of the whole bands fall to the

gun, we have a round number of 360,000 Geese proceeding

Mr. 0. Salvin on the Humming-birds of Guatemala. 259

southwards from Hudson's Bay alone to the warmer latitudes.
I cannot form an opinion of the comparative numbers to the
westward, that is to say, of the Geese that leave the Arctic coast
and wend their way straight to their winter quarters without
touching the Bay at all ; but supposing it to equal the flight of
the body already mentioned, we shall then have 720,000, or
perhaps say 800,000 Geese leaving the coasts east of the Rocky
Mountains for their places of hybernation : — the Brant Geese
are not included. This may be supposed much underneath the
true estimate, yet I would not wish to give a greater ; for although
the swarms of Geese passing appear at times prodigious, yet, like
many other scattered objects, when they come to be collected and
counted, they become subject to a moderate figure. Say that
Geese fly about a yard apart : this w^ould make a winged string of
life 450 miles in length; and suppose the rate of flight was
40 miles per hour, and the line led by one going straight south,
they would take eleven hours in passing any given object.

Michipicoton, Dec. 6th, 1859.

XXXII. — Notes on the Humming-birds of Guatemala.
By OsBERT Salvin, M.A., F.Z.S.

The following notes relate to species of Humming-birds observed
in Guatemala, at Duefias, Coban, and Salama^ during the months
of August, September, October and November 1859.

The references to each species will be found in the previous
papers on the Ornithology of Central America published in this
Journal.

As I have collected many examples of the several species of
Humming-birds, I take the opportunity of illustrating, by actual
figures, the ratio in numbers the males bear to the females, and
give under each separate species that ratio, as shown by the
specimens before me.

It may be from not having hit upon the localities for the
opposite sex, that I have found one, be it male or female, usually
largely predominating; yet it seems somewhat strange that the
localities in which I have worked should have been, with few
exceptions, those in which the males most abound. I will not

260 Mr. 0. Salvin 07i the

raise an hypothesis on this subject upon the facts that I have,
up till now, collected, but merely state the numbers, and wait
for further investigations.

1. Phaethobnis adolphi.
Cohan, Vera Paz. November 15th.

Though not common about Cohan, this species seems pretty
generally dispersed. Like many others, it feeds among the
Salvia. To a practised ear its presence may be detected by the
peculiar hum of the wings. This at once warns the collector
to look out sharply among the lower branches and flowers,
which are well searched by this bird, while the upper shoots of
the bush are comparatively neglected. At Yzabal, where P.
adolphi abounds, its habits somewhat differ. This is probably
owing to the very different nature of the plants from which it
takes its food, rather than to any other cause. If the females
are to be distinguished from the males by their yellower throat,
the ratio of the sexes is two females to seven males.

2. Campylopterus delattrii.
Cohan, Vera Paz. November 1859.

The large size and showy tail of this Humming-bird make it
one of the most conspicuous when on the wing. It is common
at Coban, feeding among the Salvia. It is said also to be found
in the Volcan de Fuego, but I have not yet met with it. The
females of this species are most abundant, their ratio to the males
being as five to two. C. delattrii is not nearly so shy as its
congener, C. rufus.

3. Campylopterus pampa.
Coban. November.

A single female specimen only was brought to me while at
Coban.

4. Petasophora thalassina.
Volcan de Fuego. September 6th.

The barrancos of the Volcano are favourite resorts of this
species.

Dueiias, September 15th. A specimen obtained on this day
is the only one I have seen out on the llano, as the bird is
usually found in the dense forest.

Humming-birds of Guatemala. 261

5. Petasophora delphin.e.
Coban, Vera Paz. Novembei'.

This Humming-bird seems to have been quite unknown at
Coban previously to the present specimens being collected. The
first was shot by my collector, Cipriano Prado, among some
Salvia, in one of the mountain-hollows near Coban. I after-
wards visited this place and saw one bird, but did not succeed
in shooting it. Salvia being in flower in November, their
blossoms are sought after by nearly every species of Humming-
bird near Coban, this among the rest. It is a rare species
even at Coban, and though much looked for by the Indian boys
in consequence of my offers of reward, but few specimens were
obtained.

The females appear only to differ from the males in being
smaller in size, the colouring of the ear and throat being quite
as brilliant. Three males to one female appears to be about the
proportion of the sexes.

6. Cyanomyia cyanocephala.
Duenas and Coban.

This species is common at Dueiias, but its numbers at Coban
are very much smaller. The sex of the young males seems
sufficiently indicated by the colouring of the head.

7. Eugenes fulgens.
Duenas, Coban, and Tactic.

This species is also rare at Coban. The place described as
frequented by Amazilia dumerillii is the spot where I have
found this species in greatest numbers ; indeed, with two excep-
tions, I have never met with it elsewhere near Duenas. It is a
most pugnacious bird. Many a time have I thought to secure
a fine male, which I hud perhaps been following from tree to
tree, and had at last seen quietly perched on a leafless twig,
when my deadly intention has been anticipated by one less so
in fact, but to all appearances equally so in will. Another
Humming-bird rushes in, knocks the one I covet off his perch,
and the two go fighting and screaming away at a pace hardly to
be followed by the eye. Another time this flying fight is main-

262 Mr. O. Salviu on the

tained in mid air, the belligerents mounting higher and higher,
till the one worsted in buttle darts away, seeking shelter, followed
by the victor, who never relinquishes the pursuit till the van-
quished, by doubling and hiding, succeeds in making his escape.
These fierce raids are not waged alone between members of the
same species. Eugenes fulgens attacks with equal ferocity Ama-
zilia dumerillii, and, animated by no high-souled generosity,
scruples not to tilt with the little Trochilus colubris. I know of
hardly any species that shows itself more brilliantly than this
when on the wing ; yet it is not to the midday sun that it exhibits
its splendour. When the southerly wind brings clouds and
driving mist between the volcanos of Agua and Fuego, and all
is as in a November fog in England, then it is that Eugenes ful-
gens appears in numbers ; Amazilia dumerillii, instead of a few
scattered birds, is to be seen in every tree, and Trochilus coluhris
in great abundance. Such animation awakes in Humming-bird-
life as would hardly be credited by one who had passed the
same spot an hour or two before j and the flying to and fro, the
humming of wings, the momentary and prolonged contests, and
the incessant battle-cries seem almost enough for a time to turn
the head of a lover of these things. I have fifteen males from
Duefias to one female, which I shot, but did not skin, — one male
from Coban, and two males from Tactic.

A "London fog" must not be understood here, as the yellow
element is entirely wanting.

8. Myiabeillia typica.

Volcan de Fuego (September 6th) and Coban.

The barrancos of the Volcano are the only localities I am aware
of, near Duenas, where this species is found. There, however,
it is a common bird. It is usually to be seen feeding about the
brushwood, seeking the flowers, &c. It is a restless species, but
shows little symptoms of fear.

My skins from the Volcano are one female and three males.
The proportions at Coban are very difi'erent. Here it is com-
mon, being found in all the mountain-hollows, feeding among
the Salvia-. The ratio of the sexes is as twenty males to one
female.

Humming-birds of Guatemala. 263

9. DeLATTRIA VIRIDIPALLENS.

Volcau de Fuego. September 18th.

This Humming-bird seems to keep entirely to the forests of
the Volcano. I have never met with it in the plains below.

During the months of August and September, the localities of
the various species of Humming-birds are usually as follows : —
Among the trees on the south-eastern side of the lake are
Amazilia dumerillii, Thaumastura henicura (mostly females),
Campylopterus rufus, Heliomaster longi7-ostris, Chlorostilbon osberti
(in small numbers), Cyanomyia cyanocephala, and Trochilus
colubris.

On the hill-side to the south-westward of the lake are great
numbers of Campylopterus rufus, and among the willows close
to the water the males of Thaumastura henicura congregate.
About the Convolvulus-trees in the llano at the foot of the
Volcano are found Eugenes fulgens, Amazilia dumerillii^ Thau-
mastura henicura (in small numbers), Trochilus coluhis (very
commonly towards the end of September), Cyanomyia cyanoce-
phala, Heliomaster longirostris (rarely occurring).

Entering the first barranco that opens out into the plain, we
meet with Campylopterus rufus, Myiabeillia typica, Heliopedica
melanotis, and, a little higher up, Petasophora thalassina and
Delattria viridipallens. Of course, occasionally a species is found
not in its place as here indicated ; for instance, I have seen in
the first locality a single specimen (the only female I have met
with) oi Eugenes fulgens, and another high in the Volcano. I
have also seen a single Petasophora thalassina out on the llano.
These localities must therefore be taken as only generally
indicating the distribution of the species found about Dueilas.

This is one of the commonest species at Coban. It may
readily be recognized by the peculiar harshness of its note.

10. Heliomaster constanti.
San Geronimo.

A single specimen was brought to me by a boy. I never
saw the species myself at San Geronimo.

11. Heliomaster longirostris.
Duenas.

264 Mr. 0. Salvin on the

The white sides and the white spot on the back show very
conspicuously as this bird rests on its perch.

12. Thaumastura henicura.
Duefias. August.

The Humming-birds' nests near the house at Dueiias, in the
year 1859, met with singular misfortune. Without looking
especially for them, I found three of Cyanomyia cyanocephala,
three of Thaumastura henicura, and one of Campylopterus rufas
close by, besides others more distant. Of these seven, one only,
or perhaps two pairs, succeeded in rearing their young. The
three nests of C. cyanocephala were all in the Cypress-trees. The
first I took ; the second was destroyed by some Indians after the
eggs had been incubated for some time; the third remained
unmolested, but I was not able to ascertain whether the young
birds were reared. The nest of C. rufus was also in one of the
Cypress-trees, at a height of about 5 feet 6 inches from the
ground. It had two eggs when I found it ; but the day following,
eggs, nest, and the branch on which it was placed, were destroyed
by some Indians who were working near. I am unable there-
fore to describe accurately the construction of the nest of this
last species, and can only remark that the old bird, most pi-o-
bably the female, allowed me to approach very closely — indeed,
so near that my head was within a foot of her. Of course I was
obliged to tread softly and slowly, and to keep my eyes steadily
fixed upon her. This tameness was a strong contrast to the
usually shy habits of this species.

Two out of the three nests of T. henicura met with no better
fate than those just mentioned. One of these two was in a
Coffee-tree, and had two eggs. These were destroyed by some
means or other, soon after the hen bird had begun to sit. The
other nest of the two was most curiously placed in the cup-shaped
top of a fruit of the Nopal [Cactus cochinellifer) , the fastenings
being dexterously wound round the clustering prickles, and thus
retaining the whole structure most firmly in its place. This
nest was remarkably shallow ; so much so, that, if it had not
contained its two eggs, I should have pronounced it far from
complete. It may be that, being based on a firm foundation

Humming-birds of Guatemala. 265

(one not nearly so liable to oscillation by the wind), the bird had
found that a greater depth was not necessary to keep the eggs
from falling out. Had she placed her nest on a slender twig,
such a one as seems to be the usual position chosen, the case
might have been different.- The third nest had young. It was
placed in the upper shoots of a Dahlia which grew at the further
end of the court-yard of the house. The hen bird seemed to have
the entire duty of rearing the young, as I never once saw the
male near the place ; in fact, I never saw a male T. henicura
inside the court-yard at all. When the hen was sitting she
would sometimes allow me to go quite close to her, and even
hold the branch still when it was swayed to and fro by the wind,
without evincing the slightest alarm. But it was only when a
hot sun was shining that she would allow me to do this ; when
it was dull or raining, four or five yards was the nearest I could
approach. Frequently when I had disturbed her I would sit
down close at hand and wait for her retui'n, and I always
noticed that, after flying past once or twice overhead, she
would bring a small piece of lichen, which, after she had settled
herself comfortably in her nest, she would attach to the outside.
All this w^as done with such a confident and fearless air, that
she seemed to intimate, " I left my nest purely to search for this
piece of lichen, and not because I was afraid of you." When
sitting upon her nest the whole cavity was quite filled by her
puffed-out feathers, the vdngs, with the exception of their tips,
being entirely concealed by the feathers of the back. When the
young were first hatched, they looked little, black, shapeless
things with long necks and hardly any beak. They soon, however,
grew, and entirely filled the nest. I never saw the old bird sitting
after the young had emerged from the eggs ; she seemed to leave
them alike in sun and rain. When feeding them, she would
stand on the edge of the nest with her body very upright. The
first of these young ones flew on October 15. It was standing
on the side of the nest as I happened to approach, when it
immediately flew off, but fell among the flowers below. I placed
it again in the nest, but a moment after it was off again, nothing
daunted by its first failure, — this second time with better
success, for it flew over a wall close by and settled on a tree on

266 Mr. 0. Salvin on the

the otlier side. In the evening of the same day, I saw the old
one feeding it^ and went up to the tree ; but it started off with
increased vigour to an orange-tree, and tried at first to rest on
one of the fruit, but failing, found a more appropriate perch on
the edge of a leaf. I never saw it afterwards.

The other young one flew on October 17th, two days later.
The proportion of males to females, of my Duenas skins, is as
five to three, while of those from Coban, as three to five.

The seeds of the willow and bulrush are favourite materials
for the interior structure of the nest of T. henicura, while lichen
is freely used outside.

13. SeLASPHORUS HELOISiE.

Volcan de Fuego and " tierra caliente" N. of Coban.

Two bu'ds were given to me by Don Vicente Constancia, who
had just received them from a place called Chimachoyo, near
Calderas in the Volcan de Fuego. Two specimens I have in my
collection from Coban were shot in the tierra caliente north of
that city. Hence it would appear that this, like many other
species of Humming-birds, is found in very difi'ereut climates.

14. Tryph^na duponti.

San Geronimo. December 10th.

Don Vicente Constancia assures me that this species is found
near the city of Guatemala ; otherwise this is the only locality I
have been able to discover, as yet, where it occurs.

Following the course of the river of San Geronimo up its bed
to a distance of about half a league from the village, you come
upon a small patch of forest with here and there open spots
covered with Salvia. Here it was that this bird was shot by a
boy, who told me there were plenty ; however, on visiting the
place soon after, I was not successful in obtaining more speci-
mens, nor was I fortunate enough to see one.

15. Trochilus colubris.
Duenas and Coban.

The 24th of August was the day on whicli I first met with
this little wanderer from the North. I was shooting some
specimens of Eugenes fiilyens in the locality mentioned for
Amazilia dumerillii, when I saw and shot a male in one of the

Humming-birds of Guatemala. 267

Convolvulus trees. From that date the numbers rapidly increased
until the first week in October, when it became by far the
commonest species about Duefias. My first impression on seeing
this bird was that it remained in small numbers to breed in this
country ; but on observing the increasing numbers, I soon
relinquished the idea, though it was a natural one, as, at the
time of my observing the first bird, in a locality previously un-
visited, I was fully aware that Camj)ylopterus rufus, Thaumastura
henicura, and Cyanomyia cyanocephala were either building, or
sitting on their eggs. Another proof also that T. colubris was
not engaged, or about to engage, in domestic duties, was that
whereas the resident species in the month of October wore their
most brilliant plumage, that of T. colubris was tarnished and its
lustre gone. The species seems to be very universally distributed ;
I found it common at Coban, also at San Geronimo and the
plains of Salamii. Of my skins from Duenas the proportion of
males to females is as one to four, but those from Coban exactly
as one to one,

16. LOPHORNIS HELENA.

Coban, November 17th,

It was interesting to find that the recollection of M. Dclattre's
visit to Coban was still cherished by the bird-collecting commu-
nity of that town. In fact he seems to have started the idea
of collecting, and ever since there have been persons there who
have handed down his original instructions in bird- skinning, so
that, from pi'eparing a few Quesals {Pharomacrus paradiseus), the
Cobaneros have become somewhat celebrated for having formed
the various collections which have from time to time been for-
warded to Europe from their neighbourhood.

Mr, Gould, in his great work on Humming-birds, gives as a
locality for this species " Petinck^^ {Peten ?) in the Vera Paz. In
the vicinity of Coban itself it is not uncommon, though hardly to
be called numerous, and it is most probable that Vera Paz skins
have usually been forwarded from this latter place, I was greatly
delighted to find myself in the localities of this wonderful little
bird — a success I had hardly hoped for, and I made evei-y en-
deavour during my short stay both to see the bird in its living
state and to get specimens,

VOL. II. u

268 Mr. 0. Salvin on the

On my first arrival in Guatemala the different species of
Humming-birds seemed for some time to be alike in their habits,
cries, and in the sound produced by their wings. Further
acquaintance, however, and constant attention to their pecu-
liarities, soon led me to detect an individuality in the different
species, so that, after a time, I was able to name a species at a
glance, or, if unseen, with hardly less certainty, from the sound
of the wings or cry of the bird. These are differences not to be
described accurately in words — at least only in the case of those
most apparent. The cry of Lophornis helence is peculiarly shrill,
and unlike that of any other species I know, hence its presence
may be noticed if only the cry of a passing bird be heard. It
feeds among the Salvia that so abound in the mountain-hollows
about Coban, and it is said also to show a partiality for the
flowers of the Tasisco, when that tree is in full bloom in the
month of December. In the month of November females of this
species are very rare. Of the specimens I collected there was
only one female to seventeen males.

In the Indian language of Coban, Lophornis helence has, besides
the name " Tzunnun," which is applied to all the small Hum-
ming-birds, the additional name of '^ Achshukiib." The Spanish
name is " El Gorrion Cackudo " — the Horned Humming-bird.

17. Amazilia corallirostris.

San Geronimo. December.

This is a common species about San Geronimo. It seems not
to be found in the colder and more elevated portions of the
Republic, neither occurring at Duenas nor Coban, but it is very
plentifully distributed throughout the Pacific coast-region. It
shows a great partiality for the blossoms of the orange and the
lime. A nest with two young and the hen bird were brought
to me December Gth ; the young were half-grown, and would
have flown in about ten days. Finding unfledged birds thus
late in the season, one is tempted to apply to Humming-birds
the question of the entomologist, " Is Gonepteryx rhamni double-
brooded V

October is the month of all otliers that flowering plants and
trees put forth their blossoms. It would seem that the nest-
ing season of the Humming-birds is postponed after that of

Hummhig-hirds of Guatemala . 269

other species^ in order that^ when the young birds make their
first essay to provide for their own sustenance, the flowers of the
forests and plains should be in greatest abundance. Hence,
perhaps, it is that September is the month daring which the
Humming-birds of Guatemala are principally engaged in incu-
bating their eggs and rearing their young, — a time when the
young of other birds have long been able to shift for themselves.
Perhaps also it would appear that a certain amount of experience
is necessary for the young Humming-birds to obtain a regular
supply of food, and that to gain this experience it is also neces-
sary that the showy flowers should be in bloom to attract atten-
tion, enabling them with greater ease to obtain the requisites of
life, until they learn where else their insect prey is to be found
among the leaves and shoots.

Though September and the end of August are the mouths
when the Humming-birds of Guatemala usually appear to build,
they are not the only ones. In 1858 I found a nest of C.
cijanocephala in June, and in 1859 one in July, and again a nest
of A. corallirostris in December.

Other birds show extreme irregularity in their breeding seasons,
so much so that one might birds'-nest all the year round. No
suppositions respecting the seasons of two places deduced from
the fact of the same bird being found breeding in two difi'erent
months, can be safely inferred, the difference being so great in
the same place.

My specimens of A. corallirostris, though not in excellent
plumage, I think show that, as far as the feathers are concerned,
the sexes are alike. A diff'erence, however, exists in the bill,
that of the male having much more of the brilliant colour, from
which the species takes its name, in the upper mandible.

In the young bii'd the upper mandible is black. In speaking
of this colouring of the bill, I may mention that it appears to be
due to the transparency of the outer film of the bill allowing
the blood to show through, and not to any especial colouring-
matter. This seems to be the case also in many other species,
as in Chlorostilbon osberti, Heliopcedica melanotis, Amazilia riefferi
and A. dumerillii, Lophornis lielence, Cyanomyia cyanocephala, &c. ;
and I thiidt it more than probable that where the bill of a dried

u 2

270 Mr. 0. Salvin on the

skin shows markings of a dull flesh-colour, that part has been
coloured in the living bird with some shade of red. There are
cases, however, where actual colouring matter is to be noted,
in addition to the usual horn-black, as in Phaethomis adolphi,
where the basal half of the lower mandible is straw-colour.

18. Amazilia riefferi.
Coban. November.

This Amazilia is found also at Yzabal. It is far from common
at Coban. All my specimens appear to be males.

19. Amazilia dumerillii*.
Duenas. August.

During the months of July, August, and September, one
of the most favourite resorts of this Humming-bird was the
western boundary of the llano of Duenas, which, starting from
the village, and bounded to the eastward by the river Guacalate,
extends, sweeping by the base of the Volcan de Fuego, almost to
the Hacienda of Capertillo, its southern extremity. Dispersed
all over this plain is found, in groves, patches, and isolated trees,
a Tree-Convolvulus, bearing a white flower, and attaining an
average height of about 25 or 30 feet. During the above
months, this elegant species might be seen in almost every tree,
some feeding among the flowers, some settled quietly on a dead
branch, uttering their low, plaintive, hardly to be called musical,
yet certainly cheering song ; others less peacefully occupied in
a war of expulsion, driving out, by vehement cries and more
effectual blows, the tenant of a tree, which in its turn wreaks
vengeance on some weaker or unexpectant antagonist.

Of this species I have skins, of which the sexes are in the pro-
portion of four males to one female.

20. Thaumantias candidus.

This species, which is very abundant about Coban, is found
also at Yzabal. Many species of Humming-birds in Guatemala
extend through a great range of temperature, the same species

* This Amazilia I have previously called^, arsino'e; but upon com-
paring my specimens with Mr. Gould's numerous examples of the Mexican
A. arsino'e (which I have been enabled to do through his kindness), I find
it distinct, and correctly referable to A.dumeriUii.

Humminr/ -birds of Guatemala. 271

being frequently found both in the coast-regions and also in
the more elevated districts.

Thus, Phaethornis adolphi is found at Yzabal and Coban ;
Amazilia dumerUlii at Yzabal and Duefias ; Selasphoriis heloiste
at Cajabon, in the "tierra caliente " north of Coban, and at
Calderas in the Volcan de Fuego ; Heliomaster longirostris near
Guatemala (Constancia), Duenas, and Escuintla (Constancia).
Some species, however, seem to be much more restricted in their
range.

The males of T. Candidas largely predominate in numbers at
Coban : of those actually dissected, the ratio is as seven males to
one female; but, comparing these with the rest, the ratio be-
comes eleven to one.

21. Heliop^dica melanotis.

Volcan de Fuego, Coban, and San Geronimo.

In some of the open savannas which are scattered among the '
oak-forests of the Volcan de Fuego near Calderas, this species is
not uncommon ; in some of the " barrancos " also of the same
Volcano, I have frequently met with it.

The white mark running from the eye and the deep coral-red
of the bill show conspicuously in the living bird. It is a very
shy species.

A single bird was shot and skinned by Cipriano near Coban,
and one specimen was brought to me from the mountains of
S. Cruz, near San Geronimo.

22. EUPHERUSA EXIMIA.

This is one of the commonest Humming-birds of Coban,
being found everywhere near the city. The ratio of the males
to the females is as ten to three.

23. Chlorostilbon osberti*, Gould.

Dueiias and San Geronimo. Not uncommon at San Gero-
nimo.

The only other species of Trochilida I have observed in Gua-
temala are — Phaethornis cephalus, of the Vera Paz ; Campylo-

* This name was given by Mr. Gould to a Chlorostilbon, very closely
allied to C. caniveti, described at the Zoological Society's Meeting, J\ine
12th, 1860.

273 Messrs. Sulvin and Sclater on the

pterus rufiis, of Duenas ; Lanipornis prevosti, of Escuintla ; Chrtj-
suronia elicia, of Cobau ; Heliothrix barruti, of the northern
tierra caliente ; and Lamprolama rhami, of the Volcan de Fuego,
making altogether twenty-nine species. Three others I have not
been so fortunate as to meet with, namely Florisuga mellivora,
of the northern tierra caliente, and Delattria henrici and Selas-
phonis platycercus, which are said to occur in the \^olcan de
Fuego, on Don Vicente Constancia's authority.

XXXIII. — Contributions to the Ornithologxj of Guatemala. By
OsBERT Salvin and Philip Lutley Sclater. Part II.

[Continued from page 45.]

During the autumn of 1859 I collected, in the vicinity of
Duefias on the table-land of Guatemala, and near Coban and
Salama in the Vera Paz, about 870 specimens of birds, belong-
ing to 245 different species, 39 of which are new to the fauna
of this country, and have not been noticed in previous papers in
this Journal relating to the ornithology of Central America.
Of these I now give the names, as determined by Mr. Sclater
and myself, together with my field-notes written concerning
them at the time they were obtained, and some joint remarks
on their synonymy and distribution, — O. S.

1. TuRDUs AssiMiLis, Cab. : Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 327.
Duenas, August 1859. Two specimens were obtained in the

above locality. I never met with T. leucauchen, Sclater, which
appears to be common in the low lands of the northern portion
of Vera Paz, in this part of Guatemala.

2. TuRDUs PALLAsi, Cab. : Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 325.
Coban, Vera Paz, November 1859. A single specimen, ap-
parently of this species.

3. Cyphorinus prostheleucus (Sclater). Scytalopus pros-
Iheleucus, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 290.

Volcan de Agua, January 1860. A single specimen, obtained
at an elevation of about 6500 feet, agrees nearly with Mexican
skins of this bird in Sclatcr's collection.

Onntlio'u(jij of Guatemala. 273

4. TUOGLODYTES BRUNNEICOLLIS, Sclatci', P. Z. S. 1858,

p. 297.

Volcaii de Fuego, September 1859. This Wren is only found
in the forests and barraucos of the Volcano. It is most nearly
allied to the Mexican species described as above mentioned, but
is not quite similar to Mr. Sclater's specimens.

5. SlURUS LUDOVICIANUS (Bp.).

Alotenango, September ; Volcan de Fuego, August ; Coban,
Vera Paz, November 1859. A dry water-course in the forest,
or in the bottom of a barranco, seems to be the favourite resort
of this Water-Thrush, while its congener, S. noveboracensis,
seeks rather the more open streams.

6. Geothlypis ^quinoctialis (Gm.).

Dueiias, September 1859. This bird appeared about the
same time as the northern Mniotiltida. It is, however, far
from common. It agrees with S. American examples in Sclater's
collection.

7. Dendr(eca chrysoparia, Sclater and Salvin, P. Z.S.1860
(May 16th).

I obtained a pair of this beautiful Wood- Warbler on the
highest point of the road between Salama and Tactic. In the
coloration of its plumage it partakes of the characters of both
D. virens and D. toivnsendii.

8. Dendrceca auduboni (Townsend) : Baird, Rep. p. 273.
San Geronimo, November 1859. Both this species and D. co~

ronata congregate at this season, and are generally to be seen
feeding on the ground. I did not at the moment distinguish
this bird from its near ally, D. coronata.

9. Dendrceca pennsylvanica (Linn.) : Baird, Rep. p. 278.
Coban, November 1859. In quite immature or winter dress,

with the under surface pure white.

10. Dendrceca ?

Coban, November 1859. A single bird, which looks more
like D.pannosa (Gosse) of Jamaica, than any other known mem-
ber of the genus. More specimens are requisite to substantiate
the species.

274 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater on the

11. Dendrceca superciliosa (Bodd.) : Baird, llej). p. 289.
Duenas, September 1859. I obtained but two specimens of

this species, which does not appear to be common.

12. Basileuterus brasieri (Giraud) : Sclater, P. Z. S.
1856, p. 292.

1 have only observed this species in the Volcano. It has
many of the habits of a Seiophaga, the characters of which genus
I have had more frequent opportunities of watching in the species
S. flammea and S. picta than in the better known S. ruticilla.
Like the rest of the Mniotiltida, they are restless in the pursuit
of food, thoroughly searching every twig and leaf, even the
bark of the main stem, for insects of every kind that may there
lie hidden.

13. Basileuterus delattrii (Bp.) : Sclater, P. Z. S. 1860
(May 8th).

Duenas. Two specimens only were obtained of this species,
as distinguished (/. c.) from its near allies, B. riijifrons of Mexico
and B. mesochrysus of New Granada.

14. EuTHLYPis LACRYMOSA (Cab.) : Mus. Hein. p. 19.
Alotenango, September 1859. Much nearer a Setophaga in

its habits than anything else. Most of the Setophaga may at
once be recognized by the curious way they have of keeping the
tail expanded and swaying it from side to side.

15. ViREO NOVEBORACENSIS (Gm.).

Coban, November 1859. Only one example, agreeing with
N. American specimens.

16. Cham^ospiza torquata (DuBus): Sclater, P. Z. S.
1858, p. 304.

Volcan de Fuego, September 1859. This bird I have only
found in the Volcano. It skulks about the thick underwood,
and scratches among the dead leaves for its food.

17. Buarremon albinuchus (d^Orb. & Lafr.) : Sclater, Syn.
Av. Tan. p. 24.

Coban, November 1859. A very shy bird.

18. EucoMETis spoDOCEPHALA (Bp.) : Cklorospingus spodo-
cephatus, Bp. Notes Orn. p. 23.

OrnitJiologij of Guatemala. 275

Vera Paz. Having obtained this species from Don Vicente
Constancia, I am unable to say whether it is from Coban or the
low lands. — O. S.

This bird is no Chlorosjjingus, as placed by Bonaparte, but a
very close ally of Eucometis cristata of my ' Synopsis/ and per-
haps hardly sufficiently distinct from it. — P. L. S.

19. EuPHONiA MiNUTA(Cab.) : Sclater, Syn. Av. Tan. p. 100.
Coban. I obtained only a single specimen of this Euphonia.

20. Dendrocops multistrigatus, Eytou, Contr. Orn. 1851,
p. 75.

S. Cruz, Vera Paz, December 1859. This is probably Mr.
Eyton's species, as indicated above. It differs from the South
American D. platyrostris (Spix) (which it greatly resembles) in
having a longer, narrower, and paler bill. — P. L. S.

21. MiTREPHORUs FULViFRONS (Giraud) : Sclater, Ibis, 1859,
p. 442.

Duenas. A single specimen.

22. Chrysomitris notata (Du Bus) : Bp. Consp. p. 516.
Volcan de Puego, August 1859. It was on the edge of the

deep ravine that divides the fire-cone from the other two of the
Volcan de Fuego, in the stony, desolate waste lying on the
eastern side of the last-mentioned cones, that I first met with
this beautiful Goldfinch. I have since found it at Coban, and
on the hills between San Juan Sacatipequez and Antigua, but
did not obtain specimens from either locality. This is much
more of a true Goldfinch than C. mexicana.

23. Icterus mentalis (Less.).

San Geronimo, December 1859. One of the commonest of
the many Icteri of this place.

24. Chordeiles virginianus (Gm.).

Coban, Vera Paz. These different species of Night-jars are
not easily to be distinguished on the wing.

25. Antrostomus vociferus (Wils.).
Coban and San Geronimo.

276 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater on the

26. PeTASOPHORA DELPHINiE,

Coban, Vera Paz, November 1859.

27. Heliomaster longirostris.
DuenaSj August 25, 1859.

28. CoccYzus ERYTHROPHTHALMUs (Wils.) : Baird's Rep.
p. 77.

Dueiias, September 2ucl, 1859. This bird I shot in a willow-
tree near the lake. It was alone, and the only one I have seen.
Don Vicente Constancia has another skin of the same species.

29. Bubo viRGiNiANUs (Gm.).

Duenas, August 18th, 1859, and San Geronimo. This Eagle-
Owl is a resident species at Duefias, and I believe throughout
the whole country. It is not uncommon : a favourite locality
near the former village being one of the hill-sides, which is in
most parts well covered with low trees and shrubs, and here and
there a rocky precipice. I have met with the bird not unfre-
quently during the afternoon. At all hours of the night they
make their proximity known by their deep cry.

30. CoLUMBA FASCiATA, Say : Baird^s Rep. p. 597.
Volcan de Fuego (6000 feet) and Coban. This Pigeon is

common in the high forests of the Volcano.

31. Odontophorus thoracicus (Gambel) : 0. lineolatus,
Gould, Mon. Odont. pi. 32.

Volcan de Fuego, August. This is perhaps the commonest
Ortyw found in the Volcan de Fuego, The ravines of this
Volcano are localities very favoured by several species of the
group. It is not often, however, that they are to be found
actually at the bottom of the hollow, where the increasing
shadow and height of the overhanging trees render the under-
growth of vegetation comparatively scanty, but most frequently
near the top of either side, in places where a fallen tree or a slip
of soil has laid bare a sunny spot. Such situations are sought
for by these birds to bask and sleep in, like Partridges in a
warm hedge-side. They are, however, true forest-birds, and arc
usually met with in small flocks of six or eight, probably the
brood of the season.

Ornithologij of Guatemala. 277

Wheu frightened^ the whole bevj^ runs up the side of the
ravine^ and only when approached quite suddenly do they take
wing. The consequence is (alas that it should be said !), that
the sportsman is obliged to shoot them on the ground ; and the
only mode he has of quieting his conscience, is by a stretch of
his imagination to suppose them "fur/' and not " feather/' and
to take a running shot.

32. EupsYCHORTYX LEUCOPOGON (Less.) : Gould, Mon. Odont.
pi. 13.

San Geronimo. A female, probably of this species, shot in the
cane-field.

33. Macuorhamphus griseus (Gm.) : Baird's Rep. p. 712.
San Geronimo. A single specimen shot at San Geronimo.

34'. Phalaropus hyperboreus (Linn.).

Duenas, August 1859. I have never observed but four birds
of this family in Guatemala. They had apparently but just
arrived, and were swimming slowly about on the lake, picking at
the weeds, &c. They showed the usual absence of timidity at-
tributed to these birds. No others followed these four, which
may probably have formed a brood of the season. Since obtain-
ing these, I discovered in the collection of Don Vicente Con-
stancia a specimen of the same species ; he also had another
species, which will probably prove to be P. wilsonii. Both these
had been procured from near the city of Guatemala.

35. Rallus virgin ianus, Linn. : Baird's Rep. p. 748.
Antigua Guatemala, September 1859. A single specimen

only, a female, was brought me. It was killed in one of the
cochineal plantations.

36. CoRETHRURA RUBRA, Sclatcr and Salvin, P. Z. S. 1860
(May 16th).

Coban, Vera Paz, November 1859. Also in the collection of
Don Vicente Constancia, and previously transmitted by Mr.
Skinner.

37. FuLiGULA coLLARis (Don.) : Baird, Rep. p. 792.
Coban, Vera Paz, November. Ducks frequent the river of

Coban in some numbers.

278 Mr . Sclater on the Egg and Nestliiuj of the Calif ornian Vulture.

38. PoDicEPs DOMiNicus (Linii.).
Lake of Duenas, October 13th, 1859.

39. Sterna frenata, Gambel : Baird, Rep. p. 864.

This skin I bought in Coban, and am not sure where it was
procured.

XXXIV. — Note on the Egg and Nestling of the Californian
Vulture. By Philip Lutley Sclater.

(Plates VIII. and IX.)

Mr. J. H. Gurney has kindly supplied, for the use of this
Journal, the two accompanying plates, which represent the nest-
ling and egg of the Californian Vulture {Cathartes calif ornianus) .
They are copied from drawings (made by Mr. Reeve of the Nor-
wich Museum) of the specimens (forwarded to Mr. Gurney by his
correspondent, Mr. A.S.Taylor, of Monterey), which have already
been alluded to in these pages*. The circumstances of the dis-
covery of the two nests, one of which contained the young bird,
supposed to be about from five to seven days old (Plate VIII.),
and the other the egg (Plate IX.), having been already given,
as also a sufficient description of the specimens, it is not necessary
to repeat them. But it may be as well to remark, that in Dr.
Brewer's valuable work on 'North American Oology' (p. 7), the
egg of the Californian Vulture is described, from a drawing of a
specimen said to have been laid in confinement at the Jardin des
Plantes, as somewhat different from the one represented here.
The dimensions there given (3i-| by 2yf ) would indicate a con-
siderably smaller egg than the present specimen. The ring of
reddish-brown blotches in the egg of the Jardin des Plantes is
perhaps of less significance, as many of the Vulttmda lay some-
times spotted and sometimes colourless eggs (see Mr. Salvin's
remarks on the eggs of Gj/ps fulvus in this Journal for last year,
p. 179). But it is certainly a reversal of what is generally the
case, to find a white egg laid by a Vulture in a wild state, and
a coloured egg laid by a bird in confinement ; and, on the
whole, it would be well not to place too much confidence in the
drawing spoken of by Dr. Brewer.

* See 'Ibis,' 1859, p. 469.

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Mr. W. H. Simpson's Ornitliolugical Notes. 279

XXXV. — Ornithological Notes from Mesolonghi and Southern
Italia. By W. H. Simpson, M.A., F.Z.S.

The two great rivers of \Yestern Greece, the Aspro-potamo {Ache-
loiis) and the Phidaris [Evenus), which drain the highlands of
iEtolia and a portion of the more distant Epirus, finally emerge
from the mountains at either extremity of the range anciently
called AracyntJius, though now a variety of names are assigned
to particular blocks of that mountain. The alluvial deposits
from these two rivers, more especially from the Aspro-potamo,
whose volume of water is very great, appear to have formed in
the course of ages the extensive tract of low marshy ground
which constitutes the south-west angle of Continental Greece.
This district is unequally divided by the great lagoon of Meso-
longhi, which, having an average depth of less than four feet, may
be justly considered as forming a part of the great alluvial tract
those rivers have deposited in the deep waters of the Ionian Sea.
The lagoon is studded with groups of flat muddy islets, and is
protected from the sea itself by a sandy spit many miles in
length, and, where this terminates, by a chain of small islands
of a similar character. Towards the east, where the vulture-
haunted cliffs of Mount Varassovo [Chalkis] mark the limits of
the plain in this direction, the Phidaris has already, within the
historic period, extended its own delta by filling up several small
lakes. The lower portions of this delta constitute at present a
damp jungle, very difficult to penetrate, which is full of tall
poplars, willows, and plane trees, and where the water is up to
the ankles or the neck, according to the state of the river. This
jungle was probably the haunt of the Calydonian boars, as the
ruins of Calydon, the ancient capital of iEtolia, are on the slope
of jMount Aracynthus, just over the spot where the river emerges
into the low grounds. From these rviins it is about two hours'
walk to the town of Mesolonghi, through a fertile and partially
cultivated plain.

The town itself is on a flat peninsula, almost flush w ith the
lagoon, and cut ofi" from the mainland by a muddy ditch, which
is a favourite resort for Tringa suharquata and other small waders
during the spring migration ; Charadrius cantianus may fi-c-

280 Mr. W. H. Simpsou's Ornithological Notes

qucntly be seen running about close to the parade-ground, which,
however, is generally under water during the winter months.
North of Mesolonghi is a narrow fringe of level ground squeezed
in between the lagoon and the steep slope of Mount Aracynthus.
Wherever the springs from the subterranean channels of this
mountain burst out, a marsh is formed, generally extending to
the lagoon itself; and, as neither these waters nor those of the
lagoon are ever frozen, the number of wild-fowl to be found hei'e
in winter is very great.

The delta of the Aspro-potarao is much more extensive and
varied in its character than that of the Phidaris, as it comprises
within itself a number of small rocky hills, exactly resembling
the islets so numerous on the west coast of Acarnania (the an-
cient Echinades), which may some day be joined to the Conti-
nent, as these have been. AVithin the historic period a great
lake has here been converted into a swamp, more or less acces-
sible according to the state of the water, and there are vast tracts
of reeds and sedges intermingled with watery meadows and
slippery maize-fields occurring at intervals throughout its whole
extent.

It may readily be understood that such a district as this be-
tween the two great rivers, including of course the outlying-
portions of their respective deltas, is eminently favourable to
water-fowl, both those species which frequent the salt and those
which like the fresh water best. Waders, Geese, Ducks, Gulls,
and Terns of many species are here to be met with at different
seasons of the year, and when a hard winter drives them down
from the marshes of Dalmatia and Albania, their numbers are
immense. A sportsman will meet with all sorts of wild-fowl,
from a Jack Snipe to a Pelican ; and an ornithologist will take
still further delight in observing the numerous Harriers, Eagles,
and other birds of prey, which are sure to congregate where
their natural food is so plentiful. The thickets on the alluvial
plains are equally favourable to many of the smaller birds, espe-
cially to numerous species of Si/lviadtx. The gardens and vine-
yards arc full of that most beautiful bird, Emberiza melano-
cephala ; and the stony slopes of the lower hills are enlivened by
the gay colours of the Blue Thrush {Monticola cyaneus) and the

from Mesolonghi and Sou/hern ^"EtoUa. 281

restless little Russet Wheatcar {Sax. stapezina). Towering above
all the mural precipices of Varassovo {Chalkis), Aracyntbus
affords an appropriate abode for tbe numerous llaptores \vhich
look down upon the wade extent of forest, morass, and lagoons
beneath them.

Of the Vultures, V. fulvus is the most common; indeed it
may be said to be numerous, having extensive breeding-places
in Mount Varassovo and in the Klissouras of Aracyntbus. The
former mountain is a great favourite with them, as it commands
a most extensive prospect, not only over the Mesolonghi district,
but also over the great and varied plain of Northern Elis in the
Peloponnesus. The winter of 1859-60 was a good one for
Vultures, as cattle died in immense quantities owing to a want
of grass ; indeed there was more work for them than they could
get through, in spite of their numbers.

Throughout the long range of Aracyntbus, the face of the
mountain towards the lagoon abruptly terminates in a line of
precipices of moderate depth near Mesolonghi, but increasing as
one approaches ^Etolia and the head of the lagoon itself. I
am not sure that the Griffon breeds in these ; but the mountain
is near the latter town penetrated, at right angles to this line of
lower precipices, by three tremendous fissures, which we used to
know as the Grand Gorge, the Little Klissoura, and the Great
Klissoura. The two first pierce deeply into the heart of the
mountain, but the latter cuts completely through it into the
great plain of Agrinion, the richest and most important district
of Central iEtolia. In all three Klissoui'as the Griffon is at home.
My companion, Dr. Kriiper, with the assistance of his German
servant, took two or three nests in February last out of the
Grand Gorge, where also he noticed Gypa'ctus barhatus and
Strix bubo, the latter probably breeding. As the Greek shep-
herds could not be induced to venture down the rocks in search
of eggs, Kriiper and his man had to do it themselves. The plan
they adopted was, that one should hold the rope whilst the other
descended hand under hand : not difficult so far as the descent
is concerned, but by no means easy for getting up again. About
a week before I joined him, they were working at a nest in the
Little Klissoura, when Kriiper, who was at the toj), felt the rope

282 Mr. W. H. Simpson^s Oniithological Notes

suddenly slacken, and heard a cry from beneath. It took him
nearly an hour to reach the foot of the pi-ecipice, and there
he found his unfortunate comrade^ severely injured, but still
alive. No one knew how the accident had happened, as the man
himself was unable to give any account of it up to the time
when I left Mesolonghi, where he lay in the military hospital,
with a fair chance of recovery. In such a lonely spot some
time elapsed before assistance could be obtained, and then the
natives haggled over the bleeding and almost senseless body for
the amount of the reward they were to receive on carrying him
down to iEtolico.

The Lammergeyer {Gypaetus barbatus) is not numerous in this
mountain. Only one pair was actually recognized, though a
single adult bird was occasionally observed in the Grand Gorge,
where, amongst the holes high in the upper tier of cliffs, he
may have had an eyry. This is'decidedly a scarce bird through-
out Western Greece : in all the Raptorial districts I have visited,
its proportion to V. fulvus is very small indeed ; yet, wherever
there is any large colony of the latter, a pair of G. barbatus
may be looked for, and generally in the deepest hole on the
shady side of the most inaccessible rock. He is not a demon-
strative bird, like the Griffon, who may be seen sailing about at
a great height in the air, sometimes alone, but more often in
troops of from half a dozen to fifty, revolving in endless circles
round each other, that no corner may remain unseen. The
Lammergeyer, on the contrary, may be observed floating slowly
at a uniform level, close to the cliffs of some deep ravine, where
his shadow is perhaps projected on the wall-like rocks. If the
ravine has salient and re-entering angles, he does not cut across
from point to point, but preserves the same distance from the
cliff; and when he disappears in any lateral fissure, you feel sure
of the very spot where he will emerge on turning the corner of
the precipice. Marrow-bones are the dainties he loves the best ;
and when the other Vultures have picked the flesh off any ani-
mal, he comes in at the end of the feast and swallows the bones,
or breaks them and swallows the pieces, if he cannot get the
marrow out otherwise. The bones he cracks by taking them to
a great height, and letting them fall upon a stone. This is pro-

from Mesolonghi and Southern ^Efolia. 283

bably the bini that dropped a toi'toise on the bald head of poor
ohl .Eschyhis. Not, howevei*, that he restricts himself, or the
huge black infant that he and his mate are bringing up, in
one of the many holes with which the limestone precipice
abounds, to marrow, turtle, bones, and similar delicacies :
neither lamb, hare, nor kid come amiss to him, though, his power
of claw and beak being feeble for so large a bird, he cannot
tear his meat like other Vultures and Eagles, To make amends
for this, his powers of deglutition are enormous. The Greeks
believe he will swallow and digest anything ; but the stories I
have heard on this point are too marvellous to be mentioned in
the ' Ibis ' *. The chai*acter of the Greeks for mendacity is well
known : any naturalist travelling in this country will find their
information as unreliable as their assistance is unwilling. I
once saw a mature bird of this species which had evidently
swallowed a bone, or something uncommonly indigestible, close
to the abattoir at Athens. He was in a very uncomfortable
attitude, and appeared to be leaning on his long tail for support.
After riding round in continually decreasing circles till within
ten yards, 1 dropped off horseback and made a rush at him ; but
he just managed to escape, and then rising slowly till about the
height of the Acropolis, made off towards the Gorge of Phylc,
where there is an eyry. The Lammergeyer has an extremely iigly
countenance; this becomes perfectly diabolical when he is irritated
and shows the bright red round his eyes. Altogether, what with
his black beard, rufous breast, and long dark tail, he is an awful-
looking beast, and has the reputation of committing divers evil
deeds, — such, for instance, as pushing lambs and kids, and even
men, off the rocks, when they are in ticklish situations. Never-
theless he is a somewhat cowardly bird, has a feeble querulous cry,
and will submit to insults from a Falcon not a fourth his size or
weight.

The 01 dy inhabitcnl nest of this species we discovered was
situated in the face of the upper tier of precipices which form the
re-entering angle of the Great Klissoura, looking due north, and

* One man averred that an old axe-head had been found in tliis bird.
If so, the nieetinf^ of tlie marrow-bones and eleaver must have been affect-
ing in the cxh-eme,

VOL. II, X

284 Mr. W. H. Simpson's Ornithological Notes

facing the northern arm of that extraordinary fissure ; of which
I ought to attempt a short description, as, besides the Lammer-
geyer's nest, it contains by far the largest colony of Vulturfulvus
in these regions.

In all mountainous countries it is usual to find passes across
the lowest part of the ridge of any chain ; but here, a mountain
2000 feet high, and between two and three miles wide, is split
asunder from the top to a depth of 1500 feet by an irregular
chasm, consisting of two great arms, one of which, pointing
W.S.W., opens out upon the plain and lake of iEtolico ; and the
other, pointing nearly due north, debouches on the forest valley
which leads to the plain of Agrinion. On entering from the west-
ward, the first thing that strikes the attention is a semicircular
sweep of precipices high up on the left, provided with holes, and
a place of call for a small community of Griffons. Beyond this
for a short distance the rock is so steep that no large bird
could breed upon it ; the very summit is crowned by a few of
the Mountain Pines of Greece {Pinus piceat). On the right
the precipices increase in height towards the corner of the gorge,
which is a little more than halfway through. They consist here
of two principal tiers of hard limestone rock, dipping at a mode-
rate angle from the anticlinal axis of the mountain, and conse-
uently increase in elevation the nearer we approach the centre.
Our nest of Gypaetus is in a clifi" belonging to the upper tier,
just before we arrive at the great gap which marks the head
of the extreme corner of the gorge. Any one standing on
the small path at the bottom, after making the slight ascent
which marks the summit of the track, will have this clifi^ more
than 1000 feet above him on the right hand ; and on the same
side he will have a good view of the two steep and gloomy
fissures through w'hich it is just possible to attain the heights
above. Looking back through the ravine he has just been
threading, he will get a bird's-eye peep of the lake and plain of
iEtolico glistening in the sunshine, whilst the pools at his feet
are probably frozen dry in the month of February, so chilly is
the sunless spot. On his left hand, far down the northern arm,
he will catch a glimpse of the fort which commands the entrance
to this most notorious pass ; and directly in front he will see the

from Mesolonghi and Southern A^ltolia. 285

mural precipice which bounds the northern arm in one con-
tinuous wall of rock for upwards of a mile at an elevation of
1000 feet. The great colony of Griffons inhabits the ledges and
caverns of this extensive precipice. The principal " club " or
place of call is in an enormous hole exactly opposite the western
arm, which the sun bakes powerfully of an afternoon, and where
many birds from the less favoured localities look in to have a
talk with their neighbours.

It was on the morning of the 1st of March that Dr. Kriiper
and myself, after examining the cliffs from this spot, ascended
one of the fissures before mentioned to determine the exact posi-
tion of the Lammergeycr's nest. Following our usual plan, we
stationed ourselves at different points, whilst the Doctor fired his
gun. Nothing appeared, and we were just going away, when
the Lammergeyer was seen quietly floating back to its nest,
which was so exactly over my head, that I had not noticed her
as she quitted it after the discharge. Viewed from beneath, the
place seemed somewhat awful ; still we had hopes : yet how to
get above it w^as not so clear. However w^e summoned our
followers, and, having engaged two shepherd boys to show us
a goat track to the top, set off in high spirits at the important
discovery. This being the shady side of the Great Klissoura,
tliere is a considerable quantity of vegetation wherever the rocks
are not actually perpendicular, and even these are in some places
richly covered with ivy at their base. Goats are thus enabled to
scramble up and down to certain ledges between the tiers of the
precipice, where they nibble tlic leaves of the Tree- Sage, Prickly
Oak, Dwarf-leaved Holly, and branches of the WiUl Olive and
Terebinth (which are cut down on purpose), besides any other
green food they can get. Up one of these most difficult tracks
our little guides now led us, displaying on the way such agility
and daring as surprised me, considering that hardly any reward
will induce them to go down into a nest. They have, however,
no proper idea of using a rope, and once off their feet lose all
their courage. Just as we were at the most ticklish spot, two
Greeks suddenly appeared on the edge of the cliff above us, and
requested the boys not to show us any further, as the shepherds
did not wisli strangers to bncoiite acquainted with the passes.

x2

286 Mr. W. H. Simpson's Ornithological Notes

All these fellows up here are, or have been, brigands to a man,
and, therefore, having bad consciences, see in every stranger an
agent of police come to levy some unpaid tax, or to apprehend
them for any little " difficulty " in which they have been en-
gaged. But hearing we were the insane Europeans who went
about that country collecting eggs, they withdrew their opposi-
tion and permitted us to continue the ascent. A well-directed
stone would have sent the whole party to perdition, as at that
time we wei'e clinging like flies to a wall. One of the volunteers
did make himself scarce at this point, not caring to face it any
more.

The Great Klissoura, till within the last three years, was the
most noted place in all Western Greece for robberies. Whole
parties have been murdered here, and frequent combats have
taken place since the War of Independence between the troops
and the brigands. During that period and up to the year 1857,
no less than 1200 people have lost their lives in these affairs, as
I was informed by the sergeant in command at the fort. Fine
times these for our friends the Griffons ! No wonder there is
such a thi'iving community close at hand. To the present chief
of the police at Mesolonghi the credit of putting a stop to such a
state of things is due ; but the same people are still here — those
savage ^tolians, who, in Thucydides' time, were said to be " rude
of tongue and eaters of raw meat " *— men that swagger about
with long guns and a bellyful of pistols, perpetually carrying
arms, as did their predecessors in these same mountains at the
beginning of the Peloponnesian war, long after the other Greeks
had discontinued the practice t-

These two fellows heard our proposal to take the Lammer-
geyer's nest with a sort of suspicious incredulity, though, to do
them justice, this reserve gradually wore away, and they even
volunteered to produce a man who would go down. But his
courage quickly evaporated as soon as he saw the place, and so
indeed did mine when I thought of the bungling crew with
whom I should have to work. As an instance of the want of

* ayvuxTTOTaroi. Se yX&xrcrai/ koX f!)fio(f)dyoi eialv, wr Xeyovrai (Hist. iii. 94).
t TO Tf cn8ripo(pope'i(r6ai tovtois to7s TjirtipoiTais an6 ttjs jraXaius Xporet'as
efiHefji€vt]K.f {ibid. i. 5).

from Mesolo7ighi and Southern JEtulia. 287

observation in these shepherds, I may mention that not one of
them knew of the nest until we pointed it out, although there is
every probability that a pair of these birds have bred somewhere
in the cliff from time immemorial. Dr. Kriiper and myself,
with the assistance of my Italian servant, took the measure of
the position as well as we were able. From this it appeared that
the hole containing the nest was 70 feet below the edge of the
precipice, and about 100 feet above the point where a plumb-line
let fall from the top touched the talus, which sloped away from
the base of the cliff at an angle of 60° towards the edge of the
second tier of precipices. The chief difficulty arose from the
cavity, or rather the mouth of it, being some 6 or 8 feet inside
the plumb-line — so much did the upper part of the cliff overhang
the rest of it. This caused our defeat, as the person let down
would still have been at that distance from the edge of the hole,
and must either have swung himself in, or have trusted to some
more complicated apparatus than our party could manage. The
conduct of the sitting bii"d, when driven off, made us think there
was an egg not very far from being hatched, though when it
became evident that the siege was to be raised, we tried to per-
suade ourselves it must be a young one. But the view which
this cliff commands was some compensation after all our trouble.
Forming almost the highest part of the upper tier of precipices
on the south side of the western arm of the Klissoura, it faces
the salient angle which divides the two arms from each other.
The entire depth of the intervening gorge at this point is about
1200 feet, yet so narrow that the Lammergeyer could cross it
in half a minute, and then sit on the most projecting rock of the
salient angle watching our proceedings. To us wingless bipeds
this would have been a task of three hours at least. The mule-
path looks like a thread below, dotted occasionally with a few
travellers and their beasts of burden. Should one of these
break down, his owner divides the load amongst the others,
skins him if he has time, and the carcase, which has been
watched by scores of eager eyes, is very soon transferred to the
cliffs above. Such a community of Vultures as there is through-
out the Klissoura would appear to disgust the more noble Eagles
and Falcons, or perhaps the place is too confined for them. The

288 Mr. W. H. Simpson's Ornithological Notes

Golden Eagle {Aquila chnjsaetos), which is scarce throughout the
district, I never saw here. The Spotted Eagle {A. ncevia) pre-
fers the woodlands of the plain ; and Bonelli's Eagle [A. bonellii)
appears to delight in the lower precipices facing the more open
country. The Lanner or the Peregrine may breed here : we
know that the former {Falco lanarius) occurs in the Parnassus.
The Kestrel (F. tinnunculus) is common enough, and a few Ravens
share with the Vultures the darker recesses. Neither the Chough
[Pyrrhocorax graculus) nor the Alpine Chough (P. alpinus) are
found, though both occur — the latter plentifully — in the Par-
nassus and Taygetus; but there is a colony of the White-
shouldered Jackdaw {Corvus coUaris"^, Drummond), which breeds
about the western mouth of the gorge.

Leaving the gloomy depths of the Great Klissoura, where one
never feels quite sure that the whistle of a bullet may not accom-
pany the report of the long Greek gun which occasionally awakens
its echoes, let us transfer our attention to another part of Mount
Aracynthus facing the open country. Here the more accessible
cliffs which form the western buttresses of the mountain overlook
the lagoon of Mesolonghi, the alluvial plain of the silver-eddying
{dp<yvpoBiv7]<;) Acheloiis, and the distant islands of the Ionian
Sea. The line of precipices is not continuous ; between the
Grand Gorge and the Little Klissoura there are three sections of
an average height of about 130 feet. They spring from a very
steep talus, which is covered with their fragments, and slopes
rapidly to the narrow strip of level ground bordering the lagoon.
Most of the waters from the upper parts of the mountain are
collected into two subterranean sources, one of which gradually
oozes up through the tangled olive-grove opposite the mouth of
the Grand Gorge, whilst the other forms a copious fountain
beneath a small spur of rock which comes down to the edge of the
lagoon itself, — thus forming a sort of freshwater marsh by the
side of the salt lake. The temperature of this spring is much
raised after heavy rains. It is always, especially in a morning,
a favourite haunt of ducks, which are more numerous here and
on the adjacent parts of the lagoon than anywhere else. Not
far from this spring is a group of huge stones which have fallen

* See Proc. Zool. Soc. lS-l(i, p. Vi.

from Mesolonghi and Southern yEtolia. 289

from the rocks above — a favourite spot for myself and
Dr. Kriiper to sit and watch the precipices on one side and the
lagoon on the other. The stones themselves were not devoid of
interest to an ornithologist, as we had discovered, on the 1st of
June, 1859, a nest of the Blue Thrush {Monticola cijaneus) in a hole
near the top of the largest stone about 10 feet from the ground.
The nest resembled the well-known one of Turdus merula, but was
more loosely constructed and shallower. This, however, would
arise from the bird having to accommodate itself to the shape of
the cavity in which the nest was placed. The eggs are of a pale
greenish blue, very delicate, and without any spots. The allied
species {M. saxatilis) does not occur so low down as this : it is
said to be not uncommon in the higher districts of Greece. On
the opposite side of the same stone was a nest of that most
eccentric bird, Sitta sijriacu ; it had been repaired once or twice,
but at that period was not inhabited. The nest was plastered
over the mouth of a small cavity, and, were it not for the little
round entrance-hole, would be very difficult to distinguish from
the numerous structures of a species of Ant which are thickly
stuck over the face of the rock, and at a distance resemble in
size and appearance the nest of Sitta syriaca itself. But the
greatest curiosity of all was to be seen under a large flat slab
which projected enough to afford convenient shelter during a
shower of rain. This was a nest of Hirundo rufula, which had
been broken at one end and consequently abandoned by the bird.
Meanwhile a Nuthatch had come and repaired the damage,
possibly with the intention of appropriating the nest. The
difference in the workmanship, and to a certain extent in the
materials, was very apparent when the two were in juxtaposition.
In shape, the nest of hirundo rufula is so different from that of
any other European bird, that this proceeding on the part of the
Nuthatch was still more extraordinary,

AVe will, however, dismiss these two birds for awhile, and take
a survey through the telescope of the cliffs above us. These
consist of the metamorphic limestone common in Greece, and
they possess peculiarities which always seem to me to indicate a
Raptorial locality. The upper edge is generally very hard, often
overhangs a little, and has a bluish-grey tinge, partly the effect

290 Mr. W. H. Simpson's Ornithological Notes

of exposure and partly the natural colour of the rock. Under-
neath thisj with more or less regularity, occurs a band of softer
rock, which wears externally a rusty- yellow colour and is very
friable in its nature. In this band are found most of those holes
and fissures and horizontal excavations which form such comfort-
able quarters for the larger birds of prey. In the more lofty
precipices occur regular caves extending some way into the
mountain ; and there are always plenty of nice snug holes (just
big enough to contain a nest), which open out upon a covered
ledge common to all the families in its locality. Wherever there
is a covered ledge or corridor of this sort in the Griffon colonies
conspicuous for its extent and sunny position, we may expect to
find established the " club " of the community. There are
always a considerable number of young unmarried Griffons,
known to some naturalists as V. kolbii, who perhaps form the
nucleus of the institution ; but these are joined at times by the
elders of the tribe. On a nice sunny afternoon they may be
seen dropping in by ones and twos at a time, and, when a quorum
is established, proceed to their business, whatever that may be.
Some sit with their wings completely stretched out, as though
they were hanging themselves out to dry after a wash ; others
appear to be taking a nap after dinner ; but there are always a
few busy ones putting their heads together, who are probably
engaged in discussing the price of meat, or in arranging one of
those grand expeditions during which they beat the country in
such force. But we are at present looking at the cliffs above
-^tolico, where, although one or two birds occasionally sail
past, there is no "club" of Griffons. Here we observe another
peculiarity common to the limestone precipices of Greece, viz.,
the deposits of white lime which arc left in places on the face of
the cliff by water, after it has percolated the calcareous strata of
the mountain. When seen at a distance, this looks so exactly like
the discharge from the nest or sleeping-place of a large bird of
prey — more especially if, as is often the case, it happens to be
under a likely-looking hole — that one is apt to suppose these
nests much more numerous than they really are. Birds doubtless
take advantage of this, as amongst so many white marks the
traces of their own discharge may possibly escape detection.

from Mesulonghi and Southern zEiolia. 201

In the same way Siita syriaca hopes that its own bit of plaster
sticking to a rock may pass muster amongst the many structures
of a species of Aut.

We had long known that these cliffs were frequented by a
pair of Bonelli's Eagles {Aquila bonellii), as also by a pair of
Sea Eagles {A. albicilla), besides Eagle Owls, Griffon Vultures,
Ravens, and Kestrels. Bonelli's Eagle we were sure must be a
very early breeder, as Dr. Kriiper had found a nest hatched off
in the beginning of April 1859 in the same line of cliffs some
miles to the southward, and although this was only the 26th of
February, it was clear we could afford to lose no time. As we
scrambled up towards the foot of the precipice the male Bonelli
was caught sight of, evidently on the look-out for us, as we had
been on the look-out for him. He had seen us long before, and
now flew away to give notice of our arrival. After examining
several likely places, Dr. Kriiper at length pointed out a nest in
one of the smaller holes which was plainly visible from the base
of the precipice. We then stationed ourselves at separate points ;
but when the gun was fired, out started the female Bonelli from
another nest which had escaped our observation. A few sticks
only projected from the deep longitudinal fissure in which it was
placed. This Eagle when flying shows a whitish band on the
back, just above the base of the tail, which was easily seen
on this occasion as she turned on her side in the air and thus
presented her back towards us. In colour the whole plumage
was very light. On finding that we did not stir, she came back
very boldly after an absence of two or three minutes, and entered
her nest, where, as she settled down, we again lost sight of her.
It was agreed to defer the " assault " until the following day, as
ropes would be necessary. The cliff was carefully examined both
below and above, that we might lose no time during operations.

Early on the morning of February 37th, the besieging force
marched through the town of iEtolico, where it created consider-
able excitement on account of the accident to Kriipcr's German
servant a few days before. Some of the " loafers " accompanied
us to witness the proceedings ; but all but two dropped off during
the ascent, and these two would never come near enough the edge
of the precipice to be of any use. My ItaUan servant carried one

292 Mr. W. H. Simpson's Ornithological Notes

rope ; a Greek gunsmith — our only volunteer — carried the other ;
Kriiper and myself completed the party. It took us two hours
to reach the top of the line of cliffs, and then we had to scramble
down a rough gully to a point where a wild olive-tree grew out
of a crack in the rock. This tree was the principal mark we had
taken from below, where it seemed to be a few feet to the left of
the line where the nest should be found. Underneath this the
precipice broke sheer away to the bottom, but from the edge of
it nothing could be seen ; and even by getting into the tree and
hanging over as far as was safe, we were none the wiser. Mean-
while some one threw down a stone, and out darted the bird,
taking a downward course as before, so that she was two or
three gunshots off before we saw her. The light-coloured band
on the lower part of the back was very noticeable on this occasion.
Neither of the birds made their appearance again during opera-
tions. We then cut away the scrub to make standing room for
those who had to hold the rope, and my servant was placed in front
to receive orders. Everything being ready, they lowered me a
few feet over the first crest of the precipice to a ledge two or three
inches wide, where I could just find standing room. All doubt
was now removed : there lay a pair of whitish-looking eggs — a
long way farther below — upon the flattened bowl of an immense
oval nest, seven-eighths of which rested on a platform inside the
great fissure : this fissure concealed it from observation and
protected it from the weather. If the Eagles had searched the
whole line of precipices, they could not have found a more
suitable spot than this snug corner at the mouth of the
cave, or one indeed more interesting and curious in many
other respects. The outermost branches of the wild olive-
tree hung over the top and rustled in the brisk breeze, but
below no draught could come : the sun baked fiercely upon the
rock beneath, where a wild fruit-tree had put out its pretty pink
blossoms about the same time that the Eagle had laid her eggs.
It was hot summer hei"e, yet winter a few feet above. And then,
what a prospect must these Eagles enjoy of the wide domain
over which they reign supreme ! The compact island of iEto-
lico, completely covered by the town, lies almost immediately
underneath their eyry. The natives may be seen promenading

from Mesolonghi and Southern Italia. 293

on the bridge in all the pride of tasseled fez and snowy fastanclla.
The frequent explosions in the town to-day proclaim it one of
the fetes of the Greek Church. To-night and to-morrow they
will take their fill of fish, after which they are allowed to make
themselves sick on bad butter, made up into various cakes, and
abominations such as no other country could produce, and then
no more animal food (shellfish and roe excepted) till Easter. But
the Eagles are indifferent to all this. Their eyes doubtless are
chiefly fixed on the two great packs of ducks now resting so
quietly on either side of the long bridge, and over the waters
and reedy shores of the upper lake, which is their own especial
beat. If this is not enough, they overlook the whole western
ann of the great lagoon of Mesolonghi, the Pelican Islands, and
the immense and varied delta of the Acheloiis, with its swamps,
its pastures, and its corn-fields, — broken in front by the olive-
covered hill of Katza, abounding in pigeons, and beyond the
river by the eminences which contain the modern llatokki and
the ruins of (Enia. After being lowered to a level with the nest,
the only difficulty was to spring across the chasm separating
the platform on which it rested from the cliff beneath the wild
olive-tree. This done, I was in possession, and able to make a
closer inspection of the nest itself, which consisted principally of
branches of wild olive, terebinth, and thorn, arranged according
to their size. There was no lining of wool, as is usual in
Eagles^ nests, but the eggs lay on a thin layer of olive-leaves.
The eggs themselves, which I retain in my collection, are slightly
unequal in size. The larger is of a smooth texture and bluish-
white ground-colour, very sparingly marked with rust-coloured
spots and minute dottings. The smaller one is of a rougher
texture, in colour a dirty white, and without any distinct mark-
ings : it appears to have been laid the last. Further up the
cave is a stone, on which the bird not occupied in incubating
the eggs was evidently wont to sit and watch its mate. There
were no bones or other remains indicating the nature of their
food, though I fancy hares and partridges [Caccabis saxatilis)
form no small portion of it. On our return down the mountain,
Dr. Kriiper and myself had a good view of the pair. The fal-
coninc character of their flight was very obvious as they dashed

294 Mr. W. H. Simpson's Ornithological Notes

about iu the air at a great height, sometimes appearing to make
a summerset backwards (reversing the action of the tumbler),
in the excess of their indignation against the robbers who were
looking at them.

The first nest which we discovered in this line of precipices
most probably belonged to the pair of Sea Eagles that haunted the
upper lake. There were several of these birds about, but the
others were mostly immature ones in the dark plumage. They
fly low over the water with that lumbering heavy flight peculiar
to the species. If they come near the grand army of ducks,
all the outlying pickets are called in, and sometimes a general
retreat takes place, but always in order and without much
appearance of alarm. It is not to be supposed that all the birds
of this species we see here are breeding; but there are one or
two undoubted eyries in the district, and these chiefly in the
enormous trees that rear their heads above the almost impene-
trable jungles near the lakes of Agrinion and the embouchure
of the Phidaris. In the latter place there is one to which Dr.
Kriiper ascended in the month of May 1859. It was in a good
state of repair, but contained no young, — nothing living, in fact,
but a few sparrows that had built their nests with true passerine
impudence in the many snug little berths which its vast circum-
ference afforded. We took this to be an indication that the esta-
blishment was not occupied, when, just as the Doctor was coming
down, a great black Eagle flew over our heads. A Golden Eagle !
said we all. But our Italian solved the question by putting some
shot into him, as he passed again, when he proved to be Aquila
albicilla, in the plumage of the second year : the sex I forget.
Whether the Eagle inherited this establishment from his deceased
ancestors, or had found it and put it into tenantable repair, is a
fact we shall never ascertain : this much is probable, that he
looked upon it as his habitation, that he intended to get mated,
and that in the course of a year or two more, if an untimely
fate had not befallen him, he would have taken his share in the
production of a pair of spotless eggs, for the benefit of the next
oologist who should have the luck to find the nest and the pluck
to ascend to it.

In the recesses of these marshy forests, where the rate of

from Mesohnghi and Southern ^-Etolia. 295

travelling is less than half a mile an hour, the Spotted Eagle
[A. mevia) also finds a congenial abode. There arc generally
two or three pairs in the forest to which I am alluding, and one
is continually reminded of their presence by the shrill cry they
utter. During the last winter I noticed a few which frequented
the marshes of Ali Tchelebi across the gulf, and also the exten-
sive forests in the plain of Agrinion. If the winter be hard,
they may quit continental Greece entirely, as they feed very
largely on reptiles, especially on frogs. Towards the end of
February an accession to their numbers was apparent, the birds
being generally seen coasting the marshy shores of the lagoon
on their way northwards. Those few which winter here possibly
join this migration, and their places may be occupied by others
coming from further south. This, however, is merely conjecture;
certain it is, that towards the beginning of May a nest or two
will be found in the jungle which covers portions of the delta
of the Phidaris at the foot of the unsealed precipices of Moimt
Varassovo. To this place (dismissing for a moment our Eagle)
I would again direct attention, as one dear to the eye of an
ornithologist. The tall white stems of the ash and the poplar,
and the huge trunks of the wide-spreading plane-tree shoot out
of amass of tangled foliage, and support — sometimes from their
topmost branches — rich curtains of dark green ivy, and festoons
of the creeping vine that fall in graceful folds and pendulous lines,
to mingle once more with the general mass below. Here you
may see the Golden Oriole, the Jay, the Roller, and the Bee-eater,
enlivening the verdure of the woods by the brilliancy of their
colours, whilst from some hollow tree will start an Eagle Owl,
only to hide himself in yet obscurer depths. Woodpeckers of
more than one species are not uncommon, to judge by the holes
they have drilled in the trees ; and amongst the Tits it would
not be difficult, perhaps, for a careful observer to discern Parus
pendulinus and Parus lugubris, the former of which undoubtedly
breeds in similar localities. A stray pair of Blackbird and
Song Thrush, out of the flocks that frequent this place in winter,
may remain behind to breed ; but the duties of the sylvan
chorus are performed by innumerable Warblers, S. elaica, S.
olivetorum, S. luscinia, S. altisonans, and many others, which

296 Mr. W. II. Simpson's Ornithological Notes.

however prefer the bushy outskirts and shun the depths of the
forest, as does also the conspicuous Lanius minor, which, next
to the Woodchat, is the commonest Shrike of Greece. In winter
this forest is a paradise for woodcock, as are the marshes, which
interlace it, for snipe and wild-duck ; but many parts are inac-
cessible except to the wild pigs and jackals, of which there is no
lack. This makes our visit to the nests of the Spotted Eagle a
somewhat difficult task.

Aquila ruevia constructs a very small nest for the size of the
bird : it is generally well concealed in the fork of a large tree,
so that it might very easily escape observation. The exterior
is neatly rounded off, and has none of those great branches
sticking out which are often seen in nests of other Eagles.
Inside it is comfortably lined with wool. The eggs vary con-
siderably according to the age of the bird, but are generally
handsomely marked with large spots and blotches of a rust-
colour on a whitish ground. Of two which I have in my
collection from the same nest, taken May 4, 1859, one has an
exceedingly rich rust-coloured zone, streaked with darker shades,
irregularly covering about one-third of the egg towards the
smaller ends, the ground-colour being of a yellowish-white.
The upper part of the egg is also marked with spots and blotches
of the same colour, each one being distinct, and not in the least
smudged so as to spoil the ground-colour of the egg. Except
as to size, the two eggs from this nest resemble those of the
Sparrow-hawk more than any other raptorial bird. The Greeks,
who are the worst field-naturalists possible, have no name for
this species distinct from that of any other Eagle, all of which
they call indiff*erently aeT6<i, in the same way that they call all
Vultures opvtov. The Golden Eagle [Aquila chrysaetos) is cer-
tainly not common in this district, and the Imperial Eagle I never
once saw. There did occur during last winter a very black Eagle,
which appeared to me much smaller than Aquila chrysaetos,
though similar in character. Can this have been the Aquila
fusca of Brehm ?

Recent Ornithological Publications. 297

XXXVI. — Recent Ornithological Publications.
1. English Publications.

We have little to speak of under the head of English books
relating to Ornithology since we last addressed our readers.
The volume of the Zoological Society's ' Proceedings ' for the
past year (1859), with illustrations, has been issued. Nine of the
48 plates represent birds. The first part of the ' Proceedings '
for the present year is likewise published, and contains many
papers on Ornithology. Mr. Bree's 'Birds of Europe not ob-
served in the British Isles ' has reached its twenty-fourth mim-
ber, the parts appearing with very commendable regularity.

The fifth number of vol. xxviii. of the ' Journal of the Asiatic
Society of Bengal ' contains an " Itinerary, with Memoranda,
chiefly Topographical and Zoological, through the Southerly
portion of the District of Amherst, Province of Tenasserim,"
by Major Tickell. There are several ornithological notices of
interest in this paper. On the Atlaran River (Jan. 31st), "a
range of perpendicular rocks of mural limestone rise sheer out
of the water to six or eight hundred feet, on the right bank of
the river, and some extraordinary, bold-scarped, insulated rocks
are scattered also along the opposite side. On the pinnacles of
these rocks we observed numbers of Adjutants. These large
birds breed here annually, and the rocks are in many places
conspicuously white with their dung. There are two species
of Adjutant, Leptoptilus argala (our old Calcutta friend), and
L. javanicus (a rarer visitor in Bengal), and both breed together
in these inaccessible places. The Argala is noticeably larger
than the other ; but the eggs of the two species are hardly to be
distinguished apart.'' An Appendix to this paper contains de-
scriptions of some birds supposed to be new, procured during
the journey ; but as all the species have been previously named
by Mr. Blyth in his * Report ' published in the previous number
of the same Journal, it would have been better not to have
given Major TickelPs manuscript names, which are merely use-
less synonyms.

298 Recent Ornithological Publications.

2. French Publications.

The numbers of the ' Revue et Magasin de Zoologie ' for this
year, received since our last issue, contain several articles relating
to Birds. M. C. F. Dubois writes 'Notes nido-oologiques,' on
Procnias carulea, Tardus rufivcntris, and Ampelis garrida. There
is more novelty in his account of the two first than in that of
the last, the nest of which, he says, was first discovered by " un
Anglais, du nom de John WoUey" ! In No. 4, M. Loche de-
scribes two neiv species of Larks, discovered by himself in the
Algerian Sahara. Calandrella rehoudia, the first of these, has
already been characterized by Mr. Tristram under M. Loche's
manuscript name (Ibis, vol.i. pp. 58 and 422). In the second
instance, M. Loche's name, Galerida randonii, must give way to
Mr. Tristram's Galerida mao'orhyyicha, which is the more fair,
as Mr. Tristram " first drew " Captain Loche's " attention to the
bird as new, and supplied him with specimens in 1857*."

Dr. J. E. Cornay has published (Paris, Labd, 1860, 20 pp.)
an elaborate " Memoire sur les causes de la coloration des ocufs
des Oiseaux et des parties organiques vegetales et animales."

M. O. Des Murs' general work on Oology* is now ready, and
we propose to give a notice of it in our next Number.

3. German, Dutch, and Scandinavian Publications.

We have received, through the polite attention of Herr Ober-
amtmann Ferdinand Heine, of Halberstadt, an early copy of the
second part of ' Museum Heineanum ' — a list of the valuable
and extensive ornithological collection possessed by this gentle-
man. It contains an account of the species of Insessorial birds
belonging to the division Clamaiores of Dr. Cabanis' arrange-
ment, and has been prepared by the last-named gentleman in
conjunction with Ferdinand Heine, the son of the proprietor of
the collection. The volume is one of great interest to all students

* Tristram in ' Ibis,' vol.i. p. 427.

t Traits general d'Oologie ornithologique, an point de vue de la Classi-
fication. Par O. Des Mnrs. Paris, 18()0. 1 vol. 8vo.

Recent Ornithulogical Publications. 299

of exotic Ornitliology, and has been long anxiously expected by
us. We do not agree with the authors in the principles of
zoological nomenclature which they have adopted, either as
regards the rejection of names not classically derived, or the
excessive multiplication of generic divisions. But we do not com-
plain of their employment of these principles ; for, the fact is,
there is a great deal to be said on both sides of these import-
ant questions. With the general arrangement of the families
and genera, as set forth in this work, we have the satisfaction
of expressing our very decided a])proval. Several years^ study
of the difficult and complicated forms of the birds belong-
ing to the families Formicariida, Pteroptoclndce, Anabatidce,
Tyi-annidce, and Cutingidce, has convinced us that these groups
cannot be sundered in any natural system, and that they must
be placed together in a series apart from the more typical
Insessores. We notice also with pleasure that accurate Latin
diagnoses have been attached to the new species described in this
part of the list, and that great pains have been taken with the
synonymy. The families adopted by the authors for the arrange-
ment of the Clamatores are as follows : —

1.

Hypocnemidida.

8.

Prionitidae.

2.

EriodoridcB.

9.

Coraciida.

3.

Pteroptochid(2.

10.

Upvpida.

4.

Anabatida.

11.

Meropida.

5.

Tyrannid(2.

12.

Alcedinida.

6.

Ampelida.

13.

Bucerotidcp.

7.

Phytotomidce.

Of Cabanis' ' Journal fiir Ornithologie ' (with which ' Nau-
mannia' has become incorporated from the beginning of the
present year — the new series being under the joint editorship of
Dr. J. Cabanis and Dr. E. Baldamus), we have received parts iv.
and v. for last year. There ai'e several articles in these numbers
that will well repay perusal, such as the continuation of Dr.
H. Bernstein's notes upon the nidification of Javan birds, Dr. J.
Gundlach's ornithological letters from Cuba, and Von Gonzen-
bach's "excursions " from Smyrna to the breeding-places of the
Larida, &c., besides the more strictly scientific papers of Dr.

VOL. II, Y

300 Recent Ornithological Publications.

Hartlaub, F. Heine, and others. Dr. J. GundlacVs account
(p. 297) of the nidification of the Cuban Palm-Swift [Tachornis
iradii) (which he maintains is different from T. phcenicobia,
Gosse, of Jamaica) is curious, and agrees with Mr. Gosse's ac-
curate notes on the Jamaican species in his ' Birds of Jamaica '
(p. 58). Does it not go to show the relationship of the Cypse-
lida to the Trochilida ?

Of the new series of the ' Journal ' edited by Dr. J. Cabanis
and Dr. E. Baldamus, we have seen the first number for the pre-
sent year. It commences with the first portion of an elaborate
article by Dr. G. Hartlaub, of Bremen, on the Birds of Mada-
gascar, From this wonderful island, which it seems almost
justifiable to consider, with I. G. St. Hilaire, as a zoological
region of itself, though it is preferable to class it as an abode
of exaggerated* ^Ethiopian forms, 156 species of birds are now
known to Dr. Hartlaub, of which no less than 89 are, as far
as is hitherto known, peculiar to the island f- Of generic forms
not less than 25 are purely Madagascarian — a still greater test,
perhaps, of the eccentricity of its fauna. There are likewise
some contributions to our knowledge of the Great Auk {Alca
impennis), a subject which is now attracting much attention, in
the present Number, and other articles, one of which will be re-
cognized as familiar in an English dress to most of our readers.

The Annual of the Zoological Society ' Natura Artis Magis-
tra ' of Amsterdam for the present year contains an article by
Professor Schlegel " over eenige in Nederland waargenomen
vremde Vogelsoorten^' (upon some foreign species of birds taken
in Holland), in which some account is given of a pair of Syr-
rhaptes paradoxus, observed in the Dunes near Zandvoort, at
the end of August last. One of them was shot in the beginning
of October, as we have already stated J, and the specimen is now
in the collection of the Society at Amsterdam.

* Confer Journ. Proc. Linn. Soc. (Zool.) ii. p. 139.

t In the Mammalia the proportion is still greater — ont of 50 species
inhabiting Madagascar, only one or two being likewise met with on the
mainland.

X Ibis, 1860, p. 109.

Recent Ornithological Publications. 301

Professor Schlegel has also scut us the first part of a new
popular work* on the Zoology of Holland, of which he has
undertaken to wi'ite the portions relating to the Vertebrata.

The Proceedings t of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences
for the present year contain a paper by Professor J. Reinhardt
of Copenhagen on the nidification of the Anis {Crotuphaga), in
which he has carefully collected extracts from the different au-
thors who have written on this subject. The Professor considers
that there exist but three species of the genus, viz. Crotophagae
ani, major, and sulcirostris, — an opinion, we may mention, which
exactly agrees with our own views on this point. Professor
J. Reinhardt has also published some remarks J on the question
whether Picus tridactylus is to be considered a Danish bird, in
which he takes to task Dr. Kjserbolling's somewhat loose state-
ments on this point, and notices several discrepancies which
exist between the assertions made in the latter's " Danmarks
Fugle," and the accounts of the same occurrences given by the
same author in * Naumannia.'

IV, American Publications,

The * Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of
Philadelphia,^ of which we have received up to p. 80 for the
present year, contain some notes on the habits of the Mexican
Humming-birds [Campylopterus delattrii, p. 47, and Cyano-
myia cyanocephala, p. 80), by Rafael Montes de Oca. We have
also to thank Prof. Baird and Mr. Cassiu for separate copies of
the first portion of the latter gentleman's catalogue of the birds
collected during the United States' expedition for survey of the
Isthmus of Darien. The locality is interesting and hitherto un-
explored. A new Pufi'-bird [Monasa pallescens), and the recently
described Toucan [Selenidera spectabilis) and Calliste {C. lavinia)
are among the most noticeable novelties. Mr. Cassin's Ortho-

* De Dieren van Nederland. Gewervelde Dieren door Prof. 11. Schlegel.

Haarlem, 1860, 8vo.
t Oversigt over det Kgl. Vidensk. Selsk. Forhandlinger o. s. v. 1860,
X " En BeniBerkning om det Berettegelse, hvormed Picus tridactylus er

anfort i Fortegnelsen paa de i Danmark trufne Fugle."

Y 2

302 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, S^c.

gonijs olivaceus is evidently a species of Vireolanius. We may
also remark that Lipaugus unirufus is a very different bird from
Lafresnaye^s Querula fuscocinerea. Mr. Salvin has recently
brought numerous specimens of the former bird from Coban,
Vera Paz : the latter is from New Granada.

XXXVII. — Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c.

M. O. Des Murs has written us the following letter in reply to
our remarks on the egg of Balceniceps [antea, p, 188), and on
his proposal to associate Passe?- with the Ploceina.

"Paris, 4 Mai, 1860.
" MoN CHER Monsieur, — Decidement, je compte, dans le
nombre de vos savans ou studieux correspondants, je ne dirai
pas un ennemi, raais un collegue en ornithologie, qui se montre
anime envers moi de tout autre sentiment que celui de la bien-
veillance.

" Je trouve encore, dans votre interessant ' Ibis ' d'Avril,
un article qui en est la preuve, et qui, si je Pai bien compris,
s'exprime, entr'autres choses, en ces termes, au sujet de ma
description de Poeuf du Balaniceps : — ' . . . et certainement, il
ne pond pas des oeufs tachctes, comme M. Des Murs s'avance
ingenument!' — 'and certainly does not lay spotted eggs, as
M. Des Murs himself candidly allows \'

" Or, mon cher Directeur, rien n'est plus inexact, en tout
point, que ce que me fait dire si obligeamment votre correspond-
ant, pour se douner sans doute le plaisir de me mettre en defaut,
de Pautre cote du Detroit.

" II me suffira de reproduire to^^t nettement cc que j^ai dit, et
ce que je niaintiens, quant a la description de Pceuf du Balani-
ceps de ma collection : —

" ' II est de forme ovee plus ou moins allongee, mesurant
de 8^ a 9 centimetres de grand diametre, sur 6 centimetres de
petit diametre. Sa coquille est d'un blanc legerement azure, ce
ton acquerant plus d'intensite dans la transparence du test ; la
cristallisation en parait assez fine et homogene, mais laisse
apercevoir des pores passablement indiques par des cspcces de

Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, S^c. 303

PiQUETUREs jy/w.S' ou moius espacees, et en plus petit nombre vers
le petit bout : particularite qu'ofFrent egalemeut ct I'oeuf des
Grues et celui des Ibis, inais notarnment celui des Spatules.
Car malgre les rapports du BaUniceps avee le IMarabou {Lepto-
ptilos), si bien indiques par J. Verreaux, nous n'en avons pu
saisir aucun eutre I'oeuf de Pun et de I'autre, pas plus que nous
n'avons trouve trace de taches brunes ou autrcs sur celui du
Baleniceps, nous le repetons, d'un blanc uniforme, empjreint
seulement par fois de souillures etrangeres a toute espece

DE COLORATION NATURELLE.'

" II resulte bien evidemment de cette citation, que vous re-
trouverez egaleraent page 434 de I'ouvrage que j'ai eu le plaisir
de vous offrir, et dont, meme apres le reproche inimerite d'm-
yenuite, je n'ai pas i\ retrancher une lettre, que nion contradic-
teur, si sur de lui-nieme, ou a mal lu ma description, ou n'y a
rien compris.

" C'est sans doute un raalheur de ne pas posseder une langue
autre que sa sienne ; et ce inalheur je suis tout le premier a y
compatir pour mon propre compte : aussi, lorsque je ne me
trouve pas de I'avis d'un auteur etranger, ai-je toujours soin
d'exprimer avec reserve, et en termes convenables, mes dissi-
dences d'opinion.

" J'aurais done bien de me plaindre aupres de vous, et
aupres de vos nombreux lecteurs, du terme d'inffenuite dont me
gratifie votre correspondant, et que je ne puis veritablement,
avec tons les menagemens possibles, que lui renvoyer a lui-meme,
qui prend pour une indication de taches, sur des ceufs que je
decris d'un blanc uniforme, I'indication de petits trous que les
pores, plus accuses en certains endroits, permettent d'apercevoir
h, I'oeil nu sur la coquille.

" Quant aux mcEurs du Balceniceps, je n'en fais I'objet d'au-
cune discussion : j'ai indique mon auteur, ce n'est pas mon
affaire. Mon Dieu ! Gould a bien represente cet oiseau avec un
petit crocodile dans le bee ! il n'y a pas loin de cette espece de
sauriens a de petites toitues, ou aux clieloniens. Je n'attache
done aucune importance serieuse k cette question de nourriture.
Ce qu'il en resulte, jusqu'ici pour la science, c'est que le corre-
spondant de Gould a vu le Balceniceps se nourrir dc crocodiles

304 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^'c.

(petits), celui de Verreaux, de petites tortues, et M. Petherick,
de poissons.

" Pour ce que j'ai dit du Passer montanus, c'est une simple
question de classification, et jusqu'fl present les opinions ont ete
assez libres sur ce point pour permettre toute espece de tenta-
tive k cet egard, sans qu^on fut expose au reproche de ridicule.
N'a-t-il pas plu ^ I'honorable M. G. R. Gray de separer tout-a-
fait les Capitonina des Bucconina, et au Prince Ch. Bonaparte,
d^agir de meme au sujet des Cypselince et des Hirundinince, sans
qu'on les accusat de ridicule ou dUngenuite ? Chacun d^eux avait
son systeme scientifique ; voil^t tout. Pourquoi ne nous serait-il
pas pertnis de rapprocher le genre Passer au genre Ploceust
Nos motifs, nous les avons donnes : c'est que nous croyons, en
cette matiere, les caracteres tires des moeurs et de I'oeuf de
I'oiseau, beaucoup plus determinans que celui auquel s'est arrete
le Prince Ch. Bonaparte.

"Treve done de ces points d' exclamation qui sentent trop
le Grand Seigneur, et qu'il faut laisser k ce profond natu-
raliste, ^ qui d'ailleurs sa haute position scientifique pouvait
bien les faire pardonner.

" En definitive, il me semblait que j'avais rendu assez de ser-
vices k la science oologique depuis pres de trente ans que je
m'en occupe, et fait preuve de connaissances assez speciales en
cette matiere, pour que je me crusse, en Angleterre surtout, h,
I'abri de ces petites critiques sans dignite, et de ce que j'appelerai
ces mauvais procedes.

" Si j'avais reconnu, ou signale ce que Pon appelle oolo-
giquement des laches sur Poeuf du Baleeniceps, est-ce que je
I'aurais compare k celui du Phoenicopterus et du Pelecanust
ce rapprochement seul aurait du faire reflechir votre corre-
spondant.

" J'espere done de votre impartialite, mon cher Directeur, que
vous voudrez bien inserer ma reponse dans votre Joui-nal ' I'Ibis/
afin que vos lecteurs qui ont lu Paccusation lisent aussi la de-
fense ; autrement j'en serais reduit k Pinserer dans la * Revue
de Zoologie ' de Guerin ; et je prefere vous laisser le soin et
I'honneur de cette rectification.

" C'est vous faire assez comprendre, mon cher Monsieur, quelle

Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 305

est m^ conliance en votre loyaute bien connue, et quels sont
pour vous mes sentimens de haute estirae et de consideration.

" O. Des Murs/'

With regard to the first point, we give M. Des Murs' remarks,
in accordance with his request ; but it will be observed, that
the whole ground of his complaint rests on an erroneous inter-
pretation of what we have said. M. Des Murs has mistrans-
lated the passage complained of, and given it a meaning exactly
contrary to that which it conveys in the original. Far from
implying that he "advanced" the theory that the Balceniceps
lays " spotted " eggs, we stated that M. Des Murs " candidly
allows" [avoue franchement) that on this point M. Verreaux^s
correspondent was in error. We, therefore, thought M. Des
Murs " unwise " in accepting M. Verreaux's correspondent's
statements on other points relating to the habits of this bird.
M. Des Murs' description of the egg of the Balceniceps is suffi-
ciently accurate, and we have no fault to find with it. As con-
cerns the second point, we admit that the subject of zoological
classification is one on which considerable latitude of opinion
is allowable. But when any new and startling theory is pro-
pounded, it is hard upon the critic not to be allowed the use even
of a note or two of admiration !

Mr. S. Stevens has kindly communicated to us the following
extracts from letters recently received from Mr. A. R. Wallace : —

"Awaiya, Ceram, Nov. 26, 1859.

" I have nothing particular to say now, except that Ceram is
a wretched place for birds. I have been here a month, and have
got literally not a single pretty or good bird of any kind, except
the small Lory I sent before from Amboyna ; and, what is more,
neither European residents nor natives know of a single handsome
bird in the country, except one or two Lories and Pigeons, which
I have not yet got or seen. When Mr. Gould and others talked
about the very fine birds of Ceram, you should have asked them
to specify them, that I might know what to inquire or look for.
My only hope is now in the eastern part of the island ; but I
cannot expect there anything but one or two fine Lories. In

306 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c.

Coleoptero and Butterflies I shall do better, though almost all are
the same as at Auiboyna. I am at present confined to the house
from the bites of an Acarus, which produces inflamed sores on
the legs, though it is invisibly small. My three best men have
all left me — one sick, another gone home to his sick mother, and
the third and best is married in Ternate, and his wife would not
let him go : he, however, remains working for me, and is going
again to the eastern part of Gilolo."

" Passo, Island of Amboyna, Dec. 31, 1859,
" My letter was returned to me because I had not prepaid the
postage as far as Singapore. I now add a few lines. I have just
arrived here, being quite tired of the barrenness of Ceram. I
shall stay about three weeks, and then go to East Ceram and
Ke, if possible."

"Passo, Feb. 14, 1860.
" I send you this via Marseilles, in order that you may get for
me, as soon as possible, three cheap small double-barrelled guns,
and send them overland to Ternate, to be ready for my next
yearns campaign to New Guinea. They are absolutely necessary
for me, as I have now with me Charles Allen, who went out with
me, and we must have a double quantity of tools to work with.
He is now starting from N. Ceram and Mysole, while I go to
E. Ceram and Ke. I expect to get some grand collections yet to
send you. I am now packing up my Ceram and Amboyna col-
lections to send you. In birds they are miserably poor — only one
being, I think, new, and very interesting from being a second
species of the Celebes' genus Basilornis. The few specimens of
Tanysiptera were only obtained by two men going out for a
month after nothing else ; and the beautiful Lorius domicella was
equally scarce, though domesticated specimens are abundant.
There is scarcely anything else of interest but the unique Platy-
cercus amboinensis (not found in Amboyna, however), which will
show that my Dorey Bird was a distinct species.''

Mr. Blyth writes from Calcutta, April 31st, as follows: —
" The Cassowary which I described to you (see ' Ibis,' 1860,
p. 193) is now more than half-grown, and in company with two

Letters, Extracts from Co7Tespondedce, Notices, &jc. 307

of the common species. It is decidedly new, and I have de-
scribed it as Casuarius uno-appendiculatus — rather a long nara^,
but descriptive of its most strongly-marked peculiarity. The
casque is much the same at this age as in Casuarius galeatus,
but the colouring of the bare parts is altogether different, and
the plumage much paler in colouring."

Ml'. Edward Newton's last letters from IMauritius are dated
May 4th. He has been unable to send home any further col-
lection of birds ; indeed his time has been so fully occupied by
other duties, as to prevent him from employing himself to any
great purpose in those researches to which he is as much as ever
attached. We may remark, that the species mentioned in our
last Number (' Ibis,' 1860, p. 201), though with an indication
of uncertainty, as " Turdus ourovang," proves to be Lcocincla
olivacea, Blyth; Hijpsipetes olivacea of Bonaparte (Consp. Av. i.
.261). It is not distinguishable generically from the Hijpsipet(s
of Continental India.

To the Editor of ' Tiie Ibis.'

Sir, — At the conclusion of the " Observations on the Birds of
St. Croix," contributed to the 'Ibis' for 1859, by my brother
Edward and myself, we subjoined some remarks on the species
found in the neighbouring islands. I am now able to communi-
cate a few more facts illustrative of the ornithology of the
Virgin group. Mr. Riise has lately arrived in Europe, bringing
with him a small but interesting collection, made chiefly in the
Danish islands of St. Thomas and St. John. From the latter
locality are several examples of Gijmnoglaux nudipes, one of which
is remarkable for the bright hue of its plumage, exhibiting in
this respect a perfect analogy to the rufescent stage observable
in many of the Strigida, and especially in the well-known cases
of Scops asio and Sgrnium aluco. From St. Thomas, Mr. Riise's
collection includes specimens of Scops porto-ricensis (with two
eggs), Eluineu riisii, Sclatcr* (the first examples of which were
obtained by Mr. 0. Salvin in May 1859), jEgialites vociferus,

* Allied to Elainea par/ana — described at a recent meeting of the Zoolo-
gical Society (June 12th, 18G0}.— Ed.

VOL. II. Z

308 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, 5fc.

Spatula chjpeata, Mareca americana, and, singularly enough, one
example of Eiqjsycliortijx sonninii, which last I can only suppose
to be an impoi'tation from the mainland of South America.
From Bieque or Crab Island Mr, Riise has also obtained Mo-
lothrus sericeus (Licht.), in no way differing from South-American
specimens of that bird.

In a letter which I lately had the honour of receiving from
Professor Heinhardt, that gentleman kindly informed me that
he had not long since procured from St. Croix an adult female
example of the common Picus varius of the United States, — a
species of so wide a range, that he had formerly obtained it from
Greenland (lat. 61° N.) (Kjobenh. Videnskab. Meddels. 1853).

In our " Observations," my brother and myself stated that we
had reason to believe that one of the Picida occurred in St. Croix,
and subsequently we were led to suggest that Melanerpes porto-
ricensis might prove to be the species meant by our informants.
The value of our suggestion is therefore impaired, though not
wholly destroyed, by Professor Reinhardt^s interesting commu-
nication. Yours, &c., Alfred Newton.

Elveden, June 11th, 1860.

The sale of a portion of the duplicate eggs from the collec-
tion of the late Mr. John Wolley took place, as advertised, at
Stevens^s Rooms, on the 30th and 3ist of May last. The total
amount realized, as we are informed, was £329 5s. Qd. for 376
lots, including the eggs of 130 species, most of which had been
obtained in Lapland. The attendance of buyers was good, and
the prices which many of the specimens fetched shows the high
value set upon Mr. VVolley's authority. Eggs of Falco fulvus
(Scotch) were sold at £4! ; Strix lapponica, £2 4s. to £2 Ss. ;
Strix tengmalmi, about the same ; Anthus rufogularis {cervinus),
£l Ss.; Pyrrhula enuclcator, £2 2s. to £2 12s.; Bomby cilia
garrula, £3 to ^£3 7s. 6d. ; Totanus fuscus, £l to £\ 5s. ; T.
glottis, 16s. to £1 5s. ; Limosa rufa, £o ; Scolopax gallinula,
£\ 14s. to £\ 19s. ; Tringa platijrhyncha, 13s. to£l 2s.; T.
temminckii, 14s. to £\ ; T. maritima, 17s. to £1 3s.; Anser
hernicla, £\ 13s. ; Mergus alhellus, <£5 5s. ; Lestris parasitica
[buffonii), £o 10s., &c., &c. The proceeds of the sale are to be
applied to the publication of Mr. Wolley's notes, which will be

Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, &;c. 309

edited by Mr. Alfred Newton, and will form a Catalogue of the
collection as now in the possession of the gentleman last men-
tioned. This work, the ' Ootheca Wolleyana,^ cannot fail to prove
of great interest to all naturalists, and will, we hope, make its
appearance in the course of a twelvemonth.

"With reference to INIr. Powys's mention of the Owls in Anda-
lusia {Scops zorca and Strix flammea) going into the churches
and drinking the holy oil (Ibis, ii. p. 134), Mr. J. H. Gurney
remarks that Senor K,. Montes de Oca, who was the collector
of a line series of birds in Southern Mexico (described in P.Z. S.
1859, p. 362), told him the same story of Syrnium zonocercum
— a common species in that country — and stated that, besides
entering churches after the oil, it frequented factories, where it
was said to get oil from the machinery ! Is this a fact, or a
Spanish notion imported into the New World by the settlers of
that nation ?

In a recent letter from Washington, Prof. S. F. Baird, of the
Soiithsonian Institution, mentions the discovery by Mr. Xantus
(who is continuing his researches at Cape S. Lucas, the southern
extremity of the Lower Californian peninsula) of a new Humming-
bird of the genus Amazilia^.

From Professor S. F. Baird we also learn that great efforts are
being made to promote the study of Oology in America. There
were no less than six Northern expeditions planned to be executed
during the present season, from all of which he had expectation
of eggs.

1. Mr. Kennicott spends his season on Great Slave Lake, at

* Mr. Gould has just received specimens of this bird, and of three other
Trochilidce recently described by Mr. G. N. Lawrence of New York. The
'Amuzilia (which bears attached to it the name A. xantusi) is evidently the
female of a species of Hellopcedica, the male of which (from Southern
California) has been named by Mr. Lawrence Heliopcedica castaneo-cauda.
The sjiecics is new, and one of great interest, being a strict congener of
//. tnelanotis of Mexico and Central Araerica*. The second of the birds de-
scribed by Mr. Lawrence is a Bogota skin, hardly diflferent from the ordi-
nary Heliomaster longirostris, which he has proposed to call H. stuarticc ;
and the third — the type of his Mellisuga merrittii — is, as Mr. Gould be-
lieves, the female of Clais guimeti. The latter is from Vcragua. — Ed.

310 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c.

Fort Resolution, the head-quarters of the Ducks, Geese, Swans,
Cranes, &c. 2. Mr. Drexler left Montreal April Srd, for James's
Bay. He will probably establish himself at Big River, on the
eastern side, where aquatic birds abound. 3. A party to the
coast of Labrador as far as lat. 55°, to start May 25th. 4. A
party to the coast of Greenland, and thence to Labrador, about
June 25th. 5. The solar eclipse (July 18) party to Cape Chud-
leigh, lat. 60°. 6. Dr. Hayes's Arctic Expedition.

The Gardens of the Zoological Society now contain a collection
of living Struthious birds more complete than any that has been
yet formed, embracing no less than ten species. The Ostriches
are represented by a fine pair of the northern variety of Struthio
camelus : the genus Rhea by examples of three species — a fine
male Rhea darwinii, two females of Rliea americana, and a male
of the recently described Rhea macrorjiyncha, Sclater, the smallest
of the group. The Cassowaries, of the Moluccas, have also
received an addition in the shape of a young bird, just added to
the collection, distinguished by the two throat-lappets being
separated from each other, upon which a species {Casuarius bi-
carunculatus^) has been founded. This specimen, with a nearly
adult male Casuarius galeatus, and three Mooruks [Casuarius
bennettii), form a fine series of this division of Struthious birds,
which however yet requires Mr. Blytli's Casuarius uno-appen-
diculatus, and Mr. Wall's (perhaps somewhat problematical)
Casuarius australis, to render it complete. Of the Australian
form of Struthionidce — DromcBUS — the Society have a pair of adults
of the common species (Z). nova hollandia), besides an immature
bird, and a chick lately hatched in the incubator, which is care-
fully nurtured by a domestic hen. Of Mr. Bartlett's new Spotted
Emeu of Western Australia {D. irroratus) there are also two
examples, representing the old and young plumage of this con-
spicuous species. The female Mantell's Ajjtei-yx, which has
lately signalized herself by laying a series of enormous eggs,
completes this remarkable collection.

* Sclater, Proc, Zool. Soc. 1860, p. 211.

THE IBIS.

No. VIII. OCTOBER 1860.

XXXVIII, — On Birds collected or observed in the Republic of
Honduras, with a short Account of a Journey across that
countrxj from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. By George
Cavendish Taylor, F.R.G.S. (Part IV.)

[Concluded from page 228.]

70. Globose Curassow. {Crax globicera.)

I believe this species to be common, although I only saw it
on three occasions. One was tame in Tigre Island. Another
I saw in a tree near the road-side, between the Pacific coast and
Comayagua, but I did not succeed in getting a shot ; and the
third was near the Lake of Yojoa, just after it had been killed
by one of the natives, who had appi'oached so near to it as to
blow off its head.

71. CoMMox Chachalaca. [Ortnlida vetula.)

Not uncommon in the woods. I shot several without diffi-
culty while they were sitting on the trees. This bird is very
good eating. It is called by the natives Chacha, or Chachalaca,
from its cry. I have seen them domesticated, and in company
with poultry. This species inhabits the Atlantic slope.

72. White-bellied Chachalaca. [Ortalida leucogastra.)
This Chacha inhabits the Pacific slope. Its habits are the

same as those of the preceding species.

73. Ocellated Turkey. [Meleagris ocellata.)

The Ocellated Turkey was not seen, but is probably to be
vol. II. z

31 Si Mr. G. C. Taylor 07i Birds collected

found in the dense and unexplored forests of Honduras. When
I was at Belize, Chief Justice Temple informed me that they
were by no means rare in the neighbouring forests, and that
dead specimens might be obtained without any great difficulty,
but that the rearing of the young birds required great care, and
was rarely attended with success. I also learned from him that
they were not unfrequently shot by the mahogany cutters, who
are either negroes or Caribs, or a mixed breed #f both races.

74. Leyland's American Partridge. {Ortyx leylandi.)

I frequently saw coveys of these birds, especially on the high
ground near Comayagua. They were usually lying in long
grass, and when disturbed used to fly for shelter into the thick
bushes. They were difficult to raise without a dog, and very
difficult to see when up. The ground they frequented was so
full of ticks and Garrapatas, as to destroy my keenness in the
pursuit of them, and I did not obtain a specimen ; but Mr.
Edwards procured several after I left the country. In habits
this species seemed to resemble the common Virginian Quail of
North America.

75. Salle^s Tinamou. (Tinamus sailed.)

The only instance in which I observed this bird was near
Aremeciua. It ran from the side of the track iu front of my
mule, and I shot it while on the ground. It was a very good
specimen, and I much wished to preserve it ; but there was no
time to do so, and we were short of palatable food. We found it
very good when cooked. The flesh had a greenish tinge. This
I had previously noticed in birds (I suppose of the same species)
which were served at table in the hotel at Panama. When
riding through the bamboo and palm forests on the Atlantic slope,
where the ground was completely sheltered by the thick foliage
from the rays of the sun, we used often to see large birds running
along the ground some distance ahead, which disappeared in the
jungle as we approached. They were not unlike Tinamous ; or
could they have been large Rails, such as an Aramus ?

76. Large White Egret. [Herodias egretta.)

I shot one of these birds on Tigre Island, and should say that
they are not uncommon in Honduras, where, in suitable localities.

or observed in the Republic of Honduras, c^r. 313

there is a veiy good show of grallatorial birds. My specimen
measured 36i inches in length. Plumage entirely white ; beak
and irides yellow ; legs and feet black.

77. White Egret. [Demiegretta pealii ?)

Plentiful in all suitable localities ; as much so as Herodias
bubulcus is in Egypt, which bird this species much resembles.
I have seen trees overhanging the water in the Bay of Fonseca
nearly covered with them. Measures 21 inches in length.
Plumage white, with the exception of a little greyish-black at
the tips of the wings and on the crest ; legs and feet pale green.

78. Tiger Bittern. {Tigrisoma tigrinum.)

I shot a pair of these birds on Bird Island, in Fonseca Bay,
and saw another pair on a tree in the village of Lamani, near
Comayagua.

79. "White Ibis. [Ibis alba.)

I saw one when passing up the Nacaome River. It was sitting
on a branch of a mangrove tree overhanging the water, but I
could not delay the boat in order to shoot it. I also observed
several other GralUe on the banks of this river; among them a
very small Bittern. Also a bird with a broad bill, possibly
Cancroma cochlearia ; and a small blue Egret, much resembling
the Blue Gaulin of Jamaica. I saw this last species in many
locaUties, and it seemed to be common. At the Lake of Yojoa
were some Herons of unusually large size, but I was unable to
get near them. I found a specimen of Tantalus loculator lying
dead near the village of Lamani. A young Night-Heron [Nycti-
corax gardeni) was also shot by Mr. Edwards at Fonseca Bay.

80. Ajierican Curlew. [Numenius hudsonicus.)

This species is smaller than the English bird. I found them
abundant on the shores of Fonseca Bay, where they used to sit
on the branches of the mangrove trees overhanging the water.
Colonel Stanton shot some, and we found them good eating.

81. KiLDEER Plover. {yEgialites voci/crus.)

I saw these birds on Tigre Island, where I shot some ; also on
the oi)cn part of the plain of Comayagua.

314 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected

82. Great Stone-Curlew. [(Edicnemus ?)

I saw Stone- Curlews on the plain between La Brea and
Nacaome, and on the open part of the plain of Comayagua. On
the latter occasion I shot six from the back of my mule, and had
I not been pressed for time, I could easily have got more. They
are fine birds, and good eating, and on open ground show good
sport, especially to any one shooting from the saddle. By riding
in a circle I could always get within range. These birds resem-
ble (Edicnemus a-epitans of Europe, but are very much larger,
and on open ground are conspicuous at a considerable distance.
Length 21 inches. Eye large ; irides and eyelids bright yellow :
legs pale yellow : bill very strong and black, with base of lower
mandible yellow. Above the eye a black stripe; chin, breast,
and belly white ; under tail-coverts deep bufif ; upper surface of
body coloured like a Curlew ; wing-primaries dark brown, with
a broad bar of white across the middle feathers. I have com-
pared the preceding description (taken from the dead bird in
Honduras) with a specimen of (Edicnemus vocifer in the British
Museum, and with the description of the same bird given in the
' Magasin de Zoologie.^ My bird seems to have been much larger
than (Edicnemus vocifer, and I do not think it the same.

83. WiLSON^s Snipe. {Gallinago wilsonit)

I saw two or three Snipes in moist places near Comayagua,
and have no doubt they are common in the rainy season. I shot
at them, but I was too much shaken by fever and ague to be
able to kill them. They seemed exactly similar to the European
bird. I have shot Snipes in England, L'eland, and Scotland, in
the island of Crete, in Asia, Africa, and America, and have never
observed any material difference in them, either in plumage,
size, habits, voice, or taste.

84. American Gallinule. [Gallinula galeata.)

Li size and appearance extremely like the English Gallinule,
Gallinula chlorojms. Probably common ; but I only saw them at
the Lake of Yojoa, where I also saw numbers of Coots [Fulica).

85. Chestnut Jacana. {Parra gymnostoma.)

Common in all suitable localities. I found them very plenti-
ful in the crater laaioon in Tigre Island and on the Lake of

or observed in the Republic uf Honduras, i^x. 315

Yojoa, Without a boat they were difficult to shoot, and to
secure when killed, for they run about on the leaves of aquatic
plants, in water too deep for any one to wade in it. For this
purpose their feet are admirably adapted. The difference of
plumage between the adult and young birds is so great as to
make them appear like different species to any one not ac-
customed to them.

86. Red-billed "Whistling Duck. [Dendrocygna autum-
nalis.)

The Lake of Yojoa is the only locality where I saw this Duck ;
there they were plentiful, and easy of approach. 1 found them
good eating.

87. Blue-wixged Teal. {Cyanopterus discors.)

I saw this species on Tigre Island and on the Lake of Yojoa.
They are very good eating. In Tigre Island I tired at a small
flock on the wing, and killed two of them. One towered, and be-
fore it reached the ground a large Hawk caught it, and carried
it off. I could have shot the Hawk ; but as it would have fallen
into deep water, where I could not have picked it up, I refrained
from firing.

88. Muscovy Duck. {Cairina moschata.)

Is a common species in these latitudes. I saw some at the
Lake of Yojoa ; but they were wild, and I did not get a shot.
They settled on a lai'ge extent of shallow water near the shore,
where the bottom was very muddy, so that we could not walk,
and there was not sufficient depth of water for our canoe. At
the same place I saw some small diving Ducks, perhaps Erisma-
tura rubida ; these would sink rather than dive, without disturb-
ing the surface of the water. I also saw Ducks with a note very
similar to the quack of a common wild Duck, Anas boschas.

89. Black Cormorant. [Phalacrocorax mexicanus ?)

A bird of this species that I shot on the Lake of Yojoa measured
26 inches in length. Beak brown, yellow at gape ; irides green ;
legs and feet black, tinged with green -, back brown, each fea-
ther edged with black ; under part of neck and throat brown ;
breast and belly greenish-black. Tail-feathers twelve in num-
ber, dark brown, and very stiff.

316 Mr. G. C. Taylor on Birds collected in Honduras, &^^c.

90. Brown Pelican. [Pelecamis fuscvs.)

Very plentiful ou both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and,
indeed, wherever I have been in the western tropics. They have
a breeding station in Fonseca Bay, as I was informed, but I was
unable to visit it. I never saw one with a rufous neck. Those
I saw generally had the plumage grey, and the neck completely
white, with yellow feathers on the head. It is a beautiful sight
to see these birds fishing. They fly at a considerable height,
with slowly flapping wings ; on seeing a shoal of fish beneath
them, they " round to,^^ and fall like a stone into the water,
causing the spray to dash up many feet into the air. If suc-
cessful, they sit on the water, and dispose of their prey ; if the
contrary, they rise again, and look out for a fresh chance. The
spray they cause by dashing into the water may be seen far
away, much further than the bird itself is visible to the naked eye.

91. Booby. {Su/a fusca.)

These birds were not uncommon along the coast. I saw one
on Bird Island in Fonseca Bay, and another flew on board the
* Columbus ' ou our voyage from Panama to La Union. It
kept company with the ship for some time, and made repeated
attempts to settle, and at last perched in the rigging, and was
caught by a boy. After examining it, we turned it loose again.

92. American Darter. iPlotus anhinga.)

I saw several of these birds on the Lake of Yojoa, but was
unable to get a shot.

93. Frigate-bird. {Freyata aquila.)

Common on the coast in all parts of the western tropics that
I have visited. They were very plentiful in Fonseca Bay, where
there was a breeding station on one of the islands. I found them
breeding on the 1st of January*. They fish much in the same
manner as the Pelicans, but instead of entering the water, they
stop short on reaching the surface, and seize their prey with the
beak, almost without causing the slightest ripple, and ascend
again with a heavy flapping of their long wings. In flight and
general appearance they much resemble large black Terns.
They soar to an immense height, often appearing mere specks in
the sky.

* See ' Ibis,' vol. i. p. 150.

Mr. R. F. Tomes on the Structure of the Bearded Titmouse. 317

94. Dominican Grebe. {Podiceps dominicus.)
I saw several small Grebes on the crater lagoon in Tigre
Island, and shot two of them. The larger measured 8|^ inches
in length. Irides yellow ; legs and feet dark lead-colour ; upper
surface of body nearly black; chin white; breast reddish;
primaries white, edged with dark. The other one, killed by the
same shot, was smallci', and probably a female.

Appendix.
The following birds were omitted in their proper places : —

1. American Meadow Lark. {Sturuella luduviciana.)
The only place where I noticed this bird was in the open

grassy plain near Siquatepique, where they were abundant.
AVhen running among the grass they appear like Quails [Coturnix
dactylisonans), especially when they stop and raise their heads —
a common practice when approached within a short distance. In
the United States I have found these birds difficult of approach,
but here they were tame enough.

2. Hooded Wren-creeper. {Campylorhynchus capistratus.)
I saw a small colony of these birds preparing their nests in

some low bushy trees with large trunks growing by the side of
a stream on the Pacific Slope. I did not observe them else-
where.

The Parrot mentioned (p. 121) as much resembling Chry-
sotis auripalliata, is Chrysutis xanthops.

The large Hawk spoken of as " possibly Buteo cequinodialis"
(p. 226) was probably a Urubitinga.

XXXIX. — Remarks on the Internal Structure of the Bearded
Titmouse (Calamophilus biarmicus). By Robert F. Tomes,
C.M.Z.S.

The little bird which forms the subject of the present com-
munication is one of those, the precise affinities of which are
somewhat obscure. It appears by common consent to have been
classed with the Tits [Parus), amongst which, or rather perhaps
aj)])endcd to them, we find it in most works on ornithology.
The names of Tcnniiinck, Bonaparte, YarrcU, Schlegol, G. R.

3 1 8 Mr. R. F. Tomes on the

Gray, Degland, and of Keyserliug and Blasias, will be quite suffi-
cient for me to adduce in support of this statement, whilst the
name of Professor Macgillivray, so far as I know, stands alone in
justification of its asserted Fringilline affinities.

Having received, through the kindness of Mr. Sclater*, some
specimens preserved in spirit, I set about making a dissection,
the object of which was to ascertain if any osteological pecu-
liarities were present which might confirm or refute the views of
Professor Macgillivray. The results of this examination I now
propose to give. Before doing this, however, it ap])eavs de-
sirable to mention what has been stated by the late Professor,
and I cannot do better than quote his own words, being confident
of their great accuracy : —

" Tongue slender, trigonal, obliquely truncated and lacerate ;
oesophagus enlarged into a kind of half-cross, inclined toward the
right side ; stomach muscular, with a dense rugous epithelium.

" The examination of the digestive organs of the only known
species of this genus at once determines its natural affinities,
showing that, having the kind of dilatation of the oesophagus
peculiar to the Huskers, it must be referred to that group,
although it has hitherto been considered as closely connected
with the Tits.

" In some respects it is distantly allied to Emberiza schceniclus ;
but its more direct affinities are, I think, to the species of the
American genus Ammodramus, whose mode of life is very similar.
Its affinity to the Tits is very remote ; and, although I have been
censured for pointing out errors, I cannot allow such an associa-
tion to remain undisturbed. The bird in question has not the
abrupt bristle-tipped tongue of a Tit, and its oesophagus is
dilated toward the right side, as in all the birds which I have
referred to the order of Huskers.

"During the autumn and winter they live chiefly on the seeds
of the reeds, which they pick from the husks ; but they also, as
is related by Mr. Dykes, feed upon Succinea amphibia and Pupa
muscorum, he having found ' the crop of one, which was not
larger than a hazel-nut, containing twenty of the former, and

* For these specimens our best thanks are due to Mr. Henry Stevenson
of Norwich. — Ed.

Internal Structure of the Bearded Titmouse. 319

some of them of a good size/ together with four of the latter.
Now none of the Parinte, nor indeed any bird of the whole order
of Cantatores, has a crop, which on the other hand occurs in a
greater or less degree of development in all the Degluhitores."

While coinciding perfectly with Professor Macgillivray in all
that is here quoted, I cannot but regret that he has in this, as
in so many other instances, neglected to support his conclusions
by osteological evidence, a deficiency I now venture to supply.
The genus Ammodramus I do not know.

On viewing the bill in profile, its upper outline is seen to form
one uniform curve from base to tip ; and the lower margins of
the same mandible have a somewhat similar curve, but less in
degree, the regularity of which is interfered with by a slight
prominence near the middle. The greatest depth of this mandi-
ble is at the nostrils, and its lower margins are bent imvards as
in Emberiza. Seen from above, it is much the broadest at the
base, and its sides present two nearly straight lines. The lower
mandible is rather peculiar : its upper margins are bent imvards
to match the inferior ones of the upper mandible, and they main-
tain a moderately uniform curve, the regularity of which is only
interfered with by a slight prominence about the middle ; in
this respect it may also be said to resemble the upper mandible.
It is altogether much weaker relatively than the superior one ;
and the line which constitutes the symphysis menti is quite
straight and ve7-y short, not being more than equal in length to
two-thirds of the distance from the nostrils to the point of the
bill*. To this form of lower mandible I find no approach
amongst those slender-billed Finches, of which the Goldfinch and
Lesser Redpole are examples ; and still less is it visible in the
Tits, in which the lower maxillae are united for the whole length
of what is ordinarily termed the bill. But in the genus Embe?-iza
some little approximation to this form is observable. The Reed
Bunting appears, of the British species, to approach it most
nearly. " In some resjiects," Professor Macgillivray says, speak-
ing of the Calamophilus, '' it is distantly allied to Emberiza schoe-

* The figure given by Professor Macgillivray of the lieail indicates, by the
forward extension of the feathers of the chin, the shortness of the sym-
pliijsis menti.

320 Mr. R. F. Tomes on the

nidus," and the alliance is chiefly seen in the form of the bill of
the two birds. When these parts are seen in profile, the resem-
blance is certainly traceable ; the principal differences being in
the gi'cater curvature of the superior ridge in the Calamophilus,
and in the much weaker lower maxilla. In other species of Bunt-
ing, in which the bill is stouter, the resemblance becomes less
perceptible, but is not quite lost in any which I have examined,

I will now give a short comparative description of the bills of
some of the Parida, selecting European species as illustrations.
The mandibles of Parus mnjor are of nearly equal size, the lower
one having a degree of curvature equal to that of the upper, and
but little inferior to it in length. As in the Finches, the greatest
breadth is at the nostrils ; but it tapers much less rapidly, and
maintains, so to speak, a kind of cylindrical appearance until it
curves evenly on all sides to the point. A section of the bill at
its base would represent an ovoid figure, the greater diameter
being vertical ; and the regularity of this figure would be in no
way interfered with by the space between the rami of the lower
maxilla, as this does not exist further forward than to a vertical
line through the nostril. The bill of the Nuthatch {Sitta), if
shortened, would be no unfair representation of the bill of a
typical Parus, — a bill, in fact, adapted to the habit of perforating
wood, common to both of these birds. Other species of Parus
have bills which are but modifications of the form I have here
described; thus, that of the Crested Tit is longer and more
slender, approaching more those of the Sylviadce, &c., whilst that
of Parus cceruleus is very short and conical. The Paruspendidiuus,
however, exhibits a considerable deviation from the other Euro-
pean ParidcE in the shape of its bill : it is very acute, tapering
evenly and sharply to the point ; in short, it is a very acutely
pointed cone, a section at the base of which would have the same
figure as that of the true Parus.

To none of these modifications does the bill of the Calamophilus
bear the least resemblance ; it w^ould be as correct to say that it
resembled the bill of a Partridge or a Quail, as that of a Tit ;
indeed I could undertake to show greater resemblance to the bill
of either of the former birds than to that of the latter. If in
the form of the bill there is nothing to indicate a Pariitc affinity,

Internal Structure of the Bearded Titmuuse. 321

Professor IMacgillivray has clearly shown that the alimentary
system has a structure of quite an opposite nature to that of
these birds.

I shall now endeavour to show that the sternum indicates a
greater affinity with the FrinfjiUidce than with the Paridce ; but
I must premise that this part, although of great importance in
assisting in the determination of families, is much less service-
able in distinguishing between genera, and this renders it diffi-
cult, if not impossible, to say, by this means, to what genus the
Calamophilus is most nearly allied. In a family of birds, like
the FringilUdce, which is not characterized by any very strongly
marked peculiarities common to them all*, it may readily be
conceived that the moditications of the sternum, however constant
in the different groups, will be extremely difficult to define with-
out the help of figures. In the present instance I should utterly
fail to convey any intelligible idea by means of a detailed
description, which would become one of measurement of parts
merely, and this, in small objects, is often unsatisfactory. It will
be better therefore to choose the sternum of some common species
with which to compare that of the Calamophilus, and broadly
state how they resemble each other. The sternum of the Com-
mon Sparrow resembles that of the Calamophilus, 1st, in the
relative length of the furculum and coracoids with that of the
sternum itself; 2nd, in the general outline of the latter, and in
the shape of the keel ; 3rd, in the extent and shape of the notches
of the hinder margin, and (especially) the shape of the process
which is separated from the body of the bone on either side by
the notches.

The following genera, which I have specially examined in these
investigations, appear to me to hold relationship to each other
in the following manner, their several adaptations being the chief
difference between them :—

LoxiA. Fringillid<£ with mandibles modified for the purpose of
extracting the seeds of Coniferaj.

* Take a Hawfinch, Crossbill, Bullfinch, Goldfinch, Rc(l))olc, and Spar-
row, and remove that which adapts each to its y)ceuliar re'i/ime; and what
remains will he fonnd to be very similar in all, and possessed of no striking
external characters.

322 Mr. P. L. Sclatcr on the Birds of Preij of New Guinea.

CoccoTHRAUSTES. FringillidcB with mandibles of great thickness

for the purpose of ci'ushing seeds with hard shells.
Pyrrhula. Fringillida with mandibles adapted to the habit of

biting off, and feeding upon, the young buds of trees.
Passer. Fringillida with mandibles of medium strength, suited

to a varied diet of seeds, vegetables, and coleoptera.
Fringilla. Fringillida with mandibles of medium strength,

fitted for a regime of seeds, rather varied in their kind and

size.
Cannabina. FringillidcE with mandibles produced to an acute

point, for the purpose of extracting the seeds of composite

plants.

XL. — Note on the Birds of Prey of New Guinea.
By Philip Lutley Sclater.

(Plate X.)

In my Catalogue of the Mammals and Birds of New Guinea,
published in the 'Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean
Society' (Zool. vol. ii. p. 15-i), I was able to enumerate only
four Diurnal and two Nocturnal Accijntres as known to occur in
that country. Mr. Wallace's researches at Havre Dorey have
since added two more to the list, so that we now know of the
following eight species of Raptorial birds inhabiting New
Guinea : —

1. Ichthyaetus leucogaster. 5. Astnr nova hollandits.

2. Haliastur leucosternus. 6. Accipiter poliocephalus.

3. Henicopernis longicauda. 7. Spiloglaux humeralis.

4. Baza stenozona. 8. Spiloglaux theomacha.

Of these eight birds, Ichthyaetus leucogaster, Haliastur leuco-
stei'nus, and Astur nova hullnndia are well known as Australian
species, and have a somewhat extended geographical distribu-
tion ; the remaining five, as far as has been hitherto recorded,
have only been met with in New Guinea and the Aru Islands,
which belong essentially to the same fauna, — a further testimony,
if any additional witness were necessary, to the peculiarities of
this zoology.

The Accipiter poliocephalus, of which Mr. G. H. Gurncy's libc-

/ 1

xT.Wolf ,lilh.

M &N.Ha.nhArt,L-np^

/VCCiPlTER P0-LI0CEPHA1jUS

Mr. E. Blyth on Edible Birds' Nests. 323

rality has supplied the accompanying figures (Plate X.), repre-
senting the adult and immature plumage, was described by
Mr. G. R. Gray* from a female specimen obtained by Mr. Wal-
lace in the Am Islands. In Mr. Wallace's series from Havre
Dorey in New Guinea was a single young male example of the
same bird, as recorded in Mr. G. R. Gi-ay's list given in the Zoo-
logical Society's ' Proceedings' for 1859t. These are the only
specimens of this rare Accipiter ever yet procured. They have
been kindly lent to me by Mr. S. Stevens, for the use of this
work, from Mr. Wallace's private collection, in which they are
retained. The species being well-marked, and easily recogni-
zable by the figures, which have been drawn by Mr. Wolf, it is
not necessary to repeat the descriptions of them, which have
already been given by Mr. Gray. It may, however, be worth
while to notice, that the adult female example (according to
Mr. Wallace's determination of the sexes) is slightly smaller
than the young male J.

Mr. Gurney's views as to the correct position of Accipiter po-
liocephalus and its allies have been already noticed in my article
on Accipiter haplochrous (Ibis, vol. i. p. 276).

XLI. — On Edible Birds' Nests. By Edward Blyth, Curator
of the Royal Asiatic Society's Museum, Calcutta.

We read, in the London 'Literary Gazette' for January 14,
1860, p. 54, as quite a new discovery, that " M. Payen ascribes
the gelatinous properties of the birds' nests so famous in Chinese
cookery, and which sell for enormous prices in Paris [qu.Pekin?],
to a viscid fluid produced by the salivai'y glands of the Salan-
gane Swallow [Swift]. The epicure may not thank chemistry
for resolving a choice delicacy into the spittle of birds. As this
secretion has peculiar properties, M. Payen calls it cubilose.'"

That the famous edible nests of the Collocalice were "secreted
by the very large salivary glands of the bird/' I distinctly stated

* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1858, p. 170. t Proc. Zool. Soc. 1859, p. 153.

Long.tota. alas. caudae. tarsi.

: Spec. 1. ($ adult. Am) 14- 8-2 6' 23

Spec. 2. ( c^ juv. N. G.) 15-5 8-5 (;-4 2-35

324 Mr. E. Blyth on Edible Birds' Nests.

in 1845 {vide Journ. As. Soc. xiv. p. 210) ; and immediately
afterwards I circulated a printed monograph of the Indian Cyp-
selidcB among my naturalist friends (which I have not conve-
niently at hand to refer to just now). In this I gave a chemical
analysis of the nests by my friend Mr. J. W. Laidlay, which
showed the constituent proximate elements to be those of in-
spissated saliva. This analysis is referred to in the late Dr.
Horsfield's Catalogue of the Birds in the India-House Museum,
i. p. 103; only it is not the fact that I confirmed the researches
of Sir E. Home, but the reverse. He described a curious struc-
ture of the proventricular glands of some different and much
larger bird, in mistake for the CoUocalia, which does not happen
to possess the peculiar structure in question*; and my state-
ment was, that the substance of the nests was secreted by the
salivary glands, and not by the proventricular glands as sug-
gested by Home. I further pointed out, that all the Swift-
family use more or less of this salivary mucus in the construc-
tion of their nests, and that in Cypselus apus " it constitutes the
basis of the nest, by which is made to adhere the various light
substances gathered in the air by these birds, when such are
blown about on a windy day." {Vide he. cit.) Moreover, on
consideration of this composition of the edible nests, we can
readily understand their alleged quality of promoting digestion.
In the ' Revue des Deux IMondes ' for January of this year
(p. 218), every source but the right one of the substance of
these nests is amusingly cited : — " Les celebres nids d'Hiron-
delles nous offrent un dernier exemple de cette iugenieuse apti-
tude qui porte la race chinoise, sous Pinfluence d^un climat
special, a varier et a multiplier indefiniment les substances ali-
mentaires. Ces nids comestibles, dont la nature etait jusqu^a
ce jour demeuree incertaine, ont ete tour-a-tour attribues par
un grand nombre de voyageurs et de naturalistes celebres, soit
a une ecume de mer tenace, provenant des demeures de la
balcine, ramassees par ces hirondelles sur les rochersf, soit Jl

* I have examined the proventricular glands of several specimens, both
of C. nidifica and of C. linchi, shot at the time that their nests were being-
constructed. — E. B.

t Willuoihbv, Ifijfi. ' Oniith.' " Ex spuma maris basin scopulorum

Eevieiv of i\I, 0. Des Miirs's ' Oologie Ornitliologique.' 325

des algues gelatiueuses, a des lichens, soit encore Ji dii sue
gastrique, ;i des melanges de zoophytes, dc frai de poisson, ou a
des mucus*. II est constate aujourd'hui que les nids comes-
tibles d'hirondelles sont formes par unc substance muqueusc
d\me remarquable abondance, mucus tout special secrete au
temps des amours de ces petits oiseaux."

The Collocalia nidifica breeds in the Sikhim Himalaya, which
is rather too far from the sea to permit of any theory that neces-
sarily connects its nests with any product of the ocean.

Calcutta, March 31, 1860.

XLII. — Review of ]\I. 0. Des Murs's * Oologie Ornitho-
logique^t-
That a man with but one idea is a nuisance, is an axiom which
only requires time to ripen into a proverb. In spite therefore
of the agreeable impression which some of M. Des Murs' pre-
vious labours had given us, we confess to having taken up his
recent publication in a spirit by no means favourable to what,
as we gathered from the title of the work, we expected to find
were our author's doctrines. How far a further acquaintance
with them has induced us to modify our opinion, we leave our
readers to discover from the following remarks.

Few writers have ridden their hobbies m^ore unmercifully
than systematizers in Natural History. In Ornithology, indeed,
there is hardly any portion of a bird's organization which has
not been by some one or another made the basis of classification,
and announced to be the real key to the comprehension of
the order of creation, and the only means of discovering the
much-desired ultimus finis — the system of Nature. Beaks and
claws, the scutellation of tarsi and the superposition of feathers,
the bones of the palate and the bones of the sternal apparatus,
the arrau2;ement of the muscles of the trachea and the structure
of the alimentary canal, the insertion of the quills and the set-
all uentistenacemquandammateriam colligunt, sive ea balaenarum sen alio-
ruin ])iscium sit semen, ex qua suos nidos a^dificant."

* Voyez Ics ' Comptes rendus de rAcademie des Sciences,' 1859, p. 521.

t Traite general d'Oologie Ornitliologique au point de vue de la Classi-
fication. Par O. Des Murs. Paris: Klinoksieck, 18()0.

326 Review of M. 0. Des Murs's ' Oologie Ornithologique.'

ting-on of the hallux, have all been respectively taken up, and
perhaps we may say abandoned, — broken reeds which pierce
the hands of those who lean thereon. To the number of these
fiovoTToSXoi must be added the students in the school of Tran-
scendental Anatomy, and the believers (of whom the race seems
to be fast becoming extinct) in the once loudly praised cir-
cular system. It would therefore seem to be a difficult matter
to propose any new theory of classification formed from an ori-
ginal point of view. Yet we believe that this much is due to
M. Des Murs, that, though many ornithologists may have taken
into consideration instances where oology seems to support or
dispute their inferences, no one had hitherto attempted labo-
riously and conscientiously to accumulate a collection of facts,
such as is contained in the volume we are reviewing, with the
single and undivided purpose of grounding upon them a sy-
stematic scheme.

We deem it right thus early to bespeak for M. Des Murs^
treatise the careful attention of our readers ; but, on the other
hand, it has so lately come into our possession, that we must
acknowledge that we have not had time to bestow the investiga-
tion we should have wished on the multitude of observations —
each of which of course requires individual and close considera-
tion— contained in its pages. We must therefore deal with the
work in more general terms, and, where we can do so, let our
author be his own spokesman.

First as to M. Des Murs himself a few words may not be
unacceptable ; for such is, unfortunately, the deplorable indif-
ference of many ornithologists in this country to the labours of
their foreign brethren, that to some of our readers his very name
may be new. For the past seventeen years he has been a con-
stant contributor to M. Gueriu-Meneville's journals, chiefly on
matters connected with that of the work under our review, and,
while at the same time he has edited the ornithological portion
of the narratives of several of the scientific expeditions under-
taken by his countrymen in various parts of the world, he has,
single-handed, produced a book — the ' Icouographie Ornitholo-
gique ' — a worthy sequel to the well-known series of plates of
Buffon and of Temminck,

Review of M. 0. Dcs Murs' ' Oologie Oruithologique.' 327

To come nearer to our immediate subject, M. Des Murs also
formed a cabinet of birds' eggs, which is stated to have con-
tained specimens of the eggs of upwards of 800 species. This
was, some years since, purchased by Dr. T.B.Wilson, and, with that
gentleman's usual liberality, presented to the Academy of Na-
tural Sciences at Philadelphia, where it now forms the nucleus
of one of the most extensive collections of these interesting objects
in existence. M. Des Murs has thus deservedly earned for himself
the reputation of being one of the most experienced of living oolo-
gists, and consequently his opinions on the subject of which he
treats in the work before us are entitled to great weight.

With these preliminary remarks, we will now endeavour to
give, as succinctly as possible, an analysis of the ' Oologie
Ornithologique.' After a few pages of preface and introduc-
tion, we are presented with a compendious bibliography of
Oology — a study we perfectly agree with our author as having
barely escaped from infancy. " Comme science, on comme
complement de la science ornithologique, I'oologie est presque
entierement a creer" (Introd. p. xvi.). While our best thanks
are due to M. Des Murs for the ample catalogue of ornithological
works which he has furnished to us, we must, nevertheless, take
the liberty of questioning one of his assertions, and of claiming
for a fellow-countrymen of our own the honour of being the first
egg-collector, which he assigns to the Comte de Marsigli. Our
author states that "\es collections oologiques ne se font jour
que vers la premiere moitie du xviii^ siecle." Now it is per-
fectly certain that more than fifty years previously, the immortal
author of the ' Religio Medici ' and the * Enquiries into Vulgar
Errours,' Sir Thomas Browne, had assigned a place in his cabi-
net of rarities to a collection of birds' eggs. The delightful
Diary of John Evelyn duly records the fact, that in October
1671 its accomplished writer journeyed "in my Lord Henry
Howard's flying chariot " from the sloping lawns of Euston to
visit the good city of Norwich ; and the virtual founder of the
Royal Society especially mentions among the sights he saw
there, this evidence of what perhaps appeared to him only as a
school-boy predilection of the worthy knight*.

* Evelyn's Diary, Bray's edition, 1850, vol. ii. p. 66.
VOL. II. 2 A

328 Review of M. O. Des Murs' ' Oologie Ornithologique/

Next in order in M. Des Murs' treatise, and forming its second
part, comes the " Determination of Oological Characters/' doubt-
less the most difficult part of his task, taking into considera-
tion the wide variation to which specimens, produced by the
same species — nay, the same individual bird — are subject. In
this division our author lays down as the three principal points
to be attended to in the examination of eggs, — 1st, their form ;
2ndly, the nature of their shell; and, 3rdly, the colours which
distinguish them. With respect to the first of these points —
Form — M. Des Murs seems to consider it as of most importance,
and therefrom separates eggs into six categories, which he thus
denominates : —

(1.) The spherical, best exemplified by those of the Owls.

(2.) The oval, under which he includes those of the Diuraal
Raptores.

(3.) The cylindrical, as illustrated by the eggs of the Ptero-
clina.

(4.) The ovate, of which those of the Phasianida serve as a
familiar instance.

(5.) The ovdiconical, which comprehends by far the greater
nimiber of the eggs of the Scolopacidce.

(6.) The elliptical, as shown in the case of the genus Podiceps.

Reserving, for the present, all criticism upon the nomencla-
ture proposed, we agree with the author, that under one or
another of these heads may be fairly enough comprised the egg
of every known species of bird, though it will be understood
that we are compelled to restrict the illustration of the definitions
to the most meagre limits, and to omit the many exceptional
cases which will readily occur to the veriest tyro in oology. We
must, however, add here one remark of M. Des Murs (pp. 65,
66):—

" Si I'on veut, apres cela, examiner d'une maniere generale et
un peu plus methodique, la repartition de ces formes dans la
classe des Oiseaux, on en aura une idee par le tableau suivant,
dresse, pour exemple, conformement h I'enseignement de M.
Isid. GeofFroy Saint-Hilaire : —

a*

> 'S
Via

Review o/M. 0. Des Murs' 'Oologie Ornithologique.' 329

" Semi-pennes (exceptionnellement elliptique) .

Rapaces 1

Passereaux (except, ovalaire) . '\ ,

, ' . . >- ovee . . I

Gallinaces (except, cylindrique) J

EcHASsiERS (except, ovalaire et ovee) ..ovoiconique

Palmipedes (except, ovdiconique et elliptique) . J

Impennes

Our author then proceeds to consider Monstrosity of Form,
and the causes to which some of its very curious effects are due.
We are sorry we have not space hei'e to give even an outline of
what he says on this part of the subject^ treated as it is in a very
masterly manner ; and we must pass over for the same reason the
interesting section respecting the disproportion existing between
the size of certain eggs and that of their parents.

To the Nature of the Shell, or, as it is commonly termed by
collectors in this country, its " Texture," M. Des Murs devotes
several pages, and arranges eggs with regard to this character
into seven " series," which we will attempt to illustrate as before
by a few well-known instances.

1st. Eggs with 2i glossy surface, as shown in Alcedo.

2nd. Eggs with a smooth shell, but less glossy than the pre-
ceding,— a group which embraces nearly all the Passeres and
Gallin(S.

3rd. Eggs of a substance dull and uniform, as those of the
Rapacious birds.

4th. Eggs with a ^nv^^ce granulated or roughened ("piquetee"),
as in those of the Ostrich.

5th. Eggs whose shell has a greasy or oleaginous appearance,
as those of the Ducks.

6th. Eggs whose shell, greasy as in the last, is besides varied
with calcareous protuberances, of which the Grebes offer a familiar
example.

7th, Eggs covered with a cretaceous film or sedimentary pulp,
such as in the Pelecanidce.

A lengthened dissertation on Colour, as an oological cha-
racter, succeeds, in accordance with our author's plan. Its value
is not to be underrated, though perhaps too much importance

2 a2

330 Review o/M. 0. Des Murs' 'Oologie Ornithologique.'

has hitherto been assigned to it by those writers who have ven-
tured on this, by far the most popular, branch of the science.

" Cette partie de I'Oologie n'est pas la moins agreable k
etudier ; elle n'est pas non plus la moins difficile. II est impos-
sible, si Von n'en a vu une suite nombreuse, de soup9onner la
richesse et la variete des teintes qui ornent cette enveloppe, en
apparence si grossiere et si insignificante. Une collection de ce
genre est reellemeut digne de figurer h, rote des somptueuses
collections de papillons et d'oiseaux dont sont remplis les
cabinets d'histoire naturelle. Aussi nous ne doutons point qu'a
mesure que les observations, en se multipliant sur ce sujet inte-
ressant, en decouvriront toute la valeur et le merite, les ama-
teurs, et meme les savants, ne fiuissent par devenir curieux de
posseder les oeufs de toutes les especes d^oiseaux connues." —
(pp. 140, 141.)

An attempt is then made to establish divisions in the general
colouring of eggs, as has been already done in the cases of their
shape and texture. We are not warranted, however, in saying
that this part of the subject is treated so happily as those on which
we have previously remarked. Indeed, its inherent difficulties
perhaps render success impossible. Far more satisfactory to our
mind are the sections relating to the origin of the colouring
matter, the influences of food, climate, and incubation upon it,
and to the oft and rashly-asserted correspondence between the
colour of the egg and of its parent. In these matters, and as
regards the physiological and chemical inquiries which the ques-
tion naturally entails, M. Des ]\Iurs appears to be quite at home,
but lack of space prevents our following him into details. We
have only room for his summary of the principal propositions
which he considers he has established : —

" 1°. Que si la forme des oeufs etait generalement ovee, elle
subissait cependant des alterations qui se retrouvent constantes
dans certains groupes ; par exemple : la forme ovalaire chez les
Tinamous, la forme elliptique chez les Grebes, les Cormorans et
les Pelicans, la forme ovoiconique chez les Pingouins et les
Guillemots, et la forme cylindrique chez les Megapodes et les
Gangas.

" 2°. Qu'il n^existe pas un seul oiseau aquatique dont les

Review of M. 0. Des Murs' ' Oologie Ornithologique.' 331

oeufs soient revetus d^une coquille luisante et lustree, cette
qualite n'etant propre, dans des degres infiniment varies, qu'aux
oeufs des oiseaux terrestres.

" 3°. Que la couleur des oeufs ne varie en aucune maniere,
dans la meme espece, d'un climat <\ un autre.

" 4". Que le mode de coloration^ tout en variant indefiuiment
d'une espece a une autre, est cependant constant, dans plusicurs
groupes, cliez les genres ou les especes qui les composent : ainsi,
blanc chez les Pigeons, uni et sans taches chez les Faisans et
chez les Tinamous.

" 5<». Que la forme des taches, k part la couleur de celles-ci, est
egalement constante chez plusieurs groupes, par exemple les
Bruants, les Quiscales et la plupart des Icterides.'^ (pp. 188, 189.)

We have dwelt thus at length on this preliminary portion of
M. Des Murs' work, because we have wished to convey to our
readers a distinct notion of such of his ideas as are most
likely to be novel to them. Our limits will oblige us to hurry
over their application to Oology, though this is the more useful
part of the subject ; indeed, we approach the practical rendering
of our author^s theories with some reluctance. What becomes
of the results of all his investigations if any of them be founded
on an insufficient basis ? Are the statements on which he relies
to be safely taken as unquestionable facts ? Are all the specimens
from which he has formed his opinions thoroughly to be de-
pended upon as genuine ? Will they admit of a severe and im-
partial examination in detail ? We regret very much to declare
tbat, looking at the published Catalogue of the Philadelphian
Cabinet*, of which, as we before said, M. Des Murs' collection
now forms part, the odour of a grave suspicion reaches us.
What are we to think of specimens from this (his former) collec-
tion (and we take only two out of several instances we might
select) of Tardus iliacus and Totanus semipalmatus, to which
" France " is assigned as a locality, — and yet such are entered in
Dr. Heermann's list ? Does any oologist pretend that the nidi-
fication in that country of cither of the species just mentioned

* Catalogue of the Oological Collection in the Academy of Natural
Sciences of Philadelphia. By A. L. Ileermann, M.D. March 1, 1853,
pp. 36.

332 Review o/M. O. Des Murs^ 'Oologie Ornitliologique/

is not a matter of tlie highest improbability ? We are willing to
concede that the majority of our author's statements are well-
grounded, that in most cases he has formed his opinions from
specimens which are genuine ; but a chain of evidence is no
stronger than its weakest part, and if we find a flaw in even a
few of the links, can we place confidence in all the remainder
without being able to test them ? Whatever may be the value
finally attached to oological characters, we are ready to assert it
again and again, that they can be safely used in a matter of
science only when the specimens from which they are drawn are
completely free from doubt, through the care taken hy the collector
to identify and authenticate them.

It is but justice to M. Des Murs to state, that he is perfectly
free from any disposition to veil the present imperfect state of
oological knowledge. Indeed, with a frankness most fair and
most commendable, he avows time after time his unavoidable
ignorance of the eggs of many most important forms. The
attentive reader of his work will soon perceive how wide a field
remains still for future investigators. Nothing whatever seems
to be known of the oology of whole groups, such as Neomorpha,
the Paradiseidce, and other interesting birds. The progress of
the study, taken up as it now is by so many accurate observers,
and pursued by them with so much zeal, will doubtless necessi-
tate a certain amount of modification in our author's classified
arrangement. In fact, from this very cause, we find him obliged
to publish, under the date of the present year, a revised ' Systema
Oologicum' (p. 529), diflering in some degree from, and in many
respects superior to, that printed only a few months pi'eviously
(p. 195). In this scheme, by judicious typographical arrange-
ment, it can be seen at a glance what are the chief innovations
he has deemed it advisable to make in the arrangement of former
systematists. To enumerate them would be to extend the limits
of this article far too much ; they consist rather in the grouping
and order than in introducing new divisions, though instances of
the latter kind of alterations are not wanting. We must content
ourselves with recommending to all who busy themselves with
classification, a careful study of his application of oological cha-
racters in forming a system, and only remark here upon a very

Review of M. 0. Des Murs' ' Oologie Ornithologique.' 333

few points which may have special interest to some of our
readers.

Speaking of the group Turdinte, M. Des Murs says (p. 292),
" Parmi les oeufs d'un vert luisant et tiquete de noir, nous ne
counaissons encore que I'oeuf des T. musicus, iliacus, d'Europe,
et densirostnsy des Antilles;" and then a little further on
(pp. 292, 293), " D'apres ce qui precede, on pourrait creer, pour
cellcs des especes du genre Turdus que nous prenons pour Grives
proprement dites, par leur oeuf, uu genre sous le nom de Iliacus,
que nous proposons pour les T, musicus, iliacus et densirostris, et
pour les autres especes qui viendront s'y joindre par la suite, et
reserver la denomination generique de Turdus pour toutes les
especes dont Toeuf est analogue a celui du T. merulaJ'

Now we cannot but look upon this suggestion of our author's
as a singularly unfortunate one. We have already mentioned
the suspicion excited in our mind by the entry in thePhiladelphian
Catalogue of eggs from M. Des Murs' collection to which the
name of Turdus iliacus is applied, while France is given as the
locality whence they come. This suspicion is converted, by the
passage above quoted from our author, into a pretty strong
belief that he has been entirely mistaken with regard to these
examples, and that he can never have seen genuine specimens of
the Redwing's eggs. Few oologists in England now require to
be told that this bird does not, as was asserted by Nilsson, and
after him by Temminck, Degland, and others, lay blue eggs
spotted with black. The additional evidence on the subject
which Mr. Hewitson was enabled, in the last edition of his work,
to give {' Eggs of Brit. Birds/ 3rd ed. p. 87), entirely sets the
question at rest, and would, we are sure, have saved M. Des Murs
from this error, had it not escaped his notice, for he is particularly
reconnaissant of the services rendered to oology by its English
votaries. Nor can we hardly think that, on the strength of the
agreement in the style of colour of their eggs, birds of such
different structure as our own Song Thrush, and the Turdus
densirostris of Vieillot, should be associated together. Indeed
the latter has for some time been separated from the genus
Turdus; and last year Mr. Sclatcr(rroc. Zool. Soc. 1859, p. 335)
deposited it in a new genus {Margarops) along with two other

334 Review of M. 0. Des Murs' ' Oologie Ornithologique.'

undoubtedly allied species inhabiting the same region, one of
which certainly lays a blue, though spotless egg, already figured
in this Journal (Ibis, 1859, PI. XII. fig. 8). We trust therefore
that the genus Iliacus, as established by M. Des Murs, will re-
ceive no support from naturalists.

We do not wish to dwell upon one or two such obvious lapsus
calami as that (p. 206) wherein the eggs of Pandion are said to
be of a "couleur blanche, et sans tache," or the statement
(p. 508) that only one of the three known species of Bombycilla is
found in the New World; but we cannot refrain from recording
our total dissent from the assertion of M. Des Murs (p. 632)
that the Brambling {Fringilla montifringilla) is " par son CEuf
uu veritable Zonotrichia," In reality, we assure our readers, there
is only the most remote resemblance between the two eggs. That
of the Brambling agrees entirely in character with those of the
other true Fringillce, such as F. ccelebs and F. spodiogenia, while
that of one very normal species of Zonotrichia [Z. pileata), which
has already been described in this Magazine (Ibis, 1859, p. 18)
by a most accurate observer, has, as entirely, another appearance.
We fear that, as in the case of the Redwing, so in that of the
Brambling, M. Des Murs has not had the advantage of seeing
genuine eggs, from which to draw his conclusions. We have no
reason to suppose that he is not fully aware that no real progress
can be made in oology except through the attainment of eggs
which may have been thoroughly identified as to species, and
well authenticated as to specimens. When such are before him,
even the hardest hobby-horse rider may be suffered to pursue his
headlong course in safety. The worst that can happen to him
is to be stopped suddenly by some insuperable obstacle, when
he must retrace his steps ; but his beast, being sure-footed,
• will not bring him to grief. If, on the other hand, he trusts
himself outside a hack without a warranty, we all know what is
likely to be the consequence. We therefore do not complain
of M. Des Murs exercising caution in hesitating to credit (p. 501)
the account given in the ' Ibis ' (1859, p. 469) by Mr. Alexander
S. Taylor of a supposed egg of Cathartes californianus, which has
been figured in our last Number ; but it should be I'emcmbered
that that gentleman is possessed of unusual acumen, and that he

Review of M.O. Des Murs' ' Oologie Oruitliologique.' 335

has before shown himself to be well on his guard as to the recep-
tion of evidence.

It may be expected of us that we should here sum up in a few
words our opinion of the ' Oologie Ornithologique ;' but the
task is not an easy one. We have thought it our duty to express
our dissent from some of our author's opinions, and even to
question some of his assertions ; but of the value of the work as
a whole there can be no doubt, even if it be only regarded as
laying the foundation of a future superstructure. In terseness
and perspicuity of style, M. Des Murs successfully equals the
neatest and most lucid of his country's writers. He is also very
considerate in urging the adoption of his theories, and we notice
with pleasure his willingness to give English oologists their due
credit. AYe must not omit to add likewise that the work contains
a Catalogue of the Birds of Europe, which is likely to be very
useful at the present time, when it is becoming customary to in-
clude among the number any chance stragglers, from what part
of the globe soever they may arrive. It is needless to say any-
thing in praise of this list further than that it has been compiled
" d'accord avec J. Verreaux," one of the highest authorities on
the subject. Lastly, let us mention that a careful triple index is
subjoined, which contributes largely to the practical use of the
work.

That, in future, naturalists must of necessity take Oology into
account when investigating the classification of Birds, we regard
as inevitable ; but we may be permitted to place on record our
deliberate conviction that a scheme composed solely with refer-
ence to this one branch of ornithology will never lead us to a
true comprehension of the system of nature in relation to the
class Aves. Oology taken alone will prove a guide as fallacious
as any of the arbitrary methods of classification to which we
have before alluded : combined with other characters, we assert,
without fear of contradiction, it will not fail in time to produce
an ornithological arrangement as nearly true to Nature as mortals
can expect to achieve.

June 1860.

336 Capt. C. C. Abbott on the

XLIII. — The Penguins of the Falkland Islands. By Capt. C. C.
Abbott, of the Falkland Islands Detachment*.

The Falkland Islands, situated in 51° south latitude, are yearly
visited by thousands of Penguins, who come there for the pur-
pose of breeding. The first of these visitors is the Jackass
Penguin [Aptenodytes demersa) , so called from its braying noise.
These birds occupy their burrows in the ground, in which they
deposit their eggs, towards the latter end of September, and
commence laying, almost to a day, on the 7th of October.

In the neighbourhood of the settlement of Stanley the bur-
rows of these birds run in to a considerable distance, on ac-
count, I conclude, of their being so often robbed of their eggs,
which are taken out by means of a piece of iron -hoop fastened to
the end of a pole. Aptenodytes demersa bites more severely
than any of the other Penguins. At a distance from the settle-
ment, these Penguins breed in holes close to the surface of the
ground. They lay two eggs, of a white colour. Although I have
mentioned Aptenodytes demersa as coming up to breed in the
latter end of September, I must remark that some of them are
found on the shores of the Falkland Islands the whole year round,
which is not the case with any other Penguin. It has been
asserted that these birds crawl on all-fours to their breeding-
places. This is not the case ; they walk upright ; and it is only
when they are frightened and hard-pressed that they lose their
balance, fall forward, and then make use of their fins and legs to
get out of harm^s way. The whole of the coast of East Falk-
land, as far as my experience goes, from Mare Harbour on the
south side to Salvador on the north, is covered with these Pen-
guins during the breeding season. I have never seen them
making their breeding-holes, but I conclude that they dig them
out with their beak.

Eudyptes papua is the next Penguin that '' hauls up " (to use
a nautical term) at the Falklands to breed. These birds have
regular rookeries which they occupy every year. They come up
about the same time as Aptenodytes demersa, and commence
laying almost always on the same day, viz. 7th October. Some

* Communicated by John Gould, Esq., F.R.S., &c.

Penguins of the Falkland Islands. 337

of their breeding-places are near the sea, and generally near a
freshwater pond ; others, however, are several miles inland. Why
they should select these latter places, so far from salt water, is a
mystery. The grass from the sea to the breeding-ground is
trodden down and made into a kind of road, by detachments of
these birds of from ten to twenty going to the sea and returning.
They make no nest, but lay in a hollow in the earth. They occupy
a square piece of ground, and deposit their eggs, two in number,
as close to one another as they can sit. When the young birds
are old enough, they all go to sea, and only occasional stragglers
are found on the coast at any other time of the year. One thing
may be noted with these birds, which is, that when their num-
bers increase, they appear to establish new rookeries close to the
old one. None of them breed, to my knowledge, on the south
shore of the Falkland Islands, but all their breeding-places are
situated on the north and east sides. This bird is called in the
Falklands the Gentoo Penguin : whence the name I leave others
to conjecture. I may mention, that the ground about the
rookeries is covered with small round stones, which these birds
eject, on coming up from the salt water, in green masses about
the size of a shilling.

Aptenodytes chrysocome, the Falkland Islands' Rock-hopper (so
called from its jumping from rock to rock), comes up from the
sea about the middle of October, and lays the first week in
November. Like the other Penguins, they return to the same
breeding-grounds. These are situated on high cliffy slopes near
the sea, and with a freshwater stream running near, in which
the birds constantly wash themselves. They are also, like the
Geutoos, continually going to and returning from the salt water.
The space occupied by some of the breeding-places is nearly
500 yards long by about 50 broad, and their eggs lie so close
together, that it is almost impossible to walk through without
breaking some of them. I have often wondered, on disturbing
these birds and driving them away from their eggs, how, on
their return, they could pick out their own among so many
hundreds. Yet this they do, walking back straight to their
eggs, and getting them between their legs with the utmost care,
fixing them in the bare space between the feathei's in the centre

338 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

of the lower part of their belly, and gradually lowering them-
selves till their breasts touch the ground, the male bird of each
pair standing upright alongside of the female. A Crested Cor-
morant makes a nest composed of mud and sea-weed, and lays
indiscriminately among these Penguins. I was once amused to
see three of the Cormorants attack the nest of an absent Penguin
and steal nearly the whole of it, adding it to their own. As
soon, however, as the proprietor returned, they left off, and
the latter did not appear to take any notice of the robbery
that had been committed. These Cormorants lay three eggs,
about the middle of November. Both Aptenodytes chrysocome
and Eudyptes papua suffer much from the depredations of a
Skua Gull {Lestris antarctica), which is always on the watch
to carry away their eggs ; consequently the ground near their
rookeries is covered with egg-shells. Lestris antarctica breeds
contiguously to the Penguin rookeries ; but as they do not lay
till the end of November or beginning of December (I saw
young ones and eggs on the 15th of December), they cannot
feed their young on Penguins' eggs, as the latter have all been
hatched previously to this : perhaps they steal the young ones.

I have now to remark upon another Penguin which breeds
among the Rock-hoppers : this bird is called in the Falkland
Islands the Maccaroni Penguin ; its technical name I do not
know *. It has an orange-coloured crest. In a rookery of Rock-
hoppers in the North Camp, I counted fifteen of them among,
perhaps, twenty thousand of Aptenodytes chrysocome. They only
lay one egg to my knowledge; at least, I took one egg from under
nine different birds, and many of them were sat upon. They
come up and lay at the same time as Aptenodytes chrysocome.

XLIV. — Notes on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands, and the
Provinces of Albania proper, Epirus, Acarnania, and Monte-
negro. By the Hon. Thomas L. Powys, F.Z.S. (Part IV.)

[Concluded from page 239.]
160. Common Thick-knee. {GEdicnemus crepitans.)
Occasionally visits Corfu and Epirus in April and May.

* Mr. Tristram has received from Capt. Abbott skins of this fourth
species, which he informs us is Eudyptes ckrysolophiis, Brandt. — Ed.

obsei'ved in the Ionian Islands, 6fc. 339

161. Golden Plover. [Charadrius pluvialis.)
Common in severe weather in Corfu and Epirus.

162. Ringed Plover. {Charadrius liiaticula.)

I observed this species occasionally at Butrinto in February
and March.

163. Little Ringed Plover. {Charad?-ius minor.)
Tolerably common in Corfu in April and May, particularly in

the Yal di Corissia and at Potamo, only remaining a few days in
the island.

164. Kentish Plover, [Charadrius cantianus.)
Common in Corfu and all suitable localities in Epirus during

the winter months, disappearing about the middle of March.

165. Peeavit. ( Vanellus cristatus.)

Very abundant throughout the islands and mainland in winter.
I never saw one of this species later than the beginning of March
in these countries.

166. Grey Plover. {SqW:itarola helvetica.)

I occasionally saw this species in Corfu and Epirus, in January,
February, and March 1857. Some specimens killed in the
island in the latter month were in full breeding plumage. I
never saw the Grey Plover in large troops, but almost invariably in
pairs, or small parties of four or five individuals. This bird has
a curious habit, which I do not recollect to have seen mentioned
in any work on ornithology, of throwing somersaults in the air,
in the same manner as the Tumbler Pigeon and Roller. I
noticed this particularly in March 1857, on the Gulf of Arta,
about the mouth of the Luro river, where a few of this species are
generally to be seen.

167. Turnstone. [Strepsilas interpres.)

A large flock of Turnstones flew past the ship as we were
going to Antivari, in December 1857, on board H.M.S. Ariel.
I never observed this species in Greek waters on any other
occasion.

168. Oyster-catcher. [Hcematopus ostralegtbs.)
Common on the shores of Corfu and Epirus for a few weeks in

March and April.

340 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

169. Woodcock. {Scolopax rusticola.)

So much has been said and written concerning the abundance
of this species in these countries, that it is unnecessary for me to
add to the mass of information ah"eady in print on the subject ;
but a few words on my own experience may not be out of place
here. That part of the mainland which lies opposite to the
island of Corfu, and which is usually called Albania, is, properly
speaking, Epirus, of which Joannina is the capital, Albania
proper being the contiguous province to the north. The country
near the coast consists for the most part of rocky hills of mode-
rate elevation, thickly overgrown in most places with long grass,
and various species of evergreen scrub and thorn bushes. The
valleys are marshy, cultivated in some parts, and in others more
or less covered with woods of alder, poplar, oak, plane, sycamore,
willow, &c., and in many places a thick undergrowth of black-
thorn, briars, sedge, reeds, &c. ; the fields are also dotted with
patches of tamarisk, thorn, and briars, and intersected by nume-
rous small streams. The Woodcocks generally begin to arrive
about the 10th of November, then* numbers depending on the
state of the weather, and in a good season are to be found in
abundance fx'om that time till the 15th of March. I arrived at
Corfu on the 24th of December, 1856 ; the weather was then,
and had been for some weeks, very stormy and unsettled ; heavy
rains had turned the valleys into lakes, and everyone told us
that Woodcocks were not to be found. For some days the
weather was so bad that it was useless to attempt an expedition to
the mainland, and we contented ourselves with wandering about
the beautiful arbutus-coverts of the island, occasionally finding
a Snipe or two in the low grounds, and hearing of, but very
seldom seeing, a Woodcock. At last we could stand it no longer,
but sailed about one a.m., on the 5th of January, from Corfu, and
on awaking about seven a.m. found ourselves snugly at anchor
in the well-known bay of Butrinto. We went ashore, and waded
through about two miles of thorn-covert, and had what appeared
to me very fair sport, till the rain came down in torrents, and
drove us back to our yacht. We were three guns, and our bag at
one P.M. contained 21 Woodcocks, 2 Snipes, 1 Water Rail, 1
Little Gull, 1 Common Buzzard, 1 Marsh Harrier, 3 Sparrow-

observed in the Ionian Islands, ^c. 341

hawks, 1 Barred Woodpecker, and 1 Red-crested Whistling Duck.
My companions complained bitterly, saying that it was not worth
the trouble of coming over for such a paltry bag, and vowing
that they would put up their guns till the weather improved.
Now it struck me that the Woodcocks had been flooded out of
the wood which we had beaten, and would probably be found on
the hills in thicker covert, where they could avoid the drip of the
trees ; and so it proved, as on the next expedition in which I
joined, on which occasion we were bent on the slaughter of Wild
Boars and Roedeer, we flushed great numbers of Woodcocks on
the hill-sides, in the steepest places and most impenetrable
thickets. Forty and fifty couple of Woodcocks had been killed
in November 1856, on several occasions, by two guns. The
weather improved about the beginning of February 1857, and
the Cocks came down again into the valleys, where we allowed
them but little peace, and used to bag from ten to fifteen couple
frequently, till the end of March, when they left the country.
To myself, the great charm of shooting in these countries con-
sists in the variety of birds to be observed, and the power of
roaming about in every direction, through a beautiful country,
without let or hindrance. To show in some degree the variety
of sport to be met with, I subjoin a few extracts from my game-
book. Our party consisted generally of myself and two friends.
February 8th, 1857, 24 Woodcocks, 1 Hare, 2 Bitterns, 1 Marten
Cat ; — 9th, 20 Woodcocks, 2 Golden-eyes, 1 Snipe ; — 10th, 38
Woodcocks, 1 Hare, 4 Snipes ; — 26th, 14 Woodcocks, 5 Teal,
3 Snipes, 1 Hare, 1 Water Rail ;— March 5th, 31 Woodcocks,
1 Otter, 1 Picus leuconotus; — 11th, 2 Woodcocks, 1 Duck, 1 Teal,

1 Garganey, 1 Snipe.

The above sport, with the exception of the 10th of February,
occurred in the valley of Vrana, from the anchorages of Butrinto,
Kataito, and Pagania : on the 10th of February we shot from
Santa Quaranta. In the Gulf of Arta, from about the 14th till
the 1 8th of March, our party of five bagged 204 head, including

2 Roedeer, about 80 Woodcocks, 12 Hares, Wild Ducks,
Shovellers, Teal, Garganey, 3 Wood Pigeons, Gadwall, Pochard,
Tufted Duck, 1 Solitary Snipe, Common and Jack Snipes,
Bitterns, Grey Plover, Water Rails, Spotted Rails, Black-tailed

342 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

Godwits, Coots^ Grebes, 1 Eagle-Owl, 1 Short-eared Owl, Green-
shanks, Redshanks, and Dunlin. I only quote the above extracts
to show the sort of sport to be met with in a season which I was
assured was the worst for Woodcocks in the recollection of " the
oldest inhabitant/'

The next season, a very severe one, was much better, but was
not reckoned anything very remarkable. My companion and I
then devoted our energies chiefly to the pursuit of wild-fowl, and
met with tolerable success. To return to the habits of what I
once heard an auctioneer term " that popular bird the Wood-
cock " (he was offering its eggs for sale), it arrives in Corfu
generally a week before it makes its appearance on the main-
land, and fair sport may there be met with for a few days, in the
arbutus-coverts of Strangili, Govino, and Mesonghi. I must
now wind up my long digression from the " scientific descrip-
tions of birds," to which we have been informed the ' Ibis ' is
chiefly devoted, and in conclusion strongly recommend any
lover of sport, for its own sake, to spend a winter in Greek
waters, and in wet weather to try the hills about Butrinto,
Kataito, and Tre Scoglie ; in bright frosts, the old woods in the
valley of Vrana, from Butrinto to Pagania ; and in all weathers,
Santa Quaranta, Phanari, and the Gulf of Arta; to wear the
strongest jean he can procure, lined with flannel ; and, above all,
to be uniformly courteous and civil to the natives, who can, and
occasionally will be of great service to those who treat them
kindly.

170. Solitary Snipe. {Scolopax major.)

Arrives in Corfu and Epirus in small numbers in March, re-
maining about a month in the low-lying maize-fields and vine-
yards ; a few are always to be met with at that season in the
Val di Roppa. I have occasionally killed this species in Epirus
in September.

171. Common Snipe. [Scolopax gallinago.)

Very common in all the marshes of the mainland and the
islands, from September till the end of March. In the months
of October and November 1857, it was no unusual occurrence
for two good shots to bag from fifty up to a hundred couple

observed in the Ionian Islands, ^c. S-IS

of Snipes in two days' shooting, in the gi-eat marshes of Santa
Quaranta. Eighty couple of Snipes were killed in one day,
some years ago, at Butriuto, by a gentleman well known at
Corfu as the keenest of sportsmen and one of the best of shots.
From ten to twenty couple may often be killed in the Val di
Roppa, about seven miles from the town of Corfu.

172. Jack Snipe. [Scolopax gallinula.)

Common, but less so, in proportion to the number of the
preceding species, than in any country I know.

173. Black-tailed Godwit. {Limosa melanura.)

Occurs sparingly in winter. More common on the Gulf of
Arta than in any other locality with which I am acquainted.

174. Bar-tailed Godwit. [Limosa rufa.)

Not common ; occasionally seen in September at Butrinto.

175. Pigmy Curlew. [Tringa suharquata.)

Occurs at Corfu, occasionally in great numbers, and generally
in full breeding plumage, about the end of May.

176. Dunlin. {Ti-inga alpina.)

Occurs sparingly in winter in Epirus and the islands.

177. Little Stint. [Tringa minuta.)

Rather common in April and May, particularly on the race-
course of Corfu, which is an excellent locality for birds of many
species at various seasons. I never shot a specimen of Tringa
temminckii in this part of the world ; but I feel no doubt about
having once or twice seen it in company with the present species,
on the race-course above-mentioned.

178. Sanderling. [Calidris arenaria.)

Rare ; the bird-stufFer brought me three specimens in the
spring of 1858, to ask what they were. These were the only
birds of this species that came under my observation during my
stay at Corfu.

179. Ruff. [Machetes pugnax.)

In large flocks on the spit of low land opposite Prevesa, at the
entrance of the Gulf of Arta, in March 1857, in company with
the Black-tailed Godwits. Not uncommon in Corfu at the same

VOL. II. 2 b

344 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

season. These birds, although usually rather difficult of ap-
proach, may be obtained in great numbers by tying a bright-
coloured handkerchief on to a stick, and concealing oneself near
it. Bright colour seems to have some invincible attraction for
them, and they will fly round, and dart down at the object of their
curiosity, regardless of repeated shots, and the consequent dimi-
nution of their numbers.

180. Common Sandpiper. {Tringoides hypoleuca.)
Common at almost all seasons on the rocky parts of the coasts

of Epirus and Corfu.

181. Greenshank. [Totanus glottis.)

Occurs in small numbers in Epirus and Corfu in winter and
early spring.

182. Marsh Sandpiper. [Totanus stagnatilis.)
Abundant in March, April, and the early part of May, on the

race-course of Corfu. The habits of this species closely resemble
those of the Green Sandpiper [Totanus ochropus), but it is less
shy, and not so clamorous. I have had excellent opportunities
of observing closely the habits of this and many other allied
species on the race-course, having sometimes seen within a few
yards of the spot on which I lay hidden, Totanus glottis, T.
stagnatilis, T. glareola, T. ochropus, Himantopus melanopterus,
Tringa minuta, Numenius phceopus, and Glareola pratincola.

183. Wood Sandpiper. [Totanus glareola.)

Common, but less so than the above, at the same season, and
in the same locality.

184. Green Sandpiper. [Totanus ochropus.)

Common from the beginning of September till the end of
May, and occasionally seen in June and July in Corfu and
Epirus. This and the following species are great enemies to
the snipe-shooter, as they are for ever flying round the marshes,
and indulging in shrill screams and extraordinary aerial evolu-
tions, thereby alarming many an honest Scolopax who is di-
gesting his worms of the previous night, and would, without the
uncalled-for interference of these noisy cousins, fall a prey to
the sportsman.

observed in the Ionian Islands, S^c. 345

185. Redshank. {Tot anus calidris.)

A great deal too common, for the reasons mentioned above,
in winter and early spring, in Corfu and Epirus.

186. Curlew. {Numenius arquatus.)

Very abundant from October till April ; a few may be occa-
sionally observed at all seasons. I have several times seen Cur-
lews at Corfu, exactly like the common species in plumage,
weight, and all other respects, except the bill, which was from
half an inch to two inches longer than usual. As far as I
could ascertain, this difference had no reference to sex or age ;
the long-bills and short-bills flocked together, and had pre-
cisely the same habits. I never observed this difference in any
other part of the world, though the Curlew has always been a
favourite object of pursuit with me, and a great many have con-
sequently passed through my hands.

187. Whimbbel. {Numenius phaopus.)

Occurs sparingly in April and September in Corfu and Epirus.

188. Slender-billed Curlew. {Numenius tenuirostris.)
Two specimens only of this bird came under my observation

at Corfu ; both were killed on the race-course in September
1857. I obtained a good specimen at Nice in the winter of
1858.

189. AvocET. {Recurvirostra avocetta.)

I was shown a specimen of this bird in December 1856, which
had been killed a few days previously at Butrinto, and I once
or twice heard of others, but never saw one alive myself in these
parts.

190. Black-winged Stilt. {Himantopus melanopterus.)
Common on the shores of Corfu and Epirus in March, April,

and May ; generally to be seen in small flocks, standing mid-leg
in water, and snapping at the midges and other small insects.
This species breeds in great numbers in the marshes of Dalma-
tia, in the neighbourhood of Spalatro.

191. Purple Heron. {Ardea purpurea.)

Common in April and May, and I believe breeds in Epirus, as
young birds are often to be seen in July and August.

2 B 2

346 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

192. Common Heron. [Ardea cinerea.)

Common in Corfu and all parts of the mainland in winter.
I observed it in August in Albania and Montenegro.

193. Great White Heron. {Ardea alba.)

Common in Epirus in winter, particularly at Butrinto. Not
nearly so diflficult of approach as most of its congeners, although
I never observed it to skulk amongst the reeds and aquatic
herbage, as the last-mentioned species often does. I could not
find out that it ever remains to breed in Epirus ; but the natives
are so singularly unobservant of all birds except the Anatidee,
that it is difficult to extract any information from them.

194. Little Egret. {Ardea garzetta.)

Very common in winter on the coasts of Epirus, in which
province some few remain to breed. I observed this species on
the Bojana river, and the Lake of Scutari in Albania, in great
numbers in August 1857. The birds of this species which
frequent the shores of the Bay of Butrinto in the winter, and
spend the day in wading about the marshes, collect their forces
regularly about sunset, and fly in a compact body to the jungles
at the head of the lake, where they roost. They appeared to
pursue exactly the same course every evening; and I used always
to consider their appearance in a body as a sign that it was time
to take up my post for shooting Ducks in a small marshy pool
between the proper right of the Butrinto river and the rocks
which shut in the valley to the north. The Egrets almost in-
variably flew over this pool from west to east, and generally
preceded the arrival of the first flight of Ducks by about ten
minutes.

195. Squacco Heron. {Ardea comata.)

Arrives in gi-eat numbers in Epirus in March, and I believe
breeds in the marshes of the interior. Very abundant on the
Lake of Scutari in August 1857. I found this species the most
difficult of approach of any of the Ardeidce.

196. Buff-backed Heron. {Ardea huhulcus.)

I saw a stuffed specimen of this bird at Corfu, which was
killed at Butrinto ; and I think I may speak pretty positively to

observed in the Ionian Islands, 6jc. 347

having once seen two specimens on the race- course in April
1857.

197. Night Heron. {Ardea nycticorax.)

Tolerably common in Epirus, arriving in INIarch, and remain-
ing only a short time on its passage northwards. Common on
the Lake of Scutari in August, where it doubtless breeds.

198. Common Bittern. [Botaurus stellaris.)

Common in Epirus from October till May. Its abundance or
scarcity seems to depend on the severity of the weather. I do
not think the Bittern breeds in Epirus, at all events not in those
parts of that province with which I have any acquaintance, but
it is found throughout the year in some of the marshes of
Albania and Dalmatia.

199. Little Bittern. {Ardetta minuta.)

Arrives in considerable numbers in Corfu and Epirus in April,
and remains to breed, leaving the country about the end of
September. In Corfu they are often to be found perched in
the olives near the marshes, motionless, with outstretched neck,
and beak pointing to the sky. More than once I have caught
this species with my hand ; and my old retriever often brought
me Little Bitterns alive, in the marshes of Butrinto, where I have
found the nest in a tamarisk a few inches above the water.
The curious habits of this species make it an interesting pet,
though I have not found it easy to keep it alive for any length of
time. All the birds of this species from Holland, which I have
at different times procured in Leadeuhall Market, were more or
less injured about the eyes.

200. White Stork. (Ciconia alba.)

Arrives in Epirus in March, and breeds on the house-tops.
Two pairs nested and reared their young annually on the top of
the old fort, known as the Aga's house, at Butrinto. The Ma-
homedan population protect the Stork, and consider it a bird of
good omen.

201. Black Stork. {Ciconia nigra.)

This species is very rare in these parts. The bird-stuffer at
Corfu told me, that two specimens only had passed through his

348 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

hands in the course of thirty years. One of these was killed at
Butrinto, and the other in the island of Corfu.

202. Glossy Ibis. [Falcinellus igneus.)

Occurs tolerably abundantly in Corfu and Epirus in March,
April and May. The only locality in which I have myself seen
this species is the often-mentioned race- course, where a pair
were generally to be found in the months above-named, keeping
aloof from the other Waders, and stalking about after the manner
of the Herons.

203. Crane. [Grus cinerea.)

Often to be heard and seen, passing over Corfu at a great
elevation, in the months of ]\Iarch and October. The only spot
in these parts in which I have seen this species on the ground
was on the Greek frontier, opposite Prevesa, where I fell in with
a troop of several hundreds in March 1857. I saw a freshly-
killed specimen in a ditch near Corfu on the 2nd of April, 1857.

204. White Spoonbill. [Platalea leucorodia.)

Occurs sparingly in Epirus in severe winters. I saw a few at
Livitazza in January 1858. More common in Greece about
Petala and the Gulf of Lepanto. I could not hear of the occur-
rence of this species in the island of Corfu.

205. Flamingo. {Phcenicopterus antiquorum.) (?)

I place a mark of interrogation after the name of this bird, as
I have never seen it myself in these parts ; but the Corfu bird-
stuffer described to me a bird which had been killed out of a
small flock on the race-course, some years previous to my arrival
in Corfu, which must have been a Flamingo. It struck me as
curious that tbis species should be so rare in these parts, as
it is abundant in Tunis and Sardinia, and not uncommon in
the south of Spain, in all which localities I have myself seen it.
I have been assured that the Flamingo occurs in great numbers
in winter in the island of Cyprus.

206. Common Coot. [Fidica atra.)
Common, and resident in Epirus.

obsei'ved in the Ionian Islands, ^c. 349

207. Moor- HEX. {Gallinula chloropus.)

Commou in winter in Epirus. I believe a few of this species
breed in that province.

208. Spotted Crake. {Crex porzana.)

Common at all seasons in Epirus, but more so in September
and October than at any other time.

209. Little Crake. {Crex pusilla.)

The Corfu bird-stuffer had a specimen of the Little Crake,
which was killed at Butrinto. I once flushed a small Crake
there in September 1857, which was either of this species or a
Crex baillonii.

210. Land Rail. [Crex prat ensis.)

Occurs sparingly in Corfu in April and September.

211. Water Rail. [Rallus aquaticus.)

Very common, and, I believe, resident in Epirus.

212. Crested Grebe. {Podiceps cristatus.)
Common in winter on the lakes and lagoons of Epirus.

213. Red-necked Grebe. {Podiceps ruhricollis.)
Rare; occasionally occurs in winter at Butrinto.

214. Sclavonian Grebe. [Podiceps cornutus.)
Not uncommon in winter on the lakes of Butrinto.

215. Eared Grebe. [Podiceps auritus.)

Very abundant on the lakes and lagoons of Epirus in winter.
I believe a few pairs breed among the reeds at the head of the
great lake of Butrinto. This species appears to be the most
gregarious of the Grebes.

216. Little Grebe. [Podiceps minor.)
Common in winter in Epirus.

217. Great Northern Diver. [Colymbus glacialis.)

I once unsuccessfully chased four Divers on a small lake at
Butrinto, which from their great size must, I think, have be-
longed to this species.

218. Red-throated Diver. [Colymbus septentrionalis.)
Occurs sparingly on the coasts of Epirus and Albania in

350 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

winter. One of our party killed an immature specimen at the
mouth of the river Drin, in the latter provincej in December
1857.

219. Grey-lag Goose. {Anser ferus.)

Common in February 1858, on the west coasts of continental
Greece, about Petala and the plains of the Acheloiis, where we
shot several. I have seen Wild Geese in most parts of Epirus
and Albania that I have visited, but could not make out whether
they belonged to this, or either of the following species.

220. Bean Goose. {Anser segetum.)

Common in winter on the coasts of Epirus and Greece, parti-
cularly at Petala. We used to take up a position on one of the
numerous small islands which skirt the little Gulf of Petala to
the north, and had very good sport at wild-fowl of all sorts.
The Geese did not come within shot much before dark, but
Mallards, Shovellers, Wigeon, Pintail, Teal, Pochard, and Tufted
Ducks kept us pretty busy during the day. We did not fire at
Golden-eyes, Smews, &c., and when such birds passed us, used
merely to exclaim to one another, " Muck." On one occasion
we were much excited by the evolutions and music of a small
flock of Wild Swans, which, however, declined our acquaintance.
Pelicans also would often flap heavily within a few yards of us,
totally regardless of green cartridges and B.B. shot. My com-
panion would not shoot at any Ducks whenever there appeared
to be a chance of our getting a shot at Geese ; but we never-
theless contrived to load ourselves to that degree, that wading
through the mud to our boat became a feat by no means easy of
accomplishment. The present species was the most common of
the three Anseres that presented themselves to our guns at
Petals, and I am disposed to think that it is the most abundant
of its family in Greece and Turkey ; it is far superior for the
table to either of the other species. Our bag at Petala 1 find to
have been as follows : —

February 5th, on the island above mentioned : 2 Bean Geese,
1 White-fronted Goose, 1 Grey-lag Goose, 14 Wild Ducks, 4
Wigeon, 1 Teal.

February 6th, in the plains of the Acheloiis : 14 Wild Ducks,

observed in the Ionian Islands, ^'c. 351

7 Teal, 2 Gadwalls, 2 Shovellers, 1 Pintail, 1 Pochard, 1 Tufted
Duckj 1 White-eyed Duck, 1 Quail, 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 7
Woodcocks, 1 Hare.

February 7th, on our island : 2 Bean Geese, 3 White-fronted
Greese, 1 Grey-lag Goose, 16 Wild Ducks, 3 Wigeons, 1
Spoonbill.

February 8th, on the plains of the Acheloiis : 1 Grey-lag
Goose, 2 White-fronted Geese, 9 Wild Ducks, 6 Teal, 2 Shovel-
lers, 3 Woodcocks, 1 Hare.

I do not mention this as anything extraordinary, as much
more has, I have no doubt, often been done in the same locali-
ties, but the above extracts will help to show the variety of sport
to be met with in these parts in severe winters ; and if any
reader of the ' Ibis' should be induced by these facts to try his
luck in Greek waters, and should enjoy himself half as much as
I did, I shall think that our sport has not been recorded in vain.
I consider, with Burns, " that some of the happiest hours that
e'er I spent were spent amongst the rushes ;" although the ad-
junct to this happiness mentioned by the poet was in our case
absent, unless my old retriever can be considered to have in
some degree supplied that defect. "

221. White-fronted Goose. {Ansei- albifrons.)
Common in winter in Epirus and continental Greece.

222. Polish Swan. {Cygnus immutabilis.)

Not uncommon in Corfu and Epirus in severe winters. Se-
veral were shot in the island in January 1858.

223. Hooper. {Cygnus musicus.)

The same remarks apply to this as to the above. It is per-
haps the less common species of the two.

224. Wild Duck. {Anas hoschas.)

This species actually swarms in winter in some of the marshes
of Epirus and Albania. The best localities with which I am
acquainted for wild-duck-shooting are, Butrinto, Phanari, the
Luro river in the Gulf of Arta, Livitazza, and last, but by no
means least, the great marshes between Santa Quaranta and
Delviuo. As I have before mentioned, my friend and usual

352 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds

companion. Colonel C , and I, during the severe weather of

1857-8, devoted ourselves almost exclusively to the pursuit of
the Anatidce, often allowing Woodcocks to rise at our feet with-
out further notice than an exclamation from one to the other —
"O, don^t shoot that carrion/' and treating Snipes with the
most supreme contempt. Perhaps the best sport of all sorts to
be had within easy distance of Corfu is at Santa Quaranta, where
Wild Boars, Roes, Hares, and Woodcocks are plentiful in the
thickets and ravines among the hills, and wild-fowl of all kinds
and Snipes are generally to be found in myriads. Besides this,
the above locality has the ornithological recommendation of
being the haunt of Aquila imperialis, A. navia, A. bonellii, Strix
bubo, Falco asalon, and (I have now reason to believe) F. lanarius.
Few parts of the great marsh are impenetrable to a determined
sportsman, who of course must be prepared to wade, with the
water seldom below his knees, and often up to his middle, the
safest place for his powder-flask being the top of his hat. In my
opinion, the sport amply repays any amount of fatigue or cold ;
and from the marsh of Santa Quaranta there is a rough walk of
about two miles to the anchorage, which will serve to restore
circulation. I cannot resist again giving some extracts from
my ' game-book,' with reference to this well-beloved spot : —

On the 15th of January, 1858, we were a party of five, and
shot the hill-sides for Woodcocks. We bagged 64 Woodcocks
and 1 Snipe.

On the 16th four of our party took to the Snipe-marsh, and
the other, in search of Woodcocks, to the fern-clad banks of the
small river which separates the hills from the plain. The result
of our combined exertions was, 100 Snipes, 11 Wild Ducks, 16
Teal, 26 Woodcocks, 9 Quails.

On the 20th, Col. C and I spent the day in the great

marsh, and bagged 27 Wild Ducks, 15 Teal, 1 Pintail, 6 Wood-
cocks, 1 Hare.

21st January. We were a party of six, and shot for Wood-
cocks. Our bag contained at the end of the day, 81 Woodcocks,
8 Wild Ducks, 2 Teal, 2 Hares.

22nd January. Two guns in the great marsh. Bagged
12 Wild Ducks, 18 Teal, 1 Pochard, 1 Sheldrake.

observed in the Ionian Islands, 8fc. 353

The greatest amount of wild-fowl killed in one day during
the above winter was by a party of three, on the Luro river,
about the beginning of February. They brought to the yacht
107 head of Ducks of various species and two Wild Geese. A
good many Wild Ducks bi-eed in Epirus and Albania. In the
Acherusian marsh at Phanari, without exaggeration, they lite-
rally darken the air ; but this is not a very good shooting locality,
as the best portion of the marsh for ducks is utterly impene-
trable to man or dog, and may, for aught I know, contain Hip-
popotami, Alligators, or Whale-headed Storks !

225. Teal. {Anas a-ecca.)

Very abundant in winter, arriving about the end of September
and disappearing in March.

226. Marbled Duck. {Anas marmoraia.)

I saw a boy at Butrinto with a mutilated specimen of this
rare Duck in his hand, which he had just killed on the lake; he
said it was alone when he shot it. I once flushed three Ducks
at Phanari, which puzzled me very much at the time, but which,
I have now little doubt, belonged to this species; and an officer
of the garrison of Corfu described to me a small Duck he had
killed near Arta, which I think can have been no other but
this. The Marbled Duck is not uncommon in the island of Sar-
dinia, and very common at Tunis in January and February.

227. Garganey. {Anas querquedula.)

Appears in great numbers about the end of February in Epirus
and Corfu ; remains till April. I think a few pairs breed in
the country.

228. WiGEON. {Anas penelope.)
Abundant in winter, particularly at Livitazza.

229. Gadwall. {Anas strepera.)

Common in winter ; the easiest of approach, and by far the
best for the table, of the European Anatidce.

230. Pintail. {Anas acuta.)

Tolerably common in winter, but very wary, and difficult to kill.

231. Shoveller. {Anas clypeata.)
Common in winter.

354 Hou. T. L. Powys on Birds

232. Sheldrake. {Tadorna vulpanser.)
Appears in small numbers in severe winters.

233. Ruddy Sheldrake. [Tadorna r-utila.)

Very rare. Two instances only of the occurrence of this spe-
cies came to my knowledge during my stay at Corfu. The
bird-stufFer brought me a beautiful specimen on the 17th April,
1857. It was killed at Potamo, about two miles from the town
of Corfu. Another was killed at Santa Maura about the same
time. The bird- stuffier had never seen this species before.

234. Common Scoter. [Oidemia nigra.)

I saw a few of this species out at sea in the Adriatic, off
Antivari, in December 1857. It is unknown at Coifu.

235. White-headed Duck. [Erismatura 7nersa.)
Common, and, I believe, resident on the lake of Butrinto and

on the lagoons of Nicopolis.

236. Golden Eye. [Clangula glaucion.)
Not uncommon in winter.

237. Tufted Duck. [Fuligula cristata.)
Very common in winter.

238. Scaup Duck. [Fuligula marila.)

I only saw one pair of this species in Greek waters. This was
at Livitazza in January 1858.

239. Pochard. [Fuligula ferina.)
Very common in winter.

240. White-eyed Pochard. [Fuligula nyroca.)

Arrives generally in March in small numbers, and breeds in
Epirus and Albania. Occasionally seen in winter, but far from
common at that season.

241. Red-crested Whistling Duck. [Fuligula rufina.)
This species was common at Butrinto during the first winter I

passed at Corfu, but I saw very few in the succeeding one.

242. Goosander. [Mergus merganser.)
An uncertain and rare visitor in Epirus.

243. Red- breasted Merganser. [Mergus servator.)
Not uncommon, in winter, in Epirus, Albania, and Corfu.

observed in the Ionian Islands, ^c. 355

244. Smew. {Mergus albellus.)

Common in Epirus in February and March, in immature
plumage. Very few adult males are to be seen in these parts.

245. Crested Pelican. {Pelecanus crispus.)

Common throughout the year on the coasts of Epirus : breeds
at Suttanieh, on the Gulf of Arta.

246. White Pelican. {Pelecanus onocrotalus!)

Passes over Corfu to the south in enormous numbers, at the
beginning of November. A few remain about the coasts of
Epirus throughout the winter.

247. Great Cormorant. {Carbo cormoranus.)
Not uncommon in winter on the coasts of Epirus.

248. Crested Shag. {Carbo desmarestii?)

A Shag is common at all seasons in the Ionian and Adriatic
Seas ; but, after pretty careful examination and comparison with
Temminck's description, I am quite unable to state whether it is
our common species, or the variety known as Carbo desmarestii.
It is more than probable that I have seen specimens of both.

249. Dwarf Shag. {Carbo prjgmoius.)

Very abundant in winter in Epirus ; appears to have no par-
ticular preference for salt water to fresh, as it is often to be
found in ditches and flooded meadows far from the sea. I saw
this species in Albania in August 1857.

250. Herring Gull. {Larus argentatus.)

Common in immature plumage. I have only seen two indi-
viduals in the adult dress. The commonest large Gull at Corfu
exactly resembles this species in plumage, size, colour of naked
parts, length of tarsi, &c. ; in short, in every particular except
that the primaries, in at least a dozen specimens that have come
under my observation, are entirely white. This variety or species
breeds on the coasts of Epirus, Tre Scoglie, Livitazza, &c.

251. Common Gull. {Larus canus.)

Not uncommon in winter in Corfu and Epirus. I saw one of
this species pursue, capture, and devour a Redshank at Petalfl,
in February 1858.

356 Hon. T. L. Powys on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands, 3fc.

252. Lesser Black-backed Gull. {Larus fuscus.)

Not common ; occurs occasionally in immature, but is very rare
in adult plumage.

253. Audouin's Gull. {Larus audouinii.)

A fine specimen of this Gull was killed near Corfu in May
1857. I never saw it on any other occasion, although I am
tolerably sure it is not very uncommon.

254. Mediterranean Black-headed Gull. {Larus mela-

nocephalus, Natt.)

Very common in winter in Corfu, and on the coasts of the
mainland ; breeds in the marshes of Albania and Dalmatia.

255. Laughing Gull. {Larus atricilla, Linn.)
Common in winter in Corfu.

256. Little Gull. {Larus minutus.)

Tolerably common in winter, particularly in the yacht-harbour
of Mandrachio at Corfu. This species arrives about the end of
October, and leaves the country about the beginning of March.

257. Caspian Tern. {Sterna caspica.)

Occurs sparingly in winter at Corfu and on the coasts of
Epirus.

258. Sandwich Tern, {Sterna cantiaca.)
Rare ; occasionally occurs in autumn at Butrinto.

259. Gull-billed Tern. {Sterna anglica.)

Not uncommon at Butrinto in January, February and March.
I have heard of the nests of this species at Livitazza, and am
informed that it breeds in great numbers at Mesolonghi.

260. Common Tern. {Sterna hirundo.)

Rare; occurs occasionally in spring at Corfu and on the
coasts of the mainland.

261. Little Tern. {Sterna minuta.)

Occurs sparingly at Corfu at the period of the vernal migra-
tion.

263. Black Tern. {Sterna nigra.)

Exactly the same remarks apply to this as to the above species.

Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China). 357

263. White-winged Black Tern. {Sterna leucoptera.)
Common in April and May at Corfu.

264. Whiskered Tern. [Sterna leucopareia.)

Common in winter at Eutrinto; breeds in tlie marshes of
Durazzo.

265. Cinereous Shearwater. [Pvffinus cinereus.)
Occasionally seen in the channel of Corfu ; more common

further to the north, on the coasts of Albania and Dalmatia.

266. Stormy Petrel. [Thalassidroma pelagica.)

I only once saw this species in the Ionian Sea ; this was near
Pagania in December 1857.

XLV. — Further Corrections and Additions to the " Ornithology
of Amoy" with some Hemarks on the Birds of Formosa. By
Robert Swinhoe^ of H. M. Consular Service*.
A FEW necessary corrections having again suggested themselves
on reperusing my article on the " Ornithology of Amoy," as
printed in the 5th Number of ' The Ibis/ I hasten to communi-
cate them to you, that they may appear before the public as soon
as possible.

Arundinax canturians, sp. 32, and A. miniatus (nee minutus),
sp. 33, should be again compared with Salicaria cantans and
S. cantillans of the * Fauna Japonica ' before they can be con-
sidered as good species. They belong more correctly, I think, to
the genus Lusciniopsis.

Thamnohia niveiventris, mihi, sp. 44, is no Thamnohia at all.
I cannot understand how I came to be so mistaken. The de-
scription given is that of a female bird, which Mr. Blyth considers
to be referable to Erythrosterna leucura (Gmel.) of Bengal. All
the specimens we procured were females and immature birds until
lately, when M. Schlegel shot a male. The extent of red on the
lower parts of this individual proves the species to he Erythrosterna
mugimaki of the ' Fauna Japonica ' rather than the Indian bird.
Motacilla lugens (v. lugubris), mentioned in the ' Fauna Ja-
ponica,^ has also been shot here after stormy weather, and should
be inserted after M. luzoniensis.

* Communicated in a letter from Mr. Swinhoe to the Editor.

358 Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China).

k

Sp. 57. For ' Turdus advena/ mentioned here, read * Turdiis
daulias/ to which species the name refers.

Of the other Thrushes alluded to, I have succeeded in identify-
ing Turdus {Merula) cardis of the ' Fauna Japonica.' This bird
occurs here abundantly, in both its thrush-like and blackbird-like
plumages, with the intermediate grades, and presents a happy
link between the two subdivisions of the genus Turdus.

Sp. 61, Garrulax rugillatus, nobis, is undoubtedly Gatrulax
perspicillatus (Gmelin).

We have since shot in the island G. canorus (Latham), the
"Chinese Song Thrush," or Hwa-mei {" pictured eyebrow '').

Sp. 64, Pycnonotus hamorrhous, is " Le Gobe-mouche a tete
noire de la Chine " of Sonnerat ; Muscicapa atricapilla, Vieillot ;
but, unfortunately, there is another bird of the same genus (the
JEgithina atricapilla, Vieillot) from Ceylon bearing the same spe-
cific name : which has the priority ?*

Sp. 87, Munia molucca. I find, from ' Shaw's Zoology,' that
this species is Munia minima (Lath.), M. molucca being synony-
mous with M. ruhro-nigra,

Sp. 106, Coturnix chinensis. This is Coturnix dactylisonans.
C. chinensis is not found in this neighbourhood.

Sp. 115. For Herodias asha substitute Butorides javanicus
(Horsf.), of which species several examples have been met with
lately.

Sp. 120, Nycticorax manillensis, should be probably N. griseus.
N. manillensis, of which I saw an example the other day in a
private cabinet at Hong Kong, is a very different species.

Since the above was written, the following additional species
have been met with at Amoy : —

1. A LocusTELLA with rigid tibial tendons; probably L. rM-
bescens, Blyth ; certainly not L. rail.

* The Ceylonese bird appears to have been termed jEgithina atricapilla
by Vieillot, in the 1st volume of the Nouv. Diet. d. Sciences Nat. (p. 7G);
the Chinese bird, Muscicapa atricapilla, in the 21st volume of the same
work (p. 489, and Enc. Meth. p. 822). The earliest synonym of the latter
which we can use seems to be chysorrhoides (Lafr.) {Hcematornis chrysor-
rhoides, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 3C7), and the species should probably
stand as Pycnonotus chrysorrhoides. — Ed.

Mr. R. Svvinhoe on the Ornithologij of Ainoy (China). 3.")9

2. EuspiZA SULPHURATA of tlio ' Pauiia Japonica/

3. Gallinago, sp. ?

A large Snipe, closely allied to G. major.

4. TOTANUS PULVERULENTUS,

5. Tringa, sp. ?

A small Tringa, smaller even than T. temminckii.

6. Tringa minuta, Linn.

7. Larvivora cyaneAj Hodgson ?

8. MiCRONisus BADius (Gmelin),

9. Charadrius virginicus.

10. LoBivANELLUs INORNATUS of the ' Fauna Japonica.*

11. Centropus, sp. ?

A small species, first procured from Formosa.

12. Circus, sp. ?

A large white, black, and grey species, which I have also seen
from Manilla. I took this to be the male of the bird marked
C. aruginosus in my list. Mr. Blyth identified this latter bird ;
but as all my examples are females, and I have seen it often in
company with the grey bird, I naturally supposed the two to be
male and female. Every one knows the difficulty of determining
the various species of the genus Circus; the comparison of dried
skins is not always sufficient; the birds require to be seen in a
fresh state. However, I am by no means fully convinced yet
of the identity.

13. Calidris arenaria (Linn.).

14. Strepsilas interpres, Linn.

So much for the birds of Amoy. Now for a few words on
the birds of Formosa, concerning which the editor of ' The Ibis '
expresses a wish to be informed. Such a task is of course be-
yond my capability, as I know little more than the coast of that
island. It is true, we performed an inland journey of some
forty miles, but the commander of H.M.S. 'Inflexible' ran over
the ground so hurriedly, that neither the Kew botanist, Mr.

VOL. II. 2 c

360 Mr. R. Swinhoe on the Ornithology of Amoy (China).

Wiifoi-cl, nor myself had much time to extend our researches.
The immense forests of Camphor-trees that cover the gigantic
snow-capped mountains are no doubt productive of numerous
species unknown to science ; but until the right of travelling is
established in China, exploration of such wild fastnesses will be
impossible; and even were Chinese Formosa open to Europeans,
an attempt to ascend these lovely heights would always be
attended with danger, owing to the extreme savageness of the
aboriginal tribes. With the exception of the S.W. portion,
where birds are abundant, especially Orioles and Drongos, the
coast, though green and well-wooded, is comparatively destitute
of feathered denizens.

I have no doubt, from the glance I had at the birds of For-
mosa, that most of our Amoy forms are found in the island.
Indeed, I have received examples of most of them from there.
The few species that I procured in our last trip in the 'Inflexible^
which were new to me I described at Shanghai, in the Journal
of the N. C. B. of the Asiatic Society*.

The first bird therein described, Calamanthella tiniinnahulans,
is, without doubt, the Cisticola hrunneiceps of the ' Fauna Ja-
ponica,' which again is perhaps only a local variety of the Eu-
ropean species.

C. volitans is a good species.

Prinia striata I should be more inclined now, I think, to call
a Drymoica. It is much longer than the ordinary Prinioi, and
has a remarkably long tail.

The Dipper is most likely Cinclus pallasii, as I see this last
quoted as occurring in Japan.

Garrulax taewanus and Pomatorhinus masicus are both good
species.

Centrojms dimidiatus (?) ('' the Woodman") I have since found
as a straggler at Amoy, and as a resident at Hong Kong. I am
sending you specimens for examination.

AnoUs pileatus requires comparison with A, stolidus.
In my " Narrative of a Visit to Formosa," a few wrong names
of birds had crept in, and I see that they have been inserted in
your remarks [antea, p. 89). Allow me therefore to correct
* See our reference to this article antea, p. 186. — Ed.

Rev. H. B. Tristram^s Notes from Eastern Algeria. 361

Alauda minuta and Dicrurus malaharicus, which ought to stand
A. ccplivox and D. macrocercus.

I cannot believe in the existence of a Parrot in Formosa.
None occur in China, unless in the provinces of Se-tchuen and
Quangsi. Indeed, the island of Hainan, which produces a Gra-
cula, most probably identical with the Javanese species, is not
known to contain a Parrot. The Vulture too, which has been
said to be from Canton, must have been brought there from the
extreme south somewhere. Certainly in the neighbourhood of
that city none occur*.

XLVI. — A few Leaves from a Naturalist's Note-book in Eastern
Algeria. By the Rev. H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S., Corr.

^^'^'^' (Plate XI.)

An oologist is the last man in the world who should complain of
' being used up ' in country quarters, and that in the month of
April; yet a sensation actually akin to ennui had begun to creep
over us, for a naturalist's appetite is insatiable. We were do-
miciled at the little French outpost of Souk Harras, the ancient
Thagastum, nestled in the valley of the Medjerdah, the classic
Bagradas. The southern spurs of the Atlas rose, tier beyond
tier, some densely wooded, some bare and scarped, on all sides
of us, — those affording home and protection to the Imperial
Eagle, these to the Lammergeyer, the Griffon, and the Falcon.
What though our little auberge might be open and comfortless,
and its fare of the scantiest, its roof was as watertight as our
tent ; there was no watch to be kept at night against lions and
Tunisian robbers ; and were we not entertained at the sign of
St. Augustine de Thagaste, perhaps on the very spot where the
great saint of Africa first saw the light ?

We had exjilored the antiquities, we had examined the ex-
humed marble sarcophagi which fill the little barrack square,
and had deciphered the inscriptions which tell the story of the
long-lost Thagastum ; we had dined with the intelligent though

* The most Eastern locality for a Vulture which we yet know of /or
certain is Siam, whence M. Mouhot has forwarded Gyps indicus. There
are specimens of a Parrot in the British Museum {Loriculus puniculus)
labelled as having been obtained in China by Mr. Fortune. — Eu.

2 c2

362 Rev. H. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Algeria.

lonely commandant ; and had noted how, out of thirty-three
houses which compose the settlement, nine were drinking shops.
We had had enough of ' civilization ' and drunken colonists,
and determined to push our reconnoissances further and to re-
sume our camp life in the wilds.

Two Hungarian noblemen who had been on a hunting ex-
cursion in the south shared our quarters, and had brouglit
back, along with their trophies of Antelope, Gazelle, and Mouf-
flon {Ovis tragelajjhus), wondrous tales of the abundance of
Vultures, Eagles, and Bustards in regions where we had not as
yet penetrated. At a cabinet council we therefore determined
that Salvin should reconnoitre the neighbourhood for a suitable
camping ground where we might examine the habits of the
Raptorials at home, that Simpson should push to the south-west
for a few days and report on the prospect of desert birds for the
following month, while I was to investigate the Cork forests and
lakes to the north on the Tunisian frontier, to ascertain the
probability of a successful bird -harvest there. At the end of a
week we were to reunite and decide on our future movements.
Not that we had accomplished nothing at Souk Harras. A fine
specimen of Bonelli's Eagle had been picked up on a heap of
rubbish in the street. The commandant had sent us an enor-
mous Griffon with its wing broken. The Barbary Falcon and
the Red Kite were daily noted, and the Gypaete poised himself
every morning over our quarters. These calls we had duly re-
turned by repeated visits to a range of formidable cliffs, where
we could see the huge piles of firewood which formed the homes
of three families of Lammergeyers ; but vainly, with the aid of
ropes and timid climbers, had we essayed a nearer acquaintance.

But if the king of Eastern Vultures had baffled us, the less
graceful yet equally majestic Griffon had here afforded us our
first oological triumph of the season. A French 'colon' who,
when occasionally sober, plied the trades of carpenter and ' chas-
seur,' had offered to take us to some accessible Griffons' nests.
The rain was descending in torrents when we set out with our
guide, and so dense were the clouds that it was impossible to de-
tect even a Griffon at 200 yards. However, after some scrambling
in the forest, we approached the edge of a long range of cliffs,

Rev. H. B. Tristram^s Notes from Eastern Algeria. 363

from whose fissures and ledges many a mountain shrub and tree
stretched forth and partially covered the nakedness of the rocks.
Carefully peering over the top, we soon espied, at a distance of
some 50 feet below us, the cumbrous heap of sticks which gene-
rally serves the Vulture for a nest, but were dismayed to see,
instead of an egg, an unfledged downy squab. Had we come
too late for nesting ? It was an ominous disappointment to
commence with. However, " H y a de plus encore," cries our
Frenchman, and we soon made out a second nest a little lower
down the cliff. Alarmed by the falling of a stone, the parent bird
deliberately rises, slowly stretches her wings, and, with two or
three majestic wavings of her pinions, leaves a single egg dis-
closed to view. Having discovered a narrow ledge by which the
nest may be reached, Simpson boldly descends, and reverentially
handles the first Griffon^s egg he had ever seen in situ. But
calling out to us that he will wait till the complement has been
laid, he clambers up to the top again. He has scarcely arrived
there when the mother returns, and quietly sailing in, lets her-
self drop on the edge of the nest. Here she pauses for a
minute or two, grotesquely turns her neck and squints at her
beloved egg, first with one eye, then with the other. Next she
snifi's at it, turns it over and over, and with fond admiration,
taking another look, seats herself down on it. It must be hard
set, we remark ; and Simpson, resigning hopes of any additional
booty, determines to descend again and secure his prize. He
had almost reached the nest before the parent bird would quit it ;
the egg proved to have been incubated for some time, and was
the best-marked Griffon^s we obtained.

Two days after this capture I set out for La Calle, a distance
of ninety miles. I was lightly equipped, and carried provisions
and forage but for one day, as with money in the purse we were not
likely to starve. Of our three Arab servants, Salah, an ex-Spahi,
accompanied me on the second horse, — Mohammed, our best
climber, being left to make himself useful about the cliffs with
Salvin, while Bilgassem, our trusty Tunisian, was the only one
capable of conducting Simpson safely through the independent
tribes of the south. Our route lay by the Hammam Weled Zeid,
so named from some hot sulphureous springs, where baths

364 Rev. H. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Algeria.

(Hammam) have been constructed. Before reaching them we
passed the cliflfs vv^here we had vainly besieged the Lammer-
geyers, and a long piece of rope swinging in mid air from a
projecting peak of rock still told the tale of our unsuccessful
assault.

Soon afterwards, on entering a more wooded part of the road,
•A large Eagle settled among some trees under the rocks. Dis-
mounting I crept up to the spot, and had the satisfaction of
watching a fine Imperial Eagle, who plainly exhibited the white
feathers of the shoulder. The nest hard by was placed on the
flat projecting branch of a great oak-tree growing out of the
ridge. It was at least a yard in diameter, composed of sticks,
with a few finer twigs by way of lining. The two eggs which I
obtained were hard set, and but poorly marked with a few dull-
red spots. I have never seen any eggs of the Imperial Eagle
w^hich at all approach the richer varieties of those of the Golden
Eagle in ground-colour or markings.

Beyond the Hammam Weled Zeid, which we did not reach
till nearly noon, was an Arab tribe where Salah had acquaint-
ance, from whom he promised eggs and barley-cake if I could
wait for an hour. I sat down on the bank side, letting my
horse graze under the trees, and seldom have I enjoyed a
more lovely view. The scenery was not grand, but exquisitely
rich. Below me, the steaming little torrent of warm water
was dashing into the deep glen. The sides of it were clad with
pear-trees, figs, wild prunes, and hawthorn, all in full blossom.
The sun was bright, the sky cloudless and of the deepest blue,
the air charged with the perfume of jasmine, rose, hawthorn, and
scented genista. There was nothing in the scenery to astonish,
but all was soft, luxuriant, and English. Dreaming of home,
I was roused from my reverie by a familiar note, the quickly
repeated chirrup of Moussier's Redstart [Ruticilla mozissieri)
(Plate XI.), so well described by its native name of ' Zinzukh.' I
soon descried my little friend, perched like a Stonechat upon the
topmost quivering bough of a small Numidian broom, as, regard-
less of my presence, he turned himself round and round on his
perch, and performed various somersaults, to exhibit his rich and
softly blended plumage, continuing the while his cheerful though

Rev. H. B. Tristram's Notes fro?7i Eastern Algeria. 365

monotonous note. If ever Libya were in search of an ornitho-
logical emblem, Moussier's Redstart should be its emblazon.
There is no other bird so truly and strictly " glehce adstrida " as
this. The Lammergeyer and the Vulture are at home, but their
presence recalls visions of the Pyrenees or the Balkan. Every
warbler on our lists may be found in those thickets, but many
of them were born and educated in Europe, and like the Roman
of old, the Spaniard of yesterday, or the Frenchman of today,
they may return to their northern resorts. The Bustard and
the Sand Grouse abound in these arid plains, but they are fami-
liar forms to the Arab invaders from the East. If the Ostrich
ventures to his northernmost limits, he is little better than an
invader, like his brother Touareg, and is chased as such with as
little compunction.

But Moussier is an indisputable ' indigene.' While one race
of man after another has rushed like a flood over North Africa,
and left the faint traces of each invasion in a few stranded ruins
on the shores, or in the tide-marks of some wrecks of humanity
on the mountain sides ; long before the first Phoenician galley
had entered the Bay of Tunis, and treated with the Numidian
king, before either Roman, Vandal, or Saracen had disturbed
bis retreats, ^loussier was here, never disturbed by a restless
taste for emigration, nor an appetite for the slopes of Alps or
Apennines. I love to watch him as a gentle and genuine Nu-
midian, the one local and peculiar bird. IMauritania (now the
province of Algeria) he avoids. The only time I ever found
him beyond the frontier of Constantino was once in the Forest
of Boghar, and there he was so rare, that of several French local
naturalists none could tell me what it was. Towards the east
he gradually approaches the shore, not crossing the watershed in
Constantino, but at Tunis resorting commonly to the ruins of
Utica near the coast, and thence extending himself as far as the
oases of the Djerecd, Nefta, and Souf, while in all the more
southern oases of the M'zab and Waregla he abounds.

Still I hardly expected him at Weled Zeid, and not having, up
to this time, met with the nest, 1 kept careful watch, feeling
sure, from the actions of the bird, that his mate was not far
distant. Perhaps it is owing to her modest and inconspicuous

366 Rev. H. B.Tristram's Notes from Eastern Algeria.

plumage that the female is but rarely observed, so rarely, that
I am sure we noted at least a dozen males for every hen bird we
saw. With her brown back and russet-red breast, she is detected
with difficulty in the bushes, and, unlike her consort, rarely ex-
hibits herself on the top of a bush or the edge of a stone, re-
maining generally among the roots of the thickets. Though in
distribution of plumage Moussier's Warbler shows a strong
affinity to the Redstarts, yet in its habits and manner of perch-
ing it is a true Furze-chat, and I fully agree with INIr. Salviu's
opinion (Ibis, i. 307) that it is more of a Chat than a Redstart.
After a long search I discovered the nest, with a single egg,
artfully concealed near the base of a small Thvja bush. The
nest is very warm, rather loosely built, with a slight skeleton of
very small twigs, and a thick lining of grass, wool, cow's hair,
camel's hair, and many feathers, chiefly Hoopoe's ; within this
is a very neatly laid lining of fine hair. The nest is not so
compact as those of the Whin- and Stone-Chats, but very like
that of the Redstart. But the eggs 1 know not how to describe.
They are white, with the faintest tinge of bluish-green, unlike
any others I can recall, but approaching in shade some ot the
more delicate hues which are found in the eggs of some of the
Egrets, and rendering the bird a beautiful link between the
Wheatcar andTithys Redstart. It does not a-ppear that this bird is
anywhere even partially a migrant, nor could I ascertain that in
any locality it is more plentiful at one season than another. I
have seen skins, obtained by Mr. Fraser near Sousa, some years
before it was described in 1852 by Leon Olph-Gallard*; but this is

* Mr. Fraser informs us that lie obtained his specimens of this bird,
wliieh are now in th« British Museum, in 184/. M.Leon Olph-Gallard
first described it at a meeting of the Societe Nationale d' Agriculture,
d'Histoire Naturclle et des Arts, of Lyons, held on April 2ud, 1852, from
specimens procured by M. Moussier in the province of Oran, under the
name Erifhacus motissieri. See ' Annales de la Socie'te Nationale d'Agri-
culture,' &o., for 1852, pi. 2. A translation of this article into German
will be found in 'Nauraannia,' vol. ii. pt. 3. p. 68, with a figure, which is
better than the original. During a visit to Tunis in the month of Febmary
1859, we found Moussier's Redstart not uncommon in the vicinity of
Oudenah — a day's journey south of Tunis, and between the latter place
and Zaghouan it was often seen at the road-side, perched on the ground or
on a small bush. — Ed.

Rev. II. B. Triatram^s Notes from Eastern Algeria. 367

not the only instance in which a discoverer has been anticipated,
and lost his honours through his own delays.

Salah had long been waiting with hard-boiled eggs and butter-
milk, when I obtained my prize, and we soon were in saddle
again for Bou lladjar, a SiJahi station some sixteen leagues
further on, where I had heard there was an officer, on whom of
course I proposed to quarter myself. Spahi stations here serve
the traveller's purpose (if he has letters) like monasteries in the
remoter parts of Italy ; but there is much greater difficulty in re-
imbursing the officer, as he keeps no poor's box in his doorway.
The remainder of our day's journey lay chiefly along the gorge
of two streams which flow to the Mediterranean, the Wed el
Kcbir and the LovJedjeah, and by a path on which no English
huntsman in cool blood would think of risking his neck. But
our trusty, sure-footed Arabs walk without slipping across a
long sloping rock. The scenery was rich and varied. Rocky
glens, open glades, here and there patches of wheat, smooth
valleys clad with luxuriant herbage, groves of wild olive and
cork, the whole backed by mountains, gently rising on each side,
which are covered with forests, not close like those of Sweden or
Canada, but open and loose, affording many breaks, and com-
posed of a great variety of trees, cork predominating, with its
gnarled limbs and dark foliage, but largely relieved by the paler
tints of magnificent ash-trees, all now (April 14) in full leaf.
The ash seems to be precisely the same as our English species.
There is, besides, a tree very closely allied to the English oak,
ilex, chestnut, and a vast undergrowth of richly coloured shrubs
— arbutus, myrtle, bay, jasmine, white and yellow broom of many
species in full blossom, and as brilliant as any furze. I found
one knoll covered with an exquisite orchis unlike any I ever
found elsewhere — of a very pale lemon-yellow, with a powerful
scent resembling that of jasmine. The flower was in shape like
the figure of Orchis longicoma in Desfontaines' book, but much
larger, and all of this sj)otlcss primrose colour, except three or four
very faint dots on the lip. Leaving the glen, about six o'clock we
came out upon a plain ready for the scythe, covered with scented
tulips (Tulipa cclsiana), paiisies, scarlet and blue anemones, &c.
In the midst of this plain stands a square redoubt, Bou lladjar, at

3G8 Rev. H. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Algeria.

tlie door of which I met a bluff rough-looking officer in gardening
costume, and invited myself to be his guest for the night. He in-
troduced me to his subaltern and doctor; for they mustered three.
The fort had been established for three years, but he told me I
was the first traveller they had seen. They are three lonely men
with their seventy Arab troopers, close to the Tunisian frontier,
which is but two miles distant, but which they intend ' to rectify'
at the next act of trespass committed from the other side;
meanwhile they occupy themselves chiefly in gardening and
poultry rearing. They were decidedly oologists, for five Turkey
hens were sitting in boxes in their mess-room, and many hens
in the barrack hall, while their garden showed great taste and
skill with small means. They pointed out some curious in-
stances of degeneracy in flowers from France. All their ranun-
culi, of which they had a good show, the second year become
crimson, and their verbenas all run into pink. Tbey had, how-
ever, a goodly collection of roses in bloom.

There are some Numidian tombs in the hills near, where I
copied two Numidian or Punic inscriptions. The doctor ac-
companied me, in hopes of showing me also the nest of Picus
numidicus, but we were too early for them, although he shot for
me two fine male specimens.

The next morning I was off before any of my hosts were vip.
The road today left the forest, and wound for some miles through
open valleys with hills covered with scrub, and tall trees occa-
sionally relieving them. On one of these I observed a dark-
plumaged bird perched, which I took for the Black Kite, till on
its taking wing I imagined I had found the Common Buzzard
of Europe, for it had none of the ruddy hues which mark the
Buteo tachardus of the country. After quietly following it for a
long distance, I had an opportunity of examining it again more
closely as it rested on a bare tree and scrutinized me in turn.
There was no mistake now — I was looking at my little friend the
Booted Eagle, Aquila pennatUy but was not able to secure him,
or to discover his nest, if he had one.

About eleven o'clock we descried an Arab camp at some di-
stance, and feeling very hungry, I sent Salah on foot to report
on the chance of meeting with hospitality, while I remained

Rev. H. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Al/jeria. 369

concealed witli the horses. In half an hour he returned^ and
reported the Sheik " meleia bezzaf" (very good), as proved by
an invitation to breakfast. I trotted down, was met by two
Arabs, conducted into an irregular square of tents, and when I
had dismounted, was led under the Sheik's tent, where mat and
cushion were already spread for me. The horses were also
introduced under the same roof, and a large bundle of green
fodder laid before them. There was no partition within, con-
trary to the usual custom, so I could survey the domestic ar-
rangements at my leisure. The Sheik, a young man, seemed
to have three wives. The elder, and evidently the mistress, as
she made and served the coffee, might be about twenty-five, but
looked as all Arab women of that age do, withered and forty-five.
The two others were baking cakes and frying eggs in butter for
me, and seemed about fifteen or sixteen years old. They were
decidedly good-looking, and each with a baby tied in a bundle
on her back, so as not to impede work. The goats and cows
were brought in and milked by the two pretty wives at my feet.
After our simple feast, the Sheik produced pipes, over which we
carried on a broken conversation, the drift of which, on his part,
was that the Inglez were very good friends of the Sultan, and once
drove his enemies (here making a peculiar grimace) out of Egypt;
and on my part, that I wanted the eggs of Rachma and Nissr
(Egyptian and Griifon Vultures), and hoped he would have some
for me on my return in four days, when he should be richly re-
warded for his exertions. The pipe ended, we started again, and
after a few miles' ride, during which my horse cast a shoe and
became dead lame, we re-entered the forest. The cork-tree predo-
minates, and as we approach the coast, is used, though without
system, and as a common right, by various tribes. The trees are
peeled, i. ^.''the stem from the ground upwards, but seldom the
large limbs, once in about nine or ten years. The operation does
not improve the appearance of the forest for the first two or three
years. No continuous line of bark is left ; but the life of the tree
seems to be preserved by the thin membrane which is left inside
the bark. We passed an Arab camp employed in barking and
stacking the cork. All these forests arc claimed by the Empire
as ' domoins dU'tot,' and are let to French com|)anics, who have

370 Rev. H. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Alfferia.

scarcely yet begun to work systematically. The first crop of cork
in these forests is considered almost valueless^ owing to the
hardness of the bark on the old trees ; they should be barked
regularly every seven years, before the cork becomes too hard.
The Arabs injure its quality and often damage the trees by
firing them in order to make them peel more readily. When
the working of these forests has become systematized, they ought
to yield enormous profits, as the companies to whom they are
let pay only nominal rents, and the quality of the produce is said
to be equal to the finest Spanish samples.

The country through which I rode for these two days must
now be very like what Britain was before the Roman invasion.
The oak and cork forests, the narrow, rapid streams, the un-
dulating hills, the dells, the forest glades, — the very presence,
here and there, of blue-tattooed Arabs in their burnouses, all
combined to recall the descriptions of ancient Britain. One had
presented an exact idea of what a rich hilly country is by nature,
and what man can make it. The very district through which
we rode was once as well cleared and cultivated as England is
now, and if Frenchmen could colonize, such slopes and valleys
would soon be dotted with homesteads.

Soon after re-entering the forest, I had my first and probably
my last rencontre with a lion. Observing a line of cliff about
half a mile to the right with a pair of White Vultures hovering
over it, I dismounted in hope of finding the nest, and told
Salah to hold the horses and to follow on as he heard my signal
whistle ; for I wished to scan the rocks, which seemed to extend
for a mile or two parallel to our track. The ground proved
much more difficult than I had anticipated. Before I had pro-
ceeded far, I was in a dense thicket of tangled brushwood,
through which the trees had forced their way, without giving
any idea at a distance of the mass of obstruction below them.
Tired, torn, and pricked, I continued to creep as best I could
under this matwork, till at length I came upon a little dry
watercourse thickly arched over by shrubs, — a sort of tunnel as
it were, up which I might creep more easily to the rocks. I
took advantage of it, but after proceeding a little way suddenly
saw, about ten paces in front of me, a young lion, not taller than

Rev. II. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Algeria. 371

a large St. Bernard dog, but very much heavier and more stoutly
built. I instantly, as the beast rose and stood before me, fired
one barrel right in his face, before I had at all realized what
it was, and the second trigger was pulled ere I perceived the
mistake I had made. One barrel was charged with No. 4 shot,
the other with a green cartridge of the same. The beast seemed
perplexed for a moment, for both charges had evidently lodged in
his face, and perhaps in his eyes, as he sprang up with a note
something between a howl, a roar and a wail, with a considerable
undercurrent of a growl. My first impulse was to follow; my
second, on which I promptly acted, was to make a precipitate
retreat sideways into the tangle, and creep up as speedily as love
of life would enable me. I had hardly re-entered the cover,
when I felt rather than saw the young lion rush down the tun-
nel. Probably, and most providentially, the shot had blinded
him for an instant. I now began to reflect on the hastiness and
folly of my proceeding, for as the beast could not have been two
years old, his mother was probably not far off, and I certainly
was not in a fitting condition to pay so grand a lady a morning-
call alone, and without a single ball by way of a card in my
pocket. Regardless of dignity, or the reputation of courage, I
therefore withdrew as fast as the brushwood would permit, and
was indeed thankful to gain the open glade, where in broad day-
light I was safe. But Salah and the horses had gone on, and
I had a weary tramp before my whistle recalled them. I found
that the rascal, on hearing the report and the roar of the wild
beast, had guessed the affair, and dearly loving a whole skin had
taken care to put space between danger and himself. He drew
a comical picture of his ruffled feelings for the last half-hour,
which I will venture to give in the vernacular which was our
vehicle for the interchange of ideas. " Ah, Sidi sebaa " [master
lion ; for an Arab always speaks respectfully of the lion) mangiar
Sidi Inglez. Salah mafish andar imshi fisa el mercanti. Salah
andar — Arbiah vole hassan — Sidi sebaa mangiar Salah. Salah
reste um plore :" — which, being translated from the lingua Sabir,
means — "Ah, master lion eats master Englishman. Salah cannot
run and go to help his master; for if Salah goes, the Arabs will

372 Rev. H. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Algeria.

steal the horses, and the lion will eat Salah. So he stayed and
wept/^ What a truly Arab view of the case ! The very man to
rely on at a pinch ! I half suspected his cogitations had gone
further, and that he had begun to reckon how much the horses
and kit would fetch in piastres across the Tunisian frontier, as
soon as the lion had finished his meal. Not that the lion will
ordinarily attack a man in the daytime unless he is provoked to
the fray. When surprised in their lairs they invariably slink off,
and are with difficulty brought to bay, as my companions often
found to their disappointment. Soon after this adventure an old
jackal stood coolly waiting in our path till we came up, when I
quietly shot him dead from the saddle at a dozen paces. Indeed
this seems a favourite spot for wild beasts of all kinds, as there
were numerous traces of boars, and we were told that leopards
were very common. An hour before night-fall we reached El
Tarf, a Spahi outpost, where I obtained a shoe for my horse, and
found we had a ride of five leagues further to reach La Calle.
We pressed on across a plain, and after crossing the Wed Kebir
by a deep and somewhat dangerous ford, soon struck into the
high road from Bona, a good carriage-road by the side of a
lake, and then through a cork forest up to the edge of the little
town, which we reached long after dark.

The next two days were devoted to a careful examination of
the vai'ious lakes which lie to the back of the frontier town of
French Africa. My investigation did not encourage the idea
of an ornithological foray on these quarters. There were Ducks
in plenty, but very wild, as might be anticipated where French
chasseurs were at hand ; and I failed to discover either Fuligula
rufina. Anas marmorata , or Erismatura m,ersa. Pochard, Gad-
wall, Mallard, Shoveller, Teal, and Nyroca were the species I
recognized. Herons abounded, but only Ardecs riissata and r«/-
lo'ides; the Great Egret, our principal desideratum, and the Glossy
Ibis being absent. It was pretty evident, from the frequent
report of fowling-pieces, that not much nidification could here be
conducted with comfort or safety, and so, after wading among
the swamps, and admiring whole morasses covered with that most
glorious of ferns, Osmunda regalis, whose fronds I gathered

Eev. H. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Algeria. 373

ten feet in leugtli from the foot of the stalk, but which hckl no
promise of sheltering either Savi's or Cetti's Warbler, I resigned
all designs upon the feathered inhabitants of La Callc.

The environs of La Calle afford more objects of interest to
the marine natui-alist, as it is the resort of many Neapolitan
coral-fishers, who form a considerable portion of the population,
while another source of its trade, besides cork, is from the pro-
duce of some very rich lead-mines in the vicinity. But as these
are on the frontier line, the workmen are locked up every night
in a sort of fortified barrack, and a guard is mounted at sunset
at the entrance to the mines, upon whom the mountaineers
have frequently made descents, and succeeded in carrying off
supplies of lead.

The Algerian Jay [Garrulus atricapillus) and the Great Spot-
ted Cuckoo were my only captures on my way back to Bon
Hadjar, as I carefully avoided paying a second visit to the lions ;
but after resting a night with the hospitable Spahis, I detei--
mined on a bivouac in the cork forest for the next day, as the
weather rendered a tent unnecessary, and forage v/as abundant.
We picketed our horses for the night in an open glade, and
slept comfortably under a cork-tree, in the branches of which
hung an Arab bee-hive. The collection of honey appears here
to be one of the principal employments of the nomads. The
bees arc not owned individually, but all those which settle in
the district claimed by the clan are its common property. To
entice them, one sees continually, hung up among the trees, hives
simply constructed of a large circle of cork about a foot deep,
and with an imperfectly fitted lid of the same substance slightly
fastened over the top. These hives are quite open at the bottom,
and, suspended from a bough, are secure from the attacks of
quadrupeds. Perhaps a third of those we noticed were tenanted.
The bees are never destroyed, but towards the end of the season
the Arabs go round, and, with heads enveloped in their burnouses,
cut out with impunity as much of the comb as they think fit.

In this spot the Woodpeckers abounded, especially Ficus
numidicus and the Green Woodpecker of North Africa [Gecinus
vaillantii). This latter differs but slightly from our European
species, and seems to bear the same relation to it that ours does

374 Rev. H. B. Tristram's Notes from Eastern Algeria.

to the Gecinus canus of the North. In habits and voice it exactly
resembles its congener. The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker I also
saw, but by no means so abundant as the others, of whom I pro-
cured several specimens. We were too early for the nests of
any of them. The Roller had returned to his summer quarters
and might be heard and seen everywhere, performing his strange
gyrations and dropping on the tallest tree within reach for an
instant or two with his loud discordant shriek. As evening
drew on, the Red-necked Goatsucker {Capriinulyus ruficoUis)
flitted about the glades; and the note of the Scops Eared Owl
floated on the air, with its plaintive ' Maroof, maroof,' from
which it derives its local appellation. But in this spot, and in
this only, I found in abundance that most beautiful of European
Lepidoptera, and almost the rarest, Thais medicaste, lighting con-
tinually, with brilliant yellow and red wings, on a species of Cen-
taury. Butterflies are by no means abundant in North Africa,
and the scarcity of Lepidoptera contrasts strongly with the end-
less variety and profusion of the Coleoptera.

At dawn we were again in the saddle, and on our way
obtained a single egg of the Egyptian Vulture, but had the plea-
sure of watching for some time a pair of Tawny Eagles {Aquila
n(2vioides),oiyN\x\c\\, though a young one (now in the Zoological
Gardens) was once brought to us, we never obtained the nest.
In its flight, it seems in no way to differ from the Spotted and
Golden Eagles. On reaching Souk Harras, not very richly
laden, my principal captures having been two eggs of the Liipe-
rial Eagle, and one of Moussier's Redstart, with a few interesting
skins wrapped up behind my saddle, I found our camp was re-
moved to some distance, and so put up at our old quarters in
the auberge. The commandant, however, hospitably invited me
to dine, to meet the cure and another young abbe. The eccle-
siastics discussed the Arab population, whom they, though pro-
fessedly missionaries, considered beyond all hope of conversion,
and therefore never made the effort. The commandant, with a
dash of quiet, subacid humour, entered into the conversation,
and remarked that doubtless such was the opinion of our na-
tive St. Augustine, whose mantle had fallen on the cure. He
added, that the earlier hfe of St. Augustine seemed carefully fol-

vgs.

C -Hewilspn, del. el litJi. 1860

Pi-mteaiiyHirJtmajulJ feWJto

F:g 1.

^

EGG OF FALCO SACER

AOUILA BONELLII

IMPERIALIS.

Mr. W. H. Simpson on the Nesting of Aquila imperialis, &c. 375

lowed by the Christian flock of Thagastum ; but that it must be
a consolation to the cure to feel how mucTi nearer he was to his
predecessor than the Pope to St. Peter, as there have not been
half-a-dozen successors in the line between them.

The next morning I set out on my tired steed for our new
camp at Kef Laks, where Salvin had been hard at work, and
where we made our most successful forays, of which my friend
has_already given an account to the readers of ' The Ibis.'

XLVII. — On the Nesting of KqaiXdi imperialis and Falco sacer.
By W. H. Simpson, M.A., F.Z.S.

(Plate XII.)

Late in the afternoon of the 26th of April last, having driven
across the treeless plain of the Dobrudska, I descended from the
open plateau, which, in the part now alluded to, has a breadth
of about forty miles, upon one of the small valleys communi-
cating with the Danube. The bottom of this valley, like that of
many others on the south side of the river east of Silistria, is on
the same level as the Danube itself, the waters of that river
during the spring and summer floods flowing back naturally for
several miles towards the Turkish coast of the Black Sea. A
portion of the valley is consequently converted into a series of
swampy lakes, communicating with the river by means of a deep
and narrow canal, the mouth of which has recently been banked
up, in order to prevent the Danube from inundating the valley.
Conformable to the course of this canal is a line of stout pollard
willows, of no great height, which however, stunted as they
are, afford the finest specimens of the arboreal world to be seen
between here and the sea-coast. Low cliff's of limestone flank
portions of the valley about the point where the Araba road
descends into it; in these clifi^s it was supposed that Vultur
cinereus might be found breeding, though that supposition
turned out to be incorrect.

At this spot I had quitted the Araba and joined two friends,
who had come to meet me on horseback, when our attention was
immediately drawn to a large nest that completely filled the
boll of one of the aforesaid pollards. It was not very conspi-

VOL. If. 2d

376 Mr. W. H. Simpson on the Nesting

cuously apparent, as the branches, now thickening and becoming
greener every day, formed a sort of leafy screen round the nest,
which would have been well concealed a fortnight later. One
of my friends rode up to the edge of the canal which ran be-
tween us and the tree, when forthwith two large Eagles very
leisurely turned out within pistol-shot of him, and then, after
flying within a hundred and fifty yards of our position, alighted
on the brow of the adjoining hill. Judging from the light
colour of some portions of the plumage, it was clear at once,
even to the naked eye, that the birds were not Golden Eagles ;
yet I was at first much puzzled what to make of them, never
having seen Aquila imperialis on the wing before.

These birds, on being examined through the telescope (for after
the first alarm we never could get near them again), exhibited a
variegated colouring, in which darkish-brown was much relieved
by tawny, especially about the head and shoulders. The breast
appeared very dark ; but this might arise from the peculiar light
which was thrown upon the birds by the setting sun. The cere
exhibited a bright straw-colour, and appeared very large. The
whole colouring was so different from the uniformly dark cha-
racter which the mature Aquila chrysaetos presents on the wing,
that I felt sure the birds in question could not be of that species.
It was of course still more easy to perceive they were not Sea-
Eagles, and their size was sufficient to preclude them from being
confounded with any of the smaller known European Eagles.
Therefore on negative, if not on positive evidence, they stood
convicted of being Imperial Eagles. Subsequently I saw an-
other bird, evidently of the same species, sitting on the top of a
hill overlooking an island in the Danube, but was never able to
obtain a specimen. The Golden Eagle was never seen by me in
this locality, though my friend has noticed a " black Eagle,"
which would appear to answer the description of the small dark
variety of Aquila chrysaetos which sometimes occurs in the south-
east of Europe.

One would imagine that an Eagle's nest in a pollard ten feet
high was not difficult to find ; yet many had passed that way
daily without noticing it. Still less difficulty attended the
capture ; all the romance usually attaching to such a feat disap-

of Aqmla, imperialis a7id Falco sacer. 377

peared. Nothing remained, after due and proper identification,
but to walk up and take possession. The nest was of a good size,
its exterior circumference being, at a guess, 15 feet; the interior
was slightly depressed, but only enough to keep the eggs (two
in number) from rolling .out. It was lined with wool, which
rested upon an immense circular platform of sticks entirely
filling up the boll of the pollard, from which the young willow-
branches sprang upwards in a circle all round the nest. By this
means the entire structure was enclosed in a sort of arbour, which
would screen the birds from the wind and sun, and from general
observation. The eggs, which were slightly incubated, resemble
each other considerably; the one figured (Plate XII. fig. 3)
measuring 29 in. by 2'2 in., and being of a uniform dull-white
colour, with frequent marks and scratches and occasionally
larger blotches of pale brownish-grey.

On the evening of the 29th another fortunate discovery was
made by the same party, and, this time, of the nest of a bird,
whose eggs, it is believed, were almost unknown previously in
authentic cabinets. We were strolling on a low fiat island in
the Danube, the edge of which is well covered with tall poplars
and other trees. Opposite this belt of trees, and across the
river, the Turkish shore rises pretty steeply to a level with the
plateau of the Dobrudska, whilst behind, towards the mainland
of AVallachia, there stretches an immense tract of low ground,
partly swamp, partly forest, and partly open plain. A nest of
Milvus ater had occupied us for a short time ; but on getting
close to the river again, in a place where the trees are very tall,
and not thickly grouped, my friend and cicerone drew our at-
tention to a good-sized nest, which was placed about one-third
of the way up a tallish poplar. The nest was resting upon a
large branch close to the boll of the tree, and appeared exceed-
ingly easy of access. Whilst my friend was climbing towards
it, the bird slipped ofi', and was shot immediately. It proved
to be a female Falco sacer. Of this I was not quite certain
at the tune, being then unacquainted with the distinctions be-
tween Falco lariarius and Falco sacer, though the size inclined
me to decide in favour of the latter. The nest was not very
much larger than those of the numerous Hooded Crows we had

2 D 2

378 Mr. W. H. Simpson on some of the Birds

already examined, but was deep and comfortably lined, appear-
ing, however, from the outside as like a large Crow's nest as one
bundle of sticks is like another. The eggs, four in number,
were slightly incubated. In size, they seem to be intermediate
between those of the Peregrine and Gyr-falcon, being, however,
longer in proportion to their breadth. Two of them are light in
colour, the other two much darker. One of the latter is accu-
rately represented in the accompanying plate (Plate XII. fig. 1).
It measures 2'2 in. by 1'6 in.

The male bird was well observed shortly afterwards. Sitting,
utterly motionless, on the top of a dead tree, with his head
turned over his shoulder, he seemed so mournfully conscious of
the catastrophe which had befallen his family, that I felt utterly
ashamed of having added murder to robbery in my desire to
possess myself of an unknown bird. If the gun had still been
in my hand I could have shot him easily, as he then seemed in-
different to his fate, but it so happened that he flew away before
that weapon actually arrived, and thus escaped being involved in
the ruin of his household.

This was the only pair of Falco sacer ever seen by me or by any
of my friends in this part of the country. I am therefore in-
duced to believe that the species is rare even here, though the
bare and treeless chalk downs of the Dobrudska afford innu-
merable Bustards, both great and small, if that be the food
they covet.

The second figure of the accompanying Plate, which has been
prepared by Mr. W. C. Hewitson, represents the larger of the
two eggs of Bonelli's Eagle [Aquila bonellii), concerning the
taking of which I have already given full details in the last
number of ' The Ibis ' (see antea, p. 291 et seq.).

XLVIII. — Further Observations on some of the Birds of Western
Greece. By W. H. Simpson, M.A., F.Z.S., &c.

Amongst the lesser birds of prey which frequent the neighbour-
hood of Mesolonghi and the lower parts of Western Greece gene-
rally, Circus aruginosus and Circus cyaneus are very conspicuous,
especially in winter. C. eeruyinosus breeds in the great reed-fen.

of Western Greece. 379

which forms an ahiiost impassable barrier both to the sportsman
and naturahst below the fountain issuing from the base of Ara-
cyuthus, in the vicinity of the salt-works. It would be difiScult
to go out anywhere on the level grounds of this region, or on
the still more extensive plains of Northern Elis across the gulf,
without seeing several Harriers skimming the lagoons and swamps
and marshy fields, ready to snap up an unwary bird. They
may be considered an especial feature ever present in the land-
scape of the snipe-shooter, often tempting him to waste a shot
upon their worthless carcases, and, above all, recalling to his
mind the traditions he may have heard from the older race of
fen-men of those halcyon days when Ramsey Mere^ Ugg Mere,
and Whittlesca i\Iere were in their glory, — days when the Bittern
was yet booming in the reeds at home, and when the early
collectors could gather a capful of Harrier's eggs as a May-
morning's work,

C. cineraceus was not observed here ; it is considered to be a
rare bird in Greece. With regard to C. pallidus, which the
German naturalists at Athens consider to be of such frequent
occurrence, I cannot say that any specimens fell under my
notice : dm'ing the winter certainly none. One or two small
birds, which seemed to be of a lighter colour than usual, were
shot, but they turned out in every case to be specimens of
C. cyaneus. There are male specimens of C. pallidus in the
museum at Athens, from the neighbourhood of that city. It is
therefore pi-obable that the PalUd Harrier may occur more fre-
quently on the eastern side of the Hellenic peninsula, which
differs considerably in its ornithological character from the
^vestern side. Nor is this to be wondered at, when we take into
consideration the very great difference in climate and vegetation
which distinguishes the two regions — a difference not to be found
within an equal space in any part of Europe. Vultur cinereus
affords another instance of this. It is not unfrequently obtained
in Attica, where possibly it may breed ; whilst in Southern ^tolia,
where V. fulvus abounds, and V. percnopterus in spring and sum-
mer is not uncommon, no single instance of its occurrence ever
came under my notice, or of that of any one on whose testimony
reliance could be i)laced. If tliere is any record of a Black Vul-

380 Mr. W. H. Simpson on some of the Birds

ture having been seen in these parts, it has been most probably
an immature specimen of Gypaetus harhatus : the difference in
shape might not be observed at a distance.

The Kites are remarkable chiefly for their absence. Of Milvus
regalis I noticed a single specimen, apparently on passage, near
Angelo Castro, towards the end of February ; but never one of
M. ater. This is the more surprising, as the latter species is
of frequent occurrence in Turkey, especially on the Bosphorus,
where it is the hawk most commonly seen in spring and summer,
ever sailing in groups of three and four over the ships in the
harbour of Constantinople. Indeed, a rookeiy of them (if such
a term be applicable) is reported to exist in some of the trees of
the old town. Another raptorial bird remarkable for its scarce-
ness is Circaetus gallicus. It is said by Von der Miihle to be
extremely common during summer in Greece, i. e. in Eastern
Greece, with which he was best acquainted. This is perhaps the
most reptile-eating of all the birds of prey. Its place is supplied
by the Spotted Eagle, so numerous in this district. The only
Circaetus I ever saw in Western Greece was in the lower valley
of the Alpheus. Not far from the same spot, and hard by the
ruins of Olympia, I also came across the only colony of Falco
vespertinus seen during our tour. There were four pairs, very
tame, and evidently quite at home in the park-like trees with
which that beautiful valley abounds. Diligent search was made
for their nests (this was before the middle of May); but the
natives assured us that, although the birds spent the whole winter
and spring there, they never bred, and that those which we then
saw would go away directly.

Towards the middle of ]\Iarch the Little Kestrel {Falco cenchris)
begins to arrive, and presently takes up its abode, often in con-
siderable numbers, in the villages and ruins upon the plains.
Whilst the Common Kestrel, which occurs all the year round,
dwells in the rocks and remoter ruins, breeding generally in
single pairs, this species prefers more inhabited places, and, like
the Swallow, trusts to mankind. In Eastern Greece, one of its
favourite localities is the renowned ruin which crowns the Acro-
polis Rock at Athens. There, in company with the "Bird of
Minerva" {Athene noctua), it finds a secure retreat in the remains

of Western Greece. 381

of Miuerva's noblest fane^ and in the rocks and crannies of that
most ancient wall, in which so many nations have had a hand, from
the days of the Pelasgi to those of the Venetians and the Turks.
The traveller, after he has paid his devotions to the Parthenon
and Erechtheum, and after he has feasted his eyes upon the
magnificent panorama which that memorable spot commands,
can hardly fail to notice with admiration the evolutions of these
elegant little Hawks, which are hovering above him and below
him in every direction. Most of the villages in the marshy
plain near Mesolonglii have their colony of F. cenchris, and
notably those in the neighbourhood of the Phidaris, where the
insects abound on which they feed. Each of the favoured vil-
lages will have from half a dozen to a dozen pair. They breed
generally under the tiles of a house, sometimes in a position
where it is no easy matter to introduce the hand. There is no
regular nest, but the eggs (four, and rarely five, is the comple-
ment) are placed in a depression upon the bare wall amongst
bits of lime mixed with the hard parts of coleopterous insects.
Incubation commences about the middle of May; and if the eggs
are removed they speedily lay again, the second time mostly
three eggs. In size, the egg is considerably smaller than that of
the Common Kestrel ; but it appears subject to pretty much the
same varieties of colour, being on the whole perhaps somewhat
lighter.

This species is very partial and gregarious in its breeding.
Late in May 1859 we found four or five nests in one group of
farm-buildings at Voukhori. Near the same place there is a
ruined stone tower, — a remnant of the very few habitations of
the Turkish period which have survived the sweeping devastation
of the war of independence. It was burnt about thirty-five years
ago, and is now a mere shell : bits of the blackened beams still
stick out of its tottering walls, partially preserving the window-
less apertures which wei'e intended to admit air and light when
the building possessed a roof. An ugly dangerous old edifice it
is, — not time-worn and venerable, but looking like a half-picked
skeleton reared up on end, whose collapse may occur at any mo-
ment. This is the abode of the largest colony of the Little Kestrel
which we ever found breeding together. Though so near the

383 Mr. W. H. Simpson on some of the Birds

village, they are not much disturbed : the only creatures that
share with them possession of the ruin are one or two Little Owls,
and a pair of Storks, which have built a large nest on the top of
the tallest chimney now left standing. In the course of a couple
of days, by carefully watching the holes, we managed to secure
seven or eight nests of the Little Kestrel, using for that purpose
two rickety ladders which the village afforded. One nest only was
impracticable, being placed just beneath a tottering beam covered
with loose stones. This was during the last week of May 1859.

Besides the difficulties arising from the position of the Stork^a
nest, the inhabitants of Voukhori (much to their credit be it
said) were very unwilling that we should damage their beloved
\e\eKi. In consequence of this the nest was examined in the
morning before daylight, and found to contain nothing. Storks
should have eggs by the end of April ; therefore it is to be pre-
sumed that this pair was young, and had not yet succeeded in
producing a family. This was the only inhabited nest in the
district; it might be seen from a great distance crowning the
top of its isolated chimney, thus affording to the stranger a land-
mark by which he could direct his homeward course. In the
days of the Turks these birds were common enough, as they now
are in most Turkish villages.

Another of the household birds of Greece, but one more uni-
versally distributed than F. cenchris through every town and
village of the country, is the little KovKov^ala {Athene noctua),
which here presents the variety to which the term meridionalis
has been applied. However, let it be called what you please, it
is the veritable " Bird of Minerva " of the old Greeks, and as such
is entitled to the reverence due to the familiar of the Goddess of
Wisdom. It frequents olive-groves, old houses, ruins, ancient
walls, and modern churches. To the latter it seems especially
attached, though hardly with a view to getting any of the sacred
oil, like those " fowls of the devil,'^ the Scops Eared Owl and
Barn Owl, in Catholic Spain (Ibis, vol. ii. p. 134). The cry of
the Little Owl is one of the familiar sounds of the early part of
the night, and is considered to be of good omen, so that even
the Greeks like it. The name in their language, when pro-
nounced rapidly, is not a bad imitation of the plaintive note

of Western Greece. 383

which it utters. No other species of Owl is abundant iu the
district round Mesolonghi, though the southern variety of Bubo
maximus breeds in the rocks of Aracynthus. The immense forests
which clothe the ravines on the northern side of that mountain
may contain several species, and possibly Scops zorca, in plenty.
Dismissing the Raptores, we will now consider a few of the
more obvious of the Insessorial birds which frequent the low
grounds on both sides of the Gulf of Patras. Besides the regu-
lar migrants, which, coming from Northern and Central Europe,
hybernate in the plains of alltolia and Acarnania, and the oppo-
site shores of Northern Elis, there are large flocks of local
migrants, coming from the high grounds or from the colder
regions of Albania and Epirus, which spend the winter in these
low and comparatively sheltered regions. First of all, in the
immediate neighbourhood of Mesolonghi, immense quantities of
Larks are to be seen. Alauda calandra is especially numerous.
A sportsman of the true French school might here indulge in his
favourite chasse to any extent. Numbers winter here, changing
their quarters in the spring ; though some remain to breed, their
nests being discovered together with those of A. hrachydactyla,
whose eggs are very frequently brought in by the gamins of the
place. A. cristata is sparingly but more universally distributed
throughout the entire district, being often found duriug winter
in small flocks with A. arborea, though not much on the ^tolian
side. A. arvensis, too, is common enough in the wintei', but dis-
appears from the neighbourhood of Mesolonghi as spring ap-
proaches. Next in number, after the Larks, come the Finches.
The Goldfinch, Linnet, and Gi'eenfinch [F. carduelis, cannabina,
and cliloris) are to be found in great quantities : many other
Finches are doubtless mixed with them ; but these three species,
either singly or together, form the bulk of the flocks which are
always to be met with in the low grounds and at the base of
the mountains. The Common Starling, too, collects in im-
mense flocks just as at home, and breaks down the reeds as it
formerly did in the fens of Huntingdonshire. Here no one takes
the trouble to scare them, and yet they always seem a long time
in making up their minds where they will ultimately take up
their quarters for the night. One of the favoured places was in

384 Mr. W. H. Simpson on some of the Birds

the reed-fen adjoining the lake of Pera Metokhi in Northern EHs.
This fen, with the adjacent lake, is flanked on one side by part
of a great oak-forest, and on the other by a forest of immense
pines {Pinus maritima), which cover the plain to the base of the
peninsular group of rocks terminating in Cape Papa. Often of
an evening, coming home from woodcock-shooting, when the last
rays of the sun were crimsoning the snows of Olonos and the
sharp ridge of the more distant and loftier Kiona, have I noticed
with admiration the evolutions of a flock of several thousands of
these birds hovering over this reed-fen. No drill-sergeant could
impart such unity of action to a given number of volunteers as
was displayed by this body of Stai-lings. Seen from a distance
in the uncertain light of evening, it seemed in shape like a comet
moving across the pale blue sky. Suddenly another evolution
is performed, and the apparent comet is resolved into its com-
ponent units. Again the mass contracts, and a balloon seems
to be floating over the reeds, which now lengthens out into a
huge serpent gliding through the air. The hum of many wings
is concentrated into a sound not unlike that of distant thunder,
overpowering for awhile the cries of the wild-fowl and the as
yet feeble croakings of the frogs.

Crossing over the gulf once more to our old neighbourhood
at ^tolico, I may mention that a considerable flock of Coi'vus
coUaris* passed the winter of 1860 in company with an equally
large flock of Rooks at the foot of Mount Aracynthus. The
Rook is only a hybernant in Greece, rarely if ever staying to
breed there, but some of the Jackdaws do remain behind.
Those at ^Etolico during the month of February had the neck
and shoulder of a very light grey; white it could scarcely be
called. By far the gi'eater part of them go away in the .spring
to breed — into Albania and the North most likely : yet I was
assured by my servant, a trustworthy man, that the Jackdaws in
Corfu and Albania have the grey ring much fainter than these
have, and that in summer it is very slight indeed, probably
nothing more than the faint grey ring observable in all the Jack-

* See Proc. Zool. Zoc. 1846, p. 43, and Capt. H. M. Drumraond's " List
of Birds observed to winter in Macedonia," Ann. Nat. Ilist. xviii. p. 11. —
Ed.

of Western Greece. 385

daws of Central Europe. All the evidence seems to point to
the fact that these ^'Etolian Jackdaws of February are the same
birds which breed during spring in Albania (see ' Ibis/ vol. ii.
p. 135), and it seems clear that the Albanian Jackdaw of spring
and summer is like the form prevalent in Central Europe.
Whence then this great change ? On the other hand, those
birds which remained in Southern iEtolia to breed, retained
during spring (of the summer I cannot speak) the whitish neck
and shoulder, as also did all the Jackdaws that came under my
notice in Asia Minor and Turkey during the spring of 1860.
At Ephesus, amongst other places, there was a large colony
breeding in April. During the latter part of the same month,
in the very different region and under the very different climate
of the Dobrudska, though on pretty nearly the same meridian,
C. collaris was found breeding, to the entire exclusion of the
Central-European form. These facts would point to its being
an Eastern variety ; and if one may hazard a conjecture on such
slender evidence, we can suppose the majority of the Jackdaws
hybernating in Western Greece to exhibit during a certain por-
tion of the year those peculiarities, which, in some of their
brethren that remain to breed, and in nearly all — if not all —
the Jackdaws further eastward, have already passed into a per-
manent variety. It should be mentioned, however, that during
the month of May 1859 there was noticed near Cape Papa in
Elis a small colony, of which no one bird could be detected as
differing from the common C. monedula of the rest of Europe.

Now that we are on the north side of the gulf, and once more
at the foot of xVracynthus, it will be worth while to ascend the
mountain a short way, either up the Grand Gorge, or, better
still, up the Little Klissoura, to observe a few more of the very
singular nests of Sitta syriaca and Hirundo rufula. Scrambling
up the dry watercourse at the bottom of the Little Klissoura,
we may notice in several places the nests of the former plastered
to the face of the cliff. Most of these are old, and probably all
but one or two inaccessible without a rope. Where the nest
does not include a natural cavity of the rock, it is glued very
tightly to the face of the latter, being fully exposed without any
attempt at concealment, though very difficult to distinguish

386 Mr. W. H. Simpson on some of the Birds

from the numerous ants' nests, to which in outward appear-
ance it bears a strong resemblance. It has generally a southern
aspect. The outside appears to be stuck over with the wings of
insects worked up along with the mud composing it, which
becomes very hard after exposure. Hirundo rufula is still more
singular in its niditication, always fixing its nest under a cave or
projecting slab of rock. In the Little Klissoura and throughout
the precipices of Aracynthus there are plenty of these caves, in
former times a convenient refuge for the Klephts, as they now
are for the shepherds tending their flocks during the winter
months. This eccentric Swallow, not satisfied with having a
good dry cave all to himself, must needs construct a long passage
to his nest, thus giving it the shape of a retort with the upper
part cut away, and the remaining portion glued underneath a
flat surface. The entrance is narrow, but the passage gradually
widens, till it finally opens into a sort of chamber very warmly
lined with feathers : here the little fellow and his mate are sure
to be most snugly tucked in just after sundown, when they can't
see to catch any more insects. Escape therefore is impossible
when a ruthless ornithologist wishes to capture the pair for the
sake of identifying their eggs. No more than one pair ever
seem to occupy a cave, though the remains of previous nests
could occasionally be traced on the roofs. The same pair appear
to return year after year, and their nest, unless injured by shep-
herd boys during the winter, will merely require a little touching
up to render it again. inhabitable. The fact of the same birds
returning was proved by these caves being untenanted, where
the pair had been captured during the preceding year. Several
nests with eggs were found towards the end of iMay and begin-
ning of June 1859. Four seems about the complement : they
are quite white, much resembling eggs oiH.urbica, which could
be well passed off for them in collections.

A curious circumstance in connexion with one of these nests
occurred to Dr. Kriiper and myself in a cave at the entrance to
the Little Klissoura. Fastened to the roof of this cave (which
was on the face of a low cliff", and not easy of access) we espied a
very good nest of Hirundo rufula, upon which Dr. Kriiper pro-
ceeded to operate with a penknife, whilst I placed my hand over

of Western Greece. 387

the moutli of the passage. Presently something that felt cold,
like a dog's nose, began rubbing against the palm. On with-
drawing the hand a thick snake poked his head out of the aper-
ture, looked around for awhile, and then popped in again. He
was in very good quarters, and evidently intended to take a lease
of the premises, which just suited him, as he could coil himself
up in the bulb of the retort, with his head and neck stretched
out along the passage in readiness for any emergency. We soon
had him sprawling upon the floor of the cave, when it became
apparent that he had swallowed a full-grown young Swallow, the
other three being in all probability destined for a similar fate.
The sensations of these wretched little victims, lying in such close
contact with their horrible enemy, must have been somewhat
akin to those of Ulysses and his companions in the cave of Poly-
phemus. In the destruction of the nest, two of them made good
their escape; the fourth was captured and preserved by Kriiper,
together with the first, which, on being cut out of the body of
the snake, was found to be very little injured as a specimen.
The walls of the cave were smooth and nearly perpendicular, the
roof at least seven feet above the floor, and no cracks visible ;
how then could this monster have wriggled himself into such a
well-stocked larder ?

Every European species of Hirundo and Cypselus (except per-
haps H. riparia) may be found breeding in Mount Aracynthus.
Cijpsehis melba {7reTpo')(^e\lSova) comes in April, and establishes
considerable colonies both here and in Varassovo-: its nests lie
deep in the clefts of high precipices, and are very difficult of ac-
cess. Cypselus apus is not so common. Hirundo urbica {')(^e\iS6va)
has several large colonies in the Klissouras and in the Grand
Gorge: its round nests thickly dotting the face of the cliff are
very conspicuous ; the birds may be seen flocking in and out of
them like a swarm of bees. In the mountain, Hirundo rustica
is not so common as the latter : there is a variety frequent about
Mesolonghi, which at one time was raised to the dignity of a
separate species. Hirundo rupestris {dypia ')(e\ihova) is the only
Swallow that winters in Greece. Numbers of them passed the
month of February in the cliff's above the lagoon at ^tolico,
where the nest of Bonelli's Eaprle was found. During the sum-

388 Mr. W, H. Simpson on some of the Birds

mcr they go higher up. One or two pairs were breeding towards
the bcginiiiiii;- of June in a deep eleft near tlie fort at the north
entrance of the Great Khssoura, but their position was inacces-
sible.

The Game Birds of this district are few in species and de-
creasing in numbers. First of all comes the Greek Partridge
{Caccabis saxatUis), which still maintains its ground in Ara-
cynthus, though the natives are on the look-out for it all the
year round. With this species incubation commences about the
middle of April. It lays from ten to fourteen eggs, in colour
much resembling those of the common Grey Partridge {Pcrdix
cinercus) ; but in some a faint trace of freckles may be observed,
thus connecting tlieni with the profusely freckled eggs of the
common Redleg {Caccabis rubra) and Barbary Partridge {C. pe-
trosa). In all the mountains of Greece, C.saxatilis is more or less
numerous, but, owing to the nature of the ground, does not afford
good sport in its usual haunts. During the autumn, wlu-n the
coveys descend to the islands, Megan isi for examjde, and in very
hard weather, to the low grounds generally, a fair bag of them is
sometimes made. The Pheasant, which used to be so numerous
in the park-like woods that skirt the base of the mountains
around the magnilicent plain of Agrinion, nmst, I fear, be num-
bered with the things that have been. The Germans who came
with king Otho are accused of being the first to commence the
extermination of this bird ; but now that the Greeks have left off
shooting one another, they have taken to field sports instead.
Nothing gratifies the pot-hunting propensities of an il^^tolian
shej)herd more than stalking a hen ])heasant on her nest —
a sitting shot of course. Heaven be praised ! they cannot shoot
flying yet : when that accomplishment is learnt, adieu to the
woodcocks. But it is obvious that as population and civili-
zation increase in any district, all cons])icuous birds that do not
migrate to more secluded breeding-quarters must cease to exist.
Anything like abstaining from shooting during the breeding
season is almost too much to expect I'rom a j)cople who have
recently made so great a sacrifice as to forego their hereditary
privilege of shooting each other. The Bustard {Otis tarda) and
Little Bustard {Otis tetrax), whidi are not uncommon in East-

of Western Greece. 389

ern Greece, occur but rarely in the neighbourhood of Meso-
longhi. The Quail {oprUt) is tolerably plentiful at times, and
many winter here. In December there is often very fair Quail-
shooting ; but the great spring migration, which covers some of
the Ionian Islands with Quuil towards the end of April, is but
slightly felt on this part of the mainland.

Before quitting the region included between the AcheloUs
and the Phidaris, it only remains to take a 'monoxylon' and have
a sail upon tlie broad lagoon of Mesolonghi, not forgetting to
examine its muddy shores and numerous islets, which are the
breeding-gronnds of some of the many varieties of birds which
we see resting upon or hovering over its surface. As there is a
great change between summer and winter in its occupants, a
separate expedition for each season will disjjlay great variety in
the ornithological features of the scene. We will suppose the
first to embrace the greater part of the latter half of May, when
the majority of the birds that intend to breed here have already
j)repared their nests, whilst those whose breeding-grounds are
further north arc resting on the way from their southern quarters.
Beginning with the Waders, we are sure to notice abundance
o( yi£(/ialites cantianus, which breeds plentifully on the mud flats
and islets. Its congener, yE. minor, is not uncommon amongst
the immense gravel-beds of the Acheloiis and Phidaris, on one
of which I once picked up part of an egg-shell, evidently of
this species. GlnrcoJn proiincoln is distributed everywhere, and
Ijreeds in company with the Terns. A few pairs of the Stilt
[Himantopus rufipes) may also be seen flitting about : their
breeding-place is close to the edge of the rough fen near Mio-
lico. On the 15th, a Plover, flying rapidly towards the east,
was brought down by a quick shot, and turned out to be Squa-
tarola helvetica, still in the winter dress. November and May are
th8 months when this bird may be looked for in the marshes of
Greece. Of Totanus calidris a very few ])airs remain to breed :
one nest only was brought in. During winter it is so common,
that if you land on an island to get a shot at a snipe or a duck,
one of these birds is sure to rise up and go shrieking across the
water, to the great disgust of the gunner, as it puts the ducks
on the alert. Hence its name of /jiupTvpo<i, or the "Tell-tale."

390 Mr. W. H. Simpson on some of the Birds

If I remember rightly, the Scandinavian name of " Tolk,"
applied to this bird, attests a similar appreciation of its evil
qualities. Some individuals of Totanus ochropus remain so late,
that their breeding-quarters may be nearer than is generally
supposed. We can believe almost anything of a bird that so far
departs from the habits of its congeners, as occasionally to lay
its eggs in old nests of tree-building birds *. Trmgoides hypo-
leucus was not observed on the lagoon, but there is little doubt
of its breeding amongst the pebble beds of the large rivers. On
the 21st I was very much surprised to notice, at the mouth of
the town-ditch of Mesolonghi, a large flock of Tringa suharquata.
The following day they were again seen at the edge of the
lagoon to the eastward of the town, where there is a good deal
of rubbish occasionally thrown out, amongst which they seemed
to be eagerly picking. About half of the flock were beginning
to show the red breast and body, and some were in almost full
nuptial plumage. What a long journey had these little fellows
before them, for whom, in search of a breeding-ground, the ex-
treme Cape of Siberia is not far enough north ! [I think it is
Middendorf who says this.] Small flocks of Tringa temminckii
may be seen about thQ same time, or even later. Numenius
tenuirostris would seem to breed somewhere in the neighbour-
hood, though no one, as far as I know, has ever had the luck
to find its nests.

Ibis falcincllus occurs in flocks of moderate size. During the
spring I have seen several together so late as the 15th, appa-
rently on passage. It is not veiy probable that any breed in
this district, though a few most likely remain behind in Epirus
and Albania. The main body are merely en route for the
marshes of the Danube and its affluents, where great quan-
tities of them annually rear their young. The same remarks
will apply to Ardece purpurea, gurzetta, and comata, all of which
species I have noticed in the marshes of Northern Elis, just
across the gvxlf, so late as the middle of May. If any of them do
breed here during the month of June, they are so well concealed
in the reed thickets as to escape observation. Ardea cinerea
would seem to remain here all the year round. Ardea minuta is

* Dr. Kriiper has found eggs of this species so placed in Pomerania.

of Western Qreece. 391

frequent in spring, and most likely breeds in the neighbour-
hood.

Though parts of the lagoon are covered with Ducks during
winter, it is almost deserted by them in the month of May.
Anas boschas, however, breeds on the islands ; we found several
of their nests, some with eggs, others hatched off or taken. No
duck in Europe (let the high plateaux of North Africa be in-
cluded) has such an extensive breeding-range as the common
Wild Duck. The oologist in search of identified ducks^ eggs,
those most valuable desiderata of authentic cabinets, is sure to
come across more of these than of any other species. Even in
Lapland, the chosen breeding-ground of Wigeon, Teal, Golden
Eye, Crested Duck, and a host of others, a stray nest of A.
boschas is sometimes found, whilst in Greece it is the only duck
that breeds at all plentifully. Anas querquedula breeds, accord-
ing to report, in the marsh at Thei*mopyl?e, and perhaps here
also ; nor is it improbable that a few pairs of Fuligula mjroca
remain behind for the same purpose.

The most numerous of all the birds during the latter half of
May on the lagoon of Mesolonghi are the Terns, and notably
Stei'ntB hirundo, minuta, and anylica. If unmolested, their num-
bers would be enormous, as there are probably few places in the
Mediterranean more adapted by nature for these birds, if innu-
merable flat islets and sandy spots, washed by an immense
extent of very shallow salt water abounding in fish, can be any
inducement to their undertaking the labours of incubation.
But now that the towns of Mesolonghi and iEtolico are be-
ginning to stir, and the fisheries to be more looked after, all the
birds will suffer from the increase of activity. The eggs of
Sterna anglica especially are much eaten by the natives. It was
from this circumstance that I came to discover their principal
colony, as the following extract from my note-book will show : —
" On the 23rd I started in a monoxylon with Vitalis and a native
to search the salt lagoon and the islets south-east of the town,
my chief object being to discover the quarters of Sterna anglica,
which was to be seen flying about in every direction. This bird
had caused me many a fruitless ride across the high plains of
the Atlas during the summer of 1857; and it now seemed likely

VOL. II. 2 E

392 Mr. W. H. Simpson on some of the Birds

that I was to have another wild-goose chase across the lagoon
and mnd-flats of Mesolonghi under the equally powerful sun of
Greece, Already several days had elapsed since we first noticed
them, and still we were unable to gain any satisfactory tidings
of their mysterious retreat. My associates became very muti-
nous in consequence of our prolonged ill-success ; so I directed
the boat to be lauded at a fisherman's hut outside the main group
of islets, where some fish was roasted to appease their hunger and
ill-temper. Whilst this was being prepared, the usual question
of course was put, and ehcited the usual reply in the negative.
' Where do these broken shells come from, theu?^ 'Oh ! they
come from a long way off; and the birds won't lay any more.'
' Wouldn't 20 kfta per egg induce the birds to alter their deter-
mination ?' ' They couldn't lay upon trust ; part of the money
must be paid down.' So the fisherman's boy agreed to try; and
our monoxylon set off towards the outer spit, which was searched
without success. On returning to the islet, I was much surprised
at seeing a straw hat filled with eggs of S. anglica awaiting our
inspection. Late as it was, I made the boy take me to the place,
where I had the satisfaction of seeing the bird itself in great
numbers, and succeeded myself in finding four nests, two of
which, with their full complement of eggs, were taken then and
there. The boy was directed to find all the nests he could, and
leave them for rae to inspect on the following day." The
greater number of the nests were on two of the innermost islets
of this group. Generally they are placed on the raised outer
edge, which in case of a flood would remain longest high and
dry. The eggs are deposited upon the sand or soil, in a depres-
sion slightly lined with a few bits of dead grass, and are not
easy to see, as the colours blend with surrounding objects. The
birds appear to commence incubation simultaneously, or nearly
so, as most of the nests contained eggs pretty fresh. They did
not evince the anxiety which many Terns do about their eggs,
but simply contented themselves with flying in a body, at a great
height, over the islands. I strongly suspect that in these hot
countries the Terns do not care to sit upon their eggs through-
out the day; and this may be the reason why one often sees
flocks of Sterna anglica feeding miles away from head- quarters.

of Western Greece. 393

Mingling with the grand army of Sterna anglica are a few
individuals of Sterna hii'undo, which breeds sporadically over the
entire lagoon : the chief colonies of Sterna minuta are in another
direction. These three Terns are all that breed here, as far as
I can tell. A few individuals of Sterna leucoptera and some
flocks of Sterna nigra were observed so late as the middle of
May, but they all seemed bound for the north.

Before taking leave of the lagoon in its summer aspect, there
is one more bird well worthy of our attention, though it may
seem somewhat out of place at the end of the list. Let the egg-
seeker laud on any islet, mud-bank, or sandy spit not destitute
of vegetation, and who so ready to herald his approach, watch his
proceedings, and chirp defiance at him from the top of a hillock,
as the vivacious, brilliant Motacilla melanocephala ? His mate
has long ago quitted her nest, and presently makes her appear-
ance in quite another direction, with that demure look which hen
birds are apt to assume when they wish to look as if they didn^t
come from anywhere in particular. This bird is one of the espe-
cial features of Mesolonghi, where it is exceedingly numerous,
and the only Wagtail seen during the summer-time. Besides
the great contrast between the black head and the grey one, and
the superior brilliancy of the yellow of this bird, together with
the minor distinctions which may be observed on comparing
skins of it with those of M. flava, there does not appear to be
any difference in their respective habits, though much in their
distribution. M. flava is an early spring migrant here, even
wintering, according to Von der Miihle, in the extreme south of
the Morea : the flight is generally over before M. melanocephala
makes its appearance, which latter comes about the same time as
Merops apiaster. The same authority also says that '' one never
meets with M. flava and M. melanocephala together;" that " in
many districts, such as Livadia, Volo, and Lamia, only M. flava
is met with, whilst in the Morea it is only M. melanocephala.^^
This, I presume, is meant to be during the breeding-season. If
his observations are correct as to the east coast of Continental
Greece, it would appear that M. melanocephala does not go very
far north on the side of the ^gsean, whilst on the west side of
the Hellenic peninsula Mr. Powys (Ibis, vol. ii. p. 229) noticed

2 E 2

394 Mr. W. H. Simpson on some of the Birds

the species, though in small numbers, near Butrinto in Epirus,
which is pretty nearly as far north as it seems to have been
observed.

Visiting the same lagoon in the month of February, a great
change will be perceived in its ornithological aspect, not less than
in the surrounding landscape. Instead of the gorgeous M. me-
lanocephala in pairs, we have small flocks of M. hoarula and M.
alba. Not a single individual of Sterna anglica (as far as my
observation goes) is to be seen, though S. hirundo maintains its
ground. Instead of /S. anglica, a few S. cantiaca and many S.
caspia are flying over its waters, which are now well stocked with
Ducks, though not so fully as a month ago. " li'kri6o<i, irX-i]-
00^," said a Mesolonghiote, in answer to our inquiries touch-
ing the Ducks when first we came ; but many have gone over
since then to the Patras market. Of the true Ducks, Anates
penelope, boschas, and crecca are the most numerous; A. querque-
dula not scarce ; A. acuta very rai'e ; A. strepera not seen at
all. Rhynchaspis clyp)eata tolerably numerous. The genus Oide-
mia not represented. Fuligula cristata and F. ferina extremely
numerous ; F. nyroca and Clangula glaucion less so. The last
four species keep to the open water more than the true Ducks,
which latter lie up amongst the reeds and sedge near the springs.
F. marila and F. rujina not observed. Mergus albellus is said to
be very plentiful at times ; but not many were seen during the
winter of 1860.

As this short account of the Birds of Western Greece is not
intended to contain an exhaustive list of the species that occur
there, but simply to point out a few of its most obvious ornitho-
logical features, there is no need to go through the shore birds
and other Waders which frequent its lakes and swamps during
the winter season. We may be sure that, in a country with so
large an extent of sea-coast, and where draining is at present so
little practised, the genera Charadrius, Totanus, Tringa, Scolopax,
and Numenius are well represented. There is only one other
bird (a most conspicuous feature in the lagoon of Mesolonghi)
to which I would direct attention, and the more so as it is likely
soon to disappear from the district, because it is too good a
fisherman to be allowed a cast without paying any rent.

of Western Greece. 395

Time was, and not so long ago, when Pelecanus crisjms lived
in hundreds all the year round, from the rocky promontory of
Kourtzolari, hard by the mouth of the Acheloiis, on the western
extremity of the lagoon, to the islands of TEtolico, up its northern
arms, and, on the east, to the great mud-Hats which mark the
limits of the present delta of the Phidaris. Now-a-days a solitary
individual may be seen fishing here and there throughout the la-
goon, but the small remnant of this once mighty host have made
their last stand upon the islands which divide the Gulf of Proco-
panisto from the Gulf of ^Etolico. Here, towards the end of Fe-
bruary last, the community of Pelicans constructed a group of
seven nests, ^ — a sad falling-off from the year 1858, when thirty-
five nests, the remains of wliich had not then disappeared, were
grouped in contiguous proximity upon a neighbouring islet. It
needs not the nose of a pointer to discover the locality, even if
the lai'ge white birds themselves were not a sufficient guide. As
we approached the spot in a boat the Pelicans left their nests,
and taking to the water, sailed away like a fleet of stately ships,
leaving their newly-built establishment in possession of the in-
vader. The boat grounded in 2 or 3 feet of mud, and when the
party had floundered through this, the seven nests were discovered
to be empty. A fisherman had plundered them that morning,
taking from each nest one egg, all of which we of course re-
covered. The nests were constructed in a great measure of the
old reed palings used by the natives for enclosing the fish,
though with these were mixed such pieces of the vegetation of
the islet as were suitable for the purpose. The seven nests were
contiguous, and disposed in the shape of an irregular cross, — the
navel of the cross, which w^as the tallest nest, being about 30
inches high, the two next in line on each side being about 2 feet
high, the two nests forming each arm of the cross a few inches
lower, and the two extremes at either end being about 14 inches
from the ground. These lattei', it is presumed, were intended
for the junior j)artners of the firm, in the same way that the
great bear of nursery tales has a big seat, his wife a middling
seat, and the little bear a small seat. The eggs are chalky, like
those of the Pelecanida generally, very rough in texture, and
some of them much streaked with blood.

396 Messi's. Salvin and Sclater on the

XLIX. — Contributions to the Ornithology of Guatemala. By
OsBERT Salvin and Philip Lutley Sclater. (Part III.)

(Plate XIII.)

[Concluded from page 278.]

On leaving Coban, in November 1859, I engaged Cipriano
Prado, a resident of that town, to proceed to the coast-region of
the north to collect birds for me. This man was absent nearly
four weeks, and returned with a series of about 400 skins. At
the same time his brother, Juan Prado, also got together some
200 more from the Indians of Coban and its neighbourhood.
During the months of January and February 1860 I was myself
collecting at Duenas, and made a short excursion to Escuintla.
Thence I returned in March, via Duenas, to Vera Paz, and ob-
tained a few birds by the way on the Rio Motagua.

At San Geronimo my friend Mr. Owen had during these
months made a small collection, which contained several species
I had not previously noticed in Guatemala. All these, with a
few that I collected in the mountains of Vera Paz in the month
of March last, form the principal part of my last collections, the
rest being made up by two small lots, one from Tactic, and the
other from Cajabon.

The whole number of skins thus assembled amounts to nearly
1000, belonging to about 220 species, of which 46 are new to
the fauna of Guatemala. — 0. S.

To these 46 species 6 more may be added, as now satisfactorily
ascertained to be found within our limits, making in all 52 addi-
tional species. After erasing the names of a few from the first
list, whose occurrence in Guatemala has not been confirmed, the
whole Avifauna of that country includes 503 species — a larger
number probably than would be found in any country of equal
area yet explored.

We now give the names of the additional species, as we have
determined them, the remarks on the localities and habits being
added by Salvin.

1. TuRDUs MiGRATORius, Linn. N.A.

Coban. This is probably the usual southern limit of this bird,

Ornithology of Guatemala. 3L'7

one specimen only having been obtained, though it has been
noticed as a straggler in some of the southern Antilles.

2. Thryothortjs felix, Sclater ?

Escnintla. This Wren is most like T. felix of Oaxaca, de-
scribed P. Z. S. 1859, p. «371 ; but a single specimen only being
in the collection, makes its determination not quite satisfactory.

3. Cyphouhinus GRisEicoLLis (Lafr.) : Scytalojms gi-iseicol-
lis, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 103; Thryothorus guttatus, Hartl.
Syst. Verz. IMus. Brem. p. 28 (1844).

Volcan de Agua, January 3 860. This bird is the one men-
tioned at p. 272. It appears distinct from the C. prostheleucus,
of which Cipriano Prado obtained many specimens near Choctum,
in the tierra caliente, to the north of Coban. The true C. pros-
theleucus seems to be found in the hot country only; while this
bird is an inhabitant of a much more temperate region, and
seems identical with the species of New Granada.

4. PoLioPTiLA ALBiLORis, Sclat. ct Salv. P.Z. S. 1860, p. 298,
I shot a single specimen of this bird near a place called

Choacus, in a valley leading into that of the Rio Motagua.

5. Parula brasiliana (Licht.).

Cipriano Prado's collection contained a single specimen of a
Parula apparently of this South American species, which has not
hitherto been noticed so far north.

6. Helminthophaga chrysoptera (Linn.) : Baird, Rep.
p. 255. N. A.

A single specimen from Choctum.

7. Granatellus sall^i, Sclat, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 92.
A single specimen in the collection from Cajabon.

8. Hylophilus ochraceiceps, Sclatei', P.Z.S. 1859, p. 375.
Several specirnens in the collection from Choctum.

9. Hylophilus ciNEREicEPs,Sclat.etSalv.P.Z,S.1860,p.299.
Two specimens from the same locality as the last.

10. Myiadestes unicolor, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 299.

A common species about Coban, and throughout the greater
part of the mountainous parts of V^cra Paz. Though of the same

398 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater on the

character, its song differs considerably from that of M. ohscurus,
and is perhaps the more melodious of the two.

11. Passerculus ALAUDiNus, Bp.: Baird, Rep. p.446. N.A.
Obtained among low shrubs near the lake of Duenas.

12. HiEMOPHiLA RUFicAUDA, Bp. : Chondestes ruficauda, Bp.
Compt. Rend, xxxvii. p. 918 (1853).

Valley of the Rio Motagua, inhabiting the sterile parts where
Cacti and Mimosse chiefly grow.

13. Oryzoborus funereus, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 378.
One specimen from Choctum.

14. CoccoTHRAUSTEs MACULiPENNis, Sclatcr, P. Z. S. 1860,
p. 351, pi. 163.

One specimen from Alotenango. This should have been in-
cluded in our last list. There were two birds where I shot this ;
the other I was unable to secure.

15. Icterus maculialatus, Cassin, Journ. Acad. Philad. i.
p. 137, pi. 16. fig. 1.

Volcan de Fuego. Two examples, S $ • One of these rare
Icteri was brought to me by Jose Ordonez, the hunter of Oreo-
phases, the day before I left Duenas. The other I shot myself
in the Volcano. — 0. S. Besides these, I have only seen the
examples in the collection at Philadelphia, which are marked
' Coban.'— P. L. S.

16. QuiscALUs suMiCHRASTi, Dc Saussurc, Rev. Zool. 1859,
p. 119.

This bird differs a good deal from a true Quiscalus both in its
cry and habits. I only met with it in Vera Paz, never in other
parts of the republic ; nor is it found about San Geronimo, — first
occurring on the high part of the road to Tactic.

17. Anabazenops vartegaticeps, Sclater, P. Z, S. 1856,
p. 289.

In Cipriano Prado's collection from Choctum, as also the fol-
lowing four species.

18. DeNDRORNIS FLAVIGASTRA (Sw.).

Choctum, January 1860.

Ornithology of Guatemala. 399

T9. Thamnistes anabatinus, Sclat. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1860,
p. 299.

Choctum, January 1860.

20. Dysithamnus semicinereus, Sclater, P.Z.S.1855, p.90,
pi. 97.

Choctum, January 1860. These specimens seem undistin-
guishable from the New-Granadiau bird.

21. Ramphoc.enus rufiventris, 13p.

Choctum, January 1860. Cipriano also shot a specimen of
this bird while with me at Lanquin.

All these appear to be birds exclusively frequenting a hot
country.

22. Tyraxnus crassirostris, Swains. Quart. Journ. Sc. xx.
p. 273.

Escuintla, January 1860.

23. Myiobius suLPHUREiPYGius, Sclatcr, Ibis, 1859, p. 4i2,
Choctum, in Juan and Cipriano Prado's collections. A bird

of the hot region.

24. Pybocephalus mexicanus, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 45.
Don Vicente Constancia has one specimen of this bird. I

never met with it myself; but it is included in Moore's list of
the Birds of Honduras collected by Leyland.

25. Cyclorhyxchus brevirostris. Cab.

In the collections from the hot district of Choctum ; also the
following.

26. Cyclorhyxchus cinereiceps, Sclater, Ibis, 1859, p. 443.
Of this bird I also shot one example at Escuintla.

27. Platyrhynchus caxcrominus, Sclat. et Salv. P. Z. S.
1860, p. 299.

From Choctum.

28. ToDiRosTRUM scHiSTACEicEPS, Sclatcr, Ibis, 1859, p. 444.
Choctum.

29. Leptopogon amaurocephalus, Cab.

Choctum. A Tyranninc of this genus agreeing with Mexican

400 Messrs. Salvin and Sclater on the

examples referred to in P. Z. S. 1859, p. 384, but not yet cer-
tainly identified with the S. American L. amaurocephalus.

30. Camptostoma imberbe, Sclater, Ibis, 1859, pi. xiv.
fig. 1.

I shot a single specimen, the second only which has been pro-
cured of this little bird, at Escuintla. I saw several others in
the neighbourhood, but was unable to secure them.

31. Tyhannulus semiflavus, Sclat. ct Salv. P. Z. S. 18(50,
p. 300.

One specimen only, shot by Cipriano Prado at Choctum.

32. Heteropelma ver^-pacis, Sclat. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1860,
p. 300.

Also shot by Cipriano Prado at Choctum.

33. LiPAUGUs holerythrus, Sclat. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1860,
p. 300.

Seems to be found in the same localities as L. unirufus, viz.
in the tierra calicnte of Vera Paz. I never obtained L. rufescens,
a specimen of which, said to be from Coban, is in the British
Museum.

34. TiTYRA ALBITORQUES (DuBus).

One example, a male, from Choctum.

35. Heliotiirix barroti, Gould, Mon. Troch. pt. vi.

The * Columbian Fairy,' as Mr. Gould calls this species, seems,
from all the accounts I could hear, to be far from scarce in the
tierra caliente of the upper })arts of the Bio do la Passion, occur-
ring rarely at Choctum, but more abundantly at Chiscc, a place
further to the northward, in the direction of Peten. It is found
also on the Bio Polochic, where I saw one specimen as I was
riding from Telemau to Panzos to embark in a canoe to proceed
to Yzabal.

36. Hylomanes momotula, Licht.
Choctum.

37. Chloronerpes oleagineus, Beichb.
Choctum.

Ibis.itibU, r-

':us E^'M.^^

Oi^nithology of Guatemala. 401

38. CoNURUS PETZii (Hahn).

A common species about some hot springs near the Rio
Motagua.

39. PioNus H^MATOTis, Sclat. et Salv. P. Z. S. 1860, p. 300.
(Plate XIII.)

This beautiful Parrot is known to the Indians of Vera Paz as
the ' Khel' It is said to be far from uncommon in the tierra
caliente ; and during the time that the maize is ripe at Coban, it
is one of the species that commits the greatest depredations on
the crops. In the month of March (1860), when I was in the
mountains in search of Quesals {P/taromaa-usparadiseus), a small
flock used to frequent the neighbourhood of one of our camps.
Owing to the great height of the trees on which they usually sat,
I was only able to secure one specimen. Cipriano Prado brought
two others from Choctum.

40. Chrysotis autumnalis (Linn.).

I am not aware of having met with this species in a wild state,
but it is frequently seen in cages in Guatemala. It is said to be
common in the tierra caliente of Vera Paz. Juan Prado brought
two from those districts, one of which died and was preserved.

41. BuTEO FULiGiNosus, Sclatcr, Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. iv.
p. 267, pi. 62.

Juan Prado procured me one specimen of this Buzzard. It
was brought to him by an Indian.

42. BuTEG ERYTHRONOTUS, King : Strickl. Orn. Syn. p. 34.
Don Vicente Constancia has an adult example of this bird,

shot near Antigua Guatemala.

43. AcciPiTER cooPERi, Bp. : Baird, Rep. p. 16.

One specimen, in immature dress, in Juan Prado's collection.

44. PhOLEOPTYNX HYPOOiEA (Bp.).

One specimen, obtained at San Geronimo by Mr. Owen. I
saw another, decayed, lying on the thatch of a I'ancho at Lanquin.

45. Geotrygon albifacies, Sclat. P. Z. S. 1858, p. 98.

46. Geotrygon montanus (Linn.) : Bp. Consp. ii. p. 72.
Both these Pigeons ai'c found in the forests of Vera Paz.

402 Dr. G. Bennett on a new Cassowary.

47. COLUMBA ?

Choctum. A single specimen of a Pigeon, probably referable
to Columba vinacea, Temm.

48. Leptoptila rufaxilla.

Both these Pigeons are also from the hot districts.

49. Platalea ajaja, Linn. N. A.

Soon after I left Guatemala in 1858, a Rosy Spoonbill was
killed by an Indian near the lake of Duefias. Don Vicente Con-
stancia now has this specimen stuffed.

50. EuDociMUs ALBUS (Linn.) : Bp. Consp. p. 156. N. A.
When coasting up the Belize territory in April last (1860), I

saw two specimens of the White Ibis near Golden Stream Keys.

51. EuDociMUs RUBER (Linn.) : Bp. Consp. ii. p. 157. N. A.
Mr. George Baily informed me that this bird is very common

at certain seasons about the shores of the lake of Yzabal.

52. Chauna derbiana, G. R. Gray.

This fine Screamer is probably peculiar to the forests of
Central America. The type-specimen (which, as we have been
kindly informed by Mr. T. S. Moore, the Curator of the Derby
Museum at Liverpool, is now stuffed in that collection) was re-
ceived from Mr. Bates, the collector, by the late Lord Derby
in 1843. It was captured alive at Peten, and kept living for four
months by cramming it with food. A second and finer example
in the same collection is labelled as having been purchased from
Mr. Leadbeater in 1843. We are not aware of the existence of
this bird in any other European collection.

L, — Letter from Dr. G.Bennett respecting a new Cassowary.
(Plate XIV.)

[The following letter from Dr. George Bennett relates to the
new Cassowary lately received by the Zoological Society of Am-
sterdam, the existence of which has been alluded to in a recent
number of the 'Annals of Natural History*.' The accom-
panying illustration (Plate XIV.) is copied from the drawing of
the head of this interesting bird, kindly communicated to us by
Dr. Bennett. Mr. Blyth has also been good enough to forward
* Ser. iii. vol. vi. p. 113, note (Aug. 1860).

iiiis.iaeo, PL. XT/.

y

Jennens, iiXh. M &T>( Haiiharl, Impl^

C ASUARIU S UNO -APPENDICULATUS , zf7j?A:

Dr. G. Bennett on a new Cassoivarij. 403

to us a drawing, by a native artist, of the type-specimen of his
Casuarius uno-appendiculatus, which was lately living in the
Babu Rajendra Mullick's menagerie at Calcutta. There can be
no doubt, upon comparison of these two drawings, of the identity
of the two birds. The Calcutta bird is evidently the older, the
casque being better developed, and the yellow colour extending
over the back of the neck, whereas in the Amsterdam specimen
this part appears to be covered with short feathers. — Ed.]

"Athenaeum Club, Aug. 17th, l^fiO.

"My dear Sir, — During a visit to the Zoological Gardens of
Amsterdam, on the 10th of this month, I observed a living spe-
cimen of a Cassowary, differing in many characters from any of
the hitherto known species. It appears to be about half-grown,
being of about the same size as the last two Mooruks when I
sent them to the Zoological Gardens in the Regent's Park ; and
the casque is not yet developed. The cheeks are of a bluish-
green colour; the throat circled, and of a bright ochreous yellow,
terminating in a single wattle. On each side of the neck there
is a bare space, also of a bright ochreous colour with a slight
crimson tinge. In general appearance the bird otherwise re-
sembles the Common Cassowary of about the same age. These
characters accord so nearly with those of the bird mentioned
by Mr. Blyth as living in the menagerie of the Babu Rajendra
Mullick at Calcutta, as to induce me to regard ic as probably of
the same species.

" On the label of the bird at Amsterdam is written ' Casuarius
u7ii-appendiculatus,}Myih : Geelbif Casuarius. Ship "Agatha and
Maria," from Molucca Islands,' without designating any island
in particular; so that its true habitat is unknown. Mr. G. F.
Westerman, the able Director of the Gardens at Amsterdam,
observing the interest I took in this new bird, kindly had the
enclosed drawing (see Plate XIV.) made for me, which conveys
an excellent representation of the bird. When the published
description of Mr. Blyth, together with a drawing, arrives in
England, it will be decided whether his bird is identical with the
example alive at Amsterdam. There appears to be every pro-
bability that such is likely to be the case.

" I remain, yours &c.,

"George Bexnett."

404 Mr. A. Newton on the Anas erythropus of Linncms.

LI. — Remarks on the Anas (Anser) erythropus o/Z/mw«MS*.
By Alfred Newton, M.K., F.Z.S.

The determination of the species estabHshed by Linnseus has
always been held by naturalists a matter of so great importance,
that I have no scruple in occupying a portion of your time this
evening with a few remarks respecting the bird which, in the
12th edition of his ' Systema Naturae/ is designated by the
name of " Anas erythropus •/' especially also as one of his editors
(the late learned Professor Retzius), though noticing the " mira
circa banc avem confusio/^ has, in my opinion, failed to give a
satisfactory solution of the difficulty. It will be, I think, uni-
versally admitted that the names employed by Linnseus, when,
as in the present instance, they are drawn from any physical
character, are remarkably apposite. This consideration of itself
should have served as a warning to ornithologists against their
imagining, as many have done, that he could possibly mean to
apply the name " erythropus " to a species like the Bernicle
Goose, with which he was sufficiently familiar, and to which it
was in no degree suitable.

It will, perhaps, be convenient to examine first on what foun-
dation "Anas erythropus " was established.

In the I2th edition of the ' Systema Naturse' (Holmise, 1766)
we find (vol. i. part 1. pp. 197-8) the species as the eleventh in
order of the genus Anas, and the account given is : —

"A. cinerea, fronte alba. Faun. Svec. 116." [I omit all the
synonyms borrowed from other authors.] "Rostrum rubrum.
Pedes riibri."

Now these latter characters clearly can have no reference to
the Bernicle Goose, even if that species were not elsewhere in-
cluded as Anas bernicia, var. /Q.

Turning then to the edition of the ' Fauna Suecica ' cited
(Stockholmise, 1761), we have (p. 41) as follows : —

" 116. Anas erythrojms cinerea ; fronte alba. Fn. 92

Anser cinereus ferns, torque inter oculos et rostrum albo, ery-
thropus. W. Botniensibus Fjsell-gas. Habitat in Helsingia, Lap-
ponise alpibus,"

* This paper was read before the Zoological Society at their meeting on
the 26th June last, and is extracted from the ' Proceedings.' It has been

Mr. A. Newton on the Anas erythropus of Linnaus. 405

To this succeeds a description of the male, which I admit is
open to objection ; but the matter, in my opinion, is rendered
conclusive by the description of the female, which, in the edition
of the ' Fauna Suecica ' here referred to, and published fifteen
years previously (Lugd. Bat. 1746), is alone given. It is this : —

" Rostrum sordide carneum, frons alba. Caput, collum, dor-
sum, Cauda cinerea ; pectus et abdomen Candida : maculae in
sterno nigrescentes. Pedes sanguinei."

It is therefore plain that by Anas erythropus Linnreus did
not intend to designate the Berniclc Goose, but a bird known in
his time to the Swedes of Westro-Bothnia by the name of Fjsell-
gas — i. e. " Fell " or " Mountain Goose." It accordingly remains
to be seen what that species is.

It appears by the note-books of the late Mr. John Wolley,
which are now in my possession, that in all his researches he
was able to find only two species of Wild Goose inhabiting the
extensive district in Lapland which he so carefully explored,
and of which part was comprehended in the ancient province of
Westro-Bothnia. These species are known to the Finns, who
form the great bulk of the population, respectively as the " Iso-
hanhi " and " Killio-hanhi," — the former signifying " Great
Goose," the latter " Mountain Goose." The Iso-hanhi he had
several opportunities of identifying as the well-known Bean
Goose {Anser segetum) ; the other he found, somewhat to his
surprise, to be, not, as he had been told by Swedish ornitho-
logists, the Bernicle Goose, but a bird of about that size, and at
the same time closely resembling, in plumage and other phy-
sical characters, the White-fronted Goose [Anser albifrons).
Not to extend the present remarks, I may state briefly that he
was not able to discover that the Bernicle Goose was known
to any of the inhabitants of the interior of the country, — a
statement which is singularly corroborated by Mr. Dann's note
communicated to Mr. Yarrell (B. B. iii. p. 73) in reference to
the last-named species : — " A skin of this Goose was shown
me by some Laps near Gillivara, who were ignorant of the
bird, never having seen it before. It was shot at Killingsu-

thought advisable to reprint it in full, as containing an important rectifica-
tion in the nomenclature of European species. — Ed.

406 Mr. A. Newtou on the Anas erythropus of Linnceus.

vanda." Accordingly, in the Catalogue of his Eggs sold by
Mr. Stevens in 1856, he stated, under the head of "Anas albi-
frons," that '' this interesting bird is the proper Fjell-gas of the
Swedes, which name has, however, been applied to the Bernicle
in their works on Natural History. The Lapland specimens
seem to be of the small-sized race, which has been named Anser
minutus by Naumann." I must here take exception to part
of Mr. Wolley's statement, some Swedish writers being quite
aware that the " Fjsell-gas" was not Anser leucopsis, as, for in-
stance, Professor Zetterstedt, in the account of his travels in
Lapland* (vol. ii. p. 161).

In the Catalogue of his Eggs sold in the following year
(1857), Mr. Wolley further identified " the only White-fronted
Geese which breed in Lapland " with the Anser finmarchicus of
Bishop Gunner, described in one of the notes (pp. 264-5) of
Professor Leem's great workt "as distinct from the larger
White-fronted Goose."

I can only say that I entirely coincide with the views thus
expressed by Mr. Wolley, while I also identify the " Killio-
hanhij" or "Fjsell-gas" with the Anas enjthropus of Linnaeus;
and I here subjoin a concise summary of the principal synonyms
of this bird.

Anser erythropus (Linn.).

Anas [Ansei') erythrojms, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 12 (1766),
vol. i. part 1. p. 197 (non auct.).

Anser finmarchicus, Gunner, in Leemii de Lappon. Comm.
notis (1767), p. 264.

Anser temminckii, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 882.

Anser minutus, Naum. Naturgesch. derVog. Deutschl. (1842)
vol. xi. p. 365, tab. 290.

* ' Resa genom Svveriges och Norriges Lappmarker, af Joh.Wilh. Zet-
terstedt.' Two vols. 8vo. Lund. 1822.

t ' Canuti Leemii de LapiJonibus Finmarchia; Commentatio, una cum
J. E. Gunneri notis, &c. &c.' Kjobenhavn, 1767-

X In Europseus' " Svenskt-Finskt Handlexikon" (Ilelsingfors, 1853),
the word is spelled " Kallio" {vide page 42, sub voce ' Berg ').

Dr. Heuglin on some Birds of North-Eastern Africa. 407

LII. — On new or little-known Birds of North-Eastern Afinca.
By Hofrath Theodor von Heuglin. (Part I.)

(Plate XV.)

I. Hypotriorchis castanonotus, sp. nov.

H. miuutissimus, Cauda subgraduata : pileo, nucha, uropygio et
tectricibus alarum ciucreis ex parte ferrugineo limbatis :
fronte pallidiore : interscapulio, tergo et scapularibus casta-
neis : stria supra-oculari, regione parotica, fascia cervicali
transversa, tectricibus caudse superioribus et gastrseo can-
didis : subalaribus albis nigricante f "asciatis : rectricibus et
remigibus fusco-nigris albescente aut flavescente terminatis,
albo guttatis et transversim fasciatis : remige prima extus
albo marginata : long, tota 6'9, rostri ab angulo oris 0'5,
aljE 4-4|, caudfe 2-10^, tarsi 0-ll| poll, et lin. Gall.
Hab. In ripis Nili Albi.

My specimens of this bird were procured in the mountains of
the watershed of Eastern Central Africa, from localities on the
Bahr el Abiad, beyond which no European traveller has yet
penetrated. The bird is scarcely larger in size than a Lark. At
the first glance it was considered as identical with Falco semi-
torquatus (Smith, 111. Zool. S. Afr. tab. 1). Considerable differ-
ences, however, were discovered after a more careful examina-
tion : e. g. the back is chestnut-brown in both sexes ; the colours
of the forehead and of the sides of the neck are different ; the
tail is somewhat graduated, whereas it is said to be slightly
rounded in H. semitorquatus, and is distinguished by a light-
coloured marginal band of nearly two liues in breadth.

I give here the description of a male bird, certainly quite
adult. The head above and neck are cinereous, with a some-
what ferruginous shade ; the forehead is rather lighter (but not
quite white) ; the head below, a streak above and behind the eye,
the ear and the sides of the neck, and, finally, a band across
the neck, are pure white. Back and scapularies bright chest-
nut-brown ; rump and wing-coverts cinereous, partly margined
with reddish brown ; upper tail-coverts white, partly with cine-
reous longitudinal stripes. Wings and tail black, inferiorly dark
brownish grey, with white spots, each of which is interrupted by
the shaft of the feather and passes interiorly into transverse

VOL. II. 2 F

408 Dr. Heuglin on new oi- little-known Birds

lines : these spots are absent on the first feather of the wnig,
but its entire outer margin is of a whitish colour. The prima-
ries, secondaries, tertiaries, and the tail-feathers have a rather
broad reddish-brown margin near the extremities ; the margin
is narrowest on the primaries, although sharply marked. The
under-coverts of the wings are greyish white, with blackish
transverse bands. The anterior side of the tarsus is covered
with feathers for one-third of its length. Bill, cere, a naked ring
round the eye, and tarsi yellow ; extremity of the bill bluish ;
the posterior and interior claws brownish, the middle and exte-
rior yellowish; the iris is yellow*. The second primary is the
longest, the first and third are rather shorter.

I know nothing of the habits of this rare bird. Up to the
present we have received it only from the environs of Mere
[i. e. mountain) Belenia, on the White Nile, and I do not believe
that it ranges beyond lat. 5° N. It is partial to tall trees with
thick foliage — for instance. Tamarinds and IMimosas, and pro-
bably, like H. semitorquatus, feeds on small birds, lizards, and
coleoptera. The female appears to be scarcely different from
the male.

The other species of Hypotriorchis which I have observed in
North-Eastern Africa are the following : —

1. H. SUBBUTEO.

Sometimes seen in Egypt during the winter ; but it appears
to be found there all the year through. I killed two old birds
in the months of June and August 1852, in Siut (Upper Egypt),
and in Dongola.

3. H. ELEONOR^ (Gene).

Rare, and only as a migratory bird in jVubia and on the Blue
Nile, but frequent on the madrepore islands of the different parts
of the Red Sea. In the month of August 1857, I found three
nests in the Archipelago of Dahlak, some of which contained
young birds quite recently hatched. (Cfr. Hartlaub in ' Ibis,'
1859, p. 338.)

* The original note has been lost, and I make this statement from
memorjf.

of North-Eastern Africa. 409

3. H. coNCOLOR (Gould^ Birds of Eur. tab. 25).

The true H. concolor is rare in the tropical parts of North-
Easteru Africa. I obtained specimens on the Bahr el Abiad,
from Tigreh (Mareb and Valley of the Takasseh) and from Am-
hara (Lake of Tana and. sources of the River Takasseh). I
found this bird always singly, and in countries covered with
forest, between 2000 and 6000 feet above the level of the sea.
The iris is dark brown, and the eye remarkably large. The
West- African form {F. ardosiaceas, Vieill.), which is found also
in Madagascar, is specifically different from the East- African.

4. H. RUFicoLLis, Sw. (Swains. Birds of West Africa, tab. 2.)
This species is not scarce, and is found in pairs on the Blue

Nile, southward from the 14th degree to Eazogloa, nearly always
on Dolleb-palms. It is only occasionally found in Abyssinia
and along the Bahr el Abiad.

5. H. .ESALON (Gm.).

I have found not rarely old and young specimens of this
pretty species in Egypt, between the winter and the month of
May, especially in the more northern parts. It resorts by pre-
ference to the acacias and sycamores in the cultivated portions of
the country.

6. H. HORUS, Heugl. [Falco gracilis, A. Brehm in Nauman-
nia, 1856, p. 232, cum fig.)

I have rarely observed this species in the rocky deserts of
Egypt and Nubia. A. Brehm has described a young specimen
of this species, killed by myself in August 1851 near the so-
called " Fossil Forest,'^ at the Mokatam Mountains. The figure
published by him is from a drawing made by me from nature.
The young specimens of this species are very similar to those of
F. eleonorce, but the two birds are decidedly different. The
plumage of the old bird is not known to me, but only an inter-
mediate coloration, with the upper parts slate-blue, spotted with
darker colouring, as in F. ruficollis.

The Falco semitorquatm of Sir A. Smith is said by De Filippi
(Rev. Zool. 1853, p. 289) to occur on the upper parts of the Bahr
el Abiad, but I suppose that that learned ornithologist has con-
founded it with my H. castanonotus. So far as I know, Falco

2f2

410 Dr. Heuglin on new or little-known Birds

semitorguatus has been found hitherto only in South Africa, in
the country of Old Latakoo.

II. CiRCAETUS ZONURUS, P. Wiirtcniberg. (Plate XV.)
C. cinereo-fuscus, subtus pallidior, epigastrio, ventre et hypo-
chondriis transversim albo fasciatis, subcaudalibus et tibiis
albis, brunneo fasciatis ; Cauda alba, hujus basi et fasciis
duabus latioribus uigris : remigibus et rectricibus supra
fusco-cinereis, subtus albidis nigi'o terminatis et fasciis
transversalibus vi-ix distinctissimis notatis : subalaribus
candidis ex parte dilute fusco variegatis : long, tota (maris
adulti) 19"5, alee 14'9, rostri a rictu 1'5|, tarsi 2"7|, caudse
7-9 poll, et lin. Gall.
Hab. In ripis Nili Albi.

Prince Paul von Wiirtemberg collected a specimen of this
species of Circaetus nearly twenty years ago in the southern part
of the province of Fazogloa, between the Blue Nile and the rivers
Tumad and Yabiis. Although marked in so noticeable a way, it
has not yet been accurately described with the name which pro-
perly belongs to it, but only mentioned in some ornithological
communications, such as the ' Systematische Uebersicht ' of the
birds of North-Eastern Africa of Dr. E. Riippell. The only speci-
men known until lately is in the collection of its discoverer. It
has been shortly characterized by J. v. Miiller, in his ' Contribu-
tions to the Ornis of Africa,' as Circaetus cinerascens ; but the
figure there given by him is not to be recognized. The species
was not found again until the year 1853, when I discovered it on
the banks of the Beni-Schangallo,and at a later period on the Bahr
el Abiad, and sent specimens of it to several European museums.
Circaetus zonurus is the smallest of the African species of Cir-
caetus, measuring only from 19 to 20 inches (French) in length.
The bill is very robust ; the face is well provided with strong
bristles ; the head and eyes are large, the former being sur-
rounded by broad feathers, which the bird, when excited, can
raise up, like Helotarsus ecaudatus. The wings are comparatively
long, without extending to the extremity of the tail, which is
somewhat rounded. The tarsi are covered with feathers for
nearly one-half their length, and strongly reticulated ; the claws
are robust, and but slightly bent. Each toe has anteriorly on its
upper surface two entire shields, whilst the two or four follow-

Iliis,18B0. PL.iy.

M &H.Hanhart,Imp'.

CIRGAETUS ZONURUS

of North-Eastern Africa. 411

ing are divided along the middle. The region below the eye is
covered with short, dense, downy feathers beneath the bristles.
The upper parts of the body are smoky grey ; the sides of the
forehead whitish ; the cilia black ; the uropygium and the upper
tail-coverts are dark coffee-brown, with white margins ; the
under parts greyish brown ; sides and middle of the belly with
white cross-lines and dots ; under tail-coverts and feathers of the
tarsi white, the latter with light-brown cross-lines, the former
with scattered broadened arrow-shaped spots of the same colour.
Wings above dark ash-grey ; below whitish, with broad brownish-
black tips and narrow well-marked dark cross-bands, on the pri-
maries from four to six, but increasing in number and breadth
on the secondaries. The inner webs of the primaries become
lighter towards the roots. The bend of the wing and under
wing-coverts are pure white, the latter with some brownish
transverse or arrow-shaped spots in younger birds : tail white,
with the base blackish, sometimes with a dirty greyish tinge
above, with two broad brownish-black cross-bands and a narrow
whitish extremity. Some wing-feathers, apparently quite re-
cently developed, show white margins. The fourth primary is
longest, extending nearly to the end of the tail; the third is
rather shorter; the first is nearly as long as the eighth. The
primaries from the third to the fifth are emarginated exteriorly,
and from the second to the sixth interiorly. The whole length
of an adult male is 19 in. 5 lin. : wing 14 in. 9 lin. : bill from
gape 1 in. 5^ lin. : tarsus 2 in. 7| lin. : tail 7 in. 9 lin. : middle
toe 1 in. 5 lin., claw of same 9jlin. : hind toe 9^ lin., claw of
same 10 lin. (French measurement).

The plumage of the immature bird is of a more dirty brownish-
grey colour, the white transverse streaks on the belly are fainter,
and the scapularies have ferruginous margins. The male and
female are scarcely distinguishable in colour, and very little dif-
ferent in size.

The iris is light brownish yellow; bill and cere pale yellow,
the former with horny-black extremity ; feet bright ochreous ;
nails horny black.

I am sorry not to know anything about the habits of this
bird. 1 myself saw it only once, perched on a mimosa which

412 Dr. Heuglin on new or little- known Birds

was half- withered and scarcely 15 feet high^ above a narrow
fissure in the rocks. This specimen was not shy at all, and per-
mitted my approaching it to a distance of 40 yards. The spe-
cimens which were brought killed to me, had been also found
in similar localities, namely along torrents surrounded by groves
of trees, and never in the open spaces which form the favourite
resorts of C. gaUicus and C. pectoralis. If I recollect right, the
contents of the stomach of the one killed by myself were entirely
composed of frogs.

The range of C. zonurus, on the sources of the Nile, does not
appear to extend northwards beyond 10° North lat. I have
never received it from Abyssinia, or Kordofan, or from the northern
parts of Sennaar.

The figure of this bird given by J. von Miiller, under the
name Circaeius cinerascen^, is very incorrect : the head is much
too small; the bristles round the base of the bill are omitted; the
general coloration is too light ; the lower covers of the tail are
grey instead of white ; the feet are too slender and shielded,
instead of reticulated ; the nails are too large ; the transverse
bands on the lower side of the tail much too light, and those on
the wings much too dark, compared with the ground-colour !

I take this opportunity of adding remarks on the other species
of Circaetus living in Africa.

1. Circaetus gallicus, Gm. {A. brachydactyla, Meyer and
Wolf.)

The European species of Circaetus makes its appearance in
Egypt in pairs or small flocks in the month of September, and
goes upwards along the banks of the Nile to the prairies of
Kordofan, Sennaar, &c., where it stays during the winter, re-
turning through Egypt in February and March. It is not un-
frequently seen during the autumn sitting on low hills and sand-
banks, sometimes in shallow water, hunting for reptiles, which
are driven out of their holes and retreats by the increasing
waters of the river. In the prairies, this species is found some-
times at a very great distance from water ; and single specimens
appear to stay all the summer within the tropics, as I infer from
an individual which I killed in Eastern Sennaar in the middle of

of North-Eastem Africa. 413

May. Riippell has found this species in Arabia, and A. Brehm
has established a separate species, C. orientalis, which, he says, is
a stationary bird in Egypt . this species is said to be somewhat
smaller than C. gallicus ; all the lower parts are white, with
light-brown spots, and the throat is not dark ; the tail of the
female is 2 inches shorter than in C. gallicus. Scarce in West
Africa (Hartlaub).

We must wait for future researches to decide the question
whether C. fasciatus, mihi (List of Birds of N.E. Africa, no. 29),
proves to be a good species. I have not, at present, the typical
specimen with me, upon which the species was established. It
is similar to C. gallicus in size and coloration of the back ; all the
lower parts are white, with broad dark cross-bands. I have ob-
served it in the prairies of Southern Kordofan and Eastern Sen-
naar during the winter, where it appears to occur rather frequently.

2. CiRCAETUs THORACicus, Cuv. {C. pectoruUs, Smith.)
This species is not scarce in Abyssinia and round the sources

of the Nile. The most northern part of its range, according to
my observations, is the province of Dongola, where we killed an
old female in the month of August, in the neighbourhood of the
ruins of Argo.

3. CiRCAETUs ciNEREUs, Vicill., is, according to Jules Ver-
reaux, the immature state of C. thoracicus, which opinion, how-
ever, requires further confirmation. C. cinereus is more slender,
has a brown iris and lead-coloured feet. The markings of the
tail, besides, are very different, and I have never observed in-
termediate forms between the two birds. Dr. Riippell found
C. cinereus in Abyssinia, and I obtained examples of it on a
tributary of the river Rahad, and on the Blue Nile. I have
mentioned, in my list of birds of N.E. Africa, that two of the
specimens collected by me differ from Riippell's individual in
having pure white and very narrow bands across the tail. Riip-
pel?s specimen is very large, measuring 2 feet 3 inches in
length. This naturalist says (Neue Wirbelth. p. 35) that his
Falco funereus (which certainly is identical with C. cinereus,
Vieill.) differs from C. gallicus andi C. pectoralis in having the
bill much stronger, the inner and hind toes provided with very

414 Dr. Heuglin on some Birds of North-Eastern Africa.

robust claws^ and the tail rectangularly truncated, and short,
compared with the wings.

4. CiRCAETUs MELANOTis*, Verrcaux, has been discovered
only lately in West Africa (Bissao), and is described by Hart-
laub (Syst. Ornithol. W. Afr. p. 7).

I take this opportunity to remark, that Spizaetus zonurus,
Miill. (Beitrage zur Ornithol. Afr. tab. 1), has been described
by Prince Bonaparte as Spizaetus spilogaster (Rev. Zool. 1850,
p. 487), and that I have added another synonym, Spizaetus leu-
costiyma (Syst. Ueb. d. Vog. N. 0. Afrika's, p. 1 7, sp. 25). This
audacious bird of prey is not found in Upper Abyssinia, as stated
by V. Miiller, but, on the contrary, in the lowlands, in the so-called
Kolla, and in Eastern Sennaar, downwards to the Blue River.
It occurs most frequently, always in pairs, in the valleys of
Takepeh and Mareb, and in the province of Galabat, along the
torrents joining the rivers Schimfa (Rahad) and Guang, where
it appears to arrive in the rainy season (April and JNIay), and to
build its nest in high trees. I also observed several times, in
the same localities, the beautiful Aquila verreauxii, Less., which
species, without any doubt, is entirely different from Aquila
vulturina (Daud.) (Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. tab. 6). The latter spe-
cies has not been recognized again, to my knowledge. Aquila
verreauxii penetrates still more deeply into the mountains than
Circaetus spilogaster, not rarely into the "Deka," which region
begins at from five to six thousand feet above the level of the sea.

The supposed aberrant plumage of very old specimens of
Aquila bonellii, as described by A. Brehm in ' Naumannia,' is
probably referable to Spizaetus spilogaster, DuBus. This bird,
however, is in fact an intermediate form between Aquila and
Spizaetus, to which A. hellicosa, Daud., most approaches.

[To be continued.]

* In company with Mr. J. H. Gurney, we have carefully examined the
two types of thi.s species, which are now in the Norwich Museum. There
is no doubt of their identity with Circaetus zonurus, as here described, and
the range of this bird is thus extended into Western Africa. Mr. G. R.
Gray's Circaetus fasciolat us, Mus. Brit., from Natal, is, again, a very closely
allied bird, and may ultimately prove to be specifically inseparable. — Ed.

Suggestions for forming Collections of Birds' Eggs. 415

LIII. — Remarks on Mr. A, Newton's " Suggestions for forming

Collections of Birds' Eggs*".
"There's life in the old land yet!'^ was our involuntary ex-
clamation^ when^ on taking up Mr. Newton's pamphlet, we
found that though our grandchildren in the New World and at
the Antipodes are thought capable of instructing their aged
parent in the use of the ballot-box, yet their grandmother still
knows how to teach them to suck eggs.

We learn from Mr. Newton, that, before the appearance of his
work from an English press, he had already given 3000 lessons
to our Yankee cousins in the art and * mysterie' of sucking
eggs. We might have been captious with our valued friend for
not giving ourselves the first benefit of his instructions ; for, so
far as our acquaintance with British collections enables us to
form a judgment, we think his lessons are still much needed at
home. But probably his modesty induced him to believe them
superfluous, at least for the readers of the 'Ibis,' and we can
only rejoice that his ' Suggestions' are now accessible to all.

To our late and deeply-lamented coadjutor, Mr. Wolley,
Mr. Newton attributes the chief merits of his 'Suggestions';
but certainly no apology was required for them from one, whose
collection now stands indisputably at the head of the oological
museums of the world.

We cannot too emphatically repeat the remark in Mr. New-
ton's preface, that " if the study of Natural History is to be
much benefited by an extended knowledge of Oology, it is of
the utmost importance that our knowledge of it should rest on
a firm and truthful basis, and this end can only be obtained by
unremitting caution and scrupulousness on the part of egg-
collectors." Again, " The main points to be attended to, as
being those by which science can alone be benefited, are iden-
tification and authentication." To each of these topics
Mr. Newton devotes a distinct section, and their importance
cannot be too strongly impressed upon all collectors. It
is melancholy to see what sums of money and simple zeal are

* " Suggestions for forming Collections of Birds' Eggs. By Alfred
Newton, M.A., Fellow of Magdalen College, Cambridge, &c." London :
E. Newman, 1860.

416 Remarks on Mr. A. Newton^s "Suggestions

often squandered on the most worthless accumulations from the
shops of dealers. In too many instances^ especially with respect
to so-called British collections, the class of dealers have exercised
the most pernicious influence, destroying confidence and giving
false impressions from the basest motives. We should not like
to repeat here a painfully true remark of our late friend Mr.
Wolley on this subject. As an instance, and by no means an un-
common one, of what is meant, we have seen an elegant cabinet
beautifully fitted up and supplied by a London dealer to order
for a lady much interested in natural history. This cabinet
professed to contain a specimen or two of the egg of every Bri-
tish bird, with the two exceptions of the Swallow-tailed Kite and
Great Auk. These two were probably omitted to give an air
of authenticity to the rest. We looked through the cabinet.
The first two drawers taught us how largely the Raptorials are
indebted to the aberrant tendencies of the poultry-yard. The
class can no longer be defended from the vengeance of the
fowl-fancier. It would be only tedious to relate how strong
was the generic affinity of the White's Thrush and Gold- vented
Thrush with our Mavis and Blackbird, how close the connexion
between the Waxwing and the Shrike, or how the whole of the
ScolopacincB must have left their eggs under charge of the Snipe
and the Redshank. But beyond the barefaced robbery of such
a system is a yet greater evil in the erroneous ideas propagated
by such collections, which, were Mr. Newton's principles uni-
versally adopted, would be effectually corrected.

On Identification, our author remarks the necessity in most
countries of obtaining specimens of the parent bird by shooting,
snaring, or trapping. We hope, however, he does not intend to
urge this course in every instance, else we should indeed be
waging a war of cruel extermination. It is necessary to do it
occasionally ; but we would really suggest more mercy than our
friend seems inclined to show, and would refer him sometimes to
the Levitical law on the subject. Suppose, for instance, a col-
lector to be in a district where Cetti's Warbler breeds. When
he has satisfied himself of one nest, what possible occasion can
there be for a further massacre of the innocents in the case of
subsequent nests ? We w^ould add here, that we have always, in

for forming Collections of Birds' Eggs." 417

the case of passerine birds^ found horsehair nooses placed on the
nest the easiest and most satisfactory mode of identification,
and one that greatly economizes the collector's time. We are
glad Mr. Newton has mentioned Mr. Hancock's method of pre-
serving birds by a few drops of pyroligneous acid in the mouth
and vent, a recipe we have ourselves proved with success in
warm climates.

On Authentication, our author presses the " writing in ink on
the shells not only the name of the species to which each belongs,
but also, as far as the space will admit, as many particulars re-
lating to the amount of identification to which the specimen
was subjected, the locality where, the date when, and name of
the person by whom they were taken, adding always a reference
to the journal or note-book of the collector, wherein fuller details
may be given." The local name only should be used for eggs
brought in by natives ; or if the scientific name be added, it should
be in brackets; thus, " Tooglee Aiah {Squatarola helvetica),"
[We wish Mr. Newton would tell us in confidence whence we
could get Tooglee-aiah brought in to our own collection.] The
importance of each collector adding his initials or monogram to
all eggs taken by himself is not forgotten.

Another section is devoted to the description of egg-blowing
implements, and three pages are partially occupied by figures of
weapons which we should be sorry to show to a nervous lady
on her way to the dentist, and which might teach a presump-
tuous grandchild that it is no light affair to suck eggs. Let not,
however, the tyro imagine that he must expend a fortune at the
surgical instrument maker's. The implements are simple, though
some of them we should be inclined to reckon among the oologist's
' articles de luxe.' With a pin, a straw or blowpipe, an old rat-
tailed file, a pair of fine-pointed scissors and a penknife, very
workmanlike specimens can be turned out. Still every regular
collector will find a use for each implement figured by Mr.
Newton ; but in egg-blowing, as in many other things, more
depends on the workman than on the tools. We had rather
trust a chipping egg to the manipulation of a certain well-
known, though young, ornithologist with his pin and penknife,
than to many others with a whole armoury of instruments. We

41 8 Recent Ornithological Publications.

can heartily second Mr. Newton's advice to have handles to the
drills.

The section on the preparation of specimens contains many
useful hints, the very simplicity of which has led them to be
forgotten till after many a lesson of bitter experience; such,
e. g. as keeping the egg from the light while drying, holding it
over a basin of water while operating, the proper method of
packing safely, &c. How many a collector has groaned on the
reception of a box packed with sawdust ! At page 12 we have
an admirable method given for sti'engthening hard-set eggs
during the process of emptying their contents. We may, per-
haps, venture to add our regret that Mr. Newton should have
tolerated by any suggestion, while he most justly condemns,
the semibarbarous two-hole system.

The concluding observations contain many valuable hints on
identification and the methods of attaining it. The field natu-
ralist must never forget that the more closely species approach
each othei', the more important as well as the more difficult is
identification. For this reason we always admired the nerve
with which a worthy fellow-traveller used ruthlessly to smash
every unidentified capture, and can re-echo his exclamation,
" An identified duck is the most valuable of eggs !"

We can only now most heartily thank JMr. Newton for his
lesson both to grandmother and grandchildren in blowing eggs,
and hope that he will follow up his suggestions by other bro-
chures on the arrangement of cabinets, and the collection of
skeletons or portions of skeletons, a subject on which none can
speak with more authority.

LIV. — Recent Ornithological Publications.

1. English Publications.

Among the " Zoological Notes from Aueiteum in the New He-
brides," by Mr. J. MacGillivray, in the August number of ' The
Zoologist,' is a description of a supposed new species of Petrel
[Procellai-ia torquata), allied to P. cookii and P. mollis. This
bird breeds in Aneiteum " in burrows in the wooded moun-

Recent Ornithological Publications. 419

tains of the interior of the island, the highest of which attains
an elevation of 2788 feet."

Mr. Eyton has issued the fourth and fifth numbers of his
' Osteologia Aviuni.^

In Mr. Bree's ' Birds of Europe/ which has now reached its
twenty-seventh number, will be found Mr. A. Newton^s account
of the breeding of the Red-throated Pipit {Anthus cervinus, Pal-
las =^. rufogularis, Brehm). This little-known bird was met
with by him in June 1855, when in company with Messrs. J.
Wolley and W. H. Simpson, in a restricted locality in Eastern
Finmark, between Wadso and Nyborg, and several well-identi-
fied nests were procured. There can be no doubt of the validity
of this species, which, indeed, has been already vindicated by
Herr Pastor W. Passler, in a recent number of Cabanis' Journal
(1859, Heft vi.).

In the " Outlines of the Natural History of the Isle of Wight,
by A.G.More,F.L.S.," appended to Mr. Venables's recently pub-
lished Guide-book to that island*, we are presented with a good
account of its ornithology. Though the arrangement of the
species into 'Residents,' 'Summer Visitors,^ &c. is, in our opinion,
objectionable, as rendering it difficult for tourists, or even gene-
ral students, to discover, without much loss of time, in which
of the five groups any particular species is to be found, yet, with
this exception, jMr. More's treatment of the subject is very com-
mendable, and affords a favourable contrast to the carelessness
exhibited in the Natural-History chapters in most Handbooks.
Without counting a few undoubted foreigners, which are said to
have occurred, 220 birds are enumerated as having been cap-
tured in the island; but of these we think that the appearance of
at least four, Aquila chrysaetos, Parus cristatus, Picus martins,
and Fratercula glacialis (this last the only supposed instance of
its occurrence in the British Isles), rests on authority hardly
sufficient. " It is remarkable," says Mr. More, " that the Nut-

* ' A New Guide to the Isle of Wight, &c., by the Rev. E. Venables,
M.A.' London (Stanford). 1860.

420 Recent Ornithological Publications.

hatcb \_Sitta europcea, auct. Brit.] should not yet have been ob-
served in the Isle of Wight, since it is a bii-d common in Sussex,
and considered by Mr. Knox as partially migratory.^' Falco
peregrinus still breeds in two or three localities, " but these fine
birds have been shamefully ill-used during these past few sea-
sons. Not only have their eyries been regularly plundered, but
the parents shot and trapped on the nest itself.^' Of Fregilus
graculus the doom seems as melancholy. " As it is, the Chough
is already extinct in Sussex, and the time is perhaps not far
distant when it will disappear from our cliflFs as well.^^ The
Hoopoe {Upupa epops) almost annually occurs, and when it pre-
sents itself, no doubt meets with the same unhappy reception as
awaits it in other parts of England !

The first part of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
contains Mr. Blyth's Report on late accessions received by the
Zoological department, amongst which is a series of birds sent
by Mr. Swinhoe. Mr. Blyth's notes on these will be read with
interest, and, with his nomenclature, should be compared with
Mr. Swinhoe's article in this Journal. Some additional novel-
ties have appeared from the Andamans, including a Woodpecker
{Mullerijncus hodgei !), an Anthus [A. rufo super ciliaris) , and a
Thrush {Oreocincla infra-marginata) considered as new, and some
other species, known from elsewhere, but now recognized in the
Andamans for the first time. A description of Mr. Blyth's
new Cassowary {Casuarius uno-appendiculatus) is given, p. 112.
Remarks on this bird have been already given {antea, p. 402).

2. French Publications.

In No. 5 of the * Revue et Magasin de Zoologie' for the
present year, M. Jules Verreaux describes a new Wader from
Eastern Siberia (of which a figure is also given), under the name
Micropalama tacksanowskia. Mr. Blyth, of Calcutta, informs us
in a recent communication that this interesting bird is evidently
his Pseudoscolopax semipalmatus (see antea, p. 90) in summer dress
— a species which he had formerly referred to Macrorhamp/ms
(Journ. As. Soc.Beng. xvii. p. 252). " The seasonal change," says

Recent Ornithological Publications. 421

Mr. Blyth, " is accordingly similar to that of Limosa rufa, which
is exactly what I had anticipated. I know of but two Indian
examples, both obtained in winter-dress, — one by myself in the
Calcutta provision-bazaars (Dec. 1.2th, 1847), and the other a
year or two previously by Jprdon, somewhere on the Coromandel
coast. Yerrcaux's bird being from N.E. Asia (Dahuria), we may
expect this to turn out to be a species chiefly of Eastern Asia/'

We have received the sixth part of M. Malherbe's Monograph
of the Picida. It continues the description and illustration of
the multitudinous species of true Picus.

3, German Publications.

In the last part of Cabanis' 'Journal fiir Ornithologie ' for
1859 will be found some descriptions of new or little-known
birds, by Herr F. Heine, from his father's celebrated museum.
Coloburis rnfiventris and Tanysiptera margarethce are evidently
from Mr. Wallace's recent Batchian and Gilolo collections. The
former seems to be Mr. G.R.Gray's Pittainornata (P.Z.^. 1860,
p. 350), the latter his Tanysiptera isis (ibid. p. 347). We cannot
agree with Dr. Quistorp in doubting the specific difference of
Mihus afer from M. regalis, as he seems inclined to do {vide
p. 472).

The second number of the same Journal for the present year
contains, amongst other articles, a continuation of Dr. Hartlaub's
Essay on the Ornithology of Madagascar, and an article by F.
Heine on the species of Cyanocorax. In the latter, several new
species (or local subspecies ?) are recognized.

Herr August von Pelzeln has made a valuable contribution to
the ' Sitzungsberichte' of the Imperial Academy of Vienna (see
vol. Ixi. p. 319 et seq.), in the shape of some details concerning
the ornithology of Norfolk Island. The well-known artist,
F. L. Bauer, who accompanied Captain Flinders's expedition to
the Antipodes, in the commencement of the present century, as
botanical painter, having died in 1826, his collections and draw-
ings were sold by auction, and were purchased by the Imperial
Museum of Natural History. From their precious materials,
and some other acquisitions of the Imperial Cabinet, Herr von

422 Recent Ornithological Publications.

Pelzeln has been enabled to furnish us with a list of over twenty
species of birds, which formed part of the Avifauna of this little
speck in the earth's surface in the beginning of the present
century. Several of these have before now, in all probability,
entirely disappeared, so that information about them is doubly
welcome.

The species indicated as found in Norfolk Island are the
following : —

1. Astur appro ximans. (A.) 13. Leucosarcia picata. (A.)

2. Climacte7'is scandens. (A.) 14!. Charadriusxanthocheilus. {A.)

3. Zosterops tenuirostris. (N. Z.)

4. albogularis. 15. Limosa baueri, sp. nov.

5. Gerygone modesta, sp. nov. (N. Z.)

6. Tardus poliocephalus. 16. Tetanus glottis. (A.)

7. Rhipidura assimilis, sp.nov. 17. Notornis alba.

8. PacJiycephala longirostris. 18. Anas superciliosa, (A.)

9. Campephaga longicaudata. (N. Z.)

10. Aplonis obscurus. (N. Z.) 19. Puffinus chlororhynchus.

11. Nestor norfolcensis. 20. Procellaria atlantica.

12. Hemiphaga spadicea. 21. Pha'ethon phcenicm'us.

Of these twenty-one birds, the last three are oceanic species
which do not affect the character of the fauna. Of the eighteen
that remain, according to Herr von Pelzeln, nine are peculiar to
the island, as far as is hitherto known ; six (marked A. in our
list) are common to Australia ; four (marked N. Z.) also occur
in New Zealand, and Notornis alba is supposed to be (or rather
to have been) also found in Lord Howe's Island. With regard to
the Nestor, Herr von Pelzeln has shown why he is disposed to
regard this bird as having been diflferent from the Nestor pro-
ductus which inhabited the little adjoining island called ' Philip
Island/ The example supposed to have been of this species,
formerly in the Imperial Collection, is unfortunately missing,
and the only evidence available on the subject is that of Bauer's
drawing, which was taken from a living subject in Norfolk
Island on the 19th of January, 1805.

Notornis alba is established on a specimen acquired at the
sale of the Leverian Collection, which was, without doubt, the

Recent Ornithological Publications. 423

type of Fulica alba of White's Voyage*, and the Gallinula alba
of Latham. This bird has been considered by Temminck and
G, R. Gray to be an albino variety of the well-known Porphyria
melanotus ; but Herr von Pelzeln regards it as certainly distinct,
and probably referable to a second species of the highly inter-
esting quasi-extinct genus Notornis. Of the original type of
this genus (the Notornis mantelli of New Zealand), but two spe-
cimens, we may remark, are known to exist, both of which are
now in the British Museum.

4. American Publications.

The following extract from the ' Proceedings of the Academy
of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia' for March 20th last will be
read with interest, and explains itself: —

" Dr. Leidy announced (p. 86) the presentation by Dr. T. B.
Wilson of his entire collection of birds, amounting to 26,000
mounted specimens and 2000 skins.

" Mr. Cassin said, in relation to the presentation of the collec-
tion of birds now in the Museum of this Academy by Dr. T. B.
Wilson : —

" The collection of birds in the Museum of the Academy has
been regarded for some years as the collection of this Academy,
and is extensively known and referred to as such by authors and
naturalists. The donation this evening, so liberally and cha-
racteristically made by Dr. Wilson, involves only a change of
ownership, or transfer of title, with the further important con-
sideration, that it secures the collection to the Academy, as in-
tended by Dr. Wilson, in perpetuity, and without contingency.

" Previous to this donation the collection has been accumu-
lated from various sources, since 1845, with great judgment, and
with constant and unremitted exertion on his part, and also on
the part of his brother, Mr. Edward Wilson, long resident in
Europe. The latter-named gentleman has most ably and suc-
cessfully seconded his brother in the greatest enterprises ever
entered upon in America, having for their object the promotion
of the zoological sciences and of general natural history. The
results mainly have been, at this period, the formation of the

* White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, p. 238 {cum tab.).
VOL. II. 2 G

424 Recent Ornithological Publications.

library of this Academy, and of its collections in all departments,
but especially in mineralogy, palaeontology, conchology, Crus-
tacea, ichthyology, and ornithology.

" The very extensive and comprehensive series now presented,
with the comparatively small collection previously owned by the
Academy, comprise one of the most complete ornithological
museums extant. It is, in fact, one of the four great collections
of birds in the world, and, so far as can be ascertained from
published catalogues, is fairly entitled to be considered as pre-
senting faciHties for study in this favourite branch of natural
history equal to those of any other institution.

" Mainly, the collection of Dr. Wilson was based on that of
General Massena, Duke of Rivoli, and his son, M.Victor Massena,
Prince d'Essling, which was regarded as the finest private col-
lection in Europe. This was acquired by purchase in 1846, and
brought to this country. Various other valuable and more or
less extensive collections have been added since that period, in-
eluding Mr. Gould's Australian birds, which are the types of his
great work, 'The Birds of Australia,' and embracing all the
species then known, except five only. Another important col-
lection, mainly Parrots, Humming-birds, and Tanagers, was
that of M. Bourcier, a distinguished French ornithologist ; and
quite equally so was a collection made in the interior countries
of India by Capt. Boys, of the East India Company's service.
Very important, too, are collections from the Leyden Museum,
through the influence of the eminent naturalists now or lately
attached to that great institution, particularly the celebrated
Temminck ; and many others obtained in Europe through the
faithful and judicious exertions of Mr. Edward Wilson for the
interests of this Academy.

" Numerous other smaller additions have been made, when-
ever opportunity presented, in this country, by Dr. Wilson, and
also have been derived from European naturalists by exchange
and purchase, to the extent of several thousand specimens.
Messrs. Verreaux, the well-known commercial naturalists and
ornithologists of Paris, have been of exceeding service ; and but
little less so has been Mr. John G . Bell of New York, the prin-
cipal commercial naturalist in this country, whose high interest

Recfiiit OniithoJoyical Publications. 425

in the prosperity of the Academy, and scientitic knowledge, has
never failed to be exerted, and always has been of great value in
the extension of the collection. Mr. John Krider, Mr. William
S. Wood, and J\lr. James Taylor of this city, have also furnished
to Dr. Wilson many valuable specimens ; and all of these gen-
tlemen have invariably shown the utmost cheerfulness and libe-
rality in their business with the Museum of the Academy.

" The collection now presented by Dr. Wilson has been de-
rived from the following sources, and includes specimens nearly

as here enumerated : —

Specimens.

Rivoli collection, first purchase 12,500

Rivoli collection, 2nd purchase 2,500

Mr. Gould's Australian collection 2,000

M. Bourcier's collection 1,000

Capt. Boys's collection 1,000

Mr. Edward Wilson's collections in Europe, including col-
lections from the Leyden and British Museums 4,500

Dr. Thomas B. Wilson's collections in Europe 1,000

Dr. Thomas B. Wilson's collections iu the United States. 1,500

Total now presented to the Academy 26,000

" It may be of interest to add, that the collection previously
owned by the Academy comprises about 3000 specimens, in-
cluding a very superior North-American series derived from
nearly all ornithologists in the United States, who have in-
variably shown the greatest interest in the formation of the
large collection of this Academy. The aggregate number of
specimens exhibited, and now belonging to the Academy, is
therefore about 29,000 birds.''

The second part of Mr. Cassin's Catalogue of Birds collected
during the Darien expedition is given, p. 188, A new and
remarkable type among the Formicariida is named Pittasoma
michleri. We hope i\Ir. Cassin will eventually give us a figure
of this interesting species. The total number of species collected
during the expedition amounts to 144.

We have to acknowledge Prof. Baird's kindness in sending us

a copy of the two handsome volumes* formed by a reissue of

* ' The Birds of North America ; the descriptions of species chiefly

2 G 2

426 Recent Ornithological Publications.

his well-known Report on the Birds collected during the Rail-
road Exploring Expedition so often referred to in these pages.
This work is indispensable to any one who takes an interest in
the ornithology of the New World, and we have no hesitation in
recommending it to our subscribers as one of the most useful and
complete treatises upon the birds of any one known country
which has ever appeared. The advertisement to the present
edition, which we subjoin, sufficiently explains its contents and
its objects : —

"The present work is, in part, a reprint of the ' General Report
on North American Birds,' presented to the Department of War,
and published in October 1858, as one of the series of ' Reports
of Explorations and Surveys of a Railroad Route to the Pacific
Ocean/ In this volume, however, will be found many im-
portant additions and corrections, including detailed lists of
plates, both numerical and systematic, descriptions of newly-
discovered species, &c., not in the original edition.

"The Atlas contains 100 plates, representing 148 new or un-
figured species of North American birds. Of these plates about
fifty appear for the first time, having been prepared expressly for
this work. The remainder form the ornithological illustrations
of the Reports of the Pacific Railroad Survey, and of the United
States and Mexican Boundary Survey under Major Emory, and
are distributed throughout the numerous volumes composing
those series. All have, however, been carefully retouched and
lettered for this edition, and quite a number redrawn entirely
from better and more characteristic specimens. In fact, the
plates of the Atlas have been prepared expressly for the present
edition with the utmost care and attention.

" In the volume of text will be found a complete account of
the birds of North America, brought down to the present time,
including accurate descriptions of all known species; their
arrangement in the genera and families recognized by modern
zoologists ; their geographical distribution ; and, as far as pos-

based on the Collections in the Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. By
Spencer F. Baird,with the cooperation of JohnCassin and George N. Law-
rence. With an Atlas of 100 plates.' 2vols.4to. Philadelphia : Lippincott
& Co., 1860.

Recent Ornithological Publications. 4ii,7

sible, all other information necessary to a complete summary or
manual of North-American ornithology. No other work extant
gives a complete ornithology of our countiy; and it has been
the especial object of the authors and publishers to adapt it to
the wants of the student ^nd lover of nature, and to present in
a condensed form, and at a price within the reach of all, a re-
liable text-book in this favourite department of natural history.
Extended bibliographical notices, embracing full references to
very nearly all authors on American ornithology, have been
added, and will be found to be of high interest to the student
and naturalist.

"The Atlas, embracing as it does 1 00 plates of birds not figured
by Audubon, will be found indispensable to the possessor of
that distinguished author's ' Birds of America,' completing it
to the present time.

" As stated in the preface, the descriptions and figures in the
present work have been taken almost entirely from specimens
in the Smithsonian Institution. To the Secretary of the Insti-
tution the publishers are under many obligations for facilities
in the preparation of this much-extended and greatly improved
edition."

Parts of the Pacific Railway Reports, which relate to the
natural condition and products of the country traversed near the
47th and 49th parallels of latitude, have likewise been collected
together in a separate form, and form a quarto volume, under
the title of 'The Natural History of Washington Territory */
Full details are given about the birds of this country, the por-
tion relating to the Land-birds being from the pen of Dr. J. G.
Cooper, and that relating to the Water-birds having been com-
piled by Dr. G. Suckley, to whose courtesy we stand indebted for
a copy of this interesting work.

* 'The Natural Sistory of Washington Territory, with much relating to
Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oregon, and California. By J. G. Cooper,
M.D., and Dr. G. Suckley, U.S.A.' New York : Bailliere Brothers, 1859.
1 vol. 4to.

428 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, i^c.

LV. — Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c.
Mr. Swinhoe having been placed as Interpreter on the staff of
H.E. Sir Hope Grant (the Commander-in-chief of the Chinese
expedition), left Hongkong for the north in the steamer ' Light-
ning ' on the 9th of June last. He has favoured us with the

following letter, dated —

" At sea, June 16th, 1860.

" We left Hongkong on the 9th of June. On the 12th it
blew so hard from the north that we were obliged to put into a
bay south of Lam-yit Island for shelter. We remained there
until the following morning. During our delay we went ashore ;
and I send you a sketch of my observations on the place.

" The island of Lam-yit or South-sun, south of which we
anchored, is the largest of a group of islands not far from the
city of Hing-wha, on the Chinese coast of the Formosa channel.
It is about twelve miles in circumference, a muddy creek dividing
it nearly into two, and is bounded by a sandy beach and rocks
running into the sea. Ranges of hill occur on both sides, chiefly
formed, as on the opposite coast of China, of disintegrated
granite of hoary aspect, with occasional strips of clay. Natural
vegetation is extremely scanty ; and not a tree occurs ^on the
island, except a stunted peach or wild pear hidden in some
chasm in the hill-side. The little available portion of the flat
land is worked by the natives for agricultural purposes; and the
sandy soil, strengthened by human manure, is forced to yield
crops of rice, ground-nuts {Arachis hijpogcea), &c., in apparently
thriving condition. But it does not require much knowledge of
the coast of China to see that it is not upon the produce of the
fields that the natives depend for maintenance. They are nomi-
nally fishermen, but actually pirates ; and a filthier and more
squalid race I think I have seldom seen. Their dialect has a
few expressions in common with that of Amoy ; but the greater
part of it is distinct, and would probably be found nearer to that
of Hing-wha. We managed, however, to make ourselves under-
stood.

" From the above description of the country, a large or im-
portant Avifauna would hardly be expected. I only noted the
following species : —

Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 429

" 1. Accipiter, sp. Probably the same as the Sparrow-hawk
of Amoy.

"2. Cijpselus vittatus, Jard. & Selb. Building among the
huts.

" 3. Hirundo gutturalis,. Scop. Nesting under the eaves and
over the doorways of the houses.

" 4. Anthus thermophilus, Hodgson.

"5. Motacilla luzoniensis. Scop.

" 6. Petrocossyphus maniUensis (Bodd.).

" 7. Alauda coelivox, Swinhoe. One of the commonest birds
in the island. Numbers were singing all around, some on the
wing, others while perched on the ground.

"8. Acridutheres cristatellus (Linn.).

" 9. Pica sericea, Gould.

" 10. jEgialites cantianus (Lath.). Numbers of these little
fellows were scampering about the sands all day long. They
run with great velocity, and then, with a pretty whistle, spring on
wing and fly round and round in long circles. Walking along
the beach in the afternoon, when it was blowing hard from the
north, we came to a sudden depression in the sand. From this,
out ran several of these little Plovers as hard as their legs would
carry them. They seemed loth to take wing, and had evidently
retired into this hollow to seek shelter from the wind. The
males vary somewhat in the intensity of their red and black
summer tints.

"11. Herodias garzetta (Linn.). One female specimen only
was seen and shot. It was evidently a straggler.

" 12. Sterna velox, Riipp. Several of these fine Terns were
seen at various times, flapping past and uttering their hoarse
screams.

" 13. Sterna minuta, Linn. (?). An elegant little Tern, of this
species probably. I know of no other of such small dimensions.
A pair of them were flying over the long sand-beach on the south
of the island ; and one of them perched on the mud for several
minutes.

"14. Ano'ds stolidus (Linn.). This, or an allied species, was
seen skimming about towards the sea.'^

430 Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c.

Herr Hofrath Theodor von Heuglin requests us to notice the
following errata m, and addenda to, his " List of Birds observed
during a voyage in the Red Sea/^ published in last year's ' Ibis'
(p. 337 et seq.) :—

P. 340, No. 24 is Nectarinia metallica.

P. 341, No. 29 should be Aa-ocephalus stentorius, nee tur-
do'ides.

No. 32 a. ? should be Calamoherpe pallida, Gervais.

P. 345, No. 75. The feet of Charadrius cinereicollis, mihi, are
reddish yellow ; but in the breeding-season, I suppose, bright red.
This species is very closely allied to C. tricollaris, but smaller, and
different, especially in the tail-markings.

P. 347, No. 93. Numenius tenuirostris should be N. arquatiis.

No. 94. " Limosa rufa ?" is certainly this species.

P. 351, No. 121. Sterna, sp., is probably Sterna fuliginosa. I
sent a specimen of this bird to Dr. Hartlaub, but he was not able
to determine it accurately.

No. 127 ought to be Dysporus fuscus. This species is very
closely allied to D. brasiliensis, perhaps identical with it.

P. 352, No. 130. Phalacrocorax, sp,, is perhaps P. melano-
gaster, Cuv. (P. luguhris, Riipp.). I found P. cormoranus not
uncommon in the winter in the Gulf of Suez.

To the Editor of ' The Ibis.'

Fordingbridge, August 7th, 1860.

Sir, — Before perusing the remarks in the January Number of
your interesting periodical, of which I am a "Constant Reader,"
I had entertained many objections to the ' Zoologist List of
British Birds,' which I have long felt to be an " unsatisfactory
compilation."

It appears to me that a really reliable list of British birds is
still a desideratum, and it has occurred to me that such a list,
published in ' The Ibis,' or separately, in the form of a pamphlet
issued under your auspices, would be esteemed a boon by many
interested in the ornithology of the British Isles.

I think it would add to the interest and usefulness of such a
list if marks were attached to distinguish those birds which are

Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 431

known to breed in Britain, those whose eggs have been disco-
vered elsewhere, and those whose niditicatiou is still unknown.
When the birds are only accidental or occasional visitors to our
shores, a mark might be attached to signify from what con-
tinent they are most probably stragglers ; and there might be
no objection to the addition of a supplementary list specifying,
as in Mr. Doubleday's * Nomenclature,' such birds as " have been
placed in the British list, but rest on slender evidence, or have
been introduced by mistake.^'

If you consider these suggestions worth submitting to your
contributors and readers, I trust we may, ere long, be enabled
to welcome the appearance of 'The Ibis' list of British birds,
which, by its authenticity, may, I hope, remove or lessen the
confusion and uncertainty produced by the various catalogues
now published. Yours, &c., T. Beaven Rakes.

To the Editor of ' The Ibis.'

The Elms, Camp Hill.

Sir, — On Sept. 26th, 1860, at a meeting of the Birmingham
Natural History Association, Mr. A. Franklin, taxidermist, exhi-
bited a magnificent hybrid of the Capercailzie {Tetrao urogaUus),
with the Black Grouse (7". tetrix). It was shot this season in
Perthshire by a gentleman of our town, and placed in Mr.
Fi'anklin's hands for preservation.

The leading characters of this bird are those of the Caper-
cailzie ; the bill, however, is black. In 1852 a similar hybrid
was shot in the same county.

In 1857, a nest of nine eggs of the Capercailzie was recorded
in the 'Perthshire Courier^ as taken near Logielmond.

Associating these facts, it seems evident that the extirpation
of this bird, which was reintroduced by the Marquis of Bread-
albane in 1838-9, is not yet completely effected.

Yours, &c., Geo. R. Twinn.

We believe, on the contrary, that the Capercailzie is rapidly
extending itself in Perthshire, and that, in some of the well-
preserved parts of that county, both the pure bird and the
hybrid between it and the Black Grouse are far from uncommonly
met with. — Ed.

432 Letters, Extracts from Cuiresjjundence, Notices, «Sfc.

To the Editor of ' The Ibis.'

Stanley, Falkland Islands,
July 28 th, 1860.

Sir, — Permit me to correct a slight error that appeared iu
the January Number of 'The Ibis ^ for this year, which Mr.
Tristram has been good enough to send me. In the illustrations
of the eggs of two Raptorial birds from the Falkland Islands
(Plate I.), the second egg (figured as a rare variety of the egg of
" Milvago australis ") is undoubtedly that of the Turkey Buz-
zard [Cathartes aura). See Mr. Gould^s description of this egg
in the ' Proceedings of the Zoological Society ' for last year, p. 93.
I know of no variety of egg of Milvago australis, except that
some are lighter in colour than others, but they are invariably

of the same shape.

Yours, &c., C. C. Abbott.

"VVe much regret that this mistake should have been made. It
occurred, no doubt, through the way in which the eggs were
identified, viz. by numbers attached to them.

We have lately had an opportunity of examining a fine series
of birds from the Falkland Islands, collected by Capt. Pack. It
contains examples of five different species of Penguins : viz.
Aptenodytes forsteri, G. R. Gray ; Eudyptes chrysocome (Forst.) ;
E. chrysolophus, Brandt; E. papua (Forst.), and Spheniscus
magellanicus (Forst.). There can be little doubt that Capt.
Abbott's "Jackass Penguin" [antea, p. 336) has been wrongly
referred to Aptenodytes demersa, and that it is really the Sphe-
niscus magellanicus, which is a closely allied species.

Baron Richard Konig-Warthausen informs us that, according
to Dr. Blasius (who has examined the parent-birds, now in the
Stuttgart Museum), the Falcon's egg, described by him in the
April Number of ' The Ibis ' [antea, p. 124), does not belong-
to Falco eleonorce, but to F. concolor. Dr. Blasius likewise pro-
nounces the little Tern obtained by Herr von Heuglin in the Red
Sea (of which the eggs are described antea, p. 125) to be Sterna
alhigena, Licht., and not S. senegalensis. Swains.

INDEX.

Abromis superciliaris,

187.
Accentor alpinus, 140.

modularis, 228.

Accipiter ?, 47.

castanilius, 148.

coUaris, 148.

cooperi, 401.

— ■ — exilis, 204.

haplochrous, 323.

niinullus, 148.

uisiis, 9, 47.

poliocephalus, 322.

sphenuriis, 202.

tacbiro, 204.

Aeridotlieres cristatellus,

60, 429.
Acroeephalus arundina-

ceus, 51.

bistrigiceps, 51.

brunnescens. 51.

magnirostris, 51.

stentorius, 430.

Aedou galactodes, 103.
jEgiaUtes cantianus, G3,

78, 429.

liiaticula, 63, 218.

marginatus, 218.

minor, 79.

pusillus, 63.

Tocifcrus, 307, 313.

.(Egitbina atricapilla, 358.
Alauda arborea, 229.

arrensis, 229.

brachydactyla, 230.

calancb'a, 230.

ccelivox, 62, 91, 132,

361, 429.

japonica, 132.

malabarica, 132.

minuta, 89, 361.

Alca alle, 166.

impennis, 300.

torda, 128, 166.

Alcedo atricapilla, 49.

bengalensis, 49.

dea, 199,

ispida, 236.

Amazilia arsinoe, 38, 40,

100, 195,270.

Amazilia corallirostris, 100,

195, 196, 268, 269.
dumerillii, 261, 263,

266, 269, 270.
riefiferi, 40, 195, 269,

270.

xantusi, 309.

Amazillia corallirostris,

115.
Ampelis cedrorum. 111.

garrula. 298.

Amycb-us bljiliii, 243, 245.
Auabates cervinigularis,

35. ^

Anabazenops variegaticeps,

398.
Anas acuta, 166, 353, 394.

bernicla, 404.

boschas, 67, 81, 315,

351, 391, 394.

clangula, 4.

clypeata, 353.

ci'ecca, 353, 394.

(Anser) erythropus,

404, 406.

fuligula, 166.

glacialis, 166.

bistrionica, 166.

marila, 166.

marmorata, 353, 372.

mollissima, 166.

penclope, 353, 394.

querquedula, 353,

391, 394.

spectabilis, 166.

strepera, 353, 394.

sixperciliosa, 422.

Anoiis pileatus, 3()0.
stolidus, 128, 187,

360, 429.

tenuirostris, 128.

Anser albifrons, 351, 405.

bernicla, 166, 308.

ca;rulescens, 256.

ferus, .350.

finmarcbicus, 400.

gam belli, 257.

byperborcus, 2.55,256.

leucopsis, 40<i.

— • — minutus, 406.

Anser segetum, 67, 81, 350,

405.

temminckii, 406.

xlnthus agilis, 55.

arboreus, 229.

cervinus, 419.

gouldii, 208.

pratensis, 229.

richardi, 55.

rufogiilaris (cervi-
nus), 308.
— — rufogularis, 419.

rufosu23erciUaris,420.

rupestris, 229.

thermopbiIus,55,429.

Anthropoides virgo, 76.
Antrostomus vocifer us,275.
Aplonis obsciirus, 422.
Aptenodytes clirysocome,

337.

demersa, 336, 432.

forsteri, 432.

Aquila albicilla '?, 166.

albicilla, 291, 294.

audax, 171.

belli cosa, 414.

bonellii, 4, 202, 288,

291, 352, 414.

■ brachydactyla, 412.

clu-ysaetos, 3, 161,

288, 296, 419.

fusca, 296.

heliaca, 3.

imperialis, 352.

najvia, 4, 288, 295,

296, 352.

najvioides, 374.

pennata, 368.

verreauxii, 414.

vidtm'ina, 414.

Ara macao, 119.
Ardea alba, 346.

atricollis, 220.

bubulcus, 16.3, 34(3.

-cincrea, 63, 77, 205,

346.
-— -comata, 163,346.

garzctta, 346.

goliatb, 220.

nycticorax, 347.

434

INDEX.

Ardea purpurea, 77, 220,

345.
• — — ralloides, 372.

russata, 64, 372.

Ardeola leucoptera, 65.

prasinosceles, 64.

speciosa, 65.

Ardetta cimiamomea, 65.

guttiu-alis, 221.

lepida, 65.

minuta, 77, 205, 347.

sinensis, 65, 132.

sturmii, 221.

Ai'remou aurantiirostris,

32.
Artamus leucorhynchus,

141.

monachus, 141.

Arundinax cautiu'ians, 52,

131, 357.

miniatus, 357.

minutus, 52, 131.

olivaeeus, 52.

Astur approsimans, 422.

novaj-hollandiie, 322.

palumbarius, 8.

Asturina inagiiirostris, 225.

nitida ?, 225.

Athene noctua, 134.

scutellata, 47.

Aulacorliamphus prasinus,

41.

Balieniceps rex, 188, 202.
Balearica pavoniua. 76.
Basileuterus belli, 31.

brasieri, 274.

chrysopluys, 31.

delattrii, 274.

■ mesochrysus, 274.

rufifrons, 274.

Baza stenozona, 322.
Bernicla brenta, 255.

canadensis, 254.

hutcbinsii, 255.

Bombyeilla garrula, 308.
Botaurus lentiginosus, 194.

stellaris, 77, 347.

Brachypternus aurantius,

87.
Brachyrhamphus hypoleu-

cus, 192.
Biiarremon albinucbus,274
Bubo africanus, 244.

ascalaphus, 125.

bengalensis, 125.

maximus, 47, 125, 133

virginianus, 276.

Bubulcus ibis, 77.
Bucco dysoni, 40.
Buceros corrugalus, 191.

Buceros flavirostris, 244.

gracilis, 191.

pica, 87.

pKcatus, 191.

tickellii, 187.

Budytes flava, 55.
Bupliaga erytlirorhyncha,

246.
Buphus comatus, 77, 221.

coromandus, 64.

Buteo ajquinoctialis, 226,

317.

albicaudatus, 26.

coopei'i, 26.

erythronotus, 25, 202,

401.

fuliginosus, 401.

jackal, 204.

japonicus, 46.

leucurus, 202.

— — tachardus, 368.

vidgaris, 6.

Butorides javanica, 132.

javanicus, 358.

ATirescens, 45.

Caecabis petrosa, 72.

saxatilis, 293.

Cacicus montezvuna?. 111.
Cairina moschata, 315.
Calanianfliclla tintinnabu-

lans, 51, 180,3(30.

volitans, 186.

Calamodyta aquatica, 232.

cetti, 232.

cistieola, 232.

strepera, 232.

Calamoherpe pallida, 430.
Calamophilus biarmicus,

317.
Calandrella reboudia, 298.
Calidris arenaria, 343, 359.
Callichen rufina, 81.
CalHste larvata, 33.

lavinia, 301.

Campephaga einerea, 58.

longicaudata, 422.

Campetbera chrysura, 213.
Camptostomaimberbe, 400
Campylopterus delattrii,

195,260,301.

pampa, 195, 260.

rufus, 38, 195, 260,

263, 267, 272.
Campy lor liynchus affinis,

192.

capistratus, 317.

zonatus, 29.

Cancroma coclilearia, 313.
Caprimidgus — - — ?, 47.
dytiscivorus, 130.

Caprimidgus europa;u8,

236.

indicus, 47.

jotaka, 130.

natalensis, 204.

ruficolUs, 374.

Carbo cormoranus, 355.

desmarestii ?, 355.

melanogaster, 248.

pygmjeus, 355.

CardueUs elegans, 138.
Carpophaga forsteni, 141.

perspicillata, 199.

Casarca rutila, 67, 81, 187.
Cassiculus prevosti, 34.
Casuarius australis, 310.

bennettii, 310.

— — bi-caruncidatus, 310.

galeatus, 307, 310.

uno-^ppendiculatiis,

307, 310, 403, 420.
Cathartes atratus, 222.

aura, 222, 432.

californianus,278,.334

melpomene, 29.

Catreus waUicliii, 93.
Celeus castaneus, 119.
Centropus, sp. ?, 359.

dimidiatus, 187.

dimidiatus?, 360.

Centiu-us pucheranii, 43.

santacruzi, 119.

Cepphus grylle, 127.
Cercomacra tyranniua, 36.
Certhilauda africana, 208.

desertorum, 150.

Cervus virginianus, 21.
Ceryle alcyon, 116.

amazona, 195.

americana, 117.

rudis, 49.

Chcetm-a ?, 37.

brunneitorques, 37.

nudipes, 48.

poUiu-a, 38.

rutila, 37.

spinicauda, 38.

vauxi, 38.

Chalcophaps stepliani, 142.
Chamaeospiza torquata,

274.
Chamsepelia passerina, 45.

rufipeniois, 227.

Charadrius cantianus, 279,

339.

cinereicoUis, 430.

frontalis, 218.

liiaticula, 101, 167,

339.

minor, 101, 339.

pluvialis, 166, 339.

INDEX.

435

Charadrius tricollaris, 430.

rirginieus, 359.

xanthocheilus, 422.

Chaiilelasmus streperus,81
Chauna clerbiana, 402.
Chelidon urbica, 48.
Chenalopex segyptiacus,

Chirostemon platanoides,

42, 43.
Chiroxiphia linearis, 100.
Chloronerpes oleagineus,

400.

yiicatanensis, 44.

Chlorophanes atricapilla,

32.
CMorospingiis ophthalmi-
cus, 32.

spodocephalus, 274.

Chlorospiza aurantiiven-

tris, 153.
Chlorostilbon caniveti,

271.
osberti, 40, 195, 263,

269, 271.
Chondestes ruficauda, 398.
Chordeiles virginianus, 275
Chrysomitris mexicana, 34,

275.

notata, 275.

— — spinus, 138.
Chrysotis albifroiis, 121.

auripalliata, 121, 317

aiitumnalis, 401.

guatemalse, 44.

xanthops, 317.

Chrysvironia eliciae, 272.
Cicinniirus regius, 26.
Ciconia alba, 76, 220, 347.

nigra, 347.

Cinclus aquaticus, 233.

pallasii, 187, 360.

Circaetus cinerascens, 410,

412.

cinereus, 413.

fasciatiis, 413.

gallicus, 6, 412.

melanotis, 414.

orientalis, 413.

pectoralis, 412, 413.

thoracicus, 20.3, 413.

■ zonurus, 410, 412,

414.
Circus, sp. ?, 359.

aeruginosas, 47, 359.

cineraceus, 10.

cyaneus, 9, 47.

■ ranivorus, 2(J4.

Cistieola brunneiceps, 131-

360.
schcrnicola, 161.

Cistieola tintinnabulans,

51,131.

volitans, 360.

Cistothorus elegans, 30.
Clais guimeti, 309.
Clangida glaucion, 354,

394.
Climacteris scandens, 422.
Coccothraustes chloris,

138.

maculipennis, 398.

melanurus, 61.

Tidgaris, 137.

Coccyzus americanus, 43,

118.
erytlirophthalmus,

276.
Coereba carneipes, 32.
Colius striatus, 213.
CoUocalia francica, 201.

Hnclii, 324.

nidifica, 324.

Coloburis rufiventris, 421.

Columba ?, 402.

arquatrix, 213.

exeelsa, 152.

fasciata, 249, 276.

flavirostris, 226.

Uvia, 68, 236.

cenas, 69, 236.

palumbus, 152, 236.

trigonigera, 214.

tm-tur, 237.

unicincta, 97.

Tinacea, 402.

Colymbus arcticus, 167.

glaeialis, 67, 166, 349.

• ■ septentrionalis, 167,

349.
Coniu'us astec, 120.

holochlorus, 44.

petzi ?, 120.

— — petzii, 401.
Copsychus macrurus, 87.

saularis, 54, 87.

Coracias garrida, 152, 235.
Coretlirura rubra, 277.
Corvus affinis, 245.

cacalotl, 34, 191.

cacalotl?, 112.

carnivorus, 35, 191.

corax, 35, 135, 166.

comix, 13,5.

cryptoleucus, 191.

frugilegus, 135.

jamaicensis, 191.

monedula, 135.

nobilis, 191.

pectoralis, 60.

pyrrhopterus, 191.

scapulatus, 21 1 .

Corwis scapulatus (pha?o-

cephalus, 245.

umbrinus, 245.

Cotinga amabilis, 100, 193.
Coturuix chinensis, 63,358.

communis, 72.

— — dactylisonans, 317,

358.

vidgaris, 238.

Cotyle fulvipennis, 31.

serripcnnis. 111.

Crax globicera, 252, 311.
Crex baillonii, 349.

porzana, 349.

pratensis, 349.

— pusilla, 349.
Crotophaga ani, 118,301.

major, 301.

sulcu'ostris, 11, 43,

118, 301.
Cuculus canorus, 62, 234.

gelastes, 63.

solitarius, 213.

tenuirostris, 62.

Cursorius burchelh, 217-

gallicus, 79.

Cyanocitta eoronata, 112.
Cyanocorax guatemalensis,

113.

melano-cyaneus, 112.

Cyanomyia cyanocephala,

38, 39, 114, 195, 261,

263, 267, 269, 301.
Cyanopterus discors, 315.
Cyanurus gubernatrix, 113.
Cyclorhynchus breviros-

tris, 399.

cinereiceps, 399.

Cygnus americanus, 2.5.3.

buccinator, 253.

— — • immutabilis, 351.

musicus, 351.

Cyphorhinus griseicollis,

397.
prostheleucus, 272,

397.
Cypselus affinis, 48.

apus, 234, 242, 324.

melba, 234.

vittatus, 48, 429.

Cyrtonyx massena, 188.
salla;i, 188.

Dacelo cyanotis, 142.

gigas, 205.

Dafila acuta, 67, 81.
Dasyptilus i'ulgidus, 90.
Dasypus novem-ciiactus, 16
Delattria henrici, 196, 272.

viridipallens, 40, 195,

263.

436

INDEX.

Demiegretta pealii?, 313.
Dendfobates aetliiopicus,

244.
Dendrochelidon klecho, 95
Deiidrocops midtistrigatus,

275.

platyrostris, 275.

Dendi'ocygna autiimnalis,

17, 31y.

Dendrceca ?, 273.

auduboni, 273.

clirysoparia, 273.

coronata, 273.

pannosa, 273.

pennsylvanica, 273.

— — superciliosa, 274.

townsendii, 273.

virens, 273.

Dendromanes anabatinus,

35.
Dendromus hemprichii,

245.
Dendrornis erythropygia,

35.

■ flaTigastra, 398.

Dicrurus lugubris, 247.

macrocercus, 59, 361.

malabaricus, 89, 361.

musicus, 210.

Diomedea brachyiu-a, 67.

fuliginosa. 67.

DromEeus ii-roratus, 310.
— — novse-hollandia;, 310.
Drymoica extensicauda, 50

fusca, 51.

inornata, 51.

— — melanorhyucha, 208.
Dryocopus guatemalensis,

119.

scapiilaris, 119.

Dysithamnus semicine-

reus, 399.
Dysporus brasiliensis, 430.
fviscus, 430.

Edolius paradiseus, 99.
Elainea pagana, 307.

riisii, 307.

Elainia pagana, 36.

placens, 194.

subpagana, 36.

viHssima, 194.

Elanoides fm-catus, 240.
Emberiza canescens, 62.
— — cia, 138.

cirlus, 138.

fucata, 61.

hortulana, 138.

— — lapponica, 191.

melanocephala, 139,

280.

Emberiza miliaria, 138.

nivalis, 166.

palustris, 139.

■ pusilla, 61.

schoeniclus, 138, 318.

Empidonax bahamensis, 98

bairdi, 36.

Enneoctonus coUurio, 135.

rufus, 135.

Enodes erytlu-ophrys, 141.
Erismatiu-a mersa, 82, 163,

354, 372.

I'ubida, 315.

Erythacus moussieri, 366.

rubecula, 29.

Erytlu'opus vespertinus, 8.
Erytlu-osterna leucura, 357

mugimaki, 357.

Estrelda astrild, 201.
Eucometis cristata, 275.

spodocepliala, 274.

Eudocimus albus, 402.

ruber, 402.

Eudromias morinellus, 78.
Eudyptes chrysocome, 432
chrysolophus, 338,

432.

papua, 336, 432.

Eugenes fulgens, 195, 261,

263, 266.
Eumomota superciliaris,

117, 195.
Eupherusa eximia, 195,

271.
Eupbonia affinis, 33.

cyanodorsalis, 103.

gouldi, 194.

minuta, 275.

occipitalis, 103.

Euijodotis catfra, 216.
Eupsycbortyx leucopogon,

277.

sonninii, 308.

Eurystomus orientalis, 48.

pacificus, 147.

Euspiza aiu-eola, 62.

personata, 62.

sulphurata, 359.

Euthlypis lacrymosa, 274.
Exocoetus, 11.

Falcinellus igneus, 78, 163,

348.
Faleo Ksalon, 352.

anatum, 123.

arcadicus, 124.

^^ — ardosiaceus, 409.

badius, 47.

biarmicus, 122, 207.

calidus, 90.

cervicalis, 122.

Falco concolor, 432.

eleonorff', 124, 432.

fulvus, 308.

funereus, 413.

— — gracilis, 409.

grcenlandicus, 166.

lanarius, 123, 124,

288, 352.

milvus, 91.

palumbarius, 91.

peregrinus, 7, 46, 123,

167,200.

peregrinus ?, 166.

pterocles, 26.

ruficolUs, 409.

semitorquatus, 407,

409.

subbuteo, 124.

tanypterus, 122, 123.

tinnunculus, 124, 288

Felis onca, 13, 20.
Florisuga mellivora, 272.
Foudia erythrocephala,

201.
madagascariensis,

201.
Francolinus leyaillantii,

216.

natalensis, 214.

perlatus, 63.

subtorquatus, 215.

Fratcrciila glaciaUs, 419.
Fregata aquila, 11,316.
Fregilus graculus, 136.
Fringilla cannabina, 201.

chloris, 201.

citrinella, 138.

cuelebs, 137, 334.

montifringilla, 334.

moreleti, 93.

spodiogena, 152.

spodiogenia, 334.

Fringillaria flaviveiatris,

213.
Fulica alba, 423.

americana, 45.

atra, 81, 158, 348.

cristata, 81, 157.

Fuligula coUaris, 277.
cristata, 67, 81, 168,

354 394.
ferina, 81, 163, 354,

394.

marila, 67, 354, 394.

nyroca, 163, 187, 354,

391, 394.
rufina, 163, 164, 354,

372, 394.

Galbula melanogenia, 40,
116.

INDEX.

437

Galerida cristata, 230.

macrorhyiielia, 298.

randouii, 298.

GalKnago, sp. ?, 3r)9.

galliniila, 79.

major, 133.

media, 79.

solitaria, 66.

solitaria ?, 132.

stenura, 66.

uiiiclava, 66.

wilsoni ■?. 314.

Galliiiiila bailloni, 80.

cMoropus, 314, 349.

galeata, 314.

javaniea, 67.

Gallophasis albo-cristatus.

93.
Gambetta calidi'is, 80.
Garrulax canorus, 358.

perspicillatus, 358.

rugillatiis, 57, 358.

taewanus, 187, 360.

Garrulus atricapillus, 373.

cervicalis, 152.

glandarius, 136.

melanocephalus, 202.

Gavia kittlitzii, 68.
Gazzola typica, 190.
Gecinus canus, 235.

vaillantii, 373.

viridis, 235.

Gelochelidon anglica, 82.
Genetta afra, 152.
Geococcyx afSnis, 43.
Geothlypis ajquinoctiaHs,

273.
Greotrygon albifacies, 401 .

montanus, 401.

Geranospiza ciBruleseens.

44.
Geronticus calviis, 219.

comatiis, 78, 219.

Gerygonemodesta, sp.nov.,

422.
Glarcola pratincola, 79,

239, 344.
Glaucidium infuscatum,

226.
Glyphorhyncbus cuneatus,

35.
Gracula intermedia, 187.
Gracupica nigricolb's, (iO.
Granatellus salliti, .^(7.
Grus canadensis, 167.

cinerea, 76, 348.

Guiraca conereta, 33.
Gymnoglaux nudipes, 307.
Gypaetus barbatus, 2, 202,

'281, 282.
Gyparchus papa. 104.

Gyps fulvus, 1. 206, 278.

indicus, 361. '

riippelli, 206. i

Hsematopus ostralegus, 63,

339.
Hfematornis cki*ysorrhoi-

des, 358.
Hffimophila rufeseens, 34.

riificauda, 398.

Halcyon fuscicapilla, 204.

melanorhyncba, 142.

monaelius, 142.

pileata, 49.

smyruensis, 48.

Haliaetiis albicilla, 5.

erytlirouotus, 25.

Haliastur leucosternus,

322.
Harporliynchus cinereus,

192.
Heliomaster constant!, 263
longirostris, 195, 263,

271, 276. 309.

stuartite, 309.

Heliopa^dica melanotis,

195,263,269,271,309.

eastaneo-eauda, 309.

Heliotbi'ix barroti, 272,

400.
Helminthophaga chryso-

ptera, 397.

peregrina, 31.

Helotarsus ecaudatns, 244,

410.
Hemichelidon fuliginosa,

57.

latirostris, 57.

rnlilata, 57.

Hemilopbus validus, 187.
Hemipbaga spadicea, 422.
Hemiprocne zonaris, 37.
Henicopernis longicauda,

322.
Henicurus leschenaulti, 95.
Herodias alba, 77.

aslia, 64, 358.

bubulcus, 313.

candidissima, 64.

egretta, 64, 312.

eulophotes, 64.

flavirostris, 205.

garzetta, 64, 77, 221,

429.
Heteropelma rerse-pacis,

400.
Himantopus melanoptcrus,

79, 92, 344, 345.
Hippolais saHcaria, 154,

156.
Hirundo cvaneoviridis. 98.

Hirundo daiirica, 48, 89.

euclirysea, 98.

■ — - guttiiralis, 48, 429.

• javaniea, 147.

riparia, 234.

robini, 37.

rufula, 289.

rupestris, 234.

rustica, 234.

rutila, 37.

urbica, 234.

Houbara undulata, 75.
Ilydrobata marila, 187.
Hydi'ochelidon hybrida, 82

javaniea, GS.

leucoptera, 82.

nigra, 82.

Hylomanes momotula, 400
Hylopbiliis einereiceps,

397.

oebraceiceps, 397.

Hyphantornis baglefeeht,

246.
— — einctus, 97.
Hypochera idtramarina,

213.
Hypolais arigonis, 95.

eineraseens, 95.

■ elaica, 96.

icterina, 95.

luscinoides, 95.

olivetorum, 95.

pallida, 95, 96.

polyglotta, 96.

saliearia, 95, 231.

Hypotriorchis aasalon, 7,

409.

castanonotus,407,409

coneolor, 409.

eleonora;, 7, 408.

liorus, 409.

ruficoUis, 409.

subbuteo, 7, 46, 408.

Hypsipetes oUvacea, 307.

lanthoenas halmaheira,198.
Ibis alba, 313.
Ibycter americanus, 223.
lehthyaetus leucogaster,

322.
Icterus afRnis, .34.

giraudi, 100.

gidaris, 111, 195.

maculi-alatus, 398.

mentalis, 275.

mesomelas, 34.

Ictinia mississippiensis,

103.

plumbea, 103.

Indicator minor, 205.
Irrisor minor, 244.

438

INDEX.

Irrisor senegalensis, 244.
Ixocincla olivacea, 307.
Ixiilus striatus, 187.

Juida phoenicoptera, 210.

Kittacincla albiventris, 99.
macroura, 99.

Lampornis prevosti, 272.
Lamproljeraa rhami, 43,

196, 272.
Lamprotornis albirentris,

246.
Laniarius cruentus, 247.

quadricolor, 210.

Laniovireo crassirostris,

98.
Lanius bucephalus, 60,

132.

collaris, 210.

dealbatus, 199.

excubitor, 134, 150,

199.

lucionensis, 59.

meridionalis, 13.5,

152.

minor, 135, 296.

schach, 59.

Larus argentatus, 166, 355.

atricilla, 356.

audouinii, 356.

canus, 68, 129, 355.

ebitmeus, 166.

fuscus, 68, 356.

glaucus, 166.

hempricliii, 129, 130.

ichthyaetus, 86.

leucophthalmus, 129.

leucopterus, 166, 167.

mariiius, 166.

■ melanocephalus, 157,

356.

melanorhynchus, 68.

melanurus, 133.

minutus, 356.

poeocephalus, 221 .

ridibmidus, 129, 157.

tridactylus, 129, 166.

Larvivora cyanea, 359.
Leptopogon amaiirocepha-

liis, 399, 400.
Leptoptila rufaxiUa, 402.
Leploptilus argala, 297.

javanicus, 297.

Lepus cuniculus, 13.
Lestris antaretica, 338.

parasitica (buffonii),

308.

parasificus, 166.

Leuco.sarcia picata, 422. I

Ligiirinus sinicus, 61.
Limosa baueri, sp. nov.,

422.

melanura, 34.3.

rufa, 308, 343, 420,

430.
Linota canriabina, 138.
Lijiaugiis holerythrus, 400.

rufescens, 400.

iinirufus, 36, 302,

400.
Lobivanellus inornatus,

359.
Locustella raii, 358.
— — rubescens, 358.
Lophophorus impeyanus,

93.
Lopliornis lielenaB, 194,

196, 267, 268, 269.
Loriculus puniculus, 361.
Lorius domicella, 306.

garrulus, 198.

Loxia curvirostra, 138.
— — pityopsittacus, 168.
Lusciola cyaimra, 131.
Lyncornis macropterus,

141.

Machetes pugnax, 80, 343.
Macronyx capensis, 208.

croceus, 208.

Macropygia reinwardti,

198.
Macrorhamphus griseus,

90, 277.

semipalmatus, 90.

Malacoptila inornata, 40.

panamensis, 41.

verse-pacis, 40.

Mareca americana, 308.

penelope, 81.

Megacephalon maleo, 142.
Megalaima indica, 87.
Megapicus sclateri, 188.
Melanerpes porto-ricensis,

308.
Melanolis hypoleucus, 29.
Meleagris ocellata, 311.
MeKerax polyzonus, 244.
Mellisuga humilis, 116.

merrittii, 309.

Melophus latbami, 62.
Mergus albellus, 308, 355,

394.

merganser, 354.

serratus, 07.

servator, 354.

Meropogon forsteni, 142.
Merops apiaster, 161, 235,

393.
ornalus, 147.

Micrastur brachypterus,

225.
Micronisns badius, 359.

collaris, 148.

Micropalama tacksanow-

skia, 420.
Milvago australis, 25, 432.

carunculatus, 147.

chimango, 25.

Milndus forficatus, 114.

monachus, 114.

Milvus ater, 421.

govinda, 47.

parasiticus, 122.

regalis, 9, 421.

Mimus baliamensis, 98.

gundlachii, 98.

gracilis, 110.

Molothrus aineus, 34.

sericeus, 308.

Momotus lessoni, 100, 117.
Monasa palleseens, 301.
Monticola cyaneus, 139,

280, 289.

saxatiHs, 139, 289.

Motacilla alba, 166, 228,

394

boarula, 55, 229, 394.

capensis, 208.

cinereocapiUa, 229.

flava, 393.

bippolais, 95.

lugeus (v. lugubris),

357.
luzoniensis, 55, 357,

429.

melanocephala?, 393.

melanocephala, 229.

ocularis, 55.

rayi, 229.

Mulleripicus hodgei, 420.
Munia malacca, 61.

minima, 358.

• mohicca,61, 147,358.

rubro-nigra, 61, 358.

Muscicapa albicollis, 230.

atricapilla, 358.

belli, 31.

cinereo-alba, 57.

grisola, 230.

Mycteria ephippiorhyncha,

202.
Myiabeillia typica, 195,

262, 263.
Myiadestes obscurus, 398.

unicolor, 397.

Myiarchus laurencii, 36,

114.
Myiobius sulphureipygius,

399.
Myiodioct«s mitratus, 110.

INDEX.

439

Myiophonus Cferuleus, 55.
horsfielclii, 55.

Nauclerus fureatus, 195.
Nectarinia afra, 207.

albivenh-is, 247.

amethystina, 207.

coUari's, 208.

— — habessinica, 247.

metallica, 430.

natalensis, 207.

Nemura rufllata, 54, 131.
Neopliron percnopterus, 2.
Nesopsar nigerrimus, 90.
Xestor noriblceiisis, 422.
Niltava cyanomehvna, 58.
Notauges albicapillus, 243,

246.
— ■ — bicolor, 246.

superbus, 245.

Notornis alba, 422.

mantelli, 423.

Numenius arquata, 218.

arquatus, 345, 430.

hudsonicus, 313.

major, 66.

phii'opus, 344, 345.

teuuirostris, 80, 345,

430.
Xvctale tengmakni, 133.
Nycticorax garcleni, 313.

grisea, 164.

griseus, 77, 358.

nianillensis, 65, 358.

Nyctitb'omus ?, 114.

Nyroca leucophthalma, 81.

Odontophoriis lineolatus,

276.

thoracicus, 276.

CEdicnemiis ?, 314.

affiiiis, 248.

crepitans, 76,314,338.

— — luaculosus, 217.

vocifer, 314.

Oidemia nigra, 354.
Oreocincla aiirea, 56.

infra-niarginata, 420.

Oreophasis derbianus, 43,

248, 2.52.
Oriolus cliinensis, 57.
— : — galbula, 233.

larvatus, 209.

sinensis, 89.

Ortalida leucogastra, 311.

vetula,241,311.

Orthogonys olivaceus, 302.
Orthotomus phyllorra-

pheus, 49.
Ortyx leylandi, 312.

thoracicus, 249.

VOL. II.

Oryzoborus funereus, 398.
Oryzovnis oryzivora, 61 .
Otis tarda, 9*7, 239.

tetrax, 75, 239.

Otus brachyotiis. 134.

Tidgaris, 133.

Oxylophus glandarius, 95,

245.
OxynotuS ferrugineus, 201.

Pachycephala longirostris,

422.

Pachyi'hamjjhus ?, 36.

major, 36.

nigriventris, 37.

polychropterus, 37.

Palreornis alexandri, 187.

barbatus, 99.

ei'ythrogenys, 99, 187.

nicobaricus, 99.

Pandion haliaetus, 6, 46.
Paradisea apoda, 27.

papuana, 27.

Parra capensis. 221.

■ gymnostoma, 314.

Parula brasiliana, 397.
Parus ater, 233.

atrieeps, 55.

biarmicus, 233.

eseruleus, 152, 233,

320.

caudatus, 233.

cristatus, 419.

lugubris, 295.

major, 232, 320.

minor, 55, 131.

palustris, 232.

pendulinus, 233, 295,

320.

trivirgatus, 131.

Passer castanopterus, 243,

246.

domesticus, 61, 137.

montanus, 61, 137.

304.
Passerculus alaudinus,

398.
Pastor bicolor, 60.

roseiis, 137.

temporalis, 60.

Pavo cristatus, 87.
Pelecanus crispus, 68, 202,

355, 395.

fuscus, 316.

onocrotalus, 355.

philippensis, 68.

Pellornium tickcUii, 187.
Penelope niger, 194.

purpurascens, 253.

Perdix cinerea, 200. 238.
gi'icca, 238.

Perdix petrosa, 238.

rubra, 238.

Pericrocotus cinereus, 58.

motacilloides, 58.

Peristera tympanistria,

214.
Pernis apivora, 6, 204.
Petasopliora delphina?, 194.

195, 261, 276.
thalassina, 40, 195.

260, 263.
Petrocincla rupestris, 209.
Petrocossyphus nianillen-
sis, 56,^429.
Petronia stulta, 137.
Pliaethon flavirostris, 98.

2jliccnicurus,201,422

Pliaetliornis adolphi, 38,

195, 260, 270.

cephalus, 271.

Phalacrocorax carbo, 68,

166.

cormoranus, 430.

lugubris, 248, 430.

melanogaster, 430.

mesicanus ?, 315.

Phalaropus fulicarius, 167.

hyperboreus, 277.

platyrhynchus, 92.

\vilsoni,'l01, 277.

Pliaromacrus paradiseus.

15,41,43,118,191.267.

401.
Pliasianus colchieus, 237.
Phlegoenas tristigmata,142.
Phoenicopterus aniiqiio-

rum, 78, 348.
Plioenicotliraupis rubi-

coide^, 32.
Plioleoptyux liypoga'a,401.
Phylloscopus coronatus,54.

fuscatus, 53.

rufus, 231.

sibilatrix, 231.

sylvicultrix, 53.

teneUipes, 53.

trocliilus, 231.

Piaya, 11.

erythropygia, 118.

thermophila, 43, 118.

Pica cooki, 1,56.

melanoleuca, 135.

serieea, 60, 429.

Picolaptes aflinis, 35.
Picus andamensis, 187.

■ atratus, 187.

jardinii, 119.

leuconotus, 234, 341.

lucasanus, 192.

major, 92, 234.

martius, 234, 419.

2 H

440

INDEX.

Picus minor, 235.

iiumidicus, 373.

tridactylus, 301.

varius, 119, 308.

Pionus htematotis, 401.
Pitta celebeusis, 142.

inornata, 421.

maxima, 197.

Pittasoma michleri, 425.
Pitylus poliogaster, 32.
Platalea ajaja, 402.

leucorodia, 65, 348.

Platycercus amboinensis,
306.

Platyrhynchus canci'omi-

inis, 399.
Platysteira prii'it, 210.

senegalensis, 247.

Plectrophanes lapj)onica,

166.
Ploceus ocularius, 213.

spilonotus, 212.

Plotus anliinga, 316.
Podica personata, 187.
petersii, 206.

Podiceps auritus, 67, 82,
159, 349.

cornutus, 349.

cristatus, 67, 82, 159,

349.

dominicus, 278,317-

minor, 82, 159, 349.

philippensis, 67.

rubricoUis, 349.

sclavonicus, 159.

Poeocephalus rufiveutris,
243.

Polioptila albiloris, 397.

Poliospiza tristriata, 247.

Polyborus tharus, 25, 223.

Pomatorhinus musicus,
187, 360.

Porphyi'io hvacinthinus,
80, 159.

melanotus, 423.

Porzana pboeniciira, 67.

Pratincola atrata, 87.

indica, 54.

rubetra, 140.

; rubicola, 140, 208.

Prinia ilaviventris, 50.

sonitans, 50, 155.

striata, 186, 360.

Prionirhynchus carinatus,
117.

Prioniturus discurus, 141.

■ platm-us, 141.

Procellaria atlantica, 422.

cookii, 418.

glacialis, 165, 166.

• hspsitata, 92.

Procellaria leachii, 200.

mollis, 418.

torquata, 418.

Procnias croriilea, 298.
Progne dominicensis, 110.
Pseudoscolopax semipal-

matus, 420.
Psilorhinus morio, 113.
Psittovius j ugularis, 44.

tovi, 44, 121.

Pternistes rubricoUis, 248.
Pterocles alchata, 70, 105,
199.

arenarius, 69, 105,

199.

coronatus, 71.

exustus, 199.

fasciatus, 247.

guttatus, 247.

lichtensteini, 247.

senegalensis, 199.

senegalus, 69, 71, 247.

Pterodes alchata, 239.
Pteroglossus torquatus,

119, 194.
Ptilogonys cinereus, 31.
Ptilonopus gularis, 141.

hyogaster, 198.

monaclius, 198.

superbus, 147.

Ptilorhis paradisea, 27.

Pucrasia macroloplia, 93.

Puffinus chlororhynchus,
422.

cinereus, 357.

major, 165.

Pycnonotus chrysorrhoi-
des, 358.

hfemorrhous, 57, 358.

nigricans, 209.

sinensis, 57.

Pyranga aestiva. 111.

bidentata, 32.

erythromeliEna, 100.

Pyrenestes albifrons, 213.

Pyrocephalus mexicanus,
'399.

Pyrrhocorax alpinus, 136,
"288.

graculus, 288.

Pyrrhula enucleator, 308.

vulgaris, 138.

Pyrrhulauda leucotis, 247.

Querquedula crecea, 67, 81

multicolor, 67.

Querida fuseocinerea, 302.
Quiscalus macrurus, 1 12.
sumichrasti, 398.

RaUus aquaticus, BQ, 349.

Rallus virginianus, 277.
Ramphastos carinatus, 41 .
Eampliocaenus rufiventris.

399.
Ramphocelus passerinii,

32, 111.
Eecurvirostra avocetta, 66.

79, 345.
Regidoides chloronotus, 54

inornatus, 54.

modestus, 54.

proregulus, 54.

Regulus cristatus, 233.
Rhea americana, 310.

darwinii, 310.

macrorhyncha, 310.

Rhipidura assimUis, 422.
Rhynchaspis clypeata, 81.

394.
Ruticilla aurorea, 54.
moussieri, 364.

Sagittarius secretarius, 203

Salicaria cantans, 131, 357.

c:mtillans, 52, 131.

357.

Tm'dus orientahs, 51

Salpinctes obsoletus,- 30.

Saltator atriceps. 111.

Saxicola am-ita, 140.

isabelUna, 247.

melanura, 247.

cenanthe, 140.

pileata, 209.

stapazina, 140, 281.

Scaphorhynchus mexica-
nus, 113.

Scardafella inca, 45, 227.

Schizorhis leucogaster, 245

Scissii'ostrum pagii, 141.

Scleroptera gutturalis, 248

Sclerm'us guatemalensis,
35.

mexicanus, 35.

Scolopax gallinago, 342.

gallinula, 308, 343.

major, 342.

rusticola, 66, 340.

solitaria, 132.

Scops ?, 226.

asio, 307.

bakkamoena, 47.

porto-ricensis, 307.

zorca, 134, 309.

Scytalopus griseicolKs, 397

prostheleucus, 272.

Scythrops novae hollandia\
147.

Selasphorus heloisffi, 43,
195, 266, 271.

platycercus, 196, 272.

INDEX.

441

Selenidera spectabilis, 301
Semioptera wallacii, 26.
Serinus icterus, 201 .

tristriatus, 247-

Serresias galeatus, 189.
Setophaga flammea, 274.

picta, 110, 274.

ruticilla, 274.

Sialia wilsoni, 15,29, 110.
Sibia meliiuoleuca, 187.
Sitta ccfsia, 232.

europsea, 419.

syi-iaca, 202, 232, 237,

289, 291.
Siiu'us lucloricianus, 273.

noveboracensis, 273.

Spatula clypeata, 308.
Spermophila cor^-ina, 33.
Spheniscus magellanicus,

432.
Spiloglaux humeralis, 322.

theomaeha, 322.

Spiza ciris, 111.
Spizatitus leucostigma, 414

ornatus, 223.

spilogaster, 414.

tyranuus, 223.

zomirus, 414.

Spreo albicapillus, 246.
Squatarola helvetica, 63,

201, 3.39, 417.
Sterna afTmis, 127.

albigena, 432.

anglica, 157, 356, 391,

394.

aretica, 126, 157, 166.

cantiaca, 127, 356,

394.

easpia, 68, 89, 394.

caspica, 356.

eristata, 68.

frenata, 278.

fuliginosa, 430.

liirundo, 126, 356,

391, 394.
hybrida, 126, 157,

164.

leucopareia, 357.

leucoptera, 157, 165,

357, 393.
minuta, 68, 82, 89,

126, 157, 356, 391, 429.

nigra, 157, 356, 393.

senegalensis, 125,126,

127, 129, 432.

velox, 127, 221, 429.

Strepsilas interpres, 166,

339, 359.
Strix asio, 91.

bubo, 281, 352.

flammea, 133, 309.

Strix lapponica, 308.

noctua, 91.

nudipes, 91.

nyctea, 166.

passerina, 91.

tcngmalmi, 308.

Sti'uthio camelus, 72, 310.

epoasticlius, 75.

Stiu-nella hippocrepis, 34.

ludoviciana, 317.

Sturnopastor contra, 99.

nioorii, 99.

Sturnus unicolor, 137.

Tiilgaris, 136.

Sula fiber, 98.

fusca, 316.

Siu-nia nyctea, 125.
Sylvia altisonans, 295.

ambigua. 96.

aquatica, 158.

arundinacea, 158.

cetti, 155, 161.

cinerea, 230.

ciu-ruca, 231.

cyauecula, 228.

elaica, 96, 155, 161,

295.

galactodes, 92, 230.

hippolais, 161.

horteusis, 231.

luscinia, 230, 295.

luscinoides, 1.54, 158.

melanocephala, 154,

231.

nisoria, 235.

oUyetorum, 156, 230,

295.

orphea, 231.

pallida, 96, 155.

plioenicui'a, 228.

polyglotta, 96.

• preglii, 96.

rubecula, 228.

subalpina, 154, 231.

suecica, 92.

tithys, 191, 228.

turdoides, 92, 154,

158, 230.
Synallaxis erythro thorax,

35.
Sypheotides humilis, 243,

248.
Syrnium aluco, 125, 307.

zonocercum, 309.

Syrrhaptes paradoxus, 105,

300.
tibetanus, 105.

Tachornis iradii, 300.

phoenicobia, 300.

Tadorna rutila, 354.

Tadorna yulpanser, 67,81,

354.
Tanagra diaconus, 33, 111.

vicarius, 111.

Tantalus loculator, 313.
Tanysiptera dea, 198.

galatea, 199.

isis, 421.

margareth^, 421.

Tatare longirostris ?, 186.

• otaitiensis, 186.

Tchitrea borbonica, 201.

caTuleoccphala, 57-

principalis, 57.

Telephonus cucuUatus,

150.

erythropterus, 211.

Temenuchus cineraceus, 60

sericeus, 60.

sinensis, 60.

tiu'diforniis, 60. •

Tetrao lagopus?, 167-

paradoxa, 107.

reinhardtii, 166.

— salieeti, 167.

tetrix, 431.

lu'ogallus, 431.

Tetraogallus hinialayensis,

93.
Thalassidroma pelagica,

357.
Thamnistes anabatinus,

399.
Thamnobia niveiventris,

54, 357.
Thaumantias candidus, 40,

116,196,270,271.
Thaumastiu'a henicura, 38,

40, 196, 263, 264, 266.
Threskiornis ajthiopicus,

219.
Tliryothorus albigularis,

30.

felix, 397.

guttatus, 397.

macuUpectus, 30.

pleurostictus, 30.

rufalbus, 30.

Tigrisoma tigrinum, 313.
Tinamus sallcei, 312.
Tinnunculus alaudarius, 7,

47.

atratus, 90.

cenchris, 8.

punctatus, 201.

saturatus, 90.

sparverius, 226.

Tityra albilorqucs, 400.
Todiramphus collaris, 147,

187.
funebris, 198.

442

INDEX.

Todirostrum schistacei-

ceps, 399.
Totanus calidris, 345.
— — fuscus, 308.

glareola, 66, 80, 344.

glottis, 218, 308, 344,

422.

glottoides, 66.

■ — — oclu'opus, 66, 80, 132,

168, 344.
piilvernlentiis, 132,

359.

seniipalmatus, 331.

stagnatilis, 344.

Tragopan melauocephala,

93.
Tringa, sp. ?, 359.

alpina, 80, 343.

bonapartii, 91.

— — ciiiclus, 66.

interpres, 166.

maritima, 308.

minuta, 80, 166, 343,

359.

platyrhyuclia, 308.

pusilla, 91.

schinzii, 91.

subarquata, 279, 343.

temminckii, 66, 80,

308, 359.
Tringoides hypoleucus, 66,

80, 344.
Trochilus baliamensis, 98.
colubris, 195, 262,

263, 206.

evelynse, 98.

polytmus, 116.

Troglodytes brmineicoUis,

273. '

europrsus, 232.

Ti'ogou caligatus, 41.
elegans, 117.

Trogon melauocephalus,

117,223.

mexicanus, 41, 43.

puella, 41, 194.

Tropicoperdix cliloropus,

187.
Tryphaena duponti, 196,266
Tiirdinus guttatus, 187.
Turdus advena, 56, 358.

assimilis, 272.

• cardis, 132, 358.

• chrysolaus, 56, 132.

daulias, 56, 358.

densirostris, 333.

iliacus, 139,331,333.

leucauclieii, 272.

inandarinus, 56.

merula, 139, 289, 333

migratorius, 396.

musicus, 83, 139,201,

333.

occipitalis, 57.

ourovang, 807.

ourovang?, 201.

pallasi, 272.

pallens, 56.

pallidus, 56.

pilaris, 139.

poliocephalus, 422.

riifitorqiies, 29.

rufiventris, 298.

torquatus, 139.

viscivorus, 139.

Turuix africanus, 72.

lepiirana, 216.

Turtm- regyptiacus, 69. •

cliinensis, 62, 147.

humilis, 63.

meena, 63.

orientaKs, 63.

risorius, 69.

semitorquatus, 214.

Tyrannulus semiflaTUs,

400.
Tyrannus crassirostris,

399.
melancholicus, 113.

Upupa epops, 49, 236, 420.
Uria bruniiichii, 166.

grylle, 166.

troile, 128, 166.

Urubitinga antbracina, 45.

Vanellus cristatus, 79, 339.

melanogaster, 92.

melanopterus, 217.

Vidua axillaris, 211.

erythrorhyncha, 212.

— — rubritorques, 211.
Vireo noveboracensis, 274.

solitarius, 31.

Vireolanius melitoplu'ys,

31.
Vultur auricularis, 171.

fulvus, 281, 282, 284.

kolbii, 290.

monachus, 2.

Xanthopygia chrysoplirys,

58.
narcissina, 58.

Yunx torquilla, 62, 235.

Zenaida leucoptera, 227.
Zenaidura carolinensis,

227.
Zonotrichia pileata, 334.
Zosterops albogidaris, 422.

borbonica, 201.

curvu'ostris, 201.

japonicus, 55, 131.

tenuirostris, 422.

END OF VOL. II.

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CONTENTS OF. NUMBER I.

I, Notes on Birds oh^crNcd i:i the Ionian Islands, and tlie i'rovinces
of Albania [-.roper, E^irus, Acarnania, aiul Montenc-gro. 13y

tiie Hon. Thomas L. Powys., F.Z.S 1

II. On Birds colleot'd or .oh-ierved in the lleprjriic of Honduras,
v.\th. a s'nort Account -of s. Jonrncy ftcro.«^s that"c.)Uiitry iVom
the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. HxHteokgi: CAViiNDssn
Taylok, F.R.G.S ;.w...., .-... 10

III. On theEjr;>s<.f two Rantorial Birdv from t!ie Falkland I-dands.

By Philip Luilicv Sclatkr. (Plate I.) 21

IV. Not? on Wallace's Standard-wiiv^ {Semioi.t/errr trnl/a.-ii). By

Phii-ip Lutlky Sclatkr (Plate II.) . . ., : 2()

V. (loiUributioMS to the Or'iitiiolojiy <jf Gnateni;.la. B-y Osijeut

SALVfN and Philip LuTLtv Sclater. (Plate 111.) .... 28
VI. The OrnitholoL^y of .\nioy (China). By ll<>r>PiiT Swinhoe,

of II. M. Consular Service 45

VII. On tl'.e Ori'itholoitv of Northern Africa. Bv (lie Bev. II. B.

TRisTiJA^f, M.A.', P.L.S. Part III. Tlu^S-dhhi-ci {ro/ifhinefl). GS
VIII. Note on the Migratory Habits of flie Song Thrnsh {Tardus

musii-Hs). ]Sy Alfred Newton, M.A., F L.S., F.Z.S. . . 83
IX. Recent Ornithological Publicatioris : —

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X. Notices, Letters, Extracts from (-orrcspondence, &c.

Death of Mr. John Wolley : Letters from Mr. Bis tli, Mr. O. Salvin,
Mr. (}. D. Rouley, and Sir William Jardine : Birds collected by
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OSTEOLOGIA AVIUM.

By T. C. EYTON, Esq., F.L.S., F.Z.S., F.G.S.,

CoiTCsponding Member of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia.

Published by the Author,

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In One Vol. 8vo, price ^2 : 2s., with 45 Coloured Plates,
A MONOGRAPH OF THE BIRDS

FORMING

THE TANAGRINE GENUS CALLISTE.

By PHILIP LUTLEY SCXATER, M.A.,

Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

John Van Voorst, 1, Paternoster Row.

Also, by the same Author.
A SYNOPSIS OF THE FISSIROSTRAL FAMILY

B U C C O N I D iE,

Accompanied by Four Coloured Plates of hitherto unfigured Species.
1 Part, sewn, price 4 s. Gd.

John Van Voorst, 1, Paternoster Row.

CONTENTS OF NUMBER VIII.

Page

XXXYIII. On Birds collected or observed in the Republic of Hon-
duras, with a short Account of a Journey across that
country from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. By
George Cavendish Taylor, F.Z.S. (Part IV.) ..311
XXXIX. Remarks on the Internal Structure of the Bearded Tit-
mouse (Calamophilus biarmicus). By Robert F.

Tomes, C.M.Z.S 31 7

XL. Note on the Birds of Prey of New Guinea. By Philip

Lutley Sclater. (Plate X.) 322

XLI. On Edible Birds'-nests. By Edward Blyth, Curator

of the Royal Asiatic Society's Museum, Calcutta .... 323
XLII. Review of M. O. Des Murs' 'Oologie Ornithologique ' . . 325
XLIII. The Penguins of the Falkland Islands. By Capt. C. C.

Abbott, of the Falkland Islands Detachment 33 G

XLIV. Notes on Birds observed in the Ionian Islands, and the
Provinces of Albania proper, Epirus, Acarnania, and
Montenegro. By the Hon. Thomas L. Powys, F.Z.S.
(Part IV.) 338

XLV. Further Corrections and Additions to the Ornithology of

Amoy, with some Remarks on the Birds of Formosa.

By Robert Swinhoe, of H.M. Consular Service. . . . 357

XLVI. A few Leaves from a Naturalist's Note-book in Eastern

Algeria. By the Rev. H. B. Tristram, M.A., F.L.S.

&c. (Plate XI.) 361

XLVII. On the Nesting of Aqidla imperialis and Faico sacer.

By W. H. Simpson, M.A., F.Z.S. (Plate XII.). . . . 375
XLVIII. Further Observations on some of the Birds of Western

Greece. By W. H. Simpson, M.A., F.Z.S 378

XLIX. Contributions to the Ornithology of Guatemala. By
Osbert Salvin and Philip Lutley Sclater.

(Part III.) (Plate XIII.) 39(J

L. Letter from Dr. G. Bennett respecting a new species of

Cassowary. (Plate XIV.) 402

LI. Remarks on the Anas {Anser) erythropus of Linnseus.

By Alfred Newton, M.A., F.Z.S. &c 404

LI I. On new or little-known Birds of North-Eastern Africa.
By Hofrath Theodor von Heuglin. (Part I.)

(Plate XV.) 407

LIII. Remarks on Mr. A. Newton's "Suggestions for forming

Collections of Birds' -eggs " 415

LI V. Recent Ornithological Publications 418

LV. Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, &c 428

Index, Title-page, Preface, &c.

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